Chapter 50: The Hard-to-Chew Fruit

So, unbeknownst to Song Yi and the others, a truly bizarre scene unfolded before their eyes.

Cautiously, they formed a tight circle, even the Tibetan mastiff Huanhuan trembling in fear. Yet, their leader, Yu Yan—who was supposed to be much more formidable than any of them—acted as if nothing was amiss, utterly oblivious to the danger lurking around them.

With a faint snort, she proceeded to climb the tree and began making a nest!

This was hardly the way to put on airs—wasn’t it absurd?

Zhao Kai’s expression grew dark. “You—”

“Shut up.”

Yu Yan had no patience for someone like Zhao Kai. Once she had prepared the group’s resting spot for the night, she turned to Sun Ruohua. “Do you trust me?”

Suppressing her surprise, Sun Ruohua replied, “You saved my husband’s life. If I can’t trust you, who else could I trust?”

“That’s good. Climb up the tree and sleep on the branch closest to my daughter. I’ll place your husband on the branch beside you. So long as you trust me, I guarantee you’ll have a peaceful and safe night.”

Sun Ruohua hesitated, but even if Yu Yan had told her to risk her life, she would have complied without complaint, given that Yu Yan had just saved her husband. Without hesitation, Sun Ruohua climbed the tree—after all, she often searched for useful plants in the wild.

Her tree-climbing skills were superb!

“Hey~”

Once she was up, Sun Ruohua even had the presence of mind to greet Yun Duo’er.

“Hello, Auntie Sun,” Yun Duo’er replied with a sweet smile. “Don’t worry, Auntie Sun. Since my mother says it’s safe here, it absolutely is.”

Sun Ruohua was at a loss for words, managing only an awkward yet polite smile.

Yun Duo’er pouted, sensing Sun Ruohua’s disbelief. Thinking it over, she took out some black crowberries and began to eat them. These were secretly gifted to her by Sun Ruohua. Though less rich in spiritual energy than the fruit her mother gave her, they tasted a bit like blueberries from the world before the replica descended.

Yun Duo’er loved blueberries. An idea began forming in her mind. Later, she’d ask her mother to have Auntie Sun find a few black crowberry bushes, then they could plant them in her mother’s magical little world. That way, whenever she wanted crowberries, she wouldn’t have to worry about not having any!

Sun Ruohua swallowed hard.

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These black crowberries had been painstakingly saved to stave off hunger.

Ever since being chased by the bomb ant swarm, she hadn’t had the chance to search for more food. More accurately, she hadn’t even had time to eat; her last meal had been a handful of wild grass roots hastily shoved into her mouth the previous night.

But since Yu Yan and her daughter had saved her husband, she felt obliged to show her gratitude. The most valuable thing she had left was this pouch of crowberries. Sun Ruohua clutched her stomach, worried an embarrassing sound might escape and make her benefactors laugh. Yu Yan, meanwhile, had already climbed the tree, holding her husband in one hand and the Tibetan mastiff Huanhuan in the other.

She handed Huanhuan to Sun Ruohua and settled Hu Jianming on the largest branch.

To prevent the unconscious Hu Jianming from falling, Yu Yan quickly wrapped the branch several times with a rescue rope. The tree she had chosen was robust, and every branch was thick, so the rope and branch formed a perfect nest-like shape.

Even if Hu Jianming rolled over in his sleep, he wouldn’t fall.

Sun Ruohua watched with gratitude. “Thank you, Sister Yan.”

“You’re welcome,” Yu Yan replied with a smile. She wasn’t one for excessive benevolence; her attentive care for Sun Ruohua had its reasons.

Leading them here and chatting briefly along the way, Yu Yan quickly realized Sun Ruohua was indeed the person she’d heard about. Compared to her past life, Sun Ruohua seemed more gentle and compassionate this time.

Perhaps it was because her husband hadn’t died?

Yu Yan mused silently.

Had they not encountered her and Yun Duo’er, Hu Jianming would certainly have died this time.

From her observations, Sun Ruohua and Hu Jianming were deeply devoted to each other. Hu Jianming had risked himself to save his wife, feeding himself to the ant swarm. In fact, Hu Jianming could have survived, if not for Zhao Kai’s selfishness.

No wonder Sun Ruohua’s personality had changed so dramatically in her previous life.

“Sister Sun, you must be hungry.”

“The conditions here aren’t ideal, so take these to tide you over. Tomorrow morning, I’ll find something tastier for you.”

Yu Yan handed her a generous bunch of green, glowing fruits that looked anything but appetizing.

They appeared hard and difficult to chew, and their color didn’t inspire confidence. But since they were given by her benefactor… Sun Ruohua decided to ignore her botanist instincts.

She took the fruit, closed her eyes, and popped one into her mouth, biting down hard.

“…Eh?”

Sun Ruohua opened her eyes in surprise. It wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined—though the taste wasn’t particularly delicious, it wasn’t unbearable either. The strong grassy flavor was a bit overwhelming, and the fibers were tough to chew, but there was a faint hint of sweetness!

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Not eating would have been better.

Having run around all day on an empty stomach, Sun Ruohua couldn’t resist the sweet lure. One after another, she devoured the fruits Yu Yan gave her.

Soon, after finishing more than a dozen, she licked her lips, still craving more. Strangely, the unique fibrous texture became oddly addictive after prolonged chewing.

“Ptooey, ptooey!”

Song Yi put down Rong Xue’er, spitting out a mouthful of leaves that had gotten into his mouth while climbing.

Yu Yan’s chosen tree was perfect—sturdy, easy to climb, and its branches ideal for sleeping. The only downside was its tendency to shed leaves, and Song Yi had ended up with several fuzzy leaves in his mouth.

“Hey, little sister…”

Poor guy, he’d been hungry all day. Seeing Sun Ruohua eat Yu Yan’s fruit, his stomach growled thunderously.

Yu Yan couldn’t bear to look—a grown man staring at her like a puppy.

“Here.”

A few packets of bread and a 2.5-liter bottle of cola appeared before Song Yi. His eyes gleamed green. He snatched the bread and cola bottle, deftly unscrewing the cap with one hand, and alternated bites of bread with gulps of cola, finishing three large pieces in minutes!

Then he chugged down half the bottle of cola.

At last, he felt somewhat alive again!

Bread and cola—the low-budget happiness combo from the days before the replica world descended—felt like a memory from a previous life, after just a few short days.

Sun Ruohua stared.

She began to suspect that Yu Yan’s special attention to her was all an illusion.

The fruit she had been given was impossibly hard to chew and swallow, while Song Yi got bread and cola? Clearly, it was all in her imagination! Sister Yan hadn’t given her any special care; it was just wishful thinking.

Sun Ruohua licked her lips, tempted to ask Song Yi for some bread.

But oddly enough, as she moved closer to him, she caught a strange, indescribable odor wafting from the bread and cola. How to put it? It was edible, yes, but she couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t send her running to the bathroom!