“Something terrible happened! The foolish girl fell out of the tree!”
“Oh no! She hit her head… Do you think she fell to her death?”
“It wasn’t our fault! Xiaohu was the one who tricked her into climbing the tree by saying there was fruit up there!”
“I was just joking. Who told her to believe me? She’s such an idiot!”
…
The noisy chatter of children rang in Zhuo Ling’s ears, making them ache.
She struggled to open her eyes and found herself lying face down on the ground. Several rowdy children dressed in patched homespun clothes from ancient times stood around her, staring nervously.
Above her, the blazing sun scorched the sky. Around her, lush green trees cast cool shade. She lay in a patch of thick grass, where countless tiny wildflowers bloomed among the vibrant weeds…
Zhuo Ling froze.
Her bright black eyes greedily took in everything around her, and her heart began pounding wildly.
This wasn’t the underground city of the apocalypse!
She looked down at the coarse, patched clothes she was wearing, then reached up to touch the two little buns tied atop her head.
Only then did she realize—
She had transmigrated.
Fragments of the original owner’s memories flooded into her mind.
She was five years old, a slow-witted orphan with a slight intellectual disability. Not long ago, her new father had brought her home to raise.
Her new family consisted of a father, a mother, and three older brothers.
Am I dreaming?
Zhuo Ling’s mind buzzed.
“Foolish Girl… you’re not dead?”
Seeing her open her eyes, Xiaohu let out a long sigh of relief. He cautiously waved a hand in front of her face.
“Y-You’re okay… right?”
“Give me your arm. Hurry!”
Zhuo Ling suddenly looked up.
“Huh? Why?”
The vacant look that usually filled her dark eyes disappeared, replaced by a sharp glint.
Startled, Xiaohu instinctively held out his arm.
Without hesitation, Zhuo Ling grabbed it and bit down hard.
“AAAH! It hurts! It hurts! Let go! Let go of me!”
Good.
If it hurt, then this was real.
The overwhelming hunger twisting her stomach was real too.
A blissfully foolish grin spread across Zhuo Ling’s face.
“I’m not dreaming!”
“What dream?”
Xiaohu frantically rubbed the neat row of bite marks on his arm, his face turning pale with anger.
“If you wanted to test whether you were dreaming, why didn’t you bite yourself? Why bite me?”
Zhuo Ling rolled her eyes.
“Because biting myself hurts.”
“It hurts me too… Wait a second.”
He stared at her while rubbing the drool-covered bite marks.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the idiot? So… which one of us is actually the fool?”
Zhuo Ling ignored him completely.
Instead, she greedily gazed at the vivid world around her with her bright black eyes, grinning so widely her back teeth were visible.
She had finally seen daylight.
Daylight!
Fifty years ago, Earth had suffered another Cambrian Ice Age, leaving the entire surface frozen beneath endless ice.
Of the billions who once lived on the planet, fewer than one in ten survived. Humanity had been forced underground, struggling to survive in cities built more than a hundred meters below the surface.
Like countless children born there, Zhuo Ling had never seen the legendary sun.
She had never seen towering green trees.
Never seen fields of wildflowers and grass.
Never breathed air this fresh.
In the underground city, green plants were unimaginably precious. Most people had only seen them in the elderly’s stories or on electronic screens.
Technology had failed to save Earth.
Fortunately, it had managed to save humanity from starvation.
Resources in the underground cities were desperately scarce. Scientists used molecular synthesis technology to manufacture cheap food for the public.
It looked exactly like cat food or dog food.
Eating it was simple enough—you just buried your face in the bowl.
As for the taste…
The less said about that, the better.
Of course, there were imitation versions flavored to resemble grains or vegetables…
If you could afford the extra cost.
It wasn’t that real plants and animals no longer existed.
After Earth froze over, the global seed vault had suffered catastrophic damage. The United Underground Administration had only managed to rescue a limited number of essential crop, fruit, and vegetable seeds before cultivating them through hydroponics.
They had also used genetic engineering to revive some livestock and poultry.
But only the wealthy could afford them.
And now…
The place she had transmigrated to had sunlight, towering trees, wildflowers, wild grass…
Even vegetables and grains that only rich people in the apocalypse could dream of eating.
Oh my god!
Even if she’d become a fool, it was absolutely worth it!
Zhuo Ling grinned so hard her mouth nearly twisted sideways.
OMG! So this is what fresh grass smells like! And wildflowers are actually this beautiful!
Ignoring the pain throbbing in her head, she yanked up a handful of the legendary wild grass, pressed it against her face, and took a deep breath.
Wait…
Why was there a strange foul odor mixed in with the fresh scent of grass?
At some point, her palm had become smeared with a sticky, slippery lump of yellowish mud.
The smell was… indescribably pungent.
Zhuo Ling’s dark eyes instantly lit up.
Cow dung?
Oh my heavens!
This was real cow dung—the kind she’d only ever seen on television!
The children thought she was eating it and immediately burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! The foolish girl is so hungry she’s eating cow dung!”
“Come quick! She’s treating cow dung like steamed buns!”
…
The loudest laugh came from Xiaohu.
He clapped happily while shouting,
“Big dummy! Big dummy! Zhuo Ling is a huge dummy!”
“Hey, Foolish Girl! Is the cow dung tasty? Eat another bite and let Big Brother Xiaohu watch!”
Smack!
“If you’re so curious, why don’t you taste it yourself?”
Zhuo Ling shoved the handful of cow dung straight into his mouth, then casually wiped the rest across his face.
“Mmph?!”
By pure reflex, Xiaohu covered his mouth.
Unfortunately, a mouthful of sour, grass-flavored cow dung had already slid down his throat.
“Y-You…”
“Bleaaargh!”
Pointing at Zhuo Ling in horror, he doubled over and vomited until he thought his insides would come out.
Zhuo Ling curled her lip in disdain.
You should be grateful, brat.
Back in the resource-starved underground cities of the apocalypse, you wouldn’t even have the chance to eat this if you wanted to.
Even human waste was recycled to extract every useful material.
“Foolish Girl! You actually made me eat cow dung?”
After vomiting until even bile came up, Xiaohu wiped his mouth and raised his fist in fury.
“I’m going to beat you to death!”
“Stop!”
A stern shout rang out.
Someone grabbed Xiaohu’s wrist and shoved him backward, making him stumble.
A thin young man stepped protectively in front of Zhuo Ling, his expression turning cold.
“Xiaohu, why are you bullying my little sister again?”
“Me? Bully her? She’s the one who bullied me! Brother Chang’an, look! She stuffed cow dung into my mouth!”
Xiaohu pointed accusingly at Zhuo Ling, nearly crying from frustration.
“My Ling’er is such a well-behaved girl. If you hadn’t bullied her first, would she have thrown it at you?”
Zhuo Chang’an shot him a sharp, icy look.
“If I catch you bullying her again, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
“Now get lost.”
Knowing he couldn’t beat Zhuo Chang’an in a fight, Xiaohu immediately burst into loud sobs.
“Y-You’re all bullying me! I’m going home to tell my mother! Waaah…”
“Then go tell her.”
Zhuo Chang’an picked Zhuo Ling up and gently rubbed the swelling on her forehead, his eyes filled with concern.
“Does it hurt?”
Zhuo Ling blinked her large black eyes and stared blankly up at him.
Oh my god… This big brother is ridiculously handsome!
He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, tall and slender…
Though he was a little too thin.
His features were exquisitely sculpted, as though carved with a knife. He had long phoenix eyes, a straight, elegant nose, and thin lips curved into a perfect line.
Even dressed in patched, worn clothing, nothing could conceal the brilliance that naturally radiated from him.
He stood out from everyone around him like a crane among chickens.
His gaze was deep and cool. Whenever he frowned, his sharp features became even more intimidating, making it obvious that he wasn’t someone anyone should provoke.