【Dislike Points +3】
Sitting at home, and dislike points fall from the sky?
Shen Nanchu raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t pay it much mind, continuing her conversation with Pei's Mother and Grandma Pei.
After all, it wasn’t just one or two people who had issues with her—there were plenty more.
"Grandma, you’re so talented—could you paint a few pictures for me?"
Shen Nanchu smiled as she set the brush and paper in front of Grandma Pei.
"You little rascal, your grandma hasn’t even agreed yet, and you’ve already laid out the supplies? Trying to force my hand?"
Pei's Mother teased.
"Who are you calling a duck?"
Grandma Pei pretended to be offended, her expression darkening.
"The duck is me, I’m the duck. You two are the duck mom and duck grandma."
Shen Nanchu replied with a grin.
Grandma Pei picked up the brush.
"Alright, tell me—what do you want me to paint?"
As a former young lady of a capitalist family, Grandma Pei was well-versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
"Grandma, could you paint something for our Wang Family Village’s tea seed shampoo?"
Now that the shampoo was ready, Shen Nanchu wanted to put some effort into the packaging.
Grandma Pei paused mid-stroke.
"Where do you plan to print this painting?"
"On bamboo."
This was something Shen Nanchu had already decided.
Plastic bottles hadn’t been invented yet, so that was out of the question.
Tin cans were too expensive and prone to rust.
As for glass jars—they would work, but did Wang Family Village look like it had the funds to buy them?
Shen Nanchu decided to use local resources and set her sights on the bamboo by the river.
At the very least, bamboo was free and easy to shape into containers.
Plus, the low cost would make the shampoo more marketable later.
"Fine."
Grandma Pei immediately had an idea.
As her pencil sketched, a beautiful long-haired woman came to life on the paper, her hair meticulously detailed. Behind her stood a grove of tea oil trees.
Shen Nanchu was very pleased.
"Grandma, add two words here—‘Black Girl.’"
"Uh—"
Grandma Pei’s lips twitched.
"Child, those words are a bit... crude."
"Elegance and vulgarity each have their merits. Crude is catchy and easy to remember."
Shen Nanchu pointed to the blank space.
"Just write it here, Grandma."
In these times, how many people could even read?
"Black Girl" was catchy, simple, and memorable.
Use "Black Girl," and you’ll have hair as dark and shiny as hers.
Not bad, not bad.
Shen Nanchu mentally patted herself on the back for her cleverness.
Next, as long as Wang Jianguo followed the plan she’d given him and prepared everything step by step, they’d just have to wait for the tea seeds to ripen.
...
On Wednesday, Shen Nanchu set off for the Dalao Military District, carrying the hopes of the Pei family.
To get there, she first had to travel from Wang Family Village to town, then take a bus to neighboring Yuyang County, and finally transfer to another bus bound for Liuan Town.
Once in Liuan Town, there was still a long mountain path ahead.
Early in the morning, Pei Yunzhou drove Shen Nanchu to town.
After he left, she tossed all her bags into her spatial storage.
Carrying so much luggage would have been exhausting.
With her hands free, Shen Nanchu felt much lighter.
The system stared silently at the familiar box now lying in the storage space.
Host, you’re not planning to give this as a gift to the male lead, are you?
If so, the system could only applaud its host’s resourcefulness—truly a master at repurposing junk.
Feeling unburdened, Shen Nanchu transferred buses several times and finally arrived at Liuan Town around noon.
Once in Liuan Town, she was in no hurry to continue her journey.
First, she stopped by the state-run restaurant to satisfy her hunger.
After eating her fill, she took a leisurely stroll through the streets and bought some snacks.
She didn’t believe for a second the nonsense about army rations being good.
If Pei Zhengnian could treat compressed biscuits like treasure and gift them to her, what decent food could she expect in the military?
Better to be self-sufficient.
Shen Nanchu wandered from one end of the street to the other, picking up quite a few things.
Finally content, she stood by the roadside with a suitcase and a bag of supplies, waiting for the bus to Daliao Military District.
Since the bus to the military district would inevitably carry soldiers, Shen Nanchu put on a bit of an act to avoid unnecessary trouble.
After waiting nearly an hour without the bus arriving, her brows furrowed slightly.
Had she come too late?
But seeing others still waiting alongside her, she reassured herself.
Just as her patience was wearing thin—
Beep beep beep!
A military jeep pulled up in front of her, and Xiong Lei leaned out from the driver’s seat.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"
Before Shen Nanchu could answer, he continued,
"You must be here to see the company commander."
"Perfect timing—we’re heading back to the district now."
Two soldiers sat in the back seat. Upon learning Shen Nanchu’s identity, they greeted her in unison,
"Hello, Sister-in-law!"
"Hello, Sister-in-law!"
All three of them eagerly helped her load her belongings into the jeep.
Under the envious gazes of passersby, Shen Nanchu took the front passenger seat.
Xiong Lei deliberately slowed the jeep’s speed, worried she might feel uncomfortable.
The two soldiers in the back sat stiffly, their faces tense.
They had never seen such a beautiful sister-in-law before.
But at this snail-like pace, Shen Nanchu’s frown deepened.
When the bus to Daliao Military District finally overtook them, she couldn’t sit still any longer.
At this rate, when would they ever reach the district?
Just as she was about to urge Xiong Lei to speed up, the jeep suddenly shuddered—then stalled and broke down.
"Sister-in-law, stay in the jeep. I’ll check what’s wrong."
Xiong Lei got out, popped the hood, and began inspecting the engine.
The vehicle had just been checked last night.
It had been running fine this morning!
Who would’ve thought it would break down now?
After a thorough inspection, Xiong Lei couldn’t find any issues.
The two soldiers also got out and checked, but they couldn’t spot the problem either.
What were they supposed to do now?
Xiong Lei tried starting the engine several more times, but it refused to turn over.
Sweat beaded on his forehead from frustration.
Shen Nanchu glanced at her wristwatch.
Then she opened the passenger door and stepped out.
"Let me take a look."
She undid her braid, quickly gathered her hair into a bun, and secured it with the hair tie.
The two soldiers and Xiong Lei froze in place.
Xiong Lei gulped. "Sister-in-law… you know about cars?"
"Mn."
In the apocalypse, not knowing how to handle a vehicle was like walking around with a noose around your neck.
Shen Nanchu didn’t just understand cars—her driving skills were unmatched.
Rolling up her sleeves to reveal her fair wrists, she got straight to work.
After some tinkering, she finally pinpointed the issue.
"Get in."
Shen Nanchu took the driver's seat, fastened her seatbelt, rested her left hand on the steering wheel, and placed her right hand on the gearshift.
Xiong Lei and the two other soldiers hurriedly climbed into the vehicle.
The moment the three settled in, Shen Nanchu slammed her foot down on the accelerator, pressing it to the floor.
Xiong Lei and the others paled in terror.
A split second later, Shen Nanchu turned the key in the ignition.
VROOM—
With a deafening roar,
the military-green vehicle shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow...
