Chapter 119: Cowpeas and Dreams
Huai Yu was still thinking about what Zhou Qian had said. Unknowingly, her powers surged in her hands until—
“Snap.”
The long, intertwined vines that had kept growing and climbing upward could no longer hold, and with a thwack, they all fell squarely on her head and face.
Because they had grown so long and tall, the impact wasn’t light at all!
They knocked Huai Yu, who had been squatting, straight onto the ground.
She sat there dazed for a while before pulling her hands back. Then, looking at the massive cowpea vine in front of her, which was nearly coiled into a banyan tree shape, she felt utterly numb.
She quickly got up and clumsily began laying the vines over to the side of the field, making sure they didn’t crush the rest of the vegetable patch.
Now came the real problem—this cowpea vine she had accelerated had grown so long and large, clearly unnatural. Should she just chop it down?
But it had already grown so big…
Forget it.
Huai Yu glanced around at the deserted wasteland. No one was coming by anyway, so she decided to just leave it as is.
The solar-powered lamp nearby attracted a swarm of tiny flying insects. The vine, now sprawled like a dragon on the ground, slowly began to bloom in the night.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single bee or butterfly around, so Huai Yu had no choice but to pluck a foxtail and manually pollinate the flowers, bit by bit.
Turns out, accelerated growth also depends on whether a plant has self-reproductive capabilities, huh?
As she worked, she couldn’t help but admire those plant scientists once again.
From her experience, most organisms that underwent forced acceleration would mutate to some degree.
But not these fruits and vegetables whose seeds were approved for market use. No matter how she accelerated their growth, they remained astonishingly stable.
Surely, countless people had poured untold effort into achieving this level of reliability.
As she flipped through the vines in the night, she almost mistook them for sweet potato vines rather than cowpeas.
But while these cowpeas were stable in appearance, their mutation index was still quite high. So Huai Yu had to alternate between flipping and purifying them, using both abilities.
By the time she felt tired, the vine had already spread several meters farther. Meanwhile, the pollinated flowers had quickly withered and produced long, tender green beans.
Scattered along the vine across the grass, they looked like green tassels born silently in the dark—surprisingly beautiful in their own way.
Looking back at the other tiny cowpea seedlings, Huai Yu smiled again—
Enough beans to last an entire summer—what a blessing for her current life!
She went back inside and brought out a large basket. Just from this one accelerated vine, she harvested two full loads of beans.
A bunch here, a bunch there… they just kept coming—never-ending!
She felt like a landowner secretly striking it rich at midnight—calculating how one portion would go into tomorrow’s stir-fry, while another could be pickled or dried…
The more she looked, the more vivid her fantasy of a bumper harvest became. Humming, she carried the baskets back when suddenly she remembered—
If she wanted to pickle the beans, she didn’t have a container for storing preserved food anymore.
There were still several days left of the Labor Day holiday, so pickling was out. Better to just dry them for now. After all, the beans would keep growing all summer—there was no rush.
She mentally ran through her to-do list for the next day. Then, recalling that buses were running less frequently than usual, she washed and cleaned the beans in advance.
The wilderness was quiet. The soft fragrance of the Rose Corridor lingered. Her flashlight gave out its last flickering glow.
Huai Yu crouched under a tree, washing the beans in the night. Even the insects were barely making a sound.
Maybe she was too tired—she started dreaming again that night.
In the dream, she was on a bustling street filled with shopfronts, glowing softly with lights. The air was thick with the mingling scents of sweet, savory, spicy, and salty delights.
In the dream, Huai Yu widened her eyes, trying to read the shop signs. Whether it was some milk tea shop or a grilled pig trotter stall, just thinking about it made her drool.
But she couldn’t control the dream.
Scenes flickered past like a slideshow, finally stopping on a boy and a girl—faces blurred and unrecognizable, though they seemed young, probably no older than 20.
The boy, radiating youthful energy, walked out of a store carrying milk tea and cheerfully approached the girl waiting by the road, “This is a new milk tea flavor. The girls in class said it tastes amazing. I got it for you!”
His words overflowed with confidence and youth. He handed the milk tea over with such ease and flair.
The cup was round, with beautiful artwork. The straw had already been thoughtfully inserted. She could almost imagine the creamy, aromatic taste inside.
Huai Yu really wanted to take a sip!!
The girl opposite, still faceless, looked a bit flustered, “Thanks. I said I’d treat you, but now you’re spending money again…”
She spoke softly, slowly taking the cup. Then her eyes landed on the price label—
“This is 39 yuan?!”
So expensive!
She mumbled. In the blurred vision of the dream, she wore a pair of faded canvas shoes—probably worth less than 20 yuan.
[How weird… a 39-yuan milk tea appears in my dream but won’t even let me taste it?]
Huai Yu muttered in her dream.
For some reason, everything felt like a movie, yet at times she could completely empathize with the girl’s thoughts—
Could that have been her past?
Wow, kinda tragic? Still poor like now!
The boy chuckled, “Yeah, it’s a bit pricey. But don’t all girls love this kind of stuff? Go on, try it—I picked this one just for you.”
“Besides, how could I let a girl pay?”
The girl blushed slightly and gently sipped from the straw.
The warm milk tea entered her mouth. Even though Huai Yu hadn’t tasted it herself, she could almost imagine the flavor in her sleep.
The rich taste of fresh milk and the subtle fragrance of tea—it was pretty good. But beyond that, she couldn’t describe it.
Just that it cost 39 yuan… and it made her heart ache a little.
The boy saw her drinking silently and smiled again, “Still thinking it’s expensive? You’re really good at managing money! If my mom met you, she’d totally adore you.”
The girl blushed again.
Then the boy, watching her while holding his own milk tea, suddenly seemed stunned.
After a moment, he blushed too. He looked around nervously, avoiding her gaze—then suddenly blurted out, “Huai Yu, be my girlfriend…”
“!!!”
Huai Yu jerked awake, sitting up in bed with a face more haunted than a ghost!
I already had a boyfriend?!
Shocking. Unbelievable!
She hadn’t even tasted the milk tea, hadn’t seen the guy’s face. From what little she remembered, he was decently built, had a nice voice…
But still!!!
Was that really her past? Just a “not bad” boyfriend and a still-poor life?
Then why, thinking about it now, did she feel not a hint of emotion—only irritation?
She ruffled her hair and pounded her blanket in powerless fury—
You’re gonna show me the past in a dream?! Then give me a fried chicken leg first! Not a damn love confession! So annoying!
She let out a long sigh and lay back down, trying to recall more details—maybe something to prove that the girl really was her, or at least figure out what that boyfriend looked like.
But as soon as she lay down… she fell deeply asleep again.
The night wind rustled the bamboo leaves in the backyard with a soothing sound. Nearby, pale pink rose petals fluttered in the air. A faint floral scent lingered.
When Huai Yu woke the next morning, she still remembered the regret from the night before—but couldn’t recall any of the snack shop names. Thinking about her current life…
Forget milk tea—getting clean water took real effort!
So what did a 39-yuan milk tea taste like? Why was she so useless in the past? Couldn’t she have just made some money?!
With that thought, she got up early. Before the sun had fully risen, she dragged out the thin bamboo poles she had prepared to build supports for the vines.
As for that monstrous vine she over-accelerated last night…
Forget it. Let it quietly lie on the grass. She didn’t have any thick bamboo sturdy enough to support it.
Even if she did, there was no way she could secure it to the ground and prop it up on her own.
Just as she finished setting up the frames, a shiny black-shelled Keta Rōu quickly crawled over in the distance.
Once it reached the field’s edge, it stood upright with its hind legs, its antennae waving at the cowpea vines—clearly interested.
For some reason, seeing Keta Rōu so eager to work in the morning lifted Huai Yu’s spirits.
A few missed beans still hung on the vine from last night.
She generously handed the bunch over.
“Here, for our Keta Rōu. See if you like it.”
Though its front claws had mutated, they still couldn’t hold the heavy bundles of fresh beans.
As soon as she let go, Keta Rōu flailed helplessly on its back, legs flailing wildly.
Its smooth shell rocked side to side on the grass, unable to flip over for quite some time.
Huai Yu, “…Pfft—hahahaha!”
Sorry. She really tried to hold it in—for Keta Rōu’s dignity.
Luckily, Keta Rōu was broad-minded. Even after being scooped up and rescued from embarrassment, it quickly became engrossed in analyzing the new species of the day.
Now that Keta Rōu was hard at work, Huai Yu couldn’t slack off either.
After finishing the frames, she brought out the cleaned beans from last night and hung them to dry. Then she began prepping today’s patient meal.
There wasn’t much flour left, so maybe rice today?
She steamed a pot of rice—sadly, the soup from the old rice wasn’t very fragrant, so she drank it herself.
But luckily, once the rice simmered a little longer, it developed a delicious crispy crust.
Perfect to bring for Zhou Qian!
Next, she prepared a large batch of patient food—
The cowpeas were finely chopped, along with pork cracklings. She stir-fried the cracklings to release their fat, then added the beans…
Even without much seasoning—just some salt—the purified ingredients brought out an incredible taste.
When the food was done, Huai Yu looked around the room and finally picked a medium-sized stainless steel bowl…
In the hospital room, Zhou Qian was at a loss again.
“The patient meal… you didn’t have to go this hard.”
In front of him was a stainless steel bowl, freshly unwrapped from its plastic covering—enough food for three people.
He thought for a moment and asked, “Did you not eat yet? Want to share?”
“No, no.” Huai Yu shook her head. “I ate already—this is all for you. You lost so much blood, you need to eat up!”
Zhou Qian looked down at the bowl again. She handed him a spoon. “Eat up—I made sure to keep it warm, it should still be hot.”
Thinking back to yesterday’s delicious meal and smelling today’s fragrance, Zhou Qian nodded with confidence, “I think I can finish it.”
He took a spoonful. The rich flavor of pork cracklings and finely chopped beans, paired with the fragrant rice—made irresistible by the low mutation index—was heavenly.
He managed to say between bites, “Is the door closed? Don’t let the smell get out.”
“Closed.”
Huai Yu leaned on the bed, watching him eat happily. For some reason, she thought of her own bedtime reading—What was it called again?
“Postpartum Care of Sows—” No no no! It was “One Birth, Eight Babies: Pure Girl’s Dominating Romance”!
The female lead would feel joy watching piglets eat—and now, Huai Yu felt that same happiness…
Zhou Qian, mid-bite, noticed her strange gaze and started feeling awkward.
Trying to ease the mood, he said, “Your cooking is really good.”
Huai Yu beamed, “Of course! Do you even know who I am? I can do anything!”
“Yes, yes…” Zhou Qian laughed, then buried his head in the meal again. After all, it was a big bowl. He had to eat quickly.
