"Big brother, go ahead and attend to your business. We can handle the rest ourselves," Zhi Xia said, expressing her gratitude to the others as well.
After they all left, Zhi Xia went to fetch water and clean the table.
Pei Jing took his tools and repaired any flaws in the table and stools.
"Where did you get these from? You came back so quickly," Zhi Xia asked them in surprise. Although the table and cabinet seemed a bit old, the wood was in good condition, made of authentic yellow rosewood.
"We bought them from a junkyard. They may be a bit worn out, but with some repairs, they can still be used. Besides, they are affordable. Customizing new ones would be expensive, and it would take some time to make them," Pei Jing explained, without pausing his actions. "By the way, I also brought some old newspapers and books. We can make some paste later and wallpaper the wall near the window to prevent dust from falling."
Unlike the latex paint of the future, the lime used for wallpapering now easily rubbed off, leaving a dusty residue when touched.
"Alright, I'll clean the table first and then prepare the paste," Zhi Xia said. Just as she finished speaking, Sister Fengxia approached and immediately joined in, helping with the work. Zhi Xia felt a bit embarrassed by her generosity.
But she was genuinely a good person, cheerful and generous, and Zhi Xia was grateful to have met such a person.
After wiping the table and cabinet, and upon learning that Zhi Xia would be preparing the paste, Sister Fengxia insisted on taking over and asked Zhi Xia to pack their belongings instead.
The cabinet that Pei Jing brought back was not small, and she managed to place both their belongings inside, only taking up a quarter of the space.
Of course, it was also because they didn't have many possessions.
They worked tirelessly until evening, and Zhi Xia looked at Lin Fengxia gratefully. "Thank you so much for today, Sister. Once we're done with everything in a couple of days, we must invite you and Wu Tuan over for a celebratory drink. You have to show up for that."
"Sure, I can't refuse that," Lin Fengxia chuckled. "It's getting late, and I need to go back and cook. You two should eat and rest as well."
After Lin Fengxia left, Zhi Xia let out a sigh and sat on the bed.
Pei Jing came in from outside and heard her asking, "Are you tired? How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, just a bit sore in the waist. Resting for a while will make it better," Zhi Xia replied and asked, "What should we have for dinner tonight?"
"The kitchen isn't fully organized yet. I'll go to the canteen and get some food for us to make do," Pei Jing suggested. "And you, if you're tired, don't worry about it. I'll take care of the rest."
Zhi Xia smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that delicate."
"It's not about being delicate. It's just that your health is different now, and you need to take extra care," Pei Jing reminded her.
When they arrived, both of their grandfathers had repeatedly emphasized this, and even without their reminders, he should take good care of her and not let her tire herself out.
After spending two or three days, they finally managed to tidy up the house properly.
Originally, she had planned to host a gathering for her comrades and neighbors, but Pei Jing received a sudden mission and left in the afternoon. With the house all tidied up, Zhi Xia finally found herself with some free time.
Being alone at home, she suddenly felt an overwhelming silence.
For the past few days, she had been avoiding going into the space for fear of Pei Jing discovering it. So as soon as he left, she entered the space through the hidden door.
Inside, she found a package of crystal cores, worth a whopping 5,000 Star Coins.
"Sister, you mentioned having a friend from the interstellar realm. Can you help me obtain some information about humans venturing into space? Our situation here is quite dire. The planet has been ravaged by various mutated species and is no longer suitable for human habitation. We have already detected other planets that could be suitable for resettlement, but our technology is still lacking. Please, I'm begging for your help."
The affluent woman from a different era replied, "I do have an interstellar friend, but she belongs to the Insect Clan. I'm not sure if she can assist you. Wait a moment, let me ask."
Zhi Xia turned and asked the Queen of the Insect Clan, only to be questioned in return about what she could offer in exchange.
There was a moment of silence from Zhi Xia.
Indeed, for the Queen of the Insect Clan, the only valuable thing she could provide was plants. However, she had already promised to provide enough food to sustain her throughout the breeding period.
After a while, a sudden thought struck her. "Do you need mutated plants? Although the quantity may not be significant."
The Queen of the Insect Clan responded, "What kind of mutated plants? Show me first."
Zhi Xia asked "I'm Not a Zombie" to obtain mutated plants and sent them to the Queen of the Insect Clan.
After a moment, the Queen of the Insect Clan replied, "We can trade. How many mutated plants can you provide?"
She had discovered that mutated plants contained a kind of energy that could enhance her reproductive speed, allowing her colony to grow rapidly.
The affluent woman from a different era said, "I can't give you an exact number because these plants are of no use to me, and they are dangerous to harvest due to their destructive nature. I can only tell you that I can provide as many as I can harvest within a month."
The Queen of the Insect Clan said, "Deal, but I need them as soon as possible."
Along with her response came a wristwatch.
"This is the development trajectory of the interstellar realm from our side. It contains a wealth of information that might be useful to you."
Zhi Xia took the watch and studied it herself, discovering that it contained the history of various species' journey from their home planets to the interstellar realm. There were also many other things she couldn't understand or explain based on her existing knowledge.
But to her surprise, she realized that the interstellar realm was not only inhabited by humans and the Insect Clan but also by many other species, such as zombies and vampires. There were even beastmen. These species had their own strengths and weaknesses and were distributed across different star systems based on their living conditions. Typically, they didn't bother each other, although occasional conflicts between certain groups could not be entirely ruled out.
Among them, the Insect Clan is the weakest, but they possess the strongest reproductive ability. The Queen of the Insect Clan belongs to the herbivorous insect species, and Zhi Xia knows this well. After all, it has always relied on plants for food.
Zombies and Vampires are the longest-lived, but they lack the ability to reproduce on their own. They can only propagate through blood transmission, which leads to their rejection and hunting by humans. Beastmen have the strongest physical strength but lower intelligence, and their reproductive ability is average. Humans, although seemingly weaker, are intelligent beings with strong reproductive capabilities, hence they dominate the interstellar realm.
After sending the requirements of the Queen of the Insect Clan and the Artificial Intelligence to me, Zhi Xia, who is not a zombie, received her agreement and a pleasantly surprised response.
"I'm Not a Zombie: Sister, I really love you so much. You've helped me a lot."
This AI contains a vast amount of knowledge. As long as their researchers can fully comprehend it, it would bring immeasurable benefits to the entire human race.
Zhi Xia spent 1000 Star Coins to activate the item display cabinet. She set it up so that the plants sent from "I'm Not a Zombie" would automatically be converted and displayed in the cabinet. She also set the selling price to zero so that the Queen of the Insect Clan could place orders herself, with Zhi Xia acting as an intermediary.
Of course, she could also set it up so that others couldn't place orders. This interdimensional trading device is truly extraordinary. It seems like there's nothing it can't do as long as you have Star Coins.
Once this was settled, Zhi Xia went to ask the Divine Doctor Sister, "Sister, do you have any scar removal cream that can be used during pregnancy?"
The scars on her back and legs were somewhat unsightly. Although they couldn't be seen now because of the cold weather and her clothes, there would be times when she needed to undress at night.
The Divine Doctor Sister replied, "How severe is it? I need to see it before I can make a conclusion, and you're in the pregnancy period, so we need to be cautious about medication."
Zhi Xia used her phone to take pictures of the scars on her back and sent them to the Divine Doctor Sister. After seeing them, the Divine Doctor Sister came to a conclusion, "The ones on your back are not too severe and can be treated with medication. It should take about half a month to remove them. However, the ones on your legs are slightly more severe, and it will probably take a little over a month."
The Divine Doctor Sister said she would prepare the medicine first and then give it to her.
