Chapter 31: The Last Plan before the Apocalypse

The yogurt balls came in two varieties: soft ones, which were cheese, and fully dried ones, which were yogurt balls. The process for making them was quite similar; both required slow simmering on low heat. Today, Jing Shu finally didn’t have to spend her day washing and chopping repeatedly; instead, she could be like a handsome artisan, calmly focusing on making yogurt balls. Dried yogurt balls could be carried around in the apocalypse and eaten slowly like a lollipop, or gnawed on patiently, making them a highly durable and nutritious dry food. Before making the yogurt balls, Grandma Jing first prepared ten 2L sealed jars of milk skin. She did this by gently simmering milk, constantly stirring to slowly evaporate the water. This concentrated the milk, forming a round, yellow cake at the bottom of the pot, which could then be cooled and stored in jars in the refrigerator. When added to well-cooked milk or milk tea, the milk skin would melt in the mouth, overflowing with a creamy fragrance—smooth, tender, and delicious. To make sour yogurt balls, they were fermented first before simmering. For regular ones, just a little white vinegar was added before simmering. Once done, the mixture was wrapped in cheesecloth to filter, and the cheese was ready. Those that were to be fully dried needed to be hand-squeezed into chunks and then air-dried to set. They had a very long shelf life; they wouldn’t spoil for a year or two, but they would become as hard as rocks. Dozens of pregnant women had each pre-ordered a portion of the sour yogurt balls. After they were dried, Mr. Jing would mail them to these women, hoping these expectant mothers could take good care of their babies born in the apocalypse. By December 17th, Jing Shu had finally finished pickling all the vegetables, curing the eggs, processing various meats, and turning milk into yogurt balls for long-term storage. She had been busy for over a month without daring to stop, and now she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. In the evening, the family of five held a meeting. First, they celebrated reaching sales of 500,000 yuan in nearly a month, offering praise and encouragement. Then, they discussed the upcoming Dark Day and how everyone should cope. "The Dark Day will have a huge impact on agriculture," Mr. Jing began. "Lately, the news has been filled with reports of farmers rushing to harvest the last batch of winter grains. The nation’s grain supply is sufficient, but vegetables are expected to be in short supply, leading to definite price increases and rationing." At that time, most people believed there would be enough grain and that vegetables would be highly sought after. After all, the national grain reserves were sufficient to feed the country for three years, and any talk of the apocalypse that disturbed public order would be censored, with those spreading such rumors arrested and ’re-educated’. Even if a few misguided youths stirred up talk of the apocalypse, it would amount to nothing due to lack of funds and purchasing restrictions. Of course, there would always be a group that frantically hoarded food supplies. But they never imagined that even if they had bought enough grain and felt secure at home, the first year’s high temperatures would spoil countless food supplies. Some died from the heat, others from thirst. And just when they had barely survived the first year, the second year brought floods that ruined everything. All their hoarded food was for naught. "Yes," Grandma Jing said. "Even though the country started stockpiling vegetables and fruits early on, and every urban and rural area added greenhouse vegetable plots, encouraging us to grow our own vegetables at home, a month without sunlight is truly a disaster. It seems the small patch of vegetables in the yard won’t be enough; we’ll definitely need to grow some in the conservatory." For the first time, Mr. Jing and Mr. Jing didn’t have any disagreement, and Jing Shu was moved to tears. Mrs. Jing nodded in agreement. "We still need to store more food, at least enough for half a year." The government recommended storing about two months’ worth of grain, but the common sentiment was ’better safe than sorry,’ so most people prepared for half a year. In her past life, Jingshu’s family had stored a year’s worth of food and initially shared some with Su Meimei and her uncle’s family. Grandma Jing countered, "No matter how much you hoard, it will run out one day. A steady, small stream lasts longer. We must grow more vegetables. Jing Shu mentioned some kind of light that can act as a sun substitute, replacing sunlight?" Jing Shu thought for a moment, then shared her plan: "That’s a pulsed xenon lamp, a simulated sunlight lamp. I was worried about insufficient daylight in winter, so I installed a row of them over the pond. Tomorrow, let’s go buy more. We’ll install them in the vegetable patch and the conservatory, ensuring that even during the Dark Day, you all can eat fresh vegetables every day. "Over the next few days, I’ve also arranged with friends to get various fruits to make canned fruits and dried fruits. I’ve also ordered a batch of mature fruit plants from him, ready to be transplanted to the conservatory, along with an apple tree and an apricot tree to plant by the front door. Plus, many types of fungi don’t need sunlight and can be grown in the living room." "Our Jing Shu has really grown up; she’s thought of everything and always steps in to supplement and summarize." Mr. Jing felt that his caring daughter had suddenly become... overly mature these past two months, too meticulous in her actions, as if she had aged a dozen years all at once. How could she not have thought everything through, being reborn and all? Inside, Jing Shu carried the soul of a 32-year-old. If she hadn’t bought rice, flour, oil, and grains in advance, they’d be facing purchase limits now. With a daily cap of 500 yuan, how long would it take to buy enough food for the next few years? Not to mention, in another month, all goods would start being rationed. 「」 "...From December 18th, various towns and cities will distribute free vegetable seedlings. The method of collection is as follows..." "Today, Expert Wang teaches everyone which plants can be grown during the Dark Day..." "The coming days are expected to continue to be scorching hot, with several cases of heatstroke occurring in regions like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong. The public is urged to take extra precautions." Jing Shu folded a piece of toast in half, stuffed it with a Yuqing sausage and a fried egg, layered it with cheese and lettuce, and ate while watching the morning news. She devoured three such sandwiches, along with a bowl of gleaming golden millet porridge, two boiled eggs, a dish of sweet and sour radishes, and two fried steaks. BURP. Her appetite seemed to have grown again, yet her weight remained 104 pounds. Mr. Jing had four bowls of millet porridge, as a toothache prevented him from eating solid food. Surprisingly, this Mr. Jing was experiencing a ’third spring’—his lost teeth had begun to grow back. When he visited the dentist, the dentist could only say, "Hmm, your situation is quite special..." On Sunday, December 18th, Mrs. Jing had a rare day off. After breakfast, the family went to Ai Family Supermarket. The shelves were piled high with goods, seemingly as abundant as ever. However, there were noticeably fewer people today. Young people were rarely out this early; the posts in WeChat groups about scrambling for Master Kong products were all from scammers. It was mostly elderly men and women with their grandchildren, coming to collect rice before promptly leaving. After all, even if one needed to stock up, fresh items with shorter shelf lives would be bought later; long-lasting goods had already been purchased in the preceding days. Jing Shu’s family was collecting subsidized supplies for the fourth consecutive day. It was Mrs. Jing’s first time. After curiously collecting the rice, they all browsed the supermarket. Having money meant they could be willful; once women entered a supermarket, it was said not even nine bulls could drag them away. Mr. Jing and Mr. Jing each pushed two shopping carts, while Grandma Jing was a bit more restrained. Mrs. Jing and Jing Shu embarked on another round of massive shopping. Jing Shu felt she could never buy enough and only went to check out when her arms were full. Just then, Mr. Jing’s phone rang. His expression turned strange after he answered. Looking at Jing Shu, he said, "Old Zhu has invited you to dinner. He insists you go. It’s Zhu Zhengqi’s father, my... former colleague." Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. One moment her expression was as picturesque as a painting, the next, her eyes turned sharp. Noticing Mr. Jing frown, she quickly resumed her smile. "Sure, I’d love to go."