During work that day, Yun Ting noticed a girl about her age walking beside Aunt Meihua. Yun Ting guessed she was likely Aunt Meihua and the team leader’s daughter, Li Caiyun, who was said to be attending high school in the county. Yun Ting had never seen her before.
“Little Yun, come, let me introduce you. This is my dear daughter, Caiyun,” Aunt Meihua said cheerfully, then turned to her daughter: “Darling, this is the Little Yun I told you about—good person, pretty, smart, with a lovely personality. Get to know her.”
“Pfft… Mom, you’re acting like you’re introducing me to a suitor,” Caiyun teased, laughing.
“Yeah! Aunt Meihua, you’re practically praising me to the skies,” Yun Ting said with a grin.
“Hello, Little Yun!” Caiyun greeted, smiling—it was clear she loved to laugh.
“Hi, Caiyun. Your name is really pretty…”
“Pretty? Ha! My father, your team leader, just picked it randomly. I was born on a day when the clouds in the sky were so beautiful, he said, ‘Let’s name her Caiyun!’”
“Oh, so there’s a story behind it!”
While working and chatting, Yun Ting found Caiyun genuinely likable—they hit it off quickly.
“Caiyun, I didn’t expect you, who aren’t often in the fields, to work so efficiently!”
“Ha! Don’t underestimate me. I was born and raised in the countryside—there’s no work I can’t do.”
“I thought maybe the team leader and Aunt Meihua didn’t want you to…”
“Hehe… that’s true. My parents have always spoiled me.”
Yun Ting felt happy for her. How many families in this era truly valued their daughters? Very few, especially in the countryside. Caiyun was lucky. Of course, if this were post-apocalypse Yun Ting, she might have envied her—but now, she had a loving family too, so she felt only happiness, not jealousy.
..
At noon, after finishing work, Yun Ting quickly made a few egg pancakes and some porridge—enough to get by. It was too hot to have much appetite, and she didn’t plan to cook dinner.
Everyone had their own small kitchens in their rooms, except Lu Jiayan and Zhou Yang, who cooked in the courtyard.
Wang Xue didn’t have money for a cooking pot, so Yun Ting, feeling sorry for her, gave her a clay pot to use. She relied on that single pot to cook.
As for Yin Jiao, of course, she paid but had Li Zhaodi do all the work—a clear display of her capital-girl attitude. It was worrying, really.
As for the newly arrived Yan Zheng, Yun Ting had never seen him cook, nor did she care how he ate.
Yun Ting locked her door, entered her space, drank some spring water, and bit into a large apple, contentedly letting out a satisfied burp.
Among the seeds she had acquired from the black market, one mysterious seed had been forgotten. With some time now, she decided to activate it with her ability. The plant grew rapidly, and then…
“Ah! This… it looks like a durian!” She was thrilled and continued accelerating its growth.
If it really was a durian, she could finally enjoy unlimited durian—the fruit she loved most! She had tasted it once at the orphanage when wealthy visitors brought it, loved it immediately, and later had a few more opportunities as she grew up. But after the apocalypse, forget durian—every day was a struggle against zombies.
“Ha ha… it really is a durian.”
She didn’t bother accelerating other crops. Today, she had to eat her first durian here. She devoured the flesh in big bites, and it tasted just as good as the real thing.
After finishing two durian fruits, she was too full to continue and reluctantly put it aside.
“Ah, feeling good today—let’s get more work done!”
Humming, Yun Ting got back to work, activating batch after batch of rice and fruit. She even planted the jujubes she bought from the black market. The produce from her space was stunning—big, red, and sweet jujubes.
After work in the afternoon, Yun Ting followed Yang Qingqing up the mountain, trailed by a crowd…
Lu Jiayan, Zhou Yang, Yin Jiao, Li Zhaodi, Yan Zheng, and some older educated youths were there too. Yang Qingqing and Yun Ting exchanged a helpless sigh.
Some villagers also trickled in. It was crowded. Yun Ting quietly collected firewood without any antics, yet by sheer luck, a wild rabbit ran right into her and got stunned.
Yun Ting: “……”.
Nearby, Yang Qingqing: “……”.
Yun Ting quickly reacted, picked up the rabbit, tied it with a vine, and tossed it into her basket.
Of course, others noticed too—Lu Jiayan, Zhou Yang, and many saw—but besides envying her luck, no one dared comment. Some were quietly jealous, but didn’t say anything—except for one person.
“Hey, Yun Ting, we all saw that rabbit! You can’t just take it yourself,” Yin Jiao complained.
Yun Ting’s eyes flickered with impatience. “Hehe… it ran into me and got stunned in front of me, so it’s mine. Why didn’t it run into you? You open your mouth everywhere. I’ll tell you—don’t provoke me, or you’ll learn what regret means.”
“I… I’m being honest! Everyone came together. Why can’t we all share the rabbit? Why are you so stingy? We educated youths are a unit!”
“Heh… if you’re so generous, then does that mean anyone can use your bicycle anytime? Anything good to eat, you’d share it too? We’re all a unit, after all.”
“You’re impossible. I’m not even going to argue with you…” Yin Jiao stomped off, completely confused about where she was, running deeper into the woods.
“Jiao Jiao…” Li Zhaodi glanced at Yun Ting and hurried after her.
Wang Lijuan had been watching, hoping Yin Jiao would convince Yun Ting so they could all have rabbit meat that evening. But Yin Jiao chickened out. Still, she realized Yun Ting wasn’t to be trifled with, despite her age.
Yun Ting, meanwhile, had no patience left. She gathered a bundle of firewood and prepared to leave.
“Yang Qingqing, I’m heading back. You coming?”
“I’ll go with you!” Yang Qingqing agreed—it was too annoying with the crowd around.
Lu Jiayan wanted to follow, but she gave him a cold look and turned away. His steps faltered, and he felt a pang of sadness.
Zhou Yang sighed. “Bro, chasing a girl isn’t just about following her blindly. Don’t annoy her.”
Lu Jiayan glared at him. “I seem to recall you’re single too.”
“Eh, I’d risk my life for my brother, and the brother stabs me twice…”