Chapter 131: Moving Out and Regret
The great hero was happily eating but stopped halfway through. After sniffing the rest of the food, it walked away.
White Sesame, who had been secretly waiting in the shadows, immediately rushed out and buried its head into Black Sesame’s food bowl, devouring the leftovers.
Su Tao was stunned and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck to stop it.
“Are you a starving ghost? You already ate a whole 100-gram can of food tonight, and you’re still not full? No way, you can’t eat anymore. Let go!”
White Sesame was starting to get chubby—it was born on the same day as Black Sesame but was already four pounds heavier.
Every mealtime, it ate faster than Black Sesame. Once it finished, it would shamelessly stick its head into the other’s bowl.
When the two cats lay next to each other, White Sesame looked like a fluffy steamed bun.
Su Tao worried that overeating might be bad for its health. After a long struggle, she finally managed to snatch the food bowl away.
White Sesame meowed pitifully for a long time, rolling on the ground and rubbing against her legs, acting overly affectionate.
But Su Tao had long grown used to its antics and was completely unmoved. She simply went about her business as usual.
Still, White Sesame was persistent. That night, it refused to move away from her side, snuggling close in bed with its fluffy head rubbing against her neck.
Su Tao could only let it have its way, pretending not to notice its shameless begging. She turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The next day, Su Tao went to the office as usual to handle various affairs.
Nearby, Zhuang Wan suddenly received a phone call. After listening for a while, she replied with clear irritation:
“I made it very clear before you moved out—if you regret it, there’s no chance of coming back. You agreed back then, but now you’re saying you can’t live without Taoyang? What’s that supposed to mean?”
The person on the other end hesitated. “Manager Zhuang, after the bombing, we were just too worried… We have young children, and as parents, we were overly cautious. Please try to understand. We really regret it. Only after leaving Taoyang did we realize that the houses outside are completely unlivable. Our child doesn’t even have a decent environment to grow up in…”
Zhuang Wan remained firm. “Mrs. Dai, we have to follow the rules. We made everything clear before you left. You knew Taoyang has a housing shortage. Do you really think we would hold a place just in case you changed your mind?”
“…Manager Zhuang, is there really no room for negotiation? While we lived in Taoyang, we always followed the rules and got along well with our neighbors. We were just acting out of parental concern. Can’t you make an exception?”
Zhuang Wan took a deep breath and replied patiently, “Mrs. Dai, adults need to take responsibility for their own choices. If I make an exception for you, then everyone who moves out will come back asking for the same. What’s the point of having agreements then?”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before the call disconnected.
Su Tao had overheard enough to understand the situation and asked,
“Was that the family from Unit 010, the two-bedroom apartment that moved out?”
Zhuang Wan huffed, “Yeah. They were so confident when they left, saying they’d never regret it, that if a bombing happened once, it could happen again, and that life is more important than comfort. Before leaving, they even tried to convince Gan Hongyu and his wife to move out too.”
“They probably heard that all the criminals behind the bombing were caught, but they couldn’t find a suitable place to live outside, so now they want to come back. As if! What do they think the contract was for?”
Su Tao said, “Ignore them. If they call again, tell them to come to me directly.”
They wouldn’t be treated kindly if they came to her.
Zhuang Wan took a big gulp of water to cool her temper and changed the subject:
“I’ve noticed that Old Master Gu’s health is improving—he’s much more alert now. I stopped by to see him last night, and he even recognized me! He called me ‘Little Zhuang’ and asked why you didn’t come. The caretakers were shocked.”
Su Tao was also surprised. “I’ll visit him this afternoon.”
Zhuang Wan continued, “Speaking of the old man, Gu Mingchi has been unusually quiet lately—no phone calls, no gifts sent to his grandfather. That’s pretty rare.”
Su Tao immediately thought of the last time she pressured Gu Mingchi to take a stand.
Maybe he was still struggling internally. Until he made a final decision, he probably wouldn’t contact her.
Fine. At least she’d have some peace for a while.
Just as they were talking, Qian Lin hurriedly ran upstairs. Spotting Su Tao, she caught her breath and excitedly announced:
“Boss! Wu Zhen’s first batch of cultivated vegetables has been harvested! The yield reached 80 pounds (~40kilos)—nearly three times higher than before! Do you want to come see?”
Both Su Tao and Zhuang Wan were stunned. They quickly followed her to the greenhouse.
The moment they entered, they saw baskets stacked high with fresh green vegetables. Some had even spilled into the hallway due to a lack of space.
Four agricultural technicians were busy recording data, their faces full of joy.
Su Tao examined the vegetables—they were plump, with large leaves, and looked exceptionally fresh.
Qian Lin beamed. “It’s all thanks to Wu Zhen! I thought doubling the yield would already be amazing, but it’s nearly tripled! Now we can fully supply Taoyang and Panliu mountain, and maybe even sell to outsiders in the future!”
Su Tao was just as thrilled. “Let’s have Master Qin prepare a vegetable feast tonight—everyone can eat as much as they want.”
The surrounding staff were overjoyed. Anyone who had tasted Master Qin’s cooking knew how delicious it was. They were in for a treat tonight!
Then Qian Lin added, “Oh, Boss, I have a small issue. With more and more tenants moving in, we need someone to help with vegetable sales. Right now, every time a tenant comes to buy, one of our workers has to go with them. We get at least ten people daily, but we’re short-staffed, and every worker is already overloaded. Could we hire a few people just for sales?”
Su Tao thought for a moment and nodded. “You’re right. And as vegetable production increases, more tenants will come to buy. I’ll discuss this with Zhuang Wan.”
She also realized another issue—right now, people had to run all over the place to shop: Meals were bought on the first floor of the cafeteria, vegetables were on the third floor and daily necessities were in the apartment buildings.
There was no centralized shopping area.
Maybe they needed a marketplace where everything could be bought in one place.
Su Tao added this to her to-do list.
As she walked around the greenhouse, she spotted Wu Zhen in the back row, intently examining the new seedlings.
He no longer looked as lifeless as he had a week ago. His whole body radiated energy—focused and determined.
Qian Lin whispered to Su Tao, “Last night at eleven, I saw the greenhouse lights still on. I thought someone had forgotten to turn them off, but when I checked, it was Wu Zhen, still tending to the seedlings.”
“I told him to rest, but he said he couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought of his wife and child. He can only sleep when he’s completely exhausted, so I didn’t push him.”
Su Tao nodded in understanding. “It’s okay. Time will heal. Work is helping him forget the pain—it’s a kind of salvation. Just keep an eye on him when you can.”
Qian Lin sighed. “Of course.”
Within half a day, news of Taoyang Farm’s high yield spread like wildfire.
Tenants flocked to the third floor, packing the place tight.
Su Tao even spotted Grandma Cen pushing a small cart to buy vegetables—only to return with barely half a cart full.
She sighed dramatically to Su Tao, “Tao girl, why are you still limiting purchases? I’m not buying just for myself! You know I always cook and share with others. I’d never waste food!”
Su Tao reassured her, “It’s not like before—we’ll have fresh supply every week now. If you need more, just come back next time.”
Grandma Cen let out a relieved “Oh!” and grinned. “That’s great! I thought it was still a once-a-month thing. Seeing all these vegetables, I just wanted to take them all home! Taoyang girl, you’re amazing. Taoyang is getting better and better!”
