Chapter 36: The Test Field

An Nan didn’t pay much attention to her words and waved her hand. “Go back and take your medicine.”

Chu Peipei nodded gratefully, picked up her things, and left with weak, faltering steps.

Watching her leave, An Nan couldn’t help but wonder: If, in her previous life, she had really believed that note and been more cautious with the siblings, would things have turned out differently?

She thought about it, then shook her head, closed the door, and went back inside.

The past life was over. All she needed to do now was cherish the happiness she had in this one.

Everything was different now.

She hoped that this time, with the medicine she’d given her, Chu Peipei could have a different ending and live well.

An Nan returned home, did a round of Baduanjin exercises, and then went to the kitchen to cook herself a bowl of hot wonton soup.

The wontons were plump with thin skins, the broth was delicious, and she sprinkled some seaweed and dried shrimp on top.

With a dash of chili oil and vinegar, the aroma was simply irresistible.

After breakfast, she took Fugui and slipped into her space.

When she’d gotten the medicine for Chu Peipei earlier, she suddenly thought—maybe the lawn in the manor could be put to better use?

As soon as Fugui entered the space, he ran to the spring and gulped down water. An Nan, meanwhile, took out a shovel and marked out a planting area on the left side of the lawn.

Most of the medicine she’d bought from the pharmacy was Western, with only a small amount of Chinese patent medicine.

Later, she’d managed to get some Chinese herbs from the pharmaceutical factory, but not much.

Recently, she’d been studying health preservation, and the deeper she delved, the more she trusted the profound wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine.

An Nan thought, if she could open up a medicinal herb field in the manor and successfully grow Chinese herbs, she could achieve self-sufficiency in herbal medicine.

Many medicinal herbs weren’t just for treating illness—they could also nourish and regulate the body.

Any surplus could be sold to others.

In the future, as disasters kept coming, medicine would become increasingly precious. The drugs she had were nearly irreplaceable, but if she could grow her own, she’d have a continuous supply.

The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Full of motivation, An Nan finished marking out the planting area and started weeding and turning the soil. She’d never done farm work before, so her hands were clumsy and awkward at first.

But she was smart and quick to learn, and soon she got the hang of it.

For her first attempt at planting, she only marked out a 300-square-meter test field. If it went well, she could expand it later.

An Nan was full of energy, but before she could finish turning the soil, she and the dog were kicked out of the space.

...

Why did an hour always pass so quickly!

You can’t get fat with one bite—An Nan calmed herself. Take it slow!

Anyway, even if she couldn’t go in herself, she could still use her consciousness to control tools and keep working in the manor.

She turned around and saw Fugui, who’d also been kicked out, and found his belly was bulging from all the water he’d drunk.

An Nan picked him up. “Silly dog, why do you drink so much water every time you go in?”

Fugui looked dazed as usual. Having learned from last time, An Nan didn’t worry—she just put him in his dog bed to let him recover.

She herself took out her tablet, searched for tutorials, and started planning which herb to plant first.

After considering her options, she decided on isatis root (banlangen).

First, among the seeds she’d found in the building, there happened to be isatis root seeds.

Second, after the flood receded in her previous life, there was a period of extreme heat, and several small epidemics broke out. Isatis root was just the right remedy for those.

Isatis root is bitter and cold in nature, with heat-clearing and detoxifying properties. It’s great for treating epidemic toxins, fever, and sore throat.

In her last life, it took two bags of rice just to trade for half a box of isatis root granules.

Because her family had no medicine, An Nan suffered terribly—she had a fever for a whole week, her whole body ached, she had diarrhea and vomiting, and nearly died from it.

Luckily, she was young and healthy, and managed to pull through.

But many people who weren’t as strong weren’t so lucky. Many who had survived the flood and the heat ended up dying from the epidemic.

Isatis root takes about six months to mature, which should be just in time.

No sooner said than done. For the next few days, An Nan was busy every day in her space, working on her planting. Fugui followed her in each time—just to drink water.

Yes, just to drink water.

An Nan was helpless. She couldn’t understand what was so good about the spring water that Fugui drank it like an alcoholic.

She’d sniffed it carefully and didn’t find anything special—just the smell of ordinary raw water. She hadn’t tested the water quality, so she definitely wouldn’t drink it herself.

But she couldn’t stop the dog. Every time he went in, he’d head straight for the spring and drink his fill.

If she didn’t bring him in, he’d howl outside until he was hoarse. When An Nan came out and saw him with a sore throat, she’d soften and bring him in again.

Since he never seemed to have any problems from drinking it, she stopped worrying.

She’d read online that dogs naturally know what’s good or bad for them. If they get skin diseases or are poisoned, they’ll even look for herbs to eat.

Maybe there was some mineral in the water that attracted him? The space shouldn’t produce anything harmful, anyway.

If you can’t control the kid, just let him be. She let him drink his fill every day, happy as could be.

She herself focused on studying medicinal herb cultivation, learning as she went.

Unlike An Nan, who was working hard at home, the atmosphere in the neighborhood was growing more and more tense.

Looting and violence had become the norm. Unlike before, now there were more and more cries from women.

As hunger grew, people began to realize that women were at an absolute disadvantage.

Since ancient times, women had been less strong than men, with a natural disadvantage in terms of physical strength.

In recent years, as society developed, brute force was rarely needed to obtain resources. More thoughtful women gradually gained more status in society.

But with disaster striking and society falling into chaos, people reverted to primitive ways of interacting.

The strong took more food and resources, while the weak went hungry and suffered abuse.

Every night, An Nan could hear women screaming and crying outside. She ignored it, put in her earplugs, and went back to sleep.

Having survived four years of the apocalypse, she knew better than anyone what was happening out there.

But she wasn’t some heroine who could right wrongs, nor a savior with powers beyond reach.

Saving others would only put herself in danger. There was evil in every corner of this world. An Nan was just another survivor struggling in the apocalypse.

Not all men had absolute strength, and not all women were willing to be oppressed.

Survival of the fittest.

A week passed like this. One day, just after An Nan came out of her space and lay down to rest, she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

She went to the hallway, looked through the peephole, and saw that it was Bai Wenbin and Qian Yinger."