CHAPTER 158: THE SMOOTH BALD HEADS

People in the group had become largely accustomed to eating insects. With the dramatic reduction in maggots lately, their price had soared to 0.3 Virtual Coins each. People could no longer easily grab handfuls of maggots when they were out and about.

Just as the government was starting to worry about what to feed the citizens next, not only did it rain, but it rained red earthworms.

This torrential downpour wasn’t just in Wu City; it was nationwide. The central government immediately ordered research on the red earthworms, and in less than an hour, the analysis was in: edible, but hard to digest.

Well, that settled it. They decided to call them red earthworms and rushed to issue instructions via the big data network.

From the discovery of red earthworms to the government’s decision to incorporate them into the diet, it took only an hour and two minutes.

Fatty Girl complained because, in the end, she had no choice but to join everyone else in the basement and let Wu You’ai shave her head bald.

"Everyone, tidy up your hair and trade it for work points, or you can scoop the worms up yourselves. Who knows how long this rain will last? The worms will probably be gone once it stops, so hurry and exchange your hair for more work points. Oh, and for now, these worms don’t bite and are harmless," said Wu You’ai, devilishly.

So, after all that fuss, these fierce-looking worms don’t bite? Are they just like maggots, then, helpless and ready for harvesting?

Well, regardless, even though my hair is gone, these few kilograms of red earthworms should fetch some work points, right? At least that’s some compensation.

The saying, "Cut off your three thousand strands of worldly cares," truly rang true. With no hair, there was nothing left to worry about when going outside.

Ah, the sensation of smooth water and red earthworms hitting one’s egg-like bald head... Silky smooth... bounce, bounce, bounce away the crow’s feet... Whoops, wrong commercial!

In any case, from young to old, the neighborhood was unified with bald, egg-like heads. First, they washed their bedding and clothes, then hurriedly scooped up red earthworms, just as Wu You’ai instructed.

Oh, and those smooth, shiny bald heads were particularly eye-catching in the rain.

The 37°C temperature was just perfect; standing in the rain felt like taking a warm shower.

"What do you see on the ground?"

"They’re work points, dancing work points."

By now, everyone had come to appreciate the importance of food and work points. Hearing that red earthworms could be exchanged for work points, they all actively began scooping them up.

The newly bald heads seemed to have become wiser. People started using bedsheets to scoop up heaps of red earthworms, quickly amassing entire sheets full, and others soon followed suit.

The following year, or rather, just a few months into it, red earthworms were plentiful, but their numbers dramatically decreased later on. This was indeed related to them being over-eaten. It wasn’t like in Australia, a place not drowned by floods but overrun by red earthworms.

Letting red earthworms reproduce uncontrollably had dire consequences, as Australia’s example showed.

While the neighborhood was busy scooping up red earthworms, Jing Shu walked around the villa, checking on the four oversized Rainwater Collection Boxes, which had already accumulated a quarter of their capacity. It seemed she’d have to clean out red earthworms and drain the water daily.

The red earthworms Jing Shu collected from just one of her Rainwater Collection Boxes each day surpassed what the entire neighborhood could gather in a full day of hard work.

It just went to show: with a broader perspective, one indeed accomplished things differently.

After returning to the villa, Jing Shu didn’t rest but called over Mr. Jing. Together, they used big stones from the backyard to construct a small pond at the front of the yard.

"What’s this for?" Mr. Jing didn’t understand Jing Shu’s intention even after he finished.

"You’ll know once Third Aunt comes back," Jing Shu teased.

...

"Oh dear, I told my husband not to come for me, but he insisted on coming, saying there were too many red earthworms and he had to bring me a raincoat and an umbrella. He’s not perfect in many ways, but he loves me." Weiwei extended her ring finger, flashing a one-carat diamond ring.

"Oh, your husband is really good to you," Jinglai said, standing at the entrance of the Ai Family Supermarket, directing everyone to hurry up and finish for the day.

"Look at me, bringing up your heartache again. Right, let’s go back together later. You’ll get drenched riding your bike alone, with so many insects around."

"It’s okay, my niece Jing Shu gave me a raincoat a few days ago." Jinglai’s face was slightly flushed; her niece was so dear to her heart, incredibly considerate.

Just then, Weiwei’s phone rang. "Hello, husband?... What did you say? You can’t make it? You’re telling me to go back alone?..."

Weiwei’s expression turned ugly. "Jinglai, let’s go back together later; it’s on the way. My husband has something urgent and can’t make it."

"Oh."

Weiwei thought Jinglai’s raincoat was just an ordinary one, but when Jinglai put on the enclosed raincoat, envious gazes surrounded her, and the jealousy in Weiwei’s eyes deepened.

"Squad Leader Jing is really well-prepared."

"With this raincoat, Squad Leader Jing can go anywhere."

Jinglai modestly said, "It was prepared by my family. Let’s go." Yet in her heart, she felt immensely proud; she had such wonderful family members!

"Oh, right." Weiwei wrapped her head with a towel and put a plastic bag over it before following Jinglai on their bikes, leaving the Ai Family Supermarket.

Although Jinglai’s raincoat looked bulky, it kept out all the rain and red earthworms. In contrast, rain hit Weiwei’s face, and red earthworms hopped on her. She suddenly longed for such a raincoat and such a family, rather than a man of only words and no action. Tears streamed down her face.

Jinglai arrived back at the villa and saw Jing Shu and her father busy filling the pond at the entrance of the courtyard with water. She couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What’s this for?"

Jing Shu threw in more than a dozen bags of salt and filled the pond halfway with water as Third Aunt arrived. "Aunt, quickly go in and walk through it."

Wearing the raincoat, Jinglai walked a circle in the pond. When she got out, the red earthworms on her instantly balled up and fell into the water, leaving no trace of them on the raincoat.

Mr. Jing gave Jing Shu a thumbs up.

The red earthworms stuck to the raincoat couldn’t be shaken off and needed cleaning. This way was much more convenient. The saltwater could be used for a year without waste, and later it could even feed domestic poultry. Perfect.

As expected, the evening news reported incidents of torrential rain everywhere. Even Africa, remarkably, experienced torrential rain accompanied by red earthworms.

While other countries were currently researching the red earthworms, Huaxia issued a single order: Eat!

Dinner was still lamb shabu-shabu hot pot. As the temperature dropped to a few degrees Celsius, the family warmed up with lamb soup. Jing Shu, maintaining her fine tradition, scraped the pot clean, finishing the last of the soup.

As the torrential rain continued outside, Jing Shu was practicing the Magic Cube in her room that night. Meanwhile, people in the chat group couldn’t sleep, tormented by their suffering.

"All the bedding is wet; it’s impossible to sleep."

"It’s so cold, and there are no extra blankets or clothes at home."

"I really miss my smelly old quilt."

Jing Shu shook her head as she practiced the Magic Cube. She was also planting a new batch of fruits and vegetables in her space. There was no need to dry them since the weather wasn’t hot, and she planned to grow some varieties that would be common in the second year of the apocalypse.

And so, the first day of the second year of the apocalypse was spent in chaos. No one had expected a flood, yet the day of the flood was drawing near.

It seems like preparations for the flood should be made.