Leng Xuan said disapprovingly, “The milk powder has many kinds of nutrients added to it, especially the anti-radiation components specifically for infants. No amount of rice water can replace that.
“Besides, our family has some genetic defects. You don’t want our younger brother and sister to grow up and be like I used to be…”
Leng Xuan didn’t continue, but she knew this point alone was enough to persuade Mother Leng. After all, Leng Lao Er hadn’t always been simple-minded; at least, he was a normal person when he married Mother Leng.
Later, after suffering high-radiation damage, Leng Lao Er’s mind was broken, and Mother Leng’s leg was crippled.
As a result, the two children born one after another also had intellectual disabilities.
As expected, Mother Leng didn’t try to stop her anymore. Mother Leng grabbed a small handful of wheat grains, ground them up, and made a pot of relatively thick paste. The whole family had a bowl each.
After finishing the porridge, they all started working together.
Inside the quiet little house, Leng Xuan, Leng Yi, and Mother Leng sat facing each other, preparing to start testing the wheat grains.
One hundred fifty or sixty catties of wheat grains, how long would this take to test!
Leng Xuan felt sweat about to break out on her forehead. Unexpectedly, Mother Leng pulled out a more advanced-looking detector from her clothes and pressed a button, which emitted a blue light.
“With this laser detector, you just need to spread the wheat grains flat on the kang. When the laser sweeps over them, all the grains with high-level radiation contamination will turn purplish-black, while those with medium to low contamination won’t change color.”
Leng Xuan was once again stunned by the Wasteland technology. Fortunately, using this method to test would save a lot of time.
“Can this detector be brought out for scavenging?”
If she could take this out for scavenging, she could just shine the laser to identify a target for collection. Wouldn’t that save time and effort?
Mother Leng’s next words were a blow to the head: “I rented this detector for ten yuan. It has to be returned tomorrow morning.”
Leng Xuan completely gave up hope.
Such a high-end detection instrument was indeed something she was not worthy of possessing.
But in this Wasteland world, even if this instrument were truly hers, she probably wouldn’t dare take it out. It would be snatched away before she could use it a few times!
Her combat strength was no match for this kind of item.
The mother and her children worked quietly.
This was the first time Leng Xuan had spent quiet time with Mother Leng since transmigrating. She had a premonition that Mother Leng would definitely ask her something, so she silently prepared a script in her mind.
There was no way she could talk about transmigration or the system. She was afraid of scaring Mother Leng if she said it. Besides, if she had transmigrated, wouldn’t that mean the original Leng Xuan was already dead?
It would inevitably make Mother Leng sad.
Sure enough, after a short while, Mother Leng spoke.
“Xuan ah, how did you get better? Do you have any feeling yourself?”
Leng Xuan coughed lightly. She had guessed this question correctly and had long prepared an answer: “After I drank the Purification Potion that Qi Xu gave me, I felt clear-headed and could understand what people around me were saying.”
Mother Leng didn’t doubt her, just kept sighing that they owed Qi Xu a huge favor.
If they had the ability in the future, they would save up more money and definitely buy a potion to repay Qi Xu.
The potion Qi Xu had given the father and daughter was a Mercenary Corps special supply, and the dosage was sufficient. It was worth ten thousand yuan, and a potion with such good effects couldn’t be bought on the market.
Leng Xuan nodded silently. “Don’t worry, I will definitely work hard at scavenging and try to pay back Qi Xu for this potion as soon as possible.”
Mother Leng nodded, then asked again, “How do you know how to read now? I just saw you looking at the milk powder can for a long time.”
Leng Xuan: “…”
When she mentioned the contents of the milk powder’s ingredient list earlier, she had completely forgotten that the original owner was a simpleton who had never been to school. Even if she suddenly became smart, it was impossible for her to know how to read!
She hadn’t prepared for this question. She didn’t expect Mother Leng to be so observant. How was she going to make this up?
“I thought the picture on the can was quite nice. As for what I said about the milk powder’s ingredients, I heard it from Qi Xu and the others. I thought what they said made sense, so I came back and told you.”
Leng Xuan didn’t dare to look up, trying her best to keep her hands steady as she continued to test the wheat grains.
Fortunately, Mother Leng didn’t press the matter.
She took the initiative to change the subject, asking Mother Leng many things about Mutant Beasts, Mutant Plants, and genetically damaged humans.
Here, most plants and animals retained their original forms, but they had been exposed to high radiation and were no longer suitable for human consumption.
A small number had undergone genetic mutation and become extremely dangerous.
A small portion of humans had also mutated, but they hadn’t evolved any superpowers at all. Instead, like Mutant Beasts, some grew fangs, while others’ bodies grew larger and developed sharp claws!
They were irritable, extremely aggressive, and bloodthirsty!
And their reproductive ability was extremely strong!
Without exception, all mutated humans lost their consciousness and became no different from wild beasts!
In a sense, they could no longer be considered human.
Moreover, this mutation was irreversible.
Therefore, whenever a mutant human was discovered, the Base government would kill it at all costs.
Leng Xuan’s heart pounded with fear as she listened.
Sure enough, Superman, Spider-Man, and the like were just romantic notions from the movies. The real world was only cold and cruel!
The few of them worked with all their might, continuing late into the night before they finished testing all the remaining wheat. In total, they got 15 catties of unhulled wheat.
After hulling, 12 catties remained.
Mother Leng kept 2 catties as the family’s rations, and the remaining 10 catties were to be taken to Old Granny Chen’s small shop tomorrow to exchange for some milk powder.
Today, they had paid for Father Leng’s potion. It was impossible to pay off the debt for the younger siblings’ milk powder all at once, but with installment payments, today counted as the first payment. Leng Xuan finally felt a little better.
Tomorrow, she would redouble her efforts and continue scavenging.
Lying on the kang, she began to review her performance in front of Mother Leng over the past two days. Mother Leng was too perceptive; she had to be more careful.
Suddenly, she realized a very serious point.
After she transmigrated, because it was difficult to accept her new identity and family all at once, she had yet to call out “Mom” even once.
The original owner used to call “Mom” eight hundred times a day. Now, even when talking to Mother Leng, she would subconsciously avoid the form of address. It would be hard for Mother Leng not to notice something was amiss.
Starting tomorrow, she must start calling her Mom. Since she had already decided to stay, she had to work hard to adapt to her new identity.
At three in the morning, Leng Xuan was woken up by an alarm. She was a bit dazed for a moment and tried hard to remember for a long time.
“Why did I set an alarm? Do I have a wilderness collection mission today?”
She quickly got out of bed.
A cold wind blew in, and smelling the faint scent of wheat in the air, she gradually came to her senses!
She had transmigrated. She was now on a Wasteland planet full of radiation. From now on, every single day, she had a wilderness collection mission!!
In her previous life, Leng Xuan was a Ph.D. in “Edible Fungus Science and Engineering.” Every day, she was either in the lab studying mycelium or in the vast forest collecting specimens.
She originally thought she would spend her whole life in a laboratory, but she never expected to transmigrate one day and become a glorious Wasteland Scavenger!
How she wished this was all just a dream.
A faint cry pulled her back to reality. This was no dream at all!
She wrapped the stiff quilt around herself and quickly scurried to the opposite kang, picking up her own set of worn-out clothes that she had dried and putting them on.
Father Leng, Mother Leng, and Second Brother were all already up. The sound of chopping wood came from the courtyard, and the two little babies were crying for food.
She went to the kitchen, ladled a bowl of rice water, blew on it to cool it down, and carefully fed it into a small baby’s mouth.
Chapter 8: Wasteland Scavenger
Leng Xuan said disapprovingly, “The milk powder has many kinds of nutrients added to it, especially the anti-radiation components specifically for infants. No amount of rice water can replace that.
“Besides, our family has some genetic defects. You don’t want our younger brother and sister to grow up and be like I used to be…”
Leng Xuan didn’t continue, but she knew this point alone was enough to persuade Mother Leng. After all, Leng Lao Er hadn’t always been simple-minded; at least, he was a normal person when he married Mother Leng.
Later, after suffering high-radiation damage, Leng Lao Er’s mind was broken, and Mother Leng’s leg was crippled.
As a result, the two children born one after another also had intellectual disabilities.
As expected, Mother Leng didn’t try to stop her anymore. Mother Leng grabbed a small handful of wheat grains, ground them up, and made a pot of relatively thick paste. The whole family had a bowl each.
After finishing the porridge, they all started working together.
Inside the quiet little house, Leng Xuan, Leng Yi, and Mother Leng sat facing each other, preparing to start testing the wheat grains.
One hundred fifty or sixty catties of wheat grains, how long would this take to test!
Leng Xuan felt sweat about to break out on her forehead. Unexpectedly, Mother Leng pulled out a more advanced-looking detector from her clothes and pressed a button, which emitted a blue light.
“With this laser detector, you just need to spread the wheat grains flat on the kang. When the laser sweeps over them, all the grains with high-level radiation contamination will turn purplish-black, while those with medium to low contamination won’t change color.”
Leng Xuan was once again stunned by the Wasteland technology. Fortunately, using this method to test would save a lot of time.
“Can this detector be brought out for scavenging?”
If she could take this out for scavenging, she could just shine the laser to identify a target for collection. Wouldn’t that save time and effort?
Mother Leng’s next words were a blow to the head: “I rented this detector for ten yuan. It has to be returned tomorrow morning.”
Leng Xuan completely gave up hope.
Such a high-end detection instrument was indeed something she was not worthy of possessing.
But in this Wasteland world, even if this instrument were truly hers, she probably wouldn’t dare take it out. It would be snatched away before she could use it a few times!
Her combat strength was no match for this kind of item.
The mother and her children worked quietly.
This was the first time Leng Xuan had spent quiet time with Mother Leng since transmigrating. She had a premonition that Mother Leng would definitely ask her something, so she silently prepared a script in her mind.
There was no way she could talk about transmigration or the system. She was afraid of scaring Mother Leng if she said it. Besides, if she had transmigrated, wouldn’t that mean the original Leng Xuan was already dead?
It would inevitably make Mother Leng sad.
Sure enough, after a short while, Mother Leng spoke.
“Xuan ah, how did you get better? Do you have any feeling yourself?”
Leng Xuan coughed lightly. She had guessed this question correctly and had long prepared an answer: “After I drank the Purification Potion that Qi Xu gave me, I felt clear-headed and could understand what people around me were saying.”
Mother Leng didn’t doubt her, just kept sighing that they owed Qi Xu a huge favor.
If they had the ability in the future, they would save up more money and definitely buy a potion to repay Qi Xu.
The potion Qi Xu had given the father and daughter was a Mercenary Corps special supply, and the dosage was sufficient. It was worth ten thousand yuan, and a potion with such good effects couldn’t be bought on the market.
Leng Xuan nodded silently. “Don’t worry, I will definitely work hard at scavenging and try to pay back Qi Xu for this potion as soon as possible.”
Mother Leng nodded, then asked again, “How do you know how to read now? I just saw you looking at the milk powder can for a long time.”
Leng Xuan: “…”
When she mentioned the contents of the milk powder’s ingredient list earlier, she had completely forgotten that the original owner was a simpleton who had never been to school. Even if she suddenly became smart, it was impossible for her to know how to read!
She hadn’t prepared for this question. She didn’t expect Mother Leng to be so observant. How was she going to make this up?
“I thought the picture on the can was quite nice. As for what I said about the milk powder’s ingredients, I heard it from Qi Xu and the others. I thought what they said made sense, so I came back and told you.”
Leng Xuan didn’t dare to look up, trying her best to keep her hands steady as she continued to test the wheat grains.
Fortunately, Mother Leng didn’t press the matter.
She took the initiative to change the subject, asking Mother Leng many things about Mutant Beasts, Mutant Plants, and genetically damaged humans.
Here, most plants and animals retained their original forms, but they had been exposed to high radiation and were no longer suitable for human consumption.
A small number had undergone genetic mutation and become extremely dangerous.
A small portion of humans had also mutated, but they hadn’t evolved any superpowers at all. Instead, like Mutant Beasts, some grew fangs, while others’ bodies grew larger and developed sharp claws!
They were irritable, extremely aggressive, and bloodthirsty!
And their reproductive ability was extremely strong!
Without exception, all mutated humans lost their consciousness and became no different from wild beasts!
In a sense, they could no longer be considered human.
Moreover, this mutation was irreversible.
Therefore, whenever a mutant human was discovered, the Base government would kill it at all costs.
Leng Xuan’s heart pounded with fear as she listened.
Sure enough, Superman, Spider-Man, and the like were just romantic notions from the movies. The real world was only cold and cruel!
The few of them worked with all their might, continuing late into the night before they finished testing all the remaining wheat. In total, they got 15 catties of unhulled wheat.
After hulling, 12 catties remained.
Mother Leng kept 2 catties as the family’s rations, and the remaining 10 catties were to be taken to Old Granny Chen’s small shop tomorrow to exchange for some milk powder.
Today, they had paid for Father Leng’s potion. It was impossible to pay off the debt for the younger siblings’ milk powder all at once, but with installment payments, today counted as the first payment. Leng Xuan finally felt a little better.
Tomorrow, she would redouble her efforts and continue scavenging.
Lying on the kang, she began to review her performance in front of Mother Leng over the past two days. Mother Leng was too perceptive; she had to be more careful.
Suddenly, she realized a very serious point.
After she transmigrated, because it was difficult to accept her new identity and family all at once, she had yet to call out “Mom” even once.
The original owner used to call “Mom” eight hundred times a day. Now, even when talking to Mother Leng, she would subconsciously avoid the form of address. It would be hard for Mother Leng not to notice something was amiss.
Starting tomorrow, she must start calling her Mom. Since she had already decided to stay, she had to work hard to adapt to her new identity.
At three in the morning, Leng Xuan was woken up by an alarm. She was a bit dazed for a moment and tried hard to remember for a long time.
“Why did I set an alarm? Do I have a wilderness collection mission today?”
She quickly got out of bed.
A cold wind blew in, and smelling the faint scent of wheat in the air, she gradually came to her senses!
She had transmigrated. She was now on a Wasteland planet full of radiation. From now on, every single day, she had a wilderness collection mission!!
In her previous life, Leng Xuan was a Ph.D. in “Edible Fungus Science and Engineering.” Every day, she was either in the lab studying mycelium or in the vast forest collecting specimens.
She originally thought she would spend her whole life in a laboratory, but she never expected to transmigrate one day and become a glorious Wasteland Scavenger!
How she wished this was all just a dream.
A faint cry pulled her back to reality. This was no dream at all!
She wrapped the stiff quilt around herself and quickly scurried to the opposite kang, picking up her own set of worn-out clothes that she had dried and putting them on.
Father Leng, Mother Leng, and Second Brother were all already up. The sound of chopping wood came from the courtyard, and the two little babies were crying for food.
She went to the kitchen, ladled a bowl of rice water, blew on it to cool it down, and carefully fed it into a small baby’s mouth.