novelraw Chapter 774: What Kind of Relative Is This?
Chapter 774: What Kind of Relative Is This?
The atmosphere grew tense, and the whole family became silent; even the pecking sounds of the fat chicken quieted down a lot.
"Grandpa?" Jing Shu called out with some confusion. What’s up? Was Grandpa Jing about to announce something important?
Just as Grandpa Jing was about to speak, Grandma Jing smacked him. "Speak properly! You gave everyone a fright with that tap of your tobacco pipe. What’s with you, thinking you’re something big now, huh?"
Grandpa Jing’s authoritative presence instantly deflated. He coughed before saying, "Old Man Zhang, who used to play with us, was a security guard at his son-in-law’s factory. My chess buddy, Wang Choushou, used to work as a gatekeeper at Wu City’s Power Bureau..."
Jing Shu’s expression was odd. "So what?"
"Ahem, these past two days, my good friend Old Xie told me that thanks to some connections, he got into the Cigarette Factory’s janitorial department. You know the condition of your grandpa’s body. Surely I should at least be the head of the security team, right?" Grandpa Jing stroked his tobacco pipe. In the future, when I watch the gate, anyone who wants information will have to offer me a couple of cigarettes, right?
Jing Shu said helplessly, "Grandpa, being a security team leader is beneath you. Your woodworking and construction skills are so good. They just happen to need a lot of beds and various tools made over there. You should lead a work team in the materials department to guide them."
As she spoke, she gave Little Aunt a look. The procurement department was in charge of managing materials, so Little Aunt immediately understood. The old man is so old and still likes to fool around. With the situation in the South Sea unclear and the Cigarette Factory being so profitable, it could attract bad people, which would put him at risk.
Grandpa Jing raised his head. Directing others’ work? This indeed suits me better, and it’s more prestigious when spoken of.
"Hmm." Grandpa Jing seemed to agree. Surprisingly, Grandma Jing didn’t oppose it but instead said, "It’ll be good for your grandpa to go and see who dares to cause trouble. If anyone breaks the rules, he can quietly let you know."
Jing Shu was both amused and touched.
Then, Grandma Jing went on and on about the various things that had happened during Jing Shu’s absence.
She mentioned how on the road, they encountered Dark Creatures similar to wild boars that broke into the migrant caravan, causing an uproar. By the time the armed troops arrived to rescue them, the creatures had already been sliced up and completely taken by the people.
Not a single hair was left; even the bristles were collected to make toothbrushes.
How long had it been since the migrant caravan had seen meat in their watery soup? Everyone’s eyes literally glowed green. The moment those boar-like creatures charged into the crowd, it was like sheep entering a pack of wolves.
Reluctantly, the armed forces had to inform everyone not to eat wild creatures indiscriminately, as many had died from doing so before. However, judging by the indifferent expressions on people’s faces, no one took it seriously. The matter only ended after the authorities bought back the meat pieces at 20 Virtual Coins per kilogram to piece together the bodies.
Jing Shu found it both amusing and ridiculous.
Grandma Jing also talked about how when they passed through an area of mutated reeds, everyone picked the reeds while on the move. They made a large number of mats, sandals, hats, and ropes, accumulating quite a few belongings.
The caravan was so massive and thorough on its journey that it was like a swarm of locusts, leaving not even a blade of grass in its wake.
Jing Shu smiled faintly, listening to the gossip while eating her rice. Life in my previous life wasn’t like this, was it? Back then, whatever was useful or edible on the road was definitely not spared. It wasn’t just the poisonous wild boars; we even consumed countless poisonous rotten corpse insects. So many people died along the way. In this life, Wu City has resources, my Insect Cakes, and giant mutated food. That’s why there’s money to buy wild boars.
Jing Shu’s father interjected, "It’s a shame that the mutated reeds are poisonous; otherwise, they’d make excellent fodder."
Grandma Jing was very proud. "Heh, our Overlord Chickens aren’t afraid of those. Your grandpa and I picked a Hulk-load of them, enough for these chickens to eat for half a year."
Grandpa Jing humphed. I was the one who cut all those reeds.
"On the road, the trickiest issue is still water, as most of it is polluted. The supply stations limit water purchases, and we can’t exactly carry a well around with us, can we?"
"Exactly. Besides drinking, washing clothes and taking a bath have become very difficult."
The family meeting casually discussed recent issues. Although it hadn’t been a major problem before—one could barely manage a bath a week—it became evident that water was scarce after Jing Shu left. This was because she used to discreetly subsidize their water supply each time.
Before any solutions could be discussed, Jing Shu’s cell phone received a message. With a peculiar expression, she said to her cousin Wu You’ai, "Something happened at the boiler room, related to the Insect Factory. You should come with me to check it out."
Grandma Jing expressed her disapproval. "What’s such a big issue that you need to handle it personally? You haven’t even finished your meal... If the rice cools, we’ll have to reheat it, and natural gas is precious! We need to save everything we can on the road."
"Oh, Grandma, I’ll be right back. You start organizing the supplies I brought. These are top-quality items from Sichuan, many of which I guarantee you’ve never seen before..."
Then she turned to Mrs. Jing and said, "The festival is coming up soon. Decide which items you’ll use for festival gifts. Pick the good stuff for the Niu, Jun, and Yang families."
Saying this, Jing Shu led Grandma and Grandpa Jing onto a green Hulk bus.
They had no choice, as the supplies she brought back weren’t just in sacks but filled two entire green Hulk buses.
Considering she would be migrating earlier than her family and couldn’t care for them on the way, Jing Shu was very worried, fearing they wouldn’t eat or dress well. Look at Grandma—saving and being frugal is ingrained in her. That’s why I prepared so many supplies. They should use them, use them to their heart’s content, and not be sparing.
The green Hulk bus was crammed to the brim with a plethora of goods: items collected from Sichuan, things from her space, supplies from before the apocalypse, fragrant food, shelf-stable dried goods, and a hodgepodge of daily necessities.
Grandma Jing, looking at the bus filled with various items, smiled until her face was full of wrinkles. "Goodness, with so much here, we’ll be eating and using this until who knows when! Organizing this won’t be easy; we’ll have to categorize everything..."
"Grandma, Grandpa, take your time organizing everything!"
Wu You’ai, following behind, quietly asked, "Does this have anything to do with me?"
Jing Shu nodded. "Yes."
...
It wasn’t until they arrived that Wu You’ai realized this matter wasn’t just related to her—it was a very big deal.
The light from the boiler room’s fire flickered on Jing Shu’s and Wu You’ai’s faces, revealing no particular emotions.
In a corner, a skeletal man with a surprisingly large belly was tied up and squatting. He looked up in disbelief at the two women, his sallow face and agape mouth stark in the flickering firelight, frozen in an expression of shock.
Skeletal thinness, a disproportionately large belly, and a sallow complexion—these were the three characteristic features of the poor in the apocalypse.
The three people who met—Jing Shu, Wu You’ai, and the man—were all stunned.
The atmosphere turned a bit eerie.
"Is this person... really your uncle, Boss? Your relative?" Ahua asked somewhat nervously. I kicked him a couple of times earlier. Was that a mistake?
The others around also looked uneasy, especially Granny Yu from the boiler room.
Jing Shu’s expression was grim. "A former uncle."
Wu You’ai sneered. "What ’former uncle’? His family never acknowledged me as their daughter. Right after my mom became infertile, he immediately kicked her out, abandoning his wife and child to remarry and have other children. I wouldn’t shame myself by recognizing such a man as my father. So, what sort of relative is he?"