Chapter 49 - 48: Dreamscape

Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Dreamscape

By the time the rain stopped, it was already April 2nd.

At noon that day, having nothing better to do after thoroughly enjoying a scallion pancake, Huai Yu grabbed a handful of hay from the shed. Studying the weave patterns of the rattan baskets Lin Xuefeng had made for her, she tried to figure out the craft of basket weaving herself. After all, she was truly bored.

She had already ventured up the mountain two more times. Her newly purchased pickle jars were stuffed to the brim with pickled fiddlehead ferns. She had hoarded an entire plastic bag full of dried nostoc, and even the wild scallions filled half a bag. With plenty of time on her hands, she had also gathered some red bricks and built two new stoves out in the shed. Once the weather turned hot, she planned to cook all three of her daily meals out there.

Even so, the rainy days were unbearably tedious. It got to the point where Huai Yu had to actively find ways to keep herself busy. Otherwise, just sitting there zoning out not only made time crawl, but it also made her feel a bit foolish. Now, staring at the rattan basket, she studied it with exceptional focus. But as she watched, the light inside the room suddenly grew brighter.

She looked out the door. The gloomy, gray-fog-shrouded weather had dissipated, replaced by a few rays of faint light peeking through the sky. She wondered if it had finally cleared up.

Huai Yu dropped the hay and eagerly stepped outside. It was bright and radiant everywhere. Although the sun was not yet visible, the brightness alone was enough to lift her spirits completely! She jumped up in joy and hurriedly ran back into the treehouse, emerging a few moments later with her compact solar lamp. Carefully and meticulously, she picked out a wide-open, unshaded spot before gingerly setting the lamp down.

After a moment of thought, she pulled her rain boots back on, grabbed her multi-purpose shovel, hopped onto her bicycle, and headed straight for Sanqing Mountain. If nothing else, she needed to chop down a couple of trees to make a clothes rack! If she didn’t air out her quilt soon, it would genuinely start molding!

Drawing on her previous experience, Huai Yu’s efficiency in selecting, chopping, and sawing trees was much higher this time around. A simple clothes rack only required two X-shaped crossed branches with a horizontal pole resting on top; it didn’t need the straight, thick, and sturdy timber required for the shed’s support beams. Therefore, she only had to look for large tree branches. She quickly bundled together five suitable logs, dragging them down the mountain along with all their twigs and offshoots.

Once past the Rose Corridor, she strapped the bundle of branches onto her bicycle. Even though pushing the bike was still a bit strenuous, it was vastly better than dragging the logs through the muddy terrain herself.

It sounded simple in theory, but in reality, it took a tremendous amount of physical effort. Combined with the long distance, the originally bright sky had gradually begun to darken by the time Huai Yu returned to the treehouse. However, it wasn’t because of impending rain—it was already 5:00 PM.

Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, she quickly tied the damp branches in an intersecting pattern, forming two stable stands. She then placed a horizontal pole straight across the top, simply leaving the rack out in the open. After all, the wood was already damp enough; a little more dew wouldn’t hurt.

Picking up her solar lamp, Huai Yu returned to her room. For once, she didn’t immediately add firewood to start a fire. Instead, she pressed the switch with a soft CLICK.

In an instant, the entire room was bathed in light.

In truth, the solar panel hadn’t absorbed much energy today. After a brief flare of brightness, the light quickly dimmed, settling into a faint, soft glow. Still, it was enough to illuminate the tiny treehouse, and more than enough to fill Huai Yu with joy! The long-lost bright light made her so giddy that she spun in happy circles around the treehouse. Unable to think of anything else to do, she ultimately forced herself to turn off the light with an aching heart to conserve the battery, before lighting the fire once again.

Once the sun came out tomorrow, she would pull back the waterproof tarp first. The two layers of leaves laid underneath were already dry. If sunlight shone in through the slight gaps, it should somewhat speed up the evaporation of the moisture, right? The damp feeling was simply too repulsive. Not only that, but the hay stuffed under the bed would also need to be taken out and sun-dried again. Otherwise, over time, it would not only rot and mold but might even attract bugs.

At this thought, Huai Yu felt a bit conflicted. She wondered if, the next time she sold her bean sprouts and earned some points back, she could ask Captain Zhou if they had any folding cots or something similar to sell her. Most importantly of all... she looked around. There shouldn’t be anything incriminating or out of place in her living space, right? If it was convenient, could they help bring the bed over the next time they drove by on patrol? Otherwise, it would be genuinely difficult for her to manage it alone.

Her notebook was already densely packed with countless little items to acquire, and now Huai Yu solemnly added "Bed" to the list. She had no idea how many points it would take to scrape all these household necessities together, but she wasn’t panicking in the slightest anymore. For one thing, her bean sprouts were a steady stream of income! She lifted the cover off the basin to check. Thanks to her constantly keeping the fire going at home these past few days, the bean sprouts had already grown quite long.

Tomorrow! If it was sunny first thing tomorrow morning, she would air out the quilt and the treehouse first, and then head to the trading market! Harboring these wonderful hopes, even the damp quilt didn’t feel as uncomfortable anymore. Huai Yu practically drifted off into a sweet slumber.

In her dream, a blurry face looked at her with guilt. "Little Yu, I’m sorry..."

"Sorry for what?" she wondered curiously, but the scene abruptly shifted. Before her eyes were massive crowds of people fleeing in a panic, alongside uniformed commanders screaming themselves hoarse through megaphones:

"Contamination mutation—stay away from the plants—!"

"Go to the temporary shelter—!"

"Line up orderly! Don’t bring too much luggage—!"

Huai Yu watched in a daze, suspecting that this was a vision of what had occurred during the Cataclysm. Then came another blur. In a secluded corner, a girl whose face could not be seen opened her hand. A seed rapidly cracked and sprouted in her pale palm, growing into several meters of verdant vines in an instant. Full of joy, she spoke to the man in front of her.

"Ah Yue, look! I have a Superpower too! It’s the Wood Element, just like yours! Wow! I feel like my speed is even faster than yours!"

She wrinkled her nose, seemingly growing smug. "I just knew heaven wouldn’t treat me unfairly! I’m so awesome!"

"Who is Ah Yue?" she wondered, dazedly opening her eyes amidst her slumber.

But quickly enough, she fell back into a deep sleep, remembering nothing. At the head of the bed, the Rose branches swayed gently, brushing against the thick door curtain as wisps of a light, refreshing floral scent floated in the air.

***

Early the next morning, when Huai Yu opened her eyes, she felt completely refreshed in mind and spirit. She sat in a daze for a moment before throwing off the quilt and bolting straight outside, not even taking the time to check the clock!

As the door curtain lifted, a morning breeze brushed against her face, carrying the fresh, wet moisture of the air. It caught her off guard, making her sneeze violently.

The faint fragrance of Roses lingered in the air. Huai Yu turned her head to the side. There, on the eastern horizon, a brilliant spread of sunrise clouds was already surging forth.