"They are not just buying blood mushrooms for Qian Duoduo. They are collecting other things too; they are still paying with petroleum; and it's happening at his own house. All right, let's go see for ourselves. Who would dare scheme against me anyway? Uncle Gou, are we ready?" Su Mali adjusted the hem of her vibrant dress. Her jewelry clinked softly with the movement.
"All set, Miss," a firm male voice answered from just outside the villa's heavy door. Uncle Gou's heavy boots thudded as he stepped into the room. His presence filled the space. He wore a black eye patch with a strap that bit into his weathered skin. "Miss, the boxed meals are stowed in the car. The items for inspection are ready. Emergency supplies and the one-touch life raft are prepared as well."
Jing Shu's shoulders rose and fell in a brief shrug. "Then let's go. I'm only worried they are scammers. Qian Duoduo's business always sends a dedicated car to pick people up. I have never had to go by myself before. If it's at his home, nothing would go wrong."
Jing Shu relaxed her posture and followed Su Mali to her ride. The cool, damp air hit them at the threshold. Two bodyguards with guns and heavy shields came along. Their faces were set in grim masks. You would have to project presence in such uncertain times.
The custom executive van's engine hummed as it pulled out of the Banana Community. Jing Shu finally understood the meaning of a luxury car. It's far more comfortable than her family's energy car worth only tens of thousands of virtual coins. Even the heavy speed bumps are imperceptible through the advanced suspension. The interior cabin felt enormous.
The roar of the torrential rain outside is sealed away by the thick glass. With soft music playing in the cabin, it felt like a different world. It's as if the apocalypse didn't exist.
Su Mali wore a honey-silk face mask traded earlier for compressed natural gas. The golden fabric shimmered against her skin. She sipped Wangzai milk through a straw. The sweet scent filled the van. She painted her nails with a steady hand and enjoyed the automatic massaging leather seat's rhythmic pulses. Her only frustration is how many comforts the apocalypse had taken away.
So it's true. The happiness of the rich is beyond imagination.
Normally it would take just over half an hour to reach Qian Duoduo's place in Xishan. They had heard the entrance had collapsed in the storm. They had to detour a long way through the muddy foothills.
With nothing else to do, Jing Shu played with her Rubik's Cube. The seven-layer cube had spun in her hands in a blur. It's restored to six neat colors in moments. Then scrambled. Then solved again. The stickers have caught the dim cabin light. Su Mali watched with fresh curiosity the entire time.
"We have reached the designated spot, Miss." Uncle Gou switched on the high beams. The white light cut through the downpour. Uncle Gou had circled the mountain and found an abandoned manor at the foot. Its dark silhouette loomed against the gray sky.
Jing Shu had never been to this specific property of Qian Duoduo's. On the way, they had passed the staff quarters. They passed a cluster of guest villas halfway up the mountain. They passed the planting and breeding zones near his residence. Jing Shu even glimpsed the tall castle where Qian Shengqian had teased her last time.
But this place is far from all that. It's easily ten kilometers away.
The manor's heavy gates swung open with a screech of metal. The van had rolled through and stopped by a two-story Western-style house. The surroundings had been so derelict you would no longer tell what this land used to be.
They stepped out into the rain in their enclosed raincoats. The plastic rustled. Uncle Gou and the two bodyguards had hefted the large, heavy bags. The doorman had led them in. His shoes clicked on the dirty tile. The two women took off their raincoats and had left them by the door.
"This way, please. This way," a young man with a center part said with a smile. He gestured them forward.
A stale, abandoned smell of old dust filled the house. Jing Shu frowned. Her nose wrinkled at the scent.
"Please come downstairs. There's another world below," the young man said lightly.
The two-story house had been empty for a long time. Decay is everywhere in the peeling wallpaper. He had brought them to a basement entrance. He opened it. Sure enough, the underground space is vast and noisy. Jing Shu had seen flickering slot machines and roulette tables. It looked like an underground casino.
"Follow me," the young man said. As they went deeper, Su Mali stared curiously at the people playing dice, pai gow, and fantan. The sound of shouting rose above the din.
Something felt off to Jing Shu. The tone is wrong. In the apocalypse, people have still gambled?
The private room they have entered is quiet. It's sealed off from the outside noise. A fat man lounged half-collapsed on the sofa. He was dressed sloppily in a stained shirt. His slippers were splayed on the floor. The fabric groaned under his weight. "I'm Fei Zhuzai, and I collect treasures for Mr. Qian," he said lazily. "I'll take all your blood mushrooms from now on. I have heard you have other good things too, right?"
Su Mali nodded. This is not how she had pictured a business meeting. She said, "We only trade for petroleum. These are what we have brought. Uncle Gou."
Uncle Gou, the one-eyed strongman, opened each case with a heavy click. The two bodyguards stayed close behind her. They were every inch the professionals.
Fei Zhuzai scratched at his toes. His eyes lit up at the sight of the blood mushrooms' deep color. Fei Zhuzai glanced over the urgently needed medicines, the precious matsutake, and the bluefin tuna. He nodded again and again. "Very good. Name a bundle price."
Following the rule of business, where sellers ask high and buyers bargain low, Su Mali said, "Make it twenty tons of gasoline in total."
Fei Zhuzai considered for a moment. The scratchy sound of his hand on his skin filled the silence. "Not have been impossible, but it's got to include the next three batches, with blood mushrooms of the same size and quantity."
Su Mali did some mental math. Even if Jing Shu had taken eight tons , there would still have been twelve tons left. "Deal."
They have reached an agreement quickly. Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "Since the artificial sun project has begun last year, both gasoline and natural gas have grown even scarcer. Prices have be higher. Why is this fat man not have been bargaining at all?"
"Here's my order slip," Fei Zhuzai said with a squinting smile that pushed up the fat of his cheeks. "Have someone follow me to verify the petroleum. The rest can wait here, and I will deliver it back to you afterward."
Uncle Gou stepped forward. "Miss, let me handle this. I don't trust anyone else. You can rest here for a bit."
"All right. The sooner the better. Report back at once if there's a problem," Su Mali said, in excellent spirits. See, her father had always said she couldn't shoulder the family's burden. Yet here she is, handling it with ease.
After Uncle Gou had left, Jing Shu sat still on the sofa and watched Fei Zhuzai.
Time ticked by. The silence in the room felt heavy.
He had had people bring water, drinks, and snacks. Neither of them touched anything. Jing Shu never ate outside when she is traveling on business. Su Mali simply disdained the fare.
"Have a bite while you wait. Or go enjoy yourselves for a while," Fei Zhuzai suggested. "I hope we cooperate happily. Next time, bring me even more good things."
Jing Shu arched a brow. "Mr. Qian would not have need any of this."
"How would you say that? These are all fine goods," Fei Zhuzai chuckled. "Wait here a bit. I will step out and check the situation."
He turned to go.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes. The fluorescent light reflected in her pupils as she took in the room. "Hold it. Stay right here and keep us company for a while."
Something is wrong. He has been far too agreeable. Payment in petroleum had happened that quickly, yet they had not have seen a single drop of it. There had been no word from Uncle Gou either.
"I suddenly have remembered a matter to attend to. I will send one of the boys to keep you company."
"Stop. In such a rush to run off; is there something wrong with this place?"