Yan Ming pulled the cart in front, with Yan Hu and Huo Xiao pushing from either side. On the cart, they had casually thrown some broad leaves to cover what was beneath.

The group avoided the mulberry forest and steered clear of any crowds.

They headed toward a nearby flax gathering point.

On the return trip, the cart was too conspicuous. They needed something convincing to cover it up.

Flax was undoubtedly the best choice.

This plant had a soft texture, was durable, water-resistant, and excellent at dissipating heat. Plus, it didn’t rot easily.

Many people in the shantytown used it to make summer clothes, cooling mats, raincoats, burlap sacks, and fishing nets.

In fact, Huo Xiao had already planned to make a trip here in a few days. After making clothes for Zhuang Xiao last time, they were running low on flax at home and needed to restock just in case.

After all, no matter how durable the products made from it were, they were still consumables.

Zhuang Xiao received the same treatment as the mutant mantis, lying on the cart.

Her wound was on her arm, and walking made it swing painfully. She couldn’t keep up with their pace, so the others insisted she ride in the cart instead.

It spared them from slowing down, too.

The flax gathering spot was close to the mulberry forest. They arrived in about fifteen minutes.

Aside from the wheat field they visited last time, this was the first time Zhuang Xiao had seen such a dense plant colony—hills covered in golden hues.

If this wasn’t the wasteland, if there were no mutated plants and animals, she would’ve loved such a natural landscape.

Unfortunately, that was a big “if.”

They parked the cart and had Zhuang Xiao keep an eye on it.

The three men grabbed the tools they’d prepared earlier and quickly set to work harvesting flax.

A breeze blew through.

The vast flax fields rippled like a golden ocean.

Huo Xiao came back carrying a bundle of flax stalks and saw Zhuang Xiao squinting her eyes, wearing a contented expression. He couldn’t help saying, “Come here in May next year, and the hills will be covered in little blue-purple flowers. Way prettier than now.”

Then he dropped off the flax and quickly disappeared into the golden fields again.

Next year… it still felt so far away.

They still had one summer and one winter to get through this year.

Idealist Xiao: … I really want to see it.

Realist Xiao: … The pursuit of spiritual life depends on solid material foundations.

Three grown men doing this kind of work was effortless. They quickly loaded up the cart with flax stalks.

The mutant mantis and its nest were buried deep within the bundle.

On top of the flax was Zhuang Xiao’s water hemlock plant.

This left no more space for Zhuang Xiao, but that didn’t matter anymore.

With all that weight, the cart wasn’t moving much faster than Zhuang Xiao would have on foot anyway.

As they passed the mulberry forest, two little tailgaters—Wen You and Wen Xiu—followed behind.

Since they got separated from Zhuang Xiao, they didn’t dare wander off and had stayed near the guard team, so no one gave them any trouble.

It just so happened that they saw Yan Ming pulling the cart.

So the two kids happily trailed behind them.

Along the way, quite a few people cast ambiguous glances in their direction.

Everyone understood what it meant to “hide something.”

Then again, it could just be flax.

So although many had thoughts swirling in their heads, most just watched.

As luck would have it, someone in the guard team recognized both Huo Xiao and Yan Hu and came over to say hello.

He was also from the shantytown.

Though not the strongest, he was decent enough to have passed the evaluation and be assigned to the guard team for routine patrol duties.

They weren’t particularly close, so after a brief chat, the man left.

Zhuang Xiao noticed how he kept glancing at their cart as he spoke—obviously up to something.

Still, he helped them indirectly intimidate the other onlookers nearby.

So in a way, he did them a favor.

The two kids followed the crowd back to the shantytown when they reached the crossroads.

The four of them hauled the flax back to Huo Xiao’s place.

Huo Xiao had already messaged Feng Ziyang when they set off.

So by the time they arrived, Zhuang Xiao saw three energetic young men waiting by the outer wall of their house.

The wall was already over a meter tall, and the foundation inside had been laid. The ground, however, was still a chaotic mess.

Huo Xiao’s plan was to finish the outer wall first. The inside could be built slowly—it was safer that way.

Just like today, before leaving, he had packed up their pearls and energy stones. The edible supplies had been hidden nearby under temporary cover.

Zhuang Xiao didn’t recognize anyone, so she stood obediently behind Huo Xiao, listening to their small talk.

But not all small talk was the same. This chat was different from the one with the guard team guy—Huo Xiao’s tone was clearly more familiar and genuine.

The two young men behind Feng Ziyang looked curiously at the girl standing behind Huo Xiao.

Zhuang Xiao blinked at them with her big eyes.

Uniforms really made a difference—even if they weren’t as handsome as Huo Xiao, they looked so spirited and dashing.

The appeal of a uniform…

“What? Not gonna introduce us?” Feng Ziyang grinned and gave Huo Xiao a playful punch to the chest.

Huo Xiao steadied himself and turned to Zhuang Xiao. “This is Feng Ziyang, my former teammate.”

Zhuang Xiao stepped out from behind Huo Xiao and gave Feng Ziyang a shy smile. “Hi, I’m Zhuang Xiao.”

She was way too pretty—and the kind that grew on you the more you looked.

Forgive her for lacking the vocabulary to describe someone so heart-stirring. In the wasteland, this was the first time she’d seen someone this good-looking.

“Didn’t you say she was your sister? When did she become your cousin?” Feng Ziyang winked at Huo Xiao.

Huo Xiao neither confirmed nor denied it and simply said, “Everything’s on the cart. Unload the flax stalks. You guys take the rest.”

Yan Hu also knew Feng Ziyang, and Yan Ming, being Yan Hu’s younger brother, naturally knew his brother’s former coworkers.

After some brief greetings, they unloaded the flax from the cart, then handed the cart over to Feng Ziyang and his two companions.

Zhuang Xiao didn’t understand why her “meat” got taken away right at their doorstep.

But with outsiders present, she didn’t ask.

Once the three had left, only the four of them remained. Zhuang Xiao looked at Huo Xiao—should they offer dinner or pay them?

Wasteland rule: There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

If someone labors for you, you owe them compensation.

So of course—pay them. It was simpler and cleaner.

They agreed on a time to start work the next day. Once the two workers left, Zhuang Xiao eagerly entered the yard.

Huo Xiao went to retrieve their food supplies from the hiding place.

As usual, he cooked dinner.

Tonight’s meal was richer than usual—crab meat porridge, river shrimp, and purslane.

This was probably the most luxurious meal Huo Xiao had cooked since Zhuang Xiao arrived.

While cooking, he explained what they’d done with the mutant mantis. Sigh—she wanted an oven, a fridge, and… basically everything.

It felt like they lacked food, lacked supplies—they lacked everything.

After dinner, since her arm injury made it hard to exert strength, she didn’t practice shooting. Instead, she spent a good while in a horse stance.

The mutant mantis today had been a bloody lesson.

Huo Xiao had originally planned to let her rest early, but seeing her so self-motivated, he kept quiet.

Let her be!

She probably wouldn’t last long anyway.

At bedtime, taking off clothes was a hassle, so Zhuang Xiao just slept in her clothes—drifting off while thinking about where she could go scavenging tomorrow.