Chapter 58 - 57: Mao Ya’er

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Mao Ya’er

By the time the dampness inside the treehouse had been completely baked away by the sun, Huai Yu had not only tilled another patch of land and fertilized it with plant ash, but the soil in her previous plot had also finished sun-drying.

Following the heavy rain, there had been several consecutive days of clear skies. The surrounding grass seemed to have received a seasonal command, shooting up rapidly every single day. The vast wilderness, once only hinting at green from a distance, had now transformed into a plush green carpet. It was dotted with baby-blue speedwells, yellow dandelions, and deep-purple violets. In the corner, a slender lilac branch, no more than twenty centimeters tall, was just beginning to form faint purple buds.

Pushing aside the grass curtain, Huai Yu was greeted by this flourishing spring scenery. Suddenly losing her urgency to farm, she cheered, dashed into the thickest patch of grass, and threw herself onto her back to roll around to her heart’s content.

The sky was a very, very pale blue. Wispy clouds floated by, so faint they lacked any definable shape. Lying on the ground, she savored the slight coolness of the earth and the distinct scent of fresh grass. Reaching out, she plucked a tender, slender Mao Ya’er shoot.

Peeling back the green outer leaves revealed the milky-white, soft inner core of the Mao Ya’er. She took a bite—CHOMP—and her features immediately twisted in dismay.

"PTUI! PTUI! PTUI!"

"It tastes awful!" she thought. "Is this what they mean when they say even a starving dog would turn its nose up at it?"

All her relaxation was instantly shattered by the horrendous taste. Huai Yu sat up, staring at the large patch of Mao Ya’er ahead of her, a look of heartache spilling from her eyes. But she quickly gathered herself, plucked another shoot, peeled it, and slowly tasted it, enduring the foul flavor.

In her understanding, Mao Ya’er at its most tender should have a soft, spongy texture with a faint sweetness—a joy that belonged exclusively to her childhood memories. But now... the texture was still soft, but the flavor... It was a mix of sour, bitter, and something akin to mustard.

She tried it again. Still disgusting. But maybe not quite bad enough to make a starving dog turn away.

Huai Yu thought for a moment, guessing that the Mutant Value of these shoots probably hadn’t reached as high as 23. She didn’t have many points left now, yet she still needed a hoe for farming. Her soybeans wouldn’t last much longer since she was eating them while planting them. Moreover, time was hard to kill when she got bored at night. After all, even the act of purifying was, at its core, incredibly tedious.

With that in mind, Huai Yu stood up, went back to the treehouse to grab her woven basket, and started gathering the Mao Ya’er.

Unlike her usual efforts to dress presentably when going out, she was still wearing her work clothes today. She picked as she walked, and by the time her basket was nearly a third full, she had almost reached the bus stop. However, while the stop was usually deserted save for herself, today two other people were standing there. Dressed in uniforms and standing perfectly upright, they were members of the Defense Army.

Huai Yu took a quick glance and realized she didn’t know them, so she adjusted her basket and quietly stood off to the side. The two soldiers, on the other hand, gave her a strange look. After scanning the area around the bus stop, they couldn’t help but look at her again.

They leaned in and exchanged a few words. Just as one of them stepped toward her, seemingly about to speak, the bus arrived.

As soon as Huai Yu boarded, the driver yelled, "Swipe for points! Swipe for points! It’s not free anymore!" ℯℯ𝑙.

Huai Yu extended her wristband. With a sharp BEEP, two points were instantly deducted!

Her heart ached. "Why is it so expensive?" she thought. Thinking about the unpurified Mao Ya’er on her back, she remembered she wasn’t heading to the Pedestrian Street today!

It was true that her life was getting back on track, and she figured most other people’s lives were too. The outside world should be much less dangerous than before. Besides, since she lived in such a remote area, she couldn’t possibly go to the Red Victory Trading Market every time she needed to buy a few odds and ends. A round trip took three or four hours, which was a huge waste of time.

Therefore, Huai Yu had decided to check out the nearby Golden Yuan District today. The older women on the bus often chatted about it, mentioning that the Golden Yuan District had been allocated a massive population of nearly 30,000 people. Every day, people set up stalls in the district’s central square, selling absolutely everything.

Since they sold everything, it shouldn’t be a problem for her to sell some high-Mutant-Value, foul-tasting Mao Ya’er, right? If no one bought them, the worst-case scenario was carrying them back home to purify and eat herself.

Who would have thought that two points would be snatched away the moment she boarded the bus?

While she was still grieving the loss of her points, the two Defense Army soldiers hesitated briefly before slowly walking over to her. One of them asked in a low voice, "Miss, why are you getting on at this stop? The Rose Corridor is nearby, and people aren’t allowed to wander around it casually."

In front of them, Huai Yu couldn’t very well use her old excuse about having a brother in the camp. Instead, she hugged the woven basket tighter against her chest and said weakly, "I saw the grass shoots growing well over there... I didn’t get too close. I just stayed far away."

Taking a closer look at her basket, they saw exactly that—stalk after stalk of fresh, tender Mao Ya’er.

"But... are these edible?" one of the Defense Army soldiers asked hesitantly.

An idea sparked in Huai Yu’s mind. She proactively peeled two Mao Ya’er shoots. "Yes, they are. I’ve tasted them."

She eagerly offered the two peeled, tender white shoots to them, looking at the pair expectantly, as if seeking validation. The two Defense Army soldiers didn’t look very old, and they seemed a bit thin-skinned. Hesitantly, they reached out and accepted the young girl’s gift.

Huai Yu kept her eyes glued to them. To her surprise, when they put the Mao Ya’er in their mouths, neither of them even furrowed their brows. Instead, they chewed and looked genuinely curious.

"Not bad. How much are you planning to sell these for?"

Huh? Now it was Huai Yu’s turn to be dumbfounded. "They taste so horrible... and he thinks they’re not bad?" she thought. Suddenly, she was very curious about exactly what the zaozi Uncle Zaozi had eaten tasted like.

But faced with the question of pricing, she, knowing absolutely nothing, had to lower her head and feign shyness. "I don’t know either. My family just told me to try selling them... You guys can just pay whatever you think is fair..."

The two hesitated for a moment and exchanged a glance before one of them spoke. "From the taste, the Mutant Value shouldn’t be over 18, so let’s say 12 points a catty. There’s probably three or four catties in this basket. Did you bring a scale?"

But Huai Yu knew they were quoting too high. It might be true that the Mutant Value hadn’t exceeded 18, but 12 points a catty was clearly a price meant to humor a child.

Nowadays, people measured prices based on two things: the Mutant Value, and whether the food could fill a stomach. For a "snack" like Mao Ya’er, probably only Boss Tang would be willing to make an offer. But Boss Tang only accepted good stuff; something with such a high Mutant Value wasn’t his target at all. At best, the market price for these shoots would max out at 6 points a catty.

Huai Yu shook her head. "I won’t sell for 12! If you guys want some, give me two points, and I’ll give you a handful to snack on."

Hearing this, the two soldiers were stunned. Then they rubbed their noses and smiled in embarrassment. "So you actually know the market price."