CHAPTER 657: IT’S BECAUSE THERE ARE GOOD THINGS

Li Yuetian’s description of Jing Shu as so selflessly grand made Jing Shu, who was hidden in the shadows, feel slightly embarrassed. Giving away food was merely a win-win situation, not charity, she thought. Even Jun Jia, Wu City’s second-in-command, had assured her that these goods would be accounted for. The food she provided would be exchanged for points, which served as internal currency for trading within the Township Government.

Truthfully, Jing Shu was now inclined to stay here longer and use up more of her food supplies. After all, she mused, the Red Worm Cakes, originally worth only 2,000,000 Virtual Coins, could eventually be exchanged for restricted items using Contribution Points.

It was very difficult to acquire Contribution Points within the Township Government.

Similar to the internal points system of the Wu City Pharmaceutical Association, the Township Government dangled attractive prospects: the highest accumulation of points could be exchanged for unimaginably top-notch items.

But the people in the hall didn’t know that. After hearing this, many felt ashamed.

"So all the food we’ve been eating these days was provided by her."

"We’ve been trapped here so long. We would have starved without food."

"We owe our lives to her."

"Now, all the food we can eat is provided by her; how could that be called hoarding private stock?"

Li Yuetian was pleased with this outcome. He then pointed to the person who had just wanted to report Jing Shu for hoarding food and asked, "To think you would accuse the very person supplying food to the entire building of hoarding...

"Very well, we are the fairest of all. You few who yelled about searching the villa, no more food will be provided to you from now on. Fend for yourselves. Li Chenglong, take these people inside to search and see if there’s any food."

Upon hearing from Li Yuetian that there would be no more food, not even Insect Cakes, and that they would starve to death, these people’s faces immediately changed.

"We won’t search anymore, we won’t!"

"We were just joking. We didn’t know that Miss Jing Shu was the one providing us with food. She is our lifesaver. We were blind and failed to recognize a great person like yourself. Please spare us this time."

"I won’t search either. I was just joining in on the commotion. I don’t know why I impulsively did such a foolish thing just now."

The few who had been clamoring and stirring up trouble instantly changed their tune. They certainly knew they had provoked someone they shouldn’t have and now realized their food supply was on the line.

Li Yuetian’s expression cooled. "Rather than causing a stir here, you’d be better off doing more work. Then you might get to eat more." After saying that, he walked away with his group.

Li Chenglong chuckled. "Have you seen enough? Or shall we invite everyone to cool off outside?"

The crowd’s expressions changed again, and they dispersed quickly.

The college classmates were shocked beyond measure. The new revelation was overwhelming: all the food these past days and the subsequent meals of Insect Cakes in the coming days were sourced from their unassuming classmate, Jing Shu.

Jiang Changke boasted, "Still envious of Jing Shu, the big shot who doesn’t need to work, huh? Well, she indeed has the capital not to work."

Whether she was hoarding private stock or not didn’t matter anymore. After all, so many people in the building depended on Jing Shu.

The crucial point now was that to survive and eat their fill, they would have to rely on Jing Shu.

Jing Shu wanted to keep a low profile and was inclined to say it was no big deal, but at this moment, the way her classmates looked at her had already changed. Several were quickly sidling up to her:

"Jing Shu, could you spare a few more Insect Cakes?"

"I can’t believe you’re such a big shot, Jing Shu! Please support me; I can even warm your bed!"

"I’m an electric motor, the frequency of which can be adjusted—fast or slow, shallow or deep. They call me ’Mazda.’ Consider me."

"TSK."

Jing Shu fled. Interacting with her classmates after her identity had been exposed made Jing Shu a bit uncomfortable.

Now when she looked at people, her first thought was: Are you getting close to me because you want my Insect Cakes? Are you interested in my Insect Cakes, or in me as a person?

Jing Shu admitted that she somewhat understood the Emperor’s feeling of ’it’s lonely at the top’ and his yearning for a true confidant.

But that didn’t stop Jing Shu from hiding in her villa, secretly indulging in extra meals that left her mouth greasy with oil. When she had nothing to do, she would pick a cucumber from her space to eat on the spot, or cut open a watermelon to scoop out and enjoy. Or she might have some fruit after a meal, choosing whatever she fancied—oranges, peaches, lychees, or strawberries.

Her only small regret was that durians smelled too strong, so she didn’t dare to eat them.

The following days were much more peaceful. No one came to trouble Jing Shu, and life seemed to return to an orderly rhythm.

Everyone had things to do.

Jing Shu was woken by the whistle every day, almost wishing she could take back the yogurt balls she had given Li Chenglong. It was he who roused everyone at 7:00 AM daily to gather in the main hall for roll call.

It was just like the militarized discipline of past military training.

She couldn’t sleep in even if she wanted to. Jing Shu’s days were quite comfortable. At night, she slept in a thick silk sleeping bag, with snakes and insects standing guard. Her nights in the silent villa were incredibly peaceful; if only she didn’t have to get up so early.

Jing Shu had gotten used to appearing with bed hair in the first-floor private room for roll call. This was followed by a ten-minute routine meeting, which generally covered yesterday’s progress, today’s plans, and a brief summary.

Afterward, everyone would go to the cafeteria to eat.

Jing Shu used to be more discreet, but ever since that incident, she had Liu openly bring her meals back to the villa. Jing Shu would then return to her villa, take a nap, and then get up to do her ’real work.’

This ’real work’ involved taking a large assortment of tools to go fishing.

These days, Jing Shu’s collection of ’tools’ had grown, and she had even transformed her fishing spot into a proper ’office.’

Indeed, around the perimeter wall outside the building, she had built herself a wind-sheltered earthen hut—of course, hiring the workers had cost her some Insect Cakes. Wanting to keep the opportunity within her own group, she naturally hired her college classmates.

Inside the hut was an earthen kang, heated from below, where Jing Shu usually sat, feeling warm. Next to the kang, she had also built a small earthen stove. She usually kept a teapot on it, boiling water for tea and adding yogurt balls and milk powder.

The tea and milk bubbled and mixed, transforming into a fragrant milk tea that warmed both her hands and her stomach.

In front of the hut now stood a row of steel bars, wrapped with various electrical wires or netting, and beside them were a small generator and a small motor.

These were borrowed from Dr. Chao Zhang. To thank Jing Shu for finding the Bone Powder that had resolved the issue of uncontrollable bleeding, Dr. Zhang had also generously provided the raw materials.

CRACKLE. CRACKLE.

Electricity surged through the wires, extending deep into the soil of the Mudstone Flow Sea. Li Chenglong and the others didn’t understand why Jing Shu was doing this.

Jing Shu never explained.

No one understood, but then again, no one was foolish enough to ask. Nobody could control what Jing Shu did. In others’ eyes, why would Jing Shu forsake the comfort of her villa to endure the cold wind and suffer out here?

Yes, why indeed?

Naturally, it was because there was something good to be found out here.