Chapter 17: Extreme Heat, Rat Plague

The men who blocked the road were unfamiliar faces in the village—likely refugees from the city who had fled here.

The leader was a burly man. Holding a kitchen knife, he sneered and said to the others, “Look at this old guy—face all rosy and healthy. His family must have loads of supplies. Grab him and force his family to hand over their stuff!”

The other men looked like regular folks—probably driven to this by desperation. They gave Jiang Chengwu an uneasy glance, and one of them even muttered, “Sorry.”

Everyone just wanted to survive.

Jiang Chengwu calmly pulled out a gun, instantly startling all of them into stepping back. They were just about to flee when the leader barked angrily, “It’s a toy gun! What are you scared of? Get him!”

Jiang Chengwu didn’t want to waste bullets. Jiang Si had reminded him to prioritize his own safety and not let his martial arts training make him overconfident.

He raised the gun and aimed it at the leader’s forehead.
“This is your last chance—scram!”

The dark barrel of the gun looked very real. The leader hesitated, feeling a chill—but still didn’t believe an old man would be carrying a real firearm.

The others didn’t dare to act, but the leader raised his knife and roared savagely, “Trying to scare me? I’ll—”

Bang!

A gunshot shattered the silence.

The bullet pierced the man’s forehead. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

The other men, pale with fear as blood pooled beneath their fallen comrade, shrieked in terror. In a flash, they scattered into the forest like frightened animals.

Back at home, Jiang Si heard the sudden gunshot and instantly worried something had happened to Jiang Chengwu. She was about to run out when Jiang Linhai grabbed her tightly, shouting, “No! Let me go!”

If the gunman wasn’t Jiang Chengwu, she’d be in serious danger.

But Jiang Linhai’s legs were still injured—barely able to walk properly. There was no way Jiang Si would let him go.

“Dad, listen to me!”

Eyes red, Jiang Linhai said, “I’ll listen to everything else you say—but not this!”

Just as the two of them were at a standstill, familiar footsteps approached. Jiang Si peeked through the peephole—Grandpa was back.

Only when he reached the gate did Jiang Si open the door.

Inside the house, everyone immediately asked, “Who fired the gun?”
“What happened?”

Jiang Chengwu sighed, “I did. Ran into some robbers. Killed one.”

Grandma and Mom’s hearts skipped a beat. They exchanged glances, then quickly comforted him, “As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters…”

Jiang Linhai handed him a small bottle, “Dad, if you feel shaken, take one of these. It’ll help with the stress.”

It was an anti-anxiety medication Jiang Si had given Jiang Linhai, but he figured Jiang Chengwu needed it more now.

Jiang Chengwu looked at the bottle, then scoffed, which crushed Jiang Linhai like a wilted cucumber.

“Take what? You think your dad’s never seen blood before? Back when I was on patrol in the forest and we caught poachers, I charged them with a kitchen knife and slashed two of them myself! You know that!”

Jiang Linhai: “…” Fine. I’ll just take it myself.

The sweet potatoes that Grandma Zhang Qingzhi had stored in a sack had been eaten by rats.

Knowing she couldn’t stay idle, Jiang Si gave her a few mushroom grow kits and potted vegetables like strawberries, peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes.
“Grandma, once it cools down, we’ll dig soil and plant more. For now, just try these.”

Zhang Qingzhi accepted them happily. “How do you plant these?”

Jiang Si pointed to the packaging. “They come with their own nutrient soil and fertilizer. Just plant the seeds, keep them at the right temperature, and water appropriately.”

Grandma read the instructions carefully, glanced at the home’s thermometer, and said, “We’re still sterilizing the house with heat. It’s too hot now. Let’s wait two more days.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Si put the potted plants back into her storage space. Meanwhile, Mom had already finished cooking.

To avoid attracting another rat swarm, they kept the meal simple: a bowl of pickled mustard instant noodles with a poached egg and a side of braised beef from yesterday.

Even instant noodles, when cooked by Mom, tasted the best.

Jiang Si habitually fished out the pickled vegetables first, then rolled up a mouthful of steaming noodles and slurped them down.

The tangy soup was rich and flavorful. She finished the bowl to the last drop, patting her belly with satisfaction.

Her grandma, whose appetite had been poor, ended up eating half a bowl after watching her enjoy it so much.

Jiang Si still thought she’d eaten too little.
“Grandma, Mom, you both need to eat more. We might face all kinds of dangers in the future. You need to build up your strength and reflexes. Once Dad’s better, Grandpa and I will start training you in fitness and survival skills.”

It hadn’t even been that long, and the world was already falling apart.

What she said made sense. They needed to be stronger so they wouldn’t become a burden.

Both Grandma and Mom nodded firmly.
“We’ll take it seriously.”

After eating, Jiang Linhai scratched his back furiously. When Mom lifted his shirt, they saw it was covered in red bumps.

She gasped, “Mom, look—did Linhai get bitten by fleas? Or is it an allergy?”

They had kept the house clean for years and hadn’t seen a flea in ages.

Grandma touched one of the spots, then nodded when she spotted a familiar bite mark.
“Definitely fleas. With that many rats around, it’s no surprise.”

The mention of fleas made Jiang Si feel itchy all over.

She pulled out erythromycin ointment and checked her own waist—sure enough, there were some small red spots.

She had been bitten without realizing it.

The itching grew worse by the minute—almost unbearable.

Jiang Si applied the ointment, but it didn’t help much.

Jiang Linhai was twisting and scratching like crazy. Grandma said, “Use medicated oil—it works better!”

Jiang Linhai turned to Jiang Si, “Give me the medicated oil. Give her the peppermint balm. It’s gentler.”

Mom applied the balm to Jiang Si’s waist. The cool sensation penetrated the skin, soothing the itch almost immediately.

Jiang Linhai let out a relieved sigh as well.

One flea in the house could lead to thousands.

Jiang Si looked over at Dahei and Xiaohei (the dogs), who were scratching constantly. She put on protective gear and squatted down to inspect—sure enough.

The dogs were crawling with fleas—eggs had already been laid under their skin.

If they hatched, even medicine wouldn’t help much.

She immediately bathed them in diluted deworming solution, then had everyone spray insecticide in every corner of the house.

They changed clothes too, tossing the old ones into the yard to be burned.

Pop pop pop!
The sound of fleas bursting from the heat echoed—there were that many hiding in their clothes.

But even after all that, they still found fleas hiding in various corners of the house.