Chapter 94: Heading to the Wastelands
“You really dug them up?”
Zhou Qian looked at Huai Yu, full of helplessness.
He was about to say something cautionary again, but then he remembered—ever since he’d met Huai Yu, he’d been giving her those kinds of warnings nonstop. And yet, she was still growing strong and thriving.
So he paused, gave a resigned smile, and stayed quiet.
Then he looked at the heavy, full basket she was carrying. After a moment of silence, he said abruptly, “Don’t bring anything anymore.”
“I’m heading out on a mission to the Wastelands, Little Yu.”
“Huh?” Huai Yu looked confused. “The Mutated Plant Defense Army has to go to the Wastelands too? I thought that was only the Border Guards.”
“They do,” Zhou Qian replied steadily. “The Border Guard Corps recruits people from all over the country. A lot of them don’t know the situation between Flower City and the Wastelands, so every operation is a joint mission between the local Defense Army and the Border Guards.”
“This isn’t some kind of top secret info. I’m only telling you since you don’t seem to know anything… This mission might take a long time, Little Yu. Don’t bother sending anything again.”
He thought for a moment, then glanced at the gate guard who was watching him curiously.
“…Well, sending things once in a while is fine. I’ll leave word with them—if they can help you, they will.”
Zhou Qian was being so serious all of a sudden that Huai Yu felt a bit out of her depth—was going to the Wastelands really that dangerous?
Why was even Zhou Qian treating it with such caution?
He could see the confusion on her face. He reached out and gently patted her head.
“Looks like your wood-type ability is really something—it’s protected you so well, you haven’t even sensed the hostility of the plants.”
Then he smiled and added, “And it was a good idea to live at the Rose Corridor. With that place guarding you, not even mutated animals have shown up.”
“It’s good, Little Yu. Just stay safe—and thank you for the gift.”
This time, he didn’t refuse. He simply grabbed the basket of bamboo shoots and turned to leave.
Huai Yu was caught off guard. She suddenly shouted, “Wait!”
Zhou Qian turned his head. “?”
“Make sure you return the basket, okay?” she said carefully. She’d turned the other two baskets into storage containers—this was the only usable one she had left.
Zhou Qian laughed, a bright and carefree laugh, “Got it, I’ll return it soon.”
After he left, Huai Yu stared at his retreating figure. Then she asked the gate guard nearby:
“Is it really that dangerous?”
“Yeah,” the guard nodded. “They enter the Wastelands four times a year. Casualty rates are over 30%… and every time, it’s the high-level ones who go first…”
His dark, honest face suddenly split into a grin. “But don’t worry so much, little miss. We’ve got experience. Besides, the benefits are amazing—so many people want in and can’t get accepted.”
Huai Yu fell silent for a moment.
Her mind went blank too.
In that moment, her thoughts tangled like a ball of yarn. Her chest stung a little, like one of her sea-urchin-shaped geese had spiked her right in the heart.
She opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and shut it again.
In the end, she just let out a soft, “Mm,” and stood quietly off to the side.
Sure enough, the basket was returned quickly—but not by Zhou Qian, by another Defense Army member.
Huai Yu took it, and the sparkle she had when she arrived was completely gone.
…
Still, the Defense Army had their duties—and she had her life to live.
So, following the route in her memory, carrying the now-empty basket, Huai Yu headed back to the Jinyuan Residential Area.
It had only been a few days, but Jinyuan already seemed even livelier.
The fountain plaza at the entrance now stretched along both sides of the road, packed tightly with street stalls. If she had come with goods to sell today, she might not even have found a decent spot.
But these street stalls actually made selling easier than the official trading market.
Most importantly, the place was close to home. A 15-minute bike ride, and she didn’t have to worry about transportation at all.
She pushed her bike toward the entrance, intending to check things out, when suddenly—
An older woman at the gate waved her over.
Huai Yu: “??? Me?”
“Yes, you, girl! This market separates people and vehicles—park your bike over here, okay? One point for up to three uses, no time limit. I’ll register your bike code.”
Huai Yu: ??? People-vehicle separation? But it’s just a bicycle!
The auntie huffed impatiently: “A bike’s not a vehicle? Look—aren’t all those bikes too?”
Sure enough, there were seven or eight bikes already parked nearby.
“…”
Okay, fine.
She’d saved on bus fare… only to get hit with a parking fee. ε=(ο｀*)))sigh.
It really did feel like people’s lives were getting better—and the ways to make money were multiplying too.
After parking the bike, the auntie handed her a rather fancy bracelet: “Here, take this.”
Huai Yu: ???
She stared at the gaudy green-and-purple jade bangle in her hand and started to wonder if living out in the countryside had made her fall behind the times.
Why did everything suddenly feel like she was clueless?
“The code’s engraved on the inside. Just match it up when you come back.”
Seeing Huai Yu still staring at the bracelet, the auntie put her hands on her hips.
“What’s the matter? Back in the day, I used to sell B+C acid-washed jade bangles, so what? Now I give ’em away as free anti-counterfeit parking tags!”
After the disaster, even rubber bands and cardboard could sell—but these acid-treated bangles? Totally unsellable. So she carved numbers into them and repurposed them.
Still, she was very proud.
“I’m telling you, back in the day, no one in a hundred-mile radius made acid-washed bangles more natural-looking than ours! You can’t even find matching colors anymore!”
Huai Yu: …
She silently put on what was now her only piece of jewelry—a limited edition—and found herself feeling… complicated.
…
The difference between Jinyuan’s little market and the Hongsheng Trading Market felt kind of like the difference between a countryside fair and a fancy downtown shopping street.
Especially when you walked past one stall after another—it really felt like a rustic marketplace.
She had less than 1000 points left. In the Hongsheng market, that’d vanish after browsing just a few shops.
But here? Looking at those hand-carved wooden spoons and chopsticks for just 2 points a pair, or those wire-bound wooden washbasins for 10 points each…
She suddenly felt rich.
After visiting three or five stalls, she even bought a super ugly straw hat for just 3 points.
The weaving was mediocre, and the material was clearly rough and cheap.
It looked like a mix of willow branches and the dry thatch grass she usually used as kindling. It even felt a bit prickly to the touch.
But… It was so cheap!
Perfect for working under the sun in the fields.
She also spotted a regular-sized axe. It was secondhand, and the man selling it was hammering in a wooden wedge to tighten the head.
Huai Yu watched for a bit, then saw someone haggle it down to 25 points and buy one.
She was instantly tempted!
After all, her multi-tool shovel could do everything, but switching functions was always a bit awkward. An axe would be way more convenient for chopping trees and firewood—especially since her dry wood stash was getting low.
Without hesitation, she followed the previous buyer’s price and bought one too.
Then she looked around and asked, “Anyone here selling fish fry?”
