Chapter 245: The Benefits of Growing Tobacco

Upon hearing Jing Shu's shout, Chu Zhuohua opened the camper door, revealing himself with disheveled hair and dark circles under his eyes, a far cry from his usual suave appearance. "Morning, Jing Shu! Come and check out my masterpiece!"

Jing Shu looked at the massive wheels, nearly the size of a house, and finally understood what Chen Nan meant by "the most expensive, largest, antique AT all-terrain tires."

The front of the vehicle was streamlined for easier towing, while the body was shaped like a rectangular house, complete with windows and a chimney. Strangely, there were large wheels attached to either side of the house, giving it an odd, almost surreal appearance.

"Look at these tires! Cool, right? They're modeled after the Maybach’s suspension system, so no matter how bumpy it gets outside, you won't feel a thing inside... Come on, I'll give you a tour."

Jing Shu: "... So you're telling me you plan to hitch this ridiculous house to my camper as a sidekick?"

Before she got to know him better, Jing Shu had always thought Chu Zhuohua was a cold, eccentric intellectual, rich and aloof. But now, she realized that wasn’t the case at all.

"No, it's not just a house. It has its own power system, though it's electric and can only go up to 40 mph. I was planning to hitch it to your camper, but how about this—I’ll cover half the fuel for every trip we make in the future?"

"Every trip? What if..." Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. This guy had no idea that her camper was mainly being modified for migration five years from now.

"Definitely every time. How could I take advantage of you guys?" Chu Zhuohua’s glasses reflected a strange light. Ideally, they’d be constantly on the move in the camper, never needing to stop. They say proximity breeds opportunity—perhaps that’s true.

Jing Shu squinted at him. It felt a little wrong to take advantage of him like this, especially since her camper’s modifications relied entirely on him. Plus, Chu Zhuohua might have a bit of a perfectionist streak. He pursued flawless results and couldn’t stand anything subpar. Once her camper was in his hands, his obsessive-compulsive tendencies would drive him to perfect it.

Just as Jing Shu was hesitating, Chu Zhuohua extended his hand, holding a small packet of seeds. "I heard from Wu Youai that you’ve been collecting all sorts of strange seeds."

"What seeds are these?" After her rebirth, Jing Shu had already bought almost all the seeds she could find—grains, fruits, and some medicinal herbs.

She had a complete collection of grain seeds, even acquiring over a hundred varieties of each type. Jing Shu could proudly say she owned more than a hundred varieties of corn seeds, filling up an entire cubic meter of storage space.

So, if the seeds weren’t particularly useful, she wasn’t interested. However, seeds for functional plants and flowers were always welcome.

"Tobacco seeds."

Jing Shu’s eyes lit up—tobacco? She didn’t have that!

She had been thinking about planting some new species once her Rubik’s Cube space upgraded. According to her current system of space allocation, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs each had their own section. When the space upgraded, she could plant some different crops.

She wasn’t planning on planting grains for another couple of years, as her family still had plenty of rice and flour. By next year, they could plant soybeans and peanuts to press their own oil.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jing Shu already had plans forming in her mind. Once her space upgraded and she had more farmland, she’d plant a batch of tobacco—and some cotton, too.

At the same time, Jing Shu decided to include tobacco as one of the five medicinal herbs required for her promotion in the Medicinal Herb Association. Tobacco would become the sixth herb she cultivated, just in case the leeches didn’t count toward her quota.

That’s right—Jing Shu intended to grow tobacco at home, in her space, and for the Medicinal Herb Association. It wasn’t just to provide her grandfather and father with cigarettes to prevent them from fighting. Tobacco was also a useful medicinal plant.

Tobacco is warm and sweet but toxic. It has properties that reduce swelling, detoxify, and kill pests. It’s especially effective in eradicating pests like snails, mosquitoes, flies, rats, and bugs.

What’s abundant in the apocalypse? Insects. Especially biting insects. Jing Shu had already used up half of her stockpile of cooling oil, and she wasn’t sure how much longer it would last. If she could use the tobacco to make insect repellent, that would be perfect.

In a couple of months, when insects become more prevalent, and the supply of red worms dwindles, tobacco's medicinal value would truly shine.

Jing Shu found Chu Zhuohua more and more agreeable. What did this guy’s family do for a living, anyway? How did he have access to so many rare and unusual things?

"So, want to come inside and check it out?"

When a man introduces his prized creation, there’s always a sense of renewed pride. Inside Chu Zhuohua’s odd camper, Jing Shu was amazed by his wild imagination. He had transformed the space into a loft, managing to fit a fully functional setup into just 13 square meters, complete with a living room, bathroom, kitchen, sofa, and bedroom.

The only downside was the low ceiling. The first floor had a ceiling height of 1.8 meters, while the second-floor bedroom only had 1.3 meters, featuring a large waterbed that moved on its own. It looked like fun, but Jing Shu wondered if the movement would disturb her sleep.

It felt a little claustrophobic.

"I like compact, self-contained spaces. They give me a sense of security," Chu Zhuohua explained.

Jing Shu blinked—Wu Youai had said the same thing when she requested a space capsule.

After touring Chu Zhuohua’s camper, Jing Shu was impressed. The materials were top-notch, and just as Chu Zhuohua had said, no matter what happened outside, the inside would remain perfectly stable. The design and craftsmanship were also exceptional. He had essentially built a vehicle in a matter of days.

As for Jing Shu’s camper, it hadn’t changed much since before the New Year. After all, Chu Zhuohua had spent most of his time working on his own vehicle.

"Don’t worry, I’ll finish the modifications soon. After all, if anything happens, I’ll still be relying on you," Chu Zhuohua said, his enthusiasm for modifying the camper renewed, now with even more ideas in mind.

After leaving the modification shop, Jing Shu delivered a batch of charcoal to the factory Wang Gang had found and handed the virtual coins to her uncle. The factory was located near Xishan, a bit farther from the old town.

Her uncle and his wife hadn’t given up their day jobs as residential complex managers, which were busy but flexible enough for them to take turns managing the factory.

Wang Gang had somehow convinced her aunt, who was now more motivated than her uncle. Within two days, they had hired all the necessary staff, and the factory was set to officially start operations the next day.

Managing the factory was easier than Jing Shu’s aunt’s previous job. All they needed to do was keep track of how many red worms came in and process them.

After wrapping up her tasks, it was already afternoon. Jing Shu hurried to the Medicinal Herb Association to plant her tobacco, as the association’s assessments were based on the plants’ readiness for medicinal use, and the earlier they were planted, the sooner they’d mature.

Astragalus, honeysuckle, gastrodia, bodhi, leeches, and tobacco!

Of these, the honeysuckle and gastrodia were already ready for medicinal use. The leeches could be processed at any time, while the astragalus and tobacco would need another two to three months, and the bodhi tree four months.

"Jing Shu, why did you pick today to come?" Wang Danai asked with a sigh. "You really are unlucky!"

Jing Shu: "???"