Chapter 34: Sorry
The two of them chatted casually by the fire in the treehouse, not caring about the fate of the serious criminal outside. Huai Yu was happily chewing on soybeans when she suddenly asked:
“Why did you laugh when I said I was good at cooking? Are the beans not tasty?”
If it weren’t for that laugh, she wouldn’t have gotten so scared.
Lin Xuefeng thought back to that moment and couldn’t help but chuckle:
“I don’t know. I was hesitating at the door, wondering if I should ask you about the soybeans, when I suddenly heard you talking—”
That kind of confident and carefree tone, only found in children, combined with a girl’s crisp voice, made him burst out laughing uncontrollably.
But he immediately regretted it. After all, it was a rainy night, in the wild, and he was alone—
Laughing out loud like that…
It checked every box for a horror movie setup.
Cough, he figured he must have scared her badly.
He apologized sincerely:
“Sorry about that.”
Huai Yu shook her head:
“Forget it! You scared me, but you also helped me, so it’s fine.”
If Lin Xuefeng hadn’t been there, facing a vicious criminal on her own could have ended terribly.
After a while, Lin Xuefeng opened his palm:
“Can you share a little more?”
“There’s none left,” Huai Yu said, clicking her tongue and spreading her hands. “I used half of the soybeans to stir-fry, gave Xiao Tian three beans, and then split the rest with you… There’s nothing left.”
“Xiao Tian, is it this?”
Lin Xuefeng flipped his hand, and somehow, a transparent ball appeared in his palm—a running wheel?
Inside, an orange-golden little field mouse was spinning around crazily.
“Pretty good,” he smiled as he watched the dizzy mouse. “Living alone with a pet is nice.”
Huai Yu gave a small “uhh” and then cleared her throat:
“Maybe… it’s better to put it down. I don’t think it likes the wheel.”
“More importantly… I only accepted a small offering from it. I never intended to raise it.”
The water wheel suddenly burst apart, and Xiao Tian flopped into Lin Xuefeng’s palm with a splat. He quickly wrapped it in water and dropped the soaked little mouse onto the ground.
The field mouse squeaked furiously but eventually dragged itself over to the fire to dry its fur, casting resentful glances.
Lin Xuefeng glanced at the mouse and then at Huai Yu:
“The beans I ate aren’t from—?”
“Of course not!” Huai Yu smiled sweetly. “It just offered a few other seeds. They gave me the confidence to eat the soybeans.”
Then she sighed:
“With this heavy rain, the wild vegetables and mushrooms in the forest are all inedible now… I thought I found a way to make a fortune.”
Now she had to rethink how to survive.
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Xuefeng again. The 200 contribution points he had given her had really helped, buying her some much-needed time.
Lin Xuefeng sighed:
“Hang in there. The statistics bureau gave everyone soybeans. Once the legumes absorb the pollution, around May or June, you should be able to catch a planting season.”
“Plant element abilities are still more efficient than others.”
Huai Yu sighed too:
“Guess that’s all I can do…”
Before she finished, Lin Xuefeng asked:
“You said you used half the beans… so where’s the other half?”
“I ate it all. Shouldn’t you eat your fill once you start?”
Huai Yu pointed to a basin beside her:
“Here, they’re soaking. I’m trying to sprout them.”
“If it works, it’s hard to make them grow full soybeans, but sprouting should be easier. I could sell them.”
Lin Xuefeng frowned:
“This water…”
He dipped his hand into the basin and was instantly surprised:
“This water!”
Then he turned sharply to Huai Yu:
“Is the water you drink the same as this? Where did it come from?”
Huai Yu hesitated, recalling her water purification ability—
Was this not considered part of her plant-type power?
Still, she pointed to the bottles:
“The red bucket water was purified with tablets. The mineral water was boiled and filtered.”
“I worked hard to purify it all again.”
“Again?” Lin Xuefeng caught the key word.
“Yeah,” Huai Yu nodded. “Using the same ability I use to grow plants. If I work hard enough, their mutation levels drop, and they taste better.”
Lin Xuefeng was stunned.
After a moment, he guided a stream of water into his mouth, then sighed with a complicated look:
“You shouldn’t be called Huai Yu (怀榆)… it should be Huai Bi (怀璧 – carrying a treasure).”
“Plant powers can accelerate growth, but not purification. They’re completely different abilities. I’ve never heard of anyone who can do this.”
He remembered how Huai Yu had said growing plants was exhausting. He thought it was because she was weak.
Now he realized—it was exhausting!
Because she wasn’t using a growth ability at all! It was purification! The fact it even worked was already amazing.
Huai Yu asked nervously:
“Is it really rare?”
Lin Xuefeng nodded:
“You’re the only one I know of.”
“So, keep your secret. Even I can barely sense your plant-type ability. If you’re careful, no one will find out.”
“Right now, purification is done through mutated plants, and it’s inefficient. None of them can match your level… No wonder your soybeans were so pure.”
He sighed, full of emotion.
If her ability were stronger and she could protect herself, he would have suggested she contact the Academy of Sciences.
But since she couldn’t even defend herself, he said nothing.
Huai Yu nodded seriously, keeping his words in mind.
Then he stared again at the soybeans in the basin:
“Do you have the strength to accelerate them now? How about sprouting a bit more?”
“Crisp, tender bean sprouts must taste amazing… Getting to enjoy something like that before heading to the wasteland… Huai Yu, if I had met you earlier, maybe I wouldn’t want to go anymore.”
Huai Yu froze:
“But there’s no oil… the sprouts would be wasted—and you really can’t stay?”
Lin Xuefeng laughed:
“Little girl, just focus on taking care of yourself.”
Huai Yu didn’t argue. After a moment’s silence, she shared another piece of news:
“The Rose Corridor seems willing to let me get close.”
“Hmm?” He was a little surprised.
“Really.” Huai Yu pointed to the rose on her bedside, still vibrant after many days:
“Look, I picked that from the Rose Corridor. It’s lasted for days.”
Lin Xuefeng leaned in, amazed. After a long time, he turned back:
“It’s beautiful.”
“When I used to paint, I hated drawing roses. They’re so vigorous and overwhelming, and it was hard to capture them well. I’d always get low scores.”
“But now…”
He murmured, lost in thought, and sighed deeply:
“Truly beautiful.”
Then he reached out toward the door.
The next second, the serious criminal was yanked into the room with a loud “bang” and smashed hard into the ground.
