Chapter 7 Spring Cleaning of the New Home
Su Yun woke up as dawn broke.
The birdsong outside the window was incessant, and the whole small mountain village was full of the vitality of spring.
It was still early, so she didn't rush to get up. Instead, she quietly turned her head and looked at Ye Feng's sleeping face for a while. Perhaps because of his injury, he was sleeping very soundly, his eyes were tightly closed, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow on Shen Jing's face like a small brush.
I'm so envious, is this person the reincarnation of an eyelash queen?
I'm so envious of the length and thickness of those eyelashes.
Su Yun secretly admired the handsome man's sleeping face for a while, drooling for a long time, until the sunlight gradually brightened, and Ye Feng's eyelids twitched slightly, as if he was about to be woken up by her gaze.
Startled, Su Yun quickly looked away and pretended to be asleep.
In the end, it turned out to be a false alarm; the other person showed no sign of waking up. Su Yun's panicked heart, which had been pounding from being caught peeping, finally calmed down.
She stretched and slowly got out of bed. The sunlight was already bright, and she realized she had wasted a lot of time.
Alas, beauty truly is intoxicating!
She could somewhat understand why the emperor no longer held morning court sessions.
Who can resist the temptation of beautiful things?
If Ye Feng's looks were in modern times, with cat ears and such a handsome face, he would definitely be an absolute heartthrob. If he debuted as an idol, he could easily win the hearts of countless girls with just his looks. Unfortunately, in this post-apocalyptic world, there might not even be anyone left in this place, so he can only survive by struggling to get enough to eat.
Look at those slender arms and legs, they're way too thin.
Su Yun felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this.
It seems I need to find a way to properly nourish the other person. With these thoughts running wild, Su Yun quietly got out of bed, slipped out the door, and began another day of her post-apocalyptic life.
The mountain village in early spring was far from peaceful; the constant chirping of birds was like a grand chorus praising spring, full of vitality and life.
Is it because it's a rural village?
Su Yun noticed that there seemed to be quite a lot of birds here, and they didn't seem to be afraid of people. They fluttered down into the yard and pecked at the wild grass.
Some birds, seeing her walk by, were not afraid at all. They just looked at her with their round little eyes until she got close, then they spread their little wings and fluttered to the wall, stretching out their round heads and continuing to look at her curiously.
This bird seems to be quite common here. It's round all over, like a little moving pom-pom, with bright green feathers, a round head and body, and a white collar. It's incredibly cute!
Su Yun liked them very much when she saw their round and fluffy appearance.
"Hi~" Su Yun couldn't help but try to greet the birds on the wall, but unfortunately they couldn't understand her words. As if startled, they spread their wings and fluttered away.
Su Yun didn't pay any attention and turned to go into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Breakfast consisted of leftover meat and cauliflower from yesterday. Su Yun hastily cooked a vegetable soup. It felt like she was having trouble getting through the long-term lack of staple foods, as she was eating meat and vegetables for every meal.
We need to go out and see if there's anything we can plant. We should take advantage of the springtime and quickly cultivate a vegetable garden. Otherwise, if it snows heavily in winter, we won't be able to pick wild vegetables as freely as we do now.
However, the first priority is to clear the weeds in the yard.
While cleaning the yard yesterday, she noticed a small fence behind the house. After a quick glance, she realized it was the backyard where the previous residents used to raise chickens and grow vegetables. It was about several dozen square meters and quite spacious. She was already very tired from cleaning the front yard yesterday, so she didn't bother with it. It seems that today's task is to clean up the remaining rooms and yard.
After finishing her meal, Su Yun began tidying up the remaining rooms. There was a door behind the hall leading to the backyard, but the door was completely sealed off because she was worried that poisonous snakes and insects from the backyard might crawl in.
There's also the storage room/secondary bedroom I used to live in, and the secondary bedroom on the far left of the house.
Su Yun began cleaning with practiced ease, throwing all the unusable items into a pile in the yard, and placing the usable items that needed washing next to the well.
Still without a broom, Su Yun could only casually break off a few branches, just like yesterday, to sweep away the dust and cobwebs. Finally, she fetched water to wash the floor, windows, tables, and chairs.
The dust was so thick that we had to rinse it with water; otherwise, each cloth could only be used once, and we wouldn't have enough cloths left.
Anyway, these rooms are currently unoccupied, so let them dry on their own for a few days.
Just as they had finally managed to tidy up, Ye Feng woke up. He stood in the hall, looking at the water stains everywhere and watching her wash the floor, and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Su Yun continued rinsing the floor with a bucket of water, laboriously sweeping the trash and dust out the door with a twig. Without looking up, she replied, "There's too much dust, let's clean it up."
"Hmm," Ye Feng responded indifferently and walked away.
Su Yun didn't pay any attention. Just as she finished sweeping a section and was about to fetch more water, she noticed that Ye Feng had already filled a bucket with water and placed it in front of her.
So this guy went to help fetch water?
"Are you alright? You shouldn't touch it, or the wound might reopen," Su Yun said worriedly, looking at his injured and somewhat pale face.
Ye Feng pursed his lips, remained silent, and continued to fill another empty bucket with water.
"Sigh..." Su Yun murmured softly, but in the end, she couldn't resist and let him go.
With the two of them dividing the work, the cleaning speed increased significantly. Several rooms were finally cleaned. Although everything looked damp, at least the dust and trash were gone. Su Yun glanced at the gradually warming sun in the sky and figured that everything would be dry in a few days.
After tidying up the room, Su Yun hurriedly went into the kitchen, started a fire, took out the rat meat hidden in the cupboard, put it in a pot, and heated it.
As soon as the aroma of rat meat filled the air, Su Yun hurriedly called Ye Feng over to eat. He had been busy all day and hadn't eaten anything yet, not to mention that his injuries hadn't healed.
Thinking of this, Su Yun quickened her pace in starting the fire and heating the food. Soon, the aroma of meat began to waft out, and she hurriedly stuck her head out and called out, "Night Breeze, dinner's ready!"
So, Ye Feng strode over, and before he even reached the door, Su Yun heard a "gurgle" sound from his stomach.
Su Yun suppressed a smile and secretly glanced at Ye Feng. He saw that Ye Feng was still very calm as he took out a bowl and chopsticks, but his black ears drooped slightly and his cheeks were slightly red.
Su Yun didn't say anything, but directly put the earthenware pot on the dining table. When she lifted the lid, the aroma of meat immediately wafted out. Not to mention Ye Feng, who hadn't eaten anything since morning, even she started to feel hungry.
She stole a glance at Ye Feng. He still had a blank expression, but his ears were perked up with joy, and his fluffy tail was swaying back and forth, secretly revealing his emotions.
Actually, orcs are quite easy to understand. Looking at those adorable little ears, Su Yun couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle. You can tell just by looking at their ears.
After working all morning, Su Yun felt extremely hungry and ate two large bowls of meat. Ye Feng ate almost all of the remaining meat, which showed that he was also starving.
After finishing her meal, Su Yun collapsed into a chair, too exhausted to move. After resting for a while, she took advantage of the good sunlight to quickly bring out the quilts from the house and continue to air them out.
After airing out the quilts, Su Yun prepared to tidy up the weeds in the yard.
There are too many weeds in the yard. We need to take advantage of spring, before they grow too tall, and clear them away quickly. Otherwise, when summer comes, the lush vegetation will easily breed mosquitoes and insects, and will also provide hiding places for snakes and rats.
Moreover, the weeds by the window are almost waist-high; what if rats hide in the grass at night?
Ugh, my hair's standing on end. I can't think about it anymore, thinking about it will only scare me.
Let's clean it up quickly during the day, so Su Yun rummaged through the storage room and found a hoe and a sickle.
Although they looked very rusty, covered with yellow rust.
Fortunately, they are all made of thick iron, which is very durable. With a little polishing, they can be used again.
There was a large whetstone in the yard. Although it was buried in a pile of dust, it could be used after being rinsed with well water. So Su Yun drew water from the well and cleaned the whetstone, hoe, and sickle.
Looking at the hoe and sickle on the ground, Su Yun thought for a moment, then turned around and went into the kitchen, where he found a rusty cleaver and a wood-chopping knife.
Since we're going to do this anyway, let's sharpen all the tools we'll need together.
So Su Yun put them all on the whetstone and started sharpening the knives. In no time, the rust was worn away, and the tools were restored to a usable state.
Enough. Su Yun picked up the sickle and stood up. Since he couldn't find gloves, he could only carefully wrap his palms with a piece of cloth and then simply wrap his fingers.
The yard around this house is quite large. If you don't do proper preparation beforehand, it would be terrible if you cut your hand later.
After simply wrapping his fingers around his palm, Su Yun moved his fingers and found them to be very flexible.
Then she carefully picked up a handful of wild grass with her "simple glove" hands and tried it. It was very good, not prickly at all, and she wasn't afraid of insect bites.
Perfect!
Then she picked up a sickle and began to harvest the weeds in the yard, one by one.
There are too many weeds here, so we need to cut the dense and tall grass first, and then use a hoe to dig out the roots of the weeds. This way, we can get rid of them completely and prevent them from growing back in a few days.
Just as she was concentrating on cutting the grass, a flower snake as thick as an arm suddenly darted out of the bushes, startling her so much that she screamed and jumped up.
"Ah! A snake!"
Because of her childhood experience of a snake crawling across her foot, coupled with the terrifying stories her grandmother told about various snakes—such as stepping on a snake and being followed home, waking up in the middle of the night to find the house full of snakes, and snake revenge—snakes were the animals Su Yun feared most in her life. She screamed, threw down her sickle, and jumped high like a frightened rabbit.
The snake seemed to be startled by her shout and frantically crawled toward her.
Su Yun felt like she was suffocating...
"Big brother, please, please, please... come here!"
Just as Su Yun was about to break down, Ye Feng rushed forward and grabbed the snake's head. Before she could react, the snake was already dead.
"This snake isn't poisonous..." he said, scratching his head as he held the snake, then handed it to Su Yun, "This is edible..."
eat? ? ?
Su Yun felt like she was suffocating, her heart was suffocating, and all she could think was, "No, no... please let me go... Brother Snake..."
But for some reason, my mind was in a mess, and then I suddenly remembered someone saying that snakes are very nutritious.
The person in front of me just happens to need some nourishment...
Looking at Su Yun's pale face and the way she kept waving her hands, I could see...
"Aren't you going to eat it?" Ye Feng scratched his head, staring at the snake in his hand, a little puzzled.
The preciousness of the hard-won food overcame her fear, and Su Yun hurriedly shook her head, "Mmm, yes, yes, food."
Then she pointed in the direction of the well, "You take care of it, dig out its internal organs, and then peel off the skin."
"Okay." Night Breeze listened to her and obediently did as she said.
This human is so strange. He was perfectly fine after fighting off the mutated rats, and he was calm and collected when he killed and ate them. But when he saw this non-venomous little flower snake, he turned pale.
After watching Ye Feng deal with the snake, he carefully picked up the snake pieces, put them into the pot, and closed the lid.
Su Yun's complexion improved slightly. She rubbed her aching forehead and then pretended to be calm as she started a fire and added firewood to make a dish of "steamed snake segments".
Ah, snakes and other cold, icy creatures are one of her Achilles' heel.
Just seeing it is terrifying.
But there was still grass in the backyard that needed to be cleared. Su Yun looked at the dark patch of grass and began to panic.
Ah, stay calm, it's not a big problem.
Su Yun began to comfort herself, but her hand holding the sickle trembled slightly.
Just as she was hesitatingly walking towards the haystack in the backyard, Ye Feng came over and took the initiative to stand in the grass.
Su Yun tilted her head to look at him: ?
Night Breeze's expression was calm, and his words were incredibly reassuring: "Let me check if there are any snakes first."
As he spoke, he stepped into the grass, parting the weeds with both hands to search for traces of the snake.
Su Yun looked at him with some concern. His face was still pale, and his chest was covered in wounds. It seemed that blood would spurt out again if he moved even slightly. She quickly waved her hand to stop him, "Don't move. Your wounds haven't healed yet."
The night wind remained silent, persistently stirring the wild grass.
Helpless, Su Yun handed over the sickle: "Then you'll have better use this."
This time, Ye Feng did not refuse. He took the sickle and began to wander around the backyard, finally catching two more snakes as expected.
The result was... of course, it all turned into snake soup...
Finally, after much fuss and confirming once again that there were no more snakes hiding in the grass, Ye Feng handed the sickle to Su Yun, sat back down in the rocking chair, and continued to bask in the sun with his eyes half-closed.
He acted as if nothing had happened.
But Su Yun felt that Ye Feng's face seemed to have become even paler, his pale lips were tightly pursed, revealing a sense of vulnerability.
"Have some water," Su Yun said worriedly as she poured Ye Feng a glass of warm water.
"Mmm." Ye Feng took the water glass and drank it all in one gulp.
Then Su Yun poured him another cup.
After thinking for a moment, Su Yun turned around and went into the room, where she found a small tea table and placed it next to the rocking chair.
Ye Feng finished his second glass of water and was holding an enamel mug, preparing to take it back to his room.
Suddenly, Su Yun came out carrying a small tea table. For a moment, she was holding a cup and didn't know what to do. Her expression was a little blank. In addition, she had caught a few snakes, which may have aggravated her wounds. She looked a little weak, which made her look a bit docile.
Su Yun held back for a long time before she reached out to touch his hair.
Then, he readily took the cup and placed it and the kettle on the coffee table, earnestly instructing, "There's boiled water here. Drink it if you're thirsty, but don't drink tap water. I'm going to weed now. Just call me if you need anything."
Ye Feng's expression faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and gave a soft "hmm" in agreement.
Su Yun went back to the room, took out the small blanket from yesterday, and stuffed it into his arms before picking up the sickle to go back to work.
Just before I left, Ye Feng's voice suddenly rang out behind me: "Hey, there's a snake. Call me again."
Hearing the other person's advice, Su Yun felt a warmth in her heart and was no longer so afraid of the unknown thicket. She gripped the sickle again and began clearing away the weeds.
About two hours later, the weeds were finally cleared away. Looking around, the entire yard was now free of weeds, clean and tidy, as if it had been reborn, and very refreshing.
"This dilapidated house is finally starting to look somewhat decent. I'm really too capable. I'm one of the five most skillful socialist youths of our time."
Looking at the clean courtyard, Su Yun's mood improved, and she couldn't help but praise herself.
In addition, Su Yun discovered a small patch of sweet potato vines, as well as a small cluster of tender mustard greens and cabbage, in the vegetable garden left in the backyard.
Right now, the sweet potato vines are growing well. Although the original large vines had withered after the winter's devastation, and many withered roots remained on the ground, sweet potatoes are drought-resistant and have a strong vitality. At this moment, a small patch of green seedlings has stubbornly sprouted.
Su Yun was overjoyed to see the tenacious green shoots. Sweet potatoes are easy to store and rich in starch, making them an excellent staple food. Now she wouldn't have to worry about not being able to find any green vegetables in winter.
It's so good to have something to fill your stomach in winter.
There was also a lush green patch of mustard greens. It was springtime, the season for mustard greens, and the leaves were very tender, making one's mouth water at first glance.
Besides cabbage, there are also cabbages, but after a winter of damage, those cabbages are old and have grown small flower centers, so they can no longer be eaten. But it doesn't matter, after they flower, they will produce seeds, and then we can collect the seeds and plant a large field of cabbages.
We can dig a cellar or something to store cabbages, and we can eat them all winter without any problem.
With these vegetables that can be stored, there's no need to worry about not having anything to eat in winter. Thinking of this, Su Yun felt happy and became even more meticulous in her work, afraid of accidentally damaging any of the seedlings.
After clearing away the weeds, they carefully cultivated a vegetable garden.
The backyard was finally finished. Looking at the small patch of green vegetables, Su Yun was overjoyed and placed great hopes on this little vegetable garden.
After a long day of work, Su Yun was exhausted.
However, looking at the tidy yard and rooms, and seeing that this originally dilapidated and gray house had finally taken on a better appearance thanks to their joint efforts, Su Yun was very happy.
I sat under the eaves and rested for half an hour.
The night breeze seemed to have fallen asleep long ago, its breathing becoming long and even.
Sigh, after all, the wound hasn't fully healed yet, and a weak patient should rest properly.
But Su Yun had no intention of resting. Since there were no lights at night, working in the dark was too dangerous, so she decided to go to bed as soon as it got dark, and thus used all her time during the day to work.
There was still enough rat meat in the pot for one more meal, so there was no need to rush to eat. She decided to tidy up the house first, so she rolled up her sleeves and began to organize the clutter she had collected.
Su Yun found a lot of clothes in the house, both winter and summer clothes. She sorted them out simply: clothes that were still wearable and not too dirty were put in one pile, while old, worn-out, and moldy clothes were thrown aside to be used as rags.
The furniture was the same; the intact pieces were piled to one side, while the broken and old ones were thrown in front of the kitchen to be burned as firewood. Fortunately, most of the furniture was still intact. Most of the furniture in this house was made of pine wood, which was not only sturdy but also not easily damaged by insects. After washing and drying, it could be used again.
Pine wood?
Su Yun's eyes lit up as he looked at the furniture. It was all made of pine wood, which meant there must be pine forests nearby. He could go and take a look another day, collect some pine resin, and make pine oil lamps so he wouldn't have to worry about not having light at night.
Su Yun almost had the urge to immediately go find the pine forest, but looking at the darkening sky and the things all over the yard, he suppressed the thought and focused on cleaning up the rest.
Next, Su Yun cleared out a bamboo sofa bed. After cleaning it with well water, the bamboo shone with a beautiful sheen.
It's a bit chilly to lie on now, so let's put a blanket down as a mat first. The bamboo bed will be cool in the summer. With this sofa in the hall, Yefeng can also lie down and rest, since he is still very weak.
In addition, Su Yun cleared out a chair, otherwise it wouldn't be good to always sit on the steps at the door. As for the recliner, Ye Feng seemed to really like it, so it would be his special seat from now on.
Then Su Yun began to clean the tools in the storage room. There were all kinds of farm tools, big and small, and they were basically still in good condition. After cleaning them and sharpening them, they were all usable again.
Su Yun also found a water pipe inside, thinking that once Ye Feng was feeling better, she would connect the water pipe directly to the well, so that one person could pump water and the other could wash the furniture.
Next came a pile of bottles, jars, pots, and pans. After tidying up for an entire afternoon, they had only managed to clean up a small section, leaving Su Yun with a sore back.
As the sky gradually darkened, Su Yun rubbed her aching back, got up and began preparing dinner. She picked up a bucket of water, turned around and went to the backyard, where she began to pick vegetables.
In early spring, mustard greens are at their tenderest and most delicious. You can pick off the outer leaves and boil them first, and then eat them again once the inner leaves have grown back. They can grow almost continuously, making it a sustainable crop!
After picking about a small handful of mustard green leaves, Su Yun picked up a bucket of water and watered the vegetable garden. Looking at the greener leaves after being watered, Su Yun was very happy. Picking and watering at the same time makes it easier to continue sustainable development.
After washing the mustard greens in a basin, Su Yun lit a fire, added water, and heated the last half pot of rat meat. Once the water boiled, she poured the fresh mustard greens into the broth. The tender greens absorbed the excess oil, making the soup less greasy and more refreshing.
This is the season when mustard greens are at their tenderest. Su Yun picked up a mustard green; it was crisp, tender, and sweet, with a slightly bitter mustard flavor that brought a lingering sweetness. It was truly delicious.
Su Yun hurriedly called Ye Feng over to eat, "Ye Feng, dinner's ready!"
He seemed to be sleeping, but the little ear that moved with the sounds of cooking pots and pans had already given him away.
As soon as Su Yun called for dinner.
The night breeze, like a little spring, bounced up from my seat. I picked up my bowl and chopsticks, sat down, and waited for dinner to be served.
Watching the night breeze, I saw a figure eagerly awaiting dinner.
Su Yun thought for a moment.
He placed the snake soup, which he had steamed that afternoon and kept warm on the stove, in front of Ye Feng and instructed, "You eat this snake first."
Aren't you going to eat?
"No, no, this is all. I'll save it for you to make up for it."
Ye Feng's expression was somewhat strange. He looked up at her twice but didn't say anything. He just let out a soft "Oh—" and started eating the snake soup.
Eating snakes is out of the question; it's absolutely impossible for me in this lifetime.
Su Yun naturally didn't dare to touch a single bite.
Instead, he picked up the bowl and took a sip of the hot mustard green and pork soup.
"Wow, this is delicious!"
The bitterness of the mustard greens perfectly counteracts the greasiness of the meat, and a sip of the drink is refreshingly sweet and leaves a lingering aftertaste.
After a bowl of warm soup, Su Yun felt all the fatigue and hunger of the day disappear.
She glanced at Ye Feng again and saw that he had obediently finished the bowl of snake soup, his eyes bright.
"Would you like some soup?" Su Yun asked.
"Um."
Su Yun also served Ye Feng a bowl of soup.
Ye Feng's eyes were bright. He imitated her, picked up the bowl, and sipped the hot soup slowly.
Although he didn't say anything and seemed expressionless at first glance, upon closer inspection, his furry ears stood up high, his eyes were bright, and he couldn't hide his joy.
Looking at his appearance, Su Yun suddenly thought of something and asked curiously, "Have you ever eaten green vegetables before?"
Hearing her sudden question, Ye Feng was taken aback at first, then tilted his head in confusion: "Vegetables?"
Seeing the question in his eyes, Su Yun pointed her chopsticks at the vegetables in the pot.
"So this is called green vegetables? I've eaten a lot of grass when I was starving before. Some were okay, but some were really hard to eat... But this is the first time I've ever eaten grass that tastes this good..."
So that's how it is. Su Yun looked at Ye Feng's excessively thin body again and realized that finding food in this apocalyptic world where food is scarce must be quite difficult.
"That one yesterday was also delicious..." Ye Feng added.
Su Yun looked up at him and saw that he looked thoughtful, as if he was thinking about the delicious meal yesterday. His eyes were bright and his ears were twitching, just like a cute little kitten begging for food.
"Really? Then let's go pick some more tomorrow?" Su Yun was influenced by his happy mood, and her mood also became relaxed. She said with a smile.
"Okay." Night Breeze nodded in agreement quickly.
After finishing dinner, Su Yun started boiling water again to prepare for a bath. After yesterday's wound treatment, when Su Yun started calling out to Ye Feng, he had already consciously sat down on the rock.
Although he didn't say anything, judging from the way he sat on the rock and swished his tail, it seems he's quite enthusiastic about taking a bath.
It's rare to see a cat that loves taking baths.
Su Yun quietly drew a conclusion in her mind, while the little voice inside her covered her mouth and chuckled.
After preparing the hot water, I used a hot towel to carefully clean the dirt from my chest, trying to avoid getting the wound wet, while also cleaning away any excess or old herbs.
Then he began to clean the fur on his back. Su Yun looked at the tangled fur and found a comb to brush the fur on his back. After brushing the fur, the fur began to become clean.
After washing with shower gel, my skin became soft and smooth.
As she washed the lower half of the towel, Su Yun handed it to Ye Feng, as usual.
After the night breeze had cleaned him up, Su Yun handed him the cleaned herbs and told him to go back to his room, crush them, and apply them as medicine.
She then took a shower, and after she finished showering, she returned to her room to rest.
As darkness fell, the night gradually enveloped the entire courtyard. The darkness was utterly silent, save for the sound of her breathing in the night breeze.
Perhaps because she had just taken a shower and was still somewhat awake, she thought about her plans for tomorrow, then turned her head to look at the silhouette of the night wind in the darkness and asked softly, "Are there many zombies around here?"
"Zombies?" Night Wind heard her frightened voice in the darkness and softened his tone.
"It's one of those monsters that people who got infected turned into. I want to go out and find something to eat tomorrow."
Night Breeze gently shook his head, quickly realizing she couldn't see in the darkness, and replied, "There don't seem to be any zombies around here. I only encountered that rat when I got here, nothing else. It should be alright..."
Suddenly he remembered her petite figure and soft hands, and he quickly added, "But it's early spring now, and there might be foxes, rats, and especially mutated animals that are not easy to mess with in the mountains. I'll go with you..."
"But your injuries haven't healed yet..." Su Yun said worriedly, thinking of the still shocking wounds.
"It's alright, let's go together." Night Wind said firmly.
Su Yun thought for a moment, then her heart suddenly warmed, and she replied blankly, "Okay."
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