Chapter 106: Scumbag

After filling out all the information, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an also needed the residents or their agents to sign for confirmation. They repeatedly emphasized that this information would be used for future national policy decisions, urging residents to provide accurate details.

Ideally, fingerprints and iris information would be collected during registration. However, the Qinghe Alliance lacked sufficient equipment and could only input this data in batches. If the bracelet is widely adopted in the future, its distribution will likely follow a similar phased approach.

Since the official household registration notice was given two months in advance, residents were highly cooperative. 

For those absent during weekdays, Shen Yanming had to resort to leaving a QR code on their door with a note explaining the registration process and requesting that they add him on WeChat to schedule a time.

Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an’s registration work proceeded smoothly, as did the efforts of Wei Qin, who led Yu Shui and Ye Xiaoxiao.

However, the registration process was time-consuming due to the extensive information required and the need to communicate with residents. Each registration took at least twenty minutes, sometimes exceeding half an hour. 

To complete the task quickly, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an worked tirelessly from morning to night, forgoing breaks. They prioritized residents who were present at home and scheduled appointments for those who were absent during regular hours or evenings. If necessary, they even conducted registrations on weekends.

Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an frequently traveled between their homes and Xingfu Street Residential Area, observing the completion of dry toilets along the street. 

Although the toilets had been operational for some time, residents were accustomed to using their restroom at home, leaving the dry toilets largely unused.

---

Today was the day for the laborers to receive their wages. The Qinghe Alliance gave them two well-deserved days off. After all, they have worked tirelessly for over a month to catch up on their project.

After receiving her monthly salary and benefits, Zhang Chenjun wanted to celebrate and decided to take her parents out to eat as well as shopping. The three found a decent restaurant, and Zhang Chenjun ordered a few of her parents’ favorite dishes.

Before the dishes arrived, Zhang Chenjun’s phone rang. After informing her parents, she left the restaurant to answer the call. Unexpectedly, just as she stepped outside, she ran into Xiao Fei, who was buying hawthorn and plum snacks.

Zhang Chenjun cursed the dog in her heart, but Xiao Fei’s eyes lit up. He grabbed her and asked urgently, “Chenjun, where have you been this past month? Why haven’t you been at the company?”

Zhang Chenjun tried to break free but couldn’t. Trapped in a stalemate, she could only say, “I changed jobs.”

Hearing her flat words, Xiao Fei’s eyes filled with deep affection and sadness. “Is it because I got married? Did you stop working at the company because of it?”

Zhang Chenjun suppressed a wave of disgust and played along, saying, “Yes. Why didn’t you tell me you had a fiancée? She was even pregnant, but you still came to bother me. Xiao Fei, what do you take me for?”

“No, I didn’t. It was just an accident with her. I didn’t want to get married, but she was pregnant…” Xiao Fei explained, “If she hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t have married her. Chenjun, you’re the one I like!”

A sneer curled Zhang Chenjun’s lips. She looked at him with firm eyes. “But you’re already married. No matter what happened before, let’s end it here! Xiao Fei, now that you’re married, live well with Chen Jin.”

With that, Zhang Chenjun used all her strength to pry open Xiao Fei’s fingers and turned back into the restaurant.

Xiao Fei watched her resolute back with a complex mix of emotions. He didn’t know if he loved Zhang Chenjun or not. 

At first, Zhang Chenjun’s pursuit and love for him had indeed satisfied his vanity, and he gradually got used to this state. Moreover, Xiao Fei felt from the bottom of his heart that Zhang Chenjun was better than Chen Jin in all aspects, completely fitting the image of the perfect wife in his mind.

Originally, he had planned to find an opportunity to break up with Chen Jin and then marry Zhang Chenjun. However, Chen Jin had forced him to marry her with a big belly, turning all his plans into bubbles. Xiao Fei really started to hate Chen Jin.

When Zhang Chenjun returned to the restaurant, Father Zhang asked her, “Why were you gone for so long?”

She didn’t conceal it. “I ran into Xiao Fei at the door.”

Father Zhang asked with some concern, “Nini, have you really decided to break up with him like this?”

Zhang Chenjun smiled. “Yes, not to mention that thing has never been found, even if it is found now, it’s not something we can have. It’s good to take this opportunity to withdraw.”

Father Zhang nodded after hearing this. “It’s good that you’ve thought it through.”

---

At the Qinghe Alliance headquarters in the imperial capital, Chief Alliance Officer Li Cheng received a distressing call from the research institute.

“Chief Li, the groundwater level has been dropping at an alarming rate. It won’t be long before we face a severe water shortage.”

Li Cheng’s heart sank after the call. Though the arrival of the dry season was expected, the reality of the situation filled him with a sense of urgency and concern. 

He immediately called a meeting. After deliberation, the Qinghe Alliance released a video on their official Weibo at 8 pm that evening.

In the video, Chief Alliance Officer Li Cheng emphasized the declining water levels and urged everyone to conserve water. He advised using dry toilets to minimize water waste from flushing and stressed the importance of avoiding a situation where basic hygiene became impossible due to lack of water.

Li Cheng subtly suggested that residents could temporarily adjust their personal hygiene routines to conserve precious water. In short, if you can avoid washing your hair, don’t wash your hair; if you can avoid taking a bath, don’t take a bath either. You can still live if you stink a bit, but if you use up all the water, you’ll really die of thirst.

The video quickly went viral, topping Weibo’s trending lists and dominating major websites. Panic spread among netizens, who frantically turned on their faucets and filled up every available container with water in their homes. 

Perhaps because too many people were running water at the same time, the water flow became a bit smaller. This change further intensified the netizens’ panic about water shortages.

However, the water didn’t stop. After everyone filled up their bathtubs and washbasins at home, the sense of panic also dissipated by more than half. After all, they had known long ago that there would be a drought and had already done water storage work during the rainy season. 

It’s just that they had gotten used to the leisurely life during this period, and the sudden switch back to “crisis mode” had been jarring.

When Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an saw the video, they shared it immediately. Like others, Bi Qiao’an filled her home’s bathtubs and basins with water, but she felt less panicked, knowing she had resources in her space. Still, the appearance of preparedness was important, as anyone might visit their home unexpectedly.

As if on cue, the person in charge of registering the Qingyu Community arrived at their door!

🍁🍁🍁

Don’t forget to comment & rate this novel on NU and join the Discord group to get updated for the latest releases!