Chapter 20: Scorching Heat and Rat Plague

Qin Shen said plainly, “They’re unwilling to trade with me.”

Jiang Si paused, then quickly understood why.

Everyone probably feared that if the deal didn’t go through, they’d get robbed instead.

After all, as tasty as wild boar meat is, it doesn’t store nearly as well as grains.
Without salt to preserve it, it spoils even faster.

So they’d rather not eat meat than risk a situation like that.

Qin Shen, knowing her family’s specific circumstances, clearly saw that she was his best trading option.

Jiang Si nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll trade with you.”

Qin Shen carried the mint to the front of Jiang Si’s house. Afraid she might think he’d try to break in, he stepped back a few meters and said, “Just toss the stuff into my yard from the third floor.”

Jiang Si raised an eyebrow. She would like to toss it over, but a few sets of clothes and shoes would make for a pretty bulky package — she’d need to throw it fifty meters or more.

She hadn’t yet regained the strength she’d had after ten years surviving the apocalypse — her arm strength simply wasn’t there.

Jiang Si shook her head. “I’ll just leave it at the door.”

“Alright.”

As Qin Shen left, the gate creaked shut behind him.

Jiang Linhai pulled Jiang Si inside, Jiang Chengwu hauled the mint in, and her mom and grandma were already pressing for answers.

“Why’d he bring you back?”

Everyone had gossip written all over their faces. Jiang Si explained helplessly, “The mint in the Qian family’s field was all harvested by him. I made a small trade with him and he gave me half.”

They immediately asked, “What did you trade?”

“Just some clothes.”

Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying exchanged a look. “Only asked for clothes?”

If he was asking for clothes, it meant Qin Shen was running out of everything. This young man seemed pretty honest.

Jiang Si laughed. “Isn’t it a good thing if I got them cheap?”

Jiang Linhai nodded, clearly liking Qin Shen’s character. “Good, very good. The guy’s decent and even has some gentlemanly manners.”

Grandma added, “He’s also quite handsome — tall and good-looking.”

The conversation started drifting off-topic, as if she was about to go on a matchmaking date.

Jiang Si helplessly changed the subject. “Let’s go boil some insect repellent — the fleas in this house are about to eat us alive.”

At the end of the world, all they could do was joke about things like this. If someone seriously tried to pair her off with a man now, who could truly feel at ease with the unknown dangers lurking in everyone?

They started boiling vinegar and mint to make a repellent. Meanwhile, Jiang Si took some of Jiang Linhai’s worn clothes, pants, and shoes from her spatial storage. Recalling the scars on Qin Shen’s hands, she even kindly included one or two pairs of gloves.

Jiang Chengwu delivered the items while Jiang Si kept watch from the rooftop.

Jiang Liwen — annoying as ever — stood in front of Qin Shen, teary-eyed and saying who knows what.

Probably because she thought Qin Shen was handsome and capable, and could catch wild boars, she wanted to offer herself up and find a sucker to cling to.

Jiang Si smirked in amusement. If Qin Shen was dumb enough to fall for that, then he wouldn’t be a threat.

But to her disappointment, as soon as Jiang Liwen tried to touch Qin Shen, he kicked her hard, sending her flying and sliding a full ten meters across the ground.

Jiang Chengwu happened to witness the scene as he arrived with the bag. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

When Jiang Si came downstairs, she heard him telling the others, “Qin Shen is seriously dangerous! We can’t let Si Si be alone with him anymore!”

He said it so sneakily, like she and Qin Shen already had something going on.

Suddenly, the indoor temperature dropped — night was falling.

To guard against the rats swarming out of their nests, everyone put on two layers of protective clothing and carefully checked all doors and windows to make sure they were sealed tight.

Not long after they shut everything, the noise of rats pouring out was deafening — like a tidal wave.

The windows, roof, walls, even the ground shook. The constant scritch-scratch of gnawing sounded like some monstrous force trying to break in.

Everyone frowned, huddling together.

Then —

Dust fell from the ceiling, landing on the glowing orb Jiang Si used for light. Jiang Linhai tensed. “Si Si, rats have really sharp teeth, and they’re great at digging. If there are this many, they won’t just dig in one spot, right?”

Their walls weren’t that thick. With this many rats, even steel walls might be chewed through.

And right on cue —

Gnawing sounds erupted right beside them.

A hole the size of a thumb appeared in the wall near the living room window.

Big Black, their dog, growled furiously, baring its teeth.

Everyone looked where the dog was focused — a sharp rat claw poked through the hole. Its whole body writhed as it clawed and gnawed to widen the opening.

Shen Baoying cried out, “Si Si, let’s block the hole quickly!”

But even if they used a ladder to reach it and block it, the rats might already be digging in from somewhere else.

Even if she summoned the RV and they all hid inside, rats might crawl in through the exhaust vents.

In just a moment, a rat head had already pushed through the hole.

Jiang Si pulled a torch from her spatial storage. “Rats fear fire. Let’s try this.”

Jiang Linhai held the torch high. The rats shrieked and scrambled backward. He cheered, “It works! It’s really working!”

But one torch couldn’t stop an army.

While he was speaking, more holes were dug in other corners of the living room.

Jiang Si thought for a moment. “Let’s open the door and pour gasoline while lighting it. We’ll rush outside and create a fire circle to block the rats. If that fails, we hide in the RV.”

“Got it!”

She lit a trail of gasoline from her feet to the door. When Jiang Chengwu flung the door open, everyone raised their torches.

The rats, like a tide, recoiled.

Jiang Si signaled, and they carefully stepped out of the house back-to-back.

What they saw stunned them — thousands of rats with glowing red eyes.

One misstep, and they’d be devoured to the bone.

Jiang Si, under cover from the others, quickly poured gasoline in a circle. As the fire blazed up, the rats were forced to stay away.

Everyone finally let out a breath of relief.

As long as the fire stayed lit, they’d be safe for the night.

The blazing fire from Jiang Si’s house lit up the village and reminded nearby survivors. Those without gasoline started burning whatever they could — clothes, shoes, sofas, towels — anything that would keep the rats back.

Rats truly did fear fire. They kept retreating.

People’s spirits lifted. They scrambled to burn anything flammable, forcing the rats to stay at bay.

The night dragged on. After four exhausting hours, everyone was stripped down to nothing, and there was nothing left in the house to burn.

At last, daylight came.

The blazing sun and skyrocketing temperatures drove the rats away.

The survivors of the village had finally made it through — clinging to that thin thread of hope.