Chapter 215: Reaping What You Sow

It turned out that this issue did have a bit to do with Jing Shu. When she implemented the old bug trick—using older worms to remove the eggs—she had intentionally kept the details under wraps. While everyone had seen the method, no one knew the full secret behind it, which meant they couldn't fully replicate it.

When Jing Shu and Zhou Bapi arrived, Xiao xiao was furiously defending herself, "I didn’t falsely claim the reward! I was collecting it on behalf of our Medicinal Herb Association!"

Jing Shu immediately noticed a young man standing nearby—Zhu Chuangshi, someone she remembered from her past life when he was interviewed. His name stood out because, unlike common names like "Jianguo" (meaning 'nation-building') or "Chenglong" (meaning 'to become a dragon'), his father had chosen to name him "Chuangshi" (meaning 'creator of worlds').

Nearby, officials were explaining the situation. Last night, Xiao xiao had brought some treated gastrodia (a type of medicinal plant) and claimed to have discovered a method for removing the threadworm eggs. She had provided a detailed explanation of the process and conducted experiments with other plants, but without success. After several failed trials, she insisted that her method required half a day to work, and that the gastrodia she presented had been treated using this process. She urged the officials to recognize her as the first person to discover the solution.

The reward for this discovery was quite significant, with not just various food supplies and virtual coins, but also honorary and career advancements. Naturally, this attracted a lot of attention. After waiting half a day without hearing anything from Jing Shu’s “friend,” Xiao xiao decided to claim the reward herself.

The officials weren’t convinced. They told her they would wait to see if her method produced results, but after several hours, it was clear that it didn’t work. Just as Xiao xiao was running out of excuses, Zhu Chuangshi arrived with a bucket of red threadworms. Using the same method as Xiao xiao, he successfully removed the worm eggs.

Immediately, the government recognized Zhu Chuangshi as the first person to solve the problem.

But Xiao xiao, desperate for the reward, asked if Zhu Chuangshi was connected to Jing Shu’s friend. When the answer was no, she tried to claim that the Medicinal Herb Association had actually developed the solution days earlier, hoping to secure a portion of the reward for herself by involving Jing Shu.

However, as Xiao xiao kept changing her story—first claiming the idea was hers, then saying it was from the Association—the officials decided to call in law enforcement to investigate.

"Based on your actions, this qualifies as an attempt to fraudulently claim a reward under someone else’s name," the police officer explained.

Even if the method had been used earlier, it wasn’t Xiao xiao who had come up with it.

Because Xiao xiao was a member of the Medicinal Herb Association, her status was more complicated. The police decided to bring in the Association’s representative, which turned out to be Zhou Bapi, since the other leaders were unavailable.

Jing Shu finally understood the situation. Xiao xiao had tried to claim the reward by half-understanding the method and failed. Unwilling to let the reward slip through her fingers, she implicated the entire Association and even Jing Shu herself.

Xiao xiao’s actions were self-destructive. Not only did she embarrass herself, but she also exposed Jing Shu’s secret, making it impossible to back out of the situation gracefully.

The Medicinal Herb Association wasn’t about to take the blame for something like this, nor would they steal a reward that rightfully belonged to someone else. After reviewing Zhu Chuangshi’s method, even Jing Shu applauded, confirming that his solution was legitimate. Zhu Chuangshi was rightfully awarded the reward.

The government officials quickly moved on, busy publicizing the new solution.

As for Xiao xiao, she was taken back to the Medicinal Herb Association. Given the severity of her actions, Zhou Bapi stripped her of her official position, sparking a huge uproar within the Association.

News of Xiao xiao’s attempt to fraudulently claim the reward spread quickly. Now, whenever people looked at her, they had a strange expression on their faces. And as for Jing Shu, whom they had only met briefly, they began to regard her with a new level of respect.

In the end, people who bring about their own downfall always face consequences. Jing Shu had seen plenty of self-destructive behavior like Xiao xiao’s before, and she had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time Xiao xiao sabotaged herself.

...

With the matter settled, Jing Shu returned to her busy life. Chu Zhuohua had already moved the RV to Chen Nan’s modification shop, and the large-scale transformation of the RV had begun.

Jing Shu spent the day transporting lightweight steel from Li Yitian and coordinating with Chen Nan to confirm which materials were available and which ones were still needed. After making a note of what was missing, she planned to search the flooded city for additional supplies—the place was a veritable treasure trove.

Jing Shu still remembered Chen Nan’s pained expression when he saw the material list. But for the sake of maintaining face in front of "Big Sis," he managed to smile when Jing Shu mentioned wanting to modify a second vehicle. To make up for it, she gave him 600 virtual coins as compensation for the materials used in the first RV modification.

Suddenly, Jing Shu felt a little poor. If it weren’t for the virtual coins she had earned from salvaging that yellow bed the other day, she wouldn’t have been able to afford the materials for the modifications. Now that virtual coins could be traded through the big data system, currency was flowing again, and Jing Shu needed to speed up her efforts to earn more.

Speaking of which, the items she had won at Su Mali’s auction had arrived the day after. She had transplanted the aloe vera into the villa’s garden, where it had already taken root.

As for the cigarettes, Grandpa Jing and Jing Shu’s father had already split them between themselves. With the cigarettes, the two argued less, which made Jing Shu wonder if she should consider growing a batch of tobacco.

Jing Shu also planted a batch of grapes in her magic space. She planned to make some wine, which would be easier to explain if she said it had been stored away for a while, rather than suddenly producing fresh grapes with no explanation.

Life had been so busy lately that Jing Shu had almost forgotten that she technically worked for the Medicinal Herb Association. It wasn’t until someone at the birthday banquet asked her what she did that she remembered, "Oh crap, I work for the Medicinal Herb Association! But I haven’t been there in ages..."

Of course, that’s a story for another time.

Each day, Jing Shu would drive her Shark submarine to Chen Nan’s modification shop to discuss the RV’s progress with Chu Zhuohua. After that, she would dive into the flooded city to search for useful materials.

Since the discovery of blood mushrooms, salvage workers had become even more enthusiastic, despite the increased death toll. The lure of food in the apocalypse was strong, and many were driven by the hope of finding valuable mushrooms.

Meanwhile, with the release of the first batch of red threadworm mushrooms, and Zhu Chuangshi’s method proving ineffective for seeds, Jing Shu’s mother’s vegetable farm faced significant challenges. The government was once again encouraging people to experiment with new methods.

"Try boiling the water before using it for irrigation. Boiling can kill 99% of bacteria, but the red threadworm fungus falls into the 1% that isn’t affected by heat."

"I’ve applied for an ultrafiltration system, but with the materials flooded, who knows when it’ll be installed. Until then, we might not be able to grow any vegetables."

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––– Side Note –––

I caught a cold on the train home and feel a bit dizzy. I slept for a bit and then forced myself to finish writing. Today, I’ll make sure to complete the promised three updates...