Chapter 225: "President, Aren’t You Going to Do Something About This Jing Shu?"

Wang Qiqi had analyzed the market: about 80% of the population couldn’t afford white rice, and over the past half month, he and Zhao Shupi had essentially split that portion. Then there were a few middle-class government employees, staff members, and some wealthy individuals, along with the people constantly out on salvage missions. Beyond that, there was no one left in the community to appeal to.

Now, Zhao Shupi had managed to rally the remaining few, and Wang Qiqi was at his wit’s end. Yet he had a feeling that Jing Shu might have a solution.

Wang Qiqi anxiously watched Jing Shu, worried that she might shrug helplessly. Fortunately, Jing Shu only squinted her eyes for a moment before saying, “You’ll owe me a big favor for this.”

“Of course, definitely!” Wang Qiqi wiped the sweat from his brow. There was hope!

What kind of solution did Jing Shu have?

Jing Shu went home, returning with a plate of fresh green garlic sprouts and a liter of milk. “Come with me,” she said.

“Are we giving gifts?”

“Do you think this little gift will solve your problem?” Jing Shu rolled her eyes. “This is just the standard courtesy for dropping by.” The garlic sprouts were neatly arranged, each over 20 centimeters tall. A little of them with a meal would taste wonderful.

This offering was like a pre-apocalyptic gesture, where people would bring bananas and milk when visiting a relative or asking for help. Even if you were calling in a favor, you couldn’t show up empty-handed—this was a long-standing tradition that couldn’t be neglected, not even in the apocalypse.

Besides, being overly polite never hurt anyone.

“These days, this is considered a high-end gift. For people like us, a little mushy porridge is the best we can offer,” Wang Qiqi muttered.

Jing Shu led Wang Qiqi to Li Yuetian’s place. Li Yuetian still owed Jing Shu a big favor.

Li Yuetian warmly welcomed them, and his nephew Li Bailong happily accepted the garlic sprouts. “As always, Jing Shu is so thoughtful. My uncle was just saying he missed eating garlic sprouts.”

Li Yuetian gave his nephew a playful kick. “You’re spoiling him! Every time you visit, he’s hoping you bring something.”

Jing Shu smiled. “I grow these at home, so it’s no big deal. By the way, I need a favor.”

“Sit down and tell me what you need. If I can help, I will. If I can’t, I’ll find a way—no more incidents like last time,” Li Yuetian said seriously. He knew that if Jing Shu was asking for help personally, it had to be important.

“It’s a small favor, really,” Jing Shu said casually. “This is my old neighbor, Wang Qiqi. We’re close, so I thought if someone has to be the neighborhood coordinator, why not let one of our own? He’s running for the position now and was in the lead, but his votes were suddenly overtaken, so…”

Li Yuetian quickly understood after checking the vote count. “What are the voting rules? Can I vote?”

“Anyone who lives in Banana District can vote. Of course, you can!”

Li Yuetian slapped his leg. “That’s easy! Li Bailong, come here. Cast a vote for me.”

Li Bailong eagerly ran over and cast a vote for Wang Qiqi.

Wang Qiqi, however, felt conflicted. One vote from Li Yuetian wasn’t going to make much of a difference.

“Is that enough?” Li Yuetian asked.

Jing Shu flashed a bright smile, quickly took a screenshot of the vote, and sent it to Li Bailong. “It’s perfect. All done!”

Li Bailong promptly shared the screenshot of “Li Yuetian voted for Wang Qiqi” in the group chats of three military units stationed in the area. He didn’t say much, but Wang Qiqi suddenly realized the power of that message. It was as if Li Bailong had sent a silent command: “The boss has voted—what are you waiting for?”

Within minutes, Wang Qiqi’s phone buzzed nonstop with notifications.

His vote count skyrocketed, and soon Zhao Shupi’s lead was all but erased. Wang Qiqi’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Happiness had come so quickly!

How could he have forgotten about the thousands of military personnel and their families stationed in Banana District? It was a unique and massive group, often overlooked due to their elevated status. They lived in the large mall outside the Banana District. While their living conditions weren’t great, their meals were always top-notch. If Wang Qiqi had waited any longer, Zhao Shupi might have beaten him to the punch.

With the matter settled, Jing Shu got up to leave. Seeing Li Yuetian rubbing his legs, she added, “The medicinal wine will be ready in two weeks at most.” Li Yuetian smiled contentedly at that.

Wang Qiqi, who had narrowly escaped defeat, was now firmly seated as the new distribution director. His unexpected win slapped a lot of faces, especially Zhao Shupi, who had spent so much virtual currency and still failed to secure the position. Zhao Shupi must be plotting his next move now.

“You know, this distribution director job isn’t going to be easy,” Jing Shu remarked.

“I know, but I’ve got to try,” Wang Qiqi replied.

As the newly appointed distribution director, Wang Qiqi wasted no time shaking things up, despite being squeezed from all sides by the government. He dismissed three individuals and replaced them with others, including the likes of "Young Master I Have a Baby" and Wang Xuemei, people from the original community. With their help, he began to gain some influence and even planned to bring his brother Wang Baba on board.

While Wang Qiqi was still caught up in the power struggles within Banana District, Jing Shu suddenly remembered that she hadn’t visited her own Herbal Medicine Association in over ten days!

She had been so busy gathering materials, working with Chu Zhuohua on the RV modifications, and managing the blood mushroom cultivation that she had completely forgotten about her primary profession.

Zhou Bapi had also been missing lately, reportedly off chasing after some rare find. It was about time Jing Shu paid the association a visit.

At 4 a.m. the next day, Jing Shu abruptly opened her eyes, her mind unusually clear. Still lying in bed, she began practicing with her Rubik’s Cube.

The strange habit of waking up at 4 a.m. had persisted for a month. Whenever she ignored it, strange things would happen. Lately, though, her mind had been sharp at 4 a.m., and if she practiced with her Rubik’s Cube, nothing unusual happened. If she didn’t, things went awry.

Jing Shu believed this was a sign from the heavens, urging her to improve her skills by practicing the cube daily at dawn.

Her speed at solving the Rubik’s Cube had noticeably increased recently. Soon, she would level up, unlocking the secrets behind everything.

At 6 a.m., after a hearty breakfast, Jing Shu set off in her shark submarine for the Herbal Medicine Association. Her parents headed to work—both were busy these days. Her third aunt had left for her job at the cafeteria, and Wu Youai, enticed by Tangyuan, had gotten up for breakfast as well.

It was a typical morning, full of energy and new beginnings, but this day was destined to be anything but ordinary for Jing Shu’s family.

“Well, well, look who’s finally come to work. The one who showed up once and then disappeared! President, aren’t you going to do something about this Jing Shu?”

“Who is it, acting so bold?”

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*Side note: 31,000 characters updated!*