Since it's the apocalypse and there aren't any proper medical facilities, Eldest Aunt pulled strings and found a gynecologist, paying a hefty price. To be safe, she also wanted Grandma Jing to help with the delivery, since folks in Grandma Jing's generation didn't have hospitals either and relied on old home methods.
Grandma Jing actually considered asking the girl to give birth in Wu City, since conditions are better there. But the grandson's wife was already close to her due date, and the roads were a mess with heavy rain. If something happened on the way, who'd take responsibility?
So that evening, after dinner, Jing Shu's family sat around the table to talk it through. It wasn't a holiday, so her parents didn't have time off. To make it worse, after the red nematode went extinct, the cafeteria faced a serious ingredient shortage. As the supervisor who managed the cafeteria, Third Aunt Jing Lai had even less time.
Even though Su Lanzhi held the purse strings and Jing An always seemed a little scared of her, when it came to his side of the family, she always respected his call. "Let's see how Jing An wants to arrange it. I'll follow his lead."
Jing Shu thought this was what love looked like when it leveled up.
Jing An tossed the dishes into the dishwasher, picked up a bowl of cherry tomatoes for dessert, and said, "Here's what we'll do. Lanzhi and I won't go. Jing Lai can't go either, work's too busy. The situation's not great right now. The Livestock Breeding Center has pushed hard this year, and sure, we've raised a lot of chickens and ducks, but with the red nematode gone, feed's become a headache.
Jing Shu can take her grandparents over and see what they need. If the due date's that close, it's a matter of three to five days. If Wu You'ai has time, she can make a run too."
Jing Shu fed Xiao Dou a luxury mix of fish bones, eggs, assorted grains, and veggie leaves, soothing her while she ate. Not long ago, when Xiao Dou was foraging, she got unlucky and brought back a nest of flea-like bugs that curled into her feathers and wouldn't let go.
There was no choice. Jing Shu shaved her clean. Xiao Dou turned into a bald chicken. For some reason, looking at a bird that big, every step she took made Jing Shu think of a walking roast turkey. It made her hungry, and that was just wrong.
Peh, peh, peh.
Vain as she was, Xiao Dou sulked for days. She used to strut past the water every day, checking out her glossy brown feathers with her head held high and tail tilting up. Now and then she'd brawl with Jing Shu's five-step viper to prove she still held an unshakable place in her heart.
But once she lost those feathers, she lost her swagger. Grandma Jing, heart aching when egg production dipped, made her a little silk outfit. Only then did Xiao Dou start laying a few more eggs each day. Jing Shu added another meal to Xiao Dou's daily schedule, and production finally recovered. Looked like Xiao Dou knew exactly where her greatest value lay.
"I'm busy too, but I can spare three to five days. I've got to hand things over at the Pharmacist Association tomorrow morning. This time, let's just take the RV. There'll be too many people otherwise. The weather's dropped more than ten degrees compared to March, and I'm not sleeping in some damp warehouse with a tent again." Jing Shu spoke while she smoothed the new stubble sprouting on Xiao Dou's skin. The chicken half-closed her eyes in bliss.
Honestly, Jing Shu hadn't planned to go. Compared to someone else giving birth, she had more important things to do. The third year of the apocalypse was right on the doorstep, and she kept feeling like there was something big she hadn't finished. She opened her palm and stared at the words written there. "Practice the Rubik Cube, practice the Rubik Cube."
Right, she still had to practice the Rubik Cube.
Jing Shu was sure her forgetfulness about training the Rubik's Cube Space had everything to do with the new tier of ability she'd advanced to. Think it, do it. She nudged Xiao Dou aside and took out the cube to start practicing.
On top of that, she still had to prep for the third year's disasters and events.
Truth be told, the only reason she agreed to go was to field-test every system in the RV, then spend a few days experiencing it and listing out any flaws. As long as there was time now, she could keep improving it. If they discovered problems midway through a migration, it'd be a pain to fix. If not for that, she wouldn't have gone at all.
That said, she was genuinely excited to test the RV. For third-year prep, she needed to write up a checklist.
Su Lanzhi worried. "The RV's huge. Can you drive it alone? Is it safe? Why don't you let your dad go with you?"
"Mom, don't worry. I already walked you through the safety systems. It won't tip even at a 40-degree incline. Even if I drive into a ditch, it won't roll. The chassis is sealed against water, and I'm not driving into a river." She'd already tested it a few times. She had to admit, driving a rig like this and driving a BYD Song that costs tens of thousands felt like two different worlds.
When you don't know cars, anything with four wheels is fine. Once you learn a bit, you start complaining the power's weak, the motor's lacking, two-wheel drive isn't enough, this and that's not right. It's just like phones. At first, even a Nokia touchscreen felt advanced. Then you use a smartphone and realize what real progress looks like.
With the BYD Song, you stomp the gas, it gathers itself up and finally lurches forward, clunking over a manhole cover with a bang. With the RV, you step on the pedal and barely feel movement. Roll over a rock and you probably won't notice from inside. The suspension's insanely good.
If they really had to migrate in the apocalypse, living in the RV would be fantastic. It'd be like riding a high-speed rail, watching scenery slide back without feeling a thing.
"Alright, but drive slow, watch the road, and don't go into deep water."
That settled, Third Aunt Jing Lai brought out the newborn gifts she'd already prepared, ten-plus reusable cotton diapers she'd sewn by taking apart old clothes.
Even Zijin had embroidered two handkerchiefs for the little one, for wiping faces and noses.
Grandpa Jing used gold Jing Shu had salvaged to make a longevity lock, and Grandma Jing sewed tiny clothes and quilts.
The whole family packed through the night.
"These are two lives we're talking about, so don't be careless. Jing Shu, Wu You'ai, you've both helped deliver a baby before, so you've at least got some experience. If you've got any good ideas, speak up." Grandma Jing was excited the entire night. No matter how Jing Shu arranged things, she nodded and praised her. Elders loved welcoming new life the most.
Jing Shu paused, then remembered her one delivery experience was with Zhang Bingbing. She'd barely stepped into the house before Zhang Bingbing gave a mighty push and the baby popped out. Did that even count as experience?
Jing Shu and Wu You'ai exchanged a look and coughed twice.
After discussion, they decided to bring one chicken for nourishment and two crucian carp to help with milk. That was the family's gift to the newborn. Of course, Xiao Dou had to come too. As a walking egg generator, Jing Shu's breakfast depended on her.
Perfect timing to test how the RV's little livestock room and mini fish pond performed.