Chapter 60: Pine Pollen
Dropping the fish trap into the water wouldn’t bring instant results. It was only the next morning that Huai Yu returned with her basket and untied the rope from the tree.
The small trap, still in the pond, felt surprisingly heavy, and there seemed to be movement inside!
She lit up with joy, standing at the edge of the pond, full of anticipation.
As she pulled it up, there were actually two big fish inside! Plus some small fish and loaches.
That alone was enough to make Huai Yu ecstatic!
The two large fish were hefty, and even after being pulled ashore, they were still thrashing powerfully, their slippery bodies slamming into the rocks by the pond with loud “pah pah” sounds.
Uh-oh…
Huai Yu hesitated, glancing at her multifunctional spade—if she wanted to eat the fish, would she have to knock them out through the net first?
They seemed really strong!
But after only a moment’s hesitation, she lowered the trap back into the water. After all, it’s rare for her to come up the mountain—she couldn’t go back with an empty basket.
She had already picked a full load of wild vegetables yesterday, so today she’d look for something else—maybe mushrooms or similar.
She followed the stream upstream, walking toward familiar areas deeper in the forest. The branches and trees around her gave her a strange sense of closeness.
Some of the big trees seemed to vaguely sense emotion, while the smaller ones were still blank and unaware—just like ordinary plants.
Just like the trees she had cut down before when building her house.
As she made her way through the forest, the surrounding branches seemed to part for her, until she reached a towering pine tree.
Oh! It was one she knew!
“Big Pine Tree!”
Huai Yu happily hugged the tree’s thick trunk. “The pinecones helped me a lot! Thank you!”
She touched the rough bark, and power welled up from within her. The pine tree’s needles swayed in the quiet forest, and subtle emotions that only Huai Yu could faintly understand began to flow from it.
“Huh?”
She looked toward the dozen or so younger pines nearby.
“You’re really letting me pick them?”
The pine tree rustled happily, its leaves swaying joyfully.
Huai Yu looked at her basket, then at the bucket she brought for the fish…
Forget it. The fish are more important!
So she went into a nearby thicket and plucked a bunch of soft leaves to line the bottom of the basket, before gently plucking the freshly-bloomed pine pollen from the pine tree branches.
Although the young trees didn’t express emotions, she still mumbled as she picked:
“It’s not that I want to take this many—it’s the big pine tree, he said you guys are too young. Producing flowers and seeds is too draining…”
“And you wouldn’t be able to produce useful pine nuts anyway. Better to remove the flowers early and let your strength go to growing roots and branches…”
The big pine was too tall for her to climb, but the smaller trees’ branches bent easily under her hand.
Clusters of pale yellow pollen were gently picked and placed in her basket. Before long, her hands were coated in a fine, soft layer of powder.
What a pity…
Huai Yu thought, Making snacks takes too much grain. Otherwise, pine pollen cakes would be really tasty.
And there’s no honey either… otherwise I could mix it into a face mask—
Wait a sec?
A lightbulb lit up in her head—she’d just figured out what to use for a trade with Boss Tang!
After all, old cosmetic sets from six years ago were still popular. There was no reason why purified pine pollen wouldn’t sell!
Mixed with egg whites, milk, or honey, you could at least make some kind of skincare mask!
Whether it actually works or not…
Huai Yu didn’t feel guilty at all. Even regular chrysanthemum water can reduce swelling and inflammation, okay? Why wouldn’t this rare pine pollen be useful?
With that thought, her hands moved even faster.
By the time she was done exploring the pine grove, her basket was overflowing.
Too bad a lot of the pollen had stuck to the surface. Next time she’d have to bring more plastic bags.
She returned to the pond with her full basket and reeled in the trap again. Thinking about the trip down the mountain, she feared the fish might die early—or worse, jump out before she got them home.
Thinking about how strong even the little fish were, that seemed very possible!
So she carefully infused a bit of her purifying energy.
The fish, previously flailing like crazy, slowly calmed down under the energy. Each thrash before had nearly pulled the net out of her hands.
Now finally at ease, she filled her bucket with water and transferred the fish inside.
Once she got out of the rose corridor, she pedaled her bicycle like the wind. It was only after placing the calm fish safely in the water bucket that she could relax.
The tiniest fish, loaches, and shrimp she tossed straight into the pond. She kept two medium-sized ones for herself.
As for the two big ones…
Whether she imagined braised fish, pickled fish soup, or creamy white fish stew—just thinking about it made her hungrier.
Forget it.
She sighed and brushed the fantasies aside. It’s not the time to enjoy luxuries yet. Especially without enough seasoning, even good fish would taste bland.
She checked the time, quickly grabbed a new plastic bag, and started stripping the rest of the pine pollen from the blossoms.
Time was tight, and she didn’t want to keep the fish until the next day. So she couldn’t properly sort and clean the pollen—just stuffed it into the bag, grabbed the bucket, and ran to catch the bus.
Only 10 points left. If she didn’t go find Boss Tang now, she’d be flat broke. Life was becoming way too unstable!
About three hours after Huai Yu left, a military vehicle rolled into the area from Zone 69’s camp.
Zhou Qian was driving with utmost focus, his expression almost stern.
Next to him sat a stranger in a snow-white uniform, which shimmered like liquid silver in the sunlight.
The man was staring intently at the distant rose corridor, fully alert.
Following this vehicle were three more, trailing behind at a distance.
But Zhou Qian wasn’t focused on his companion or the cars behind. He glanced at the rearview mirror.
In the back seat sat a young man—with a rugged face and refined air. A blend of contrasting qualities, topped with the chilling aura of someone who’d participated in the fight against mutant plants.
The all-white uniform, so bright it almost glowed silver, along with the badge on his chest, made his identity unmistakable.
He was the one who had come from the Imperial Capital, traveling thousands of miles in search of former defense officer Lin Xuefeng—
The eternal hero of Huacheng—
Wu Yue.
The newly appointed commander of the Guardian Army—General Wu.
