Chapter 48

Upon tasting it, Jiang Zhi felt a sourness in the pickled cowpeas that made her cheeks tighten.

Then, the salty and savory aroma that seeps in bursts forth, mixed with the unique crispness of cowpeas, becoming more and more flavorful with each chew.

Jiang Zhi: "Grandma, your pickled cowpeas are delicious. They would be even better with freshly cooked hot porridge."

Although the ingredients used for pickling are different, Grandma Jiang still managed to make the familiar pickled cowpeas, just like when she was a child.

Grandma Jiang smiled broadly, "Let's put these cowpeas on the table for lunch!"

Jiang Zhi laughed, "Then there has to be plenty of porridge."

With her current appetite, she could eat seven or eight bowls of these pickled cowpeas!

"No problem! Plenty!"

The old lady planned to exchange these 100-plus kilograms of pickled cowpeas and ginger for other types of grain.

However, this task will have to be handled by Jiang Hai.

He has a wide network of connections, so he doesn't have to worry about being shortchanged when exchanging grain.

After Jiang Wen and his group left, Ye Qingyun and his group also prepared to leave in a large group.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu still wanted to go, but after hearing Ye Qingyun ask, "Can you help us argue?", he immediately backed away.

Who dares to mess with women who are yelling in the street, especially three aggressive women?

After leaving the house, Wu Xiu originally intended to go find Hu Qian.

Jiang Zhi stopped her, saying, "Aunt, we can't go directly to their door. Otherwise, if they find out later that the mutated earthworms have no special use, they might turn around and accuse us."

“Yes, yes, you’re right. Those people are utterly shameless. We shouldn’t rush to sell ourselves to them,” Wu Xiu said.

Yuan Ying: "A-Zhi, what should we do?"

“Take them directly to the consulate and sell them,” Jiang Zhi said. “Make a scene so everyone knows.”

Ye Qingyun understood immediately, "Okay, leave it to me."

As the group passed by Ma Yanhong's house, Ye Qingyun saw Ma Yanhong peeking out and greeted her with a smile, "Good morning, Sister Ma."

Caught red-handed peeping, Ma Yanhong could only stand up straight. "Sister Ye, where are you planning to go so early in the morning?"

She saw it yesterday; the family brought back a lot of food from outside. The cart was piled high, and everyone's baskets were also full.

Her nephew, on the other hand, only brought back a dozen or so kilograms of wild vegetables, a difference so great that it made people envious.

Her nephew said that the Jiang family had found the special earthworm. This news made Ma Yanhong extremely upset. She hated herself for being so talkative as to reveal the news to the Jiang family, and she was also angry that this family had found all the good stuff, while her nephew had gotten nothing.

This intense, agonizing jealousy caused her to steal glances at the Jiang family whenever they made a move, to the point of being pathological.

What Ma Yanhong didn't know was that those who went to gather food yesterday had obtained a lot of grain, while those like Ma Yanhong's nephew who went specifically to find mutated earthworms had little to show for it.

Ye Qingyun laughed and replied, "Hey, my sister-in-law caught a mutated earthworm yesterday and was planning to sell it."

"Sold...sold it?" Ma Yanhong asked nervously. "Why did you sell it? Aren't you going to redeem the 30,000 points reward?"

Ye Qingyun feigned surprise: "Sister Ma, we haven't even sent them to the base research institute for testing yet. How do you know that my earthworms can be exchanged for 30,000 points?"

Ma Yanhong realized she had misspoke and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "No, no, I just heard it from others. They said you were lucky to find that earthworm with special properties."

"I was just about to ask you, is this true?"

Ye Qingyun said with a smile, "We're all neighbors, so it's no harm to tell you. This earthworm isn't anything special, and we don't know anything about it. But we don't plan to exchange it for those 30,000 points. We plan to sell it to someone. My family has a grudge against the family that gave us the points, so we will definitely not give it to them."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yanhong recalled the woman who had come to the Jiang family looking for someone yesterday, and felt a secret excitement in her heart—this family actually had a grudge against the family that posted the reward notice!

That family are the elite living in Block B!

The Jiang family actually didn't get along with them—

Let them not take care of her nephew! They deserve to fail to marry into a wealthy family!

Ye Qingyun pretended not to see the expression on Ma Yanhong's face.

"Sister Ma, you just need to know about this, but don't tell anyone else," Ye Qingyun said, and left with Wu Xiu and the others.

Once they were far away from the Ma family, Wu Xiu asked worriedly, "Qingyun, is it really okay to say that?"

Ye Qingyun laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, someone like Ma Yanhong will definitely go and inform them."

As soon as the doors of the meeting hall opened, a large crowd of people blocked the entrance.

Before they could even go inside, they were stopped.

Everyone looked and, sure enough, it was Hu Qian.

"Mom, where are you going?"

Looking at her former sister-in-law, Jiang Zhi could tell that she hadn't had a bad life these past few years.

Clothes without patches, and skin untouched by the elements.

Wu Xiu suppressed her anger and said calmly, "Don't call me Mom. I don't have a daughter-in-law like you."

Hu Qian wasn't angry and still smiled. "Mom, please don't say that. When I was still in the Jiang family, you took the best care of me. Although I'm no longer a member of the Jiang family, I'm still Sui Sui and Si Si's mother. They definitely don't want to see us arguing."

These words sounded nice, but they were all hurtful. Yuan Ying couldn't help but retort.

"Do you still remember that you are Sui Sui and Si Si's mother? They all thought you had been dead for many years. You only appeared now because you need something from us. The children even think you have come back from the dead!"

Hu Qian looked a little unwell. She glanced at Yuan Ying and continued to say to Wu Xiu, "Mom, no matter what you think of me, I don't think I'm wrong. A-Jun can't give me the life I want, so what's wrong with me pursuing it? If you think the property you divided before was unfair, then I can return it to you now."

Hu Qian's few words made Wu Xiu tremble with anger.

What do you mean by "I can't give her the life she wants"?!

What do you mean by saying they feel the property is unfair and can be returned to them?

Back then, Hu Qian and Jiang Jun were high school classmates. Hu Qian's family was poor and favored boys over girls. Although she had good grades, her family did not plan to continue supporting her studies. At that time, Hu Qian and Jiang Jun were dating, and Jiang Jun would occasionally bring Hu Qian back to Jiang's house. In order to ensure that Hu Qian could graduate smoothly, Jiang Jun secretly went out to work to earn money for Hu Qian's studies.

When the two got married, the Hu family asked for a dowry of over 100,000 yuan, which the Jiang family gave. Why didn't she say then that the Jiang family couldn't give her the life she wanted?

When they divorced, Hu Qian took all the money from the bank card. Even if they were to divide the property after the divorce, this is not how it should be done.

In those years, Jiang Jun had no money and relied on working five or six odd jobs a day to support his children's living expenses.

Whenever Wu Xiu thinks back to the past, she feels heartbroken for her son!

She didn't expect that this woman still felt she hadn't done anything wrong.

Before Wu Xiu could speak, Ye Qingyun raised her eyebrows and cursed, "Bullshit! Don't act all innocent. Back then, when you couldn't afford to go to school, who helped you? It was our A-Jun!! If it weren't for A-Jun's willingness to marry you, you would have been sold to an old widower by your heartless parents long ago! You used A-Jun as a stepping stone, and you still have the nerve to talk about pursuing anything? It makes me sick! If A-Jun hadn't raised you so well back then, do you think your current husband would even look at you?! Don't be so ungrateful and try to get attention from us! Get lost!"

Jiang Zhi was speechless with astonishment.

She always knew her mother was tough, but she never imagined she was this tough.

Wow, that's quite a talent for swearing.

Those around Ye Qingyun, upon hearing his loud voice, all wore expressions of amused curiosity.

"Isn't that Director Liu's wife from the B District Property Management Bureau? I didn't expect it wasn't her first marriage."

"What wife? Director Liu's wife died long ago. This is his mistress, who gave birth to his son, but they are not married yet."

"Didn't they say that the son lost his right hand and was crippled?"

"Yes, that's why we're so anxious. If our son is crippled, how will we compete with the son of his first wife?"

...

The people around her were talking quite loudly, and Hu Qian heard it all.

Her face was pale. "Mom, I don't want to argue about the past anymore. Just tell me directly, how much money do you want for the mutated earthworm you have?"

Wu Xiu's face was ashen. "We won't sell it to you."

Suddenly a voice came: "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Everyone turned to look.

He is a one-armed boy who is about five years old.

Hu Qian rushed over and picked him up, saying, "Didn't I tell you to stay home?"

He then berated the bodyguards beside the boy, "What are you doing? Weren't you supposed to guard him and not let him out?"

The bodyguard's face was grim: "It was the young master who came out crying, wanting to find you..."

The boy looked up at her and said, "Mom, don't scold them. I asked them to bring me here to find you."

After Wu Xiu saw the boy's age, her expression changed drastically: "Hu Qian! How dare you!?"

Ye Qingyun didn't react at first, but after realizing that the boy in Hu Qian's arms was five or six years old, she quickly realized what was going on.

This child is actually older than Sisi!

In other words, Hu Qian not only had an extramarital affair, but also had a child with him!

Wu Xiu recalled that Hu Qian had indeed been away from home for more than half a year that year, saying she was working away from home. She was so angry that her eyes turned red: "Hu Qian, let me tell you, you will never be able to buy this mutated earthworm from me in this lifetime!"

With that, Wu Xiu left aggressively, ignoring the surprised looks from the crowd.

Ye Qingyun and the others quickly chased after them.

Hu Qian panicked when her secret was discovered, but she quickly regained her composure.

She told her bodyguards, "Go find someone and buy that mutated earthworm she has. Buy it no matter how many points it costs!"

The bodyguard looked troubled: "But Mr. Liu said... the budget is at most 50,000... and we can't guarantee that it will be the special prop we're looking for..."

Hu Qian angrily said, "Whether it is or not, you have to buy it! I'll pay for the extra! Go now!"

Today, all these people are using ordinary mutated earthworms to deal with her. Those don't even need testing; they're obviously not special props!

The only hopeful path was in the hands of her ex-husband's family, which infuriated Hu Qian.

Her son was her only chance to rise to power, and she would never let him be wasted like this!

On the other side, after Jiang Zhi and the others had walked a distance, Wu Xiucai stopped, wiping away his tears.

Ye Qingyun gave Jiang Zhi a look, and Jiang Zhi stepped forward and took Wu Xiu's arm, saying, "Auntie, don't cry, it hurts me to see you cry."

Wu Xiu smiled bitterly, "Good child, I was just too angry. I never thought this woman would do such a thing. I don't know how heartbroken the two children and A-Jun will be when they find out."

"It's alright. Once I sell this earthworm to her and make a big profit, I might feel a little better."

Jiang Zhi knew that this would be a huge blow to any family.

She said earnestly, "Aunt, it's okay if you don't want to sell it. You don't have to force yourself."

Wu Xiu retorted, "Sell? Of course I'll sell! If I didn't know what these earthworms were all about, I would never sell them. But since I know they're useless, why not sell them? I'm not only going to sell them, I'm going to sell them for a price that will make this woman wince!"

They decided to give up and simply consign their goods to the store at the neighboring base.

There were more people in the base store than in the consulate.

In the grain section, the line even stretched to the store entrance.

Ye Qingyun: "Why are there so many people today?"

Someone nearby overheard this and said, "Didn't you know? The base's broadcast announced last night that starting today, food purchases at the base store will be limited!"

Ye Qingyun and the others were startled.

They came home late last night and had a lot of things to do at home, so they didn't notice the broadcast.

Yuan Ying: "Is that really what they said? Why the sudden purchase limit?"

The man looked worried: "The broadcast didn't say anything, but everyone is guessing that the base's food reserves are running low, so everyone is rushing to stock up on food."

Ye Qingyun: "How's the price? Has it changed?"

“We don’t have any in the stores right now,” the man said, then added quietly, “but the small shops outside have all started raising their prices.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying became nervous. After the man walked forward, she quickly whispered to her other two sisters-in-law, "Sister-in-law, Qingyun, should we also line up to buy some food?"

Although they had stockpiled a lot of food, they still felt it wasn't enough.

Ye Qingyun nodded, "Buy! Apart from the stones that Azhi brought back yesterday, we don't have many points left. The situation is unclear right now, so let's buy them first."

Wu Xiu immediately said with relief, "Luckily, we have Azhi at home, which is why we were able to stockpile so much food in advance. Otherwise, given the current situation, we would have to run to the daily gathering area."

Jiang Zhi frowned.

It seems the base has already begun to take action.

In Ancheng Base, two-thirds of the basic food supplies for the local people come from the base's stores.

Although the construction work at the base is tough, it is at least safe, so many people are willing to earn points to support themselves with three meals a day.

If food purchases are restricted, everyone will have to tighten their belts.

The more shrewd ones have already started using connections to stockpile grain.

Having made up her mind, Yuan Ying followed suit and joined the queue.

Jiang Zhi and her friends went to the front desk to discuss consignment with the sales clerk.

Jiang Zhi's decision to consign her product at the base store was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Although the store will charge a 5% handling fee, the store staff will also help handle any problems the buyer may cause after the sale.

This will prevent Hu Yang and that woman from causing trouble later.

After signing the agreement with the staff and registering the contents, Jiang Zhi hung a sign on the earthenware jar containing the earthworms: Mutant Earthworms, capable of infinite division.

The word "infinite" attracted a lot of attention.

Many of them are residents of Zone B.

"Auntie, what is this? It looks like a mutant earthworm. Can it taste good?"

Ye Qingyun said with a smile, "Mutant earthworms are meat too. Look at this one, it must weigh seven or eight pounds. Most importantly, if you cut it, two can become four, and eight pounds of meat can become sixteen pounds. Isn't that a great deal?"

Yuan Ying also joined in the sales pitch: "That's right, as long as it doesn't die, you can eat earthworm meat every day."

The onlookers were quite intrigued by what they heard.

"Auntie, how much does this cost?"

"That's expensive. These mutated creatures that can be generated indefinitely would cost at least tens of thousands of points."

Everyone gasped, "This is way too expensive!"

Jiang Zhi said, "I don't think it's expensive at all. This is meat with moderate toxins. How many people can afford to eat meat every day these days? With this, not to mention anything else, the human body will definitely not lack the protein it needs every day. The new mutated earthworms that are generated can also be sold."

Jiang Zhi's words deeply moved those present who had some savings.

However, even for residents of Zone B, tens of thousands of points is a significant expense.

Therefore, many people inquired, but they were all observing.

Some people even asked them to give a demonstration.

Jiang Zhi really did give them a demonstration.

Everyone watched in amazement as the mutated earthworm, cut in two, transformed into four earthworms of the same size and length.

Some people wondered, "If we cut these four strips again, will the yield double?"

Jiang Zhi shook her head, "Only the first one can split infinitely."

The person wasn't disappointed; they had already done a very good job.

Suddenly someone shouted, "We'll take this earthworm for 30,000 points."

Jiang Zhi glanced at the other person, who was a rather plump-looking man.

You can tell from the other person's physique that they are not short of money.

Jiang Zhi smiled politely, "Brother, I'm sorry, this price is too low, we won't sell."

The fat man was very dissatisfied: "Thirty thousand is too low? Then how much would you consider appropriate?"

Before Jiang Zhi could answer, someone interrupted and asked, "Young lady, is this mutated earthworm the same one that Director Liu offered a bounty on before?"

These words caused an uproar among those present.

"If it's a mutated earthworm with special functions, tens of thousands of points aren't too expensive."

"But Director Liu's reward is only 30,000, right?"

"I heard it's for his own son. He's so rich, and he only gave 30,000..."

"Sigh, instead of spending this money on a useless son, it's better to have another one..."

A young man with a pointed face and monkey-like features shouted, "I'll offer fifty thousand!"

After Ye Qingyun got a good look at the young man, he muttered to himself, "Why does this person look so much like our neighbor, Sister Ma?"

Wu Xiu: "You know what, the face really does resemble it, especially the eyes..."

"Could it be her son?"

Wu Xiu observed for a while longer, "This person doesn't look like a mutant... Could he be her nephew?"

Jiang Zhi listened to what Ye Qingyun and the others said and understood the situation.

This person probably bought it with the intention of reselling it to Hu Qian.

Jiang Zhi said directly, "Everyone, I'll be honest with you. We don't know if this mutated earthworm has any other uses, but compared to other mutated earthworms, the probability of it being a special item is still quite high. So our selling price is not cheap. Of course, if it turns out to be just a mutated earthworm in the end, we will not be responsible."

Upon hearing this, the fat man said with dissatisfaction, "Then how dare you set such an expensive price?"

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Aren't you also trying to gamble on this possibility?"

If it is truly a special item, it is indeed priceless and unavailable.

"Alright, seeing as you're honest, I'll raise the price once. I'll offer 70,000!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Yanhong's nephew immediately became anxious, "I'll offer 80,000!"

Ye Qingyun gave him a strange look—is this kid from a wealthy family?

Could it be that he asked Ma Yanhong for it?

Ye Qingyun actually guessed it right this time; the money Ma Yanhong's nephew had was all secretly lent to him by Ma Yanhong.

Although he didn't like Ma Yanhong, the two families lived close by, and Ye Qingyun didn't want her to come knocking on his door later.

She whispered to Jiang Zhi, "A-Zhi, are you going to sell it to him?"

Jiang Zhi nodded, then asked the people present, "Is there anyone who can offer a higher price than this young man?"

Jiang Zhi asked twice, and one by one, the middle-aged men standing at the back spoke up: "I'll offer 85,000!"

The middle-aged man didn't look wealthy; his clothes were even patched, and his face was covered in a thick beard, making him look quite slovenly. No one expected that someone like him could produce tens of thousands of points.

After that man made his offer, no one else dared to speak up.

Wu Xiu looked at Jiang Zhi nervously.

A few seconds later, Ma Yanhong's nephew actually gritted his teeth and said, "I'll offer 90,000!"

A look of helplessness crossed the middle-aged man's face, but it quickly disappeared.

Seeing this, Jiangzhi's suspicions were confirmed.

She smiled and said to Ma Yanhong's nephew, "Okay, I'll sell it to you for 90,000."

Ye Qingyun and Wu Xiu were both stunned.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhi chose to sell it to Ma Yanhong's nephew.

Their relationship with Ma Yanhong was not that good.

But seeing Jiang Zhi's shrewd and calculating manner, the two swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

Finally, the money and goods were exchanged, and Ma Yanhong's nephew happily took the mutated earthworm away.

The fat man said with regret, "Actually, I could have made another offer."

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "That's a pity."

The sales clerk was overjoyed; this order for ginger twigs was the largest transaction in terms of value during this period.

After finishing their business, Jiang Zhi and the others went to where Yuan Ying was queuing.

Even after a while, the line was still incredibly long.

Wu Xiu briefly explained the situation to Yuan Ying, who then asked, "How did you end up selling it to Ma Yanhong's nephew? That family isn't exactly a good one."

Jiang Zhi explained, "What do you think we can do to make... Hu Qian bleed heavily?"

Wu Xiu was a little confused, "This price isn't enough to make her bleed a lot?"

Jiang Zhi laughed and said, "She has done so many things to hurt Big Brother, of course we can't let her off so easily. Think about it, if we resell it to Aunt Ma's nephew, if you were him, and he spent so much money to buy this mutated earthworm, what would he do next?"

Yuan Ying was dazed: "How...?"

Ye Qingyun understood. "I understand, Azhi. You mean he will definitely resell it to Hu Qian?"

Jiang Zhi nodded: "And he will definitely raise the price. He won't be able to sell it without making a commission."

In other words, if Hu Qian wanted to buy this mutated earthworm, she would definitely have to pay more than 90,000 points.

“Ah Zhi, aren’t you just helping Ma Yanhong’s nephew make money? This young man doesn’t seem reliable at all,” Yuan Ying said.

Jiang Zhi: "I'm not helping him. If he's not greedy, that's fine. But if he is, and Hu Qian finds out that the mutated earthworm isn't the one she wanted, do you think she'll make Aunt Ma's nephew give up his points?"

But a thought struck those present.

What Jiang Zhi envisioned is very likely to happen.

They all knew that someone like Ma Yanhong's nephew could never be greedy.

It's likely that the two sides will end up fighting each other over this.

Yuan Ying felt relieved, but couldn't help but worry, "Won't Ma Yanhong come looking for trouble with us then?"

Jiang Zhi said confidently, "We're not afraid to search, Second Aunt. Guess who spread the news that we found a mutated earthworm?"

Yuan Ying was shocked: "Could it be Ma Yanhong?"

Ye Qingyun: "Azhi, how do you know? You can't just say things without evidence."

Jiang Zhi sighed helplessly, "Mom, have you forgotten what your son's abilities are?"

Wu Xiu was both shocked and furious: "Did the big tree see that?"

Jiang Zhi nodded. Yesterday, when Jiang Shu and Jiang Wen went to fetch water, they saw the aunt and niece acting suspiciously in the yard, so they used their clairvoyance to investigate.

What Jiang Zhi didn't mention was that Ma Yanhong and her niece had originally planned to secretly replace the mutated earthworm in their hands.

Ma Yanhong has been completely led astray by her nephew.

But Jiang Zhi didn't plan to tell Ye Qingyun and the others about this.

Her principle has always been "I won't offend others unless they offend me, but if others bully me, I can't just not fight back, can I?"

Today's incident was merely a lesson for Ma Yanhong and her niece.

Ye Qingyun said angrily, "That Ma Yanhong is a real scoundrel. She's just jealous that we have a lot of good stuff, so she actually stabbed us in the back! She deserves it! She should be taught a lesson."

Yuan Ying chimed in, "That's right! Sister-in-law, don't keep thinking about Hu Qian. Our family should just keep getting better and better, and make them furious."

Wu Xiu was touched. "Don't worry, who does Hu Qian think she is? I don't care about her at all. I feel very relieved that she bled so much this time."

Ye Qingyun: "That's the right way to think!"

The three sisters-in-law chatted as the procession slowly moved forward.

The sun peeked out and the temperature gradually rose again.

Everyone held a tattered leaf fan in their hand, fanning themselves intermittently. Some who didn't have palm-leaf fans lifted the hem of their clothes to fan themselves.

There were about seven or eight people ahead. Jiang Zhi stood on tiptoe to look ahead and saw several grain price tags displayed in front of the grain counter.

An old man buying grain muttered, "Young lady, tell us, is grain going to be rationed like this from now on?"

Salesperson: "I don't know about that. It's a policy from above, and it's subject to change at any time. If it's available, just buy it."

The young man behind the old man grew anxious, "Then can't everyone buy more? Three pounds per person, how can that be enough?"

The salesperson wasn't very enthusiastic. "You can come back tomorrow to buy more. This is a rule set by the base, and we're just following it."

The old man paid his points, opened the cloth bag, and watched eagerly as the saleswoman scooped up barley spoonful by spoonful. He couldn't help but say, "Young lady, you have to be careful. There are many children in your family, and this little bit of food won't last for many days."

The young man behind him chimed in, "That's right, it's rationed, every grain of rice is precious."

The sales clerk rolled her eyes: "What are you talking about? This is an official store, we wouldn't do anything like shortchanging customers!"

Soon it was Jiang Zhi and the others' turn.

The purchase limit is 3 jin per person per day. Individuals can buy directly, but families wishing to purchase as a unit need to present their household registration booklet.

The group didn't take any ginger branches, so they each bought 12 jin of highland barley, which was 3 jin each.

Actually, this amount isn't small; it's enough to fill someone up and prevent them from going hungry. It's just that you can't buy dozens of kilograms at once like before.

This sudden restriction is quite intriguing.

Jiangzhi noticed that there were moderately toxic mutant tomatoes next door, which were expensive but reasonably priced, and she was tempted.

I wonder if these mutated tomatoes will taste the same as the ones I ate as a child.

Now that conditions are better than before, Jiangzhi is no longer willing to compromise her taste buds.

She walked over and pointed to the tomatoes in the display case, "Sister, are these subject to purchase limits?"

The sales clerk was overjoyed by Jiang Zhi's call, "These are not subject to purchase limits for the time being."

Ye Qingyun glanced at the price and immediately frowned, "This is too expensive."

Jiangzhi pleaded, "Mom, I've worked so hard these past few days, I just want to eat something nice, please buy it for me~"

Wu Xiu and Yuan Ying also saw the price and felt a little heartache, but Jiang Zhi's earning power was no joke. Compared to that, they felt that their 50 points per kilogram of mutated tomatoes was nothing.

Wu Xiu smiled and said, "If the child wants to eat it, let's buy it. We have quite a few points on hand. Let's buy some and take them back for everyone to eat together. We haven't eaten tomatoes in a long time. We don't know if the core of these mutated tomatoes is sandy."

Seeing that his sisters-in-law had said so, Ye Qingyun had no choice but to agree.

Jiang Zhi hugged Wu Xiu's arm and said sweetly, "Auntie is so kind."

Ye Qingyun tapped her forehead with his finger.

"You!"

Jiang Zhi quickly hid behind Wu Xiu and stuck out her tongue, "Mom, we're outside, give me some face."

Ye Qingyun snorted, "You little rascal, you always have so many tricks up your sleeve."

Yuan Ying said with a smile, "Ah Zhi is smart, I think it's great, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to sell so many points like what happened today!"

While chatting and laughing, the group selected a few of the smaller ones, and then took the largest one as well. When they weighed it, it turned out to be thirty-eight pounds.

Even Wu Xiu, who was usually very generous, felt a pang of regret now. These few mutated tomatoes cost him 1900 points.

If it weren't for the fact that he had just earned 90,000 points, Wu Xiu would have insisted on returning them no matter what.

Ye Qingyun couldn't help but glare at Jiang Zhi, "You spendthrift child!"

Their generation is used to being frugal, and even if they suddenly become rich, they still can't bear to spend more money.

Yuan Ying also said, "Azhi, if you want to eat fruit, you can ask Alei to help you buy some, which will save you a lot of points."

She was referring to Tan Lei, who, after turning his life around by helping them resell cotton aphids and sugar cubes, has now made a name for himself as a "broker" with his underlings.

Jiang Zhi remembered that Tan Lei and her second brother Jiang Wen had a good relationship, and became interested upon hearing this.

"I'll go find him later and ask if he has any rare fruits."

*

On the other side.

Hu Qian looked at the mutated earthworm she had just bought and her lips twitched violently.

Upon hearing the bodyguard's quote, Hu Qian's face contorted with heartache.

“The Jiang family sold it for 90,000 yuan, but someone else bought it. When we went to buy it, the other party offered 120,000 yuan.”

Hu Qian cursed:

120,000?! Why doesn't he just rob someone?!

Didn't you tell him who we are?

Bodyguard: "I told you."

Hu Qian understood everything. She knew that the other party had deliberately set such a high price, hoping to take advantage of her and extort money from her.

Hu Qian was furious. She knew she had been forced to be a sucker, but Liu Shaoyang simply wouldn't stand up for her.

It's all the fault of that Jiang family!

If they hadn't driven up the price, she wouldn't have wasted so many points.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Go and get that mutated earthworm!"

After a moment, the bodyguard still didn't move. Hu Qian said angrily, "How can you not go?"

"...You haven't transferred the points to me yet."

Hu Qian's face turned pale and then red. After transferring the points, she angrily said, "Get out of here and buy it right now!"

After the bodyguard left, Hu Qian slammed her fist on the sofa several times.

120,000! This price is a full 70,000 higher than Liu Shaoyang's budget!

Even though she had saved up some money on her own over the years, this 70,000 yuan still took away most of her savings.

The thought that Wu Xiu's family had caused her to spend so much more money made Hu Qian's heart feel like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. Her mind was filled with the thought of "losing a lot of money." But since things had come to this, she could only grit her teeth and accept her fate, her face turning pale and red in turns.

Hu Qian told herself it was okay.

Once the son recovers, he will be Liu Shaoyang's legal heir, and the mother and son will receive even more!

After the bodyguard brought back the mutated earthworm, Hu Qian immediately took it to the Mutant Biology Research Institute in Area C for testing.

While Hu Qian was waiting for the results, Jiang Zhi and her brother also came to the research institute with their physical examination receipts.

From the outside, the entire research institute is about the same size as the famous Bird's Nest, sitting there solidly and making a strong presence.

It is six stories high, and the exterior is the most common gray and white color scheme. Some parts of the wall paint look mottled due to solar radiation.

The glass doors of the lobby on the first floor were polished to a shine, and you could see busy figures going in and out. The sign next to the door, with the words "Mutant Biology Research Institute," was neat and inconspicuous.

The building is surrounded by some holly plants, which are not particularly exquisite, but they are still lush and green.

Jiang Shu was overjoyed: "Azhi, I never imagined that Dad's workplace would be so luxurious."

Jiangzhi also thought this place was nice.

It's quite unique among all the buildings on the site.

The brother and sister walked in, and the spacious and bright reception area came into view.

Several magazines were scattered on the old sofa to the right, a dirty coffee cup sat on the coffee table, and the receptionist was on the phone. The entire research institute's decor and the various building materials used were exactly the same as before the cataclysm.

Upon seeing the guests enter, the receptionist quickly called to greet them, "Hello, may I ask who you are?"

Jiang Zhi took out the receipts and said, "We're here for a health check."

The receptionist glanced at the receipt and, after seeing the siblings' information, smiled and said, "So you are Ms. Jiang and Mr. Jiang. The testing equipment will take a little time to start up, please wait a moment."

Jiang Shu, with his sharp eyes, spotted the price list hanging on the wall at the front desk.

"Mutant physical examination, including mental strength, costs 2500 points per test. Mutant organism examination, including toxins and mutation direction, costs 5000 points per test."

"Ah Zhi, look! The mutant physical examination costs 2500 points! Where is Dad going to get the money?"

Jiang Zhi: "...Is that the point?"

There were also some precautions written on it. Jiang Zhi glanced at it and realized that a physical examination required an appointment.

Moreover, each test takes two hours.

Jiang Shu whispered in Jiang Zhi's ear, "Zhi, will this detect your cheat code?"

Jiang Zhi replied softly, "Probably not, this isn't a superpower."

Jiang Shu was finally relieved.

Several collections of books were placed on the coffee table.

Jiang Zhi picked it up and looked at it casually.

It turned out to be a collection of information on mutated organisms that was even more comprehensive and diverse in species than the collection of mutated organisms that had been given to them.

Jiang Zhi couldn't take her eyes off it.

Most of the mutated creatures inside can only be seen outside the gathering area.

Jiang Zhi read through the pages one by one.

I've seen some mutated creatures called ginger twigs. Some of these mutated creatures have undergone multiple mutations, making it impossible to recognize their original appearance.

It details the characteristics and abilities of these mutated creatures, and even lists their weaknesses in some cases.

Jiang Zhi looked at it with great interest.

As expected of the official organization, they must have collected data on tens of thousands of mutated creatures.

Jiang Zhi quickly finished browsing through the collection. The information at the back of the booklet was clearly added later, indicating that the research institute regularly updated the research data on mutated organisms.

The other book is about common knowledge related to mutants.

However, Jiang Zhi and her brother learned all of this from the notebook that Jiang Shan gave them.

About half an hour later, someone came to take the two upstairs.

The entire research institute has six floors. The second floor is used for testing mutants, and the floors above the third floor are all areas for testing mutant organisms.

Upon reaching the second floor, the smell of disinfectant assaulted my nostrils.

Just then, someone came out of the nearest room.

He was a young man, and his expression was somewhat dejected.

The inspector comforted him, "It's okay, you were just a little bit away from breaking through in terms of mental strength this time. Let Elder Yan design another training plan for you."

The young man nodded and walked directly to the room across the corridor.

Jiang Shu craned his neck to take a curious look, but was stopped by the staff: "Mr. Jiang, please go first."

As Jiang Shu followed them inside, he asked, "Won't it be dangerous to check this?"

The receptionist said, "No, please don't worry."

After Jiang Shu went inside, the door to the testing room was quickly closed, leaving Jiang Zhi to observe her surroundings with boredom.

At the end of the corridor is a large training room.

The partition is made of transparent glass, so passersby can see clearly what's inside.

Jiang Zhi noticed that there were quite a few people training inside.

She walked over and looked inside.

The first thing that catches the eye is a vast open space, which appears to be tens of thousands of square meters in size.

Several areas were covered with thick shock-absorbing mats, and rows of multi-functional fitness equipment were neatly arranged, with dumbbells ranging from a few kilograms to tens of kilograms.

In the corner, a dozen or so weighted treadmills were lined up, their electronic displays flashing and recording the exercise data of the previous user.

To the right is a completely transparent space, made of bulletproof glass on all four sides, with a sign hanging in front of the door.

Jiang Zhi has good eyesight; the sign indicates that it's an area specifically for mental training.

The soundproof mental training cabins are lined up in a row. The interior is simply furnished, with only comfortable cushions and control panels for adjusting the light and sound.

On the table next to him were stacks of concentration-enhancing props, as well as several head-mounted devices connected to EEG monitors. They looked like high-end instruments that could provide real-time data feedback, allowing people to accurately grasp the fluctuations and enhancements of their mental energy.

Jiang Zhi stared in disbelief. Even before the Great Cataclysm, these things were considered advanced.

She glanced around and was once again amazed by the rapid pace of technological development.

It's amazing that scientists could still create such sophisticated instruments after technology was destroyed like this following catastrophe.