novelraw Chapter 718: There Is Nothing Great About It
Chapter 718: There Is Nothing Great About It
"What do you mean ’barely enough’? Does your family have a throne to inherit or something?"
Besides, it’s the apocalypse now. Though power is good, how much better can the material conditions of those highborn youths in Wu City truly be? Aren’t they all just enviously eyeing the pitiful output, waiting for the authorities to distribute a few supplies? No family’s situation is that much better than any other’s.
Unable to hold back, Mrs. Niu said, "Her father is the deputy director of the breeding farm, overseeing all the livestock in Wu City. They even raise chickens at home and have a milk-producing cow, mind you. The number of private dairy cows in Wu City can be counted on one’s fingers."
With conditions like theirs, they’re honestly better than 99% of the people in Wu City, Mrs. Niu thought, or perhaps continued speaking. To be frank, while my husband, Niu, holds a higher position, has power, and possesses many good things, when it comes to actual living standards, we’re not as well-off as *them*. Even though the elders in *their* family are from the countryside, they raised livestock and knew how to farm even before the apocalypse. Now, they are skilled at caring for these animals. After so many years of the apocalypse, *their* family truly lacks nothing.
Luo Dan’s eyes lit up. Jing Shu’s mother was in the Ministry of Agriculture, and her father was at the breeding farm—both directly involved with producing goods! Their family would never lack food; it was even more convenient than for high-ranking officials like herself. People like her relied purely on salaries and benefits from the Township Government, plus gifts, to enjoy such perks.
Now Luo Dan was looking at Jing Shu with increasing satisfaction and couldn’t help but nod, "Well, these conditions aren’t too bad. The job position might be a bit low, but the family wealth is substantial. Marrying into our family would be an asset and wouldn’t hold Chenchen back. How about it? You make an introduction, act as a matchmaker, and our Old Luo won’t forget you. Let me give you the inside scoop: for this migration, when it comes to the houses, their locations, and so on, we’ll make sure to allocate a good one for you. You’ve heard, right? Because of residential issues, the destination hasn’t even been decided yet. Imagine how tight the living situations must be."
With so many people migrating, housing is a huge issue. Homes across the country have been all but destroyed by various disasters, leaving very few places fit for human habitation. What’s to be done then? Squeeze in, of course. Even if it’s a tight fit, people have to be accommodated. There’s definitely no time to build new houses; at most, they might put up some corrugated metal sheds.
So, don’t even dream of arriving at the destination to live in luxury, with each family in a villa. Forget about it.
How will housing be allocated? Determining where people from various regions will be assigned to live involves a lot of under-the-table dealings. No one knows how long the migration will take, or how long these living arrangements will last.
Luo Dan’s husband happened to be in charge of coordinating this very matter—a position of considerable power. When the time came, many people would be seeking his favors.
Gifts, flattery, ingratiation, sweet talk—all were to be expected. Although her family had no one in the Ministry of Agriculture or at a breeding farm, they were at the center of power. Getting what they wanted wasn’t a big deal.
She quite enjoyed this feeling of being revered and placed on a pedestal.
Mr. Jing and Mrs. Jing had already struck up a conversation with some people nearby.
Jing Shu listened as the portly, middle-aged woman spoke with such arrogance, looking down on everyone. The woman even acted as if everything was already decided, without even consulting Jing Shu, the person most concerned. It almost made Jing Shu laugh in exasperation.
Truth be told, she hadn’t encountered someone so blatantly arrogant in a very long time.
Jing Shu lowered her voice and asked indifferently, "May I ask what great prospects your son has?"
Luo Dan had intentionally spoken loudly enough for Jing Shu to hear, especially about her family’s power. Now that Jing Shu was asking, Luo Dan assumed she was very interested—hook, line, and sinker.
She smiled with feigned modesty. "Oh, it’s nothing that remarkable. He’s currently working under his father, starting as the director of community housing management. In the future, he’ll definitely follow in his father’s footsteps."
And yet, Luo Dan was still inclined to show off. People would occasionally send gifts even for a position like this, though she usually scorned them as too shabby. After all, these people were practically living in basements; what valuable items could they possibly offer to curry favor?
"It’s indeed nothing impressive, just a community director." Jing Shu gently shook her head.
Luo Dan felt as if struck by lightning, momentarily stunned. What? What did she just hear? Was she being looked down upon? Despised by a girl whose father wasn’t even a minister?
Mrs. Niu discreetly coughed from the side, feeling a bit sorry for Luo Dan. She hadn’t yet had the chance to reveal Jing Shu’s identity; she hadn’t wanted to use status to intimidate anyone.
Before Luo Dan could speak, Jing Shu asked again, "How old is your son? What does he look like, and how much in assets does he have to his name?"
Luo Dan’s chest heaved, and her gaze toward Jing Shu soured. "My Chenchen is only thirty, right in the prime of his career! With his father around, he gets promoted every year. It’s a sure thing he’ll become a member of the Disciplinary Committee in the future! You’re just relying on your parents’ middling official positions. What right do you have to be so arrogant? In this day and age, real power is what counts. A pretty little greenhorn like you wouldn’t understand. Take the housing issue, for example. You have to live wherever the higher-ups assign you. If you marry into our family, getting you an extra, better place is no problem at all. Just think of the Township Government compound—electricity, heating, everything! Who doesn’t aspire to that? You ungrateful little brat—"
"Wait, wait, wait," Jing Shu cut in, utterly exasperated. "Guess why I’m sitting next to you today?"
Luo Dan glanced at Jing Shu’s parents. "Isn’t it because you’re piggybacking on your family’s good relationship with the newly appointed official from the Niu Disciplinary Committee? Let me tell you, for this Niu Disciplinary Committee banquet, everyone has a quota. Irrelevant people simply can’t get in. You, a greenhorn, wouldn’t understand. This is no ordinary banquet; it’s a major research conference held by the higher-ups. Everyone’s every move is being watched! You’re causing trouble for your family, and big trouble for the Niu Disciplinary Committee! Later, when it officially starts, you’d better slip out through the back door. Soon, it’ll be time to..."
"Mrs. Luo!" Mrs. Niu frowned, looking around anxiously.
Luo Dan shut her mouth, also glancing around, then let out a quiet sigh. "It’s about to begin. You should send her away now. If this were really just a banquet, your precious son would have already been clamoring for a seat."
Luo Dan herself had wanted to bring her precious son, but unfortunately, even her own qualifications to attend were barely sufficient.
If it really were a banquet, children would have been brought along. But this time, strangely, there wasn’t a single child. If anyone had unwittingly brought a family member, they would be sent to an adjacent room later.
Jing Shu took out the banquet invitation and waved it in front of Luo Dan.
Luo Dan sneered, "So what if you have an invitation? It doesn’t count for much. Which department can you possibly represent?"
Jing Shu replied, "Take a closer look at the banquet invitation."
Luo Dan looked again, disdainfully, then froze. She read it carefully once more. "Medicine Association, Vice-President Jing Shu? Representing the Medicine Association? You?"
The Medicine Association! Who didn’t know of it? That was where they cultivated medicinal plants and produced medicine. Everyone suffered from headaches or fevers; everyone got sick.
"Impossible! How is this possible? What kind of vice-president has the authority to represent the entire Medicine Association?" Luo Dan shook her head in disbelief, her gaze fixed on the impressive-sounding title. But Jing Shu was so young, a mere slip of a girl! In the Medicine Association, seniority was everything. Doctors became more valuable and formidable with age. Someone so young could only be inexperienced, a novice just starting out.
Jing Shu took back the invitation, smiled, and said, "It’s not that impressive. It’s on the same level as your husband, Luo Jiwei’s, position. I truly envy your son for having a father who can promote him. My case is different, alas. I can’t be promoted any further."