“I wanna go! I wanna go!”
Zhuo Ling kicked her short little legs and burst into loud wails.
Ever since humanity had moved into the underground cities fifty years ago, wild animals had become nothing more than legends. Even domesticated livestock and poultry were considered precious rarities.
She had never seen a tiger before. If she actually got to see one, that would be amazing!
If I could catch it and sell it in the Marketplace System, how much would it be worth?
“Ling’er, be good. Stay home and play with Father.”
Unable to bear seeing his daughter cry, Zhuo Dawu quickly patted the kang bed. “Come up here. Father will weave you a grass grasshopper and a little grass rabbit, all right?”
“No! I wanna go!”
Zhuo Ling plopped down on the ground and threw a full-blown tantrum, crying until her face was covered in tears and snot.
“Father, Mother, I’ll just take Ling’er with me while I chop firewood. We won’t go deep into the mountains. It’ll be fine.”
A faint smile appeared on Zhuo Chang’an’s handsome face as he patted her little head.
“Don’t cry anymore. Eldest Brother will take you.”
Seeing that, Fenniang and Zhuo Dawu could only nod in agreement.
“Hehe… Eldest Brother… good!”
Zhuo Ling wrapped both arms and legs around Zhuo Chang’an’s leg, rubbing her runny nose all over his pants while grinning foolishly.
See? Pretending to be a fool really works.
Besides…
She loved being spoiled by her parents.
Having grown up in the United Underground Administration, Zhuo Ling felt as though she had been given a second childhood.
…
The morning sun climbed over the mountaintops, bathing the forests and fields in golden light.
Carrying a coil of hemp rope and a wood-cutting machete on his back, Zhuo Chang’an held Zhuo Ling’s tiny hand as the two figures—one tall, one small—walked forward, glowing beneath the sunrise.
It was Zhuo Ling’s first time seeing Earth’s vast open fields and endless rolling mountains.
Her eyes darted everywhere, almost unable to take it all in.
So… this is what Earth really looks like.
Zhuo Family Village sat backed against mountains and facing a river. The winding mountain range stretched beyond sight, covered in dense trees and wild vegetation.
But after such a prolonged drought, the plants seemed coated in a thick layer of dust, their former lush greenery long since faded.
At the foot of the mountain flowed a winding river connected to stone-lined irrigation canals.
The farmlands of Zhuo Family Village and all the neighboring villages depended on this river for irrigation.
Unfortunately, the river had dried up long ago.
The cracked riverbed held nothing but stones, dead branches, fallen leaves, and shriveled little fish.
Even though it was early morning, there was barely any dew.
The fields were split with deep cracks, and the thin, withered crops stuck out of the ground like dry stalks.
The sight made one’s heart ache.
Villagers who had risen early stood helplessly at the edges of their fields, staring at their half-dead crops in despair.
“When will we finally get a good soaking rain? If it doesn’t rain soon, this year’s harvest is finished.”
“We barely got two decent rains over the last two years combined. They always say one drought lasts three years. Looks like this year won’t be any better.”
“The little water we carry back in buckets isn’t enough to save the seedlings…”
“The last two years were barely manageable… but this year… people might actually starve to death. Sigh…”
…
As they headed farther up the mountain, they saw patches of drought-resistant wild grass growing along the path.
Anything edible had already been dug up long ago.
What remained wasn’t even worth chewing to the cattle.
The villagers believed there had to be underground springs hidden within the mountain, so the flowers, grasses, and trees there grew better than the crops in the fields.
As for the wild vegetables near the edge of the forest, they were harvested the moment they sprouted.
In the past, only women and children came into the mountains to gather them.
Now that farming could no longer be relied upon, even the men had joined the search.
People traveled in groups deeper into the forest, taking anything that could possibly be eaten—leaves, wild vegetables, roots, even tree bark.
Nothing edible was spared.
Sometimes people were just like locusts.
Wherever enough of them gathered, they could strip an area completely bare.
With so many people searching, even after spending over an hour in the woods, the baskets carried by Zhuo Chang’an and his younger brother still weren’t even half full.
Those with sharp eyes and quick hands had already gathered half baskets of amaranth, purslane, goosefoot, kochia, fleabane, and other wild greens.
Before the famine, those plants had been used to feed chickens, ducks, and rabbits.
…
The moment she entered the forest, Zhuo Ling was completely stunned.
She had never seen so many living plants before.
Compared to the Underground City’s 3D Botanical and Zoological Theme Park, this place was infinitely more real.
Infinitely more alive.
Some leaves felt soft and fuzzy in her hands.
Others were smooth with a hint of lingering moisture.
A few even had sharp edges that scratched her fingers.
When she pinched one between her fingertips, the faintly bitter scent of fresh greenery rushed straight into her nose.
Clean.
Refreshing.
It cleared her mind.
As she looked around, red notifications from the Marketplace System continuously popped up before her eyes.
Ding! Natural organic amaranth discovered. Value: 30,000 Underground Credits per jin. Sell?
Natural organic purslane discovered. Value: 50,000 Underground Credits per jin. Sell?
Natural organic kochia discovered…
The corners of Zhuo Ling’s mouth twitched.
Sell my foot!
Those vegetables belonged to other people.
Even if she combined everything in Eldest Brother’s and Second Brother’s baskets, they wouldn’t add up to half a jin.
“Eldest Brother, why don’t we go farther in? There are so many people here. Even if there are wild vegetables, we won’t get any.”
Looking at the pitiful handful of greens in his basket, Zhuo Changgui frowned anxiously.
“Don’t rush. We’ll keep looking.”
Zhuo Chang’an glanced at Zhuo Ling, who was absentmindedly clutching a handful of weeds with a vacant stare, and smiled as he shook his head.
They continued following the crowd deeper into the forest.
Suddenly someone up ahead covered his nose and cursed.
“Ugh! What kind of weed is this? Damn, it stinks!”
Ahead of them stood a huge patch of luxuriant wild plants over half a person’s height, topped with clusters of white umbrella-shaped blossoms.
The closer they got, the stronger the nauseating odor became.
It smelled like rotten eggs mixed with socks that hadn’t been washed for three days, blended together with fermented kitchen scraps.
The sour, putrid stench hit like a hammer.
After muttering a few complaints, everyone pinched their noses and hurried around it.
“Isn’t that just stinkweed? This stuff grows everywhere in the forest. It smells so bad even birds won’t bother flying over it to poop.”
“Exactly! Whole patches of the stuff, and you can’t even eat it. No matter how much it grows, it’s completely useless.”
…
Zhuo Ling’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Ding! Natural medicinal herb—Sambucus (Bone-Setting Herb)—discovered. Value: 150,000 Underground Credits per jin. Sell?
The foul-smelling weed everyone despised…
Was actually a medicinal herb?
One hundred and fifty thousand Underground Credits!
Several times more valuable than ordinary wild vegetables!
There had to be at least eight or ten jin growing in this huge patch.
Sell!
This stinkweed is treasure! Only an idiot wouldn’t sell it!
Her little legs immediately refused to move any farther as she endured the overpowering smell and bent down to pull up the plants.
“Ling’er! What are you doing?”
Zhuo Changfu jumped in fright and quickly grabbed his little sister’s arm.
Covering his nose with one hand, he said in a muffled voice,
“Why are you picking stinkweed? You can’t eat that! It stinks! It stinks!”
Zhuo Ling already had two stalks in her hand.
Clear sap seeped from the broken stems, releasing an odor so overwhelming that it was like setting off a biological weapon in the middle of the forest.
The smell alone made people dizzy.
“Throw it away! Blegh…”
Zhuo Changfu nearly threw up the egg he’d eaten that morning.
Fortunately, he couldn’t bear to waste it.
Rolling his eyes, he forced it back down.
Sure, it stinks… but it’s valuable, you silly brother!
Zhuo Ling frantically searched for an excuse.
“Ah… ah-ba…”
Zhuo Chang’an looked thoughtful.
Taking the foul-smelling herb from her hand, he asked softly,
“Ling’er… do you want this?”
“Mhm! Doesn’t stink…”
Blinking innocently, Zhuo Ling pointed at the herb and continued pretending to be simple-minded.
“Want it! Want it!”