What was going on? Did the staffer just flip his personality like a switch? One second his face was a mask of bureaucratic seriousness, and the next, he turned so eager that it caught everyone in the box off guard. He leaned forward, his hands subconsciously rubbing together as he looked at Jing Shu with a gaze that bordered on reverence.
Xiao Liu cleared her throat with a prim, sharp little cough. She stepped forward with her chin tilted up, positioning herself like a loyal bodyguard between the officials and her boss. "The Red Nematode Patties worth three point six million virtual coins are in the parking lot outside. We have five transport trucks there now, and our people are already waiting to hand everything over. Please hurry. This is a big job and we have a schedule to keep."
Red Nematode Patties were dirt cheap, the lowest form of processed protein available, which meant the sheer volume represented by three point six million coins was staggering. There were tons of them, enough to fill a warehouse.
"Alright, alright, I will call someone to handle the logistics right now. You all can rest here for a bit. Wang Hong, tell the inspectors to stop being so strict and just do a rough count of the crates. We are all pressed for time." The staffer's eyes were practically sparkling with relief. "And we really need this kind of bulk food. Miss Jing, you are amazing. You solved our biggest procurement problem at the perfect moment. If you have even more patties available, could you sell us some extra?"
The staffer wasn't just enthusiastic. He was practically groveling, his voice rising in pitch. The college classmates behind Jing Shu stared with their mouths open, looking like they had just watched a complex magic trick performed in broad daylight.
Jing Shu was surprised as well. She paid her monthly debts to the town by sending regular shipments of patties, so she asked, "I remember the town government and I have a cooperation agreement."
The staffer gave an embarrassed smile and shrugged. "We are with the administration, specifically the enforcement logistics department. Your cooperation is with the higher executive offices. They are different departments. They send us a little every month from the central grain reserve, but honestly, we can barely supply enough food to keep the workers from quitting now."
"For this deal, who gets the profit?" she asked, her voice calm as she tapped her coffee cup.
The staffer answered honestly, his gaze darting around to make sure no one else was listening too closely. "As long as we pay back the old bankruptcy and closure debts to the treasury, everything else is our department's profit to manage. The higher-ups only want the debts cleared off the books. Whatever is left in the crates is ours to distribute."
Jing Shu nodded. "Xiao Liu, check how many red nematodes we have left in the secondary warehouse."
Xiao Liu typed rapidly on her handheld device, the screen light reflecting in her glasses. "Boss, we have a little over two million virtual coins worth left in the current stock, so a bit over two hundred tons of Red Nematode Patties."
Tons? Tons? Who in the fourth year of the apocalypse still counted food in tons?
The people sitting in the rows behind her were stunned into a heavy silence. They didn't usually eat this kind of bottom-tier food, preferring to struggle for scraps of rice or wheat, but they knew each patty cost only one point five virtual coins. They were dirt cheap. But hundreds of tons? That number was terrifying in its scale.
Everyone's eyes shifted when they looked at Jing Shu again, the disdain from earlier vanishing. Lan Shao stiffened, his expression darkening as he stared at the dusty floor, lost in his own complicated thoughts.
"Hundreds of tons… how much food is that even?"
"Isn't Jing Shu from the Medicinal Herb Association?"
"Seriously, did she monopolize all the patties in Wu City while we weren't looking?"
While her classmates were still reeling from the shock, the staffer on the other side blinked at her with twinkling eyes. As expected of a real powerhouse. If it were rice, he would be depressed because his department could never afford it. But something cheap, filling, and durable like this was exactly what they needed to pacify the workforce.
Jing Shu nodded. "If I manage to use all of it today to settle the mansions, you can treat the rest as profit for your department. If not, I will sell whatever is left to you at the standard virtual coin price."
In short, she wasn't taking a single patty back home with her.
"Really? That's amazing! Thank you, thank you so much! Wang Hong, tell those brats to get ready to unload. They are done checking the trucks? Good, I got it. Miss Jing, this transaction is complete. We will report it to the office now. My name is Wang Miao. If you ever need help with anything in administration or logistics, just call me directly. You idiots have no sense! Go light a furnace for Miss Jing!"
In an instant, several workers rushed into the box carrying a small, portable stove. They placed it by Jing Shu's feet and started adding chunks of coal until a warm glow began to radiate.
"Miss Jing, please rest. They have finished counting everything. For the mansion's delivery address, tell Wang Hong later and he will handle the transport logistics. If you need anything else, just find him. I'm assigning him to you for the rest of the day. I will go process the official paperwork."
The man walked off with a spring in his step and left behind an assistant whose sole job was to serve her. The group of classmates stood there, stunned by the sudden shift in atmosphere. People could really do that? This was too insane to be real.
"Bigshot, I didn't know you were hiding so much. I never thought the affordable Red Nematode Patties I eat every day were your product. Bigshot, since we are classmates, can you give me a special discount? My family is low on food and I want to buy some in bulk." Jiang Changke said, bouncing forward eagerly toward her chair.
"Pah! Jiang Changke, you never do anything useful and you want to eat patties? You just want to resell them for a profit. Shameless. You will lick anyone's boots for money."
"Exactly. Pay your old debts first, Jiang Changke."
Jiang Changke waved his hand dismissively at the others. "Get lost, I'm talking to the bigshot here. You will all regret not understanding the situation. It's too late to start kissing up now."
Lan Shao stood up, the metal legs of his chair scraping harshly against the floor. He cleared his throat lightly, trying to appear composed.
"Jing Shu, so you are the one making Red Nematode Patties. That's incredible. It seems we misunderstood you before. I want to officially apologize. My negligence caused you to be treated unfairly these past few days. I'm truly sorry for the confusion. I will explain everything in the group chat so everyone knows the truth."
He paused, his eyes scanning the snacks on her table. "Also, as compensation, I want to send your family five hundred units of electricity. If you need anything in the future, I will help."
"Wow, Lan Shao is being generous."
"Electricity is so expensive now. We get only half an hour a day, and it's not even enough to charge our phones properly."
Jing Shu rested her eyes, feeling a little amused by the sudden reversal. These people were softer and more predictable than she expected. But it made sense. If she weren't in the patty business, Lan Shao would not have lowered himself like this. He likely wanted to buy a large amount of patties at the lowest possible price to settle his own debts. The town could barely support its workers, never mind providing extra power for his grid.
Xiao Liu stepped forward, blocking his view of Jing Shu. She said sternly, "Your apology is too late. If you had apologized when we were being treated unfairly earlier, that would have been different. Our boss won't accept your apology. Please return to your seat and don't disturb her rest."
She added, her voice dropping to a flat tone, "And don't even think about hitting us up for cheap stock. The Red Nematode Patty business is a fixed cooperation with the town, and it's not open to outsiders. So even if you beg my boss, it won't work."
In a few sharp sentences, she shut every door in Lan Shao's face. His plan to apologize, give a small gift, and secure a source of cheap food collapsed instantly. Patties were cheap, but they were a steady currency; rice was too expensive to hand out as wages in the power sector.
Lan Shao had never been humiliated like this, especially not by a college classmate's assistant.
His face flushed a deep red, and the veins in his neck bulged as he stared at Xiao Liu. "You… you are not Jing Shu. Who said you get to speak?"