Chapter 30: Little Field
Everything Zhou Qian said, Huai Yu didn’t know.
Her memory began from the nationwide census on March 8, and she had no awareness of the subtle shifts in people’s cognition during the six years of the disaster.
What she did have were some basic understandings of normal life, which was the only reason she didn’t feel like a complete fool. Huai Yu gently patted her head, feeling a bit proud of her recovery. Her mind really had gotten better!
But now, while the city might be filled with curses and chaos, in this silent and ominously eerie Rose Corridor, there was nothing. She could only stare blankly at the dark rain curtain.
Previously, the Rose Corridor, which had been a little hot-tempered but overall tame, was now thrashing in the rain. Meanwhile, the distant Sanqing Mountain, unseen in the deep night, seemed to exude a deeper terror.
She had just said that the mountains were her home, but after this rain… was her home now gone?
The once-docile and charming Rose Corridor had gone mad. Could the wild vegetables and mushrooms she hadn’t eaten yet still be safe to eat?
Most likely, they couldn’t be.
And when she looked at the soybeans she was about to eat, Huai Yu’s face fell entirely.
( p′︵‵。) If she had known, those soybeans would have made much better seeds. She could have saved the rest as nutritional fluid, which could last for a month or two!
Then, when the rain stopped, she could carefully plant the seeds in the ground and use her abilities. In a month or two, she might be able to get some crops, right?
But now the soybeans were soaked, and there was no way to plant them in this heavy rain. After much hesitation, Huai Yu finally gave up and decided:
Since she couldn’t plant them anyway, might as well eat them! At worst, she could go collect more beans later, and there were those vegetable seedlings she remembered—chili seedlings for ten cents each!
With that, she scooped half the soybeans from the bowl and put them directly into the pot.
After a moment’s thought, she dipped her hand into the water again, using the faint trace of her abilities…
A strange, almost invisible substance began to move from her palm into the water. Huai Yu widened her eyes, staring at the water, which gradually became clear and clean.
Although some impurities still floated, the water felt much cleaner.
Turning her gaze to the mineral water barrel with the drinking water she had prepared…
Her face immediately dropped.
…
After purifying an entire barrel of water, Huai Yu was so tired that she could hardly lift her arms.
She sat there, breathing heavily, resting for a long time. Then, with some frustration, she added more firewood and put the pot back on the stove.
The flames leapt up immediately, and since the smoke from the fire was still inside, the door remained open. The coldness of the rain outside blew in, making her uncomfortable.
Huai Yu adjusted the direction of the pot. Once it was hot, she added the soaked soybeans. The beans had only been soaking for a little over half an hour, so the skin had softened slightly, but the insides were still very hard.
But that was fine.
Following her memory, she used a wooden spatula to stir the soybeans. The high heat quickly dried out the water, and she pulled the firewood back out of the stove, turning the heat down to a simmer and slowly roasting them.
While roasting and stirring the beans, she found a bit of small joy in passing the boring night.
As the scent of roasting beans began to fill the air, Huai Yu’s frustration and exhaustion vanished.
She became more energized, her eyes almost glowing as she stared at the pot. Hearing the occasional soft crackling of the soybeans, she found it to be the most pleasant sound.
The soybeans in the pot, with small cracks in their golden yellow skin, occasionally showed dark spots. They were being flipped back and forth in the pot, making them incredibly tempting.
She closed her eyes, immersing herself in the captivating scent of roasting beans, and felt hungrier than she ever had before.
When she opened her eyes again, she noticed a small, wet creature with black eyes staring at her carefully from the shadows beside the flickering firelight.
Hm?
Huai Yu widened her eyes, recognizing the small creature. It resembled the field mouse that had previously given her some “sponsorship!”
Perhaps because of the rain, its fur looked different—more reddish brown, almost like an orange-red.
The little field mouse was huddled, looking pitiful as it seemed to be enjoying the warmth of the fire or perhaps the aroma of the soybeans.
Huai Yu: …
She remembered her peanuts, yam beans, and the two big bowls of mung beans she had traded for from the defense force. She felt a slight pang of guilt.
Then, with a smile that became even more endearing, she said:
“Little Field, although I accepted a bit of your sponsorship, I also shared my 600 acres with you.”
“As a field mouse, you should be more content.”
The mouse, which now seemed to have the name “Little Field,” squeaked in reply, moving nimbly toward the fire. Its eyes looked even more pitiful as it gazed up at her.
Huai Yu remained firm: “600 acres…”
“Eeek!”
“You’re the field mouse with the greatest achievement!”
“Eeek eeek!”
“Greedy little field mice get snatched up by owls!”
“Eeek eeek eeek!”
“…”
“Alright, alright, since it’s raining so heavily, I’ll be kind and let you warm up by the fire. But after you’re done, you’ll have to go out!”
“Eeek…”
“You’re so greedy… fine, fine. Here, have a bean. That’s all you’re getting.”
“Eeek eeek…”
“Three beans! Just three! There aren’t any more, and I’m about to add salt!”
Carefully, Huai Yu scooped out three soybeans with the spatula, blew on them, and then placed them in her palm.
The soybeans were now fully roasted. The dry, golden skins had wide cracks, and some had dark black spots. As they moved in the pot, they looked incredibly inviting.
She placed the soybeans by the stove. The field mouse squeaked eagerly, scurrying towards them.
As it approached, Huai Yu noticed that the mouse’s fur, which had been wet before, had now dried halfway from the warmth of the fire. The mouse’s fur had taken on a golden-orange hue, with a subtle golden halo at the tips.
It actually looked kind of cute!
For a moment, Huai Yu was tempted to pet it.
But quickly snapping out of her thoughts, she realized her small handful of soybeans wasn’t that many. So, puffing her cheeks, she watched the field mouse nibble on the beans and then carefully sprinkled a little salt onto them.
The salt quickly dissolved in the heat, seeping into the beans. She stirred them a little, and with the slightly blackened edges, she took a deep breath and declared loudly:
“Wow! I’m basically a culinary god! My crispy, salty roasted soybeans!!!”
In the next instant, a soft laugh echoed through the air.
Huai Yu’s expression immediately became wary as she looked towards the door!
Outside, the damp cold wind still blew in, dark and ominous. She couldn’t see anything, but at that moment, her heart was filled with not curiosity, but a sense of immense dread and unease!
