Read Novel Full Chapter 259: Did You Get Your Hair Done?
Chapter 259: Did You Get Your Hair Done?
The main gate was securely installed, making it impossible for Huo Yishen to move it even after several knocks, thereby doubling his sense of security.
Qin Chuan decisively copied their homework. He took out his phone and took pictures, intending to replicate the entire set.
…
The homeowner’s committee was very efficient. Although no one came to collect the grain, the security patrol team had already been deployed.
Each group had ten people, divided into two teams, making a total of 20 people.
Jiang Ning stood on the rooftop, watching the teams queuing up from below.
They seemed alright—quite young and sturdy-looking. Some probably knew a bit of martial arts.
After dinner, Jiang Ning put a leash on the dog and took a leisure stroll around the neighborhood.
On the open ground, the Rong family’s bodyguards were training the security guards, teaching them defensive martial arts moves. They looked quite professional, but their actual combat effectiveness was yet to be seen.
As they walked by, a few socialites suddenly spoke up, “Yanfei, did you get your hair done?”
Jiang Ning walked with the dog while strolling leisurely.
Unexpectedly, someone came over to tap her on the shoulder, “Yanfei…”
Sensing someone approaching, Jiang Ning instinctively grabbed her wrist.
The woman exclaimed in pain, “Ah!”
If Jiang Ning hadn’t withdrawn her defensive stance in time, she would have thrown the person over her shoulder.
Jiang Ning turned around with a fierce look in her eyes.
The woman, in pain from her wrist being squeezed, was about to curse, but when she saw Jiang Ning’s face clearly, she froze, “You… Sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
The dog bared its teeth, assuming an attacking posture, frightening the socialites, who retreated in fear.
Since it was a misunderstanding, Jiang Ning didn’t pursue it further and walked away with the dog.
The socialites were furious, waiting until the aggressive dog was far away before angrily saying, “What kind of person is she, so uncouth!”
“Which family is she from, I’ve never seen her before.”
“You can tell just by looking at her clothes, she’s from those two slums.”
“Actually, now that you mention it, she really looks like Yanfei.”
Jiang Ning didn’t dwell on it, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t angry. She let the matter with the homeowners committee slide, but they hadn’t posted any notices about the property fees, nor had anyone come to collect them.
It was obvious they were looking down on people.
If they didn’t collect, she wouldn’t go out of her way to pay.
All the medicinal plants harvested from Jinshi Mountain had survived.
The two mysterious medicinal plants brought back from Dongqiao Mountain were gradually growing under her careful care.
It took two days to handle all the cuttings and divisions.
Like rapidly growing herbs, they were harvested with a sickle, washed, cut into sections, dried in the sun, and then classified and stored for future use.
At the same time, she transplanted a dragon knot grass into a flowerpot and placed it in the glasshouse on the rooftop to let it gradually adapt to extreme weather conditions. She then compared it with the one planted in her space, observing any changes in its medicinal properties.
Unlike other herbs, a slight negligence would not only fail to cure the illness but also possibly worsen it.
The latest official news bulletin announced the opening of the trading market in the new city area, which included both official storefronts and free stalls selling various daily necessities. Those in need could go there to trade.
Jiang Ning planned to go out to explore the new city area, familiarize herself with its layout, and collect useful supplies.
The community patrols were uninterrupted, so it was currently quite safe.
Leaving the dog at home, the three of them happily went out.
As they left the community, dust flew everywhere, and the smell of earth rushed into their noses. They quickly put on masks.
Some commercial buildings were under renovation, while others were vacant, with windows filled with densely packed clothes.
The visual difference was striking, but the atmosphere of life was especially vibrant.
Even from a distance, the smell of the public toilet wafted over, so they quickly avoided it.
The trading market wasn’t too far; they reached it in less than an hour.
With the arrival of the polar day, the Agricultural Institute not only distributed vegetable seeds but also improved the varieties of sweet potatoes and potatoes, making them more adaptable to the year-round climate and even shortening their growth cycles.
For example, potatoes could now be harvested in just 70 days.
After the earthquake, various items such as furniture, clothes, and tools were scarce. Even those salvaged from the ruins were old and worn-out.
However, anything of decent quality came at a high price.
On the other hand, daily necessities became relatively abundant. There were dried wild vegetables, sweet potato sprouts, dried vegetables, as well as fresh vegetables, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Though not plentiful, they were equally expensive.
After quickly browsing, they went to the official operated mall.
The storefront wasn’t spacious. It resembles a supply and marketing cooperative from decades ago. Items were showcased behind counters and handed to you only after confirming your purchase.
There were tea, cigarettes, alcohol, not to mention potatoes and vegetables, with a much better variety and appearance than those in the trading street.
Most of the official supplies probably came from the grain-for-housing side, not bartering but only accepting trading coins.
Trading coins?
Seeing her confusion, the attendant explained, “It’s equivalent to the bank cards from before. If you want to earn trading coins, you can exchange goods at the work center or earn them by working. Now, our salary is paid in trading coins.”
Jiang Ning remembered that a bottle of ordinary Maotai could be exchanged for 100 trading coins, but it was sold for 130 in stores, with the official pocketing the difference.
Since they were already here, Jiang Ning decided to take a look.
Indeed, a lot of information had been updated. One jin of sweet potatoes cost 1 trading coin, while buying potatoes cost 0.8 trading coins. Tea, salt, alcohol, and sugar were luxury items, but what was even more expensive than them was medicine.
Cold medicine, antibiotics, and similar items were quite pricey. Chinese medicine wasn’t cheap either. Different medicines had different prices, and the specific price was negotiable.
The items they wanted to trade for were not on the official list.
After taking a break, Jiang Ning and the others wandered around the new city area, inadvertently walking to the street where the police station was located.
They saw two familiar members of the Aoyuan Community, who had already moved into the commercial building.
The police station was open for business, but thinking about what had happened in the past three years, the two instinctively took a detour.
Walking back to the Guangming Community, their feet were numb from exhaustion. From afar, they saw a crowd gathered at the entrance of the community, seemingly embroiled in a dispute.
“What’s with your attitude?” an agitated voice rang out. “We used to come here every now and then, why can’t we come in now?”
The security guard had a stern expression. “I’m sorry, for the sake of safety, the community has unanimously decided that non-resident owners cannot enter. If you have business here, you can inform the owner to come and accompany you.”
“What do you mean by safety? Do we look like thieves or robbers?”
“If you don’t let us in, how can the owner come to accompany us? I think you just have lowly eyes, wearing a guard’s uniform but acting all high and mighty.”
The security guard’s expression remained unchanged. “The requirement has been stated. Please refrain from causing trouble here.”
“We’re just causing the trouble!! We used to come here every day without any problems. Why can’t we come in now?”
The speaker became more agitated, gesturing wildly and nearly poking the security guard.
The security guard grabbed his arm in a reverse lock, causing the man to scream in pain.
His fellow security guards immediately rushed forward, pulling out batons and surrounding the group. “If you cause trouble again, don’t blame us for being impolite. We’ll take you to the police station.”
Jiang Ning walked over, and when she saw who was being surrounded, her brow furrowed. “Stop it. They’re friends of the residents of Building 49.”