Jing An filled the RV's water tanks to the brim. All he had to do was hook up a hose. The tanks were extra large, since they had to cover a whole family's needs, washing up, showers, drinking water, and the underfloor heating pipes. Anything less wouldn't cut it.
Perfect timing. Jing Shu also wanted to test the RV's upgraded floor heating. The hot-water lines held at a steady 40°C would keep the interior cozy, and there'd be hot showers 24 hours a day. That kind of comfort was exactly what she'd dreamed of.
They fully charged the MAN battery pack, and she mounted the extra bio-solar panels she'd bought earlier on the roof. The main goal was to test the RV's range. At home, the BYD Song could do about 180 kilometers on a full charge.
Wu You'ai's mentor hadn't tested an RV this big, only estimated that it could go around 150 kilometers.
At the same time, Jing An topped off the diesel tank just in case. Su Mali's eight big canisters of compressed natural gas were slotted into side compartments, enough to run the stove and the floor heating. Supposedly, that amount would last three months under normal use.
Jing An handled safety checks and all the RV systems. Su Lanzhi loaded in freshly dried quilts, running them one more cycle through the dryer, then stocked the RV with daily necessities and bathroom supplies.
Jing Shu, Grandma Jing, and Wu You'ai handled the rest of the packing. Everyone knew the drill by now. Thick clothes and raincoats had to come in multiples. If anything got soaked in this kind of cold, it'd be miserable.
Next came food. With the RV, they didn't want to freeload at Jing Pan's place this time, so they prepped everything from breakfast to dinner. If she could've brought a cow, Jing Shu would've set it in the RV and milked it every morning. That sounded pretty great.
In the end, they brought two tins of milk powder and tea instead. Mornings would mean milk tea. The RV had a fridge, so she also packed sweet fermented rice and tangyuan. Swapping in a sweet fermented rice, tangyuan, and egg soup now and then would hit the spot.
Grandma Jing stashed her homemade hand-grab flatbreads in the fridge. In the morning, they'd fry up golden and crisp, then get wrapped with lettuce, egg, sausage, and a stripe of salad and tomato sauce. That was the real deal.
For vegetables, they settled on the dried greens Jing Shu had sun-dried, plus several jars of assorted dried goods, dried wood ear, dried shiitake, and so on. Perfect for soups or stir-fries.
For meat, Jing Shu picked beef jerky for snacking, and a spread of ready-to-eat dishes like braised pig ears, head meat, pork hock, and spicy dried rabbit. Fast and convenient. She also packed some steaks, strictly for her late-night cravings.
Fish and shrimp in the villa pool were getting out of hand, so she scooped a whole basin of oysters and crayfish and dumped them into the indoor pool to see if they'd survive there. If they did, great, they'd have garlic-baked oysters and spicy crayfish. Either way, Grandma Jing's cooking would make it shine.
For staples, they brought a sack of rice and a bunch of half-finished goods, since Grandma Jing wouldn't have time to knead dough. She'd already made a stash anyway, mixed flavors of frozen dumplings, wontons, buns, and more.
These days, Jing Shu ate a lot. You couldn't cut corners on a single meal. After drinking Spirit Spring for so long, the whole family's appetites had grown. If a meal came up short, everyone felt off.
In no time, Jing Shu carried all the food into the RV's dinette and arranged it neatly. It felt like she was moving into a second home. The excitement and joy were hard to describe.
Before, when they hadn't formally moved in, she didn't feel much. Now, stuffing the place with supplies, her happiness just kept rising.
They couldn't skimp on gear either. Safety came first on the road. Everyone got a crossbow. Jing Shu also carried a handgun and grenades. This time they brought body armor and gas masks, and she even packed the combat armor Yang Yang had given her. Ideally, nothing would happen. It was all just in case.
Of course there were other daily items too, like a portable dryer, medicated balm, a hair dryer, and small appliances. Jing Shu scurried back and forth like a hamster, hauling extra household goods from the villa into the RV. It was hard to tell if they were heading out to enjoy life or to help deliver a baby.
They worked through the night to get everything ready. Right before collapsing into bed, Jing Shu kept feeling like she'd forgotten some routine thing.
Who knew how her parents slept, but Jing Shu, Wu You'ai, and Grandma Jing were too excited to rest. Wu You'ai was finally going to sleep in her space-pod bed, so she was over the moon. She tinkered for ages before turning in.
After a hearty breakfast, Grandma Jing nagged with love, "Don't forget to feed the chickens and ducks. You have to milk the cow every day or it'll get painfully engorged. Don't forget to water the vegetable plots. Tell Zijin to take care of the silkworms. Don't forget to clean the old house."
"Got it, Mom, get going already."
Jing Shu stopped by the Medicinal Herb Association to file her business trip and handed work over to Wang Danai. Then she came back and they officially set out.
The moment she slid into the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel, she got giddy. None of them trusted her driving, so her grandparents, and Wu You'ai all hovered by the passenger side to help keep an eye out. Everyone wanted to tour the luxury RV again, but surprisingly, they agreed to save it for later.
"I'm not drunk, you don't have to watch me like that. Go do your thing."
"We'll stick with you. If anything happens, we'll all jump together," Grandpa Jing joked for once.
Jing Shu stared. "I'm just driving an RV, you know, not a tank."
Thankfully, she had steady hands. Once she merged onto the main road, her grandparents finally relaxed. They still didn't wander off, though, just pulled out the side bed and started chatting.
The RV wasn't exactly fast, but this run went smoothly. They reached Jing Pan's place in under two hours, and nothing happened on the way.
It felt fresher than last time, so no one noticed the slower pace.
They arrived again at Eldest Aunt's home. This time the RV couldn't fit in the courtyard, it was way too big, so they parked by the house. Everyone pulled on raincoats, got out, and knocked.
Wei Chang answered with an umbrella and a flashlight. "Who is it? Oh, Mom, it's you! Quick, come in, don't catch a cold in the rain. Let's get you some hot sweet soup. How'd you get here? Didn't you drive?"
Jing Shu smiled. "We did, in an RV. It's a bit big and couldn't get in, so we left it outside."
"Oh, then hurry in. The doctor's checking her now. From the look of it, it's not great." His mind was clearly on the delivery, so he didn't even glance at the RV.
Not great. Which meant the mother wasn't doing well.