Chapter 257 - 224: Pink Dream

Chapter 257: Chapter 224: Pink Dream

Zhou Yunfang slowly woke from her dream.

What a long, blissful dream it had been.

Her son and daughter were both by her side. They were surrounded by a lush, green jungle, as if the two of them were taking her mountain climbing. Everything felt so ordinary, yet so incredibly blissful.

So blissful that, even now as she woke, she felt no regret.

Opening her eyes, she stared blankly at the ceiling. The world that was usually agonizing, murky, and so cruel she could only survive in it like a madwoman, was now peaceful and serene once again.

It was as if her children had never left, but had simply gone far away to attend school, just like before.

She turned her head slightly. A needle was inserted into the back of her hand, and medicine slowly dripped down the transparent IV tube. Beside her, a man sat on a stool. With his elbows resting on his knees and his face propped in his hands, his head bobbed up and down... He was clearly exhausted.

Finally, after his head dropped one last time, his body violently jerked, and he jolted awake. He instinctively looked up at the IV bottle first. Seeing that there was still plenty left, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he turned his head, he saw his wife lying in bed, quietly watching him.

"You’re awake?"

He grew agitated. "It’s all my fault! I knew you had just taken your medicine, so I shouldn’t have given you tea. The old saying goes that tea neutralizes medicine. They definitely clashed, even though the hospital couldn’t find anything wrong..."

The scruffy man’s eyes were rimmed with red. "You scared me to death! If Little Yu’s brother wasn’t so strong and hadn’t carried you out on his shoulder, I wouldn’t have even been able to pedal the tricycle..."

As he spoke, tears nearly spilled over. "My legs are still shaking."

"Yunfang, it’s just the two of us left. We have to live well..." His voice choked with sobs. Uncle Zaozi lowered his head, not wanting her to see and get upset again.

"I know," Zhou Yunfang interrupted, her tape-covered hand slowly pressing over his.

"Li Zizhao, it’s just the two of us left. We still have to live our lives well."

A blissful smile touched her lips. "I dreamed of the kids. They didn’t suffer, so we can’t keep suffering either.

"The kids said they liked gardenias. When they bloom, they’re so lively and fragrant... Go buy one. I like them, too."

***

Meanwhile, in another hospital room, Chen Xing had finally packed her things and was preparing to be discharged.

It was quite a coincidence. They had entrusted all the Klang Balls to Uncle Zaozi specifically because they didn’t want to make another trip to the hospital. Yet after all that tossing and turning, she had ended up back in the hospital anyway.

Except now, aside from her woven basket, she had absolutely nothing on her. She would have to go back and fetch the rest of her belongings herself later.

Seeing Huai Yu arrive, she smiled. "Perfect timing. I was just about to tell you that I want to buy a batch of dried vegetables. I wonder if you’re taking orders?"

She could have just driven straight to Huai Yu’s house, but whenever she thought of the Rose Corridor, she felt a little intimidated—after all, she valued her own life!

Seeing Huai Yu at this moment made her especially happy.

Realizing Chen Xing was alone, Huai Yu couldn’t help but ask, "Where’s Fen Da and the others?"

"Today is the preliminary selection for the military academy. I sent them over there."

"So, what kind of dried vegetables do you need?" she asked curiously.

"A lot," Chen Xing said, pulling out a notebook she carried with her. "Convenient foods that are suitable for taking on the go—like dehydrated and sun-dried vegetables, and easily storable pickled vegetables and pastes. If you have the connections, we’ll take a lot of dried meat, too."

Chen Xing didn’t want these items for business. Instead, if Fen Da and the others got into the academy, she needed to prepare extra food for them.

They were all teenagers, right at the age where they were growing and could eat a lot. Coupled with the energy consumption of using their Superpowers, the school’s allocated food rations would probably only be enough to keep them from starving.

Buying extra from Huai Yu was her way of showing a little care as their big sister.

In addition, since she was partnering with the Hundred Zhao Subsidy company, she had to prepare some supplies for herself as well. Beyond that, she might even be able to set up a stable stream of business for Huai Yu.

After all, Explorers had money and were willing to spend it. They were much more straightforward to do business with than ordinary residents.

Huai Yu thought about it. "No problem! But the quality of my goods might be a bit higher, so the price will be a bit more expensive."

"I know!" Chen Xing laughed. "Zhao Feiyan is heading to the Wilderness next week. I happen to be fully healed, so I’ll join his team to get some field practice in.

"Once I’m back from this trip, my income should be pretty decent. I’ll have to trouble you to start preparing ahead of time during this period.

"Even if this business deal falls through, I promise, as most plants enter their mature stage in autumn and winter and become sluggish after the temperature drops, there will be more and more people heading into the Wilderness.

"I won’t let you get stuck with unsold food."

Huai Yu wasn’t afraid of that at all. Anyway, other than processing vegetables, she had nothing else to do every day. This business venture should be quite profitable.

She nodded decisively and agreed right away.

"As for the exact price, let’s discuss it when I bring the samples over.

"But... Sister Chen Xing, are you going to the Wilderness alone with a whole company of their men? Will you be okay?"

"I’ll be fine." Chen Xing nodded confidently. "My Earth Ability is useful everywhere in the Wilderness. Besides, I’m splitting the profits with him, and there are quite a few people like me on the team. They have no reason to target me.

"Don’t worry."

She still looked like the same brimming-with-confidence Chen Xing. Huai Yu couldn’t help but smile, too.

***

After the two parted ways, Huai Yu planned to go check on Uncle Zaozi’s wife. On the way there, she felt a little worried. "Should I not have sold that Klang Ball?"

Zhou Qian frowned as well. "I remember he picked mostly pink ones. What medicinal herbs did you use for the pink ones?"

Uh-oh.

Huai Yu lowered her head. "I didn’t use any medicinal herbs. The pink ones were made with rose petals."

Zhou Qian stopped in his tracks. "Rose petals? From the Rose Corridor?"

"Yeah..." Huai Yu said, feeling a bit guilty. "It blooms so many flowers every day, and the petals just scatter when the wind blows. What a waste... So I gathered a few extra baskets for Ke Taichiro.

"But!" Huai Yu still had a lot of faith in Ke Taichiro. "Ke Taichiro didn’t say there was a problem, so there definitely isn’t! It’s so good; it would never make anything harmful!"

Zhou Qian was left speechless. "Some things aren’t harmful on their own, but what if the medicinal properties clash?

"She fainted immediately after drinking a single cup of tea. What if it really is a unique effect of the Rose Corridor?"

Wait a minute. The Rose Corridor had a myriad of bizarre ways to kill. Whether or not it was poisonous... they hadn’t detected any poison before, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any!

Thinking of this, the two instinctively quickened their pace.

However, when they reached the door to the hospital room and were just about to knock, they heard someone speaking softly inside. "Don’t sell that pink tea so easily. Keep it all. In my dream, I could constantly smell the unique, faint scent of roses from that tea.

"That dream... it felt like it was fulfilling my regrets."

"What?" It was Uncle Zaozi speaking. "Was your dream good because you drank that tea?"

"No, it’s not that... I just have this feeling. Was I able to dream of the kids again because I drank that tea?"