Their main job were to keep people away and prevent public urination/defecation, among other things. The community was now crowded with all sorts of people from across the city, and petty theft was not uncommon; even a simple blanket left out to dry on a balcony could vanish in the blink of an eye.
Jing Shu took these measures not out of distrust toward others, but because it wouldn't be appropriate to accidentally kill someone during the New Year celebrations. She was genuinely concerned for others' safety and did not want a festive occasion ruined by a fatal encounter with an intruder at her gates.
She didn't release the poison bees, only some ordinary bees, just in case their presence and the low, steady hum of their buzzing were enough to act as a deterrent to any curious passersby.
By now, everyone was familiar with the routine of heading out into the changed world. They had grown experienced with the loading of supplies and the final checks of the property. But outside was the apocalypse, after all, where laws were thin and desperation was thick. What if they encountered wanted bandits while driving a vehicle loaded with supplies? So, all necessary equipment had to be brought along for their protection: Jing Shu brought several pistols, and every family member carried their own crossbows. She even packed her true spiked club, the cold metal heavy and ready for use.
Jing Shu drove ahead in the sleek amphibious shark submarine to scout the path, while Jing An followed with the rest in the energy car at an easy, cautious pace. They had never taken this route after the flood, and the landscape had changed beyond recognition. If it was submerged, they would have to find another route, which was also why the family had set out so early in the morning to allow for delays.
Wu City was pitch black in the morning, without even a moon to guide them, and the weather was still very cold as the damp air seeped into everything. Jing Shu certainly wasn't going to save fuel by not turning on the air conditioning to keep the interior warm. Inside the submarine, she ate nuts and drank mango-papaya milk, feeling quite cheerful as the heater hummed quietly against the chill.
Outside, rain hammered down against the reinforced hull in a relentless rhythm. Many roads around Wu City were gone, washed away into the dark or buried under silt. Jing Shu hadn't been driving long before she found the road ahead flooded, her headlights reflecting off the dark, churning water. Helpless, she could only say to her father over the shared WeChat location: "The national highway is impassable. Take the side road; follow me."
She detoured only to find the side road in an even worse state; it was also flooded and impassable for anything but her submarine. She had initially considered branching off via the hills along the side road, but the energy vehicle couldn't handle the steep, muddy terrain. With such heavy rain now, apart from the main roads, most areas were mud pits where vehicles would get stuck immediately, their tires churning uselessly in the thick muck.
"Keep detouring!"
Just like that, a journey that should have taken one hour ended up taking three as they navigated the broken infrastructure. Wuxian County was also mostly flooded, with the valley floors turned into lakes. Fortunately, Auntie's family grew apples on the mountain, so they had built their home on the mountainside and thus avoided the flooding that had claimed the lower elevations.
Now, most of the county's population was crowded at the foot of the mountain in desperate conditions. When Jing Shu arrived in the shark submarine, she found the scene here truly devastating, a gray landscape of suffering.
In the city, people slept in basements and garages. Cramped, yes, but at least they were out of the direct wind and rain. How could Wuxian compare? They had directly set up rows of simple prefab shacks with large communal beds to house the refugees. It had been raining more than a month without a break, turning the ground into a slurry. Every day they had to divert water and work to prevent secondary flooding from the slopes. Most important of all, they had to bail water inside the shacks daily or the shacks themselves would drown in the rising mud.
The foothills were packed with these prefab huts, row after row, stretching as far as the eye could see through the rain. When the amphibious shark submarine and the energy vehicle rolled by, they drew a lot of stares from the weary people huddled under the plastic eaves.
At eight thirty in the morning, the family finally reached Eldest Aunt Jing Pan's home. They had done a simple remodel to the property, pouring cement to stabilize the yard and adding a roofed built to protect the entrance against the heavy rain.
Eldest Uncle, Wei Chang, opened the door, the hinges creaking in the damp air. Seeing them, he brightened immediately. "Dad, Mom, you're here. Come in, quick, out of the rain."
The yard was big, same as last year when they had visited. They drove both the energy truck and the amphibious shark submarine inside, the heavy vehicles coming to a halt on the concrete.
"You haven't had breakfast, right. Come have some hot porridge to warm up."
Wei Chang ushered them into the main room, which was already packed with people. Good grief, so many people were gathered in the space.
Jing Shu swept her gaze around the room. At least a dozen people were there. Some crowded the central table, while others sat on the couch, all cradling bowls of steaming porridge in their hands.
So many people arriving at once drew plenty of curious looks from those already eating.
"Dad, Mom, you're here." Jing Pan was delighted to see them. She looked her parents up and down first, saw their complexions were good despite the journey, and relaxed. "Hey, Third Sister, Little Brother, sister-in-law, Jing Shu, Wu You'ai, you all came."
Second Aunt Jing Zhao was there too, sitting with her family of three on the sofa with porridge bowls. When she saw her parents enter, she stood at once. "Mom, you sit."
Grandma Jing frowned a little, her eyes scanning the crowded room. "Why are you here so early. When did you arrive."
Jing Zhao had slimmed down a lot compared to the previous year, but she still looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. "Thought we would get here early to see if we could help with the wedding. We came two days ago."
Grandma Jing shot Jing Zhao a look; she was probably here to freeload again and save on her own rations.
Jing Pan pointed to the head table where several strangers sat. "Come, let me introduce everyone. This is my daughter-in-law Qiao Lian. She is now over two months pregnant."
She then gestured to a larger group and said, "These are my in-laws. My parents, my younger brother's family, and my third sister's family all came to spend the New Year and attend your wedding."
"Hello, Grandma. Hello, Grandpa," Qiao Lian said sweetly, her voice soft.
Grandma Jing clasped Qiao Lian's hands and praised her nonstop, her face softening. Qiao Lian wore an oilcloth over her hair to keep off the dampness. Her thin frame looked delicate in the oversized clothes she wore. Her features were proper and regular, but the big dark mole under her lip pulled down the overall impression of her face.
Jing Pan pointed to five others sitting nearby. "These are Qiao Lian's parents and her three younger brothers. They said they came because they're worried her pregnancy wouldn't hold and wanted to take care of her."
The eldest brother looked over twenty years old. The youngest was about ten. Who would be taking care of whom in this arrangement was anyone's guess.
No one said exactly when they had arrived at the house.
Everyone exchanged polite greetings and nodded to one another.
Jing Pan slapped her forehead with a palm. "Look at me, I forgot. Come, I will ladle you some hot porridge from the pot."
Qiao Lian sipped at hers, her eyes downcast. Her mother muttered beside her in a low voice, "See? Another big family coming to freeload on the supplies. If it weren't us here, others would come anyway. Better our own kin benefit from the hospitality."
Qiao Lian nudged her mother with a sharp kick under the table. "Eat. Let the food stop your mouth."
Jing Shu frowned lightly and took it all in from the doorway. Eldest Aunt's house had plenty of freeloaders, it seemed, all gathered for the promise of a meal. Then again, a pot of warm porridge in these times was first-rate food that many would kill for. It was just like the potatoes Jing Shu grew in her Rubik's Cube Space in her previous life, which were considered unimaginable luxuries by the starving population.
Seeing the pot was running low on the stove, Grandma Jing quickly said, "You eat. We ate on the way here."
"How can that be? You must have a little. You've come a long way from the city, and plenty of roads are flooded, right?" Wei Chang said warmly, refusing to take no for an answer. "Wei Zheng, bring out more pickles, and take the frozen pears from the cellar. Jing Shu likes them. She only has her eye on the few things our family has. I specially got them for you. And for You'ai, your uncle didn't forget either; I found the puffed rice you loved as a child."
Qiao Lian's mother whispered to her daughter, "Which one is Jing Shu? Why is your father-in-law so warm to her? He is more willing to give her everything than he is to his own son or mother. He will bring out anything for her, but nothing for us."
Qiao Lian shook her head, her expression weary. "My little uncle's daughter. I heard it was thanks to the pig she gave that our family has the good life we do now." Her mother's eyes began searching the room for Jing Shu, her gaze sharp and curious.
The youngest of Qiao Lian's brothers clapped his hands and shouted, "We have pears! We have pears! I want to eat pears!"
Qiao Lian rapped him sharply on the hand with her chopsticks, leaving two red marks on his skin. "Quiet. Eat, eat, eat. Who said there is any for you. You're giving me a headache."