Chapter 254: "Alright, Boss"

"This amber silk is the finest I’ve ever seen—its texture and smoothness are outstanding. If it’s used to make silk quilts, they’ll be incredibly warm."

Of course, eating vegetables grown with the help of spirit spring water would result in top-quality silkworms.

Zi Jing skillfully peeled open the silkworm cocoons, removed the pupae with her fingernails, and gently stretched the cocoons over her hands. After removing the pupae and their black discarded skins, she layered several of them together, creating small squares of silk with fluid, practiced movements. In less than half an hour, she had processed all the cocoons.

Jing Shu’s grandmother and grandfather, who had heard that Jing Shu had found an expert, came over to watch. They were both impressed and gave her a thumbs up. They had tried processing the cocoons themselves a few days earlier, but it had taken them several minutes just to peel one. If they had to rely on their speed, they wouldn’t be able to finish even one step in a whole day.

Meanwhile, Jing Shu’s grandfather had crafted a bow-shaped bamboo tool for fluffing the silk. Zi Jing deftly stretched the silk over the frame, ready to fluff it.

"A quilt requires at least six layers of evenly spread silk, which will make it soft and warm when used. For face masks, three layers are enough," Zi Jing explained as she removed three layers of silk, stretching them into large, golden sheets of silk cotton. After boiling them, they shimmered beautifully under the dim light.

Zi Jing wrung out the excess water and formed the silk into mask molds. She made fifty face masks in total and, at Jing Shu’s request, turned the material cut out for the eyes, mouth, and nose into silk patches for treating wounds.

"If you want to make face masks, you just need to soak the silk in the prepared solution. For quilts, let the silk dry in a cool, ventilated place. Once it’s completely dry, it will be ready for use."

However, due to the humid weather, it wouldn’t dry easily. Jing Shu would need to use her home’s ventilation and fan systems to speed up the process.

Following an online recipe, Jing Shu mixed honey and other ingredients in the correct proportions, completing the face masks. She tested a small patch of the silk on Zi Jing’s right cheek, and after ten minutes, that area became noticeably smoother and fairer. The result was excellent!

Jing Shu sealed each mask in a transparent bag, showcasing the shimmering gold silk inside. Under the light, they looked stunning.

Jing Shu never would have imagined that in this new life, amid the apocalypse, she would end up running a face mask business...

Zi Jing, feeling a bit nervous, watched Jing Shu. Before starting the task, she had doubted whether this job was realistic. After all, during the apocalypse, everyone was focused on survival and food—who would have the luxury to hire a craftsperson?

But after making the face masks with high-quality amber silk, Zi Jing realized that Jing Shu might genuinely need someone with her skills.

Zi Jing felt both hopeful and anxious. The past few months hadn’t been kind to her. After moving with the military families into the crowded Banana Community, she had become an outsider, shunned because she had no connections within the community. With no income, she had been forced to survive by scavenging and catching red worms for a meager living.

She had tried many ways to improve her situation, but none had been practical.

Jing Shu, on the other hand, was in a great mood, already planning to trade the face masks for compressed natural gas. She needed to stock up on natural gas for the following year, as she would need to run the boiler and underfloor heating every day. Having been through this life once before, she now had higher standards for quality of life—merely surviving wasn’t enough anymore.

"Your craftsmanship is excellent. How about this: my grandmother has another batch of silkworms that are about to spin cocoons. I’m planning to produce more raw materials." Jing Shu smiled.

Rebirth was a strange thing, especially when it came to reconnecting with people from her past life. Reintroducing herself to Zi Jing and building their relationship from scratch in this new world felt surreal. They were both walking completely different paths now. Jing Shu wasn’t sure what kind of relationship they would develop this time around.

Although Zi Jing had been a benefactor in her past life, Jing Shu still hadn’t granted her access to the villa. She didn’t want to test Zi Jing’s character with material benefits right away. If she gave Zi Jing too much trust or spoiled her too soon, it could lead to greed and a darker side of her personality.

Even Jing Shu couldn’t control her own desires. In her previous life, she had only wanted to eat her fill, but now, she wasn’t satisfied with just that anymore. The power granted by the spatial storage had expanded her ambitions bit by bit.

It was essential to be kind, but giving someone everything from the start could set a precedent where any future kindness would feel lacking in comparison. However, by gradually showing kindness and generosity, each gesture would be appreciated more deeply.

Just like her spatial storage, which upgraded incrementally, each level brought Jing Shu immense satisfaction and renewed motivation. Her ambitions had grown from the simple desire to eat well to the grander goals she had today—now she was even raising silkworms and making face masks. Who knew what else she would accomplish in the future?

"Me? Can I really do this?" Zi Jing asked, smiling for the first time, revealing her small, tiger-like teeth.

"You can, barely," Jing Shu teased. "Well then, Miss Zi Jing, from now on, we have an employer-employee relationship. You can start officially tomorrow morning. As your boss, I’d like to go over my expectations and the benefits you'll receive."

Jing Shu extended her hand for a handshake. For the first time, she shook hands with Zi Jing, feeling the cold but soft touch of her small hands.

"Alright, boss!" Zi Jing quickly adapted to her role.

"First, you must maintain cleanliness at all times—no red worms allowed."

"Your workspace will be under the shelter at the villa. I’ll have a small room built for you there. Your work hours will start once the temperature rises and end before it drops again. In addition to processing silkworm cocoons with my grandmother, you’ll also be mending clothes and accompanying my grandmother in cleaning a place in Building 25 every afternoon." In reality, Jing Shu needed Zi Jing to monitor her grandmother and keep her from interacting with Lin Yi.

"In addition to your daily pay of four virtual coins, you’ll also receive meals from Aijia Food Hall. My aunt runs the place, and there’s always leftover food."

Jing Shu knew that Zi Jing’s frugal habits would keep her from spending virtual coins on meals, so she devised this arrangement to ensure her aunt brought home decent meals for Zi Jing, with Jing Shu footing the bill.

"Now, to ensure you can work in a clean and tidy environment, I’ll need to visit your living quarters to see what adjustments can be made."

"Alright, boss," Zi Jing replied.