Chapter 222 - 189: Keeping It a Secret

Chapter 222: Chapter 189: Keeping It a Secret

Zhou Qian couldn’t help but laugh. "Actually, even living alone, you could just buy coal."

Huai Yu was stunned. She hadn’t seen coal at the market at all! But on second thought, she asked, "Is coal expensive?"

Zhou Qian thought for a moment. "It shouldn’t be too bad. Honeycomb coal briquettes are one point for three. City life relies entirely on them right now. Otherwise, how would anyone cook? Burning wood isn’t impossible, but it’s just too inconvenient."

Because mutant plants had caused widespread destruction, the gas pipelines still hadn’t been repaired. There were people selling firewood, but it wasn’t cheap, and delivering it all the way to the Rose Corridor would be a massive hassle.

Hearing this, Huai Yu felt at peace again. "Even if they sold coal before, I wouldn’t have been able to haul it back anyway."

That was true. Thinking back to how scrawny she was when they first met, hung with eleven massive pinecones, it was obvious she hadn’t had the points to buy coal back then—and even if she had, she wouldn’t have been able to carry it.

He simply nodded. "Alright. I’ll go chop wood for you this afternoon."

Now that her home was finally on the right track, Huai Yu thought it over and realized there were only two or three chores left that actually required heavy lifting. She nodded happily.

"Brother Zhou Qian, it’s so great having you as a neighbor.

"Since you’re helping me with the heavy lifting, just come over to my place for meals from now on.

"The food at my house is both plentiful and delicious!" she promised, patting her chest.

Zhou Qian couldn’t agree more with that.

However...

"Let’s wait a bit. I’m inviting some friends over in a couple of days. When the time comes, just provide a few more ordinary dishes and that’ll be enough," he said, emphasizing, "Ordinary."

Huai Yu nodded. "Don’t worry! I’ve never let anyone down!"

That was also true. Zhou Qian relaxed.

Later, as they prepared to eat, Huai Yu was thrilled. This was Zhou Qian’s first meal since being discharged from the hospital, and it was being eaten in his new home. She strolled around his kitchen a few times before finally scooping a bowl of rice from the rice bucket.

She turned around and asked, "Brother Zhou Qian, how much do you eat per meal?"

Zhou Qian leaned over to take a look. "I’ll need to cook two bowls of rice for myself."

Holding a kitchen knife, he somewhat clumsily sliced open the thick bamboo shoot shells. When he turned back around, he saw Huai Yu holding her hand suspended over the bowl of rice. It was as if an invisible energy was surging, so much so that even his injured leg felt a faint, peculiar sensation. But by the time he looked closely, she had already casually poured the rice into a basin.

"Is this your ability?" he asked.

"Yeah." Huai Yu nodded. "It makes things taste a little better."

Zhou Qian frowned. "I heard a dean at an agricultural academy has a similar ability, but he can only alter the complete state of a plant."

For example, if he wanted to improve a tomato plant, he had to improve it entirely—from the stem to the leaves to the fruit. He couldn’t just improve the tomatoes alone. He could improve rice paddies, but once the rice was husked, his ability wouldn’t work.

Zhou Qian instantly realized how precious this ability was and warned her again, "Don’t use this ability in front of others."

"I know."

Huai Yu washed the rice. What Zhou Qian ate wasn’t of high quality; it was aged rice with a very high Mutant Value. The grains had turned yellow and gave off a slightly musty smell. Even after her purification, the improvement was limited. It merely brought the taste a bit closer to normal.

"Lin Xuefeng knew the very first time we met. Back then, I had roasted the handful of soybeans the government distributed."

Zhou Qian stopped peeling the bamboo shoot shells and turned to look at her. "So you two did spend time together."

It wasn’t just a fleeting encounter like they had initially assumed. They had genuinely talked and spent time together. No wonder Lin Xuefeng had specifically left that Ice Sculpture behind before he left, wanting to protect her...

It turned out he had known all along that Huai Yu harbored a treasure.

Thinking about it now, Zhou Qian couldn’t help but feel even more regretful. "If I hadn’t reported it and brought General Wu over, you would at least still have a trump card to protect yourself."

When it came time to ask for compensation later on, he had clearly been way too conservative! That Ice Sculpture alone was worth five thousand points on the black market. Yet, after rebuilding Huai Yu’s house and gathering a bunch of daily necessities, he had only spent a little over six thousand points in total—even if it was at the internal price. But the former was priceless and impossible to buy. It simply couldn’t be measured like that.

"It’s okay."

Bringing up the past, Huai Yu didn’t cry sadly like she had back then. Now she had Kuang Biao, Big Pup and Second Pup, Ke Taichiro, and even Fat Ginseng. In the future, her abilities would only grow stronger!

"Sooner or later, I’m going to the Wilderness anyway," she said with a calm expression. "When that time comes, I’ll do my best to bring Lin Xuefeng back."

It sounded like a child talking about a dream—naive yet stubborn, completely ignorant of just how treacherous the Wilderness was. Zhou Qian realized that while Huai Yu and Lin Xuefeng might not have spent much time together, their bond must be exceptionally deep.

Wasn’t that just how some people were? Some could know each other for a lifetime and remain strangers, while others could meet by chance and instantly feel like old friends. Otherwise, why would she always call him directly by his full name? And why would she be so certain, even insisting on going to the Wilderness?

The connections between people were truly wondrous.

Both were Garrison Officers, yet Lin Xuefeng had only spent a short time with her, earning Huai Yu’s trust while willingly sacrificing for her himself. Even when his own life was hanging by a thread, ravaged by a dangerously critical Mutant Value, he still didn’t forget to put in the immense effort to leave her an Amulet.

Meanwhile, General Wu seemed to have some connection to Huai Yu—and a significant one at that. Yet, because of their terrible start, she still considered him a stroke of bad luck.

But thinking about it now...

Zhou Qian secretly muttered in his heart, "What bad luck."

If he had known she had so many deadly secrets, he never would have persuaded Huai Yu not to blame General Wu in the first place. And he shouldn’t have told her to forgive him, either!

Holding his breath, he went back to peeling the tender bamboo shoot in his hands, once again feeling thankful. Good thing he was no longer part of the Defense Army. Without the burden of duty, he could easily make a choice between General Wu and Little Yu.

But then again...

"As expected of a mutant bamboo. To think it’s still growing shoots in this season."

Huai Yu paused, suddenly looking a bit confused. "Brother Zhou Qian, did I ever take you to chat with Kuang Biao?"

Zhou Qian was baffled. "Chat? Kuang Biao?"

"Oh, I forgot," Huai Yu said, looking a little embarrassed. "Kuang Biao is the mutant bamboo behind my house! He’s a total chatterbox and has endless things to say every single day. But he’s also amazing at growing shoots and bamboo, meaning there’s food to eat all year round. Isn’t the Bamboo Heart Tea refreshing and delicious too?"

Zhou Qian put down the kitchen knife he was using to cut the shoots, recalling all the previous points of suspicion.

"How exactly did this bamboo make it from the Wilderness to the Rose Corridor in the first place?

"For so many years, not a single mutant plant was allowed near the Rose Corridor. Why did Kuang Biao suddenly appear?

"And does it taking root behind your house have anything to do with you?"

Zhou Qian took a deep breath. For some reason, he had the distinct illusion that he was constantly cleaning up after his daughter... even though he was clearly an outstanding, unmarried young bachelor!

"Little Yu, tell me the truth. Are you still hiding something else from me?"