Chapter 140: The Moonlit Night of the 24 Bridges, Where Is My Beloved?

Jing Shu frowned. "That’s just your opinion. I really need PVC plastic. Why would I trade water for it otherwise?" She vaguely recalled that Ni Ma Sang had a crush on Yao Zixin and might be getting defensive, thinking Jing Shu was interested in Yao Zixin too.

Ni Ma Sang: "Maybe you're just trading some free 300ml of water to get his attention. Oh, don’t pretend. I’ve got you figured out—you’re just using some low-level tactics to catch his eye."

Before Jing Shu could respond, Yao Zixin, who had been silent, sent her a friend request and messaged her privately.

Yao Zixin: "Jing Shu, what kind of PVC plastic do you need? How much? And what type of water are you offering in exchange?"

Seeing Ni Ma Sang’s increasingly rude comments, Jing Shu, who had initially wanted to be diplomatic, decided against it.

Jing Shu: "@Ni Ma Sang, it seems like you're the one interested in Yao Zixin. Aren’t you worried about your ex, Xie Zihao, getting jealous, considering you two took a ‘romantic bath’ together after graduation?"

The incident had come to light in Jing Shu's previous life, and she didn’t mind revealing it a bit earlier this time. As someone who had experienced rebirth, her strategy was leagues ahead. Playing low-level mind games with her was a waste of time.

He Shouwu: "Whoa, for real?"

Ni Ma Sang: "You’re talking nonsense! This is a baseless accusation! You're just trying to smear me out of desperation!"

Jing Shu smirked. "Remember that time you insisted on booking a private, mixed-gender bath? Xie Zihao paid 200 yuan to get you both in. I happened to be right next door, and I heard everything. You screamed pretty loud too. There was even a hidden camera. Did you forget?"

Jing Shu’s bombshell was like a grenade dropped into the group chat, exploding with reactions from all sides.

Group Member 1: "Whoa, that’s some juicy gossip. Xie Zihao? That acne-covered guy?"

Group Member 2: "Well, he may be ugly, but he’s loaded."

Group Member 3: "Never imagined Ni Ma Sang would be involved in something like that."

Group Member 4: "I want to see that high school sweetheart's secret video!"

Ni Ma Sang: "Enough! Xie Zihao and I are over! The apocalypse is here, and we should focus on survival. Jing Shu, I suggest you be kind."

Ah, these kinds of people. If you talk to them about personal matters, they’ll bring up ideals. Talk to them about ideals, and they’ll start lecturing you about life. No matter what, they’ll always twist the narrative to their favor.

At that moment, Xie Zihao chimed in: "'On the moonlit night of the 24 Bridges, where is my beloved playing the flute?' You really said that to me, Ni Ma Sang. It hurts to hear you talk like this now. You didn't seem to mind when we were in the bath together..."

If Jing Shu’s comments needed validation, the appearance of the person involved was proof enough.

Group Member 5: "666, the truth has come out."

Group Member 6: "I never imagined Ni Ma Sang as such a pure person."

Su Mali: "What’s the connection between playing the flute and taking a bath together? 🤔"

Everyone: "..."

He Shouwu: "Let me explain it to you."

The group chat quickly veered off-topic, fixating on Ni Ma Sang’s scandal. Zhang Ling Ling, however, managed to steer things back on track, taking the opportunity to record who was still active in the group. Out of the original 56 classmates, only about half had any activity, while the rest hadn’t been heard from in ages. Some of their WeChat timelines had stopped permanently on a specific date.

Meanwhile, Jing Shu and Yao Zixin had begun their exchange. Luckily for her, Yao Zixin’s factory was still operational and capable of producing the custom PVC plastic she needed. She wanted an integrated PVC roof that sloped downward from the center to the edges, ensuring rain would flow down naturally.

To address the issue of red worms potentially lingering on the roof, Jing Shu requested a manual PVC wiper system, similar to a retractable window blind, so she could easily scrape away any debris.

She also needed four large rain collection tanks placed at each corner of the villa and another for the motorhome garage. Speaking of which, the garage was finished, but where were Wang Dazhao and Yang Yang? After all this time, they still hadn’t checked in from the US.

Jing Shu had tried calling them multiple times, but their phones were always out of service. Okay, there’s no international roaming anymore, but there’s still Wi-Fi, right? Couldn’t they at least send a message? If there’s still no word from them in a month, she might have to ask Minister Niu for help.

As for the color of the PVC roof, Jing Shu requested it be black.

Initially, Yao Zixin was unsure whether Jing Shu might be using this trade as an excuse to get closer to him, as Ni Ma Sang had suggested. After all, PVC wasn’t exactly in high demand these days. However, after hearing Jing Shu’s detailed requirements, Yao Zixin realized this was a significant order.

Yao Zixin: "Ahem, we can definitely do it. But how much water are you willing to exchange?"

Jing Shu: "Do you want mineral water or regular water?"

Yao Zixin: "Regular water would be better; we can get more of it."

Jing Shu: "How about 50 liters?"

This amount would keep her family supplied until October when the water shortage would hopefully ease a little. Fifty liters was about what one of her cows consumed in a day. The gap between rich and poor was staggering.

Yao Zixin: "That’s about 300 square meters. Deal."

Yao Zixin did a quick calculation. His family had sold off most of their assets for just a few dozen work points. Now, after days of gathering firewood, they only had a few more work points saved. This order alone would net them a considerable amount—definitely worth it.

Jing Shu: "I'll give you 10 liters as a down payment. How does that sound?"

Yao Zixin: "Perfect, thanks! We’ll get started right away."

With the deal finalized, Jing Shu left the group chat. She wasn’t particularly interested in attending the upcoming reunion or exchange event. After all, showing up too clean would draw unwanted attention, and pretending to be low-key simply wasn’t in her nature anymore.

As the number of people dying from thirst continued to rise, public outcry grew. Many demanded that the government build underground dwellings like in Africa, where temperatures were lower, and people didn’t need as much water to survive. However, experts predicted that the extreme heat wouldn’t last long, but the longer it persisted, the higher the seas would rise. When the floods came, underground dwellings would be swept away.

That night, after finishing dinner, Jing Shu reluctantly drove to the reunion, bringing several large containers of water with her. She swore she didn’t want to go, but the person named Su Mali seemed to be her nemesis. As it turned out, the items she needed could only be traded at the reunion. Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

-- Author's Note --

A big thank you to o佞o and 爱子正 for your generous rewards! Mwah~

Here’s the English translation of the provided text:

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