Cultivating Land in the Wasteland

Wang Xiaosu is a Natural Mischief Maker

On the balcony, a massive frog with high hind legs sat on the railing. Its long and powerful tongue was stuck to the glass, seemingly considering Dong Yuqing as its prey. Each unsuccessful attempt led to the rapid retraction of its tongue, followed by another projectile strike.

"Bang!"

The outer layer of the double-layered glass shattered completely, while the inner layer appeared fragile.

Once again, screams emanated from the neighboring apartment.

Wang Xiaosu recalled the recent encounter with the gigantic rat, so she grabbed a broom and dashed to the balcony. She peered out and, as expected, her unfortunate cousin was once again targeted by something peculiar.

This time, it was a massive frog, and its lengthy tongue repeatedly struck the neighboring French windows.

The screams from next door continued, indicating that the colossal frog had not yet breached the defenses completely. Wang Xiaosu hurriedly grasped one end of the broom and reached out to the frog with the other, making chicken-like clucking noises, "Oh, shh! Oh, shh! Oh, shh-shh!"

The screams from the neighboring apartment faltered but resumed, sounding somewhat less energetic.

Wang Xiaosu thought, "Great, it looks like I arrived just in time to save my cousin from this ordeal."

As the apocalypse approached, there was no going back for the time being. She had to curry favor with her cousin to secure a better life here. So, she enthusiastically continued to chase away the giant frog, "Oh, shh—"

Suddenly, everything fell silent in the neighboring apartment.

The large frog glanced at Wang Xiaosu, feeling a bit itchy from the broom bristles on its body. Annoyed, it moved aside slightly and prepared for another attack.

Wang Xiaosu, on the other hand, was no longer in a good mood. After tending to livestock for such a long time, this was the first time she had encountered such a disrespectful... animal. It was embarrassing for her, accustomed to rural life. She raised a piece of rain flower stone from a flowerpot and aimed it at the frog.

Ever since she had crushed the skull of a large rat with the rain flower stone, it seemed to have acquired a menacing aura. The frog no longer shot out its tongue but hastily leaped downstairs.

Wang Xiaosu peered out and watched the frog jump into the thick fog below, croaking as it disappeared into the distance. She exclaimed, "Wow, it didn't even die! City animals are tougher than those in the countryside!"

Inside the house, Dong Yuqing...

She was on the verge of tears, but they wouldn't come. The shrill screams she had nearly choked on earlier and the tears now clinging to the corners of her eyes seemed out of place amidst Wang Xiaosu's casual manner, which resembled swatting flies.

Wang Xiaosu said, "Cousin, are you okay? You've had quite the bad luck!"

A knife seemed to pierce Dong Yuqing's heart. She couldn't stand up now, and her voice had grown hoarse from the previous screams.

Wang Xiaosu was naturally outgoing and didn't feel awkward in the absence of a response. Instead, she continued to shout with her hoarse voice, "Cousin, if you can't come over, I'll come to you!"

Hearing that Wang Xiaosu was coming over, Dong Yuqing's panicked heartbeat finally calmed down, and her limbs gradually regained strength. She stood up unsteadily, unlocked the front door, and waited for Wang Xiaosu, who had yet to arrive.

Alone in the house, Dong Yuqing couldn't sit still. She anxiously looked through the storage cabinets for supplies.

The bag of rice in the kitchen was purchased just yesterday. Normally, the family bought a 15-kilogram bag of rice and replenished it from a nearby supermarket when it was running low. However, as Wang Xiaosu lived in the mountains, it was inconvenient for her to buy rice in town. Instead, she had the habit of stockpiling rice.

Yesterday, when Wang Xiaosu went to the supermarket for household items, she bought six 25-kilogram bags of rice directly. The expression on her face was as if it were entirely natural to stockpile rice at home.

Dong Yuqing now realized how wrong she had been. She wished she could go back in time to buy dozens of bags of rice. Currently, the family only had a little over a hundred pounds of rice left, which seemed like a lot before but was now far from enough.

They had a good variety of seasonings, but when she opened the refrigerator, she found that there were hardly any vegetables. There was a plate of sausages, but only six or seven slices remained. In addition, there were some face masks, two bottles of yogurt, and a can of beer her father liked to drink.

Opening the lower compartment of the refrigerator, she found it filled to the brim with ice cream...

Dong Yuqing couldn't help but think of the strange creatures that had suddenly appeared outside. She had no idea when they would be able to obtain food, and tears almost welled up in her eyes at the thought.

Suddenly, there was movement on the balcony again. Dong Yuqing's blood ran cold as she watched. A familiar figure appeared, carrying a box in one hand and effortlessly crossing over the balcony from the other side, then jumping down from the railing, pushing open the French windows, and walking in.

Dong Yuqing's heart eased, but her knees went weak, and she knelt to the ground with a thud.

Wang Xiaosu was startled, and with her free hand, she bent down to help, saying awkwardly, "Cousin, don't do this, you're making me uncomfortable. Just call me by my name."

Dong Yuqing...

Wang Xiaosu turned to look at the balcony, estimating the distance. She waved her hand dismissively and said, "You city folks are delicate. You can't climb this or that. Your hands and feet are all spoiled. Unlike us country folks, climbing cliffs barehanded is a common thing for us when we take shortcuts home."

Dong Yuqing...

In her cousin's words, which were tinged with sarcasm, Wang Xiaosu always spoke straightforwardly. She didn't understand the art of subtlety or the ability to insinuate. According to Dong Yuqing's older sister, who was Wang Xiaosu's sister-in-law, Wang Xiaosu was straightforward to the point where she didn't even realize when she insulted herself.

In summary, Wang Xiaosu was warm and straightforward, but that didn't mean she lacked a peculiar sense of humor.