Chapter 38: Still So Simple
The basket was too big. Even though it was only half full of wild vegetables, when poured out, it completely filled a large basin and even piled up into a little mound.
There weren’t many gecong (wild scallions)—only five plants. It only took a few moments to wash them clean. They smelled like a mix of scallions and garlic, very fresh and fragrant. A pity they were so heavily polluted.
There were also eshēn (wild ginseng)… If she used these to make stuffed buns with meat, Huai Yu didn’t even dare to think about it too much, afraid she would start drooling!
She placed her palm over the wild vegetables, lightly pressing down, and imagined energy flowing into them.
Maybe her abilities had improved, or maybe there just wasn’t much to purify, but after she finished purifying the gecong and eshēn, she didn’t feel particularly exhausted.
Next came the bracken (wild fern).
This stuff aged too quickly. From the time it was picked to now, after cleaning off the fuzz and pinching the stems, they already felt a bit tough.
Huai Yu didn’t want to waste her abilities, so she chopped off the old, tough parts with a kitchen knife before starting the purification.
Compared to earlier, purifying a whole large basin of bracken made her feel a lot more strained.
—The efficiency was so low.
She felt a little frustrated. Her abilities didn’t seem very scalable. For a long time to come, she would probably only be able to handle small tasks.
After cleaning everything again, she needed another basin to hold them—tsk, she forgot to buy a jar. Without proper sealing, could she even pickle these properly?
Huai Yu wasn’t sure, but it was too late now. She’d make do. Surely it wouldn’t spoil overnight.
When she poured the salt into the basin, she felt like her heart was bleeding—this was a tenth of a whole bag! And it used up more than half of it just to pickle the bracken. She could barely manage to scrape up some food for herself, and if she ran out of salt, what would she do—scrape salt from a mine?
And then there was the oil…
She looked around the room and sighed: before the heavy rain, she felt like she had everything ready. After the rain, she felt like her home was empty.
After thinking for a bit, she finally turned her gaze to the bean sprouts:
“You guys better thrive…”
…
Without any oil, Huai Yu’s meal was far from enjoyable.
Blanched wild vegetables mixed with a bit of salt… Honestly, it didn’t feel like eating grass, but she really didn’t know why she had gone through so much trouble.
Especially because these wild greens weren’t filling. After using her abilities a lot, she got hungry quickly and had to pair the meal with a packet of nutrient solution.
A mouthful of salty grass, a gulp of nutrient solution… the taste was indescribably awful. After barely finishing the meal, Huai Yu felt like she couldn’t stomach another bite.
At moments like this, she missed the hot, crispy fried soybeans from that night even more.
Back then, she even had someone to talk to. Now, eating such awful food alone, without even someone to complain to, she felt a bit lonely.
…
[Today is Sunday, March 29, 2066. The weather is overcast turning to cloudy. Air Mutation Index: 11. Pollution levels in Sanqing Mountain and the Wastelands continue to slowly increase. Citizens are advised to…]
Huai Yu woke up to the familiar broadcast, lying in her sleeping bag, staring blankly for a while.
She turned her head. In the dim room, the fire in the brick brazier had long gone out—
She slept alone and didn’t dare keep a fire burning overnight—not for fear of burning down the house, but because if the door was sealed too tightly, the smoke might not escape.
For some reason, she thought of Lin Xuefeng again.
Even though they had only spent one evening together, maybe because she had gotten a taste of having company, and Lin had been so meticulous and steady, so trustworthy. She hadn’t felt lonely before, but now the silence sometimes crept up on her.
But Huai Yu quickly pulled herself together!
She was still too weak. She couldn’t afford to live in crowded places yet, and couldn’t build a better house because she didn’t have enough points…
But! She was so capable—she’d have all those things sooner or later! As long as today’s bean sprout sales went smoothly!
Thinking of the bean sprouts, Huai Yu perked up instantly and hurried to climb out of her sleeping bag.
She slipped on her cold, damp slippers and immediately went to check the basin—
“Wow!”
The bamboo basket was packed full of bean sprouts, crowded and tight. The little pale yellow beans were turning slightly green from being exposed to light the past few days.
But the sprouts had already grown to 5 cm long. Fat and white, crisp and tender—you could probably hear a snap if you broke one.
Such plump bean sprouts! Whether braised with tender meat or quickly stir-fried with vinegar…
Huai Yu couldn’t help but start fantasizing!
Then she rushed to wash up and finished a packet of nutrient solution in the harsh reality.
Only seven packets of nutrient solution left. Better stock up on a few more today just to be safe.
She carried her basket on her back, put the bean sprout basket inside, and covered it with a basin—
After thinking for a moment, she also took out the salt-pickled bracken from yesterday, drained the water, and packed it into the basket as well.
After all, without oil, she didn’t want to eat any more wild grass for a while.
Set off! To Hongsheng Pedestrian Street!
…
Hongsheng Trading Market.
As long as it wasn’t raining these days, Boss Tang would immediately come to the store and wander around the four entrances of the trading market. Today was no exception.
After continuous rain, many people came to buy goods, but there weren’t many sellers. A few people at the inspection station were chatting idly—
“The bracken was amazing… I bought some the other day and my wife scolded me for wasting points. But once I said the mutation index was only 9, she immediately shut up.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good thing I acted quickly that day! Even though it was 30 points a pound, it was totally worth it! My daughter cried while eating it… poor thing, she’s only six and has never tasted anything good.”
“Yeah, yeah… That girl is really genuine. She even gave extra.”
“Good thing we bought some. After that night’s heavy rain, did you see the veggie prices? Mutation index 16 stuff was still selling for 18 points a pound…”
“Wonder where she got such good things. She dresses so plainly, every time carrying a big basket like she’s restocking goods, but the moment she pulls out something, it’s top quality.”
“Ha, you don’t get it. A young girl selling things alone—of course her family told her to dress down to avoid trouble.”
“True enough. You really can’t show off wealth these days… By the way, why has gold gotten even more expensive? I wanted to buy a gold ring for my mom, but now it’s 100 points per gram…”
Their conversation drifted from gold prices to post-rain price hikes, even mentioning how raincoats were selling for 165 points a few days ago.
Boss Tang listened nonchalantly, forming a clearer picture of Huai Yu in his mind.
Cautiousness was good. Cautious people wouldn’t let anyone discover his big client! No wonder she wore a broken watch and the most basic bracelet he had gifted her!
As he was thinking, he suddenly spotted a thin girl at the bus stop, carrying a large basket, still looking so simple and modest as she arrived by bus!
Boss Tang immediately beamed with a smile and was just about to step forward to greet her when a few people from the inspection station beat him to it:
“Hey girl! Come here! No need to line up!”
“Hurry, hurry!”
They lowered their voices like sneaky thieves:
“Don’t worry, we’re tight-lipped! Just get your goods inspected here in the future—it’s safe!”
