Chapter 6: The Legendary Apple?

He finished the book in his hand.

Next, he needed to borrow some books; there were actually quite a few at home, all left by the original owner’s mother, filling half a wall.

But most of them were about machinery and electronics.

…

He loosened up his limbs.

He checked the time; it was 1/24, and the Spring Festival was only a few days away.

Fortunately, before the Transmigration he had also been an orphan, so he did not have many attachments.

He had thought he would live an ordinary life.

Who could have imagined that fate went after him anyway.

He pulled his thoughts back.

Chu Xuan left the lab and went to the cafeteria.

It was noon, and the place was bustling.

There were no serving windows, only convenient meal dispensers.

He got one serving of Synthetic rice, one portion of dehydrated fast-growing cabbage, and some nutrient sauce.

『Payment successful!』

Because of the United Government’s subsidy, a lunch only charged him a token 10 credit points.

It came wrapped in foil; he opened it and took a look.

Not bad.

It looked much better than the food blocks.

It actually did not taste bad.

It lacked meat and fruit, but that did not mean it lacked seasoning.

Decades ago, human technology could make orange juice without any oranges, and any flavor could be artificially formulated.

Clearly, that technology was not lost.

It was just that compared to before the Cataclysm, the varieties had decreased by 90%.

But the basic sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty were no problem at all.

In reasonable proportions, the taste was actually quite acceptable.

Otherwise, he would not have bothered coming here to eat.

Chu Xuan would not have bothered to come here to eat, and even when he did it was only occasionally, since the System sign-in rewards were tastier.

However, if he wanted to blend into this world, he had to do something.

Having no record of ever eating in the cafeteria would have been far too suspicious.

He was in the middle of eating.

An exclamation arose from the table opposite.

“Senior, is that vintage tea?”

“Amazing!”

“What? The legendary Dragon Well?”

“…”

He looked up to see a cocky teenager showing off as he set a glass of water on the table, with tea leaves floating inside.

Fruit was still cultivated in the underground city.

Tea, however, was not grown at all.

It had nothing to do with survival.

It was simply scrapped.

What existed now was basically produced before the Cataclysm; keeping it until now was no easy feat, and it was extremely scarce.

The loud voices drew quite a few looks.

Many eyes turned their way with a hint of envy.

He did not pay it any mind.

Chu Xuan just smiled casually and continued eating with his head down.

He did not like tea; he preferred honey water, and he wished he could sign in for it someday.

(Day 8 of missing honey water!)

“Chu Xuan, do you want a sip?” the teenager suddenly said to him.

“???”

Chu Xuan froze, looked up, and (Do I know you?)

“Who are you?” He truly could not remember; he might have a vague impression, but it was too faint.

The original owner was obsessed with studying, paid little attention to other things, and had few friends.

“…”

The other’s smile froze, and he swore to himself, (Damn it, we had been in the same class for years; at least remember your classmates, would you.)

That was pretty crushing.

He had just wanted to put on a show and see if the aloof Chu Xuan would break tradition and cadge a sip of his tea.

Who would have expected that the guy was not only uninterested.

He did not even remember who he was.

(Damn it, I picked this seat for nothing.)

“Three years of training, we were in the same class…” he had no choice but to explain.

“Oh!”

No wonder his memory was vague; he was not a university classmate.

“Hello, I do not like tea, thank you.”

“…”

Go on, keep pretending.

After that, there was not much in the way of sarcasm; it was just that his act did not land, which was pretty disappointing.

…

In the evening, Chu Xuan went home.

“Brother Xuan, here!”

Han Duoduo came knocking not long after he got home.

She beamed as she handed him a handful of earthworm skewers.

“You…”

Chu Xuan chuckled softly, did not waste her kindness, took them, and started eating right away.

He split half for Han Duoduo; this girl was a little foodie too.

This week, aside from studying, there was also a bit of time for other things.

During that time he also went out for a stroll with Xue Ming, and although he still could not get used to it, he forced himself to eat a few skewers of grilled earthworms.

To be honest, the taste was… hard to describe!

It was not exactly bad, since there were seasonings and it was not eaten raw.

He got used to it after a few times, and it was no big deal.

It just felt weird psychologically, since every bite brought to mind the image of plump earthworms writhing in the lab soil.

He could only adapt to it slowly.

He finished the skewers.

Han Duoduo then started helping tidy the room.

Liu Qi and Han Zi’ang both had classes, and she got out of school early and had handled housework since she was little.

Was she rebellious?

A little.

But she was only in her teens, and it was normal to be curious about the outside world.

She had never seen the sun since she was little and had never even been to the surface.

As for the real reason to go to the surface, it was not to play, but simply to see the place where her parents died.

…

The house was not very messy, and they finished tidying up in minutes, after which Han Duoduo started on her homework.

The system mandated 7 years of compulsory education.

At present, Han Duoduo was at the end of the second year of vocational education.

It was called vocational education, but it was not that specialized.

After all, most children finished primary school at around 10.

Was it realistic to have 11 or 12-year-olds study mechanics or drive trucks?

Therefore, the 3 years of vocational-education courses could also be called foundation courses.

Calling it middle school would not have been far off either.

If one did not want to take the university entrance exam, one would choose an internship track in the first semester of the third year.

Then they split into classes for a year of related foundational study.

“Brother Xuan.” Han Duoduo suddenly looked up.

“Mm?”

“When the time comes, can I list myself as your intern?” Han Duoduo looked at him nervously.

“Not applying to university?”

“The competition is too fierce, and I do not even know what major to study; it would be better to take the assistant route, and I can still earn a credential.”

Han Duoduo was helpless too.

It was said that before the Cataclysm, majors were myriad and very diverse.

But now 90% of the majors had been cut, and most of what remained had to do with planetary engines and survival.

They served The Wandering Earth Project.

She did not have much hope for the road ahead.

Going to assist Chu Xuan without having to grind in university sounded pretty good.

“Did Grandpa Han agree?”

“Grandpa said he would respect my choice.”

“Sure!”

Since that was the case, Chu Xuan nodded and agreed.

In scientific research, not everyone had to have a high degree.

There were plenty of support staff.

The higher-grade the scientist, the less they worked alone.

In The Wandering Earth, besides the normal path of obtaining a degree via the university entrance exam, there was another path.

On-the-job advancement was also a channel.

Although it took several times longer, it was also a good option for people who did not want to grind every day.

“Then it is settled.”

With that answer, Han Duoduo could not contain her joy, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face, and she felt the road ahead was full of hope.

“Here, have a taste.” Chu Xuan washed an apple and handed it over.

“Ah!”

“Is this… the legendary apple?”

Han Duoduo cried out in surprise.

All these years she had only ever seen pictures and videos.

She could not help swallowing, craving it, yet hesitating over whether to accept it.

“Go ahead and eat!”

“For me?”

“Who else would it be for? Hurry up and eat!” Chu Xuan shoved the apple into her hand.