CHAPTER 176: WHERE IS YOUR HOME, JING SHU?

As soon as the matter was mentioned, the whole group remembered it. Right, how were the vows made back then?

Wang Chao: "@Zhang Lingling, you still dare to say you didn’t scam us back then? Now, the vows you made have all come true. Give me back my 60 Virtual Coins!"

Big Head: "@Zhang Lingling, stop playing dead. You spoke so nicely back then; what do you have to say now?"

Zhang Lingling indeed played dead, but when someone mentioned going to the shelter to find her, she immediately piped up, "This flood is truly a natural disaster; I’ve been wronged! Besides, although my house was flooded, it hasn’t collapsed yet. The vow I made will only count if my house collapses next year!"

Nima Sang: "Hah, who knows which ’house’ you’re talking about."

Zhang Lingling: "Of course, it’s the place where I was living at that time! As soon as the vow comes true, I’ll directly refund the Virtual Coins to all of you, okay? Doesn’t that show my sincerity?"

The place where I live is definitely the safest; how could it possibly collapse? And it can’t be such a coincidence that there’s a flood this year and an earthquake next year, an earthquake that just so happens to strike exactly where I live, right?

Mu Xiaoxuan: "Okay, I’ve taken a screenshot. People like you who deliberately scam their classmates will definitely not have a good end."

Zhang Lingling: "I act with integrity and have a clear conscience, so I’m not afraid of your slander." She had to project confidence.

Zhang Lingling dodged another bullet. Jing Shu sneered in the group chat. This is probably what they call ’evil reaps its own reward.’

The group then began discussing where everyone had been assigned, which was the major topic of the day.

The least desirable place with the worst conditions was the West Mountain Old District; it was small, dirty, and chaotic. The most popular location was the Development Zone, which had new buildings and was less populated.

Mu Xiaoxuan: "Our family has two houses in the city, so we were assigned to the largest complex in the Development Zone, Banana District. I heard there are even villas there. Although it used to be very remote, getting assigned there now isn’t easy. The area is large, and the houses are new."

Yao Zixin: "You mean Xiangjiao District, right? My family was also assigned there, but now it seems like three large families have to share one house. I heard that we can apply to change houses and live with relatives and friends before officially moving in."

Jing Shu covered her face. This was precisely why she had always been reluctant to mention the district’s name; because everyone had started calling it Banana, what was once elegant had instantly turned rustic. Now, everyone called it Banana District.

Xie Zihao: "My family used connections to secure a mid-level apartment in Banana District, for our exclusive use, but we still have to pay Virtual Coins every month."

Shi Lei: "My family only has one house, and we were assigned to an independent garage in Banana District. Sigh, a family of three living in a 10-square-meter garage... I just hope the floodwaters recede soon; I want to go home."

"Our family was assigned to a basement of only 6 square meters. It’s so cold and damp at night; it’s unbearable."

"Is anyone living in Banana District? Give us a heads-up about the good spots there."

Yao Zixin: "@Jing Shu’s family lives in Banana District."

Shi Lei: "Jing Shu is so lucky. Locals, it seems, don’t have people assigned to live with them. But it looks like many classmates are in Banana District. We should definitely get together there later."

This is more than just lively; it’s downright packed.

"I’m so envious of you all. My family was assigned to a dilapidated building in the West Mountain Old District. With all this rain, who knows if it will collapse? I heard it doesn’t even have windows."

A survey of Jing Shu’s high school alumni group showed that over a dozen had been assigned to Banana District. The rest were nearby, with only a few assigned to the Old District and the North Outer Ring Road. Everyone was preparing for another small swap meet, but where to host it was another problem.

"We at least need to find a place where it isn’t raining, preferably inside Banana District."

Su Malie: "Oh my, are we having another swap meet? What a coincidence, my family also has a house in Banana District. Make sure to call me then."

Big Head: "Wow, a tycoon appears! Where in Banana District is your house, Su Malie?"

Su Malie: "A villa. Everyone’s welcome to come and have fun."

"Wow, impressive! We bow to the great boss!"

"+1"

"+2"

"This, times a thousand!"

Zhang Lingling: "I propose we hold the swap meet at Su Malie’s house. Since she has a villa, it’s spacious, and it’ll save her the trouble of running around."

"That’s a good suggestion."

"Agreed!"

Su Malie: "Sure! I couldn’t accommodate everyone last time. This time, we won’t have to go anywhere else. Everyone can just bring their things to my place to trade, and I can treat you all to a meal."

Su Malie’s words made many present swallow hard. This tycoon really wasn’t all talk. Their understanding of Su Malie’s extravagance reached a new level. Before the apocalypse, treating someone to a meal meant you had a bit of money. After the apocalypse, treating someone to a meal was as extravagant as handing out stacks of cash before.

"That’s great! Once everyone settles in, we can get started right away."

The originally expected attendance of about a dozen for the swap meet nearly doubled as almost all classmates wanted to come, showing just how alluring a meal could be.

Su Malie: "@Jing Shu, are you there? Where in Banana District do you live? I want to visit you. There’s something important. Heaven knows those lunatics have already caused trouble all the way to Wu City! If it hadn’t been for the flood delaying things these past few days, they would have headed straight for Jingshu’s house."

My house is right next door to yours!

Jing Shu rolled her eyes, not wanting to speak. She had resolved to distance herself from this Mary Sue-like Holy Mother, yet it seemed she was getting closer to her than ever in this life. Recalling a few incidents involving Su Malie in her previous life, Jing Shu shuddered. No, no, that was too scary.

Su Malie: "@Jing Shu, you have to come to the swap meet too. I’ll be waiting for you!"

"@Su Malie, what are you still missing? I’ll find it for you."

"@Su Malie, what do you want to exchange this time?"

The classmates’ enthusiasm for Su Malie surged. In their eyes, Su Malie was an especially agreeable, naive, and easily tricked ’bearer of gifts’ who readily parted with her possessions.

Look, last time Jing Shu used a few herbs to trick Su Malie out of a luxury car worth hundreds of thousands. This time, everyone wanted to get some great stuff from her.

Compared to the high school classmates’ group, filled with uncertainty about the future and excitement over which district they’d be moved to, the atmosphere in Cave 5 was utterly bleak.

This was because Wu You’ai had completed his survey today and found that many people had bought their homes with loans. This meant they either had to accept the government assigning people to live with them or pay Virtual Coins each month for their mortgage.

"Paying 10 Virtual Coins every month is really killing me!"

"What else can we do? I heard one house is supposed to accommodate three or four civil servants."

"You should be content. Other houses have to accommodate at least a dozen people, if not more."

Jingshu’s villa had also been purchased with a loan, so now they had to pay 20 Virtual Coins each month. However, for Jingshu’s household, this was a drop in the bucket and didn’t really affect them.

While they were still discussing the monthly mortgage payments in the morning, by the afternoon, the government had announced new types of jobs and initiated nationwide recruitment.