CHAPTER 94: I HAVE NO ISSUES TAKING THREE PORTIONS, RIGHT?

Huaxia had been in the apocalypse for ten years. Through strict control of guns and knives, it had truly reduced many bloody incidents.

This must be the essence of the second step, and perhaps the cruel third step is about to begin.

What surprised Jing Shu was that work points had already started to slowly replace RMB. Those who had just turned in seasonings now had Virtual Coins recorded on their ID cards. These coins could be exchanged for food at major supermarkets and would gradually replace RMB. Paper money would slowly become worthless; eventually, these virtual numbers recorded on ID cards would replace physical currency.

The staff explained how many work points were needed for various items and discussed the current prices.

"2 work points for a serving of white rice, 0.5 work points for a serving of oyster mushroom fried rice."

"Your packet of pepper counts for 0.5 work points, half a bottle of soy sauce for 1 work point, a spoon of cumin powder for 0.1 work points, and half a bag of sugar for 3 work points."

"Your bedding set counts for 1 work point, a piece of clothing for 0.1 work points..."

Then someone asked, "How many work points are needed for steamed buns and meat?"

The staff replied, "Only metal, iron, or knives can be exchanged for steamed buns and meat; other items cannot. Steamed buns and meat are scarce resources. If you come late, there might not be any left."

This was intended to compel everyone to proactively and conscientiously surrender dangerous items like kitchen knives.

This realization led many people to decide to trade in some of the knives they had at home, and even to search everywhere for more knives and other weapons. After tasting the white steamed buns and meat, they no longer wanted to eat moldy mushrooms and nauseating rice. The desire only grew more uncontrollable after that first taste.

This time, the Ai Family Supermarket’s checkout had an additional machine for scanning ID cards. Barrels of white rice in stainless steel containers emitted an enticing aroma, far more delicious than the previous offerings of a tiny bit of rice fried with many mushrooms.

There were also barrels of mushrooms emitting a foul odor—sometimes too salty, sometimes tasteless, with only a moldy smell.

Furthermore, there were shelves full of white steamed buns and a pot of braised meat. The aroma drifted all the way to the plaza, where one could hear the continuous rumbling of hungry stomachs, silencing those who had previously complained about the poor food quality.

Now the food was better, but it had to be exchanged for items. One day, everything might be exchanged away. Then what?

Yes, once everything was exchanged, what would people do without resources?

No problem. Hadn’t many people died already? Just go to their homes and take their things. They can also search in various factories and closed shops. Of course, once they got there, they would find that most shops were already empty, the contents having been taken by the shop owners themselves to exchange for resources.

Moreover, the issues that had worried the government were perfectly resolved within a few days.

Jing Shu’s family squeezed through the crowd from the old items recycling plaza to the water distribution area. They discovered that besides receiving their daily water allowance, they could also spend work points to get more: 0.5 work points for 500ml of water, equivalent to a serving of mushroom fried rice.

From an economic perspective, could this be called stimulating consumption and speeding up currency circulation? Only with sufficient motivation and a desire to consume would people strive to earn money. Earning money diligently would increase the GDP, and a higher GDP would elevate people’s living standards...

Grandma Jing whispered, "Shush. Our family has nothing to trade. Those are things we have less of every time we use them; trading seasonings for water isn’t worth it."

Jing Shu also felt the same. The water shortage had been primarily an issue in the first year, after which other problems arose. Yet, from now on, it would increasingly become about the lack of water, as the predictions of corrosive insects ruling Earth, broadcast daily on the science channel, were about to come true.

Today, the community group was excitedly discussing their haul. Most people in the community hadn’t eaten meat for a long time and felt nearly ecstatic when they had braised meat again.

Everyone was thanking Wang Qiqi in the group chat.

Fatty Girl No.25: "I’m so thankful to @Wang Qiqi No.13! When we exchanged for the meat, everyone around us looked at us so enviously. Following you means we’ll definitely have meat to eat!"

Wang Qiqi No.13: "Today, in the homes of twenty deceased neighbors, I found over 60 knives and exchanged them all for meat. Along with various bedding and clothing, small and large, this totaled 90 work points. With 27 people participating today, each person received 3 work points. However, I took three portions, which amounted to 9 work points and 3 pieces of meat. I will take three portions for any similar activities I organize in the future. This is just to clarify."

Young Master I Have a Baby No.13: "Of course you should take more. No matter how those neighbors died, it was you who sorted out their keys and registered the bodies, handling all these messy affairs. Without you, we wouldn’t have found so many knives or had meat to eat today."

Wang Xue Mei: "I have no objections."

Zhang Bingbing’s older husband: "You did nothing but give orders today, so why should you get three portions? Today is one thing, but why should you take three portions for everything in the future? And don’t you also get half a kilogram of rice for registering the bodies? How much have you taken for yourself?"

Zhang Bingbing’s younger husband: "Agreed! Why should you take three portions every time? Everyone, isn’t that right?"

The group chat fell silent for a moment.

Jing Shu had been focusing on Wang Qiqi. He was quite shrewd. Now, some people in the group followed his lead; the fact that he dared to demand three portions today meant he was very confident.

Wang Qiqi had diligently served the community for half a year, earning the favor of many. It could be said he was playing a high-stakes game, and playing it well. Jing Shu found no reason to refute him; his contributions and ability to manage affairs justified him taking three portions.

But soon, Jing Shu’s attention shifted to Zhang Bingbing’s husbands. What the heck? Since when are there an ’older husband’ and a ’younger husband’? If I remember correctly, wasn’t Zhang Bingbing the woman who was sexually assaulted recently?

Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "Sister Zhang Bingbing, when we were in your car, didn’t you say you didn’t have a man? I know you were assaulted recently; how come you’ve suddenly found yourself two men? If you’re in trouble, just tell me. Are you being coerced?"

Zhang Bingbing’s younger husband: "None of your damn business, old hag! Zhang Bingbing likes serving us both. She loves the ’fire and ice’ experience, especially when the three of us play together."

Zhang Bingbing’s older husband: "Why don’t you join us?"

Wang Cuihua cursed, "Bah! You two shameless old scoundrels, you despicable lowlifes! What kind of trash are you?!"

Seeing the situation deteriorating, Wang Qiqi quickly called a few people, including Jing Shu, whom he considered the most aggressive. Armed with clubs, they headed to Zhang Bingbing’s house.

"I suspect Zhang Bingbing is being coerced. No normal person would suddenly find two partners, especially not these abnormal types," Wang Qiqi said as they walked.

Wearing a tiny tank top and ultra-short shorts, Jing Shu carried her Wolf Fang Club, drenched in sweat. The temperature today had risen by another 2 degrees Celsius, reaching 46 degrees. If I remember correctly, the extreme heatwave started in June, right? The temperature will continue to rise daily from now on.