Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Just to see more of these expressions, she’d never buy it one! Absolutely not because she had no money (whispers).

Getting nowhere, Yuan Gun Gun flopped down in resignation. Sigh, with such a shameless owner, what could a little iron-eating beast do?

Desires are endless, and shameless owners will never satisfy them. It didn’t want to try anymore!

“Why are you so funny?”

Mu Ying carefully petted it from head to toe, then came to a conclusion: “Gun Gun, you’ve gotten chubbier again!”

This isn’t fat—it’s a strong body! Yuan Gun Gun continued to look hopeless.

“Good boy. Even though you don’t have a storage basket, this pouch can still hold some of your favorite snacks. But the space isn’t very big, so we’ll have to use it sparingly.”

Mu Ying only planned to use the pouch to carry a few important items, like her piercing spear.

She could also stash a few of Gun Gun’s favorite black breads inside. If they ever ran into trouble, it could be emergency rations—or even used as a weapon.

With this, she wouldn’t need to use the old ox to carry things on long trips anymore. After all, plowing was its real job, and hauling cargo was a bit much for it—she’d only done it out of necessity before.

Besides, it was too slow; in the forest, Mu Ying herself was faster.

And now, with all the pre-apocalypse food spoiled and a looming food crisis, she worried that if she took the ox out, someone might slaughter it for meat if she wasn’t careful."

"Night was beginning to loosen its grip, but the steady, relentless rain showed no sign of stopping.

At Qingshan Camp, no matter how much money they had, everyone tried their best to share a treehouse with others.

If that wasn’t possible, they’d buy a tent from Oak Tree General Store and set it up under the treehouse, squeezing into whatever dry patch they could find just to get by.

On days like this, hardly anyone insisted on going out to hunt zombies. Most people stayed indoors, hoping the rain would pass soon.

Except for Mu Ying, who, rain or shine, always got up early to cultivate her skills.

But today, people noticed that the figure who usually stood motionless in front of the tree was now squatting in the rain, busy with something.

Nie Ying, curious about the scene, came over to take a look. She saw Mu Ying marking out a neat square patch with dead branches and loosening the soil with a small hoe.

“What are you doing?” she asked, puzzled.

“Planting vegetables! This rain seems to be really good for plants. Even the trees in the camp have gotten thicker, so the veggies should grow faster too!”

Mu Ying had brought along all the leftover vegetable seeds from yesterday. She’d already planted some of each kind in her own garden, so she figured she might as well plant the extras here in the camp and let them soak up the rain.

Nie Ying glanced suspiciously at the surrounding trees. “They do look a bit thicker. Is it really because of the rain? But aren’t you worried that if you plant here, others will just take your veggies?”

“They’re meant for everyone to pick anyway. It’s also part of my professional training, and it can help ease the food shortage for everyone.

Look, I’ve still got a whole bag of seeds here. I got them from the southern suburbs not long ago. If we plant them all and take good care of them, it should be enough to feed quite a few people.”

“Huh? We can pick them too?” Nie Ying looked both surprised and delighted.

“Of course! You can see with your own eyes how much thicker the trees have gotten. The crops should grow even faster—maybe we’ll have the first batch of veggies in just a few days.”

Mu Ying didn’t sound completely certain, but she knew in her heart it was true—her own vegetable garden was proof.

Even if those vegetables had already been half-grown, the rain had made them ripen so quickly. The rain really made a huge difference.

In times like these, there was still someone as kind and innocent as Mu Ying! Nie Ying worried that her kindness would be taken advantage of. Well, she couldn’t let Mu Ying suffer for it!

“Wait here, I’ll get Jingjing to help too. We can’t just take advantage of you.”

Without waiting for Mu Ying’s reply, Nie Ying dashed off in a few big strides.

Mu Ying shook her head with a smile. It was nice to have someone appreciate her gesture.

She wasn’t some self-sacrificing saint, but when she had more than enough for herself, watching others worry about food didn’t make her happy either.

Besides, she really did have plenty to spare. The vegetables in her garden were more than enough for her, and she couldn’t plant any more in her own plot.

Bringing out these seeds meant the rainwater wouldn’t go to waste.

And it wasn’t like she got nothing out of it—this was also part of her training, and she’d gain professional experience. Once the vegetables matured, she could even harvest more mutated seeds from them.

A moment later, Nie Ying returned not just with Zheng Jing, but with seven or eight other women and two children. One of the kids looked familiar to Mu Ying—it was Dong Xiaogang.

“What’s all this?” Mu Ying stared at them in surprise.

Nie Ying scratched her head sheepishly. “When I went to get Jingjing, everyone overheard and wanted to help too. They’re all my teammates.”

“Sis Mu, I’m the team’s scout now, I’m really good! I’ll help you dig!” Dong Xiaogang waved a wooden stick in his hand.

“Great!” Mu Ying was genuinely happy now. She quickly took out some seeds, used her druid skills to sprout them, and handed them out.

Although Nie Ying’s team was made up of women and children, they were all capable and quickly divided up the work.

Soon, the group was bustling in the rain, chatting and laughing as they worked.

The lively scene soon attracted others. Some came to ask questions, some joined in, and word spread quickly—before long, more than half the camp was helping out.

“Even though Mu Ying is ranked number one, she hadn’t even graduated high school before the apocalypse—she’s still just a kid. How can those of us in our twenties, thirties, or forties just stand by and watch her work alone?

Besides, these vegetables are for everyone. If you don’t help out, how can you have the nerve to pick them later?

I’d like to see who’s shameless enough to do that!”

A young woman squatting nearby muttered to her companion as she worked.

“Hey, do those seedlings look taller than before?” someone else said, staring at the first few plants they’d put in the ground.

That comment caught everyone’s attention.

“They really do!”

“This one too—I remember clearly, it’s grown two new leaves!”

“This rain really does make plants grow faster!”

The seedlings’ extraordinary growth speed completely fired up everyone’s enthusiasm for planting—these were future food, after all!

Mu Ying even taught them how to set up small seedbeds on their own treehouse platforms, handing out some mutated vegetable seeds that were especially filling.

With so many people, the work went quickly. In less than an hour, Mu Ying’s stockpile of seeds was nearly gone.

All around the treehouse area, little vegetable patches marked out with branches sprang up in every nook and cranny. The inch-tall seedlings stood tall and proud, enjoying the rain.

“I have to say, seeing these veggies makes me feel a lot more secure!”