Of the three kinds of wine, baijiu was the most time-consuming and labor-intensive.
The brewing site was settled, but distilling the baijiu took a lot of figuring out. Fortunately, there was a grandfather at home who could make anything by hand. When he heard Jing Shu wanted to brew baijiu but lacked tools, he tinkered and tested for four or five days, finally assembling a workable still. The craftsmanship had limits, so they would have to make do.
That meant the final proof would not be very high. It did not matter; her goal was to infuse medicinal liquor.
The red wine would be drinkable in twenty days. As for the baijiu, she was in a hurry, so after a month of brewing, she started using it to soak large batches of snake wine. In half a month, it would bring Jing Shu a handsome haul of virtual coins and a boost in reputation.
By now she had several lines of business. The most lucrative was still the blood mushroom, but it only fruited about once every ten days, and each harvest produced just a dozen or so caps. It was far too rare. The species could not be cultivated for mass reproduction; the very fact that she could "reap a crop" again and again with her method was already defying the heavens.
She never dared auction it openly. Instead, she set a fixed price and supplied Su Mali under a confidentiality agreement. If people learned she could repeatedly bring out blood mushrooms, they would covet them and her.
The Red Nematode Feed Processing Factory counted as an investment business. It did not yield returns yet, but prices would soar after this year. It should become her top earner.
Next came medicinal wine. Priced at about 1 jin (500 g) for 1,500 virtual coins, it would give her a steady cash flow. This year, when giving gifts, bringing a 250 ml bottle of medicinal wine had even more prestige than those pre-apocalypse tonic brands. Her first batch had earned rave reviews. Those who tried it, including Li Yuetian and Su Xiangnan, said its damp-dispelling effect was excellent.
Su Xiangnan traded compressed natural gas for medicinal wine. Li Yuetian exchanged three hundred kilowatt-hours of electricity for a bottle. Selling it was never a problem.
Then there were the leeches. They were not very useful yet. At least by next year, when the cold brought chilblains and infections and most people could not access medicine, leeches would have real value.
Finally, there was tobacco. The tobacco at home would become cigars, while the Medicinal Herb Association's tobacco would be processed into insecticide.
Wu City's houses were already draped in long green moss, and the ground was matted with thick mold. Step down and it felt like grass; when wind and rain swept through, spores drifted everywhere. You could almost sing, "Seaweed, seaweed, swaying with the waves," and dance through the spray without a care.
Soon, venomous bugs would ravage people's homes. Those with poor immunity would get infected, and many would die. Tobacco-based insecticide would be desperately needed.
Since she was with the Medicinal Herb Association, she reasoned, why not plant what people needed most? First, fewer deaths in Wu City. A single unit of tobacco could be processed into spray that might save ten families. If the Association scaled up tobacco production, countless deaths could be avoided.
Second, her assessment for vice president was coming. A new official had to light three fires. She needed obvious achievements. Before, the tough problems she solved left her position somewhat murky. If she could now deliver several exemplary results, her vice presidency would be both justified and secure, easing concerns about her status.
To that end, she filled the test plots with tobacco. In a little while, the plants would reach medicinal grade.
In May, her vice president assessment finally arrived. Jing Shu had already met all the requirements for promotion. Every medicinal herb she grew had reached the standard for clinical use, each with records and monitoring on file.
However, the original slot had clearly been earmarked for someone else. Now that Jing Shu was poised to "pick the peach," resistance surged. When Zhou Bapi informed her that an additional interview stage had been added, she understood at once.
Thursday, May 16, 2024. Daytime temperatures had fallen to 25°C, and at night they dropped close to freezing. The weather was growing colder, and even the rain hinted at ice.
She received notice of the vice president interview. After breakfasting at Su Mali's place at eight in the morning on fried naan, tea-seed oil pastries, and hot soup, she and Zhou Bapi rattled along in his Alphard, finally reaching the Medicinal Herb Base before ten.
The former Medicinal Herb Association had been renamed the Medicinal Herb Base. It now gathered every pharmaceutical-related professional in the provincial capital. It was far more crowded than before, and development had sped up accordingly.
"You need to be careful," Zhou Bapi warned. "I do not know what Lao Tie is plotting. To keep his vice presidency, he will stop at nothing."
"I know. Don't worry. I will seize this chance," she said.
She had to. This was the only "carp leaping the dragon gate" path that suited her. The other routes did not fit. Reaching the vice president rank through planting was, for her, the simplest approach.
When they arrived, the place was ringed three and four layers deep with people. She then learned that she was not the only candidate. A scion of a medicinal-herb family would be assessed alongside her.
Meaning, one of the two would become vice president.
So that was why they had dragged it out—to wait until another candidate gained eligibility and thereby raise her difficulty.
"Jing Shu," President Tie said, "the vice president plays a major role here at the Medicinal Herb Base. Back then, when I agreed that eliminating a strong competitor could count as solving a 'difficult case,' you completed three such cases in one stroke and met the promotion criteria.
Today, we will mainly assess both parties' cultivation programs. Our priority is to grow what ordinary people need most. Otherwise, even if it is medicine, if it is not widespread or in demand, the vice presidency would not be justified." President Tie smiled as he spoke.
Jing Shu smiled lightly. "You are absolutely right. Then let us see what each of us has planted."
"Let us start with Jing Shu," he said. "Come on, everyone, let us go see what she has planted, how it meets current needs, and what effects it has. Today's assessment will be fair. It all comes down to your votes."
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The line —
"You could almost sing, 'Seaweed, seaweed, swaying with the waves,' and dance through the spray without a care."
— is a playful reference to the Chinese internet meme "海草舞"(Hǎicǎo wǔ - Seaweed Dance).
It comes from a viral song called "海草舞" ("Seaweed Dance") by Xiao Panpan (小潘潘) and Xiao Fengfeng (小峰峰). The lyrics repeat "海草海草,随波飘摇" — "seaweed, seaweed, swaying with the waves" — and it became hugely popular on Chinese social media around 2017–2018, often used in short videos and dance challenges.
In this chapter, the author is comparing the mossy, swaying mold on ruined houses to that silly, carefree "seaweed dance," adding some humor in the middle of the apocalyptic setting.
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The phrase "carp leaping the dragon gate" (鲤鱼跃龙门, lǐyú yuè lóngmén) is a very old Chinese idiom and mythological reference.
It comes from a legend about the Yellow River:
There is a place on the river called the Dragon Gate (龙门, Lóngmén), where the current is extremely fast and turbulent. It was said that if a carp could leap over this gate, it would transform into a dragon. Since carp are ordinary fish and dragons are exalted, the story became a metaphor for someone overcoming incredible challenges to achieve greatness.
Symbolism:
Exams & Success: In imperial times, it was especially used for scholars passing the imperial examination system (科举, kējǔ). Passing meant a leap in status, like a carp turning into a dragon.
General Achievement: Today, it's used more broadly for achieving a breakthrough against great odds — promotions, academic success, or any life-changing accomplishment.
So when a character says something like "this is my chance to leap the dragon gate," they're saying:
"This is my opportunity to transform my fate and rise above ordinary people by seizing a rare chance."