Back then, Jing Shu had spent a fortune preparing for the chance of a mudslide. She'd gone through Qian Duoduo's connections and paid a hefty price to get those giant boulders hauled in and stacked behind the villa. She'd even set up proper drainage and redirection systems. Was all that effort supposed to go to waste now?
Of course not. Now that disaster had struck, Jing Shu was calm and collected, nothing like the rest of the family, who were panicking like ants on a hot pan.
"Grandma, Grandpa, don't worry," Jing Shu said. "Even if the mud floods other houses, it won't reach ours."
Everyone turned to look at her. Grandma Jing squinted. "Why? What makes you so special? The flood skips everyone else's house just to spare yours?"
Jing Shu coughed, suddenly a little uncomfortable. "Grandma, you forgot? Last year I had that weird dream and set up a big tombstone in the backyard to ward off evil. To protect it, I buried two rows of huge stones around it."
Wu You'ai's eyes lit up. She was the first to realize what that meant. What now? She couldn't help but admire her sister. Who else could turn a dream and a random tombstone into something that useful?
Seeing everyone still confused, Jing Shu sighed and grabbed a pen and paper to sketch it out.
"Look, this's the giant tombstone I built. When the mudslide flows down, it hits these two rows of stones arranged in a triangle, right? So the flow splits and moves off to both sides, completely missing our villa and Building No. 25."
But it wasn't that simple. To make sure the mud would stay away from the villa, she'd even told the workers to angle the stones into a slight curve so the pressure would distribute evenly. Knowing the middle section would take the brunt of it, she'd reinforced it heavily.
Later, she'd even added a waterproof and defensive layer in secret.
Wu You'ai frowned slightly. "That'll work for a while, but as the mud keeps piling up on both sides, won't it eventually start flowing back toward the front of the villa?"
Jing Shu smiled. "You're right, sis. That's why we'll dig drainage channels on both sides. Remember that building that vanished after the quake? The one that left a bottomless pit under it? We'll redirect all the mud and water straight into that hole. That way it won't pile up anywhere near us."
And she wasn't bluffing—she'd actually spent quite a bit of virtual currency back then to buy the ownership rights to that building.
At the time, she'd planned to hire a team to explore the hole and maybe find some treasure. A few months later, they did dig up plenty of junk, but not a single valuable thing.
People even mocked her for wasting her money on a pile of garbage.
But look at the situation now. Who would've thought that useless pit would turn into a perfect business opportunity?
Wu You'ai frowned again. "Wait, I remember that property being bought by some spoiled rich kid. If we're gonna redirect all the mud and junk into it, we'll need their permission first. I'll ask Lao Wu later."
Jing Shu blinked. "Huh? That spoiled rich kid you're talking about sounds like me. I think I spent a few thousand virtual coins on it." She scratched her head. She didn't even remember how much she'd spent. Back then, that amount had just been numbers to her, but now… she couldn't help sighing. If she had a second chance, she'd definitely remember that number. After all, it was one of her better investments.
Wu You'ai blinked in surprise. She never would've guessed that the "spoiled rich kid" Lao Wu kept complaining about was actually her own sister. Lao Wu used to say, "If only we had a few more of those spendthrifts around, we could open seven or eight more jobs and feed a few more families!"
What now? Wu You'ai suddenly felt proud that her sister was the one everyone had called a spendthrift.
Jing Shu patted her shoulder. "See? Now's our chance to make some profit. Later, help me put up a sign. If anyone wants to redirect mud and water there, they'll have to pay me. Especially those rich old guys in the villa district—if I don't charge at least a thousand or two, it'd be an insult to their wealth. As for regular folks, I'll give them a discount."
"Will that really work?" Wu You'ai adjusted her glasses, feeling a strange mix of awe and admiration. Her sister actually looked kind of cool. "I mean, seriously, that's brilliant."
"Of course it'll work. Just do as I said."
To test whether the massive tombstone could really block the mudslide, the whole family hurried out of Building No. 25 and went to check the back mountain behind the villa.
There it was—a towering inverted triangle of stones standing tall and solid. The muddy water was flowing straight toward the sharp tip before splitting perfectly down the sides. Each boulder had been angled just right to redirect the pressure, sending the mudslide safely away.
The walls of nearby villas were already stained with mud, but the area around their villa was spotless.
Only then did everyone finally relax.
"Don't worry, I'll start digging the water channels soon," Jing Shu reassured them. The color slowly returned to her grandparents' faces.
Grandma Jing clasped her hands and prayed softly, "Amitabha, please bless our home, let no mudslide bury us, and please keep our land safe."
With their situation settled, it was now Jing Pan and Jing Zhao's turn to worry.
"Mom, we've gotta head back. Ningshan City's in bad shape. We need to pack up and be ready to evacuate if things get worse," Jing Pan said anxiously. She was already thinking about the food stores she'd hidden at home. Thankfully, she'd listened to Jing Shu's advice earlier—she'd butchered most of the pigs and only kept the breeding sow and piglets.
Those would still need to be moved, but it'd be easier than dragging along dozens of full-grown pigs. Feed, clothes, daily goods—they'd all need to be taken too.
Just thinking about it gave her a headache. How were they supposed to bring all that? All she could do was hope Wu County wouldn't get buried.
Wei Chang's mind was already elsewhere. He knew exactly what it'd mean for him if Wu County went under.
Grandpa Jing tapped his pipe and said, "Go on and pack. If things start looking bad, say the word and move everything here. Second, you go too, but come back if things get worse."
It was his way of giving both daughters some reassurance.
Jing Zhao and her husband were nervous too, though their family didn't have as much to lose, so they weren't in full panic yet. Still, no matter what, they had to go back. Even a poor home's worth a fortune. Once it's buried, that's it—you lose everything for good.
"Jing Shu should take you back," Grandma Jing said, then immediately regretted it. What about Li Zhu's whole family?
Li Zhu and Li Yun's eyes both lit up. They'd heard about their niece's giant RV—the luxurious "mobile mansion" with food, drinks, and all sorts of comforts inside. This trip could be their lucky break. If they loaded it up with some things, wouldn't that be a huge gain?
But Jing Shu had just hung up a call. "Grandma, I can't take them. Someone's gotta dig those water channels, and there's no time to waste. I've already asked a friend to send over a truck from the worm patty delivery route. It's not as fancy as the RV, but it'll do the job."