Jiang Luokui glanced at the senior beside them, who was still calmly filling out consignment paperwork, showing no intention whatsoever of “avoiding what shouldn’t be heard.” So she simply gestured to Li Jueyan and pulled him into a corner of the supermarket to talk.
While Li Jueyan obediently began explaining where this whole “little aunt” business came from, an unexpected guest arrived in the first-floor cafeteria kitchen.
There weren’t many people left at the serving window. Aunt Chen untied her apron, motioned for an employee to take over, then glanced at the newcomer and said,
“Well, well—what a rare guest. What brings you down to the first floor today?”
The visitor was Liang Quan, the head chef of the third-floor cafeteria—and the younger brother of Old Liang, the master chef on the first floor.
The two brothers looked quite alike, but their cooking styles were worlds apart. One specialized in large-scale cafeteria dishes; the other in refined, high-end cuisine.
Liang Quan had always looked down on his brother’s “big pot” cooking and normally never set foot in the first-floor kitchen. Showing up today clearly meant he had a purpose.
Rubbing his hands together, Liang Quan followed behind Aunt Chen step by step.
“Sister Chen, what delicious thing did you make at home last night? I could smell it first thing this morning!”
“What a nose on you!” Aunt Chen rolled her eyes. She had only made a bowl of scallion oil noodles at home last night to satisfy a craving, and she’d washed the dishes right after. And he could still smell it? “Your food obsession is acting up again, isn’t it?”
They had known each other for decades, but she still couldn’t stand his extreme obsession with food. To put it bluntly, the man had zero social awareness when it came to eating.
Back in the day, when he dined with higher-ups, he wouldn’t read the room at all—just focused on tasting the dishes. If a leader tried to pick up food, he’d spin the lazy Susan right in front of them.
With his talent, he could’ve become a national chef at the Central Base—but instead, he ended up working at the Third Academy.
Aunt Chen put her hands on her hips and gestured toward the window.
“Go sniff around outside yourself.”
Over the past half hour, she had repeatedly compared the scallion oil bought by students with the one she had at home, but still wasn’t sure if they were the same.
Even though the crowd had dispersed and the scent had long faded in the chaotic mix of cafeteria smells, Liang Quan’s nose would definitely pick it up.
Liang Quan stepped outside and sniffed carefully. His eyes lit up instantly.
“That’s it! That’s the smell!” he called through the glass window. “Did your cafeteria introduce a new dish? No… that’s not right. My brother couldn’t possibly produce this flavor—he can’t even taste whether ingredients have radiation or not.”
He closed his eyes, focusing harder, even activating his ability to trace the faint scent.
A minute later, he rushed back into the kitchen, chasing after Aunt Chen excitedly.
“Sister Chen, this is scallion oil, right? The scallions used are excellent! But the oil—no good, not good at all! Who grew those scallions? I want to buy some. Price is negotiable!”
Talented people always earned more tolerance. Aunt Chen gave him a thumbs-up.
“Alright, I’ll ask if there are any scallions left. Wait for my reply.”
“You’ve got to help me ask! The principal is hosting officials from the Central Base next week and specifically requested me to prepare the banquet. I’m missing one key dish—these scallions would be perfect!”
With that, Liang Quan dropped his request and left immediately.
Aunt Chen sighed. The two brothers really were alike—both very good at making other people do things for them.
Xiao Jiang’s scallions were indeed excellent—fresh and vibrant.
But Xiao Jiang was in the Food Science department, not Agronomy. Who knew if she could get more scallions of that quality?
And if she couldn’t, how could Aunt Chen pressure a young girl over it?
…
After learning about her “true identity” from Li Jueyan, Jiang Luokui walked out of the supermarket with a complicated expression.
So Uncle Li’s “Li” and Li Jueyan’s “Li” were from the same family.
Ever since she could remember, Uncle Li had worked at the Happiness Welfare Institute as both a cook and caretaker. She had never once seen him return home—it was obvious there was some deep conflict between him and the Li family.
She hadn’t expected that because of her, Uncle Li would actually go back home for once.
The thought warmed her heart. It felt good to have someone backing her up.
And who knew what kind of scolding Li Jueyan had received—he used to be arrogant and unruly, but now he was unbelievably obedient, calling her “little aunt” over and over as if he truly believed it.
Jiang Luokui figured there was no harm in going along with it—why reject a free advantage? It conveniently eliminated a potential threat.
Lin Zihan, who had been about to go into the supermarket to look for her, stopped when she saw Jiang Luokui coming out. She glanced at the gray-white protective suit in her arms.
“So this is the kind they sell in the supermarket? The material does look pretty average.”
“Did you talk to your family?”
“I was just about to tell you—my mom said she’ll take me to buy one this afternoon. I’ve got to go now.”
They parted ways after leaving the cafeteria.
Back in the dorm, Jiang Luokui took a shower, then packed everything she’d need for tomorrow’s lab class and brought it to Plot 147.
She arrived right at 2 p.m. Bubu was darting through a patch of bok choy, hunting for flea beetles hiding between the leaves.
“Bubu, take a break—come try some rice.”
A bonded spirit plant didn’t actually need to eat, but Jiang Luokui still wanted it to experience the flavors of the human world.
Bubu popped out of the soil, hopped into a bucket to rinse off the dirt, then eagerly bounced toward her, holding the rice and eating it happily.
Jiang Luokui pulled out her agronomy textbook, sat on a plastic bag, and said while flipping through it,
“We’re going outside the base for class tomorrow. Do you want to come?”
At the words “outside the base,” Bubu’s eyes lit up, nodding vigorously.
“Abu!”
It wanted to go!
It wanted to see the land!
Jiang Luokui sighed regretfully.
“We might not be able to check the land, but we can at least confirm the direction. We’ll go take a proper look when we get the chance.”
Speaking of land, there was something both she and Bubu found frustrating.
After a week of observation, Jiang Luokui realized that the purification of Plot 147 was only temporary. Radiation levels would slowly rise again.
That was why she wasn’t returning to the dorm tonight—she needed to infuse the plot with spiritual energy again, or it would soon reach Level 1 radiation.
It all came down to money…
If she had more of it, she wouldn’t have rented such a troublesome piece of land.
Now her account only had 2,000 credits left.
Why was going to school this hard?!
Frowning, she reviewed tomorrow’s lab material, then suddenly remembered she hadn’t given Aunt Chen feedback about the steamed buns from this morning.
Just as she opened her messaging app, Aunt Chen’s message came in.
Chen: Xiao Jiang, do you still have that kind of scallions you used last night? A friend of mine wants to buy some.
Scallions?
Jiang Luokui glanced at the bare patch of roots beside her. Yeah… those were definitely gone.
Jiang: No more. Next batch will be ready by next weekend.
By the way, Aunt Chen, the steamed buns this morning were much better than the flatbread. Everyone in our dorm agrees they’ll sell really well.
This result didn’t surprise Aunt Chen at all.
High-quality crops always had a market—even if it was just scallions. She’d let Liang Quan figure things out himself.
Chen: Alright, I’ll turn him down then. Glad you liked the buns—I saved a few for you. Come by the kitchen tonight to pick them up.
Relationships were built through give and take. Jiang Luokui didn’t refuse.
But when she went to the cafeteria that evening, she didn’t go empty-handed. Lettuce grew faster than bok choy—she had used her ability that afternoon to mature two heads.
They were still low-grade Yellow-tier spirit plants, but each leaf was tender and fresh. Even raw, they tasted crisp and sweet—though their special effects were still unknown.
When she arrived, Aunt Chen wasn’t there, so she handed the lettuce to Old Liang to store in the fridge.
Later, when Aunt Chen saw the two beautiful heads of lettuce, she smiled.
“This child… why so polite?”
The lettuce looked excellent—perfect for making her daughter a salad.
…
As the morning sun rose, Jiang Luokui stretched in the field. Another night of hard work had passed.
The meeting time was 8 a.m. It was already 7:30.
She inspected her plot—new scallions had already sprouted again, though the soil nutrients were still lacking. She’d fertilize it later.
Tucking Bubu into her pocket, she hurried out of Plot 147, passing by the teachers’ experimental fields.
Right now, the biggest challenge for agricultural researchers across the country was staple crops. The Third Academy was no exception—rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, and tubers were all being cultivated.
The crops looked healthy, but mutation rates remained.
After just one night, several mutated plants had already appeared.
To her left, among a patch of green seedlings, two had grown unusually tall, their leaves drooping with serrated edges.
To her right, in the soybean field, some plants had lost all their leaves—only a single purple flower blooming on a bare stalk.
Beyond the teachers’ plots lay the students’ fields.
Jiang Luokui passed here daily and knew the crops well. She hadn’t been paying close attention—but her peripheral vision caught something strange.
A cucumber vine that should’ve been removed… was still there.
Students weren’t as skilled as teachers in handling mutations. The best approach was to pull out mutated plants immediately, or they’d affect nearby crops.
She had seen that mutated cucumber vine two days ago.
Why hadn’t it been removed yet?
Wait…
Didn’t it look… different now?
Her gaze fixed on the vine. Her feet froze.
There was only one cucumber on it—but compared to two days ago, the thorny bumps on its surface had grown sharper… more aggressive.
A message popped up.
Lin Zihan: Oh my god everyone’s so early, the bus is almost full! Luokui, are you at school yet?
…It had to be her imagination.
The great catastrophe was still years away. A mutation like this couldn’t possibly appear inside the school.
Snapping out of it, Jiang Luokui replied:
Jiang: Almost there.
Before boarding, all students had to put on their protective suits and pass inspection by Teacher Li.
By 8 a.m., everyone had arrived. The bus set off early.
Jiang Luokui sat by the window, most of her face hidden behind the suit, only her eyes visible.
As buildings rushed past outside, the image of that mutated cucumber vine lingered stubbornly in her mind.