Chapter 92

Chapter 92

"......"

After discussing the farm planning with the construction team, Jiang Nian made some minor adjustments to the blueprint before officially signing the contract.

He paid 50% of the budget upfront in credits, with the remaining balance due upon completion. He could've paid more upfront, but the workers insisted it wasn’t necessary.

The construction period was set for half a month, starting at 8 a.m. the next day. Their efficiency was seriously impressive.

The team was diligent and focused solely on his project, so things should move along nicely.

If things go well, he might even finish purifying the land before the heatwave arrived, allowing him to start his farm life once the heatwave ended.

Plan’s a go!

"All set, Boss Jiang. Good doing business with you."

Pressing the final fingerprint, the cheerful foreman, a guy in his fifties, grinned.

His crew nearby looked just as happy.

Jiang Nian paid better than most, and even though he was young, he was always polite.

"Pleasure working with you too."

Jiang Nian was equally courteous. He had a lot of respect for laborers—after all, skyscrapers didn’t build themselves, and infrastructure thrived because of their efforts.

As he put away the contract, the foreman suddenly asked,

"Hey, Boss Jiang, have you decided on a name for the farm’s signboard? Will it be the same as this shop—'Year After Year of Plenty'? Or do you prefer no sign at all?"

"Hmm..."

Jiang Nian thought for a moment before smiling.

"Let’s go with 'Year After Year of Plenty,' same as here. I’ll register it with the management office later."

"Sounds good! 'Year After Year of Plenty' fits your name and carries great meaning. Folks’ll know it’s yours right away. Once we finish the fence, we’ll mount the signboard for you—saves you the hassle of installing it separately."

The foreman chuckled, jotting it down in his construction notebook.

Jiang Nian nodded.

"Sounds good, thanks. Just note the cost, and I’ll pay up later. Keep the design simple."

"Understood."

The foreman recorded it with a smile. A guy like Jiang Nian—polite and sharp—deserved their A-game. Who knew, he might even refer them to more jobs in the future.

Back when the shop was being renovated, the temporary supervisors who helped out made it clear: Boss Jiang had some serious connections.

By the time the contract was signed and details finalized, it was already late afternoon. The construction crew took the chance to buy some everyday stuff from the general store.

Jiang Nian gave them a reasonable discount and even tossed in a soda and a beer for each of them.

Business ran on good vibes—you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

The workers grinned, taking the gifts, repeatedly promising to do a great job on his farm before piling into their work van one by one.

Jiang Nian flashed a row of white teeth and waved:

"Then I’ll count on you all to handle it."

"..."

While they were discussing matters, a few customers came in to buy things, bringing in 188 credits in sales—a small but decent profit.

Stepping outside, Jiang Nian glanced up at the shop sign. The name "Plenty Year After Year" had been decided by his teammates.

Truth be told, he felt a bit embarrassed about it. It was fine when others used it, but for himself, it somehow felt oddly embarrassing.

Still, it did fit his name and his actual situation—abundance. He really did have more than enough.

With no plans to open for business that day, Jiang Nian simply locked up, figuring he’d cruise around a little before going home.

He'd been too busy lately and hadn’t had time to cut loose in a while.

The engine growled as he tore through the streets, Jiang Nian drove around with no real destination, eventually ending up at the base entrance waiting area.

Even now, people still flooded into the base every day. Today, luck was on his side—he scored a decent haul of supplies cheap, mostly food and some odds and ends.

Most newcomers exchanged their supplies for credits, either with the authorities or private traders.

However, the exchange rate for trading goods into credits was always lower than market value.

How much lower varied depending on the item, but generally, it ranged between 20% to 40%. It never went half-and-half—for example, supplies worth 100 credits on the market would only fetch 60 to 80 credits when traded in by newcomers.

Thus, merchants made a killing buying from newcomers.

Apart from that, purchasing supplies from Superpowered folks returning from outside was another major channel.

After collecting his goods, Jiang Nian made another trip to the farm planning office to get the paperwork sorted for his farm renovations.

It was almost closing time, and he’d figured he’d bump into Jiang Wenwen. Instead, he was surprised to hear she had been fired days earlier.

As for the reason, the staff dropped vague hints about Xia Weiwei’s involvement.

Xia Weiwei had tried to pressure Jiang Wenwen into moving to Base S, even using her pull and Base S’s clout to apply pressure.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the base terminated its working relationship with Jiang Wenwen.

Where she went after that remained unknown.

A knot of dread tightened in Jiang Nian’s gut. He immediately tried calling Jiang Wenwen, but her number was unreachable, and messages went unanswered.

He then asked Zhou Li and Yang Kai, but neither had any idea either.

"If she’s some rich girl, why stick around scraping by on 1,500 credits a month?"

After the staff member dropped that remark, she walked off, leaving Jiang Nian alone in the meeting room, chewing it over.

Considering Jiang Wenwen's personality, with Xia Weiwei breathing down her neck, she had probably chosen to leave South City Base. Too bad.

A pang of disappointment hit him—perhaps because he knew Jiang Wenwen didn’t have a good relationship with her family either.

"Might as well swing by her dorm..."

Jiang Nian rubbed his face and muttered under his breath. Though there was no concrete evidence or news, he had a gut feeling that things weren't as simple as they seemed.

After parking his car at the intersection near the 11th Alley of the prefab housing units, Jiang Nian got out and walked toward Jiang Wenwen's dorm.

He stopped outside Room 1120 and was about to knock when he heard unmistakable sounds of sex coming from the neighboring Room 1121.

Jiang Nian paused, startled, before remembering—the woman living next to Jiang Wenwen was someone he had rescued during the earthquake.

It wasn't even dark yet. Most people were still out searching for supplies or working, but these two... Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Pushing the thought aside, he raised his hand to knock and called out, "Jiang Wenwen..."

But after just a few knocks, the door swung open—it hadn't been locked.

"..."

Still, Jiang Nian instinctively took a step back as the door opened.

After a pause, he pushed the door wider. The single-room prefab was completely stripped bare.

Jiang Nian looked around before fully stepping inside. Everything that could be taken was gone, even the basic supplies allocated by the base.

This usually didn't happen when the occupant left voluntarily—it was more likely the door had been left unlocked and looted by others.

The signs of ransacking didn't look rushed, meaning Jiang Wenwen might have left without locking up... or forgotten for some reason.

*Bang bang bang bang bang...*

"..."

Inside the room, the noises from next door were even more pronounced. Each impact of the single bed against the prefab wall was painfully clear, accompanied by erratic gasps and moans.

Jiang Nian's ears grew hot. After a quick once-over revealed nothing unusual, he backed out.

The room was clearly abandoned. He wondered if management had logged it yet—checking the records would show whether she had officially moved out or simply left it to be reclaimed.

But he wasn't authorized to check. He'd need to ask Li Cheng.

It wasn't that he was particularly concerned about Jiang Wenwen—it was just that Xia Weiwei wasn't some ordinary criminal. Anything unusual involving her was worth looking into.

At the very least, clarifying whether Jiang Wenwen had left voluntarily or disappeared under unclear circumstances would benefit them.