Chapter 191: Wu Yue’s Ex-Girlfriend
The two of them had been chatting for a while, and by the time the bamboo shoots were chopped and blanched, it was already half past twelve.
The weather in May was getting quite hot by noon, and the fire in the stove was blazing, making the small kitchen feel like a steam basket.
Zhou Qian wiped the sweat off his forehead, then glanced at Huai Yu who was still wearing long sleeves and sighed, “Go wait outside. It’s too hot in here with the cooking.”
Huai Yu nodded, “I’ll go check the well again. The biological material bricks are nice and cool, really comfortable!”
Zhou Qian thought for a moment, then decided to stew the bamboo shoots and the meat and vegetables that Huai Yu had hung in the well. He checked the cooking fire in the next room, realized it was almost done, and then asked, “Is water not convenient for you there? I can bring two buckets of water over for you.”
“The well-digging skills are good, and the soil layers inside are solid. The water is nice and cool now, it’s pretty good.”
Although it was still a bit polluted and didn’t taste as fresh and sweet as the water from a few years ago, it wasn’t bad.
Huai Yu shook her head, “I have water, and it’s clean.”
“Just help me set up the jar later, Zhou Qian.”
Zhou Qian couldn’t help but feel curious.
Earlier, he hadn’t dared to approach and observe too closely. This morning, there had been so much going on, he hadn’t had time to examine it thoroughly. He recalled that Huai Yu only had a pond around her, which was quite large. Could it be that the water in the pond was very clean? Didn’t she have fish in it?
He thought about it, and his expression grew a bit strange, realizing that this girl, who was happily serving the meal, still had some secrets left.
But considering her openness earlier, it likely wasn’t intentional to hide things—perhaps the secrets were just too many for her to remember.
Still, the more he thought about it, the more conflicted he became. This was really becoming an issue where secrets had multiplied into something bigger.
Was her hometown in a secret garden?
…
But, no matter how many secrets there were, they all seemed trivial in the face of good food.
To be honest, after six years of the catastrophe, people’s lives had become completely disconnected from food. Most people were eating what could only be considered survival rations.
Sometimes, because the ingredients were so unpalatable, they would rather choose to drink nutritional fluids, even though the authorities repeatedly emphasized that it wasn’t meant to be consumed for long periods because it would cause the stomach to shrink…
Other plants and animals, though, when prepared poorly, still tasted bad.
Only those who were daring and worked hard to earn contribution points could get their hands on decent food during the six years of the catastrophe.
The Defense Army had decent meals, but no matter how good the chef was, the food still didn’t compare to the past. Zhou Qian was used to drinking nutritional fluids and eating compressed rations as well.
Now, Huai Yu, who felt she had already confessed all her secrets, was openly using her powers to cleanse the mutated value from the water, rice, and dishes.
Since the rice was too old, it could only be considered edible for now.
But the bullfrog, wild chicken, and the stewed eggplant, beans, and bamboo shoots were all fresh. After some preparation, Zhou Qian ate without even looking up.
Only Huai Yu noticed the crusty rice, burnt and bitter at the bottom of the pot. She looked at Zhou Qian, who was eating it all up happily without noticing, and couldn’t help but develop a new understanding of his roughness.
Hmph.
He had even been jealous of Lin Xuefeng before, who was about to head to the wasteland. Yet he was still drawn to her stir-fried beans, not wanting to affect their flavor…
Their life philosophies were totally different.
A whole pot of rice was cleaned up by Zhou Qian, even the burnt, blackened, and bitter crust at the bottom. While eating, he said, “You’re a picky eater. Good thing you lost your memory. Otherwise, thinking about the things we ate during the catastrophe years, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to live anymore.”
Huai Yu thought about the cocoon she couldn’t find and almost said something to Zhou Qian, but then she remembered her embarrassing ex-boyfriend…
Forget it, if Zhou Qian thought her memory loss was because of her ex-boyfriend, she’d never live it down!
She’d talk about it next time.
Anyway, aside from the cocoon, he knew everything else.
Huai Yu leaned closer and asked, “Earlier in the hospital, when I mentioned my boyfriend from a dream, you suddenly asked me what I thought of Wu Yue… Do you think he was my ex-boyfriend?”
“I thought about it, and only he was so detestable even before we met—someone as kind as me must have been wronged first.”
“Oh, I’m not talking about the house. I even disliked meeting his mother.”
Zhou Qian was a bit surprised, “You even met his mother?”
“Of course!” Huai Yu adopted a high and mighty tone, “She called me ‘madam’—ugh, she had the scent of a feudal old lady, so cringey.”
After getting familiar with Zhou Qian, it was clear that her words had become much sharper.
“You know, when I was in my twenties, was I really in a relationship with Wu Yue? What did I even like about him?”
Zhou Qian nearly choked on his food.
“Maybe…”
He slowly chewed the last bite of food, his expression growing serious, “Could it be that your ability to do everything now is because of your previous job?”
Huai Yu immediately felt frustrated, “A housewife?”
Zhou Qian shook his head and then sized her up, “You weren’t some cadre, were you?”
“Cadres used to go to the countryside for poverty alleviation.”
Huai Yu: “…”
She swore that she had underestimated Zhou Qian—he clearly knew how to crack a cold joke!
But after the joke, it was time to analyze:
“Wu General… okay, Wu Yue. He described the appearance of a woman to me.”
Zhou Qian had a good memory and could still vaguely recall the person in the photograph:
“She was about in her twenties or thirties, wearing light makeup, though I might not be totally accurate. But she had a very tired and gloomy look, completely different from your energetic and vibrant appearance.”
“Looking carefully, you two do have some similarities—but I remember she had big double eyelids.”
Huai Yu, in front of him, had clear, lively eyes, but they were definitely almond-shaped.
For some reason, hearing the word “double eyelids” suddenly made Huai Yu feel a bit stifled!
She calculated her age again: “In the dream, I was in my twenties too. If I’d dated for a few more years, I’d almost be thirty.”
“Her name and appearance were so similar… Could it be? How did I end up in such a miserable situation?”
“Looking so haggard and gloomy, did I never have any joy in my life? What about my career? Did I have no career either?”
She looked at Zhou Qian: If I had no career, then would I never have had a mansion or male servants?
Zhou Qian couldn’t stand her pitiful expression and thought for a moment before saying, “The data was transmitted through the network. I’ll check if there’s a local backup later.”
“Anyway, Wu General… Okay, Wu Yue. After Wu Yue created the Rose Corridor, he became famous. His resume should be well known.”
“If he really had an ex-girlfriend, there should be some trace of her, right?”
