Chapter 11: Extreme Heat

The best way to repel mosquitoes with mugwort is to burn it. Its unique scent can quickly drive mosquitoes away. As a medicinal herb, it also has antibacterial and antiviral properties, helps reduce dampness, and regulates menstruation.

Rubbing mugwort on the skin or spraying it on clothes is also effective against mosquitoes.

If an entire room is filled with mugwort, it could spare you from disaster.

Once the outside temperature exceeds 70°C, even heat-resistant mosquitoes won’t survive.

Lu Zhifeng stood by the river holding his daughter, hesitating to catch fish—because he’d noticed strange eggs in the water.

After Jiang Si’s warning, he crouched down to take a closer look—and sure enough, they were mosquito larvae that hadn’t fully formed yet.

The eggs were huge. If all of them hatched, the outcome would be terrifying.

Lu Zhifeng hugged his daughter tighter, thanked Jiang Si, and hurried off to gather mugwort.

Jiang Si looked at the ranger’s rifle slung across his back with a bit of envy.

She had bought tons of equipment, but nothing compared to the power of that forest ranger’s gun in Lu Zhifeng’s hands.

The Longquan Forest Reserve was vast, with frequent poaching. Lu Zhifeng had been promoted to team leader years ago—he likely had more than one gun.

If the timing was right, maybe she could trade some supplies for one.

Jiang Linhai asked Jiang Si, “Should we get some mugwort too?”

Their home backed right up to the mountain. Summer brought a surge in snakes, bugs, rats, and ants, so they had already planted some mugwort in the yard. But seeing those dense clusters of mosquito eggs, Jiang Linhai’s scalp tingled. What they had at home clearly wasn’t enough.

Mugwort had so many benefits—the more, the better.

Jiang Si nodded. “Yes, let’s gather a bunch to bring back!”

Jiang Linhai knew where to find it in large quantities. The father and daughter gathered several massive bundles in no time.

Others were collecting it too—not to repel mosquitoes, but to use as firewood.

Suddenly, a tall figure emerged from the forest’s edge.

Everyone looked up and gasped.

Qin Shen had caught two more enormous wild boars!

How could catching wild boars be so easy!?

Afraid they wouldn’t get to eat meat in the future, many people had stopped even cooking their preserved meat. Seeing Qin Shen repeatedly succeed made others envious—they started thinking about going boar-hunting too.

Jiang Si’s family already had two boars, turned into cured meat—enough to last them a long time. She also had plenty of other meat stored in her space.

So she wasn’t interested in Qin Shen’s wild boars.

But Qin Shen approached her directly and said, “Want wild boar? I need salt.”

Jiang Si was a little surprised. Out of everyone, he had chosen to speak to her?

Maybe it was because their houses were close by—easier for trading?

Locals had the tradition of making pickled vegetables, so they bought salt by the case.

Domestic pigs couldn’t handle the heat, so every household had slaughtered theirs already. Some hadn’t raised pigs at all and were now living on vegetables alone, growing weak and dizzy.

Jiang Si thought for a moment. “How much wild boar can I get for three bags of salt?”

Everyone nearby pricked up their ears.

Qin Shen casually pointed. “One hind leg.”

A wild boar’s hind leg weighed at least 20 jin (10 kg). And all it cost was three bags of salt?

This was a great deal!

Jiang Si hadn’t even replied yet when someone else jumped in: “I’ll trade! Three bags of salt, right? I’ll go grab them now!”

Qin Shen turned to them. “She’s first.” He looked back at Jiang Si and asked seriously, “Deal?”

There were many ways to get salt, but Qin Shen probably wanted it to preserve meat.

Three bags was more than fair.

Jiang Si nodded. “Deal.”

“I’ll butcher the meat. You bring the salt to trade,” Qin Shen said.

“Okay.”

Zhang Mayi, a relative from her grandmother’s side, also wanted wild boar meat—but didn’t have three bags of salt. So he set his sights on Jiang Linhai.

Zhang Mayi smiled and said, “Linhai, we’re family—let Uncle borrow three bags of salt for the trade. I’ll send you some millet later.”

Zhang Mayi was known as the stingiest person in the village. Jiang Linhai didn’t believe for a second that, once he got the wild boar meat, he’d actually send over any millet.

Instead, Jiang Linhai asked Qin Shen directly, “Can I trade millet for wild boar?”

Qin Shen nodded. “Sure. One jin of millet for twenty jin of wild boar meat.”

The same meat that cost three bags of salt just a moment ago suddenly jumped in price to one jin of millet for 20 jin of meat.

Zhang Mayi was furious. “Linhai, your family has so much salt—just three bags! Don’t be so stingy!”

Jiang Linhai shook his head firmly. “We’re almost out from making pickled vegetables. Three bags is already the limit. If it weren’t for wanting the kids to eat meat, I wouldn’t even trade that much.”

Zhang Mayi’s face stiffened, but he persisted. “Then since your house is closer to Qin Shen’s, help Uncle trade a jin of millet for now. I’ll pay you back later.”

With the heat so extreme, Jiang Linhai didn’t want to waste more time talking. “No. We don’t have much millet either. That’s it. If we stand here much longer, we’ll roast alive.”

He ended the conversation coldly, giving Zhang Mayi no chance to take advantage. The man stomped his feet in frustration.

“You won’t even help with something this small? No sense of family! Hoarding so much—you’re just selfish!”

Jiang Linhai ignored him and carried the mugwort home with Jiang Si.

Zhang Mayi saw people crowding around Qin Shen, eager to trade before the meat ran out. In a panic, he shouted, “Half a bag of salt for ten jin of belly meat!”

“No deal,” Qin Shen said flatly.

Zhang Mayi protested, “Belly meat’s not as good as the hind leg! Half a bag should be enough!”

Qin Shen picked up the meat and turned to leave.

Zhang Mayi blocked his way. “You’re young and clueless! You have so much meat but no salt. It’ll rot in two days. I’m offering you something better than watching it spoil and turn to maggots!”

Qin Shen glared at him coldly. “Move.”

Zhang Mayi refused. He insisted on trading half a bag of salt for ten jin of belly meat. When others called him shameless, he loudly shouted that Qin Shen was the son of a murderer, and eating his meat would poison them all.

“AHHHH—!”

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

Qin Shen had kicked Zhang Mayi down into a muddy ditch.

Everyone who had wanted to trade suddenly hesitated.

They feared the rumors: that the son of a killer might have inherited his father’s violence. If he poisoned them, who could they blame?

Back home, Jiang Si didn’t rush to get the wild boar meat. Instead, she focused on sealing off the house:

• Burned mugwort in every area mosquitoes might enter.
• Sprayed strong insecticide.
• Installed double layers of mesh in every room they passed through.

Even the bathroom was sealed off. They switched to a temporary toilet and collected organic waste to fertilize their crops inside her space.

Lastly, she instructed Jiang Chengwu and Jiang Linhai to build a hidden honeycomb-style barrier at the entrance.

If they had to leave in an emergency, it would still minimize mosquito intrusion.

She sent Jiang Linhai to fetch the wild boar leg from Qin Shen. While observing from the window, she noticed something alarming:

A large crowd of strangers was flooding toward the village.

Judging by how they were knocking on doors and blocking villagers, they had likely escaped from the city, searching desperately for food and water.

Their numbers were like a swarm of locusts.

When villagers refused to help, the strangers took hostages and barged into people’s homes.

Jiang Si picked up her binoculars—and within seconds, saw several village doors already smashed open.