CHAPTER 112: THE FIRST DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL OF THE APOCALYPSE

Jing Shu understood the sigh from Grandma Jing’s lips and grasped even more deeply the preciousness of food in the apocalypse. That’s why she had prepared so many things, knowing that many items were truly gone forever.

The family claimed their water and, amid envious gazes, boarded the energy-powered car. If it hadn’t been for the Armed Police nearby, those covetous people might have tried to rob them. In these times, people in clean clothes always stood out jarringly, seeming out of place. After all, six months into the apocalypse, hardly anyone still had clean clothes, let alone spare water for personal grooming.

"I really don’t get why people who can afford to drive are still fighting over resources with us. We’re already pitiful enough, and they’re competing with us for water. It’s because of people like you that the water they give out is getting less and less."

"Exactly! Look at them, wearing clean clothes and still fighting us for water. Giving it to them is just a waste; it would be better to let us have more to drink."

Sitting in the comfortable air-conditioned car, Jing Shu was slurping her shaved ice yogurt. See, this is the ’I’m pitiful, so I’m right’ argument, she thought. This is what everyone gets as a citizen of Huaxia; everyone has this.

Why should I give what’s mine to someone else just because they’re pitiful? Why should I give you my money just because you have less and I have more? I control resources and can even contribute more to the country by raising frogs.

"Let’s go, Dad. Don’t mind them," Jing Shu said.

"Alright, sure thing."

Even after the apocalypse, there were still many such people, and a stark polarization formed. Some were doomed to rummage for various insects to eat, while others would create new values and alternatives in the post-apocalyptic world.

...

This was the first Dragon Boat Festival since the apocalypse. By the time it arrived, all the soaked glutinous rice had been used for wrapping zongzi. Each zongzi was shaped into an inverted triangle, tied with string, and placed in a pot of cold water to cook. After a batch had simmered for more than an hour, it was taken out, another batch was put in to cook, and they resumed wrapping more.

Grandma Jing meticulously used different colors of string to distinguish the various flavors of zongzi: red for jujube, green for pork, among several other colors she used.

Not wanting to disturb the neighbors, Jing Shu turned on the range hood, but it was clearly ineffective. The enticing aroma of the cooking zongzi must have wafted far and wide.

Having not eaten zongzi in so long, Jing Shu was already salivating. Once a pot was ready, she couldn’t wait to start eating. She blew on them and dipped them in honey; in no time, she had consumed more than a dozen.

Fat Girl No.25: "Yesterday, I tried more than ten flavors of Five Grain Worms and found the salt and pepper one the best. I wonder if my senses are playing tricks on me, but I keep smelling zongzi."

Shi Zi No.21: "I also smell zongzi, the pork kind, the salty type with chunks of Shou Rou, and even a whiff of chicken legs."

Fat Girl No.25: "Then we’re not smelling the same thing. I’m catching the scent of jujube."

Chouchou No.24: "Strange, I also smell zongzi. I feel like the scent is coming from the direction of those villas..."

Wang Qiqi quickly steered the conversation: "Ai Family Supermarket has launched zongzi made with rice, just 2 work points each. If you need them, you can exchange maggots for points."

Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "With those work points, I’d rather buy a big bowl of white rice. Maggots are so easy to catch now. There are dozens of kilograms in our downstairs toilet alone; I’ve already caught them to exchange for points."

Fat Girl No.25: "Big sister, that’s disgusting! Catching them from the toilet? Those things are given to people to eat."

Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "What’s the big deal? I just took a shovel, dug them out, and rinsed them with a bottle of water. That’s it. I got 20 work points for that, and I’ve laid claim to the other toilets as well."

Wind No.3: "Big sister, I’m begging you, please stop talking about it! I was wondering why the maggots I ate today tasted like crap. There are so many maggots outside, yet you had to go for the ones in the toilets."

Wang Cuihua sent another voice message: "Catching the ones outside bit by bit would take ages. In the toilets, one shovelful gets you a whole bunch."

The issue with the zongzi ultimately fizzled out, and Jing Shu breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, a layer of dust over ten centimeters thick had covered the tempered glass canopy, securely blocking any view of the villa; otherwise, the situation inside would have definitely been exposed.

However, Jing Shu had to admit the government’s policy was a huge success. The next day, everyone started catching and looking for maggots everywhere, even farming their own. As for how they farmed them... digging a hole and using it as a toilet was enough. The rest, she thought, could be left to the imagination.

After the first time came the second, and as time passed, everyone gradually accepted eating Five Grain Worms.

The national concern that rotten corpse insects would reach the top of the food chain was thus simply resolved. The issue of fly infestations was also effectively dealt with: every day, throngs of people would go to various places to catch them, bagging up huge quantities and significantly hindering their proliferation. Although the rotten corpse insects reproduced quickly and in large numbers, flies became one of the few creatures that could move freely in high temperatures and preyed on them. Flies kept the rotten corpse insects in check, while humankind found a new source of food, thus forming a new food chain.

This incident also laid a good foundation for the subsequent consumption of red earthworms.

Reports indicated that in the latter half of the 23rd year, an almost unimaginable number of rotten corpse insects in Huaxia were eliminated by maggots, while humans consumed trillions upon trillions of these maggots, averaging hundreds per person per day.

That year, Huaxia had the highest survival rate in the world at 89%, with the United States at 85%, and India at 81%.

Some smaller European countries, already overwhelmed by rotten corpse insects and flies, were preparing to launch a new exterminating agent to eliminate the insects, but it was not very effective.

The United States was planning to concentrate its population, relocate, launch nuclear weapons at another location, and then migrate to the surrounding areas. After all, the United States had ample food and a smaller population.

India and its African brothers in adversity began to learn from the stellar spirit of Huaxia and joined the ranks of those eating insects, ultimately realizing that the great man was right: the power of the masses is indeed formidable, and there’s no need for inefficient fuss.

Russia, ever the fierce nation, announced a new law requiring every person to eliminate a thousand insects daily.

The news now reported daily on the tragic times in other countries, all of which reflected the Huaxia Government’s mild approach.

The Wu City Government had resolved all of its major concerns: there was food, and the people wouldn’t starve to death. Aside from the scarcity of water, there were no other fatal factors.

So, it was time to deal with previous cases of robbery and murder, with Wu City determined to set an example and be the first in the nation to complete the reforms to the new system! After two months of gentle policies, the government still faced individuals engaged in behaviors like "claiming land as their own" and "pig farming." They began to show their fangs to these criminals.

...

For the Dragon Boat Festival, Mrs. Jing invited her Uncle’s family to the villa for an afternoon meal. Ever since she and Su Meimei had a falling out, Mrs. Jing only recognized Su Yiyang as her elder brother.

Mr. Jing drove out to pick up the family, but midway he called, "Lan Zhi, your sister-in-law mentioned she wanted to invite her brother’s family along too..."