Li Ba, a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, was the sales manager at a well-known seed company in Wucheng before the apocalypse. When the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, the naturally timid Li Ba faced life-and-death situations and managed to scrape by and survive. By chance, he set aside the rules of post-apocalyptic survival to save a grandfather and his granddaughter, and in return, he received a magical bracelet. The bracelet contained a universe within—a plot of land, a stone trough brimming with spring water, and a Tower—all of which opened up a mysterious realm for him. What to do when food runs out? “My Fengshou Group has mountains of grain—I’ll trade it for crystal cores and jade!” Li Ba declared arrogantly. What to do when zombies attack the city? “The mutated plants cultivated by ‘Lord Ba’ can withstand a tide of a million zombies!” Li Ba said with absolute confidence. What if you’re not an Evolver and someone challenges you to a one-on-one duel? “I’ve got talismanic soldiers guarding me. Anyone who dares challenge me will get beaten so badly, even their own mother won’t recognize them!” said Li Ba, his bald head revealing a menacing expression as he spoke viciously. Using the mysterious space and his expertise, Li Ba cultivated crops and tended fields, determined to become a major farmer in the world of *Horse Herding* and pursue a happy life in the post-apocalyptic world.
Chapter 42: Booming
Business “Old Li!” Shitou and Feng Xiaoyang had arrived, bringing a group of their brothers along to deliver a flower basket. Li Ba hurried over to greet them, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to each of them, and said with a smile, “Thank you both for coming—your presence really honors my humble shop!” “We’re brothers—no need for all that formalities.” Feng Xiaoyang replied with a grin. “Business is going great… Since we’re here, let’s go inside and take a look.” Shitou called out. Dozens of burly men squeezed their way inside. The crowd waiting in line outside was displeased, but no one dared to say a word. Soon, Shitou and Feng Xiaoyang emerged with their brothers. They didn’t buy anything else—they simply hauled out several cases of ammunition. “Old Li, it looks like you’ve got connections at the Quartermaster’s Office. Can you get us some high-powered stuff?” Shitou whispered. “No problem,” Li Ba agreed readily. At the same time, he didn’t forget to remind them to keep his business in mind whenever they came across scarce goods while out on the streets. “Don’t worry.” Feng Xiaoyang patted his chest in assurance. Starting today, any supplies the Wind God Mercenary Corps and the Guyan Mercenary Corps found outside the city would be sold directly to Li Ba first. If they couldn’t handle the volume, they’d resell the rest to others. With the agreement reached, both sides were delighted. Li Ba invited them to stay for a meal, but Shitou Feng Xiaoyang politely declined. They had deliberately delayed their departure this morning specifically to support Li Ba’s supply shop. Now that the mission was complete, it was time to lead their brothers out of the city. Since procuring supplies was a major undertaking, Li Ba didn’t try to keep them. He simply invited them, saying they should feel free to stop by with their brothers whenever they had time. After Shitou Feng Xiaoyang and the others left, Luo Jianguo’s family arrived. They, too, had brought a flower basket to offer their congratulations. “Cousin, cousin-in-law, and my eldest niece!” Upon seeing them, Li Ba immediately stepped forward to greet them, brimming with warmth. “Business is going well!” Luo Jianguo glanced at the long line of people and smiled with satisfaction. Li Ba handed him a “Great China” cigarette and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, cousin. I was in marketing even before the apocalypse—running a store is a piece of cake. You and your wife can just sit at home and count your grain coupons!” Luo Jianguo nodded and smiled knowingly. When he visited Luo Jianguo the night before last, in order to fully bring him into his camp, Li Ba offered favorable terms: he would give Luo Jianguo a 20 percent cut of the monthly profits from the supply store. Although Luo Jianguo was an upright man, in the post-apocalyptic world, the old ways no longer worked. To provide a comfortable life for their families, many of his colleagues had partnered with merchants in the city, either openly or behind the scenes. He’d been tempted for a long time, but he’d never found a suitable partner. Li Ba was smart, quick-witted, and lucky—and since he had no ties or background in the city, he was the ideal partner. After several discreet evaluations, Luo Jianguo had made up his mind to include Li Ba as a business partner. Now, he held a 20 percent stake in Li Ba’s general store. With business booming since the grand opening, he was secretly delighted. “If you need any supplies, just send over a list, and I’ll arrange it for you as soon as possible!” “Alright.” The cousins exchanged a glance and shared a knowing smile. Afterward, Luo Jianguo and his wife took their leave, leaving their daughter, Luo Huiqiong, behind to help out. “Uncle… Uncle Li, is there anything I can do to help?” Luo Huiqiong had just turned eighteen this year. She had a fresh, innocent look and had grown into a slender, graceful young woman. But now she had to call Li Ba—who wasn’t much older than she was—“Uncle,” and the moment the words left her mouth, her face flushed all the way to her neck. A young woman’s shyness had a charm all its own. Li Ba stroked his chin, thinking of teasing her a bit, but afraid she might be too shy to take a joke. With a grin, he said, “Big niece, go help with the cash register!” Luo Huiqiong replied and walked into the shop to help with the cash register. “Commissioner Zhao! Just as Li Ba was staring at his eldest niece’s slender silhouette with a mischievous grin on his face, across the street, a shifty-looking man pulled a walkie-talkie from his coat and spoke in a low voice, as if reporting the situation to someone. At the same time, several men in camouflage uniforms strolled down the street toward them. One of them, a man with a scar on his face, caught sight of Li Ba standing at the store entrance. His expression shifted, and he thought to himself, “Isn’t that Fat Pig Li? When did this guy come into town…? Looks like he’s doing pretty well for himself!” Without giving it a second thought, he pulled out his walkie-talkie and shouted, “Brother Chao, I’ve spotted Fat Pig Li… He’s in town and has even opened a supply store—business is booming… Yeah, got it. Hurry over—the guys are waiting here!” Putting away his walkie-talkie, the man with the scar glanced toward the supply store, grinning darkly, his face brimming with schadenfreude. South of the city. The former Xibu Town Government Building had now become the office of the Settlement Management Committee. Sixth floor. Inside a luxurious office, Zhao Laifu sat in an executive chair, his belly protruding, his expression dark and menacing. “Boss, what’s wrong? Who’s upset you?” A woman with a voluptuous figure swayed her hips as she approached Zhao Laifu from behind and began massaging him. “It’s that slut Zhou Yan, of course. Hmph. She hooked up with some random guy out of nowhere and teamed up with him to open a general store…” “It’s just a general store—is that really enough to make you so furious?” The woman lowered her head, stuck out her tongue to tease Zhao Laifu’s ear, and said with a series of seductive smiles, “She owes the Sihai Pawnshop 120,000 jin in grain coupons. No matter how well the store does, there’s no way she could have earned that much in such a short time!” “You’re right, baby.” Zhao Laifu’s face was lit up with a lecherous grin as he slid his hand into the woman’s cleavage and gave it a few hard squeezes. The woman gasped, her eyes narrowing seductively, her face radiating with desire. “Even so, I won’t let their supply store run smoothly.” Zhao Laifu picked up the walkie-talkie and spoke in a low voice. With a grand opening promotion and various discounts, the supply store was booming, and customers were flooding in. In just one hour—not counting other items—they sold a full twenty baskets of bean sprouts and over 2,000 jin of rice. “Li Ge, at this rate… we won’t even make it to nightfall before the bean sprouts are completely sold out. And we’re running low on ham, too.” Xiao Fang ran over, drenched in sweat, to report the supply situation to Li Ba. Li Ba thought for a moment, then ordered, “Suspend sales of the ham. As for the bean sprouts… we have 1,800 jin in stock—bring it all out and sell as much as we can!” Ham is a non-renewable resource—once you sell a jin, you’re one jin poorer. As for bean sprouts, Li Ba can pickle as many as he wants. If he’s short on time, he can always use the space in his bracelet to speed up the process; it should take no more than half an hour to turn the beans into sprouts. Therefore, ham can be supplied in limited quantities. After all, meat is scarce, and he wants to set some aside for his own enjoyment. Bean sprouts are highly profitable—two jin of grain coupons for one jin—and will let him make a killing. He must supply them freely to meet customer demand. “Got it!” Upon receiving the boss’s instructions, Xiao Fang immediately got to work. After the last jin of ham was sold, Xiao Fang hung up a “Sold Out” sign. “We’ve been waiting in line for so long just to buy a few liang of sliced ham to try—how come it’s all gone!” “Yeah! The suspension of ham sales immediately sparked discontent among the customers who had arrived later. Ten jin of grain coupons were required for one jin of sliced ham—a price that appeared to match the official rate set by the settlement authorities, but in reality offered a significant discount. It’s important to note that ham is a cured and air-dried product; a whole pork leg—including the hindquarters—weighs at least sixty or seventy jin, but after curing and drying, it shrinks to just thirty-four jin, nearly halving in volume. Once the sliced ham was taken home and soaked in water, its volume would increase again. Therefore, one jin of sliced ham was actually almost twice as substantial as fresh meat. Li Ba sold them at the regular price. Anyone with a bit of business sense wanted to buy a few jin of ham to take home. Even if they didn’t eat it themselves, they could make a profit by reselling it at the market. As the customers were clamoring, Li Ba walked in and announced loudly, “Supplies of this ham are limited; please bear with us. As a gesture of apology, effective immediately, we’re introducing a new policy: customers who make a purchase exceeding thirty jin in grain coupons will receive one jin of bean sprouts as a free gift!” As soon as he said this, the customers in the store immediately stopped complaining. They cheered and began making their purchases. Bean sprouts were fresh vegetables, and for them, they held an equally irresistible appeal. With that minor issue resolved, Li Ba stepped out of the store, leaned casually against the doorway, handed a cigarette to each of the nine men—including Zhao Hongyun—and, squinting at the long line of people, smiled with satisfaction. “By the end of the day, I’ll rake in at least ten to twenty thousand jin in grain coupons!” The frenzy at the supply store and the popularity of the bean sprouts far exceeded his expectations. At this rate, it wouldn’t take a week for him to earn over 100,000 jin in grain coupons. Meanwhile, Zhou Yan, along with her two sisters, was in charge of selling bean sprouts. She was working up a sweat but felt incredibly excited inside. As she bustled about, she glanced over at Li Ba. Their eyes met, and both broke into happy smiles. Just as Li Ba was about to go over to offer Zhou Yan a word of encouragement, a chorus of shouts and curses erupted from the crowd. “Get out of the way! Everyone, get the hell out of the way!” The crowd parted to the sides. Several men in camouflage uniforms strode through, cursing as they went. Among them was a young man with a fair complexion; his eyes were filled with malice as he fixed a piercing stare on Li Ba. “Li Chao！” A flash of hatred crossed Li Ba’s face. He flicked away his cigarette butt and strode forward to meet them.
