Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Early the next morning, Zhu Yunque found Old Tian during breakfast.

"Chief Mate Tian, could we talk for a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss with you," Zhu Yunque called out cheerfully to Old Tian.

Old Tian held a chicken drumstick in his hand, his face full of confusion.

Zhu Yunque normally exuded an aloofness from her very bones - even her smiles carried an instinctive distance. But today, she seemed deliberately friendly.

"Unwarranted kindness often hides ill intentions," Old Tian muttered to himself, but still walked over with a smile.

"Miss Zhu, what's the matter? Is the breakfast not to your liking?" Old Tian followed Zhu Yunque to a corner of the mess hall and asked amiably.

He still had to be careful about pleasing this young lady from the Zhu family.

Zhu Yunque shook her head. "That's not the issue. While the food isn't gourmet, it's edible enough."

Old Tian gave a hollow laugh. "Now why would you say that? Whatever you need, just say the word to the captain, wouldn't that be better? Coming to us subordinates seems beneath your status."

Zhu Yunque coughed lightly. "This matter isn't important enough to bother Commander Zhang about."

Old Tian frowned slightly. "Then please tell me what it is."

Zhu Yunque said, "I want to ask you to help with a charitable act."

She laid out her plan completely - she wanted the dozen or so crew members to save part of their daily rations to distribute to the stowaways in the lower deck.

"Your daily meals are so abundant that you can't even finish them all. I've even seen you throwing leftover rice into the sea before."

"Look, since it's going to waste anyway, why not use it to do some good? I would certainly appreciate your kindness." Zhu Yunque smiled sweetly at Old Tian.

She was certain Old Tian would agree to her request. After all, it wasn't difficult to do, and it would earn him favor with the niece of the regional commander. Why wouldn't he?

But contrary to her expectations, things didn't unfold as she imagined.

After listening quietly, Old Tian didn't give an immediate answer but instead asked, "Have you discussed this with our captain?"

Zhu Yunque's expression changed slightly.

If Zhang Yi found out, wouldn't she just be inviting his sarcastic remarks? That's why she had decided to act first and report later, going straight to Old Tian to settle the matter.

"This sort of thing doesn't need to trouble Commander Zhang!" Zhu Yunque said uncomfortably.

Hearing this, Old Tian's eyes took on a knowing glint, and he straightened his posture.

"In that case, this becomes rather difficult for me!" He sighed deeply, putting on an expression of extreme reluctance.

Zhu Yunque widened her eyes. "How is this difficult? Just share the food you can't finish! At worst, pick the things you don't like as much! What's so hard about that?"

Old Tian explained, "The ration standards for each crew member were specially set by our captain."

"Ocean voyages are extremely demanding on one's willpower to begin with."

"The captain has been very considerate, maximizing our satisfaction with food provisions."

"Only with full stomachs can the crew maintain peak performance at work."

"As for throwing away leftovers... these things are unpredictable."

"Someone might lose their appetite one day and eat less. When heavy work comes up, appetites increase and people eat more."

"If I did as you suggested, coordinating rations would become problematic."

"If people don't eat well, they won't work well. That could lead to accidents in the middle of the vast ocean."

Just as Zhu Yunque opened her mouth to argue, Old Tian cut her off decisively: "All ration standards were carefully considered by the captain before being implemented."

"How about this - discuss it properly with the captain first. Only if he gives the order would I dare make changes. Otherwise, this isn't something I can decide!"

Zhu Yunque never imagined she couldn't even command Old Tian's cooperation.

Yet Old Tian spoke so convincingly that she didn't know how to refute him.

"So... there's really no good solution?" Zhu Yunque's tone carried a note of pleading.

Hearing this, Old Tian didn't dare alienate Zhu Yunque completely.

He wasn't Zhang Yi - he didn't have that kind of boldness.

Old Tian stroked his thick beard and thought carefully before offering a compromise.

"How about this - every day after we finish eating, we'll collect whatever leftovers remain and send them over. That way at least a few people could get a bite or two."

Zhu Yunque rejected this proposal without hesitation.

"Absolutely not!"

"They're human beings, not livestock! How could you make them eat your scraps?"

Old Tian chuckled. "Miss Zhu, in times like these, human life is cheaper than grass. When I was suffering in Tianhai City, I've eaten not just slops but actual spoiled food!"

Zhu Yunque kept shaking her head, unable to accept this approach.

"That's impossible. There are over a hundred people in the lower deck. If some get normal food while others get scraps, it will definitely cause unrest."

Old Tian snorted disdainfully at the mention of the stowaways.

"They might fight over our leftovers!"

What was wrong with slops? Their crew rations were top-notch!

The leftovers still had fatty meat and chicken bones - already better than the lower deck's provisions.

Hadn't she heard? Last century, New Rohan's common folk used to happily cook and eat garbage thrown away by Columbus Ocean soldiers.

They even gave it a fancy name - "army stew."

Refugees couldn't be held to normal standards.

Giving them any food to survive was already an immense mercy.

Zhu Yunque kept shaking her head, refusing to agree no matter how Old Tian tried to persuade her.

Old Tian also grew helpless.

"Then I'm out of ideas. You'll have to figure it out yourself!"

Zhu Yunque gritted her teeth. "Wait, if that approach won't work, I have another idea."

She had thought all night and come up with her own "brilliant plan."

Old Tian listened attentively.

Zhu Yunque pointed at the vast ocean. "We're at sea, and the ocean is full of fish - excellent food sources."

"I want to organize everyone to go fishing to replenish our food stores."

"This way, we might not only solve the food shortage but even expand our reserves!"

Zhu Yunque was quite proud of her clever idea.

After sailing for so long, Zhang Yi had never considered supplementing their food through fishing.

However, Old Tian rejected her proposal without hesitation.

"Miss Zhu, it's a nice idea, but completely impossible!"

Zhu Yunque grew displeased. "Why not? Old Tian, I've been out at sea often too, gone fishing from yachts before. The ocean has huge fish - one could feed several people for a meal."

"Why can't we do this? Answer me!"

Author's Note