Chapter 55: Absolutely Never
In the pitch-black night, the Rose Mansion once again fell into silence. Huai Yu closed her eyes and took a while to adjust before returning to the treehouse.
She was exhausted and collapsed straight onto the bed.
Moments later, she sat up and, carrying the lantern, stormed back to the Rose Corridor, gritting her teeth.
“You, you, you—!”
A breeze swept past, rose petals fluttering into her face and hair.
Huai Yu’s anger instantly collapsed. She set the lantern down, clasped her hands together pitifully, and pleaded:
“Please! Can we not do this? I was planning to farm tomorrow! I need to use my powers to grow soybeans…”
“If you start shouting again and they all come running, how am I supposed to explain?”
The accelerated growth and purification abilities both seemed useful. Huai Yu didn’t plan to mess with highly polluted sources, but it should be fine to train herself a bit, right?
Growing soybeans batch by batch to absorb pollution was a widely accepted method. Even if someone came and saw a lush green field, no one would suspect anything.
But if she relied solely on purification…
Huai Yu stared at the rose in front of her, but it simply swayed lazily like always, showing no reaction.
She couldn’t take it anymore. With determination, she angrily declared:
“If you keep this up—”
“I absolutely will not bow to you ever again!”
After her outburst, she bent down, grumbling and picking up the lantern. But then she felt a cold touch on the back of her neck and a faint floral fragrance.
She looked down—it was a small rose branch gently brushing against her. Its cold gray thorns were retracted, not even touching her.
Huai Yu pursed her lips and suddenly smiled.
“Okay then, it’s a deal. Tomorrow I’ll farm, so please control yourself a little!”
…
The next day was another bright and sunny one.
After the chaos last night, Huai Yu woke up to find the morning broadcast already finished. But there was no need for a weather report—just one look at the warm sun overhead lifted her spirits.
With practiced ease, she pulled back the waterproof tarp, picked the dead leaves off the roof, then spread the large grass mats outside to dry.
Next came the solar-powered lights.
Then she walked over to the pond for a look.
Only a day had passed, so the pond water wasn’t completely clean yet—still a bit yellowish.
But pollution levels aren’t always visible. Most of what remained in the pond was muddy water and debris. So Huai Yu grabbed a basin and soap, then squatted by the pond to wash all her clothes.
She then rinsed everything again with clean water back inside.
The smell of soap clung to the clothes, and as they dried under the sun, everything felt so reassuring.
Her newly bought fish trap was still inside, but she had already checked this pond when it was clearer. The biggest fish was smaller than her thumb—no point in using the trap now.
She’d have to wait until her next trip to the mountains.
Once everything was done, it was just past 9:00 AM.
Huai Yu relaxed, grabbed a spoon, scooped two spoonfuls of flour, added water and salt, and—cautiously but boldly—added a pinch of dried chili flakes.
It had been so long since she’d tasted anything spicy. She’d avoided the chili since buying it, fearing it’d be too much. But with such a beautiful day, it felt like the right time to try.
She stirred the flour into a batter, then added a bit of lard to the pan.
The white lard quickly melted, releasing fragrant steam. She tossed in some dried wild scallions.
With a light sizzle, the scent of scallion oil filled the room.
She poured the oil into a bowl without even washing the pan, then carefully added the batter to make a thin round pancake…
The off-white batter slowly took shape in the pan, turning a greasy golden color. A few dark scallion bits were sprinkled on top. As it steamed, the pancake began to crisp around the edges…
The aroma intensified!
Huai Yu happily flipped it with a spatula—greasy, savory, with a touch of spice—absolutely satisfying!
No eggs, no extra sauce to deepen the flavor—she glanced at the few pounds of soybeans left in the corner and hesitated.
Should she try making some soybean paste before she starts farming?
A moment later, she shook her head with a sigh.
Forget it. No fresh chili.
She quickly finished the two thin scallion pancakes, then grabbed her multi-functional shovel and walked around the pond, looking for a good plot to till.
The terrain sloped slightly downward but was relatively even. There didn’t seem to be much difference between pondside soil and other areas.
Still, if there’s rain, there’s also drought. She didn’t have much strength, and if she planted too far from the pond, watering would be a hassle.
The three-to-five-acre pond looked small when not full, but now that it brimmed with water, it was just a big pool of muddy yellow.
Huai Yu walked around it once and finally picked a spot she could observe from the treehouse, carefully marking out an area with her shovel.
Not knowing how well she’d manage farming, she didn’t start big—just around 20 square meters.
In those 20 square meters, she’d have to turn the soil, remove rocks and roots, clear out dense weeds, then sun it to kill pests, build ridges to retain moisture…
And she’d need to plant the soybeans quickly or she’d miss the Qingming farming season…
Running through the entire farming process in her head, Huai Yu stood there stunned, leaning on her shovel, amazed at her own versatility.
How was this someone who didn’t know how to farm? She was clearly a pro!
Wait, no.
How did she know all this?
A princess who lived in a castle and enjoyed a life of luxury shouldn’t even know the difference between wheat sprouts and chives, right?
Could it be…
Crushed by the thought of a possibly miserable past, Huai Yu’s mood sank.
Looking at her soft skin and delicate hands, she had comforted herself thinking she must’ve lived a pampered life.
But now it seemed…
Nope. She had clearly suffered and worked hard. No wonder she could keep things going on her own—turns out, she had learned through hardship.
As she pondered, she stepped down hard on the shovel and dug into the soil, skillfully turning up clumps of earth mixed with rocks and roots.
She used the back of the shovel to break up the clumps, bent down to pick out the debris, and tossed it far away…
When the stones finally landed, dragging the light roots down with them, Huai Yu’s heart finally settled.
Her movements were so practiced, she almost cried.
Had she been… a hard-working farmwoman from the mountains in her past life?
