Chapter 69 – Wanting to Bring Someone Back to Jianglin Hotel

“Cut~ another one with wild dreams.”

“Exactly. With so many wood-type ability users and researchers in the base studying together, none of them have been able to make crops grow. Does she think she’s stronger than all those wood-types and researchers?”

…

When the crowd heard that Chu Jiangyue wanted to buy seeds and try planting them herself, many started to mock her.

At first, the whispers were quiet, but after realizing that everyone around was saying the same thing and Chu Jiangyue wasn’t reacting, their voices grew louder, more blatant.

The old lady had felt a flicker of hope when she learned Chu Jiangyue was a wood-type ability user, but hearing the constant discouragement around her, her eyes dimmed again.

“Child, don’t buy them. These seeds won’t sprout now. I only took them out to sell because my home has nothing left. I didn’t expect anyone would actually buy them.”

She was just an old woman. Lucky enough to survive the day the zombie virus broke out, rescued and brought into the base, she had lived this long—it was already more than she could ask for.

If no one bought them, she had thought that when she felt her end approaching, she would simply walk out of the base, find a quiet spot, lie down, and die in her sleep.

As for being torn apart by zombies afterward—she would already be dead, so it didn’t matter.

“This is what I want. You’ve told me the seeds might not sprout, but I’ve decided to buy them anyway.

This is my own stubborn decision, it has nothing to do with you.”

Hearing her words, the old lady sighed. “I’m old, I can’t argue with you young people.

These aren’t worth much. Just give me a little food.”

She had originally bought them intending to plant them in her small yard. But before she could sow them, the apocalypse came.

Her husband had also turned into a zombie that very day. Holding onto the last of his willpower, he walked out of the yard without ever hurting her.

“You’re the only one selling seeds here—this is a monopoly. It wouldn’t be right to buy them cheap.

Tell me where you live, I’ll take you home first, then have someone deliver things over.”

Chu Jiangyue didn’t want others knowing what she gave the old lady, so she offered to send her back personally.

Seeing the greedy eyes around them, the old lady didn’t refuse.

Chu Jiangyue stored the seeds in her system backpack, then helped the old lady up from the ground.

“I live just up ahead, not far.”

The trading market was like a dividing line—one side was the inner zone of the base, the other the outer zone.

The villa where Song Chengjun had taken Chu Jiangyue and Shen Zhigui was in the inner zone.

The old lady lived in the outer zone, the so-called “slums.”

Her home was small, but she kept it clean. Unlike many elders’ places, it had no unpleasant smell.

“Granny, most of my food is cooked. The only raw things are corn, potatoes, and bok choy. Since I took your seeds, I’ll leave you some of these, and some cooked food for today’s meals too.”

When Chu Jiangyue was cold, she could watch someone die without blinking.

But when she liked someone, she could be very generous.

Clearly, she had taken a real liking to the old lady, and she was being generous now.

“No need, no need. Those seeds aren’t worth anything. My grandson just liked eating watermelon, so I bought some to plant in the yard… but before I could even start sprouting them…”

The old lady trailed off, but Chu Jiangyue understood.

She hadn’t even had the chance before the world ended.

You never know whether tomorrow or disaster will arrive first.

“Then I’ll at least leave you some corn and potatoes, and some bok choy too. The corn and potatoes last a while; just stir-fry the bok choy in the next couple of days.”

Anything less, and Chu Jiangyue wouldn’t feel right.

In her previous life, when Jiang Zhenzhen deceived her and nearly broke her mentally, it was the old lady who consoled her often, preventing her from sinking into depression.

Otherwise, even reborn, she would never have recovered her mindset so quickly.

Chu Jiangyue thought, if possible, she would bring the old lady back with her.

She had enough resources. Supporting one old woman wasn’t a problem.

As for others who might object—they could choose not to stay at Jianglin Hotel.

There were plenty of survivors, she wouldn’t miss one or two guests.

[Host, why are you treating her so well?]

From the looks of it, aside from being old, there was nothing special.

{Maybe… it’s just fate.}

If the old lady had family with her, Chu Jiangyue wouldn’t bother. But she was all alone—no son, no daughter-in-law, no grandson.

In her past life, too, when she met the old lady, she had no family by her side. Likely, they were never found.

Leaving her alone in the base—Chu Jiangyue simply couldn’t feel at ease.

[Fine, I don’t understand.]

The little fox on Chu Jiangyue’s shoulder looked baffled.

But Chu Jiangyue didn’t bother explaining. She pulled out corn, potatoes, and bok choy from her backpack and placed them in the bamboo basket hanging on the wall.

“Granny, I live over in the villa district. If you ever need anything, just come find me.

If anyone tries to rob you of these, let them. Just remember their faces, and I’ll get it back for you.”

Since she had already decided to bring the old lady along, Chu Jiangyue wasn’t holding back anymore.

But she couldn’t guard her all the time. She’d have to rely on the base patrols to keep an eye out.

Once she finished discussing the flyer business with Song Chengjun, she’d bring the old lady away.

She never even considered that the old lady might refuse.

“I understand. The patrols know I live alone, they usually pass by here more often.”

Probably because leaders set the tone, the current base patrols behaved very differently from those Chu Jiangyue had seen in her past life.

If she had to choose, she preferred the patrols now.

The ones led by Ren Jie before weren’t completely useless, but they mostly muddled through.

If you needed help, you had to bribe them with expensive goods. Otherwise, no matter how desperate you were, they wouldn’t even blink.

Yet in less than a year, the B City base had completely changed its atmosphere.

Chu Jiangyue nodded. If that was the case, she didn’t need to worry about the old lady’s safety.

“Then I’ll head back. I’ll come visit you next time.”

She didn’t reveal her plan, intending to come again tomorrow and discuss it then.

The old lady watched Chu Jiangyue’s back until she disappeared, then returned to her room.

She took down the bamboo basket from the wall, gazed at the potatoes, corn, and bok choy inside, and a faint smile appeared on her face.