Chapter 181 - 148: Luncheon Meat

Chapter 181: Chapter 148: Luncheon Meat

After just a couple of polite refusals, the little girl didn’t even give him a chance to say no before she took action.

"Tsk! Zhou Qian had the exact same stubborn temper when he first joined the team back in the day," the man in charge thought. He looked at the softened Bamboo Heart Tea that had been scooped out and felt another pang of heartache. "Why are you so impatient? I never said I didn’t want it..."

Such rare Bamboo Heart Tea was already exuding a faint fragrance. If he had been the one to ration it out for brewing, it could have lasted for days! But now? Who wouldn’t covet such good stuff? If they boiled a few more pots of tea tonight, everyone would drain it to the very last drop.

Huai Yu just smiled innocently. "This Bamboo Heart Tea can’t be steeped for too long. After three brews, it loses its flavor entirely."

The truth was, the raw materials were incredibly easy to come by. Kuang Biao had an endless supply, so she didn’t feel the slightest bit of a pinch. After all, she was now the wealthy Little Yu.

As the two chatted back and forth, the Defense Army soldier crouching by the stove to tend the fire had already vigorously stuffed firewood into the hearth several times. The flames roared beneath the pot. Even though it was only May, the heat left him drenched in sweat, and the water in the pot quickly came to a boil. With a rolling BUBBLE BUBBLE, the fresh scent of bamboo hearts diffused further into the air.

The young man tending the fire took a deep breath, then unceremoniously pulled out his large canteen. "I’ll fill a cup first and let it cool."

The man in charge was speechless.

"Ahem." It really was quite fragrant. He subsequently dug out his own large enamel mug. "I’ll let some cool down too. Fill the kettles first. I’ll go pour it into everyone’s cups, and then you can boil another pot of water..."

A large pot of tea seemed like a lot, but after filling two large kettles, only a shallow layer remained at the bottom. It wasn’t even enough to top off the hefty mugs of all the burly men outside! So, another pot of water was set to boil.

Huai Yu looked at the crystal-clear tea with deep satisfaction, then glanced over at the Defense Army soldiers who were hard at work. She couldn’t help but think approvingly, "Now that they’ve drank such premium Bamboo Heart Tea, they’ll definitely be even more diligent in building Zhou Qian’s house!"

She cheerfully bid the man in charge goodbye, then happily pedaled her bicycle back home.

Watching the little girl’s joyful, skipping silhouette, the man in charge remembered everyone’s sighs whenever Zhou Qian was mentioned. For some reason, he couldn’t help but smile. "What is there to pity?" he thought. "In this day and age, being able to live well and lead a comfortable life is better than anything else."

Overnight, Zhou Qian’s house was built even faster than Huai Yu’s original cabin. Although it had a larger footprint and more complete facilities, they had brought far more manpower this time. Plus, the most time-consuming initial foundation work was entirely unnecessary. The whole area seemed to have magically refreshed itself with a single click. When Huai Yu went over to take a look in the morning, the new building materials had already reached the roof. They had even thoughtfully enclosed the yard. Right now, everyone was carrying in boxes of daily necessities.

Huai Yu was absolutely delighted! Little did she expect that the Defense Army soldiers currently at work couldn’t help but wave their arms in greeting the moment they saw her.

"Little Yu is here!"

"Hey, Little Yu’s here!"

"You’re up so early! So hardworking!"

"Have you had breakfast? Come eat with us from the big communal pot!"

Yesterday, they were just ordinarily polite, but today their enthusiasm had doubled. Huai Yu looked blankly at the man in charge, only to find that he was equally enthusiastic. "Little Yu, you’re here! Have you eaten breakfast yet? We still have a pot of noodles left. Want to have some with us?"

Huai Yu shook her head. "I already ate this morning."

Not only had she eaten, but she had eaten incredibly well! She had measured her height by the doorframe and tested it out on her bicycle, discovering that she had grown at least two or three centimeters! And how long had it been? Only two months!

Because of this, she had taken her morning meal quite seriously, preparing a stir-fried green vegetable dish, minced meat with cowpeas, and a serving of steamed locust flowers with lard-tossed noodles. There wasn’t much meat or protein, but the starches and vitamins were more than enough!

The man in charge laughed heartily. "Alright, if you’ve already eaten, we won’t press you. Here, this is what we prepared for you. You gave us so much tea yesterday, we can’t just take it for nothing. Take this in exchange."

Huai Yu leaned in to take a look and saw three tin boxes—

[Luncheon Meat 800g]

Wow! Wow! Luncheon meat!! Instantly, the words of refusal caught in her throat. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at him. "Are these really for me?"

"Of course! They’re absolutely for you! They were prepared specifically for you. However, there’s a limit to what we can requisition, so it’s only this little bit..."

"This isn’t just a little bit!" Huai Yu had already joyfully scooped up the three canned meat tins. The tin boxes still gleamed with a metallic luster. They didn’t even have outer labels; they simply bore inkjet-printed production dates and the words ’Luncheon Meat’. This made it clear that these were rare military supplies! And highly sought-after ones at that! They were excellent goods that she couldn’t buy even if she spent her points!

Huai Yu was ecstatic. "I love this so much! What about yesterday’s Bamboo Heart Tea? Did you guys like it?"

Who wouldn’t like it? If they didn’t like it, would the man in charge have gone through such great lengths to requisition these high-grade military rations?

In truth, due to the pollution, the water everyone had been drinking for the past few years always had a strange odor. Yet, the moment the Bamboo Heart Tea was brewed yesterday, not only was the weird smell suppressed to the point of being almost imperceptible, but even the usual slightly bitter taste seemed to turn fresh and sweet. Good heavens, a single handful of Bamboo Heart Tea had been boiled four times before everyone scooped out the leaves and chewed them up! Following that, they boiled the remaining scooped-out leaves over and over again. As if they were starving, everyone stubbornly guzzled water until their stomachs were bursting. They couldn’t have been more satisfied!

Now, Huai Yu’s frank and natural response made the man in charge grin from ear to ear, his gaze softening with affection. "Everyone said to thank you for your Bamboo Heart Tea. It probably wasn’t cheap to buy, right? The Mutant Value must be incredibly low—come on!"

He led Huai Yu into the courtyard. "The house is finished, and we’ve also prepared all the daily household items. Come help Zhou Qian take a look. Is there anything else that needs to be added?

"From now on, you two will be neighbors."

Although the straight-line distance was a bit far—one being on the inner edge of Zone 37 and the other on the outer edge of Zone 39—it wasn’t much of a difference. But Huai Yu looked at him and said, "We’re neighbors too! Aren’t you all stationed in the Rose Corridor?"

The man in charge was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Right, right, right! Neighbors!

"Since we’re all neighbors, you can come find me at the camp if you ever need anything. My surname is Wang, Wang Changli. Just calling me Uncle Wang is fine."

Huai Yu nodded, her tone turning sweet again. "Uncle Wang, I’ll remember that—"

"Wow!"

Upon entering the courtyard, her eyes immediately glued themselves to the well. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to press herself right up against it. "Why does this well look so pretty!"

When she had seen it yesterday, it was just a standard, deep, round hole. But today, it had been lined with green, semi-transparent bricks, raised about fifty centimeters above the ground. They had even meticulously prepared a water-drawing windlass and bucket at the top!