Chapter 6

The medicinal herb garden on the rooftop was quickly constructed. In less than a week, everything was set up, including the seedbeds and soil pots.

There was a shaded shelter where shade-loving herbs were cultivated. The air was moist, and inside, he had planted various types of ginseng, safflower, honeysuckle, Tianqi, Isatis root, purslane, and other common and useful herbs.

There was also a glass greenhouse, which contained sand beds and was filled with various types of cacti.

In Guan Yuanfeng’s eyes, these various sizes and shapes of prickly succulent plants were indeed just cacti.

However, Zhou Yun seriously introduced the different varieties of these succulent plants to him: “The round ones are called golden hedgehogs. There are many varieties, and this one is called white-spined golden hedgehog. This cactus is especially effective in purifying the air.”

“This is called golden fan-shaped cactus, also known as peace spines. Its flowers are vibrant, and the berries can be used to make jam and ice cream. It has a great flavor.”

“This is called the sleeping beauty cactus. Its flowers are very large and beautiful, and they smell wonderful. The flower bud extract has a calming and anti-depressant effect, and it can treat insomnia and relieve anxiety.”

“Over here is the ‘Measuring the Sky’ cactus. It can treat fractures, is effective for burns and scalds, and it can be eaten. It can be used to make juice, jam, and even brewed into wine. Its flowers are known as the ‘King’s Flower,’ and they can be used in soups. The dragon fruit is actually a variety of the ‘Measuring the Sky’ cactus.”

After its mutation, the “Measuring the Sky” cactus has a sturdy and flexible stem that can grow freely and can be used as a rootstock for various cacti, making it very practical.

After awakening his abilities in the apocalypse, Zhou Yun’s favorite was this “King’s Whip” cactus, which could both attack and defend, could be eaten, used for medicine, and even for building houses. Seeing it now, he felt quite fond of it, and couldn’t help but reach out and touch its vibrant, long, fleshy leaves.

Guan Yuanfeng noticed the joy in his eyes, his eyelashes lowered, his fingers lightly brushing the deep green, wavy fleshy leaves. His affection was evident, and he was somewhat surprised.

He had met many people, but this was the first time he had seen someone so passionate about plants and life. Zhou Yun seemed to have a natural tenderness toward plants, unrelated to his profession as a doctor.

Zhou Yun noticed him watching and smiled, continuing his introduction: “Over here are some medicinal succulents, such as purple dragon horns, large-flowered rhinoceros horn, red rhodiola, and scorpion aloe. This aloe here is great for treating stomach problems.”

Aloe is known for its strong vitality, and after mutation, it becomes very large with thick fleshy leaves. Its extract is highly beneficial for cancer prevention, radiation resistance, treating infections, and can even be consumed. Some non-bitter varieties can be used as animal feed, which is very valuable in the resource-deprived apocalypse.

Guan Yuanfeng listened as Zhou Yun introduced two or three dozen varieties in one go, and he admired his ability to remember so many. He asked, “So, your thesis is about researching the extracts of cacti and aloe?”

Zhou Yun replied, “Yes. Their extracts contain various alkaloids, which are very effective in treating infectious diseases.” They also have obvious effects in fighting tumors, anti-oxidation, lowering blood sugar, and regulating immunity. And, in critical moments, they can even be eaten.”

—-

In the apocalypse, zombies also strongly dislike these plants. Scientists in the apocalypse have conducted many studies on cacti, and their extracts have proven effective in removing toxins from zombie bites. If treated promptly by amputating limbs, scraping off infected tissue, and injecting mutated cactus extract, it is possible to save the person.

Succulent plants are also very resilient and can adapt well to the harsh conditions of the apocalypse. After mutation, they produce high-quality, pure wood-energy essence. Zhou Yun could now conduct some controlled experiments to see which types of plants are better at generating wood-energy essence.

Looking at the glass greenhouse full of cacti, he felt a sense of satisfaction, as if he was seeing a room full of renewable, regenerating wood-energy essence. His eyes gleamed with joy as he looked at Guan Yuanfeng and said, “Let’s go, it’s time for lunch.”

For lunch, there was stir-fried water spinach, with the fresh, tender leaves sprinkled with shrimp paste, adding a salty, savory flavor to the dish.

There was also garlic-fried pumpkin sprouts, cooked in lard, which was sweet and delicious. The meat dish was a plate of steamed sausage slices, with deep-red sausage wrapped around crunchy cucumber slices and fresh garlic shoots.

Another dish was a soup made with pumpkin flowers, century eggs, salted eggs, and garlic-ginger slices, simmered with lean meat. After adding soft-cooked pumpkin flowers, the soup was rich and flavorful. Guan Yuanfeng was surprised to learn that pumpkin flowers were also edible.

Over the past week, Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun had shared meals, mostly vegetarian, with the occasional meat dish. The dishes varied every day.

Just counting the green leafy vegetables, Guan Yuanfeng had eaten water spinach, sweet potato vines, lettuce, lettuce, beans, pumpkin sprouts, cucumbers, loofahs, red spinach, eggplants, green peppers, leeks, and many others.

The food was simple yet diverse, and though it was clear that little effort was spent, the chef’s skills and the exquisite combinations made even the vegetarian dishes stand out. Zhou Yun would fry vegetables with lard, shrimp paste, soy sauce, sour bamboo shoots, or sour plums, creating new flavors. The vegetables were freshly picked from the rooftop, so they tasted exceptionally good.

Guan Yuanfeng took a slice of sausage and garlic with his chopsticks and ate them together, finding it indeed a unique flavor. He wondered how Zhou Yun thought of pairing them this way.

When Zhou Yun brought a bowl of rice mixed with leftover lamb ribs and pumpkin pieces to feed the dog, Comet ate eagerly without looking up.

Zhou Yun smiled when he saw Guan Yuanfeng looking at him and said, “I didn’t add any salt, don’t worry.”

Guan Yuanfeng said, “I’m curious. It never used to eat vegetables, but now it eats them here.”

Zhou Yun laughed. “Maybe the vegetables outside aren’t clean, with pesticides. It can probably tell.”

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him suspiciously.

Zhou Yun explained, “I’ve told you not to eat take-out. Look, the food here is clean and hygienic, right?”

Guan Yuanfeng still looked at Zhou Yún with some suspicion but cautiously refrained from contradicting him. Zhou Yun, however, couldn’t help but laugh: “Actually, vegetables like pumpkin and carrots are quite sweet. Let him try them first, and he’ll gradually get used to it.”

Guān Yuánfēng saw his smile, which was quite contagious, and couldn’t help but smile as well. He thought to himself that indeed, after a week of eating here with Zhou Yun, his stomach felt much better.

Zhou Yun, a doctor who loved light food and paid attention to health, cooked meals that were easy to digest. From time to time, he made him some huaishan juice, aloe and white fungus soup. Over the past week, Guan Yuanfang noticed that his stomach discomfort after taking medicine had eased.

The evening phantom pain was also not as hard to endure now, as he felt energized after eating, which seemed to help him fight the pain, and he could fall asleep quickly afterward.

While lost in thought, Guan Yuanfang noticed that Zhau Yun had made a large batch of sausages and was placing them in a drying machine. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you making so many sausages? This doesn’t look like pork.”

Zhou Yun casually replied, “They’re chicken sausages. I made them to give away.”

He then glanced at Guān Yuanfeng: “You don’t look like you slept well last night. Would you like me to take your pulse and prescribe something for calming? I have to go to the hospital later to handle some things, and I can bring back some medicine for you.”

Guan Yuanfeng hesitated. If it were anyone else, he would have declined. But after eating here for a week and getting familiar with Zhou Yún, and since Zhou Yun never asked about the cause of his disability, he felt a strange trust in him.

Zhou Yun had already placed a pulse pillow on the table: “Come on, place your left hand here. I won’t charge you for the consultation.”

Guan Yuanfeng couldn’t help but smile again and placed his wrist on the pillow. Zhou Yun carefully took his pulse, then observed his pupils, asked him to stick out his tongue, and checked his other wrist. Afterward, he picked up a prescription book and wrote out a prescription.

Guān Yuánfēng was surprised to see that Zhou Yun was using a fountain pen, something rare nowadays. The ink was a deep blue-black, and the characters written with it were graceful yet strong. He remembered seeing calligraphy scrolls in the hallway upstairs and praised, “Your handwriting is nice. Did you practice?”

Zhou Yun smiled, “I practiced for a few years, but I’m still not perfect.”

He placed the prescription down and said, “I’ll get the medicine later and brew it for you. After a week, I’ll adjust the prescription.”

He glanced at the time on his phone, then got up and went over to the steaming basket, opening the lid to check the cake he had made: “I steamed some huaishan cakes. You can take them with you, and if you’re hungry in the afternoon, you can have some.”

He had been steaming cakes for Guan Yuanfeng to take back every day, sometimes huaishan cakes, millet cakes, or soft soups like aloe white fungus soup, eight-treasure mung bean porridge, or snow pear and pig lung soup.

He said, “The electronic lock code at my door is 111213. If you have something to do this afternoon, you can come by. Of course, you can also come directly from the rooftop.” He knew Guan Yuanfeng had a good memory and would remember the code after hearing it just once.

Guan Yuanfeng frowned: “Why such a simple password?”

Zhōu Yún laughed: “A complex one is hard to remember.” His phone rang, and he answered. The voice on the other end said, “Mr. Zhōu, hello. You are one of our high-quality clients, and you can now enjoy a consumption reserve of 180,000 yuan with an interest rate of 0.18% per month…”

Zhou Yun asked, “0.18% per month? What’s the maximum amount I can borrow, and when will the funds be disbursed?”

Suddenly, Guan Yuanfeng looked up at him, furrowing his brow, his gaze heavy and cold. Zhou Yun felt a bit uncomfortable under the pressure of his gaze, and quickly ended the call, smiling as he explained, “It was just an advertisement. I was asking a couple of questions.”

Guān Yuánfēng said, “Do you need money?”

Zhōu Yún immediately denied it: “No, I was just inquiring. The interest rate is quite low, it sounds like a good deal.”

Guan Yuanfeng’s eyes became sharp: “I noticed you have some small loan apps on your phone.”

Zhou Yun was momentarily speechless and awkwardly explained, “I was just curious and looked at them, but I haven’t borrowed anything.”

Over the past week, while building the greenhouse and herbal garden, Zhou Yun had gone over budget. The pressure of the end times made him think of ways to rotate cash, but because he had never gotten a credit card, he had to exchange some gold bars for cash.

However, the bank required a few business days to process the exchange, and loans were faster. He had looked online and found that some small loans were processed instantly, so he downloaded some loan apps to compare, but eventually decided against it.

He had planned to take the gold bars to the gold shop to exchange for cash today, even if it was at a loss, as long as he could convert them quickly. But he hadn’t expected that Guan Yuanfeng would notice. It was likely that when they were cooking earlier, his phone was on the table, and Guan Yuanfeng noticed the screen.

He had forgotten that this man was meticulous, observant, and extremely alert.

The usually taciturn Guan Yuanfeng didn’t let go of the topic: “0.18% per month is indeed low, but that’s usually a sales pitch. The calculation method is different, and the actual interest rate is definitely higher than that.”

His tone was gentle, but his presence was imposing, his eyes fixed on Zhou Yun, clearly not intending to let him off easily.

Even though this scholarly, elegant doctor neighbor’s ears were turning red and he looked quite embarrassed, Guān Yuánfēng decided not to let him take the wrong path. He had seen young men like him in the army, who ended up struggling with debts and got dismissed or discharged in the end.

Zhou Yun lowered his head and simply admitted his mistake: “Yes, I understand.”

Guan Yuanfeng took out his phone: “Add me as a friend.”

Zhou Yun, surprised by this unexpected offer, quickly grabbed his phone and added him as a friend.

After the friend request was accepted, Guan Yuanfeng quickly transferred 200,000 yuan to him: “Take this 200,000, it’s a loan. No interest. This will also cover the cost of the food for me and the dog. You can keep track of the expenses.”

Zhou Yun was stunned and looked at him. Guan Yuanfeng spoke firmly: “Don’t be polite. If you’re polite, I won’t come next time, and the balcony is off-limits.”

Zhou Yun met his gaze, knowing that this man was righteous and serious. He understood that Guan Yuanfeng was not joking. He thought to himself that after the apocalypse, money wouldn’t be worth much, so it would be better to stock up on tangible goods for the future. He accepted the payment with a smile: “Okay, thank you, Guan Yuanfeng. I will plan well and not waste your money.”