Chapter 28: Born Beautiful
Huai Yu half-lifted her bike off the bus, her basket still dangling awkwardly from the crossbar, looking utterly disheveled as she finally got off.
The bus was already empty of other passengers. Otherwise, she honestly didn’t know if she could’ve squeezed her way out. Those aunties had been terrifying — even with her usual fast-talking skills, she had almost been questioned down to her ancestors.
“Phew—”
Huai Yu let out a long breath and touched her face. Being naturally beautiful must be like this — just so popular, right?
As for all those questions about her family, job, salary, housing, whether her brothers were married… Those were just extra details, nothing important.
She lifted her wrist to check her watch, the worn-out marks painfully obvious. Wasn’t careful today. Better not wear this in front of Boss Tang next time.
It wasn’t even five o’clock yet.
The sky was still bright, though looking gloomy, and the air was getting more humid. Far away, the tall rose corridor swayed quietly in the spring breeze.
Layers of tender green leaves intertwined with blooming pink roses, creating a stunning sea of colors. Huai Yu pushed her bicycle up the slope a few steps; from here she could see the 69th district’s Mutated Plant Defense Camp.
She smiled slightly, then struggled a bit to climb onto the too-tall bike—
“Whoohoo— Let’s goooo!”
Having a bike made all the difference.
What used to take ages on foot to reach the bus stop now only took about ten minutes riding.
The only downside was that the paved road had long been broken apart by crazily overgrown weeds, leaving mostly damp soil.
It didn’t feel as smooth and easy as riding on the main road.
But Huai Yu was already very satisfied.
At home, her precious new asset was pushed into the treehouse, which seemed much roomier now after clearing out the hay.
Huai Yu started unpacking her purchases one by one—
She put the plastic bags with the old ones, placed the scissors and small shovel directly in her basket. Two new towels were hung on the vine alongside the old one, and the entire pack of toilet paper went into the waterproof storage bag used for clothes.
Oh wait, better take one roll out and keep it by the bed.
Toilet paper was so precious now that she didn’t dare leave it in the bathroom — what if some critter chewed it up?
The kettle was placed by the fire pit. Though she had bought a kitchen knife, without a cutting board, she was afraid of dulling it, so she just set it aside for now.
The flip-flops were placed by her bed. Looking around, the place finally felt like a real cozy home.
Then — spring thunder crashed!
“BOOM!”
A bolt of lightning split the sky without warning, lighting up the gloomy world.
In the distance, rolling thunder rumbled through the clouds, and the sound of rain poured down, coming closer and closer…
It’s here!
It’s too fast!
Wasn’t it supposed to come tomorrow?!
Huai Yu dashed to the door, just in time to see huge raindrops hammering the grass outside, bending the blades over.
The wisteria flowers hanging at the door swayed wildly in the storm, as if they could be torn off any second. The rose corridor blurred into a chaotic pink-green painting under the heavy rain.
It was a torrential downpour.
She quietly went back inside, carefully draped her now extremely valuable raincoat over the vine, and then stepped outside again, following the connected rain shelters.
She inspected the shelter closely, ears perked for any signs of leaks or places where the wind might rip off her vine-fastened straw curtains.
Luckily, everything was fine.
However, the open space she had planned to use as a kitchen was now way too cold due to the sudden temperature drop, so cooking plans had to be put on hold.
Huai Yu pulled out some dry grass from beside the toilet to start a fire, and after tossing some logs onto the growing flames inside, she sighed, put on her rain boots, threw on her raincoat, and stepped out again into the open space.
There, a pile of branches and dry leaves she had gathered before was still scattered around. Since the rain hadn’t soaked them through yet, she had to hurry and drag them under the shelter.
Otherwise, if it rained for a few more days, she’d have no firewood left.
Raindrops dripped down from the edge of her raincoat hood onto her face. Heavy and clumsy, Huai Yu blinked and sighed a thousand times in her heart.
All because I was too tired yesterday and forgot about the firewood.
Luckily, the branches hadn’t snapped yet. She grabbed a few thick ones and dragged them into the shelter — her efficiency wasn’t bad at all.
By the time she returned to the treehouse with a few more branches, her raincoat was already dripping, and her face, collar, and hair were soaked.
Huai Yu wiped her face, about to pull off her hood, when she suddenly remembered something — she rushed to the door and dragged the big red bucket outside.
After thinking a moment, she also grabbed the new kettle and the old pot and placed them outside.
The rain hammered on the bucket, kettle, and pot, quickly filling them up.
She watched silently for a moment, then turned back inside, coolly hanging her raincoat on the vine. Then she grabbed a towel, wiped her face dry, and stoked the fire back into a roaring blaze.
Under the dancing firelight, the whole treehouse felt peaceful and safe against the rain.
If there was anything missing…
Huai Yu, now in her flip-flops, sat on a blue brick stool by the fire, looking at her bare feet and sighed:
Rainy days are meant to be enjoyed with some delicious food!
Whether it was instant noodles, hot pot, crayfish, or barbecue… slurp!
And she had… nothing!
Just great!
Her only seasonings were salt and sugar. As for food, she had nothing but yams, peanuts, and a bunch of gassy soybeans.
As for the nutrient solution…
Forget it.
That stuff was only for survival, it had nothing to do with real food.
There was no need for the straw curtains now. Relaxing a bit, Huai Yu found herself at a loss for what to do next. After some thought, she dug out all the seeds she had and started planning how to plant them.
First, I need to find a good plot of land and turn the soil, right?
Then what? Just bury the seeds?
She did have a little special ability. If she put in some effort, the seeds should sprout.
But two kilograms of peanuts, one kilogram of soybeans, and a big bundle of yam beans…
Planting all that might kill me!
She tenderly patted her delicate little shoulder, doubting whether farming was really her thing.
Also… I should’ve saved some wild vegetables today. I’m so hungry!
Her stomach was growling, and the disgusting taste of the nutrient solution in her mouth only worsened her misery.
Before she realized it, she had already pulled out a whole bag of soybeans.
If her only pot wasn’t still outside collecting rainwater, she probably would’ve thrown them into the kettle with some salt and stir-fried them already.
ε=(ο｀*)))sigh
Just slow-roast them over the fire.
Until they’re crispy and fragrant, the beans popping open, sprinkled with a little salt…
Argh! So hungry!
It’s happening!
