Chapter 164 – Second Child
The armored vehicle kept moving, and soon they saw Qishan.
Qishan was a small town.
From the remaining buildings, it looked like an industrial town.
But now, it was clearly overrun by mutated animals and plants.
Looking out, they saw swarms of mutated rats and mutated cats.
Various mutated birds perched on dead trees or the remains of streetlights, chirping away.
It was a sight that made one’s scalp tingle. If they didn’t have the armored vehicle, they might not have dared to come here.
With the armored vehicle, though, things felt much safer.
Xia Lu Nong focused on observing the surroundings.
Xia Huo Qu and Kong Zhi weren’t doing much either. They stationed themselves on both sides of the vehicle, opening the fire ports on the doors and holding their guns, ready to shoot anything outside.
If any mutated creatures attacked the vehicle, they would act immediately.
The armored vehicle was precious. Even though the mutated creatures might not be able to damage it right away, they wouldn’t give them the chance.
Xia Lu Nong carefully observed the outside, trying to gather as much information as possible.
The industrial town had been heavily damaged, with ruins everywhere.
It was clear that some people had been here before, but not many.
Xia Lu Nong also saw some exposed materials, though they looked severely oxidized and useless.
Yan Xi Nian, holding the steering wheel, asked, “We’ve arrived. Should we get out and take a look, or drive a bit further?”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “There doesn’t seem to be much worth exploring nearby. Maybe we should drive a bit further? Brother, Kong Zhi, what do you think?”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Keep driving.”
Kong Zhi agreed, “Let’s go a bit further. Once we’re farther from these mutated creatures, I’ll get out and scout from above.”
Xia Huo Qu kept his eyes ahead, calm as ever.
After driving for a while, Kong Zhi found a more open area, took off his clothes, and jumped out of the vehicle. Mid-air, he transformed into a giant golden eagle and soared into the sky.
Xia Lu Nong wanted to follow, watching eagerly from the vehicle door as Kong Zhi flew upward.
The golden eagle circled once overhead, then suddenly flapped its wings and swooped lower.
Xia Lu Nong, understanding the signal perfectly, grinned and showed his white teeth. He waved his hand energetically at the eagle and then transformed into a cat by the door.
The cat version of Xia Lu Nong peeked out from a pile of thick winter clothes, sitting on the ground with his front paws pressed to the floor, looking very well-behaved.
The golden eagle, seeing this, dove down and extended its claws.
Xia Lu Nong’s green eyes sparkled, his ears twitching. He stood up on his hind legs, front paws stretched out, waiting for the eagle to grab him.
The golden eagle let out a mighty cry, grasped the little cat, and successfully carried him into the sky.
Only after they flew off did Xia Huo Qu step over to close the vehicle door.
“That’s so cool!” Yan Xi Nian looked up at the sky. “Those two have a really strong bond.”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him but said nothing.
Yan Xi Nian smiled, “Our bond isn’t any less than theirs.”
Meanwhile, Xia Lu Nong, unaware of what was happening inside the car, was looking down at the small town below.
His vision in his beast form wasn’t perfect, but it was much better than in human form.
Kong Zhi’s vision, on the other hand, was famously sharp.
After circling the industrial town for a while, the two quickly got a general idea of the place’s layout.
They returned to the armored vehicle.
Xia Lu Nong, still in the process of dressing, hurriedly said, “Let’s head to the northeast corner. There are a lot of vehicles parked there!”
“What kind of vehicles?” they asked.
They didn’t particularly need more vehicles. In this era, most of the cars you found on the streets or roads were still in good condition, with most even having their keys.
But cars weren’t very practical anymore. The roads were in terrible shape, and smaller cars tended to break down quickly. If someone got stranded in the wilderness, they’d be in trouble. For traveling outside, you needed something sturdy like a truck, off-road vehicle, or armored car.
Xia Lu Nong explained, “It looks like there are tow trucks, bulldozers, and cranes—construction vehicles. It seems there’s a construction vehicle yard over there. Bro, didn’t we plan to clear that small plain down by the mountain? Having these vehicles would make things much easier.”
Up on the mountain, whether they were building walls or constructing defense lines, they hadn’t used much in the way of tools. Tools were inconvenient in such terrain, and they were often faster in their beast forms.
But the plain was different. With such a large open space, tools could easily replace manual labor.
Yan Xi Nian said, “Sounds good. Let’s go check it out. Maybe we can find some repair tools, too. White Tower’s always complaining about the lack of tools these days.”
“We definitely can!” Xia Lu Nong exclaimed. “We saw a lot of vehicles still parked neatly there, which suggests not many people have been through. Who knows, we might find some valuable supplies.”
After he said that, everyone turned to look at him.
Xia Lu Nong paused as he pulled down his shirt and said, “I have a feeling!”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “Well then, we’re sure to make a good find.”
The armored vehicle rolled forward slowly.
Qishan Town was quite remote, with fewer residential buildings and mostly large industrial structures.
On both sides of the road, many of the buildings had concrete-paved ground, which helped prevent mutated plants from growing.
There weren’t many mutated plants around, and without them, there weren’t many mutated animals either.
Now that it had snowed, everything was covered in a smooth, white blanket. There weren’t even any footprints, making the place look very clean and tidy.
Xia Lu Nong, sitting in the front seat, pointed out directions to Yan Xi Nian. “Brother Xi Nian, over there—there’s a road we can turn into.”
“Got it,” Yan Xi Nian replied, holding the steering wheel. “Is it clear inside? Any mutated plants or animals?”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head. “Should be fine. We didn’t see any signs of them.”
Their armored vehicle quickly followed the road into a parking lot.
Once inside, they saw rows of neatly parked yellow tow trucks, bulldozers, and other large vehicles.
There were also several trucks.
“Hey, these look pretty new,” Yan Xi Nian remarked. “I’ll go down and scout first. You all stay in the vehicle for now, and we can check it out together later.”
Xia Huo Qu stood up, bent over, and followed him. “I’m coming too.”
Kong Zhi spoke up from the back, “I’ll go with you. I’ve seen the area from above and am more familiar with the terrain. Brother Huo Qu, why don’t you and Xia Lu Nong stay here?”
Xia Huo Qu said, “The three of us will go down together. Xia Lu Nong, you stay here and watch the vehicle.”
“No problem. I’ll make sure everything’s safe,” Xia Lu Nong responded, turning to the nearby Xia Hua Jiao. “Let Xia Hua Jiao go with you.”
Xia Hua Jiao chirped in agreement, “Pew.”
The three of them got out to survey the area while Xia Lu Nong stayed behind in the vehicle.
Each of them had a walkie-talkie to stay in contact. Xia Lu Nong didn’t do much but kept his eyes glued to the outside, ready to assist at any moment.
After they got out, a few birds flapped their wings and flew away, but other than that, there was no sound.
The parking lot was eerily quiet.
The three of them walked around, inspecting the area.
Yan Xi Nian glanced around, the reflection of the snow outlining his sharp features.
The only footprints in the snow were the ones he had made when he walked over. He picked up his walkie-talkie and said, “It’s clear over here. How about you guys?”
Xia Huo Qu’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie, “I found two nests of mutated birds in the truck bed, but they don’t seem aggressive.”
Kong Zhi chimed in, “Everything’s normal on my end.”
Xia Lu Nong suggested over the walkie-talkie, “It doesn’t look like there’s much outside. Why don’t you check the warehouse and see if you can find anything useful?”
The parking lot was filled with various vehicles, and farther in, there was a row of flat buildings that seemed to be storage units.
Compared to taller buildings, these flat structures hadn’t suffered much damage. Many of them were still standing and hadn’t collapsed.
In situations like this, it was common to find supplies.
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Alright, let’s meet up and head inside.”
“Be careful, everyone,” Xia Lu Nong added. “These buildings are probably unstable. If anything seems off, get out right away.”
Yan Xi Nian responded, “Don’t worry. Even if they collapse, we can get out in time with our abilities. Anyway, I’m meeting up with your brother and Kong Zhi now. We’ll head in.”
Kong Zhi’s voice came through, “Xia Hua Jiao’s following us.”
Xia Lu Nong felt reassured. “Alright, I’ll keep watch outside.”
For a moment, the walkie-talkie was silent. Xia Lu Nong stared out of the vehicle window, noting how quiet it was outside.
The eerie stillness of the environment was so strong that he found himself getting a bit drowsy.
Xia Lu Nong reached for the thermos, poured himself a cup of rose tea, and took a small sip, hoping it would help him stay awake.
Before he could even swallow the tea, Yan Xi Nian’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie, “Guys! Come here and see what I just found!”
Startled, Xia Lu Nong nearly spilled his tea all over his pants. He quickly set the cup down in a hurry. “What happened?”
“We’ve found a warehouse packed with all kinds of supplies!” Yan Xi Nian exclaimed. “Mostly food! And it’s still edible, most of it hasn’t even expired yet!”
Xia Lu Nong blinked in surprise. “What kind of food? Like biscuits and canned goods?”
Xia Huo Qu’s voice chimed in from the walkie-talkie, “Something like that.”
After that, Xia Huo Qu called to Kong Zhi through the walkie-talkie, “Kong Zhi, come over here and help us. This place looks like a former supermarket warehouse, and there’s a lot of stuff.”
Kong Zhi responded, “I found some books and documents on my end. I’ll put them away and come right over.”
It was rare for Xia Lu Nong and the others to come across food when collecting supplies.
The great catastrophe had lasted for quite some time—it wasn’t just one earthquake or explosion. During that period, people were constantly out gathering supplies, so food, in particular, became increasingly scarce in human settlements.
It wasn’t common for them to find processed food during their supply runs.
Most supermarket remnants had been picked clean, and while residential areas often still had food, much of it had spoiled, been contaminated, or was taken by mutated animals.
Hearing about snacks, Xia Lu Nong swallowed involuntarily. “Is there a lot? Do you need me to come down and help?”
Xia Huo Qu replied with a chuckle, “Lock the armored vehicle first, then come down.”
“Got it, no problem!” Xia Lu Nong snapped awake, tightened the lid on his thermos, and said, “I’ll lock up now.”
Even though he was in a hurry, he carefully checked the vehicle to ensure everything was in order before getting out.
As soon as he stepped out, about to find his way to the warehouse, he spotted Kong Zhi’s tall figure already emerging from the garage and heading toward him.
Xia Lu Nong waved enthusiastically, glanced around to check for danger, then quickly ran to meet him, bouncing over in a few strides. “Why did you come out?”
“Came to meet you.” Kong Zhi grabbed his hand and took the backpack from Xia Lu Nong’s back, the one with the space bamboo tube inside. He looked around cautiously.
The parking lot was full of vehicles, and standing on the ground, their line of sight was blocked by them.
In a situation like this, they had to be extra careful, on alert for any mutated animals or plants that could suddenly emerge from under or inside the vehicles.
Holding his hand, Xia Lu Nong looked around too, grinning, “I’m not that weak; it’s not like a few steps are going to put me in danger.”
“I feel better meeting you halfway.”
Hand in hand, they walked into the warehouse. It was a tin-roofed building, which seemed pretty sturdy, with little risk of collapsing anytime soon.
However, the place didn’t have great ventilation or lighting.
Xia Lu Nong caught a musty smell in the air, the scent of a place that hadn’t had fresh air in a long time.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were busy opening up boxes and stuffing items into the space bamboo tubes.
Xia Lu Nong leaned in to take a look.
Squatting next to them, he quickly noticed something. “Biscuits?!”
“Yep,” Yan Xi Nian said cheerfully, handing him a packet. “Several of these boxes are full of biscuits—wafers, soda crackers, you name it. Over there, we’ve got eight-treasure porridge, wine, and chocolate. Go ahead, pick whatever you want.”
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t in a rush to eat snacks; he was more curious about what else they’d find.
He turned around and started checking out the boxes one by one. The boxes didn’t have labels, and their contents were varied.
Before long, he found instant noodles, sausages, pickled vegetables, and other convenient foods.
Processed foods and alcohol were the most common items.
Xia Lu Nong could almost picture this warehouse’s original purpose—to supply substantial food to truck drivers, passengers, and others passing through the area.
Now, it was all theirs for the taking.
While Xia Lu Nong was momentarily lost in thought, Xia Huo Qu called out, “Lu Nong, this space bamboo tube is full. Grab another one.”
“Oh, okay.” Xia Lu Nong quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder and trotted over, pulling out another space bamboo tube. “How did it fill up so fast?”
The space bamboo tubes had quite a lot of room—at least a few hundred cubic meters, if not more.
Xia Huo Qu explained, “When we came in, these boxes were stacked to the ceiling. Now we’ve packed about half of it.”
“That much?” Xia Lu Nong glanced around, then eagerly asked, “I wonder what’s in the other warehouses? Could they be full of food too?”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “I’d be happy if there’s this much food, but it’s unlikely the others are stocked with food too.”
“True.” Xia Lu Nong grabbed a few packs of instant noodles and said excitedly, “Let’s cook instant noodles later! I’ve still got some fresh cabbage in the space bamboo tubes—we can make a nice noodle soup.”
“Definitely!” Yan Xi Nian agreed enthusiastically. “There’s also sausages here, so it’ll be perfect with the noodles.”
“Exactly,” Xia Lu Nong squatted beside them, grinning. “I even saw some cola. Let’s stick the cans in the snow for a while—how about icy cola with instant noodles?”
Yan Xi Nian gave him a thumbs-up.
The four of them worked together and quickly packed the entire warehouse into the space bamboo tubes.
This warehouse was mostly filled with food, and they nearly filled two whole bamboo tubes.
The reason it took up so much space was that they couldn’t pack the items neatly—they had to throw everything in without organizing it.
If they had been able to stack things properly, without leaving gaps, Xia Lu Nong thought they probably could’ve fit it all in just one bamboo tube.
Once they finished packing up, they moved on to explore the nearby warehouses.
The items in the nearby warehouses are relatively few, and two of the warehouses are still empty. The supplies they collected were also quite limited.
However, this already made Xia Lu Nong quite satisfied.
He came out holding four bottles of cola, buried them in the snow, and then turned back to the armored vehicle to get a pot, intending to cook.
Instant noodles had too strong a smell. Although the armored vehicle had a space for cooking, it wasn’t suitable for preparing meals inside.
Humming a song, Xia Lu Nong took out some bok choy, instant noodles, and sausages, then went to find eggs and seaweed.
The eggs and bok choy were things they had brought from the base, while the rest of the supplies were just scavenged.
Kong Zhi and the others were not idle; some were building a fire, while others were counting the supplies.
Yan Xi Nian, watching Xia Lu Nong tear up the seaweed, asked curiously, “You put seaweed in your instant noodles?”
“No, I’m making seaweed egg drop soup on the side,” Xia Lu Nong replied quickly. “Brother Xi Nian, you don’t know this, but seaweed egg drop soup is the perfect match for instant noodles! It’s a great invention by modern college students to maintain a balanced diet.”
Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “Is this the ‘health-conscious’ diet, like beer with goji berries and instant noodles with egg drop soup?”
Xia Lu Nong raised his chin. “You want some?”
“Of course!”
Since the great disaster, they hadn’t had instant noodles in a long time.
Instant noodles are different from regular noodles. They have a springy, smooth texture, especially when they are just cooked, with the hard core of the noodles having just softened, but not yet mushy. At this point, slurping the noodles into your mouth, they’re both springy and smooth, soaked in rich broth. If you’re not careful, the oil can splash all over your face!
Xia Lu Nong was cooking pickled vegetable flavored noodles.
He took a bite, and the sour, spicy broth clung to the noodles, hitting every taste bud. It was tangy, spicy, and incredibly rich.
After the noodles, he’d have a bite of soft, salty sausage, or some fresh, tender bok choy. The taste was simply unbeatable.
When the spiciness was too much, a sip of ice-cold cola could cool you down, or a mouthful of seaweed egg drop soup could balance the saltiness. Both the cola and the soup were right there for the taking.
Xia Lu Nong sat on the side, slurping the noodles, gasping from the spiciness.
He hadn’t enjoyed a meal like this in a long time, and sweat started to bead on his forehead.
Kong Zhi noticed this and gave him some of his bok choy, suggesting he eat more vegetables to avoid getting a stomach ache later.
After finishing their meal, Yan Xi Nian took the bowl to wash it.
The oil from the instant noodles was tough to clean, and even with hot water, it was a struggle.
Xia Lu Nong had always preferred cooking over washing dishes.
After they were full, they moved back to the armored vehicle to chat.
Xia Lu Nong checked one of the space bamboo tubes and said, “Our space tubes are almost full. Tomorrow, we’ll head over to the rose bush. We should be able to fill them up by collecting a few more things along the way.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “No need to make a special trip then. On our way back, we can take a different road and collect things as we go.”
“Alright,” Xia Lu Nong said as he carefully stowed the space bamboo tube. He then touched the branches of Xia Hua Jiao, who was resting nearby, and asked, “Brother, with so many vehicles here, how are we going to get them all back?”
“Tomorrow, if we run into Ba Niu and his group, we’ll ask them to send a few people to drive some back. If not, you and I can lead a team in a couple of days to bring them back.”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment. “That works too.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “There’s not much going on during the winter, so making a few more trips won’t hurt.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at Kong Zhi. “If we don’t have much going on after this, Kong Zhi and I were thinking of going out to explore a bit.”
Xia Huo Qu already knew Xia Lu Nong had this idea and didn’t object. “If you want to go, just be careful and stay safe.”
Xia Lu Nong was full of confidence. “No problem. Kong Zhi can fly, so we won’t run into much danger. We’ll also be cautious while we’re out.”
His brother had grown up, so Xia Huo Qu didn’t interfere too much. “Alright.”
Nothing particularly eventful happened next.
The following day, they returned to find the rose bush.
The rose bush was happy to make a trade with them.
Xia Lu Nong said, “We’ve got some things to take care of, so we’ll head back to the base for now. We’ll come visit you again when we have time.”
“When will you have time?” the rose bush asked, not wanting them to leave. “Won’t you trade a few more petals with me?”
“Next time,” Xia Lu Nong said. “If we trade too much at once, we won’t be able to use it all.”
“Alright, we’ll take your main body back with us now,” he added.
The part of the rose bush that had separated from its main body still had some consciousness. However, once it left the rest of the rose bush, it became less lively and fell into a semi-dormant state.
For the past few days, they had kept the rose’s main body wrapped in a plastic bag in the backseat of the armored vehicle, and it hadn’t made any noise.
Xia Lu Nong and the others took the rose’s main body back to the base.
They didn’t encounter the other two vehicles along the way. Based on the tire tracks, it seemed those vehicles had already returned to the base.
They arrived at the foot of the base’s mountain in the afternoon of the second day.
Before returning to the base, Xia Lu Nong took the rose bush to where the honeysuckle bush was, planted it there, and gave it a boost of his energy.
The rose bush, sensing the honeysuckle’s aura, regained consciousness and raised its branches, asking Xia Lu Nong dejectedly, “Why is this place so desolate? Why hasn’t the honeysuckle awakened yet? What’s the difference between living here and being alone as a mutant plant?”
Sensing its frustration, Xia Lu Nong chuckled. “I told you before, it’s just like this for now. Maybe by next spring, the honeysuckle will awaken.”
“How much longer will that take?” The rose wasn’t used to it and twisted its branches. “It’ll be so boring being the only mutant plant here!”
Xia Lu Nong gently patted its leaves. “We’ll come down the mountain to check on you regularly. Just rest and recover here, and we’ll see each other again soon.”
“Hey!” The rose extended a vine and tugged at his clothes. “Why don’t you take me to your base instead?”
“You didn’t want to come to our base before, did you?” Xia Lu Nong hesitated a bit. “There are a lot of people at our base.”
The rose bush replied without hesitation, “So what if there are a lot of people? Didn’t you say there would be more people here eventually too? Might as well get used to it early!”
The rose bush tugged at Xia Lu Nong’s clothes, not letting him leave.
Kong Zhi, who was helping plant the rose, saw this and asked, “What’s going on?”
Xia Lu Nong, half-amused and half-exasperated, explained the rose’s request. “The rose bush wants to come to our base too.”
After answering Kong Zhi’s question, Xia Lu Nong turned to the rose bush and said, “But if you come with us to the base, what about here? Won’t you stay planted with the honeysuckle?”
The rose replied, “Just break off one of my branches, plant it here, and give it some of your energy. A new main body of mine will grow here.”
Xia Lu Nong sensed something wasn’t quite right. “So, does that mean you can reproduce endlessly?”
“Not exactly,” the rose explained. “If I have too many main bodies, my consciousness will collapse. That’s what happened to me this past summer. I over-reproduced, and things didn’t feel right. In the winter, I had to let some of my main bodies freeze to death before I started feeling better.”
Xia Lu Nong was speechless.
He had suspected something was odd about this rose, and it turned out it really had gone through something serious. What he was seeing now was the result of its recovery.
Unaware that it had let something slip, the rose urged Xia Lu Nong, “So, what do you think? Can you take me with you?”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and said, “I can take you, but we need to make an agreement first. You have to control yourself—no randomly reproducing, and you need to tone down the poison on your thorns. You can’t harm the people at our base.”
The rose negotiated, “What if they provoke me first?”
Xia Lu Nong responded, “I’ll tell the people at the base not to bother you. But if they do, try not to retaliate. Wait for me to handle it.”
The rose wasn’t entirely convinced.
Xia Lu Nong added more seriously, “Even if you do fight back, you mustn’t cause irreversible harm to anyone at the base.”
He paused for a moment and continued, “If you intentionally hurt someone from our base, we’ll become enemies.”
The rose remained silent for a while.
Seeing this, Xia Lu Nong sensed that the rose still had a wild nature, so he suggested, “Why don’t you think about it first? I’ll come down tomorrow to check on you and the honeysuckle. Then you can decide whether or not you want to come to the base.”
The rose, annoyed, replied, “Why do you keep rushing me? Can’t I think about it today?”
Xia Lu Nong laughed, “Alright, take your time. I’ll go talk to my brothers in the armored vehicle.”
Xia Lu Nong explained the situation to his brothers.
Xia Huo Qu said, “You need to ensure that the rose bush is safe and won’t harm the base.”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll monitor its size and make sure it doesn’t reproduce outside. As long as people at the base don’t mess with it, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “As long as you’re confident, it’s fine to bring it to the base. Just don’t talk too much about it with others at the base.”
Xia Lu Nong understood this well. Even though they were all part of the same base, some things were better left unsaid.
Their family already had many secrets, and he knew that others at the base had secrets too.
For example, Old Liu and some of the scientists at White Tower.
As long as those secrets didn’t harm others, everyone turned a blind eye and didn’t pry too much.
Yan Xi Nian added, “Keeping a rose bush at the base is a double-edged sword. Xiao Nong, make sure you communicate with it and ensure its thinking isn’t dangerous. At least when it enters a human settlement, it needs to follow some of our customs.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded. “No problem. I’ll explain human rules to it and ensure it doesn’t spread uncontrollably. It’s just a plant, so it shouldn’t pose much danger to us. After all, we have a significant advantage over plants.”
Xia Huo Qu, seeing that Xia Lu Nong had a clear plan, didn’t say more.
The rose had grown to trust Xia Lu Nong.
After thinking it over, the rose decided to go with Xia Lu Nong to the base.
It had been talking a lot with Xia Lu Nong recently and wasn’t content to just sit around here, waiting in boredom anymore.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t mind. “Just remember our agreement, okay?”
“You’re so annoying!” the rose complained. “I know already.”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled and patted its leaves.
Nearby, Xia Hua Jiao wasn’t too happy about this and waved its branches, trying to push the rose away and wrap around Xia Lu Nong’s hand.
Having traveled with them in a semi-dormant state all this time, Xia Hua Jiao finally realized that the rose was coming back with them. It was no longer going to be the only sentient mutant plant in the family.
The rose was much smarter than Xia Hua Jiao and wasn’t at all intimidated by the much larger plant. Its slender branches lashed at Xia Hua Jiao’s leaves, trying to push it away.
But Xia Lu Nong, quick to react, grabbed the tender thorn at the tip of the rose. “No bullying Xia Hua Jiao!”
Xia Hua Jiao let out a sound, “Hiss!”
The thin branches of the rose wrapped around him, accusing, “Why are you so biased?”
“If I didn’t stop you, that would be biased.” Xia Lu Nong laughed. “You two need to get along, or I won’t give you any energy.”
The rose wasn’t satisfied. “I feel like as soon as I get to your base, your attitude changes.”
“As long as you don’t bully Xia Hua Jiao or other plants and animals, I won’t change.” Xia Lu Nong transferred a bit of energy to both the rose and Xia Hua Jiao. “You’ll get along well—cooperation is always a win-win.”
The rose was a bit temperamental, but still inexperienced. Xia Lu Nong quickly had it behaving.
After calming down the two plants, Xia Lu Nong muttered quietly to Kong Zhi, “Why do I feel like we’ve just adopted a second child?”
Kong Zhi responded, “Then you’ll have to name it Xia Yue Ji (Rose).”
