Chapter 81 — Selling Vegetables and Taking a Break
The two of them stayed busy for quite a while, working nonstop until around seven in the evening—their usual dinnertime—before finally putting down what they were doing and heading into the kitchen to cook together, happily preparing a warm meal to relax.
Luo Xun suddenly had a craving for yangchun noodles, so after a long time of not making noodles by hand, he finally decided to knead some dough and let it rest. Yan Fei worried that he might tire himself out again, but seeing Luo Xun’s enthusiasm, he didn’t want to spoil the mood and simply followed his directions, fetching whatever ingredients or tools were needed.
Yangchun noodles weren’t difficult to make. There was some frozen broth in the fridge—he just needed to take out a block, add some water, and adjust the flavor and color. The quail eggs they’d been saving were cooked into a thin, golden omelet, which he then sliced into fine strips and set aside. When hot salad oil was poured over freshly chopped scallions Yan Fei had just picked and washed, the fragrant scallion oil was ready.
Once the dough had rested enough, Luo Xun kneaded it again, rolled it out thin, and cut it into fine strands. He boiled a pot of clear water and cooked the noodles until done.
After draining the noodles, he placed them into the seasoned broth, topped them with scallion oil and shredded egg, and just like that, a steaming bowl of aromatic yangchun noodles was ready.
Luo Xun had wanted to add some shredded meat, but their meat supply was running low, and he couldn’t bring himself to thaw any more—besides, yangchun noodles tasted great even without it.
Each holding a big bowl, they carried their food to the living room, sat shoulder to shoulder on the sofa, and started eating noisily.
Their little dog immediately came trotting over when it saw them sit down, gazing up at them with expectant eyes. Luo Xun picked out a strand of noodle, a bit of egg, and a few scallions, set them in a small bowl to cool, and let the pup have a taste—it had already eaten its dog food earlier, so this was just a little treat.
Ever since its habit of eating vegetables had been exposed, the pup had noticed that there were always a few crisp green leaves—usually its favorite lettuce—added to its food bowl. None of those tough, stringy, grassy ones it disliked. (It had no idea those were chives, which were a bit spicy raw—but hey, they were good for vitality~)
The noodles were smooth and fragrant, the broth savory and rich. The two of them ended up finishing half a pot of soup and all the noodles, then reclined lazily on the sofa, half-dozing as they digested their meal.
“Anything with soup just fills you up so fast,” Luo Xun said contentedly, patting his stomach. In his previous life, he’d always liked making soupy dishes because food was scarce—adding more liquid made it seem like there was more to eat. But now… well, it was better to have something light and easy to digest at night, so as not to burden the stomach.
While resting, Luo Xun started planning what to do after work tomorrow. The nursery was already sprouting new seeds, and in a few days, he could transfer them to the room next door. Some of the crops on the balcony and terrace could be moved there too. As for the half-grown quails, even though Li Tie and the others were busy, it might be time to let them try raising a few.
Just as he was deep in thought, his phone suddenly started ringing.
How long had it been since they’d heard that sound? Both of them froze for a moment at the system’s default ringtone before remembering—it was a phone call, not a text notification.
Luo Xun hurried to answer, too flustered to even check who was calling. As soon as the line connected, an excited voice he vaguely recognized said,
“Your vegetables are perfectly fine! We just got the lab results back! I already called Xiao Li earlier—get in touch with him soon to arrange when you can start supplying the vegetables!”
It took Luo Xun a moment to react before realizing that the caller was Professor Xu. He quickly thanked him — he hadn’t expected the test results to come back so soon!
Professor Xu chuckled at his surprise. “They’re all common vegetables. Although much of the original data was lost after the disaster, we still have plenty of records for these kinds of plants. Once the tests were done, it was easy to match the results. However, those mushrooms of yours still haven’t been fully identified. You must not eat them! Oh, and if you happen to find other strange varieties of mutant plants, feel free to collect them and bring them over. I’m at Laboratory No. 4 — just contact us before you come. Of course, you can also take a photo first and send it to me. If it’s a species we already have samples of, there’s no need to bring it in.”
After thanking Professor Xu for his advice, Luo Xun hung up and smiled at Yan Fei. “Didn’t expect the lab results to be out already. I’ll get in touch with Captain Li right away.”
Since Yan Fei had already overheard most of the conversation, he knew what was going on. He smiled and nodded, letting Luo Xun excitedly handle things on his own. After all, farming was mainly Luo Xun’s domain — if he enjoyed it, Yan Fei was happy to let him tinker as he pleased.
Sure enough, when Luo Xun called Captain Li, the man had already received Professor Xu’s notice. Knowing that Luo Xun’s vegetables were safe, the military was willing to purchase them. With fresh leafy greens being scarce lately — and despite Luo Xun’s limited supply — the produce’s pristine, pre-apocalypse quality made it valuable. Captain Li made the call on the spot: they’d buy at a rate of one crystal nucleus per jin (about half a kilogram).
The vegetables for sale would mainly include loose-leaf lettuce, romaine, chives, and other varieties that were already mature and ready to harvest. If Luo Xun planned to deliver more the next day, they would simply coordinate by text the night before — for now, both phone calls and messages through the military’s private network were free.
One crystal nucleus per jin wasn’t exactly cheap, but given the quality of Luo Xun’s vegetables, it was actually a bit low. Two or three years into the apocalypse, even mutant vegetables — with mediocre taste but decent yields — would sell for about the same price.
Still, considering how valuable crystal nuclei were right now, this was already a very good deal.
After hanging up, Luo Xun felt a surge of electric excitement — his whole body buzzing with energy. He wanted to jump up immediately to harvest, weigh the vegetables, and see how much they could make tomorrow. He even planned to go back to the nursery and start germinating another batch of seeds to transplant next door.
But before he could get up, Yan Fei grabbed him. “If you harvest them now, they won’t be fresh tomorrow morning. And sure, we have seeds, but how many do we really have? Didn’t you set some plants aside to go to seed? Let’s not rush — steady and sustainable wins.”
That snapped Luo Xun back to his senses. Right — they needed more crystal nuclei, sure, but they weren’t that desperate. Rushing things could draw suspicion. Captain Li and Professor Xu had just visited today; they knew he didn’t have large-scale vegetable production yet. If he suddenly produced heaps of vegetables for sale, it would look suspicious.
—
The next morning, Luo Xun woke up half an hour earlier than usual and dragged Yan Fei to the rooftop garden. After inspecting everything, they harvested the fully mature lettuce, romaine, and chives — the ones that would soon turn old if left unpicked. They left behind the ones set aside for seeds or still growing. After bundling and packing the harvest, they used a small household spring scale to weigh it all — a bit over ten jin in total (around five kilograms). They carried the vegetables downstairs and loaded them into the car.
This time, instead of parking outside the base, they drove straight into the military compound and stopped behind Canteen No. 1. No wonder, Luo Xun thought — only people with special privileges could enjoy fresh greens in times like these. The workers near Canteen No. 4, who toiled daily building walls, certainly didn’t get that kind of luxury.
After delivering the vegetables to Captain Li and the others, the military staff inspected the freshness and checked for any signs of mutation. Once satisfied, they weighed the goods and handed over ten first-grade crystal nuclei.
Looking at the small pile of glittering crystals, Luo Xun couldn’t help feeling a pang of melancholy — so many bags of vegetables, yet they barely amounted to ten tiny stones. The size difference was just too ridiculous.
Yan Fei laughed, patting his shoulder reassuringly. “Think of it this way — if we didn’t sell them, they’d just go bad. This way, at least they’re not wasted.”
That made Luo Xun feel better. He grinned. “That’s why I only agreed to sell these few types of greens. They grow super fast — under the right temperature, we can harvest every month. As for the other crops — like beans, eggplants, or chive blossoms — those can be dried or pickled, and I’m definitely not selling those!”
As for rice or wheat, of course, they’d never sell those — unless it was a mutated variety.
Their plan was simple: keep the difficult crops for themselves, eat and sell the easy ones in moderation. After being reborn, securing a stable job and a strong, dependable partner, Luo Xun had subconsciously set a small “luxury goal” for himself — to live comfortably, sustainably, and on his own terms.
At this point, he could stand tall, thump his chest, and proudly declare, “I don’t even want to sell vegetables!” — and still be fine. It was a kind of freedom he couldn’t have even dreamed of in his previous life.
When Luo Xun slipped the ten crystal nuclei into Yan Fei’s pocket, Yan Fei smiled suddenly. “Looks like you’re the one supporting me now.”
That made Luo Xun remember something he’d said shortly after they’d first met, and he couldn’t help laughing. Sure, on the surface it seemed that way — but if they compared actual earnings, wasn’t Yan Fei still the one contributing more?
Since they were now allowed to drive the car directly into the military base, they parked closer to their work area this time — no more long walks from outside the walls. After regrouping with Captain Guo and the others, the team resumed their construction work.
By now, they had finished most of the parts and materials the base needed and had officially begun building the massive, reinforced metal gate for the south entrance. During lunch break, Captain Guo said, “Command wants us to finish the gate today. Tomorrow, we’ll head back to the outer perimeter and continue reinforcing the walls.” He wiped the sweat from his brow and added, “They’ve already repaired a section. This time, we’re not just increasing the height — we’re thickening the steel to at least one meter and adding those rivet-like protrusions we discussed earlier. The goal is to build an entire row of them.”
The outer wall was now the top priority. Since manpower was short among the metal ability users, once they had repaired enough of the wall to safely work from the top, they’d be redeployed immediately to other areas.
“So soon?” the vice-captain asked in surprise. He’d thought they’d be stationed inside the compound for at least another week or so.
Captain Guo sighed. “They found a number of newly evolved second-tier zombies outside the base. Some of them are incredibly strong. One of the squads that went deep into the city ran into them — a single tank was half-smashed by a few of those strength-type zombies.”
Everyone at the table froze, a chill running down their spines in unison.
Xiao Li muttered under his breath, “No wonder they want us to hurry up and make the outer wall a full meter thick…”
Captain Guo let out a sigh. “You don’t even know — the earth wall portion of the outer defenses is already being built ten meters high and three meters thick. As for our one-meter-thick metal plates, I’m not even sure they’ll be enough in the end!”
Everyone nodded grimly in agreement. Sure, a tank’s armor wasn’t as thick as the wall they were building, but the tank’s material was far stronger. They could make the wall as thick as they wanted, yet who could guarantee its durability? They could manipulate metal, but not refine or improve it. All they could do was use whatever materials they had on hand — which might not even match a tank’s plating in strength.
After finishing that topic, Captain Guo suddenly smacked his forehead, then grinned at the group. “Oh, right — I’ve got good news too!” Seeing everyone look at him expectantly, he waved his chopsticks with a pleased expression. “From now on, we’ll have four days off every month — all at the end of the month. Unless a massive horde of zombies shows up at the walls and we all have to fight, you can do whatever the hell you want on those days! Even if you go out to pick up girls and ‘handle personal business,’ no one’s gonna stop you!”
The moment he said there would be holidays, the whole table erupted in cheers. Luo Xun and Yan Fei exchanged a surprised glance — four days off a month? They’d thought even two days would be generous. Captain Guo was really something!
Captain Guo looked rather smug, raising his brows at the two of them — his expression clearly said, Well? Not bad sticking with me, right?
Four days off was two more than Luo Xun had ever dared to suggest, nearly as good as the old days before holiday reforms, when people got one day off each week. Captain Guo really had pulled some strings. For reasons unknown, the higher-ups hadn’t approved a weekly rest schedule; instead, everyone would rest together at the end of each month. Still, for Luo Xun and Yan Fei, that was a blessing — a few extra days to handle their own affairs.
Because the higher-ups demanded that the massive iron gate be finished today — and the team would return to work on the outer wall tomorrow — the schedule was tight. Everyone had to push through an extra hour and a half before they could finally call it a day. When they stood before the colossal, terrifyingly heavy gate, the ordinary construction workers behind them couldn’t help shaking their heads and sighing.
“Monsters,” someone murmured. “They’re even more insane than the earth-type ability users — building that in a single day!”
There were two super-heavy metal gates planned for the military base — one facing due south, the other due north. Luo Xun’s team had just completed the southern one, but since construction hadn’t yet reached the north gate, there was no need to make another for now. And given that metal materials were being prioritized for the outer wall, building just one massive gate was enough to calm the nerves of certain anxious leaders.
By the time Luo Xun and Yan Fei drove home, night had already fallen. Since joining the construction unit, this was the latest they’d ever returned.
Carrying a food box, Luo Xun said with a grin, “We might be exhausted today, but at least we got back just in time for dinner!” Earlier, when they delivered vegetables to Canteen No. 1, Captain Li had given them two guest vouchers. These were rare — reserved for visitors conducting official business at the camp, often people who’d had status or government ties before the apocalypse. Each voucher could be exchanged for a free meal at Canteen No. 1.
And indeed, Canteen No. 1 still maintained something close to its pre-apocalypse quality. Not only did they serve meats long vanished from the other cafeterias, but the two men even spotted their own leafy greens among the dishes — though only in small amounts.
Yan Fei took the food box from Luo Xun’s hands, and the two stood together waiting for the elevator — luckily, they’d come back during its open hours, so they didn’t have to climb the stairs.
A few others from their floor were also waiting. Since most residents rarely saw Luo Xun and Yan Fei, several people snuck curious glances at them, wondering whether they were new tenants or visiting someone.
“Luo Xun? Yan Fei?”
A familiar voice sounded behind them. The two turned around to see Xu Mei and Song Lingling, each carrying an insulated food container. The girls seemed equally surprised to run into them here, their expressions curious.
“You two just got back?” Xu Mei asked.
Luo Xun nodded with a smile. “Yeah, work ran a little long today. You just went to get dinner? How have you two been these past couple of days?”
Since their last collaboration, the pairs hadn’t seen each other — this meeting really was a coincidence.
Song Lingling laughed and said, “We just got back this afternoon. We went to get dinner and are heading home now.”
As she spoke, the elevator arrived on the first floor. A group of people stepped out, and they quickly squeezed in, pressing the buttons for the fifteenth and sixteenth floors.
The others inside the elevator couldn’t help but sneak curious glances at Luo Xun and Yan Fei when they saw them press sixteen. You couldn’t really blame them — everyone in the building already knew that the sixteenth floor was occupied by a group of weirdos. The entire floor had its doors sealed shut with thick iron plates, and no one had ever been able to take a peek inside. It was rare enough to actually see someone from there — who wouldn’t be curious?
Still, everyone also knew that the people living on that floor were not to be messed with, so none of them dared to openly stare.
As more and more people got off, soon only Luo Xun and Yan Fei, along with Xu Mei and Song Lingling, were left in the elevator.
Seeing that there were no outsiders, Xu Mei turned to confirm with them, “You’ll be going out at the end of the month?”
Yan Fei nodded. “If nothing unexpected happens, we should be leaving on the last two days of the month.”
Hearing that, Xu Mei and Song Lingling both secretly let out a sigh of relief. After coming back last time, they had rested for a day before going out on another mission with a different team — and that experience… was one they’d rather forget.
It wasn’t that they had run into any lecherous men — after all, Xu Mei’s fierce reputation had already spread far and wide, and anyone without the strength to back it up would have to be suicidal to try something with her. No, this time, what they’d run into weren’t creeps, but utterly useless teammates.
Their combat skills were bad enough, but when they were surrounded by zombies, the group completely fell apart — panicking, disorganized, and downright dangerous. One person even panicked so badly that he pushed Song Lingling toward the zombies! On instinct, Song Lingling countered and, following one of Luo Xun’s earlier suggestions, created a water sphere around the man’s head. The result? The world’s first corpse to die of drowning — on land.
So when they heard that Yan Fei’s team would be heading out again on schedule at the end of the month, their happiness was entirely understandable.
“Did you guys find an earth-type ability user?” Song Lingling asked curiously. Earth-types were rare — and even rarer were those willing to leave the base — but given Yan Fei’s team’s strength, maybe they’d managed to find one.
Luo Xun spread his hands helplessly. “Not easy. Most of the earth-types are in the military doing official work. Their schedules depend on when they’re granted leave, and most of them don’t want to go out anyway.”
They had tried getting acquainted with a few — after all, everyone ate in the same cafeteria and worked nearby, so they’d met a few of them. But once the topic of going outside to fight zombies came up, not a single one showed interest.
The military ability users were bound by orders, and none of them would volunteer for outside missions without official approval. Two of them — also outsiders like Yan Fei, with slightly stronger powers than the average first-tier earth-type — even said bluntly that as long as the base provided food and crystal nuclei, that was more than enough. Why risk their lives outside just to earn more?
“What about you two?” Yan Fei asked in turn.
If even Luo Xun’s team couldn’t find anyone suitable, it was no surprise that Xu Mei and Song Lingling hadn’t either.
“We’ve run into one or two earth-types while teaming up before,” Xu Mei admitted, “but… we’re not really familiar with them.” And they hadn’t clicked well with those teams anyway — otherwise, they wouldn’t still be scrambling to find new teammates.
Yan Fei finally made the decision. “It’s fine if we can’t find one. We have other ways to work around it. No need to force the wrong person into the team.”
Hearing that, both women nodded obediently. He was right — if they brought along some nightmare teammate just for the sake of it, who could stand that? Better to do things like last time. They’d done just fine without an earth-type then — and their haul hadn’t been small either.
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