Er Mao opened the cage, and as soon as Liu Dajun emerged, his head spun, and he scurried back into the mud.
Before long, a dozen dung beetles, each about the size of a palm, appeared, following him towards a spot.
That spot was piled with cow and sheep dung.
Liu Dajun was the first to roll a clump and drill into the ground, with the other dung beetles following suit.
Although Liu Dajun was smaller in stature, his soul was human, and thus held more weight.
The other dung beetles had simple minds, largely driven by instinct.
They seemed to regard Liu Dajun as their leader, diligently rolling small dung balls over and over.
Er Mao chuckled, "He's a little leader now!"
"Yes, he must be very happy to still have followers even as a dung beetle. How impressive!"
An Nuan quickly recorded a video to show Mr. Fu later; he would surely like it.
The port's basic construction was also complete. With everyone's help, the basic port facilities had been built, and the road leading from the port into the city had been cleared.
External survivors moved out of the ruined buildings and into safer areas.
They voluntarily took charge of the safety of transportation.
To maintain peaceful coexistence and prevent trouble, Fu Yunting decided to allocate 5% of the grain each time as compensation for their hard work.
Even though it was only 5%, the base amount was substantial.
Each 5% portion was enough for a hundred people to live frugally for a month.
Furthermore, with the new roads developed by Yun Man and Gui Tian, Xiao Yu's subordinates also served as guards.
The road leading out of the port could extend to four cities.
After unloading supplies, they would transport items An Nuan needed back from other cities.
Money, antiques, gold, silver, and jewels – treasures from before the apocalypse, now waste after it.
Everyone was naturally willing!
The first sea voyage returned with the ship's hold nearly full.
There were also rare earths, rare minerals, and characteristic crops from various regions.
Jiang Yu, in cooperation with Jiang Nan and Tu Ling, established a Fourth District.
The Fourth District was located very close to Yunfeng Tower, offering complete amenities for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and possessing the largest and most advanced agricultural technology.
An Nuan applied to the alliance, recruiting many agricultural Ph.D.s, master's graduates, and undergraduates from before the apocalypse, and gathered a group of farmers.
Food is paramount for the people, and grain production was a top priority.
In the later stages of the apocalypse, resources would become increasingly scarce.
Her stockpiled food would run out, and Fu Yunting's money would eventually be spent.
What would they do then? Sit and consume their reserves?
Although that time might be far off, An Nuan didn't want to compromise herself.
Having lived a second life, why should she live a meager one?
Producing grain and establishing vegetable bases were the first steps. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Livestock farming would be considered later.
With food, then meat – perfect!
Today, the second ship docked.
Fu Yunting entered the ship's cabin. Before he could call out to Ergouzi, it leaped out, flying excitedly back and forth.
"Glistening! It's glittering everywhere! Oh heavens, we're rich now!"
"I can finally hold my head high. I'm going to be the number one by the director's side now!"
"Master, you're amazing! I was right about you!"
Fu Yunting restrained the bright orb of light.
It darted around, blinding him.
Fu Yunting: "Don't get so excited. First, calculate the price for me. I won't sell a single cent less!"
"I am a highly conscientious merchant. Come, let's calculate the money."
Fu Yunting, true to his word, called Zhai Yan and Mi Shuangshuang, and itemized everything at clear prices.
How much an oil painting was worth, what it could be exchanged for, and in what quantity.
The price list was clearly stated.
Five hours later, An Nuan came to call Fu Yunting back for dinner and saw Ergouzi floating weakly in the air.
It looked as if it might dissipate at any moment.
An Nuan poked its face, "What's wrong? You look so dejected!"
Ergouzi's eyes welled up: [Your man is too ruthless. He didn't let me get any profit.]
[You humans get commissions on projects. After all their hard work, at least give them some reward!]
[Wuuu, I feel so bad, my heart is bleeding! I can't hold my head up in front of the director anymore!]
"Stop crying. Take this bag of things. Consider it a reward for your hard work this year."
Ergouzi extended two small paws, opened the cloth bag, and saw.
It glowed all over, its spirit revived, its eyes big and round.
The energetic Ergouzi was back!
[Boss lady, you are truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and unparalleled. My admiration for you flows like the Yangtze River, no, even adding the Yellow River!]
"Alright, go find Shui Fu to put the things in her space first, then go to the various warehouses to store the items. I'll find you later to put the rest in my place."
An Nuan didn't want to run around to each location later; transporting them would take time.
It was better for Ergouzi to work alone than for everyone to be exhausted.
However, the exchanged items were too numerous, and the quantity was vast. Seven warehouses and the cafeteria couldn't hold everything.
There weren't enough cold storage units for meat products either. The best way was to store them in An Nuan's space.
Fu Yunting walked over, holding a set of gold coins, and handed them to An Nuan.
"Commemorative gold coins issued in '68. Get a set for decoration in the new house."
"They look quite nice. Yun Man is making seafood stew and invited us to eat. Shall we go?"
"Yun Man can cook now? Can it be eaten?"
"Probably."
An Nuan leaned half her body against Fu Yunting.
Fu Yunting smiled, "By the way, what did you give Ergouzi just now? It was so moved."
"Just a bag of top-grade pearls, as big as soybeans!"
"Such a big bag? That's too cheap for Ergouzi."
Although Ergouzi was Fu Yunting's system, in his heart, he always felt Ergouzi was a profiteer.
Anyone who made money from him was not a good person!
An Nuan laughed, "Yun Man was watching a movie with Shi Qiaoqiao just now and cried her eyes out, shedding pearl tears all over the place. I picked up a few casually. There were many more scattered on the beach, and the children took them to play marbles with!"
"Now that you say that, I feel much more balanced."
No loss!
Fu Yunting put his arm around An Nuan's shoulder as they disembarked. As they emerged from the cabin, it was dusk.
Golden sunlight cast upon the beach, reflecting into the sky.
The orange sky blended into a gradient of purple-blue.
An Nuan saw the stars overhead, large and bright, and felt exceptionally cheerful.
"Tomorrow will be another fine day!"
"Yes, such fine weather is suitable for farming, sleeping, and picnicking."
"It's also suitable for proposals and weddings."
Fu Yunting stopped in his tracks, his eyes also reflecting a faint golden halo.
An Nuan pinched his arm:
"What are you looking at? Was I wrong?"
"Right, very right!"
Fu Yunting was a bit flustered.
Was this a hint? It had to be.
Fu Yunting patted his pants pocket and said awkwardly, "Oh no, I didn't bring the ring with me!"