The isolation spray was mainly meant for use on objects, to protect them from solar radiation. It could be sprayed on houses, clothes, and various items, effectively shielding them from the sun’s intense rays.

It was also the priciest item among what they bought—just two bottles had cost 30 points.

Old Man Yu’s fingers clacked away on the keyboard as he calculated the total. “Fair price, that’ll be 180 points,” he announced.

Zhuang Xiao stepped forward without hesitation and scanned her wristband to pay. Huo Xiao’s account barely had enough points left to buy two nutrient solutions.

Right now, she truly felt like a rich woman keeping a pretty boy—and she was secretly thrilled by the idea.

When he saw the young girl paying, Old Man Yu tutted several times under his breath.

Huo Xiao pretended not to hear him.

Just as the two were about to leave after settling their bill, Old Man Yu suddenly seemed to remember something and grabbed Huo Xiao. “How’s your health lately? I just got a vial of gene stabilizer. Want it? 300 points.”

Although he directed the offer to Huo Xiao, he was loud enough that Zhuang Xiao couldn’t possibly miss it.

She looked over and caught a flicker of hesitation in Huo Xiao’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared, so fast she thought she might have imagined it.

“No need for now. You keep it,” Huo Xiao said coolly.

Without waiting for a response, he pulled Zhuang Xiao along and left the shop.

They hadn’t walked far when Zhuang Xiao asked, “Does Old Man Yu have toothbrushes or towels? I haven’t brushed my teeth in days.”

As she spoke, she flashed a toothy grin at Huo Xiao and dashed back toward the store with her backpack bouncing behind her.

When she returned, she was holding a small cloth bag.

She unconsciously touched the wristband on her arm, suddenly feeling anxious—those points were going down fast.

They arrived home just after nine.

Using leftover wood from the house construction, Huo Xiao made a flowerpot and planted the spiny greens they had picked the night before. He also checked the other plant—it seemed to be thriving too.

Lunch was green porridge again, cooked by Huo Xiao. One bowl per person.

Zhuang Xiao sat holding her bowl, utterly disheartened. Breakfast had felt like heaven, lunch like hell… and dinner? Probably another trip to hell.

Then she remembered her dwindling points…

Better finish eating quickly and take a nap. She could wander around nearby in the afternoon.

She was a diligent girl. A diligent girl. A diligent girl.

Important things needed to be said three times.

Originally, Huo Xiao wanted to go with her, but Zhuang Xiao firmly refused.

Her reasoning was simple—he wasn’t exactly a lucky charm. Better he stay home and work on fixing that broken fan… and finally finish making her sleeve arrow!

Zhuang Xiao slung her beloved little backpack over her shoulders and hummed a tune as she stepped out:
“Little cabbage, turning yellow in the field…
Pick up the bowl, and tears start to fall…”

Just those two lines. She didn’t know the rest.

It showed how deeply she resented her current living conditions.

This time, she walked a bit farther than before—about half an hour past the place where she’d found the little bunny plant.

It was still hot out. Before she even reached her destination, her throat felt parched. She took a small sip from her water bottle, just enough to moisten her throat. There was still a whole afternoon ahead—she needed to ration her water.

Along the way, she stopped now and then, occasionally testing random leaves.

But she still hadn’t found a spot that felt right for foraging.

“Huh? Isn’t that purslane?” Zhuang Xiao quickly ran over. There were lots of footprints on the ground, clearly a popular spot.

Maybe it was peak foraging season in the mulberry forest, but today she didn’t see anyone else around.

The purslane this month wasn’t as tender as it was in spring, but the leaves were naturally thick and fleshy. After mutation, they had become even juicier—some the size of a palm.

With such a large patch, there were bound to be some overlooked ones.

With that in mind, Zhuang Xiao quickly got to work testing the purslane leaves.

Where footprints were dense, she only checked a few samples. Areas with fewer prints became her main testing grounds.

While testing a low-lying leaf, she accidentally splashed some dirt onto her wristband.

Beep beep! Moderate radiation-mutated soil. Usable.

What the heck?

So this wristband could test soil too?

Zhuang Xiao decided to confirm it with her encyclopedia—and got a definite yes. Soil could be tested. Mild to moderate radiation-mutated soil could be sold—or used to grow mutated plants.

Also, areas with such soil had a high chance of yielding edible mutated herbaceous plants.

Since that was the case, Zhuang Xiao didn’t hold back.

Using the leaf she tested as the center, she expanded outward in a circle and picked a few sampling points, eventually marking out a half-square-meter area of soil.

She also tested all the purslane leaves growing in that soil. Sure enough, she found five mildly mutated edible leaves and three moderately mutated ones.

That would be tonight’s green porridge sorted.

But compared to what she’d found before, this purslane definitely tasted better—it was a true wild vegetable, after all.

Zhuang Xiao took a burlap sack from her backpack and looked at the soil patch, then started to fret.

Was she going to have to dig this out with a dagger again?

God, was it too much to ask for a shovel?

Maybe she should call Huo Xiao to bring one. But then she shook her head—round trip would take an hour. Too much delay.

She could dig it all by hand in that time.

Honestly, it felt like all she ever did these days was dig.

After more than half an hour, she had filled about half the sack. Judging by the weight, it was probably around 40–50 pounds.

Zhuang Xiao wasn’t thrilled. She gave a weak laugh—this was pushing her limits. Another day of exhausting herself for survival.

There was still daylight left.

She decided not to stress over the soil anymore. She stashed the sack in a dense patch of grass and went off to look for more edible purslane.

And sure enough, purslane seemed to grow pretty widely around here.

As she searched for edible purslane, she began to think: aside from porridge, how else could she cook this stuff?

Stir-fry? Wait—no cooking oil.

Did the shop sell cooking oil?

Or maybe there were still oilseed crops around—soybeans, sesame, peanuts…

She’d have to ask Huo Xiao later. Improving their quality of life was serious business.

Without any oily food, even pooping was becoming difficult.

Was she going to get hemorrhoids at this rate?

Her hands kept working while her mind wandered further and further, until she heard the sound she most wanted to hear:
Beep beep! Low-level radiation-mutated plant. Edible.

Yes!

One step closer to tonight’s cold-dressed purslane salad.

As the sun dipped low, Zhuang Xiao hugged her now overstuffed backpack to her chest and dragged her numb legs back to the hidden sack of soil.

She silently cheered herself on—I can do this, I can do this…

She grabbed the tied sack with both hands and flung it onto her back. The moment it landed, a sharp pain shot through her shoulders, and her spine immediately hunched from the weight.

Yep, it was heavy.

But she didn’t dare let go, afraid she’d never manage to lift it again.

That little “cabbage” tune returned, off-key from her lips:
“Little cabbage, turning yellow in the field…
Pick up the bowl, and tears start to fall…”

Until she heard voices approaching on the path…