Chapter 56 - 57: Reed Bed

In another room, Jiang Si found some medicine and gold jewelry.

Beyond that, the steamboat also had a large generator and some common household appliances.

Jiang Si stored the generator in her space. Worried about her, Jiang Linhai followed her into the cabin. He saw the corpses scattered on the floor. His gaze landed on the face of a ten-year-old girl who had died with her eyes wide open. Shock and heartache filled his eyes.

Jiang Si didn’t try to hide it. "She wanted to kill me to avenge her parents," she said truthfully.

The heartache in Jiang Linhai’s eyes gave way to a complex mix of emotions.

It took him a moment to process the reality of the situation. "You did nothing wrong," he finally said, comforting her.

’When those people planned to kill us, did any of them spare a thought for our lives? Niu Niu is only seven years old. This can only be called karmic retribution.’

Jiang Si had been worried about what Jiang Linhai would think of her. Seeing the look of pity on his face, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Si went to the other steamboat. The supplies Qin Shen had found were even more plentiful, including food, clothing, and other necessities. There was over two thousand pounds of rice alone, and this boat even had some livestock.

Ten chickens, five ducks, six small rabbits, and a large yellow ox.

This group had also experimented with indoor farming. Several oil drums were planted full of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and they had also sprouted a good number of bean sprouts and yellow chives.

’With the supplies on these two boats, if those people had planned properly, they could have sustained themselves for the foreseeable future.’

’And yet, they chose the most despicable path.’

Jiang Si sighed. After everyone finished taking inventory of the supplies on both steamboats, their spirits lifted.

Shen Baoying stroked a fluffy little rabbit, overjoyed. "Sisi, what are we going to do with these two boats?"

An army needs only one leader, and Jiang Si was now their de facto commander.

Jiang Si had already been thinking about this. She looked toward Qin Shen and Jiang Chengwu and asked, "Do you want to take one of the boats and go your own way?"

The subtext of Jiang Si’s question was clear: did they want to strike out on their own?

While their yacht was well-appointed, it had no power and could only be used as a sailboat. The steamboats were faster, a third larger than their yacht, and came with enough supplies to allow Lu Zhifeng and the others to live comfortably.

Lu Zhifeng understood the implication in her voice, and both his and Niu Niu’s faces paled.

’Jiang Si wouldn’t shortchange them; the supplies would surely be divided fairly. But as good as a steamboat was, it took several people working together to operate it.’

’Niu Niu was so young. If anything happened, he wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.’

’There’s safety in numbers. They could all look out for one another.’

’They could take turns on watch, cooking, cleaning, farming, and raising livestock. Life could proceed as normal, and they could even get a good night’s sleep.’

If not for himself, Lu Zhifeng had to try for Niu Niu’s sake. He spoke frankly and sincerely. "Niu Niu and I have relied on everyone’s care so much on this journey. Now that you have extra boats, we shouldn’t impose any longer. But... a steamboat this big... I can’t possibly manage it on my own. And Niu Niu is happier with all of you than she is with just me. There’s strength in numbers. Is it possible for Niu Niu and me to stay?"

Lu Zhifeng paused, then added, "But it’s okay if we can’t."

’They were under no obligation to keep them.’

Suddenly, Qin Shen, who had been silent until now, spoke up, asking Jiang Si directly, "Can I stay?"

His intense gaze seemed to latch onto her, sharp as a hook.

’If they wanted to take a boat and leave, they’d have to divide the supplies fairly.’

’Of course, if they wanted to stay, that was fine too.’

’With the supplies on all the boats, as long as they managed the farming and livestock properly, there was more than enough for them to be self-sufficient.’

’They wouldn’t have to worry about conflicts over resources, either.’

’Besides, Qin Shen’s unique massage technique could control her sudden bouts of pain, and she hadn’t learned how to do it herself yet.’

’Plus, both Lu Zhifeng and Qin Shen were capable men with excellent combat and survival skills. They knew their backgrounds, their character was good, and everyone trusted them. Keeping them would only strengthen the group.’

Jiang Si laughed. "I was just asking so I’d know how to distribute the supplies. If no one is leaving, then let’s move most of the useful things to the yacht. We can use the steamboats to lead the way and find a safe place to moor, or we can drop anchor and lash all the boats together. We can grow vegetables and grains on the steamboats, and if danger appears, we can just cast off and leave."

’So she wasn’t trying to drive them away!’

Niu Niu and Lu Zhifeng broke into identical, surprised smiles. "Great!"

Qin Shen also gave Jiang Si a nod.

Everyone got busy, moving the most important supplies onto the yacht. They left some backup supplies on the steamboats; in case something happened to the yacht, the other two boats held enough to sustain them for half a year.

They worked until nightfall. Though their bodies were exhausted, their spirits were fulfilled.

「The next day.」

Jiang Si had just woken up and come down to the yacht’s main cabin when Niu Niu ran over excitedly. "Sister, they laid eggs! The hens and ducks both laid eggs!"

Jiang Si followed her to the first steamboat and saw, sure enough, six chicken eggs and three duck eggs.

Niu Niu picked one up and cradled it in her palm, her face beaming. "Sister, it’s still warm!"

These eggs represented hope for their future, which was why Niu Niu was so delighted.

Jiang Si gently touched the little girl’s cheek. "Fresh eggs are the most delicious. How about we eat some today?"

Niu Niu blinked shyly. "I don’t need to eat any. We should save them to hatch more chicks."

Jiang Si pointed to the ten hens in the coop. "There’s no rooster, so these eggs are unfertilized. They won’t hatch into chicks. We should just eat them!"

Niu Niu paused, looking around. She saw no rooster. Finally, she smiled and nodded. "Okay, let’s eat the eggs."

Jiang Si grabbed a basket, collected the eggs, then went over to the dairy goat and milked it.

Jiang Si handed the fresh eggs to Shen Baoying, who happily rattled off several recipes she could make. She even planned to preserve the duck eggs to make century eggs.

They got about a quart and a half of milk. Shen Baoying boiled a bowl especially for Niu Niu, telling her to drink a fresh bowl every day so she would grow up big and strong.

The rest of the milk was used to make milk tea, yogurt, and nougat.

At noon, Shen Baoying put her culinary skills to the test, working wonders with the eggs and their existing ingredients.

Seeing the much more varied spread on the table, everyone ate their fill. Contented, they all felt a renewed desire to get the steamboats organized, plant more crops, and raise more animals.

They had a fair number of animals now, which meant they had to constantly dredge up water hyacinths to make feed.

But their consumption rate was still enormous. The yellow ox alone went through twenty pounds of fodder a day, and it couldn’t live on that alone—it needed the occasional supplement of coarse grains.

As the water hyacinths became scarcer, the group began to wonder if they should slaughter the ox. But then, just as they were considering it, they spotted a patch of lush, green reeds.