Chapter 47
The brother and sister knocked on the door. Just as Jiang Shu was about to call for help, he heard Wu Xiu yelling from inside, "Get out of here! Or I'll call the patrol team to arrest you!"
Jiang Shu quickly said, "Auntie, it's me, Da Shu, we're back!"
After a brief silence inside, the door was quickly opened.
The two saw Wu Xiu standing in front of the door with red eyes.
Upon seeing the brother and sister, Wu Xiu wiped away her tears and said happily, "Azhi, Dashu, you're finally back! Where did Captain Luo take you? We couldn't find anyone to ask, and we were so worried."
Upon hearing that it was the brother and sister returning, Ye Qingyun immediately went out into the courtyard.
Jiang Shu grinned and said, "Mom, we're back—Ah! Mom, why did you hit me!?"
Ye Qingyun grabbed a broom and chased after him, yelling, "I'll beat you to death, you brainless idiot! I told you to go see your sister, and you actually dared to sneak off to another place behind our backs! I'll beat you to death!"
Jiang Shu was hit on the backside with a broom, and the force of it made him grimace in pain.
He quickly ran behind Wu Xiu to hide, "Mom, you're being unreasonable. It was Ah Zhi who ran into Captain Luo on her way back from the toilet. They were the ones who invited us to help..."
"You dare lie to me! I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"
Jiang Shu took several solid blows, crying out in pain. He turned to Wu Xiu for help: "Auntie, please talk to my mother! If this continues, I'll be beaten to death!"
Wu Xiu wanted to stop them, but then she thought about how bold the two children were, so she kept quiet.
After tidying up the ginger tree, Ye Qingyun glared at his daughter.
"A-Zhi, come here right now!"
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips.
The only thing that could make her mother so angry is that their secret rendezvous has been exposed.
Sure enough, as soon as she walked over, she saw Jiang Wen winking at her from the entrance of the hall, and the next second Yuan Ying grabbed her ear and dragged her away.
Jiang Zhi: ...I understand, it's been discovered quite thoroughly.
Upon entering the hall, everyone in the Jiang family except Jiang Shan was sitting inside, and none of them looked well.
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, her husband wasn't there, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to fool him.
She looked at Grandma Jiang, who looked away with a shifty gaze.
Jiang Zhi secretly thought her luck was bad.
They could have gotten away with it by finding outside help, but the matter with their former sister-in-law clearly upset the family.
Upon entering the inner hall, one sees it filled with sacks and bamboo baskets, occupying almost half of the hall's area.
Ye Qingyun dropped the broom, intending to teach his audacious daughter a lesson, when he saw Jiang Zhi untie the snakeskin bag in her hand and take out a large chunk of meat.
She cleared her throat. "Mom, there's 150 jin of meat from a level 6 mutated snake here. It's low in venom. Why don't you process it first? Otherwise, I'm afraid it'll spoil."
Everyone was speechless.
Although we don't know exactly how powerful the level 6 mutated snake is, just by looking at the texture of its flesh, we know that this mutated snake is larger than we can imagine.
The key point is—
It's still a low-level toxin!
Seeing that everyone was silent, Jiang Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and took out a few more seven-colored energy stones. "And these few stones... Captain Luo said they're worth 50,000 each..."
Everyone gasped in unison!
They all stared intently at the stones.
How many ginger berries are there in my hand?
One, two, three, four... five!!
A full 250,000 points!!!
Then Jiangzhi brought in an eggshell that was 10 centimeters thick from outside.
Jiang Zhi cleared her throat again: "This is the most precious thing. Don't tell anyone. It's a special item that can double the value of items."
"However, I haven't verified how to use it yet."
The Jiang family members automatically ignored the last sentence, focusing all their attention on the words "double the items," and everyone thought they had misheard.
Xu Na asked tentatively, "What does it mean to double the value of an item? Is it what I'm thinking?"
Jiang Zhi nodded: "Yes, that's exactly what you're thinking."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Ah, Ah Zhi, are you telling the truth?" Ye Qingyun noticed his voice trembling and quickly coughed. "You're not just bluffing us, are you?"
"You'll know once you try it."
Jiang Zhi casually pulled out some white eagle feathers from the snakeskin bag and threw them in.
Now, all the heavy thoughts in everyone's minds disappeared, and they all craned their necks to look into the eggshell.
After waiting for a while, there was no response.
Grandma Jiang muttered, "Why is it taking so long?"
Grandpa Jiang: "Something created out of thin air can't happen so quickly! Even a money printing press needs to be started up!"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the fluff that had only been half-filled suddenly started to protrude.
Yuan Ying exclaimed, "There really are more!"
Ye Qingyun stepped forward and gathered the downy feathers. "Huh, what kind of feathers are these? They feel so soft and warm, almost like the down from ducks before."
Jiang Shu quickly said, "Mom, this is the fluff of a level 7 white eagle."
Ye Qingyun glared at him: "Did I ask you? Stop talking nonsense!"
Jiang Shu: ...Waaah, he's suffering! He's suffering so much!
Even if he didn't achieve anything, he certainly put in a lot of hard work!
No one will pay attention to him now.
Grandma Jiang couldn't stop smiling. "Oh my, so many! Enough to make several down jackets!"
Everyone was immersed in joy, but Jiang Zhi noticed something was wrong.
"No, the extra amount is different from the amount put in; it's one-third less."
Everyone looked and realized it was true.
Jiang Zhi frowned: Didn't the dashboard say it doubled? Why...?
Could it be that she only brought back two-thirds of the eggshell, so only two-thirds of the eggshell hatched?
Jiang Zhi tried to put the stools from her home into the box, but there was no response for a long time.
She put the remaining roasted cotton aphids from her pocket into the container, but there was no reaction.
Next, Jiangzhi tried mutated sweet potatoes and cotton, but each yielded only two-thirds more.
After several attempts, the ginger twig was confirmed.
The white eagle eggshell can only cover untreated mutated creatures; it cannot cover stools made of mutated wood or stir-fried cotton aphids.
For items like white eagle down, sweet potatoes, and cotton, the eggshells are made according to the species' diversity and size, resulting in different processing times.
The family conducted several experiments and found that cotton took longer to grow than sweet potatoes.
If energy stones are put in, Jiang Zhi guesses it will take at least ten days to half a month to generate them.
Even so, the Jiang family unanimously believed they had struck it lucky.
—From then on, the grain they collected or bought would be two-thirds more, which was practically like a treasure trove.
The anger on Ye Qingyun's face had vanished, replaced by a radiant smile of someone who had found a treasure.
"Ah Zhi, this stuff is really good! You're truly our family's lucky star!"
Yuan Ying: "Oh my, that's right! Azhi, with so much grain in our house, can we put it all in there?"
Jiang Zhi nodded.
Xu Na was also very interested, "I wonder if the clothes I made... can also be replicated."
Jiang Wen: "I don't think it will work. The eggshell won't react to things that have been artificially treated."
Even Jiang He was delighted, "Does this mean we won't have to cut down so much wood anymore?"
The whole family was talking about it, and no one remembered about punishing Jiangzhi anymore.
Jiang Shu, who had been hit several times with a stick, gritted his teeth: "Damn, that sister is really cunning!"
So cunning!!
Jiang Hai walked over and looked at the eggshell, his eyes flashing.
If people found out about this incredible special item...
"Ah Zhi, do Captain Luo and the others know the purpose of this eggshell?"
Jiang Zhi shook her head. "They don't know, I discovered it by chance."
Jiang Hai then addressed the crowd, saying, "This must absolutely not be told to anyone, or it will bring us trouble!"
Grandpa Jiang nodded. Despite his age, he wasn't blinded by this windfall: "This thing is too valuable. I don't think we should flaunt it. Let's set some rules."
Jiang Zhi also agreed.
Such an incredible special item, if used recklessly, would indeed be easily discovered.
Jiang Sui asked curiously from the side, "Great-Grandpa, what are the rules?"
"Once the cellar at home is finished, we'll lock the eggshells inside and use them three times a day. What do you think, Azhi?"
Jiang Zhi nodded: "I agree."
In fact, the functions of special items are not permanent; they will eventually run out of energy and become useless. If used without restraint, they will only be consumed faster.
Even though ginger twigs can infuse special items with spiritual power, high-level mutated items like white eagle eggshells cannot be easily restored by ginger twigs once their energy is exhausted.
Therefore, Grandpa Jiang's approach is in line with the principle of sustainable development.
Everyone else agreed.
The Jiang family all understood the principle that fortune and misfortune are intertwined.
Only by having reverence can we achieve long-term development.
Ye Qingyun finally made the decision: "Okay, I'll do whatever Dad says. Mom will keep these things for now, and we'll put them in the cellar when it's finished."
After handing over the eggshell, Jiang Zhi silently took out an invoice and handed it to Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun: "What is this?"
She took it and glanced at it. The next second, after seeing the words on the receipt, her eyes widened in shock: "This, this... 1,850 catties of wild boar meat? And 150 catties of snake meat...?"
Ye Qingyun felt a little dizzy.
"Ah, Ah Zhi, am I seeing things?"
Before Jiang Zhi could answer, Grandma Jiang took a look and even counted the first few digits for several hours. It really was over a thousand catties!
"Ah Zhi, did Captain Luo give all of this to you?"
The whole family was a little dizzy from being hit by so much meat.
When did the meat of mutated beasts become so easy to obtain?
The meat that Jiangzhi and her brother got on this trip is enough for their family to eat sparingly for two or three years.
Jiang Zhi smiled and nodded, "That's right, this is the invoice from the meat processing shop. I took the liberty of handing over the wild boar meat we got to them for processing."
Ye Qingyun winced in pain and slapped her, "You silly girl, why didn't you bring it back?! Making dried meat is the easiest way to get ripped off!"
Yuan Ying nodded repeatedly: "That's right. Sometimes you give someone a pound of meat, but they only give you three or four ounces of dried meat. If they say it's too watery, you won't have anyone to argue with! Besides, we have a large family, and we can handle more than a thousand pounds of meat ourselves."
Jiang Zhi touched her nose. "Mom, Second Aunt, that person was recommended to us by Uncle Luo, so he definitely won't bully us. Besides... the wild boar meat is very tough, and it would take us too much time to process it. We might as well use that time to gather more food."
Since the child had already said that, Ye Qingyun and the others couldn't say anything more.
The group looked at the receipts, each of them secretly delighted.
With so much grain, even if winter comes, there will be some buffer time.
Ye Qingyun: "Azhi, when will these dried meats arrive?"
Jiang Zhi: "The boss said it can be delivered tomorrow."
Ye Qingyun immediately beamed with joy.
After Jiangzhi finished counting all the day's harvest, the whole family was as light as if they had taken a magic pill, their expressions were all radiant.
Ye Qingyun's anger towards the two children had almost completely dissipated.
Of course she knew what Jiang Zhi was up to; she just wanted to take this opportunity to escape.
She straightened her expression and glared at her daughter.
"Stay home and reflect on your actions for the next two days. You are not allowed to go out."
Jiang Zhi stuck out her tongue: "Okay, Mom."
Jiang Shu yelled, "Mom, why did I get hit so many times, but Azhi got nothing wrong?"
Ye Qingyun pinched his ear, "What do you mean? You'd only be happy if your sister got beaten up too!? Is this how you act as a brother?"
"Ouch! Mom, I know I was wrong, let go! My ear's going to fall off!!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Jiang Zhi walked over to Wu Xiu and took her hand. "Aunt, what happened just now?"
She didn't see her eldest brother, Jiang Jun, and guessed that he was upset about his ex-sister-in-law's situation and had gone inside.
When the incident was mentioned, Wu Xiu's smile faded considerably, and even Jiang Sui and Jiang Si's faces darkened.
Wu Xiu sighed, "It's my fault, really. Ma Yanhong told us about the mutated earthworm before, so I thought I'd keep an eye out for Ajun too. I didn't expect to actually find a special mutated earthworm."
That mutated earthworm was extremely rare; its body, when severed in two, would generate four new earthworms.
Jiang Shu: "Isn't that a good thing?"
Wu Xiu said, "That's where things went wrong. Quite a few people saw me catch that earthworm, and the news spread like wildfire."
Jiang Zhi frowned: "This can't be reliable, can it? We haven't even had it tested."
Wu Xiu: "Yeah, we originally wanted to spend some points to get tested, but then we ran into Hu Qian on the way!"
Wu Xiu said the last sentence through gritted teeth.
Hu Qian is Jiang Jun's ex-wife.
It turns out that the person who issued the reward was Hu Qian's current husband, Liu Shaoyang.
The one who needs the mutated earthworm to restore her arm is her current son, Liu Chang.
"And all that kindness I showed her before!!" Wu Xiu couldn't contain her anger when she spoke of Hu Qian, her eyes reddening again. "She knew perfectly well that A-Jun's leg was also... How could she have the nerve to ask us to give this earthworm to her son?!"
Looking at Jiang Sui's bewildered eyes, Wu Xiu swallowed the harsh words.
Hu Qian was captivated by the outside world less than two years after marrying into the family. She complained that Jiang Jun couldn't earn enough money and couldn't provide the life she wanted. At home, she not only gave Jiang Jun a hard time, but also showed disdain for Jiang Hai and his wife.
Later, she somehow met her current husband, Liu Shaoyang, and started arguing about getting a divorce. At the time, Wu Xiu refused to agree no matter what she said.
But Hu Qian didn't care and ran off with another man before the divorce was finalized, even taking away most of the first wife's assets.
At the time, the family was afraid that the villagers would gossip and affect their two children, so they had no choice but to agree to the divorce.
During the divorce, Jiang Jun asked Hu Qian to return half of the property, but Hu Qian said that it was what she deserved, and even told Jiang Jun not to let the two children disturb her life.
These things made Wu Xiu feel terrible every time she thought about them.
Although she wasn't the shrewish type, she wasn't one to be bullied either.
If it weren't for her two children, she would never have let Hu Qian bully her so many times.
In the end, to avoid embarrassing the two children, they had to cover up the truth for each other, saying that the couple divorced because of personality clashes.
These things were kept completely secret from the children by the elders at the time.
But what happened yesterday made Wu Xiu unable to hold back any longer.
At first, Hu Qian made a threatening statement, saying that if they didn't hand over the mutated earthworms, they wouldn't be able to stay in the base and would be forced to hand them over.
Jiang Hai publicly declared that he would rather feed earthworms to the mutated beasts outside than to heartless people.
Hu Qian then resorted to a conciliatory approach, hoping to appeal to people's emotions.
Wu Xiu wiped away her tears and couldn't help but say to Jiang Sui, "Sui Sui, you're all grown up now, and I don't plan to hide it from you anymore. Your mother has her own child now, and for her child's sake, she might even coax you into doing things for her in the future. I want you to remember this now: apart from the Jiang family members present here, no one else in our family will be truly sincere to you, not even your mother."
Jiang Sui's eyes reddened: "Grandma, I understand."
He recalled Hu Qian crying and begging him, "Sui Sui, that's your brother! How can you be so heartless? Go talk to your father and ask him to give up the mutated earthworm, okay?"
At that moment, he was filled with the joy of seeing his mother again, but he also knew that his father, Jiang Jun, also needed that special mutated earthworm.
Jiang Zhi patted Jiang Sui's head and said to Wu Xiu, "Auntie, do you still have that mutated earthworm? Can I take a look?"
Wu Xiu nodded. "Yes, we haven't tested it yet. Your uncle said we'll send it for testing tomorrow morning. If it really is a special prop, your brother will be able to stand up again."
As she spoke, Wu Xiu took out an earthenware jar from the house.
Inside, there was an earthworm as thick as an arm, filling the earthenware pot to the brim. As soon as the lid was lifted, the soft body began to wriggle.
The dashboard did not display any indication of gold items.
She pursed her lips, feeling a little reluctant, but still said, "Aunt, don't test it. Just sell this earthworm to that person."
Wu Xiu and the others were caught off guard.
"A-Zhi, what did you say?"
Jiang Hai was the first to react: "A-Zhi, you mean, this earthworm...?"
Jiang Zhi nodded. "Auntie, this earthworm isn't the one they're looking for."
Wu Xiu's face turned pale instantly, and the little flame that had just ignited in her heart was extinguished in an instant, leaving only a chill in her heart.
Even her voice trembled: "N-no?"
Grandma Jiang hesitated, "Ah Zhi, are you sure?"
She knew her granddaughter wouldn't make baseless accusations, but in everyone's mind, determining whether something was a special prop required specific equipment from the base to detect it.
Jiang Zhi affirmed, "I'm sure. I can't say how I'm sure, but this is definitely not the mutated earthworm those people are looking for."
Seeing her niece's resolute expression, Wu Xiu couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
In fact, ever since Wu Xiu learned about this news from Ma Yanhong yesterday, she had been hoping to catch that mutated earthworm.
After waiting and waiting, it finally arrived, and I thought I had grasped a lifeline, only to find that it was a rotten reed. The disappointment was indescribable.
Seeing her family's situation getting better and better, she desperately hoped that her son could stand up again.
But in the end...
At this moment, Jiang Jun came out of the house.
"mom."
Wu Xiu was startled and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Ah Jun, did I disturb you? I was crying because I was happy to see Ah Zhi and the others come back safely. Don't misunderstand."
That's just like protesting too much.
The family kept the mutated earthworm a secret from Jiang Jun, wanting to wait for the test results before telling her.
I'm afraid the outcome won't be what I want, and that Jiang Jun will suffer for nothing.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Jiang Jun smiled and said, "Mom, I heard everything. You don't need to hide it from me."
How could he not know? He guessed it when his ex-wife came to his door making a scene.
Wu Xiu couldn't help but cry again. "It's all my fault!"
She couldn't help but think that it would have been better if she hadn't found that mutated earthworm back then.
This won't give the son any hope, and it will only attract that wicked woman.
Jiang Jun comforted her, "Mom, how can this be your fault? Don't cry, or you'll scare Sui Sui and Si Si."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xiu finally managed to restrain herself.
Jiang Jun said, "Mom and Dad, I'm doing very well now and I'm adapting well. There's no need to go back to how I was before. Since this mutated earthworm doesn't have any special use, let's sell it."
Jiang Shu nodded: "Yes, yes, we have to take advantage of the fact that they don't know the situation and sell it for a good price."
Jiang Jun smiled and said, "That makes sense."
Although Jiang Jun did not want to pursue Hu Qian's past, he would never allow anyone to cross his bottom line—he would fight anyone who tried to harm his family.
He had long since let go of his feelings for Hu Qian, and since Hu Qian was so indifferent to their past relationship, he certainly wouldn't soften his heart.
Seeing that Jiang Jun didn't seem to be affected, Wu Xiu gritted her teeth and said, "That's right! They want this earthworm, don't they? I'll see how many points they're willing to pay! If they dare to use their power to pressure us, I'll take it to the base leadership even if I can't stay here any longer!"
Hu Qian's current husband, Liu Shaoyang, made some contributions to the base during the Great Cataclysm, and is now considered a prominent figure.
Jiang Zhi felt that things weren't as complicated as she had imagined. She said, "Auntie, the other party probably wouldn't do such a thing. The more famous a person is, the more they cherish their reputation. Besides, that person might not value this mutated earthworm as much as we think."
Wu Xiu was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Jiang Zhi continued to explain, "If Liu Shaoyang really valued it, the bounty wouldn't be only 30,000. The market price of special items wouldn't be only 30,000. There's only one reason why he offered this price: he doesn't value this special item."
It's even quite possible that they won't care about their disabled son either.
Jiang Hai nodded in agreement, "Azhi is right. I've looked into it. Liu Shaoyang and his deceased wife have another son who is already nineteen years old. I estimate that Liu Shaoyang will give most of his property to his eldest son."
Wu Xiu felt very relieved after hearing this, "Serves him right!"
After scolding, Wu Xiu remembered that Hu Qian's son was also the younger brother of Sui Sui and Si Si, and her expression immediately became somewhat unnatural.
Jiang Hai said, "Alright, let's get rid of this mutated earthworm as soon as possible, so that woman doesn't make the house a mess."
At this moment, Grandma Jiang brought out a pot of snake meat and loofah porridge.
While the group was chatting, Grandma Jiang processed the snake meat.
Grandma Jiang: "Come and eat, everyone. We can discuss anything after we finish eating. Even if the sky falls, we can't go hungry!"
Grandpa Jiang nodded, "That makes sense. Come and eat."
As soon as it was served, the steaming aroma of the snake meat and sweet potato porridge wafted into my nose. The snake meat smelled incredibly fresh and pungent, yet not at all fishy, mixed with the sweet aroma of thoroughly cooked sweet potatoes, making my stomach rumble with anticipation.
After a busy day, everyone was hungry. Looking at the large pot of snake meat and sweet potato porridge, chunks of snake meat and several pieces of red-fleshed sweet potato were hidden in the white porridge, making for a visually appealing dish.
Jiang Zhi had expended a lot of mental energy today, and now, smelling the aroma of meat, her stomach immediately started rumbling.
Grandma Jiang felt sorry for him and said, "Eat quickly, don't go hungry."
Jiang Zhi scooped a spoonful and put it in his mouth. He immediately felt that the snake meat was incredibly tender, but the texture was firmer and chewier than ordinary snake meat. Each chew was not oily or greasy, and it had a faint sweetness. After swallowing, the fresh taste lingered in his mouth, making him unable to resist shoveling more into his mouth.
The sweet potatoes were cooked until soft and tender, melting in your mouth with a sweet taste. The barley porridge also seemed less difficult to swallow here, as the flavors of snake meat and sweet potatoes were all combined. After slurping down a bowl, you felt warm all over.
Everyone ate to their heart's content, quickly forgetting all their troubles. They all wished they could have another bowl, and even Wu Xiu had a smile on her face.
Indeed, the old saying "Food is the first necessity of the people" best reflects the lives of ordinary people.
After eating and drinking to one's heart's content, all negative emotions disappear, leaving only physical satisfaction.
Yuan Ying said, "This No. 15 collection area is a great place. We harvested several hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes today alone."
Jiang Hai said, "We have more grain at home now, so we really need to build a cellar."
But a new problem arose—by digging a cellar, the yard became smaller.
Jiangzhi thought for a moment: "Grandma, how much grain do we have at home?"
Grandma Jiang slapped her forehead. "If you ask me like that, I can't remember. Let me check my notebook."
As he spoke, he took out a notebook from his pocket.
Grandma Jiang remembered everything very clearly.
"1. 380 + 245 + 123 = 758 jin of highland barley."
The items added later were all acquired by Jiang Hai and others recently.
"2. Potatoes, 136 jin."
"3. Earthworms, 230 jin (115 catties)"
"4. Yam beans, 535 catties."
5. Sweet potatoes, 768 jin.
"6. Mole crickets, 29 jin."
"7. 180 catties of pickled cowpeas and 230 catties of raw cowpeas."
8. 34 catties of chives.
In addition, there were some odds and ends of grain, which added up to about seventy or eighty pounds.
Jiang Sui quickly calculated the total in her mind: "Great-Grandma, it's 2800 jin in total!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard Jiang Sui's words.
They never expected that they would have stockpiled so much food in just a few days!
If the family saves money, this amount of grain will last them one or two years.
This doesn't even include the dried wild boar meat that Jiangzhi and her brother got today.
If we also consider the eggshells that can be covered with white carvings...
If the low-toxin earthworms they received before were like a windfall, then what they got today was like gold falling from the sky.
Before the great catastrophe, the Jiang family were all simple, honest country folk.
At this moment, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as getting rich overnight.
Everyone's head was spinning.
Even Grandma Jiang didn't believe they had so much grain.
Every day, they would bring back some food to their home.
Grandma Jiang would remember things one by one, and never put them together carefully.
"W-I can't be remembering this wrong, can I?"
She rummaged through the sacks of grain in the hall, "There don't seem to be this many here."
Jiang Wen chuckled, "Grandma, there are still quite a few piled up in the kitchen and the greenhouse."
"Yes, yes, look at me, I've gone mad." Grandma Jiang hurriedly instructed her sons and grandsons, "Ah Hai, you all quickly move everything back from the shed, so it doesn't get bitten by bugs."
Looking at the grain piled up in the hall, Jiang Shu couldn't help but ask, "So, are we going to continue stockpiling grain?"
"Why wouldn't I want it?" Grandma Jiang said. "All we have are coarse grains. Aren't you afraid of getting tired of eating them every day?"
Jiang Shu couldn't help but shudder at the thought of eating the same dishes day after day for ten days. "No, Grandma, then what kind of food should we stock up on next?"
Yuan Ying said, "Let's stock up on some wild vegetables, shepherd's purse, lamb's quarters, purslane, anything will do. We can make them into pickles, which will not only keep them for a long time, but also prevent us from eating porridge every day."
Ye Qingyun: "We can buy some more seasonings then. Now that life is better, we can't let ourselves suffer."
Jiang Shu and the others listened with great enthusiasm.
They still have hundreds of thousands of points that they haven't been able to cash out yet, so what Yuan Ying and Ye Qingyun said is nothing!
Jiang Hai: "Now that we have food at home, we need to hurry up and get our winter clothes ready."
Jiang He was worried that his budget was not enough, so he suggested, "Also, the mud walls in our house are not strong enough. In low temperatures, they will have difficulty keeping warm. We need to apply insulation material to the walls."
The family members took turns pointing out and filling in any gaps in their understanding, and Jiangzhi felt a strong sense of security.
With such a family member around, what is there to be afraid of, no matter how difficult things get?
The group chatted for a while longer before returning to their rooms when the power went out.
Jiang Shan was also approved to return that day.
As I passed through the hall, I was stunned to see it filled with grain by the light of a kerosene lamp.
Back inside, his wife and children were walking by, and he couldn't help but ask, "Did you get so much today?"
Ye Qingyun said smugly, "How about that? We're efficient, aren't we?"
Today, Ye Qingyun and his group alone harvested several hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes, which are now piled up in the hall, looking quite impressive.
Seeing Old Jiang's surprised expression, Jiang Shu couldn't help but boast about his and Jiang Zhi's harvest that day.
Upon hearing that Luo Yonghui had given them five energy stones, Jiang Shan frowned: "What's going on? Why are you guys on a mission with Captain Luo?"
Jiang Shu choked and quickly looked to Jiang Zhi for help, "Um... I just need a small favor."
Jiang Shan laughed angrily, "Giving you so much stuff just for helping you with a small favor? Am I stupid or is Captain Luo stupid?"
Jiang Zhi: ...You idiot brother!! Why did you even mention it to Dad?!
Jiang Shu was indignant. Why was everyone forgiving of his younger sister when she boasted, but he got scolded for mentioning it himself?
Ye Qingyun couldn't bear to look at her foolish son, so she pulled her husband back, saying, "Alright, alright, I've already taught them a lesson."
"Moreover, we calculated today that we have enough food at home for the time being, so we won't need to go out so frequently in the coming days."
Jiang Shan gave his wife face, glanced at Jiang Shu, and said nothing more.
He only told Ye Qingyun, "I will be taking on an experimental project tomorrow, and I will probably be working in a closed environment for a while. If there is anything I can't decide, I will discuss it with my parents."
Ye Qingyun nodded.
Jiang Shan then took out two tickets and handed them to the brother and sister, saying, "These are the physical fitness test packages I bought for you. Go get tested tomorrow when you have time, and tell me the results."
Jiang Shu: "Where are you?"
"In Zone C, if you don't understand, just ask Captain Luo."
Jiang Shan only learned about the mutants after he came into contact with them. It turns out that everyone's ability training and physical improvement are done after their physical condition is tested, and then a specialist will help them to develop a training plan.
Jiang Zhi looked at the orange-yellow receipt and felt a little tempted.
In fact, she was also very curious to know what stage she was at.
"By the way, since we have extra points, we should stock up on more low-toxicity food. Eating more is good for mutants. We've noticed that they often don't have enough low-toxicity food to go around in the team."
After finishing their business, the family of four, just like they used to do in the wild, carefully reviewed the situation.
Jiang Shan and his wife also asked Jiang Zhi to show them the golden item, a white carved feather.
After Jiangzhi infused a trace of spiritual energy into the performance, she had Jiangshu try it a few times as well.
Perhaps due to the vast difference in their mental strength, the wind force generated by the ginger tree was less than one-tenth of the power that the ginger branch had previously exerted on the oak tree.
Jiang Shan pondered, "Azhi, your mental strength must be quite high. If you go for the test tomorrow, you'd better keep it low-key. I'm afraid you'll attract too much attention..."
Jiang Shan didn't finish his sentence, but the whole family understood.
The phrase "to possess a treasure is a crime" was apt in any era.
It was already 1 a.m. when the whole family finished reviewing everything.
Ye Qingyun was so sleepy that he immediately told everyone, "Go back and rest. I'm sleepy even though you're not."
*
When did the meat of mutated beasts become so easy to obtain?
This question was also asked of Luo Yonghui and his entourage.
This was the most fruitful mission ever for Luo Yonghui's team as an exploration team.
Fifty-eight energy stones were enough to cover the entire year's workload.
Energy stones are not actually hard to find; the difficulty lies in obtaining them.
There are energy stones near large mutated creatures; this is common knowledge among mutated individuals.
But getting energy stones from those mutated creatures is like pulling a tiger's mane right out of its mouth.
Therefore, Luo Yonghui bringing back so many products in one go is both an honor and a record.
In particular, they also brought back the meat of a level 6 mutated beast.
After handing over 80% of the snake meat, the group divided the remaining snake meat equally, with each person receiving 40 to 50 kilograms of low-toxicity mutated snake meat.
The poplar trees were beaming with joy.
Having been a member of the exploration team for some time, this was the first time he had gained so much.
This much low-toxicity snake meat is enough to sustain him for more than half a month.
Despite the envious and jealous looks from the other team members, Hu Yang thanked Jiang Zhi and her brother two hundred times.
"Boss, Jiang Zhi and her brother are really lucky. We've gone to investigate so many times before, but we never succeeded. But as soon as they came, we succeeded!"
He had previously wondered where the Jiang family had found the cotton aphids. Wen Lichun from the next team had been bothering him for quite some time because of that small bag of fried cotton aphids.
Unexpectedly, not long after, the brother and sister got such a large piece of snake meat, and they even benefited from it.
Indeed, in Hu Yang's mind, he only got this snake meat because of Jiang Zhi and her brother.
This is much easier than other teams fighting to the death, even sacrificing comrades, to kill the mutated creatures.
Luo Yonghui said with a smile, "They're not just lucky; they're genuinely capable."
Wu Bing: "Boss, ask them for help again next time you have the chance. The brother and sister are quite interesting."
Luo Yonghui laughed: "Next time."
*
The next day, Jiang Zhi woke up, and her family members gradually got up as well.
Jiang Zhi immediately went to Old Madam Jiang's room to see the energy stone placed inside the white carved eggshell.
This is what she had her old lady put in last night.
Sure enough, there was only one lonely energy stone inside.
The situation was the same before it was put in yesterday, and it's still the same today.
Grandma Jiang was also puzzled: "A-Zhi, can't this eggshell turn into a new stone? Why isn't anything changing?"
Jiang Zhi: "I guess the energy stones are too complex and take a long time to process, otherwise how could they sell for 50,000 points?"
The last sentence successfully dispelled Grandma Jiang's doubts.
"That's true, then let it sit for a few more days. That way we can get an extra stone and sell it for more points."
Jiang Zhi thought for a moment and placed the previous golden item, the mutated ginkgo leaf, next to the eggshell to see if it could speed up the generation of the duplicate item.
After that, Jiangzhi put the matter aside and went to wash up.
After washing up and returning to the courtyard, they saw Wu Xiusan and her sister-in-law dressed neatly and cleanly, looking very spirited.
Jiang Zhi: "Mom, where are you going?"
Ye Qingyun said, "Let's go sell the mutated earthworms!"
Jiang Zhi's lips twitched.
They're off to battle; no wonder they're dressed up so formally.
Ye Qingyun said, "Azhi, you should come with us too. We're not afraid of anything else, but we're afraid they'll use some underhanded tactics against us."
Jiangzhi, of course, wouldn't let her own family members be bullied, and readily agreed.
I had mashed potatoes for breakfast.
Sprinkle with Ye Qingyun's special seasoning, and it tastes exceptionally good.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone got busy.
Jiang Wen asked, "Mom, are you really not going to the No. 15 collection area today?"
Based on yesterday's situation, we should be able to go for a few more days. Although we may not be able to get the same results as yesterday, it will still be better than other gathering areas.
Yuan Ying said, "We have something important to do today. You go with Dali and the others first, and remember to be careful."
Jiang Wen readily agreed.
Jiang Shu and Jiang Zhi are going to Zone C for a health check, so they won't be going out today.
Jiang Wen and his wife then arranged to go to the No. 15 collection area with Niu Dali and his wife.
After another cleanup by the mutants at the base, the No. 15 collection area is now fully open and the danger level is very low.
After Grandma Jiang subtly and overtly suggested yesterday that Liu Xu stock up on more food, Niu Dali's family also felt a sense of urgency.
After Jiang Wen and Niu Dali finished their phone call, Jiang Wen turned to Grandma Jiang and said, "Grandma, Dali and the others will bring Xiaolu over later. Let Xiaolu play with Suisui and the others. You can keep an eye on them for me, Grandma."
Grandma Jiang was very happy. "Great! Sisi has been looking forward to Xiaolu's arrival for a long time."
Jiang Si jumped for joy upon hearing this, "Yay! I can play jigsaw puzzles with Brother Xiao Lu!"
That's right, Jiang Si and Jiang Sui ended up buying the second-hand jigsaw puzzle that they had first spotted at the night market.
These past few days, whenever they have free time, the brother and sister play together.
However, the letters on the back of the puzzle pieces were worn away and could not be seen, making it very difficult for the two children to put them together.
Grandma Jiang is always busy at home.
There's too much meat at home, and it's hot, so I'm worried it might spoil. I need to make it into smoked meat or jerky as soon as possible.
This is a huge project.
Grandma Jiang tidied up all the earthenware urns and jars in the house early in the morning to prepare for storing dried meat.
The pickled cowpeas from yesterday were also shipped out today.
Grandma Jiang scooped a handful of pickled cowpeas from the soy sauce jar to check on them. The slender cowpeas were glossy from soaking in the brine and still had specks of soy sauce clinging to them. Taking a sniff, the tangy aroma rushed into her nostrils, making her mouth water.
"Crunch," the old lady casually pinched off a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound, her wrinkles revealing satisfaction.
The two little ones jumped up and down, shouting, "Great-Grandma, I want some too!"
Grandma Jiang smiled and pinched off two pieces for the two children, and then gave a small piece of ginger to Jiang Zhi.
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