Chapter 67
Jasper, on the other hand, was likely grappling with the shadow of his past. His body involuntarily
stalled and, in a blink, Ste over toppled him. She pinned him down with her long legs and twisted
his arm with force.
Their bodies were entangled like a pretzel, but Ste clearly had the upper hand.
Jasper, however, found it amusing and, surprisingly, did not retaliate. "Not bad, you could defeat me
with your wild punches."
Ste, feeling a bit guilty for using underhanded tactics, awkwardly got up. "Sorry, didn''t mean to
scare you."
They continued to spar and after two hours, they were both soaked in sweat. Ste was flushed and
panting. She felt exhratingly exhausted.
Rosie, clutching her rag doll, came back with her stomach rumbling. “I’m hungry. What are we
having for dinner?”
Jasper looked at Ste and, oh great, was she supposed to cook again? She had ns to eat out
with Cooper in Arcadia. But Jasper had done so much for her, and she felt embarrassed to refuse.
As much as she didn''t want to cook, she suggested, "How about pies?"
Rosie, not wanting to be subjected to her brother’s notorious cooking, pped her hands in
excitement. "Yes, yes, your pies are the best!"
They had chicken pies for lunch, and for dinner, they had fried apple pies.
Ste went to change her clothes and then taught Jasper how to cook fried apple pies. She had to
admit, the pies smelled heavenly.
The crispy golden crust and the juicy filling were mouthwatering. Luckily, they were on the 18th floor,
and it was raining outside, otherwise, they might have attracted unwanted attention.
Rosie, with a greasy mouth, patted her belly and boasted, "Look, I have a baby now."
Jasper grimaced.
“Kids,” Ste thought, trying not tough. Looked like Jasper had to give Rosie another lesson on
biology.
After dinner, Jasper took the dishes from Ste. "I’ll handle the cleaning."
After helping Rosie with her homework, Ste bid them goodnight and headed home. Just as she
opened her door, she ran into Lukas. "Ste, join us for some pie?"
"No thanks, I just had dinner."
She ate too much when she saw the two enjoying their meal.
Lukas smirked mysteriously at room 1801. "Well, if you change your mind, juste over."
His peculiar gaze left Ste puzzled and slightly uneasy, probably because she had left them out of
their dinner ns, but Jasper hadn''t invited them over, and she didn''t want to overstep.
The pies were indeed delicious. She thought she could stock up on them next time.
In the following days, she stayed home, reading, exercising, and making clothes for her pets. The
baby rabbits had all survived and were growing heavier. Thergest one weighed about three
pounds – it was about time for ughter.
Snowy had given birth to a second litter, a whopping twelve babies. Unfortunately, their chances of
survival were slim due to the timing of their birth.
Katie had resumed her acupuncture treatment after a few days break. Her health had improved
significantly from the good food. She took out a bag filled with about three pounds of white powder
and was beaming. "Ste, this is wild kudzu powder. I brought it especially for you to try."
Ste hesitated to ept this precious gift. "Let''s discuss your situation first. If I can help, then I''ll
ept your gift."
Katie looked awkward. "You''re too straightforward, kid..." She was truly grateful, but she also knew
that the people on the 18th floor had connections to getting food supplies.
The Moore family had been digging up wild kudzu roots. Mikey had made a grinder that could grind
the chopped roots into a pulp, which they then washed to extract the kudzu powder. They estimated
they could produce more than a hundred pounds of powder.
If it weren''t for the apocalypse, this would’ve been a highly sought-after product, but now, filling their
bellies was the priority. The kudzu powder had many health benefits, but it wasn''t filling.
The Moore family was hoping the 18th floor could ept an exchange of kudzu powder for food.
Ste pondered. "What''s your exchange rate?"
"One pound for one pound, what do you think?"
Ste didn''t make any promises. "I''ll ask around for you."
Katie was unsure. "If that doesn''t work, I''m willing to exchange for broken rice."
It seemed like the Moore family had realistic expectations.
Would anyone be willing to exchange new rice for kudzu powder? Only wealthy women who had
sufficient food supplies would be interested in this deal.
After giving Katie an acupuncture treatment, Ste brewed some kudzu powder. The taste was
average, slightly sweet, and bitter, with an earthy smell.
Although it wasn''t particrly tasty, it had many health benefits. It was indeed a raremodity in
the post-apocalyptic world.
Ste didn''t hoard the three pounds of kudzu powder. Instead, she split it equally between the
neighbors in the 1801 and 1803 households and told them about the Moore family''s request.
None of them were interested.
Cody was stillmenting the loss of the fish in the reservoir, "It''s such a shame. Monkey came to us
later and wanted to order 2000 pounds of fish at once."
Lukas also felt regretful. "They must have a channel to sell to the rich, otherwise who would dare to
order such arge quantity at once? When they found out we had no more fish, they were so
disappointed and repeatedly reminded us to contact them if we get more."
The next day, Ste informed Katie that they agreed to exchange broken rice for kudzu powder, but
the quality had to be guaranteed. As the apocalypse progressed, people''s health would deteriorate,
and it would be good for recuperation.
Katie would overjoyed.
A few dayster, the Moore family had prepared a hundred pounds of wild kudzu powder and gave
Ste an extra five pounds as a token of appreciation for her help.
The Moore family waited in a secluded corner outside themunity with the kudzu powder. Ste,
on her rubber boat, loaded the kudzu powder and took Cooper out for a walk.
When they reached a deserted area, she stored the kudzu powder in Arcadia, reced it with an
equal amount of broken rice, walked her dog, and then returned.
The Moore family was still waiting. After seeing the broken rice they had got in exchange, they were
extremely happy.
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When Ste woke up from her afternoon nap, she noticed that the rain had subsided a lot. Instead
of feeling relieved, Ste furrowed her brows, anticipating the extreme cold that wasing.
As evening approached, the rain had turned into a drizzle, and the sky seemed to have brightened
a bit. For thest three months, countless had perished in this despairing flood, and now, it finally
seemed to be clearing up.
Looking at the sky, some cheered with excitement while others wept uncontrobly. Everyone was
yearning for this damn natural disaster to end.
How they wished it was all just a nightmare and that they’d wake up to the bustling prosperity of the
old times, with all their family and friends still around.
Cody felt happy as well, butpared to others, his happiness was tinged with a certain heaviness.
"Ste, do you think it''s really over?" He asked.
They were overjoyed when the hurricane ended, only to be hit by a flood immediately after. The rain
had stopped, but what was waiting for them next?
"Who knows," Ste replied, her expression gloomy. She rubbed her arm, adding, "Does it feel a bit
chilly to you? It''s winter already. I hope it''s not going to turn the south into something like
Antarctica."
"Knock on wood, Ste. Don’t jinx it," Cody rebuked.