this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
However, it wasn’t long before they heard that Jiang Ci was selling supplies outside the small base. Although they were merely everyday items before the apocalypse, in these times, it was still enough to drive the survivors into a frenzy.
It was rumoured that survivors from all the bases in A City had already come rushing as soon as they heard the news, including many from A City’s main base.
Upon hearing this, the man in the study could no longer sit still. He grabbed the man with the braid and immediately prepared to head to the scene.
Jiang Ci had set up a small table outside the base and started setting up a stall. On the table were some simple daily necessities like soap, toothbrushes, and towels, as well as the most abundant item in the gourmet city—potatoes.
Jiang Ci had also prepared a small blackboard. Besides listing the prices, she had written on it that she was accepting a few limited custom orders of mineral water from bases with anyone who reported the source of the rumors about the Gourmet City to be rewarded with a potato.
Weren’t the rumourmongers saying that she wanted to take over all the bases? Well, then she would make her alliances public while also uncovering the people behind the rumors. This was a win-win situation for her.
Although it was just a potato, this was nevertheless still tempting for the survivors.
At first, everyone was hesitant, but it wasn’t long before the first person stepped forward, “I heard the rumour from Er Gou.”
Once the first person spoke up, others followed. Those who were named were afraid of being implicated and quickly came forward to clarify themselves with, “I heard it from so-and-so.”
One after another, a complete chain of information quickly formed.
The man with the braid, who had initially just been watching from the sidelines, hadn’t even figured out who was speaking before the final accusation suddenly landed on him.
Immediately, all eyes turned toward him.
“Isn’t that the logistics chief of A City’s base and his subordinate?” a survivor pointed at the two and shouted.
“Oh~” Jiang Ci’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “What particular thoughts does this official have about me and my Gourmet City, I wonder?”
“I don’t have any particular thoughts, don’t randomly accuse me of such things,” the logistics chief of A City’s base said with a forced smile. After all, he couldn’t very well make an enemy of Jiang Ci so publicly either.
He hadn’t expected that despite there being so many twists and turns, the other party could still use such a primitive and simple method to find the person who started the rumour.
Although the man was internally furious, he didn’t allow it to show on his face. They were all seasoned foxes who had waded in the waters of society for many years, already extremely adept at disguising their true feelings.
Jiang Ci chuckled, “Is that so? Then why did the source of the rumours end up pointing to you? Are you implying that this survivor is just making stuff up?”
The survivor who had pointed the finger immediately jumped up to defend himself, “When we were on a mission that day and I ran into you, you were the one who told me yourself. My teammates were there too.”
The survivor provided specific locations and witnesses. Perhaps seeing that the man with the braid and the logistics chief were still trying to refute them, they all started talking over the top of one another at once.
Although A City’s main base held a high status, with many smaller bases depending on them for survival, the law doesn’t punish the masses. At this moment, with everyone focused on buying supplies, who could possibly care about who you were?
Although the tide was turning toward one side, Jiang Ci remained standing still without speaking, as if just waiting for them to come to a conclusion.
Just then, the leader of A City’s main base walked over, surrounded by a crowd. In the short time it took him to walk over, his subordinates had already found out what had happened.
Seeing the leader approach, the survivors automatically made way for him.
Before the apocalypse, this wise and authoritative old man was someone you could only catch a glimpse of on TV.
“I have a general understanding of what happened. Since he’s from A City’s main base, and A City will give Boss Jiang an explanation. I sincerely apologize to you on their behalf,” the man, who looked to be in his fifties, spoke with genuine sincerity, lowering his posture and even bowing slightly to Jiang Ci as he apologized.
Seeing him, Jiang Ci was reminded of the leaders from her own world as their auras were very similar.
With the other party humbling themselves so much, Jiang Ci couldn’t possibly not accept the apology. She retracted her aggressive stance and only insisted that they personally apologize.
Seeing that the base leader had come, the logistics chief and man with the braid, regardless of their inner thoughts, at least managed to seem respectful on the surface and obediently came over to apologize to Jiang Ci.
Although the logistics chief had apologised, it was clear he still wasn’t convinced. The base leader took all of this in and shook his head slightly. Before the apocalypse, he had thought this man seemed quite steady and cautious in his actions. He hadn’t expected him to become like this upon tasting power and desire to expand his influence.
It could only be said that the apocalypse was like a magic mirror that reveals a person’s inner demons. Without constraints, it was common for a person’s ugliest side to emerge.
After apologizing, the logistics chief and man with the braid didn’t linger any longer and quickly left.
Jiang Ci handed the stall over to Song Jinchuan and walked aside with the leader of the A City base to have a conversation.
“Although I don’t go out often, I’ve heard a lot about you, Boss Jiang. In these times, having someone like you is an honor for all of us,” the base leader said without any pretentiousness. His tone was calm, as if he were just chatting with a friend, which came across much better compared the the aggressive attitude of the previous logistics chief.
“Thank you for your praise. I’m just doing my part,” Jiang Ci replied. “Actually, I still consider myself an entrepreneur at heart.”
The two had a pleasant conversation, with the man even agreeing to bring a few people to the C City Gourmet City in a few days to buy mineral water. Jiang Ci quite liked the old man and ended up giving him a few potatoes as a gift.
The old man straightforwardly asked if they could be given to the base’s research institute for further analysis in order to discover how they were grown and if there was a chance to cultivate them.
Jiang Ci naturally nodded in agreement, “Sure, go ahead.”
Although other bases had also taken potatoes back for research before, nothing came of it in the end. The soil and air in this world were no longer suitable for agriculture unless it was planted in the fertile soil and environment that had been specially crafted by the system.
After returning, the base leader called the logistics chief into his office for a heartfelt talk. These people had been his right-hand men since before the apocalypse and had contributed greatly to the construction of the base, so he still wanted to give them another chance.
However, the logistics chief didn’t seem to grasp any of the base leader’s intention. Rather, he was still fixated on the dissatisfaction and disappointment in the base leader’s tone earlier and was extremely bothered by it.
“I’ve been with him for so many years, and yet he’s actually scolding me over some woman now,” the logistics chief muttered angrily after returning to his house, smashing a bunch of things to vent his frustration.
Over the years, he had taken advantage of his position to line his pockets, and the ornaments in his house were all quite impressive.
The man with a braid stood silently to the side, trying his best to avoid being hit by any flying objects.
After the logistics chief finished venting his anger, he sat down on the only intact chair in the room while his chest heaved.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
After the base leader and his group left, Jiang Ci continued selling her goods.
Many survivors were afraid that Jiang Ci would hold a grudge against them for aiding the spread of rumors, but she didn’t. Instead, she continued to treat everyone equally, which significantly increased their goodwill toward her. At this moment, the rumors spread by the logistics chief and his group were completely debunked.
While selling supplies, Jiang Ci also handed out flyers for the food court. During this trip, she had distributed a lot of flyers, effectively advertising the place.
“Everyone is welcome to come and relax at the C City Gourmet City,” Jiang Ci concluded with a smile before packing up her stall.
All the survivors in this small base had been cured, so Jiang Ci and her team prepared to set off.
Before leaving, most of the people in the base came to see them off. Although they had only spent a week together, it was clear that they were reluctant to part with the medical team and Jiang Ci. A few children even ran over, hugging Jiang Ci’s legs and crying, asking when she would come back to see them.
Jiang Ci, who hadn’t felt too sad initially, now felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She stuffed a large bag of candies and small cakes she had brought as snacks into their arms and left, looking back three times with every step she took.
The vehicle soon left the base area, and the heavy emotions in Jiang Ci’s heart gradually faded away. Now, she felt more of a longing to return to her Gourmet City and small courtyard.
Before she knew it, it had now been over two months since she left. Although she had been monitoring every corner of the Gourmet City through the system, she still missed her small bed and her pets, Hui Hui, Xiao Lulu, and Xiao Heihei.
After all, there was still some truth in the saying, “Even a humble home is better than someone else’s palace.”
However, they couldn’t return directly. They still had to pick up the medical team members who had stayed behind in various bases as well as retrieve the tents.
After the doctors who had stayed a while at various bases finally boarded the vehicle, they began sharing their experiences with their teammates.
They had initially thought they would never experience such situations again in their lifetime, yet they didn’t expect for a day to come where they could still contribute to traditional Chinese medicine.
The atmosphere in the vehicle became exceptionally lively. If it weren’t for the fact that the average age of the people in the vehicle was over thirty, Jiang Ci would have thought she was leading a group of elementary school students on a spring excursion.
The return journey was much faster than the departure trip. Soon, they arrived at the base that wanted to join the Gourmet City.
When they arrived, the base leader, Xie Ling, was leading the survivors in learning the Eight Brocades Qigong, a traditional Chinese exercise for strengthening the body, along with the traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who had stayed behind.
A large group of people moved in unison, looking quite like a post-apocalyptic version of square dancing.
After two months of recovery, the people here were basically cured, so they started exercising upon receiving the suggestion from the doctors.
Seeing Jiang Ci arrive, Xie Ling’s eyes lit up, and she quickly walked towards her.
“How is it, Boss Jiang? Has the epidemic been contained?” Xie Ling first asked about the progress of Jiang Ci’s long absence.
“It’s under control now. As long as everyone is more cautious, this crisis is basically completely over,” Jiang Ci said with a smile. This task had taken the longest out of all the ones she had taken.
“That’s great,” Xie Ling also smiled sincerely.
Compared to the epidemic a few years ago, the number of people who died from the virus this time was much smaller.
please comment if there are any typos or broken links ◡̈
