Chapter 11: The Neighbors Have Grain
There was a small hole right next to the base of the rose wall.
It was really small, covered by dense green leaves, so you couldn’t see anything clearly.
If Huai Yu hadn’t kneeled down too quickly and apologized too sincerely, she might not have discovered it.
The little eyes inside seemed to have been startled, and with a “whoosh,” they disappeared.
But Huai Yu was faster!
Even before her brain could give the command, she acted, and her hand reached straight into the hole!
After a brief struggle, she finally managed to grab the tail of the little creature and pulled it out.
It was a completely ordinary field mouse.
Gray fur, round eyes, long whiskers, and a long tail.
It looked so plain…
She quickly tilted her head back slightly.
But, it didn’t matter! Whether the field mouse was ordinary or not, what mattered was, they were good at hiding food!
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!” The little field mouse struggled desperately.
Huai Yu didn’t make it hard for it; instead, she tilted her head and smiled gently.
“Baby, you’re so cute!”
“It’s okay, don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you. Go on.”
At that moment, she seemed to radiate a saintly aura, and the little field mouse, dazed and confused, froze for a moment before it wildly ran off.
However, it didn’t run too far. Seemingly coming to its senses, the little mouse looked back, and its whiskers almost exploded in shock!
Because at that very moment, Huai Yu had already extended her arm and started digging at its hole!
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”
The little mouse even forgot its own danger and circled back to the hole, frantically dashing back and forth next to it, so quickly its paws must’ve been sparking!
But Huai Yu just sweetly smiled, “Thank you, I don’t have clothes to wear!”
And thanks to the little field mouse, she suddenly remembered a clever trick for her mountain treasure hunt — to check how many squirrels had forgotten their stash from the previous year.
Thinking about this, her posture while digging couldn’t have been more carefree!
Fortunately, the rose corridor’s roots were deeply entrenched, or maybe the wilderness was just too dangerous. The mouse’s tunnel, though winding, wasn’t deep in a straight line.
When Huai Yu used the sturdy branch she had once used to dig for her house, the mouse’s chirps grew more desperate.
But the joy of Huai Yu was incomparable to the mouse’s despair.
The mouse’s food stash was genuinely abundant.
There was a small pile of peanuts, all looking plump, and she had to scoop them twice to get them all out.
There were also some beans, dirty but not spoiled green beans, and two large handfuls! She didn’t even know where they came from, but wow, they were amazing!
There were also some wheat grains, but since it wasn’t very good at stealing wheat, most of them were shriveled and of little value.
The most important find, however, was a handful of yam beans, about the size of quail eggs.
Wow! These could be planted! And they could easily yield over a thousand pounds per acre, much more filling than the one pound of beans she had!
All these good things, every moment spent out in the wild made her feel like she wasn’t trying hard enough.
Huai Yu took off her jacket and bundled everything inside, finally carrying a bundle as large as a basketball. It was clear how much the little mouse could hoard.
“You’re amazing.”
She sincerely complimented the field mouse, which was practically jumping in frustration. She even thoughtfully reassured it:
“Look, even though I took your food, it’s spring, you won’t be lacking food. You like the tender grass sprouts here, right? Eat as much as you want.”
“This is my land, don’t worry, eat freely!”
After saying that, she happily left.
Back in her house, she laid her clothes on the blue bricks and began sorting the food.
She discarded the shriveled or spoiled ones and categorized the rest.
The yam beans could be planted, and since they had a high yield, she decided to keep them.
Peanuts could also be planted, and if grown well, they could yield a thousand pounds per acre, so she kept those too!
As for the wheat, there weren’t enough good ones to make a handful, and she doubted they would get her much, so she wrapped them in leaves and put them in her pocket for later.
There were plenty of green beans, she didn’t know where they came from, but they were a large two handfuls. Green beans didn’t fill you up much though…
Huai Yu immediately decided she would use these green beans to trade for clothes!
She didn’t know much about prices, but since eleven pine cones could trade for waterproof tarpaulin, surely these two handfuls of green beans could get her at least a set of underwear?
As for whether to go to the market…
Huai Yu thought about it. The market was probably full of people more pitiful than her. Even though green beans could be planted, they wouldn’t fill her up for now, so they probably weren’t very valuable.
So, she decided…
To the defense forces, please help!
Before leaving, as a sign of respect, Huai Yu brushed her teeth with a branch, enduring the bitterness, since she didn’t have clean water. But at least it was the thought that counted.
Fortunately, the nutrition liquid was plentiful, or she would’ve been struggling by now.
Next, she wrapped the green beans in her jacket, and off she went to District 69!
This time, she wasn’t carrying ten pounds of pine cones. The three to four kilometers were a breeze. She even looked around, and if her clothes weren’t so tattered, it almost felt like a leisurely outing.
At the entrance of District 69, the guards saw her from a distance and quickly grabbed their walkie-talkies!
When Huai Yu arrived at the gate, she saw Captain Zhou from before, along with some logistics personnel, already waiting. When they saw her, they forced a smile on their faces.
Huai Yu: …
But she was a person of dignity, and since she needed something from them, she wouldn’t say anything rude, like “your face is cramping.”
So, she just smiled softly, “Captain, I came to trade, is that okay?”
Captain Zhou tried hard to keep a smile on his face, softening his tone to make himself seem more approachable:
“That’s fine. The pine nuts you brought last time were delicious, we all liked them.”
Though, they didn’t eat many.
Because the mutation value was too low, everyone had just split one, and the rest had been requisitioned for research.
When they heard she was coming, everyone hurriedly gathered, hoping this time she had some low mutation value goodies.
Huai Yu gave him a suspicious look and then studied his weathered face, starting to understand—
Captain Zhou must’ve been through a lot, so he didn’t think the pine nuts were bitter, huh?
How touching.
If she could get clothes today, she’d be even more touched.
So, she sweetly smiled, “Thank you so much, brothers! But, I’m not sure, are there any sisters here? I want to trade for something girls can use.”
Girls can use…
Captain Zhou glanced at her disheveled hair and tattered clothes, then said:
“No problem.”
He took out his walkie-talkie and whispered a few words. Soon, two graceful and capable-looking girls walked out.
