Chapter 161: The Camper Van: I Got Lost, but It's the Road's Fault (Special Chapter for o佞o, Our #1 Fan)

Inside her Rubik’s Cube Space, aside from the precious ginseng still growing, all of the other regular medicinal herbs had fully matured. During the hot weather, Jing Shu had already processed them according to their properties by sun-drying, air-drying, or oven-drying them, and had stored them in her space.

The rest had been transplanted into potted plants in the second-floor greenhouse. Jing Shu watered them daily with diluted spiritual spring water, and they were growing well.

Jing Shu often moved a few pots around in front of her family members, as a way of laying the groundwork. When the herbs were needed again, it would be easier to explain their presence.

Now, Jing Shu had replanted a batch of medicinal herbs for the prevention and treatment of rheumatism. She planned to make plenty of medicinal wine, which would be in high demand during the second year of the apocalypse.

These herbs would not only provide her with some valuable trade items but also help keep her family healthy. In her previous life, Jing Shu had suffered enough from such illnesses, so now she was preparing to prevent them.

Next month, when these herbs matured, Jing Shu planned to follow specific formulas to brew medicinal wine. However, if she could get her hands on some snakes and scorpions, it would enhance the effectiveness. Jing Shu knew that the "Five Snake Wine" was particularly potent.

If only she could get some snakes...

Oh, right. The Bodhi tree she had planted a few months ago was nearly mature. Jing Shu was considering transplanting some of its branches into pots once it was fully grown.

First, it would help maintain her cover story; second, she could sell them to wealthy buyers or trade them with the government for resources. As for the rest of the Bodhi, she could keep some for her own use.

While multitasking—tending to the fields in her Rubik's Cube Space and practicing the Rubik's Cube—Jing Shu noticed something strange. One of the cube’s colored tiles seemed to flicker.

"Was that an illusion?" Jing Shu frowned and quickly rotated the cube. She remembered that she had just solved the X2Y3 position, so why had it reverted to its previous state?

Solving a Rubik's Cube involved following specific algorithms, with each side's center point as the starting point, restoring each color layer by layer. The same principle applied to cubes of any size.

But the small square in the middle of the layer she had just solved had somehow reverted to an unsolved color…

"Could I have made a mistake and not noticed?" Jing Shu retraced her steps, solving the seven-layer cube again in eight minutes.

She shook her head. “Something’s not right… Could the cube be changing colors on its own?” After a few more tests with no further anomalies, she gave up on the thought.

“Maybe it was just an illusion.”

After practicing with the Rubik’s Cube, Jing Shu followed her routine and inspected the villa. All the dehumidifiers in the rooms were running, the central air conditioning was set to dehumidify only, and the wall-mounted heater and underfloor heating were warming the villa to a cozy temperature. The heavy rain outside had no impact on the villa’s comfort.

Jing Shu also organized the frogs she planned to take to the Agricultural Department tomorrow before going to bed.

Her mother had been right—this rain had come at just the right time, bringing cooler temperatures and an abundant water supply. It had rendered Jing Shu, an honorary frog breeder, almost redundant.

After delivering the last batch of several thousand frogs to the Agricultural Department and returning five frogs to Wu Youai’s mentor, Jing Shu only kept two frogs that had been nurtured with spiritual spring water. She named them: Number 6 and Number 7.

Yes, you guessed right. Since Frog No. 6 had been fed with spiritual spring water, it had carved out its own territory under the lotus leaves in the pond and even dared to fight the piranhas for food. Such a frog deserved a proper name!

Jing Shu officially adopted the two frogs as her pets, and no matter where she went in the future—whether to cold regions or distant islands—she would take them with her.

Okay, she mostly kept them to deal with parasites and leeches, but hey, it sounded more sentimental that way.

As for whether she would have more pets numbered 2 and 3… well, that was up to fate.

The next day, when the whole family was preparing to go out, Jing Shu handed each of them a rain hat she had made herself. “If you don’t want to come back and have to shave your head, you’d better wear this.”

The rain hat was not only waterproof but also protected against red worms. Sure, it was ugly, but it was comfortable.

Imagine if her mom went to the Agricultural Department and said hello to a colleague, only for the other person’s head to be swarmed by red worms, which then jumped onto her. The two would be stuck together!

And that’s not even the most embarrassing scenario.

Her dad worked at a livestock farm. What if he bent down to look at a pig and ended up entangled with the pig, unable to get free? That would be mortifying.

When you’re out and about, you have to protect yourself—lessons learned the hard way, with tears and blood.

Once everyone left, Jing Shu got busy preparing for the impending flood.

Wucheng was situated in a basin surrounded by mountains, so when the floodwaters came this year, the entire city center would be submerged. However, the more remote areas on the outskirts, like where she lived, would remain relatively intact.

The old town, located in the highlands of West Mountain, wouldn’t flood, but it was overcrowded, and the buildings were old and unsuitable for further development.

Meanwhile, Jing Shu’s area was part of a new development zone—sparsely populated and with plenty of newly constructed buildings that were still unoccupied. About half of them were held by property speculators, leaving entire blocks of empty homes.

As a result, seven of the city’s thirteen district governments had relocated to this area.

Jing Shu’s neighborhood had become one of the most popular areas in the city, thanks to its prime location, ample space, and villas. It was now considered the best place to live in Wucheng.

When half the city was flooded, chaos would undoubtedly ensue, with looters and opportunists taking advantage of the situation. Jing Shu’s family would have to evacuate, leaving the villa unguarded.

Jing Shu’s first priority was to increase the villa’s security.

The villa was protected by tempered glass barriers, surveillance cameras, and traps, making it difficult for thieves to climb the walls or break through the glass in a short amount of time.

The weak point was the front door, which only had a single trap. If someone managed to avoid it and pick the lock, they could get in.

To fix this, Jing Shu moved the electric fence closer to the front door. Now, even if someone broke in, they would be electrocuted.

Her second line of defense was an array of automatic crossbows that Jing Shu had rigged to the front entrance. If the door opened, the crossbows would be triggered, firing a volley of arrows. They would either kill or severely injure the intruder.

And if that wasn’t enough, the steel spikes she had installed last year above the entrance would take care of anyone brave enough to step inside—they’d be skewered.

Finally, Jing Shu kept a close watch on the security cameras. She would be back in the villa before anyone could disable all the traps.

Her second task was to prepare a place to sleep.

Originally, she had planned to receive the camper van from Hengjin’s logistics company by the end of December. Even if the van was a little banged up, it would be enough to house the whole family for a few days during the flood evacuation.

But Hengjin’s crew got delayed on the road for over ten days. Then, they sent her a message saying they had gotten lost and couldn’t find their way back.

Jing Shu: “???”

“It’s not our fault—it’s the road’s fault…”

---

Side Note:

This chapter is a special addition for *o佞o*, our #1 fan for the month! More bonus chapters for monthly votes are coming tonight!