Chapter 70 - 69: Green Tea Vibes

Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Green Tea Vibes

As the morning sun rose, a house built rapidly with quick-drying materials sat firmly on a compacted foundation behind the treehouse.

It had the same layout as the treehouse. Its roof was covered in light gray tiles that faintly reflected the sunlight. Rumor had it that this reflective material was the easiest to spot amid dense vegetation, making it the current standard for clothing and construction.

A corridor extending from the doorway connected to the thatched shed and the newly built toilet. The square septic tank was lined with a modern material, meaning she would never again have to balance over a crude dirt pit to relieve herself.

Huai Yu woke up groggily, her fingers inadvertently grabbing a handful of silk cotton with a distinct texture. It took her a moment to remember what had happened yesterday. She looked toward the head of the bed—there was only an empty vase. No Rose, and no Ice Sculpture.

The chicks seemed to be doing quite well in their warm hay nest. She could hear them chirping—CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP—likely because they were hungry.

However, before Huai Yu could get up to feed them, Zhou Qian called out from outside the door. "Huai Yu, are you awake?"

He looked at Huai Yu as she lifted the door curtain, his expression relaxing. "Want to come see your new house?"

A faint weariness lingered in his eyes, but they were also brimming with a sense of accomplishment. "I brought over everything you asked for overnight. Go take a look."

Huai Yu smiled. "Zhou Qian, I don’t blame you. You don’t need to feel guilty."

As a member of the Defense Army, it would be problematic if he didn’t execute orders from a superior. Besides, Zhou Qian had been trying his best to help her from start to finish. He hadn’t wanted her home to be destroyed, either. Therefore, Huai Yu spoke from the bottom of her heart.

"I was just too heartbroken yesterday," she confessed. "I wanted everyone to be sad with me, so I didn’t say it out loud."

Zhou Qian paused before letting out a soft laugh. "I know.

"You don’t act sweet or pout when you’re angry. You little rascal, you were quite good at sweet-talking when you first tried to butter me up.

"But you don’t need to do that.

"You’ve always lived your life with your feet firmly on the ground. Whether it’s acting sweet and saying nice things, or wanting others to share in your sorrow because you’re too upset—these are all just human instincts for self-preservation.

"Little Yu, I know your past must have been incredibly difficult. That’s why you’re so cautious about everything, why you habitually show weakness when you speak, and why you subconsciously lean on others..."

The morning light spilled over them inch by inch, coating everything in a brilliant yet hazy golden glow. Bathed in the dawn, Zhou Qian seemed enveloped in a misty, pale-gold fog. Even his voice was as gentle as morning dew, stripped of all its usual edge.

Yet, when his words pierced right to the core of the matter, they were just as cold as that dew.

"If you want to call me Captain Zhou, call me Captain Zhou. If you want to call me ’brother,’ call me ’brother.’ No matter what you call me, I know you’ve been trying your hardest.

"So, just call me whatever you like. Don’t apologize, and don’t let it weigh on you."

He gave a carefree smile, completely unaware of Huai Yu’s amnesia.

Huai Yu couldn’t fully understand his underlying meaning, either, but she distinctly felt the kindness in his words. She wondered about what he said—that her past life had been hard, and now she was accustomed to saying sweet, soft words. Was that really true?

When she wanted to achieve a goal, she would sweetly call people "brother," "sister," "uncle," or "aunt." When she was angry, she would address them coldly. Was this her instinct?

Layers of doubt piled up in her heart, yet she clearly felt that her mindset was more along the lines of believing that no matter how many mistakes were made, none of them were hers!

Now she was even more distressed.

Before losing her memories, her perceived persona had shifted from an heiress with two hundred male servants to a robust peasant woman highly skilled in farming. And now... surely she couldn’t be a manipulative, opportunistic, yet robust peasant woman?

It was impossible for her not to be robust, considering how much farm work she was capable of handling.

Fretting over her past was too tangled a mess, so she simply tossed it to the back of her mind. She let out a hmph. "I’ll call you whatever I want."

"Exactly!" Zhou Qian laughed in response. "You’re just a little girl. You have a relative in the city who dotes on you, so you should be bolder when you need to be. Come on, check out your new home!"

The new house had snow-white walls and an ochre-red door secured by a heavy, sturdy-looking lock.

Zhou Qian handed over the keys. "There are only three. Make sure you keep them safe. If you lose them, smashing this lock open will be quite a hassle."

Huai Yu, however, looked conflicted. She didn’t seem very happy.

"This house feels like a dream..." she muttered. "Looking at it feels like looking at a stranger’s house."

Zhou Qian patted her shoulder. "Of course. There’s definitely a difference between this and something you built with your own two hands, brick by brick. But we always have to look forward.

"A gentle person like General Lin would surely want your life to keep getting better, too. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"Without enough people to help, it would be difficult for you to build a house like this on your own even if you had ten years.

"Besides, a lot of high-quality materials went into this one. Even though it was built overnight, it utilizes the experience we’ve accumulated during wartime. It’s incredibly sturdy. You won’t have to fear heavy winds or storms, and it won’t be as damp, either."

He gently nudged Huai Yu’s back. "Go take a look inside."

The smooth key turned easily in the alloy lock. As she pushed the door open, the morning sunlight spilled inside. Whether it was the exceptionally smooth floor made of modern cement, the pristine white walls, or the tightly sealed roof, Huai Yu couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

If this wasn’t a new house forced upon her by Wu Yue, she would have absolutely loved it. But right now, just thinking of his name felt like a streak of bad luck.

Compared to her previous treehouse, which had barely been ten square meters, this house felt exceptionally spacious. A row of metal cabinets stood against the wall, and several storage boxes were neatly stacked on the top bunk of the bed.

The bottom bunk had a mattress and a brand-new quilt folded into a neat, perfect square. Although the colors were a uniform dark shade, they were much more pleasing to the eye than her previous neon pink pillow, fluorescent purple duvet cover, and black-and-blue floral blanket.

There was even a chimney in the corner connected to a stove!

Perhaps taking into account how hot it got to cook in the summer, there was also a neatly arranged double-burner stove out in the thatched shed. Now, with the stove, an iron wok, and various cooking utensils all fully stocked, her household goods could be considered quite lavish.

Beside the door sat two buckets for daily water usage. Next to them was a rather vintage washbasin stand. It featured a round mirror at the top, an enamel basin nestled below, and a towel draped over it...

Everything here was absolutely brimming with the warmth of everyday life.

"This was based on my suggestions." Zhou Qian smiled beside her. "These are all new. Are you satisfied? The washbasin stand wasn’t originally on the list; I scrounged it up from an outside warehouse.

"I heard it’s an antique from about a hundred years ago. It fits quite well here.

"Do you like it?"