Chapter 64
Waking up naturally after a long night''s sleep, Ste hadn''t even had her breakfast yet when Ang
knocked on her door, "Ste, what are you nning to do with your fish?"
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Ste responded nonchntly, "Thinking of making pickled fish, I''ll ask Katieter."
Room 1803 had received two portions, far too much for them to eat. They nned to take half the
fish to the department store''s farmers market, to exchange for some useful goods.
Ste wasn''t interested in the hustle and bustle of the market, "I n to take Cooper back to
Ivywood Estates, see if he can catch a rabbit or something."
The reservoir copse was too dangerous, and they didn''t want to exhaust Cody and Lukas any
further.
So, they knocked on the door of room 1801. Jasper agreed to go to the market, but only to give
Rosie some experience, and to expose her to the harsh world outside.
Poor Ang, she had to stay home to look after the house.
Just as they were about to leave, Katie came up to knock on the door, whispering to ask if they
were going to dig wild kudzu?
With the help of the people of the 18th floor, the Moore family had acquired a lot of supplies, but
who wouldin about having too many stuff?
This time they were fortunate, but it was unknown if they would be so lucky next time.
Old wild kudzu roots were as thick as tree roots; ten pounds of root might not even yield a pound of
flour. Digging them up was tiring enough, let alone figuring out how to grind and wash the flour.
The flour made from the roots was good for the skin, but its taste was akin to porridge and didn''t fill
the stomach at all.
Nobody on the 18th floor, who had plenty of food, wanted to participate in this unattractive project.
With no other choice, the Moore family had to do it themselves.
After breakfast, Ste took her dog and set off. Returning to the reservoir in the assault boat, they
landed and climbed towards another hill.
There was a dense bamboo forest on the other side of the mountain, which Ste had identally
discovered when she was observing with her binocrs a few days ago.
The bamboo produced shoots in winter,monly known as winter shoots, and it was now the
perfect season for them.
Climbing along the slope of the mountain, they came across arge bamboo forest, withrge
chunks of soil cracked and scattered by the winter shoots, some even poking their heads out.
Ste took out her binocrs, made sure that there was no one around, and then took out a hoe
from Arcadia, reminding the dog to keep a lookout.
Swing the hoe, dig, then shovel.
The shoots were very fresh, weighing about three to four pounds with the shell.
She kept digging. During this time, the dog was ying around, trying to help her dig with his paws.
"Go away, be careful, or I might chop off your paws."
Cooper didn''t listen and insisted on getting close to her.
Ste put on a stern face, "Cooper, I’m gonna kick your butt."
Only then did the dog behave, hanging his head low and going back to keep a lookout.
After a while, he slipped away. That was how he was, always busy, whether it was fighting, hunting,
or chasing chickens, he never had a moment of rest.
After about ten minutes, the dog came back with something bloody in his mouth. Good boy, a fat
wild rabbit had been bitten with several holes in it. He must have bitten down hard.
Ste washed the rabbit clean, shook off the water, and threw it into Arcadia, giving Cooper two wild
boar bones to gnaw on.
Ste was a hard worker, picking up the hoe and swinging it with all her might. Yes, she had taken
all the shoots in the entire bamboo forest.
Just thinking about the bamboo shoot dishes made her mouth water.
After a brief rest, Ste took out the electric saw and began to cut down mature bamboo. Soon, the
old bamboo fell in swathes.
Ste couldn''t exactly say why she needed the bamboo, but she always felt that it woulde in
handy in the future, perhaps for building houses or sheds.
As the extreme cold set in, all the grass and trees on the mountain would freeze to death, and it
wouldn''t be easy for them to grow back.
She cut down hundreds of bamboo stalks, and also dug up a dozen old bamboo roots, nning to
nt them in Arcadia when she had some spare time.
Not only bamboo, but she also pulled up wild grass, fruit seedlings, and various herbs from the
mountain.
Seeing that it was still early, she started logging again. There wasn''t enough time, so instead of
cutting off the branches, she threw the whole trees into Arcadia, where they could be used as
firewood once dried.
She cut down dozens of trees, and if it hadn''t been for nightfall, Ste would have wanted to keep
going. She was exhausted to the point of copse, but the feeling of Arcadia being full of everything
made her feel incredibly secure.
She picked up half a bundle of firewood to keep up appearances, and then drove the assault boat
back with the dog.
As soon as she reached the 18th floor, Rosie flung open the door and came running out, her face
full of pride, "Ste, I went to sell fish today."
Ste opened the door to let her in, "Did you sell the fish?"
"Yes, I sold 3 fish."
Ste praised, "Wow, our Rosie is so capable."
Rosie, digging her fingers into her palm, jumped up in joy, "My brother also praised me."
As Ste took off her wet clothes and changed, she found a cartoon for Rosie to watch. But she
noticed scratches on Rosie''s face, "What happened to your wound?"
Rosie looked a little hurt, "While I was eating candy, someone suddenly rushed over and tried to
take the candy from my mouth."
Ste frowned, "Your candy was stolen?"
"Yes, he took it out of my mouth." Rosie''s eyes filled with tears, "That person''s hands were so dirty,
and he smelled bad. He knocked me over."
As she spoke, she rubbed her bottom, "It hurts so bad."
"Where was your brother?"
"My brother was watching."
Ste was puzzled, "And then?"
"The guy stuffed the candy into his mouth, and my brother told me to take it back."
Rosie didn''t want to fight, but she didn''t want to make her brother angry either, so she tried to take
the candy back.
The boy wouldn''t give it back, and even raised his hand to hit Rosie. Rosie got angry and fought
back, easily beating him until he was bruised and swollen.
It was Rosie''s first time hitting someone. In the end, she dug the candy out of his mouth and handed
the saliva-covered candy to her brother. Jasper didn''t take it, but patted her on the head, "Rosie,
you did great. In the future, you need to protect your own things, and not let others bully you."
She sort of got it, but was also scared. She hadn''t expected her brother''s praise.
"Remember, I can''t protect you forever. If you don''t protect yourself, not only will your candy be
stolen, but all the good food will be taken away. Then you''ll end up like them, starving, dirty and
smelly, begging on the streets."
Even though those kids didn''t want to live like that, the end of the world was cruel.
Jasper told Rosie to look at the boy''s eyes. The beaten child''s eyes were red, as if he hated her.
Rosie didn''t understand. It was clearly him who had stolen her candy, which was wrong. Why didn''t
he admit his mistake and instead looked at her so fiercely?
"Rosie, when people are starving to death, there''s no right or wrong. They think they can beat you,
so they''ll try to steal from you." Jasper pulled his little sister away, patiently exining to her, "Do
you know why he was so mean to you?"
Rosie shook her head.
"It''s because you''re wearing new clothes and eating good food, without ever having to go hungry,
while he has nothing. That''s why he''s jealous and wants to take what''s yours."
"Jasper, are they all like this?"
Walking into the marketce, Rosie felt the weight of many such gazes, making her feel
unountably nervous.
"Most of them are," Jasper reassured her, "but you can protect yourself using the moves I''ve taught
you. Then no one will dare to bully you."