CHAPTER 170: A STONE KILLS FIVE BIRDS, KEEPING SKILLS AND FAME HIDDEN

Jing Shu couldn’t find the right adjectives at the moment, but she was certain there were people even more extravagant than those with their own villas, such as West Mountain’s wealthiest man, Qian Duoduo.

"We were sent here precisely because we had no connections. Do you know about the government officials’ residential complex? It has tens of thousands of people, and they were all arranged to stay at the mansion of the wealthiest man, Qian Duoduo, yesterday. I really have no idea how big Qian Duoduo’s place must be."

Some people had their own mobile villas, while the wealthiest had entire mountains, providing shelter to tens of thousands during the disaster.

Qian Duoduo: You won’t believe it, but I don’t even know how big my house is now.

As they passed by Cave 5, Uncle nodded to Mrs. Jing, while Aunt only managed a brief glance, remarking, "This cave isn’t bad."

When they passed Cave 6, it was so cramped one couldn’t even stretch their legs. People were squeezed in on top of each other, with many forced to half-lie down amidst the chaotic red earthworms wriggling in the soil beneath. Aunt then commented on Jing Shu’s outfit, wondering why she was so heavily geared up.

Aunt had expressed her disdain then, but she didn’t expect to be truly shocked until they reached Cave 7. It was even smaller than Cave 6 and clearly couldn’t fit three hundred people! It was crowded even when just standing.

"How can we sleep in such a small place?"

"Exactly! It might be better to head back to West Mountain to sleep. The elevation is high there, so it certainly won’t be flooded."

"Hey, let’s at least hold out for a couple of days until the floodwaters recede!"

The crowd was in a constant uproar, so Jing Shu took the opportunity to excuse herself.

Aunt, a seasoned former pyramid-scheme marketer, possessed impressive verbal skills and authority. It didn’t take long for her to settle everyone down. She sent about a dozen people to sponge off others elsewhere and arranged for over fifty people to take shifts, ensuring everyone had a place to stay.

Back in her own tidied-up shelter, Jing Shu took off her raincoat, let the fat chicken peck off the red earthworms, and then sat down to enjoy a warm cup of brown sugar ginger tea.

"Your uncle managed to settle all those people?" Mrs. Jing began, taking out some bread and starting to slice it. "I know your aunt; she’ll definitely come over later asking us to take in some people. If it’s not handled well, we’ll end up offending both sides, and your uncle will be stuck in the middle like a sandwich." She was a bit perplexed as to why her daughter had suddenly made so many large loaves of bread.

"If they want to send people over, that’s fine, as long as they can create value. Our community won’t object. Mom, if Aunt asks to stay with us later, what do you plan to do?"

"Of course, she can stay. We’re family, after all. But we only have seven single-person tents. Your dad and I can squeeze together, leaving one for Su Long, and we might be able to fit one more person on the boat. However, even though we’re family, if she only knows how to take without giving back, I won’t stand for it. Let’s see what your aunt says later!" Mrs. Jing was still hurt by Su Meimei’s past behavior.

Jing Shu gave a thumbs-up. Mrs. Jing really has changed a lot.

Mrs. Jing’s intuition proved accurate. Aunt did indeed come over, and this time she didn’t arrive empty-handed. She brought a turtle the size of her palm.

"Look, this is the soft-shelled turtle Su Long fished out of the water the day before yesterday. He couldn’t keep it alive, and it died this morning, but it’s still fresh. I was planning on making soup with it, but we don’t have a fire at our place, so I thought I’d bring it to you."

Jing Shu turned to look. "That’s not a soft-shelled turtle; it’s a regular turtle. It’d be a waste to make soup with it. It’s more suitable for medicinal wine."

Jing Shu was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected gift. To think one could still find turtles these days! It seems worthwhile to check Su Long’s fishing spots for more. The medicinal value of turtles, especially when infused with snake for wine, is truly substantial—practically tailor-made for the second year of the apocalypse.

Now I just need a snake... Where can I get one? Wait... weren’t there two snakes in Cave 4? Should I try to get them for the Turtle Snake Wine?

Jing Shu had been too busy after her rebirth, focusing on preparing only the most essential items. Consequently, she hadn’t had time for things like turtles and snakes, and she’d also felt it was wasteful to feed too many animals when she had nowhere to keep them. Now that she had the ability to raise them, she couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.

Unfortunately, since the turtle was dead, her only option was to preserve it in her space. Otherwise, Jing Shu would definitely have kept it alive and looked for opportunities to breed it.

Aunt laughed awkwardly. "Who knows what it is? Anyway, you have a fire and a pot, so you can cook it however you want. Jing Shu, I came to ask you a favor. Can Su Long squeeze in and sleep at your place? Just him. Old Su and I don’t need a spot..."

Wang Fang successfully moved fifty people to Cave 5. As a result, Cave 7 was no longer so crowded, and Cave 5, where Jing Shu was, remained relatively spacious.

Of course, these fifty people weren’t staying for free; they were willing to contribute through labor.

Jing Shu continued, outlining the tasks: "Many bricks were dislodged in the Eco Park Square due to the villa setups. Each person must collect at least one hundred bricks and bring them back. There are also many stones. Any dead trees found in the mountain caves must also be brought back. The caves will get cold and damp at night. If this rain continues, there will definitely be standing water. This means we need to sleep on raised platforms. To ensure warmth, we’ll have to burn wood. A good way to maximize the heating surface area and duration is by heating stones..."

Jing Shu laughed and patted Wu You’ai on the shoulder. "This is all I can do to help you."

This was the first time Wu You’ai had admired Jing Shu so much. When she first heard that fifty people were to be moved in, she had been worried. Managing two different groups of people is difficult, and suddenly squeezing in so many newcomers could cause trouble. But to her surprise, Jing Shu’s simple plan not only pleased both groups but also allowed Wu You’ai to inadvertently gain some credit. Is this what they call killing three birds with one stone?

Jing Shu first had the newcomers work as free labor and then taught everyone how to make themselves more comfortable on these cold, gloomy nights. This spurred the original residents of the cave community into action as well.

The fifty newcomers were responsible for transporting bricks and stones. Meanwhile, the original community members used the bricks to raise the cave floors and constructed spiral-shaped fire pits with small stones, piling ample deadwood on top. They were essentially imitating an underfloor heating system, which created an even heating surface. This not only kept the caves dry but also maintained a comfortable temperature.

Actually, Jing Shu had her reasons for doing this. If everyone is benefiting and content, they won’t react strongly when they see my family using a furnace and drinking warm soup. Moreover, Jing Shu and her family also benefited from this arrangement. If the cave’s temperature was comfortable at night, she would be comfortable too.

Sometimes, helping others is also helping oneself.

This is probably killing five birds with one stone while keeping my abilities and contributions hidden, right? What could be better than directing others to achieve my goals while I peacefully enjoy my meals?

So, while Jing Shu’s family was enjoying their lunch, the other cave dwellers weren’t focused on the luxurious meal. Instead, they were busy with preparations for their sleeping arrangements for the night.

Jing Shu didn’t realize that her actions had actually helped her avert a major problem.

Zhou Dafu, along with Zhou Dasheng, had passed through Cave 5 several times, and the two had successfully scouted the layout. Zhou Dafu instructed Zhou Dasheng, "When the time comes, you lead fifty people over here. Just have them sit on the ground and refuse to leave. I’ll mingle in the crowd beforehand and toss a snake over. Then, you shout loudly, ’Help! There’s a snake!’ My people will then call Zhou Daheng over..."