Chapter 256: Qian Duo Duo Wants to Buy All the Blood Mushrooms?

The woman nursing her child jerked back in shock, exclaiming, "You scared me! So, it’s you. What’s with the get-up? Did you strike it rich?"

Zi Jing calmly replied, "Only those who have something to feel guilty about fear ghosts knocking at their door. Aunt Zhang, please stop calling me the ‘long-haired monster.’"

Aunt Zhang, still trying to squeeze a little more milk from her nearly dry chest, laughed awkwardly, "I just like giving people nicknames. I’ve been calling Wang the pockmarked guy for years, and he’s never complained. You’ve got to learn to be more easygoing."

Jing Shu noticed that Zi Jing’s bed was positioned in the middle of the room, with no other beds within three meters of it. Clearly, her presence had some strong "repellent" qualities. After all, it's one thing to occasionally drop a red worm as a snack, but having a bunch of red worms jump on you like a writhing snake in the middle of the night? No one would be happy about that.

"You finally cut your hair? Great! I won’t have to bring you food anymore," said Xiaomei, who could only make out Zi Jing’s silhouette in the dimly lit room, noticing that the "snake" was gone.

It was 5 p.m., and the temperature was about to drop. Most of the residents in the 31st-floor housing area had returned from work or scavenging to avoid the risk of getting sick in the cold. Some were already back with their food from the cafeteria.

"I didn’t cut it. I just washed it and tied it up under the waterproof hat. There won't be any more issues like before. I apologize for the trouble I caused everyone in the past, and I’ll make up for it to the people around me once I earn more virtual coins."

Aunt Zhang, still cradling her baby, eyed Zi Jing. "Oh, you managed to wash your hair with salt water, huh? And this gear, you must be doing well now. So, you admit you were causing trouble before. If you’re really going to make it up to us, how about a bowl of white rice for everyone?"

"I’ll decide what compensation to give and to whom," Zi Jing replied, her thrifty nature not easily swayed, even by the four virtual coins she would soon be earning daily.

Hearing that there might be compensation, people began to crowd around, suddenly very friendly.

" Zi Jing, that day one of your red worms fell all over me, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you."

"Yeah, Zi Jing, I live just ten meters away, and your red worms keep jumping over to me at night. You should compensate me, too."

"I’ve got a baby here, so I deserve double!" Aunt Zhang chimed in shamelessly.

Zi Jing remained calm and composed, smiling as she said, "There’s only so much to go around. You all can divide it among yourselves; I won’t get involved. But if no one is satisfied, I’ll just take it all back."

The clamor slowly died down. They realized that pleasing everyone equally would be impossible, and they didn’t even know what Zi Jing would be offering.

The drama ended before it could even begin, leaving Jing Shu a little disappointed. She had almost forgotten why she was here—to help Zi Jing improve her living conditions!

However, after seeing the state of the place, Jing Shu realized it was a lost cause. The red worms were everywhere, constantly jumping around like fleas. She even saw people casually picking red worms off each other to eat! It was worse than her house had been in the previous life.

With people constantly coming and going, the red worms were inevitable. Jing Shu had Zi Jing clean up her bed area, wash it down with salt water, and then sealed it off with a plastic PVC cover to create a semi-independent space. She instructed Zi Jing to keep her raincoat on even while sleeping and to wipe it down daily. This would have to do for now—Jing Shu planned to upgrade her living quarters later.

Meanwhile, the other residents continued their meals of mushroom soup with insect eggs, with a side of flour mush, while watching the commotion. The smell of the mushrooms made Jing Shu nauseous, and she quickly made her exit.

" Zi Jing, who was that person?" Xiaomei asked, curiosity piqued.

"My boss," Zi Jing replied.

Aunt Zhang couldn’t help but ask, "Why is she being so nice to you? Giving you all those things?"

"I start work tomorrow. The place I’ll be working at doesn’t allow a single red worm to appear. You know how wealthy people are—they can’t stand to see things like that. So, I have to keep myself and my area completely clean."

A man nearby, full of envy, asked, "What kind of job is it? Can I do it too?"

"I’ll be doing hand-sewn clothes. It’s skilled work, and you all know this is what I’m good at," Zi Jing explained, without mentioning anything about the silkworms.

After Aunt Zhang had put her baby to sleep, she said, " Zi Jing, you’re about to make it big. Don’t forget about us."

Her words were met with the sound of snoring from the small room.

Despite living in poor conditions on the 31st floor, the residents of the military family housing area still had it better than those in the Banana Community’s underground garages. Jing Shu felt reassured by this. Whatever their personalities or manners, these people had family members who had served the nation, putting their lives on the line. The low mortality rate among the military didn’t change the fact that many had died in the line of duty.

The family housing area also had decent perks—hot water every day, meals supplemented with flour, beds to sleep on, and houses and furniture allocated based on rank.

"Maybe I should check out Captain Li’s place. I’ve heard he has a fierce wife in her forties. Captain Li is over thirty and in a relationship with an older woman. It’s got me curious."

The next morning, Zi Jing arrived wearing the same clothes as the day before. She carefully washed off all the red worms in the saltwater pool at the entrance before noticing that the small house under the villa’s awning was already set up for her. It was a four-square-meter space stocked with all the tools she needed—so thoughtful!

Unfortunately, it was Jing Shu’s grandmother who had set everything up. Zi Jing learned that Jing Shu had already left early in the morning.

A tiny pang of disappointment hit her.

"You must be watching over me, helping me find such a good job, right? Don’t worry, I’ll work hard and survive the apocalypse until the day I see you again."

...

At the end of March, Jing Shu’s second batch of blood mushrooms had fully matured. She had planned to wait a bit longer, as blood mushrooms were always in high demand, but she couldn’t harvest too many at once. However, Su Mali informed her that a big client at the auction wanted to buy out all the blood mushrooms.

"The client isn’t paying with virtual coins; they’re offering oil instead," Su Mali said with a hint of pride. "How do you like this yellow dress I’m wearing?"

"You look great in everything," Jing Shu replied, stifling a yawn as she munched on a spring roll with egg and sausage her grandmother had made for breakfast. "So, is that why you called me over at 4 a.m.? Just to see you try on dresses? It’s just a business deal—what’s with the formality? And this early, too?"

Jing Shu had only gone to bed at 2 a.m. after rolling cigarettes the night before.

Why 4 a.m.? This mysterious client was becoming more and more peculiar, and Jing Shu couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about the whole situation.

"The client is Qian Duo Duo , our group’s biggest competitor. Naturally, I have to show some flair. Plus, the road to West Mountain is blocked, so we’ll need to take a detour."

"Qian Duo Duo ? That’s impossible. I’ve worked with him several times. If he knew I was the one selling, he’d come to me directly. Why go through a middleman? And for such a small deal, he wouldn’t bother," Jing Shu raised an eyebrow, sensing that something wasn’t quite right.