Chapter 41 Spreading the News

After Jiang Rong dealt with the Bloodthirsty Vine, it both feared and was close to him. The evidence was that whenever Jiang Rong turned around, he could see the red vines peeking out, but when he approached, they would shrink into a ball.

Jiang Rong had intended to keep the Bloodthirsty Vine to guard the warehouse, but whenever they tried to get into the car to go home, the vine would chase after them relentlessly. Seeing the Bloodthirsty Vine like this, he felt as if he were seeing abandoned kittens or puppies; how could he bear to keep it?

But the Bloodthirsty Vine is so big, how can we bring it home? After careful consideration, Guan Shao made a decision: "Let it sit on the roof of the car."

The back seat and trunk weren't big enough, so there was no other option but to put it on the roof. Jiang Rong nodded slowly: "Okay. Go stay on the roof. Remember to hold on tight and don't fall off."

The bloodthirsty vines quickly climbed up the roof of the SUV, their tendrils gripping the roof rack tightly. A red ball swayed on the roof, the long vines twisting into various shapes.

As the car started, the two heard a whooshing sound coming from the roof. Looking in the rearview mirror, they could see the long tendrils of the Bloodthirsty Vine hanging behind the car, resembling a red cloak.

This was Jiang Rong's first time dealing with the Bloodthirsty Vine, and he hesitated before saying, "Why does it seem so happy to me?"

Guan Shao's deep eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror. His gaze shifted from the Bloodthirsty Vine to Jiang Rong's face: "It's still a child. It's normal for a child to have emotional changes."

The Bloodthirsty Vine appeared only after the Black Rain, and from any perspective, it was still a baby. Although it was in a lot of pain from Jiang Rong's beating, being able to sit on the roof of the car and feel the wind blowing, letting its vines sway in the breeze, was a kind of happiness for it.

Jiang Rong thought Guan Shao's words made sense; it seemed he couldn't be too harsh on the Bloodthirsty Vine. One must set rules for children when necessary, and be gentle when appropriate.

The Bloodthirsty Vine loved the feeling of the wind blowing on the car roof. After Jiang Rong got home, it stayed on the car and refused to get off.

When Wang Chunlan and her companions first visited Jiang Rong's home, although they had heard of the "Little Fairy's" reputation before, they were skeptical. How big could a cactus be? Could it be as big as the cacti that had been growing in the entire garden for decades?

However, when they saw the fairy's mountain-like body, they were all dumbfounded. Pan Pan, who had just joined the superhuman team, was so shocked that he couldn't even finish his sentence: "Wow, so big!"

Seeing so many people for the first time, the little fairy twisted its body, shook its spines, and then lowered its body towards the crowd. The giant cactus exuded an immense sense of oppression, and the color drained from Pan Pan's face: "It, it's coming!"

Jiang Rong said gently, "Don't be afraid, little fairy knows what she's doing."

Chu Qiang laughed heartily: "Let me tell you, the little fairy is very powerful. She's the best at guarding the house. Without Xiao Jiang's approval, not even an ant could crawl into the yard."

Wang Chunlan and her daughter looked up at the little fairy with a strange light in their eyes. They only knew that Jiang Rong was powerful, but they didn't know just how strong he was. After witnessing the little fairy and the Bloodthirsty Vine with their own eyes today, they felt completely at ease.

It was an honor for them to meet Jiang Rong and her group after the major crisis.

Seeing the excited crowd, Jiang Rong lowered his eyes to hide his emotions. Ever since he decided to form a team of superpowered individuals, he knew that the location of his house would eventually be exposed to others. Rather than hiding it, he might as well be open about it. Besides, with Little Fairy around, who would be foolish enough to wander around the yard?

Jiang Rong gently greeted everyone, "Go home and rest for a while, we'll set off again later. Leilei, you can put the solar panels in the yard now."

Leilei responded, and the group headed towards the gate. Just then, the fairy-like girl's excited voice came from behind: "Engineer Jiang!"

Jiang Rong turned around and saw that the Bloodthirsty Vine had already climbed onto the little fairy. The red vines were like a giant net, entangling the green cactus. He couldn't help but recall the scene he had seen in his previous life where the Bloodthirsty Vine devoured other mutated plants and animals: the red vines would wrap around other plants and animals and then absorb their blood or power.

Jiang Rong felt a chill run down her spine and her hair stand on end. Her voice became urgent: "What are you doing?! Get down!"

The Bloodthirsty Vine is inherently ferocious. Having just been subdued by Jiang Rong, it will feel fear towards him. However, it shows no fear towards the Little Fairy. Although they have greeted each other in the sea of ​​consciousness, it's unclear whether the Bloodthirsty Vine considers the Little Fairy a companion or food.

The moment Jiang Rong uttered the call, the supernatural power within his sea of ​​consciousness surged towards the Bloodthirsty Vine. He would never forgive himself if his momentary weakness harmed the little fairy.

However, before the supernatural power could even envelop the Bloodthirsty Vine, the red vines on the cactus had already coiled up into a ball and fallen heavily off the cactus. It cowered pitifully behind the little fairy, trembling, "Please...don't kill me..."

The little fairy tilted its body, using the sharp thorns at its base to block Jiang Rong's stern gaze. It said crisply, "Partner, partner~ Anime~"

Jiang Rong: ...

So, the fairy had invited the Bloodthirsty Vine to climb onto its body so it could take its new friend to watch cartoons. This... is a huge misunderstanding.

Looking at the cowering Bloodthirsty Vine, Jiang Rong pursed her lips and beckoned to it: "Come here."

The Bloodthirsty Vine hesitated for a moment, but still obediently rolled towards Jiang Rong. As it rolled, its vines trembled, "I'm good..."

When Jiang Rong's hand landed on the blood-red vine, the Bloodthirsty Vine trembled violently. A gentle surge of supernatural energy flowed from Jiang Rong's fingertips into the Bloodthirsty Vine. Jiang Rong apologized, "I'm sorry, I wronged you."

When the superpower came into contact with the Bloodthirsty Vine, every vine trembled uncontrollably. It remembered the feeling of this superpower absorbing its strength; in its young life, it had suffered the most painful torment of its existence. Its branches would wither and break, the pain far worse than the fireball that had struck it that morning.

The Bloodthirsty Vine trembled, silently awaiting the pain. However, as the supernatural power flowed into its body, it felt not pain, but rather an unparalleled sense of ease. This feeling was even more comfortable than when it was full. Its vines were filled with power, eager to sprout a few thin branches.

The Bloodthirsty Vine secretly raised a vine from the ball to observe the direction Jiang Rong had left in, and tiny branches grew out of the vine.

So this person can not only bring it pain, but also make it feel so good.

It doesn't seem so afraid of this person anymore...

Leilei neatly placed the collected wooden crates in Jiang Rong's yard. After running back and forth more than a dozen times, Jiang Rong's yard was filled with wooden crates both inside and out. A rough estimate suggested there were at least tens of thousands of solar panels. So many panels would be enough to power several nearby villages.

However, Jiang Rong only took out one box of boards, half of which was placed on the roof of Uncle Li's villa, and the other half on the roof of the activity center.

On a hot morning in mid-July, people were sweating profusely, but the market was bustling with people, and the heat did not dampen their enthusiasm for exchanging goods.

Since the activity center opened, except for the first time when it was open at night, all subsequent days have been for exchanging goods. The advantages of opening the market during the day are obvious: there are fewer people taking advantage of the situation and engaging in petty theft, and those who try to profit from the chaos have also stopped. Under Jiang Rong and his group's management, the market has developed steadily.

The surviving villagers flocked from all directions, bringing surplus items from their homes to exchange for the supplies they needed. The market was open from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and every morning at 5:00 a.m., people would arrive outside the activity center with their goods, waiting for it to open.

At six o'clock in the morning, when the market was at its busiest, Chu Qiang drove his pickup truck into the activity center. Seeing the truck, many people gathered around. Everyone knew that this pickup truck belonged to the superhuman team, and its arrival at the market meant that something good was going to appear.

Chu Qiang opened the car door and got out, saying, "Make way, everyone."

The crowd wasn't stupid; they all saw the large wooden crate on the back of the pickup truck. The crate had the Jingyi Optoelectronics logo printed on it, and a commotion arose in the crowd: "Solar panels! Solar panels today!"

The news spread like wildfire to every corner of the activity center. People stared eagerly at the wooden crates, lining up under the eaves, hoping to exchange their gifts for a board.

Some clever people in the crowd had already started discussing pooling their resources to exchange for the boards. Even just one board could charge a phone and make the electric fan work.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter these days, and without air conditioning or fans, everyone is really finding it unbearable.

Looking at the crowd queuing under the eaves, Chu Qiang's lips unconsciously curled up. He called to Pan Pan, "Come on, Panzi, it's our turn."

When Pan Pan and Chu Qiang took the first solar panel out of the wooden box, everyone erupted in excitement: "Solar panels! They really exist!"

"I heard that the superhuman team went to Jingyi Optoelectronics and found a lot of solar panels."

"Great! Superpowered individuals don't need that many boards, so we should all be able to exchange for boards soon!"

"Stop talking, listen to the exchange rate."

The crowd's gazes grew increasingly eager, their eyes practically gleaming with greed as they stared at the solar panels. Ignoring the stares, Chu Qiang strapped several panels to his body and swaggered through the crowd, shouting, "Make way, make way!"

Just when everyone thought he would go back to his previous stall and set up his goods, Chu Qiang suddenly turned and headed up the stairs of the activity center. Pan Pan followed closely behind, shouting loudly, "Excuse me!"

Everyone was puzzled. Where were the superhumans taking the solar panels? Just then, someone with sharp eyes spotted Chu Qiang and his group: "Look! They're on the roof!"

Chu Qiang and Pan Pan searched for a suitable angle on the roof and soon installed several solar panels. The brand-new solar panels quickly came into play, and the large ceiling fans on the first floor of the activity center started turning, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Feeling the cool breeze, everyone cheered, "The power's back on! The power's back on!"

After the cheers subsided, they turned their attention to another question: "When will it be our turn to redeem the boards?"

At this moment, a voice came from the crowd: "Stop dreaming. I just heard Li Guofu in the back say that the solar panels that the superhumans found are not for exchange. They are only for their own people to use."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Village Chief Zhang of Fishery Village No. 2 standing against a pillar with a solemn expression. Seeing everyone looking at him, Village Chief Zhang subconsciously reached for his pocket, but he hadn't had any cigarettes in a long time, so he could only awkwardly pat his pocket.

A questioning voice arose from the crowd: "Village chief, you can't just say things like that. What do you mean by 'only for our own people'?"

Village Chief Zhang arrived early today and went to Uncle Li and Aunt Li's house in the back village to exchange for some fresh fruit. Just as he was bargaining with Old Li, he saw Chu Qiang and his group drive into the yard in a pickup truck. Then they went to the roof and installed several solar panels on it.

Overjoyed, Village Chief Zhang cautiously asked Chu Qiang if the remaining villagers would soon be able to use the solar panels. However, Chu Qiang simply smiled and said nothing.

After Chu Qiang and his group left, Village Chief Zhang looked at the overjoyed Uncle Li and Aunt Li. After using up half a pack of cigarettes, he finally managed to extract some information from Uncle Li.

Village Chief Zhang sighed: "Put your hands on your hearts and tell me honestly, if you were superhumans, would you be willing to exchange your solar panels for them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Yes, everyone knows how precious solar panels are these days. Forget about going to Jingyi Photovoltaic to find solar panels; many villagers don't even dare leave the village's boundaries, fearing they'll be harmed by mutated plants and animals on the road.

The superhumans risk their lives to find solar panels, so why should they exchange those panels, which they risked their lives to obtain, for local specialties from the villagers? They could easily hoard the panels and exchange them for even more and better things in the future.

Someone in the crowd muttered, "But they're superhumans. They're more powerful than us. Shouldn't they help us?"

Village Chief Zhang sneered, "Should? What do you mean 'should'? They're not your parents. They're already doing a good job by taking care of the villagers. You want to morally blackmail them?"

The person who had just been muttering shut his mouth amidst the chorus of criticism: "Stop talking nonsense, it's easy for you to do it yourself." "That's right, don't interrupt, we haven't even asked the important question yet!"

At this point, someone asked the crucial question: "Village Chief Zhang, what did you mean by 'our own people' just now? Why would a superhuman install solar panels for Li Guofu and his wife? Aren't they ordinary people?"

Someone answered the question: "Have you forgotten? Li Guofu and his group had a good relationship with Jiang Rong before."

Village Chief Zhang sneered, "What's the value of personal connections these days? Before the big crisis, having many friends made life easier; now, the fewer burdens you have, the better. If good relationships could guarantee protection, Village Chief Zhang would have been protected long ago."

Another person speculated, "It's true that Li Guofu and his group are ordinary people, but they have mutant dogs at home. If the dogs join the superpowered team, wouldn't the people also receive the protection of the superpowered individuals?"

Someone in the crowd laughed, "Goodness, before it was the dog relying on its master's power, now it's the master relying on the dog's power."

After a few noisy exchanges, someone said worriedly, "We don't have any mutant dogs at home. Even if we wanted to join a team of superhumans, they wouldn't want us. What are we going to do? Are we just supposed to wait to die?"

Village Chief Zhang looked around and said, "The superpowered team has no shortage of mutated plants and animals. You all know Jiang Rong, the leader, right? He's a wood-type superpowered person who can control many mutated plants. They also have other mutated dogs, so they don't care about one more dog."

The impatient person couldn't hold back any longer: "Village Chief Zhang, can you stop being so mysterious? How exactly did they get Jiang Rong's protection?"

Village Chief Zhang leaned against a pillar, hands clasped in his pockets. "Want to know? Produce something in exchange." He had just pulled out half a pack of cigarettes; these people actually thought they could get information out of him without giving anything in return? Impossible.

Some people thought Village Chief Zhang was just trying to attract attention and turned to leave, but many more stayed, leaving behind the things they had brought in front of him. Village Chief Zhang packed the scattered small items into the backpack on his chest and said in a low voice, "Li Guofu handed over everything in his house: his orchard, his mutant dog Tiger, his big villa, his private plot... even his two old bones."

Everyone who heard the news was stunned: "What does this mean?"

Village Chief Zhang continued in a low voice: "I heard from Li Guofu and the others that the superhuman team is preparing to build a base. Those who join the base will receive free protection from the superhumans. If you want to join the base, you have to show sincerity, voluntarily hand over your belongings, and be at the beck and call of the superhumans."

The person opposite sneered: "What a joke, isn't this just handing over your entire fortune for protection? Once they take the money and the land, do you think they'll treat ordinary people well? I'm not that stupid, I'm not going to hand over my things."

Others offered a different perspective: "These days, money isn't worth much, let alone houses and cars. Without the protection of superpowered individuals, how long can ordinary people survive? Putting aside everything else, if this weather continues to get hot, people will die from the heat sooner or later. Humans are social animals; one person can't survive alone. Since we'll have to find someone to rely on sooner or later anyway, we might as well go to Jiang Rong and the others; at least we know their background."

The first floor of the activity center was in an uproar because of this, but Chu Qiang acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He and Pan Pan swaggered off into their pickup truck and left the activity center.

Pan Pan asked worriedly, "Brother Chu, won't the solar panels be stolen if we put them in the activity center?" There are eight solar panels, and the electricity they generate can power large appliances like air conditioners. With so many people in the activity center and so many eyes watching, it's hard to guarantee that someone won't be envious.

Chu Qiang grinned, revealing a sinister smile. "With so many people watching during the day, who would dare to make a move? And at night, there's even less to worry about." Both Tiger and Bloodthirsty Vine could teach anyone who wanted to steal the solar panels a lesson they wouldn't forget.

Seeing that Pan Pan was still hesitant, Chu Qiang suggested, "Why don't you try it tonight? If you can steal the solar panels, we'll add more protection tomorrow."

Pan Pan waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I don't want to go up against the Bloodthirsty Vine at all." The Bloodthirsty Vine in Jiang Rong's family can survive as long as a small piece is plucked off. That thing is a pitiful little punching bag in front of Brother Jiang, but in front of others it is a ruthless demon who kills without blinking an eye. He didn't want to bring bad luck upon himself.

Chu Qiang laughed and said, "Don't worry, if someone can really steal these solar panels right under our noses, he can join our superpowered team."

*

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao were sitting quietly in their chairs, waiting for Wang Chunlan to diagnose Jiang Hao. After learning that Sister Chunlan was a healing-type ability user, Jiang Rong immediately thought of Jiang Hao's problem. If only this child could speak.

Wang Chunlan's supernatural power was milky white. As her power moved across Jiang Hao's neck, her expression remained calm, but her eyes grew increasingly serious. As soon as she lowered her fingers, Jiang Xiaoheng immediately approached: "Aunt Chunlan, is little brother's illness cured?"

Wang Chunlan gently ruffled Jiang Xiaoheng's soft hair and smiled, "Little brother is fine, he'll be better soon."

Jiang Rong said gently, "Xiao Heng, why don't you take your older brother to read a book first? Dad and Auntie have something to say."

Jiang Xiaoheng responded and grabbed Jiang Hao's hand: "Brother, let's go see the Autobots!"

Jiang Hao nodded slowly, then followed Jiang Xiaoheng towards the bedroom. Jiang Rong pointed towards the study: "Let's go inside and talk."

As soon as he entered the study, Guan Shao closed the door. Jiang Rong asked anxiously, "Sister Chunlan, what about Xiao Hao...?"

Wang Chunlan said gently, "Xiao Hao's organs are normal, and he should be able to move and speak normally. At first, I thought the child had autism, but after careful observation, I found that his symptoms were different from those of autism."

Jiang Hao responds to external stimuli; he is emotionally stable and has a wide range of interests, especially in responding to the expectations of those around him. If he were truly an autistic child, he would only be immersed in his own world.

Wang Chunlan explained, "If autistic children are like those who have locked themselves in an oyster shell, then Xiaohao is like someone who has locked himself in a glass room. I feel his symptoms are more like childhood hysteria. Has this child experienced some kind of trauma that has caused him to shut himself off?"

Guan Shao's eyes dimmed: "It's my fault for not finding him sooner." After the major crisis, even adults are struggling to make ends meet, let alone children.

Jiang Hao is the son of Jiang Zhen, the deputy captain of Guan Shao. Before the major crisis, Jiang Zhen had to work hard to make a living. After a while, his wife couldn't stand it anymore and divorced him, and custody of the child was awarded to Jiang Zhen. However, due to the nature of Jiang Zhen's work, he had too little time to spend with his child, so he had no choice but to send the child to his elderly mother to be cared for.

After the great crisis, Jiang Zhen's elderly mother never woke up, leaving Jiang Hao alone. When Guan Shao found the boy, he was guarding his grandmother's body...

The scene was so horrific that Guan Shao felt constant remorse and self-reproach whenever he thought about it.

Jiang Rong comforted him, "Don't worry, the child's condition isn't that bad yet. Let's listen to what Sister Chunlan has to say and see if there's any way to help the child recover."

After a moment's thought, Wang Chunlan honestly confessed, "Xiao Jiang, as you know, I used to be a gynecologist, so I don't have much expertise in pediatric diseases. However, I've heard from former colleagues that the best treatment for childhood hysteria is psychotherapy and suggestion therapy. No matter how good the experts are, they can't compare to the understanding and companionship of family members. Everyone should treat Xiao Hao like a normal person, tell him that he can speak, and guide him to speak."

After a pause, she suggested, "I'm only a novice, I can't compare to the experts. If possible, you should still seek treatment from an expert in this field."

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao nodded earnestly, "Understood, thank you, Sister Chunlan."

After Wang Chunlan left, Jiang Rong asked seriously, "Guan Shao, do you still want to take Xiao Hao to see other places? Maybe there are other people with superpowers who can treat Xiao Hao's condition."

Guan Shao shook his head without hesitation: "No." How many bases would he have to visit to find a specialist in pediatric diseases? Instead of searching like a needle in a haystack, it would be better to stay and work with Jiang Rong to build the base. Once the base was built, would there be any fear of not having good doctors?

Most importantly, he had a strange feeling. If there was anyone in this world who was willing to genuinely care for Jiang Hao, that person would definitely be Jiang Rong. Wang Chunlan was right; for Jiang Hao right now, the company of his family was more important than anything else.

He and Jiang Rong are now Jiang Hao's family.

Author's Note:

Yesterday, Old Cat went to fight Sam, led by his buddy.

We recently ran out of bamboo fungus at home, and the day before yesterday, while shopping at the supermarket, I found some so-called organic bamboo fungus, so I bought a bag of it.

Yesterday I bought two pounds of pork ribs and happily made pork rib and bamboo fungus soup at home. The moment I put the bamboo fungus in, a strange smell wafted out.

After boiling the soup, I took a sip and, good heavens, I almost thought I was drinking soapy water.

Three hungry foodies had painstakingly simmered the soup for hours, just waiting for dinner, and this is what they got?

Old Cat was so angry he was about to curse, but then his buddy said directly: Let's go, take the soup pot to Sam's.

So Old Cat and his buddies carried a big pot of soup straight to Sam.

The after-sales auntie is really amazing. Even though it smelled strongly of soap, she took a bite and said that's exactly what it tasted like.

She said they had never received any complaints in this regard.

...(omitting several heated exchanges)...

With the help of his friend, Lao Mao successfully returned the bag of bamboo fungus and even received a box of French lamb chops as compensation.

Thanks to my buddies, I learned the joy of arguing my case. Without them, I think I would have been heartbroken over the leftover bamboo fungus for a long time.

PS: Bamboo fungus does have a soapy smell, but it will be much less after washing, soaking and cooking.

Old Cat can cook and has eaten a lot of bamboo fungus, but this was the first time he had tasted such a strong soapy smell, which completely stunned him.

After checking, I found that if this happens, it's because the bamboo fungus has been steamed with sulfur or has had preservatives added.

What a waste of my pot of pork ribs.