Boom—!
The giant, rough-edged rocks finally wedged tightly into the deep, dark pit. Following the precise angle of the excavation, they locked together into a solid, upside-down V shape, and the narrow gaps were quickly filled with a thick layer of cement. Once the mudslide eventually came crashing down from the mountain, it would automatically split to both sides, directed by the unyielding stone.
This was the most crucial step in preventing the catastrophic fourth-year mudslide disaster. When the time came, if the mudslide erupted from the mountain peaks without being properly redirected or slanted, the heavy flow would pile up higher and higher against any flat surface until nothing could stop its weight.
No matter how large or solid those rocks were, they would never withstand that sheer amount of physical force. So Jing Shu's only viable solution was to guide the flow. By letting the thick mudslide crash directly into the V-shaped barrier, the immense momentum would be split and flow naturally to both sides of the property.
Both sides of the path were lined with angled boulders that acted like sturdy fences. The mudslide would rush down those designated slopes, sweeping along like a dark, fast-moving stream, bypassing her villa entirely and eventually pouring into the final destination she had dug out—the site of the three collapsed buildings that had become a massive, gaping black hole.
Speaking of that black hole, she had spent two thousand virtual coins to explore its depths. The Second Squad often sent five people down into the darkness to scavenge for any valuable meteorites. So far, they had only found a bunch of useless stones and metallic junk, all of which was stored on the squad's side of the perimeter. She never really expected much from the pit anyway. It was dangerous and could collapse again at any time without warning.
But at least the abyss was deep enough to swallow seemingly endless amounts of mud. That alone solved her biggest logistical problem: what to do with all the redirected sludge once it left her land.
If the mudslide was nature's excrement, then she basically dug another hole for it to... well, do its business in. It was kind of weird when she thought about it that way. Ahem.
The rock barriers would take about ten days to finish completely, and the secondary channels would be dug once the mudslides actually started so the flow could rush more smoothly toward the black hole.
After the busiest days finally passed, Jing Shu could finally breathe again. Her grandparents handled the daily household matters, her Maternal Eldest Uncle took care of the factory operations, and for once, she could relax and focus on practicing with the Rubik's Cube Space. It was nice to enjoy a bit of quiet farming life during the apocalypse. Honestly, there were still tons of things she hadn't tried eating yet, and she really wanted to experience every flavor—end of the world or not.
But trouble always found its way back to her.
Small or big, something always happened to disrupt the peace.
For example, Wu You'ai decided to move out for a while. Her Third Aunt Jing Lai was totally against the idea, but the girl said she wanted to study the synthetic meat recipe that her cousin had brought back from America. After promising over and over that it would be beneficial for everyone, she finally got permission to move to Xingfu Shiyuan, taking a leave from her job here and promising to call Aunt Jing at least once a day.
Then there was the other matter—the Lion Head goose finally laid an egg. Normally that would be something worth celebrating in a hungry world. But this time, it got... complicated.
It was hard to believe, but the goose was having a difficult birth.
Yeah, you heard that right. A goose, having trouble laying an egg.
At first, Da Hua kept making low, pained honking sounds, and both Jing Shu and Grandma Jing ignored it. The older woman even muttered to herself while cleaning the coop, "That goose has been here so long and only laid a few damn eggs. What is it, gold or silver nuggets now? She eats more than a pig, just look at that fat belly! She waddles like a boss but cannot lay more eggs. Eat, go on, eat more! If you laid more eggs, we would have goslings by now. I was even planning to make braised goose soon."
Despite the constant nagging, she still fed the two geese extra meals. Jing Shu even mixed in some diluted Spirit Spring water to keep them healthy.
But soon, Da Hua started running around the courtyard, crying out in visible distress. That's when they realized something was seriously wrong. Even Gou Dan, who usually fought with the female goose all day, didn't dare to mess around. He just flapped along behind her, looking lost and anxious.
"Let's hope nothing goes wrong. If she dies, that's going to be a real problem. We are still renting her, remember?" Jing Shu frowned. With all the poultry she had raised using the Spirit Spring, she had never seen this kind of thing happen before.
She caught Da Hua, who had gained several kilos since arriving at the villa. Although Da Hua and Gou Dan used to be picky eaters back at their old home, demanding premium feed, after moving here they ate whatever the chickens ate. Maybe it was the influence of the Spirit Spring, but they had stopped being picky and started eating even more than before.
The goose flapped her wings helplessly, still crying out. Jing Shu opened her Rubik's Cube Space to steady herself, calmed the bird down, and examined her condition. The creature's emotions were a mess—anxious, agitated, restless, and... strained?
Strained?
She wanted to lay an egg but simply couldn't? Was it too big?
Jing Shu touched the goose's belly. Good lord, it was swollen and hard with eggs.
"Grandma, Da Hua might be in trouble. She cannot lay! Her belly is full of eggs!"
"What? Geese can have trouble laying eggs? I have lived this long and never heard of such a thing!" Grandma Jing looked utterly shocked. Even the hens never had trouble—they just went cluck cluck and popped them right out on the straw.
"Well, who knows. Maybe it's her constitution. Geese from the Capital are probably pampered," the grandmother muttered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "So what now? Want me to give her a little massage?" She started kneading the poor goose's rear with her hands.
"It might be because she only laid a few eggs back in the Capital, but here she has been eating Spirit Spring food every day. The eggs probably got too big inside her. Plus, Grandma has been feeding her too much, so she is absorbing all that energy too fast. A goose that hasn't laid in a long time suddenly trying to lay several huge eggs... her body cannot handle it." She squinted at the struggling bird, wondering if she should, well, help stretch it out a little.
"Maybe I should just check online."
She searched the web on her phone.
There were all sorts of tutorials—some said to crush the eggs inside the bird, while some said to do an internal cleaning.
And others... suggested a C-section. Just cut it open, and afterward, if you feel like it, sew it back up. If not, pluck it and make a stew. What kind of nonsense was this?!
"Laxative? That might actually work." Her eyes lit up. "Grandma, do we still have any laxative at home?"
Grandma Jing shook her head. "Your grandpa and I used to keep some, but after the apocalypse started, our health just got better. No more constipation."
The young woman hadn't used that stuff in years either. These days, with her healthy daily meals, everything... flowed just fine.
After searching the whole house and finding nothing, she pulled out her phone and posted a message in her social circle:
["My goose's egg is stuck, she cannot lay! Offering a high price for laxative! Send me your location if you have got any!"]
She even messaged Li Yuetian and the others directly, asking if anyone had a bottle to spare.