Chapter 682: Environment

Evelyn Ford filled out the form and handed a stack of vouchers to the clerk. After tallying them up, the clerk tore off a receipt and gave it to Evelyn.

After finishing in the furniture section, the four of them went up to the second floor, to the household goods area. Evelyn and Wendy were talking in low voices when someone suddenly tapped Evelyn on the back. She turned around to see a pleasantly surprised, smiling face.

"Dr. Ford, you’re out shopping at the mall too?"

It was Iris Miller. She was carrying a bag with rolls of paper towels and brown sugar. Her husband stood beside her with their child on his back. When he saw Evelyn, the man gave a reserved nod in greeting.

"Iris, it’s been a while."

"It has, Dr. Ford. How have you been lately?"

"I’m doing well, and you? Your child has grown so much. You’re taking great care of him."

Iris Miller smiled shyly. "He’s not a picky eater, that’s why he’s so sturdy. I’ve been doing well recently. The hospital gave me a lot of subsidies."

"That’s good to hear."

After a bit more small talk, Iris Miller and her family left. Although her husband was missing a hand, he was a diligent man. The family’s clothes were clean, and it was clear they were working hard to live earnestly.

"There doesn’t seem to be much we need to buy in the home goods section. These bamboo baskets are pretty, but it’s not like we’re short on them."

"We can buy them even if we don’t need them. Our mission today is to spend all these vouchers."

Evelyn Ford pushed a shopping cart over and started grabbing whatever caught her eye. Her vigor left the strangers nearby stunned.

By the time they had made their way through all three floors of the mall, their two shopping carts were filled to the brim.

It was ten o’clock at night, and the air outside was still warm. The base had installed streetlights, so the night remained brightly lit. The tricycle wove through the streets and alleys before finally stopping at the gate to their small courtyard. There were people still talking inside. Evelyn knocked on the gate. A few seconds later, the gate opened with a CREAK, and Ronan Kendrick came out to help her wheel the tricycle into the courtyard.

"You’re back? Whoa, you bought quite a lot," Quincy said teasingly as he came forward to help unload.

"We even bought a bookshelf and some desks. The mall is delivering them before midnight."

"Shopping really does make people happy. Look at the four of you, all smiles. You were gone for four hours and we didn’t hear a single complaint about being tired."

"The mall is pretty big; it took us the full four hours to see everything. The wind is a bit strong tonight, but at least the temperature has dropped. It’s just impossible to go out during the day. Wendy, remember to wear your sun-protective clothing when you go out tomorrow." Evelyn unloaded the supplies and distributed them, giving some small toys to Zoe.

After a long evening of shopping, Wyatt Vaughn and Joelle Finch were exhausted. They both grabbed a slice of watermelon from the table and started eating. Just then, there was another knock on the courtyard gate. Evelyn guessed it was the delivery staff from the mall and hurried to open it.

"Is this A-13? We’re from the base mall, here to deliver furniture."

Evelyn took out her receipt and handed it to them. "Yes, I’m the one who ordered. May I inspect the delivery first?"

After checking the receipt, the man quickly untied the ropes. "Of course you can. We carried them here by hand, so we guarantee there’s no damage or scrapes."

Evelyn did a quick inspection. The bookshelf and desks were in perfect condition, so she signed her name.

After the workers left, Evelyn had everyone help move the bookshelf into Wendy’s room. The two desks, naturally, were for Zoe and Annie.

"This bookshelf is so heavy, but the craftsmanship is excellent."

"Wendy can put all her books on the shelf now. Books are precious things these days. You can’t just stack them up, or they’ll get damp and yellow."

These days, books were more precious than life.

Everyone sat in the courtyard chatting for a while. At midnight, the deep toll of a bell rang out from the base’s main square. Evelyn squinted and yawned. ’Time to go back to the space and rest. We still have to harvest wheat tomorrow.’

Back in the space, Evelyn hurried into the bathroom to wash up. After spending hours shopping outside, she was covered in dust. The base was taking shape nicely, but there was no greenery along its streets and alleys, which was one reason for the dust storms.

The cultivation area in the space was already covered with trees and Four Seasons Green. Every few months, Evelyn would lead everyone to harvest grass and tree seeds. When they first arrived in Eldoria, Ronan Kendrick had given Rhys Chase a large quantity of grass seeds, but Rhys had only sown them near the freshwater lake. Without greenery in the base itself, any gust of wind would kick up clouds of yellow sand. Evelyn sighed. ’To improve the base’s environment, we have to start with planting. It looks like I’ll have to give the base more grass and tree seeds.’

After washing up, Evelyn told Ronan Kendrick about her idea.

"Four Seasons Green isn’t picky about its environment, and it grows fast. The key is that it can grow one to two meters tall, which not only provides fodder for livestock but also acts as a barrier against the wind and sand."

Ronan Kendrick naturally had no objection. "Liam Sterling is going to the main base building tomorrow. He can tell Rhys Chase, and then the three of them can come pick up the seeds."

Evelyn nodded. "That’s a good idea. Besides the grass seeds, let’s give the base some tree seeds too. They can plant trees where the Tass Desert borders Eldoria. They’ve already reclaimed over a thousand mu of the desert for farmland, but that’s far from enough. Besides farmland, they need to plant trees. Only trees can block the fierce winds and yellow sand. Otherwise, we’re only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"We’re going to be living here for the rest of our lives. If Eldoria’s ecosystem isn’t improved, life will only get harder for the residents. After all, the amount of land is finite, but the population will only grow, and there won’t be enough resources to go around."

Evelyn wasn’t doing this for any reward. If she could improve the environment and allow everyone to live and work in peace, why wouldn’t she?

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Seeing Ronan Kendrick remain silent, Evelyn reached out and poked his cheek. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, he caught her by the wrist.

"You’re so busy worrying about the base’s environment that you’ve forgotten what you promised me." His tone was full of disappointment. Evelyn blinked. ’Did I promise him something? I really have forgotten.’

"You forgot?" Ronan Kendrick’s gaze turned a little dangerous.

"Think hard. If you can’t remember, you’re not sleeping in this bed tonight."

Evelyn was speechless. ’Am I the first woman ever to be kicked out of bed?’

"Give me a hint. I really can’t remember." Evelyn quickly tried to recall, but her mind was too cluttered. She frowned, thinking for a long time, but came up with nothing.

"Did I say I’d go with you to the grasslands to see the night sky?"

Ronan Kendrick looked at her coolly. "Evelyn, it’s only been a few hours. Have you lost your memory? Or do you just have no intention of keeping your promise?"

Evelyn shuffled over to him, trying to act cute and win him over, but Ronan Kendrick still wouldn’t say a word.

"Fine, if you won’t say it, then I’ll go sleep in the living room. When everyone wakes up tomorrow morning and sees me lying there, they’ll all know you kicked me out of the room. You’re heartless, you’re cruel, you’re completely unreasonable!"

Ronan Kendrick was speechless.

Taking tiny shuffling steps, Evelyn clutched her pillow and inched toward the door like a snail.

Ronan Kendrick was lying on his side on the bed, propping his head up with his right hand. A faint, teasing smile played on his lips as he watched her.

"You really can’t remember?"