Su Lanzhi told Jing Shu a few times to either take a nap, in case quakes hit again at night and she would need energy to run, or to help Grandma Jing cook more food, or to give Jing An a hand with the poultry shed. She even suggested helping Grandpa Jing nail down shelves and tie down loose things in the RV. Grandpa Jing was already preparing coils of thick rope to secure everything in the cabin.
Jing Shu tapped her temple with her index finger and said her head was pounding. Playing with the Rubik's Cube was the only way she could distract herself from the pressure, so she stopped helping with the manual labor.
She could see her family was still wound tight. Everyone was on edge, ready to start the RV and escape at any moment. But where could they even run if the whole world was shaking? They were terrified of a massive quake that would trap them inside the vehicle before they could get out. Ever since the 5G network went down, the only way to follow the news was through the big data text updates that scrolled slowly across their screens.
That was how they learned parts of Wu City had been completely leveled by quakes. No one knew how many people had died, and there was no official count published yet.
Su Lanzhi panicked and immediately called Su Yiyang's family. Once she learned they had been relocated to a nearby shelter, she finally relaxed. She told him not to save money during a disaster, to spend what they needed, and to make sure the kids had a comfortable place so they wouldn't get sick from the damp cold.
Grandma Jing also called Jing Pan and Jing Zhao. From the broken, static-filled calls she got, nothing serious had happened on their end. Even so, she couldn't stop worrying, especially about Xiao Shuen. Grandma Jing felt her eldest daughter wasn't reliable when it came to caring for a child. But she couldn't exactly drag everyone over here either. With her third daughter, Wu You'ai, and her husband already living under her youngest son's roof, the burden was heavy enough. All she could do was call from time to time to check in.
The government was busy relocating people to certified safe zones. But even flat ground wasn't always secure. Take the back mountain behind Banana Community: wide and open, the only flaw was being too close to the slopes. Even so, cracks had split open during the quake. The government had no choice but to pack people into quake-proof areas. Space was limited, so more and more people were shoved into less ideal sites.
By the time the crowd at Xuanwu Lake Park was finally settled, it was already past six in the evening. At seven, just like the loudspeakers had announced, the military distributed food, watered down to stretch the limited supplies. The quake had come too suddenly. Logistics had rushed to bring in more food, or else the evacuees would have had nothing to eat. In weather this cold, missing a meal could mean freezing to death during the night.
The park had been divided into clear zones. The VIP parking lot was only about the size of a soccer field, yet more than a hundred vehicles had already crammed in, along with rows of prefab shelters. Living in one cost ten virtual coins per person.
Jing Shu glanced around. There were only about a dozen RVs. The rest were hybrids, gas cars, or ones running on propane. She didn't run into Sumari, though. Word was, she had gone to one of the three quake-resistant shelters in Wu City. Compared to that, this park was nothing more than a "temporary refuge."
Ordinary areas were for government staff and temp workers. There were mud pits but no garbage. The government had laid down wooden planks and handed out donated bedding from the apocalypse years—these were cheap stockpiled goods bought up back then.
The trash zones hadn't been cleaned at all. Regular people had to haul out garbage themselves before they could even sit down. Once a manager approved, they would hand out boards, hay for bedding, plastic bags, curtains, and even clothes stripped off corpses. Anything soft enough to be used as blankets was given out. In weather this cold, if they didn't hand things out, people would have frozen to death at night.
Jing Shu thought the first day of the quakes would end just like that. It was chaotic, sure, but she felt prepared. From her memories of her previous life, nothing else major should happen tonight. And she wasn't about to pull the same stunt she had during last year's floods, rushing in like some savior. With quakes, she couldn't save people buried under rubble. That's fate's call. At most, she could rely on the little contraptions she had set up.
She didn't expect a bigger show was waiting for her.
Wang Dongpo came over to the RV, saying someone in charge needed to do a quick survey. They needed answers for a short questionnaire. "Who handles things in your family?" he asked, looking from Jing An to the others.
Everyone pointed at Jing Shu. Somewhere along the line, whatever she said or did naturally became the right course of action, and the family followed her lead.
So she got pushed forward for the interview. Truth was, everyone else was too busy preparing. Jing Shu had finished her preparations a month ago. Now that the disaster had actually hit, she had nothing left to do. Su Lanzhi, watching her eat and play all day, was worried she would make herself sick from idleness, so she was glad Jing Shu was at least getting out.
Jing Shu slipped on a thick coat and padded pants, hugged the warm, plush surface of her hand warmer, and put on her gas mask before heading out. If she could, she would have taken Xiao Dou along. The hen was warm, soft, and made a perfect pillow.
Under the harsh glow of the park lights, which buzzed faintly in the cold air, Wang Dongpo watched her approach. With her mask on, bundled in an oversized coat, and her hair tied in an old-fashioned braid, she should have looked like a bumpkin girl from the countryside. Yet, even without seeing her face, there was something delicate and refreshing about her.
He noticed the skin on her hands was soft and pale, clearly well-kept. Her hair was glossy and full of life. He had always thought only rich girls could afford long hair. But even among them, none had hair as healthy and radiant as hers.
"The girl under that mask must be beautiful," Wang Dongpo murmured curiously. "Is it really you calling the shots in your family?"
Jing Shu looked up and gave him a quick once-over. A shy boy. She nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
He remembered the handful of soybeans an uncle had handed him earlier and couldn't help warning her. "Alright then. But when you're filling out that survey, don't mess around. In the apocalypse, food is the most valuable thing a family has."
After that, he fell quiet, pointed at a prefab building, and said, "That's the meeting room. Just give them your VIP number inside."
Jing Shu arched a brow. His words sounded like they carried another meaning. She grew even more suspicious about what this survey was really about. "Got it, thanks."
The prefab hall was about three hundred square meters, arranged in a U-shape with desks. A charcoal brazier in the center of the room, its orange embers glowing, kept the chill at bay. By the time Jing Shu walked in, the seats were nearly full. But that wasn't the important part. What really stood out was the row of armed officers lined up behind the desks. They stood with rifles in hand, the metal cold and dull, forming an intimidating wall.
The moment she stepped inside, every gaze locked onto her.
One phrase flashed through her head.
"So it's time to harvest the leeks already? Isn't this a little too soon? The pigs aren't even fat yet, damn it!"