After bringing the mugwort home, Su Yue quickly plucked a few leaves.
Just a handful was enough.
She burned the mugwort inside the house, letting the smoke drift through the rooms. The pungent fumes drove Su Xing outside to feed the chickens.
The little reed-flower chicks had become much livelier lately. Su Xing loved feeding them and playing with them.
Carefully, Su Yue took the baby rats out of her pocket.
They immediately caught Su Xing’s attention.
“What kind of animal is this? They’re so tiny! So cute!”
She counted them.
There were twelve baby rats in total.
It might not sound like many, but mutated rats reproduced quickly. They reached adulthood within a month, and once mature, they could have a litter every two weeks, with seven or eight pups each time.
Once these rats grew up and started reproducing, they would never have to worry about running out of meat.
Eating rats sounded disgusting, but Su Yue had long since grown accustomed to it in her previous life.
As for the refugees, they considered rat meat a delicacy.
Although scavengers didn’t dare risk their lives hunting rats, beast hunters loved catching small mutated animals like rabbits and rats.
Families with capable beast hunters often raised a few herbivorous mutated animals at home.
Once the rats matured and Xiao An, Xiao Bao, and Xiao Juan—the three little chickens—started laying eggs, they would have a stable source of meat.
Or they could sell them for a tidy profit.
To keep the baby rats from squeaking and attracting attention, Su Yue copied the method she’d used on the chicks and gave each rat a small dose of paralytic toxin.
Only then did she grab her tools and head into the yard to plant the mugwort near the entrance.
There wasn’t enough time to build a nest for the baby rats before nightfall.
Looks like she’d have to buy some oil lamps and candles tomorrow.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to work after dark.
As for electric lights?
Not a chance.
Because of the world’s radiation levels, conventional power grids no longer functioned. Technology relied on crystal cores or energy stones instead.
People in the refugee district couldn’t afford electricity. Even kerosene lamps and candles were considered luxuries.
Scavengers woke up early and went to bed early. Only a few better-off families—or those who survived by sewing and other handicrafts—could justify buying lighting supplies.
That night, they went to bed early.
The next morning, Su Yue began figuring out how to make a home for the baby rats.
Unlike chicks, rats could dig.
She needed to line the bottom with stone slabs.
Ideally, she’d keep them in a large glass tank to prevent them from escaping or burrowing away.
There was no choice but to check Huiyou Store that afternoon.
Before heading out, Su Yue tested the corn kernels and sweet potatoes she’d collected.
Sixteen corn kernels were edible.
Three or four kernels were enough to make a small pot of porridge.
Twenty-four kernels were inedible.
Of the sweet potatoes, five were edible.
The rest weren’t.
The inedible ones could be used as seeds in the yard.
As for the other seeds she’d gathered, she couldn’t identify them. She decided to save them for later and plant them like mystery boxes.
Upgrading her ability would have to wait.
Once her wood ability reached level three, she could try cultivating edible plants.
Unfortunately, among the baby rats, only three were female.
The other nine were all male.
Forget it.
She’d just raise them and roast them later.
As for the rat pelts, she planned to sell them all.
They were too small to be useful, and stitching them together would be a hassle.
It would be better to exchange them for things they needed right now.
Besides, they already had padded jackets.
After eating biscuit porridge for lunch, she took Su Xing to Huiyou Store.
Aunt Wang was shocked when she saw the rat pelts.
The knife marks were obvious.
Though surprised, she didn’t ask any questions.
The pelts sold for a total of 4,000 credits.
Su Yue spent another 2,000 credits on candles, two kerosene lamps, and enough fuel to last three months.
So expensive.
No wonder nobody worked under lights at night.
She also spent 200 credits on several thick blackout curtains.
They would help conceal the light from the lamps at night.
There were plenty of thieves in the refugee district. They specifically targeted homes with visible lights, assuming anyone who could afford lighting had valuables worth stealing.
There weren’t any large glass tanks available.
Only a small fish tank.
Aunt Wang said it had been sitting unsold for three or four years. If Su Yue wanted it, she could have it for free.
As for a larger tank, she’d keep an eye out during her next supply run.
“Oh, Aunt Wang, if you come across any rakes or farming tools for loosening soil, please let me know. I want to try planting some crops.”
Aunt Wang almost told her not to waste her energy.
But lately, Su Yue had become stronger and more mysterious than before.
Maybe she’d actually succeed.
Su Yue also asked about repairing and expanding houses.
“If you want to expand your house, you’ll need to register at the administrative office set up by the Safe City. As for repairs, you can either hire someone or do them yourself.”
“What if there’s an abandoned house nobody lives in anymore?”
“If you’re sure it’s abandoned, you can register it with the office and move in after repairing it. There’ll usually be a small processing fee.”
Renovating the house next door wasn’t urgent.
She still didn’t know whether Song Zhizhi’s family would be willing to move in.
And she didn’t have enough money yet.
As for expanding her own home, she could wait until she confirmed that her wood ability could cultivate edible plants.
For now, their current home was big enough for just her and Su Xing.
The fish tank was small, but the baby rats were tiny.
They could squeeze together for now.
She’d move them into a larger tank later.
After Wang Liuning helped carry everything home, he hurried off again.
On the way back, Su Yue found a hollow log, cleaned out the inside, and turned it into a den for the baby rats.
She lined the bottom of the fish tank with dirt, placed the hollow log inside, and finished building the simplest rat nest imaginable.
The top of the fish tank curved inward, and the baby rats still couldn’t climb very well, so there was no danger of them escaping.
The bigger issue was feeding them.
Adult rats could eat grass and plant matter, but these pups were too young.
Would mashed-up biscuits work?
The baby rats’ answer:
Yes! Feed us!
After settling the rats, Su Yue checked on the chicks.
All three were hens.
Fortunately, hens could lay eggs without a rooster.
The eggs just wouldn’t hatch.
Eventually, she’d need to catch them a “child groom”—a rooster for breeding.
Then the chickens would lay eggs, the eggs would hatch into more chickens, and the chickens would lay more eggs.
A perfect cycle to grow Su Yue’s little fortune.
Su Xing was even happier about the baby rats than Su Yue was.
She’d grown up without companions.
Having chicks and baby rats at home gave her much-needed emotional comfort.
What if she gets too attached?
Su Yue was still planning to eat the rats someday.
Looks like she needed to convince Song Zhizhi’s family to move in and help watch Su Xing as soon as possible.
It wasn’t just about physical safety.
Su Xing needed companionship and social interaction too.
If she stayed cooped up at home all the time, she’d eventually lose her ability to connect with others.
That evening, Su Yue fetched water and filled the storage barrel to the brim before going to bed.
Tomorrow, she planned to invite Song Zhizhi to go scavenging together.
She needed to strengthen their friendship if she wanted to persuade the whole family to move in and help care for Su Xing.
The next morning, Song Zhizhi received a message from Su Yue.
Zhizhi, want to go scavenging? Meet at our usual spot.
?!
Su Yue is being so friendly today!