Chapter 189: Hidden Secrets
Zhou Qian couldn’t help but laugh: “You could actually buy coal by yourself.”
Huaiyu was stunned—she had never seen this in the market before! But after thinking about it, she asked: “Is coal expensive?”
Zhou Qian thought for a moment: “It should be okay. Honeycomb coal is about three yuan per block—nowadays, urban life relies on it. How else would they cook? Burning firewood is possible, but it’s just so inconvenient.”
Due to the damage from plant mutations, the gas pipelines haven’t been repaired yet.
There are people who sell firewood, but it isn’t cheap, and getting it delivered to the Rose Corridor is a hassle.
Huaiyu became calm again: “Even if there were coal sellers before, I wouldn’t be able to carry it back.”
That’s true.
Thinking back to how thin she was when she first appeared, with eleven large pine cones hanging from her body, it’s likely she neither had the chance to buy coal nor the strength to carry it.
So Zhou Qian nodded decisively: “Alright, I’ll chop some firewood for you this afternoon.”
Now that her life had settled, Huaiyu thought that the only physically demanding tasks she really needed help with were just a few, so she happily nodded:
“Zhou Qian, you’re such a good neighbor.”
“You help me with chores, and in return, come to my place for meals.”
She patted her chest confidently: “My food is plentiful and delicious!”
Zhou Qian believed her.
But—
“Let’s wait a bit. In a few days, I’ll invite my friends over, and you can just provide some regular dishes.”
He emphasized: “Regular.”
Huaiyu nodded: “Don’t worry! I’ve never messed up!”
That reassured him, and Zhou Qian let out a sigh of relief.
……
This was Zhou Qian’s first meal after leaving the hospital, and it was at his new home. Huaiyu was very happy about it and wandered around his kitchen several times before taking a bowl of rice from the rice barrel.
She then asked: “Zhou Qian, how much rice do you eat in one meal?”
Zhou Qian leaned over and looked: “I need to cook two bowls of rice for myself.”
He took the kitchen knife and awkwardly cut the thick bamboo shoot shell. But when he turned around, he saw Huaiyu’s hand hovering above the rice bowl, as if some invisible energy was stirring, and he felt a strange sensation in his legs.
When he looked carefully, she had already gracefully poured the rice into the basin.
“Is this your ability?”
“Mm.” Huaiyu nodded: “It makes things taste better.”
Zhou Qian furrowed his brows: “I heard that there’s a dean in agricultural schools who has this ability, but he can only alter the complete state of plants.”
For example, to improve a tomato, the stem, leaves, and fruit all have to be improved at the same time, not just the tomato itself.
If it were rice, he could improve the plant, but once the rice is husked, it couldn’t be improved.
He immediately realized how precious this ability was and reminded her: “Don’t use it in front of others.”
“I know.”
Huaiyu was washing the rice, and Zhou Qian’s meal wasn’t made of high-quality ingredients either. The rice was old, with a high mutation value. The grains had turned yellow and had a slightly moldy smell.
After she purified it, the improvement was limited—just making it taste a bit more normal.
“The first time I met Lin Xuefeng, he knew about it. Back then, I fried the yellow soybeans the government gave me.”
Zhou Qian stopped peeling the bamboo shoots. He turned to look at Huaiyu: “So you two have spent time together.”
It wasn’t just a casual encounter like they initially thought. They had really spent time talking and being together.
No wonder he had left that ice sculpture behind when he left, wanting to protect her…
It turns out he had already known that Huaiyu was hiding something special.
Now that Zhou Qian thought back, he couldn’t help but feel regret.
“If I hadn’t reported it and brought General Wu along, you would at least have a trump card to protect yourself.”
When the time came for compensation, he had been too cautious! Just that ice sculpture was worth 5000 points on the black market, but after rebuilding Huaiyu’s house and gathering some daily necessities, he’d only spent a little over 6000 points—though it was at an internal price.
But the former had value without a market, so it wasn’t something that could be measured like this.
“It’s okay.”
When recalling the past, Huaiyu wasn’t as sad as she had been before. Now, she had Kuang Biao, Big and Little Cub, Ke Tailang, and even the plump ginseng…
In the future, her abilities would only grow stronger!
She calmly said: “Anyway, one day, I will go to the wasteland.”
“At that time, I’ll try to bring Lin Xuefeng back.”
It sounded like a child talking about their dreams—innocent and persistent—unaware of the dangers of the wasteland.
Zhou Qian realized that Huaiyu hadn’t spent much time with Lin Xuefeng, but their bond was undoubtedly deep.
Some people are like that, aren’t they?
A lifelong bond, a familiar closeness.
No wonder she always called him by his name so confidently and even wanted to go to the wasteland.
Fate between people is truly mysterious!
Both were guard officers, yet Lin Xuefeng only spent a short time with her, and Huaiyu trusted him, even willing to give everything for him.
Even though his life was hanging by a thread, affected by the critical mutation threshold, he still spared no effort to leave her a protective charm.
As for General Wu, it seemed there was a deep connection with Huaiyu, but things started poorly and had left Huaiyu with bad feelings.
But now that he thought about it—
Zhou Qian secretly muttered in his mind: bad luck.
If he had known she had so many secrets back then, he wouldn’t have advised Huaiyu not to blame General Wu.
He even blamed himself!
He gritted his teeth, peeling the tender bamboo shoots again and feeling relieved—thankfully, he was no longer part of the Defense Army.
Without a duty, between General Wu and Little Yu, he could easily make a choice.
But speaking of which—
“No wonder it’s mutated bamboo, it’s still growing shoots at this time of year.”
Huaiyu paused for a moment, then suddenly looked puzzled: “Zhou Qian, did I take you to chat with Kuang Biao?”
Zhou Qian: “?? Chat? Kuang Biao?”
Huaiyu looked a little embarrassed: “Oh, I forgot. Kuang Biao is the mutated bamboo behind my house! He talks a lot, always has endless things to say.”
“But growing bamboo shoots is also impressive. We can have food all year round. Doesn’t bamboo heart tea taste refreshing and good?”
Zhou Qian put down his knife and thought of the many questions that had been bothering him before:
“How did this bamboo come from the wasteland to the Rose Corridor?”
“For so many years, the Rose Corridor didn’t allow any mutated plants near it. Why did Kuang Biao suddenly appear?”
“And it rooted behind your house. Does it have anything to do with you?”
Zhou Qian took a deep breath, feeling strangely like a father cleaning up his daughter’s mess—when he was still a young, unmarried, and outstanding bachelor!
“Little Yu, tell me the truth, is there anything you’re hiding from me?”
