I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse

Chapter 781: Yang Yang is So Cute

Yun Siniang finally understood why the Wucheng Cigarette Factory was so confident.

As long as they guarded the original tick habitat, it was like guarding an oil field. It only needed to be tapped, and then it would be barrels of crude oil. There would be no need to worry about imitations, theft of trade secrets, or other such trivial concerns.

Just how big is this tick habitat? How long can it be mined? And with dozens of factories opening across the country... this suggests that there’s plenty of raw material!

Indeed, the contract was for ten years, which meant that no matter what, there wouldn’t be any worries about raw materials for the upcoming decade.

While others opened factories praying for a bite to eat from the heavens, and feared their food being stolen, Wucheng opened a factory with the heavens chasing after them to feed, and stuffing their faces even when full.

Having figured out all this, Yun Siniang put on a sincere smile.

"Tomorrow is our Yun Gui’s annual ’Gourmet Flower Festival,’ organized by officials who provide the venue while each enterprise and merchant brings a special delicacy from their hometown. This creates an opportunity for merchants to assist and interact with each other. I just happen to have an extra entry spot. Would Little Sister Jing care to join the fun?"

Yun Siniang was painfully giving up Xiao Bai’s spot, planning to bring Jing Shu for a free feast, as she did every year.

As for the transactions discussed at the meetings... that didn’t concern her much.

In the post-apocalypse, due to scarce resources, upper-class society nearly all relied on bartering, and large enterprises and merchants also adopted this mode. They mostly did not trade with coins but exchanged items of equal value. For example, like Jing Shu’s Insect Cake Factory, they might provide Insect Cakes to the water plant, and the water plant would provide water to the Insect Cake Factory.

This meeting was about exchanging resources.

Jing Shu hesitated, as time was tight. Once she finished her tasks here, she would immediately head to her next destination. She still had many things to do in the South Sea as soon as possible.

Seeing Jing Shu hesitate, Yun Siniang continued to tempt her, saying, "Your company is also from Yun Gui now. Perhaps you need some other resources to exchange. Besides, there will be special local delicacies from all over the country available for you to enjoy. Just treat it as a trip to a buffet. And this time, the host is a magnate from your Wu City. I heard they will also have Wu City’s special gourmet food there."

A buffet? There’s nothing missing from Jing Shu’s space.

But... it may indeed be worth checking to see if the factory lacks any resources.

"Our people from Wu City? Do you know who it is?"

Speaking of Wu City’s tycoons, Jing Shu could name quite a few, but she didn’t know which one managed to extend their business to Yun Gui. It must be someone influential.

"I’m not sure about that." Yun Siniang’s brother had snagged a few spots to freeload; he didn’t care about the details.

"All right, I’ll go take a look tomorrow."

「The next day.」

As promised, Jing Shu arrived at the Gourmet Flower Festival’s location, Seagull Park, with Yun Siniang.

After the apocalypse, Seagull Park was covered in vines, surrounded by brightly colored flowers blooming in profusion, making Jing Shu feel as though she was walking through an enchanted forest.

The scenery was indeed beautiful.

"Just make sure not to touch these poisonous vines... alas, it’s a pity that both the flowers and vines are poisonous. They can’t be eaten, nor can they be distilled into perfume. If used as firewood, TSK, that would be like setting off a poison Smoke Bomb. They have absolutely no value for recycling at all."

If the vines had even the slightest use, such as being simply used for firewood, the surrounding areas of Yun Gui wouldn’t be so tightly besieged by them.

Jing Shu also felt it was a waste. The wildly growing vines of Yun Gui covered the sky and earth, yet they had not a bit of value for utilization. Otherwise, it could have been quite a windfall.

「...」

Su Malie, propping her chin, listlessly played with the two crayfish in the little pond—Oh no, they should be called big crayfish now—gifts from Jing Shu a few years ago.

At first, they were just treated as breeding shrimp, and they indeed didn’t disappoint, with astonishing reproductive capabilities. Aside from their huge appetite and hot temper, there were no other issues. However, for some reason, they kept growing larger and larger. Now, they were about the size of a basketball, and the key was that they only got close to Su Malie, pinching anyone else who dared to come near.

Su Malie then kept them as pets, teasing them from time to time.

"Miss, the lobster feast is ready. This time we’ve put in five hundred pounds of small lobsters, with a total of five-spice, garlic, and spicy flavors."

Little Qing and Little Red could eat, excrete, and even produce little shrimp without falling ill. They were easier to keep alive than before the apocalypse. This saved quite a bit of money each year, which could be used for gifts, greatly adding to their family’s prestige.

"One hundred servings of rich-flavored yogurt are also ready!"

"Fifty servings of big-plate chicken have already arrived."

Su Malie nodded and sighed, "Yun Gui’s livestock department is really stingy. It’s just a ewe, right? They wouldn’t sell it to us, not even for oil. Sheep are so cute... If only I had known, I should have raised more sheep like Mr. Qian’s family..."

Regretful and unwilling tears flowed from the corners of her mouth.

The old butler’s mouth twitched. Let alone Yun Gui’s livestock department, even the livestock department of Wu City, and the livestock departments throughout the whole country wouldn’t sell little ewes!

What did the miss do wrong?

The miss simply wanted to have a whole sheep feast on a whim, and our miss could only be spoiled.

"I have already contacted someone from Inner Mongolia; they will airmail a ram by tomorrow at the latest. Once it gets to the South Sea, the little sheep the Wu City livestock department left for the miss to raise will also have grown up."

Su Malie lamented, "You don’t understand. If I don’t eat it today, I won’t want it tomorrow. If only Jing Shu were here! Her house always has every kind of ingredient, and they are especially delicious, fresh, and tender... Frozen stuff tastes no good at all!"

The old butler laughed and shook his head. "Miss, if you do well in today’s tasks, your second master will bring back your favorite perfume from overseas, and the third master will bring you Kraft and rib-eye steaks."

"Oh, I really don’t want to inherit the family property! I just want to be a rich second-generation slacker," Su Malie lamented, then suddenly saw a familiar figure in the distance and pulled the butler’s arm, pointing. "I must be seeing things, isn’t that Jing Shu?"

The old butler nodded. "That’s Jing Shu, Miss. You always get what you wish for."

"What’s the use of getting what I wish for? I should have muttered for Jing Shu to bring her sheep along," Su Malie said. Jing Shu’s house raised a lot of Domestic Poultry, each plump and pleasing.

But was her idea possible?

Clearly not. Who would bring a live sheep when traveling?

Well, believe it or not, Jing Shu really did bring a live sheep, and it was a sheep that was officially accounted for.

The sheep was still bleating, but Su Malie had already arranged its parts very clearly:

Make me a Cashmere Sweater from the sheep’s wool, two combs from the sheep horns, and a jacket for Dad from the sheepskin. The sheep head should be braised until it’s tender and flavorful! The sheep neck has firm meat with fine tendons, perfect for making Wanzi and stuffing for lamb dumplings. Add sea cucumber, white turnip, and tofu to the sheep’s spine for a sheep spine hotpot. The upper brain of the sheep, with its perfect fat-to-meat ratio, is the most tender and ideal for hotpot. Thinly sliced Lamb Loin added to it will have a smooth, tender taste that lingers. Marinate the lamb leg with a secret sauce, then roast it and sprinkle with cumin and chili.