Picking fruit will keep you busy for a while. After finishing the work on the mountain, the work in the fields also needs to be done. Jiang Shuyin stayed for half a month before returning. Seeing that her second aunt's family was doing well, she was happy for her mother.
My second aunt's husband filled a car with watermelons, cantaloupes, plums, and other fruits from the field to take back with them, saying that if they couldn't finish them, they could give them to the neighbors, and he also asked my brother-in-law to send some to Xiao Yin's side as well, that was the gist of it.
Human relationships are something that can be simple or complex. Jiang Shuyin grew up in the city and didn't have the kind of social interactions that come with a small-scale farming economy, so she found these social customs and relationships tricky and troublesome. But for her mother's generation, it was a matter of reciprocity—you treat me well and I treat you well in return.
After Chunhua returned, she became keen on playing by the river. Anshi has many mountains and rivers, but in order to prevent children from drowning, high-definition cameras have been installed along the river, and people patrol regularly. Jiang Shuyin repeatedly told her not to show her tail.
As the former clan leader, Chunhua knew the gravity of the situation. She was more patient than Alvin, and could stay submerged in the water for half an hour without revealing a single fish scale.
One day, Jiang Shu was led downstairs when she smelled the aroma of fish and meat. To be honest, she felt like throwing up.
Upon seeing the table full of fish, Jiang Shuyin cried out helplessly, "Mom, I'm your own daughter! Can you please stop making me see fish? I'm so sick of it. I can't stand the smell and I feel like throwing up."
Zheng Lanxiang was overjoyed: "Could it be that she's pregnant?"
Chunhua raised an eyebrow and looked down at her stomach. Jiang Shuyin closed her eyes briefly and said, "No, I'm just tired of the smell."
Chunhua looked somewhat disappointed; she had been looking forward to witnessing the birth of a new life.
However... it's not just the merfolk who are sparsely populated; the human population is too. I wonder if they've noticed.
In the early days of the apocalypse, mutants made up half of all humanity. Of the remaining ordinary people, 15% were corrupted and transformed by mutants, and the other half did not survive to this day due to the harsh environment.
It wasn't until a vaccine was successfully developed that the population base stabilized within a certain range, with a sharp decrease in newborns. Couples of childbearing age also decided to wait two more years to allow their bodies to metabolize before conceiving, fearing that the potential virus might affect their child's health.
Some people have been trying to conceive but haven't been able to. So far, on the desk of the higher-level fertility department, the number of pregnancies among couples with superpowers is highlighted in bold red and shows as 0.
Insiders have learned that the head of a certain underground organization possesses dual superpowers, and none of his eight wives have been able to conceive despite his daily reproductive efforts. This fact has already attracted the attention of some countries.
Newborns are the future.
On the day Jiang Shuyin's vacation ended, Minister Hu showed her an official document that had been specially issued to the Department of Supernatural Abilities.
"What's the meaning?"
Minister Hu summarized it in four words: "Encourage childbirth."
Jiang Shuyi twitched the corner of her mouth: "That has nothing to do with me. I already have several children."
Minister Hu casually glanced over her stomach: "Your child with Xie Yin? Those adopted ones don't count. The higher-ups want children born to people with superpowers. For each child, you get three years of paid leave. If you have three, it's like retirement."
Jiang Shuyin was unimpressed, but there are plenty of people who don't want to work hard. Two months later, a female superhuman actually became pregnant. It was Ms. Huang, who had two husbands in the Garden Community, and she is now on leave at home.
Minister Hu personally led reporters to visit the city, and the interview and report made the headlines. Anshi was commended by higher authorities for its work. Minister Hu has been very happy lately and has urged Jiang Shuyin several times to work harder with Xie Yin.
This is so annoying! When she got home, Chunhua told her again that she wanted to lease a fishpond to raise fish. Jiang Shu was about to explode: "You..."
Chunhua: "They said that it's most cost-effective to subscribe for five years straight, which costs 30,000 task points per year, and you can pay in installments."
Jiang Shuyin immediately raised her hand and called Changji: "Has Baoping arrived? That's good. Tell the High Priest to prepare the money. Chunhua is going to start a business here, and she needs capital in the early stages. Have her raise it."
Chunhua listened intently, then interjected, "When is Yuxi coming to keep me company?"
Jiang Shuyin relayed the message to her, urging someone to quickly take over this hot potato.
Changji laughed over there: "The High Priest will go with Baoping, and Zixin too. He wants to study at a school on the mainland and will probably stay for a long time. Lin also wants to come, but her uncle is quite dependent on her and can't get away for the time being. I plan to let them take turns to experience the mainland environment. At the same time, I will also establish a branch in the shallower sea area and invite humans to come to the Merfolk to exchange goods."
Jiang Shu smiled and said, "You did a great job."
Changji had shed his youthful naiveté, and the blood of leading the merfolk in their conquests had made him mature rapidly. His brows and eyes already showed the bravery that an adult merfolk should have, but when he heard his mother's praise, a faint blush still appeared on his face.
After hanging up the phone, he began thinking about the goods for the sea-land trade market. The first thing he thought of was the medicinal herbs that Lin had mentioned, so he went to the clinic to find Lin.
With fewer patients at the clinic, Lin handed over his work to Awen and went upstairs with his older brother to discuss matters.
"In that case, we need to grow medicinal herbs, but we don't have enough manpower."
“Isn’t Awen’s talent for conceiving? You can persuade him to bless patients who have difficulty conceiving.”
Lin looked up in shock: "Is Awen's talent the same as his father's?"
Changji frankly told her, "My mother told me that Awen is my father, but he has lost his memories of us, and those memories are not pleasant. We should not let him remember them. As long as we treat him well, that is enough."
Lin nodded hesitantly.
After Changji left, Lin secretly glanced at Awen. This was her father. He didn't seem to have any of the fatherly authority of her brother Qingwu.
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