Chapter 26

Chapter 26

They looked a little surprised, as if they hadn’t expected Tang Man to agree to their request so readily. Their expressions quickly shifted to delight.

"Miss Tang, could we record a video? If you’re uncomfortable with that, an audio recording would also work..." They produced a camera and a voice recorder from seemingly nowhere.

"Audio is fine. First, I’ll explain how to locate mutant plants..." Tang Man detailed the method of using crystal cores and even shared some tips on utilizing wood-element powers, claiming she’d figured them out herself.

In truth, she could have elaborated on techniques for other superpowers as well, but since she couldn’t clearly explain the source of that knowledge, she chose not to mention it.

After seeing them off, Tang Man stored the crystal cores and returned to the backyard to continue working, putting on her work gloves again. She paid no attention to Xiao Wu and his group, who were immediately swarmed by curious neighbors the moment they stepped outside.

With nine people working together, they made quick progress. In just two days, the backyard walls were fully built, and the chicken and duck coops were completed. The chickens and ducks now had plenty of room to roam. Even the rooster with water superpower, which had previously guarded the living room, moved in and began living the good life with his harem.

Even if the walls hadn’t been finished, Tang Man would have planned to have Tang Teng remove the metal needles from the six men and send them away—simply because they ate way too much!

To boost efficiency, Tang Man provided them with lunch and dinner. Once meals were included, the six men went to town on the food, each polishing off a pound of rice per meal. In just four meals, half of a 50-pound bag of rice was gone.

"Sis, can we go out to kill zombies tomorrow?" Sheng Yao asked excitedly, eager to test the gun he’d just acquired.

"Not tomorrow. Tomorrow, we need to clear out the upstairs guest rooms and the study on the third floor for planting vegetables. Some crops will need trellises. The waterproof coating on the pool should dry by the day after, and then we’ll move the fish from the bathtubs and buckets into it... Only after all that’s done can you think about going out to kill zombies," Tang Man replied, glancing at him. She found it amusing how his expression grew more dejected with each task she listed.

Sheng Yao’s face fell instantly, and even Tang Teng, who had been watching Tang Man expectantly, looked disappointed.

"Xiao Teng, once the cement dries, reinforce the front and backyard walls with metal. Also, figure out a way to secure the underground. If you run out of crystal cores, come to me for more..." After assigning Tang Teng his tasks, Tang Man headed to the front yard and used her wood-element powers on the vegetables planted there.

Lately, whenever her superpower replenished, she’d use it on the front yard crops. After dozens of such treatments, many vegetables were nearly ready for harvest.

The neighborhood had grown much livelier than before. Many who had fled the city with the military chose not to crowd into the Safe Zone’s tents, instead settling in vacant houses nearby. Their community had seen an influx of newcomers, making it noticeably more chaotic than before.

Ignoring the noise outside, Tang Man finished using her superpower and returned to the living room.

"Sis, are you tired? Would you like some tea?" Sheng Yao emerged from the kitchen holding two cups of green tea.

His slender, jade-like fingers placed a transparent glass cup in front of her. The aroma of tea instantly filled her senses.

Tang Man had been about to decline, but the rich fragrance tempted her to take a small sip.

Hmm... a bit bitter. She really couldn’t appreciate this kind of bitter drink. But with such fragrant tea leaves, they’d make excellent tea eggs!

The five hens in the backyard had already started laying eggs. In a few days, she’d have enough to make a pot of tea eggs...

"I didn’t expect you to drink tea. I thought boys your age only liked those colorful sugary drinks," Tang Man teased, setting down the glass with a smile.

"Just trying it out. This tea is my mom’s," Sheng Yao admitted after taking a sip. Finding it not to his taste, he put the cup down as well.

He lounged on the sofa, crossing his legs. Even in a simple T-shirt and pants, his tall, well-proportioned figure was evident. Resting his chin on one hand, he gazed at her with a playful smile in his charming eyes.

Tang Man frowned slightly under his gaze, his look gave her an odd feeling. "If you’ve got nothing to do, go clean the upstairs guest rooms and move these flower pots upstairs."

Sheng Yao: "..." He realized Tang Man couldn’t stand seeing him idle—she’d always find something for him to do.

"Sis, if you were a boss, you’d totally be a slave driver," he grumbled.

Tang Man: ???

"This ‘slave driver’ is telling you to get to work now. Are you going or not?" A morning glory vine sprouted from her body, stopping right in front of Sheng Yao. Its star-shaped red flowers threatening to smack him in the face.

———

The next day, the four of them got up and began clearing out the guest rooms and study. All the furniture was moved to the basement garage on the second basement level.

To speed things up, they used the elevator. The generator roared—so loud it made their heads pound even two floors down. Tang Man even felt the whole house vibrating.

Once the rooms were emptied, the pots from downstairs were carried in. Tang Man noticed that although both rooms got good southern light, the pots on the floor only received sunlight for a short time each day.

"This wall probably isn’t load-bearing. We could take it down and install floor-to-ceiling windows like on the first floor. Then, we could use the leftover bamboo from yesterday to build tiered shelves inside. That way, we’d make the most of the space and grow more vegetables..." Tang Teng suggested.

Tang Man shook her head, eyeing the two large windows in the study. "We’ll definitely build shelves, but we can’t tear down this wall—it’s too risky... Once we’re done with the house, we’ll visit the greenhouse farming area in the suburbs and see if we can find grow lights..."

"But we don’t have enough electricity for that!" Sheng Yao objected. Though they now had a generator, it only ran for a little over an hour each day to charge essential equipment. Power supply was still severely limited.

"We’ll have more later... For now, let’s just focus on building the shelves."

The three of them headed to the backyard, where the leftover bamboo from the previous day was stacked.

Sheng Yao and Tang Teng split bamboo poles while Tang Man did the nailing.

The shelves were designed at varying heights to accommodate different plants’ growth habits. Tang Man worked swiftly—so fast that the guys couldn't keep up with splitting bamboo. Shelf after shelf took shape under her hands.

By noon, they had used up all the remaining bamboo.

Looking at the neatly arranged pots filling the room, Sheng Yao felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

"Alright, time to plant the seeds." Tang Man tossed a large bag of seeds onto the wooden floor. "Pick what you’d like to eat. The areas with less sunlight are good for vegetables that don't need much sun like leeks and spinach. The spots with trellises are for climbing plants like loofah and cucumbers..."

Tang Man explained the growing conditions for each vegetable in detail. Sheng Yao listened blankly, realizing for the first time how complicated farming could be. He’d assumed all vegetables could just be planted and watered like the ones in their front and backyard.

"Sis, what’s your favorite vegetable?" Sheng Yao finally asked after sorting through seed packets for a while.

"Me? I don’t have a particular favorite. I like meat and white rice," Tang Man replied, momentarily lost in memories of her past life, when vegetables had been her staple food.

"You like meat... Sis, how about we ask Zhou and the others to build a pigpen next to the sheepfold and raise a couple of pigs?" Sheng Yao suggested, crouching on the floor and playing with a seed packet.

"If we can find piglets, sure. If not, we’ll trade crystal cores for them at the Safe Zone," Tang Man agreed, feeling that their current stock of chickens and ducks wasn’t enough.

They didn’t eat many duck eggs—maybe they should let a few hens and ducks hatch some chicks and ducklings?

"Alright, hurry up and choose. Once we’re done, we’ll go down for lunch," Tang Man urged.

———

Lunch was another meal of stir-fried dishes: garlic with cured pork, bitter melon with duck eggs, cold cucumber salad, and tomato egg soup.

The cured pork had been soaked for two hours beforehand, to remove excess salt. Stir-fried over high heat, it was left with only a deep, smoky flavor. The garlic stems were sliced lengthwise, and Sheng Yao's mom had stir-fried them longer to meld their fragrance perfectly with the pork—a perfect pairing with rice.

The bitter melon had been parboiled with salt to reduce its bitterness. The duck eggs were fried golden and crispy, their bright yellow contrasting beautifully with the green melon. However, aside from Sheng Yao's mom, no one at the table liked bitter melon. The duck eggs were quickly devoured, leaving only the leftover bitter melon behind.

The cold cucumber salad was tangy and spicy, tossed in homemade chili oil that Sheng Yao's mom had made herself using sesame, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, and garlic. The refreshing crunch of the cucumbers was a hit with everyone.

For the tomato egg soup, the tomatoes were cooked down first, infusing the broth with their tartness. Golden wisps of egg floated in the pinkish broth, making for an appealing sight.

"Man Man, do you and Xiao Teng eat dried long beans? I noticed a lot of beans are almost ready in the yard. We could dry some and use them for stewed meat during the New Year—it’s really fragrant..." Sheng Yao's mom suggested, thinking of the nearly mature beans in the front yard.

"Sounds good! We could also pickle some cucumbers. We’ve been eating them for what feels like forever," Tang Man said, loading up her chopsticks with garlic and cured pork.

Everyone was eating happily, sharing stories in a warm atmosphere, when suddenly—BANG BANG BANG—loud banging erupted at the front gate.