Perhaps it was because he absorbed too much information in one day, which drained his mental energy, or perhaps it was because the room was no longer just his solitary self, and there was a bit more of a lively atmosphere.
That night, Cheng Ye slept particularly peacefully and soundly.
Since crossing over to the Wasteland, it was the first time he felt truly rested.
Only.
"Why is it only seven thirty?"
Cheng Ye sat up, took several deep breaths, and quickly expelled the stuffiness from his chest.
Upon first arriving in the Wasteland World, his original body was weak.
He was not only inferior compared to his peers in the Wasteland, but even compared to modern people who ate takeout every day and lacked exercise, he was far behind.
Now, after two months, he slept only five hours last night, yet felt rejuvenated.
This positive change made him involuntarily happy.
"You awake?"
As Cheng Ye got up and walked out of the bedroom, Luo Xiaoxue was also an early riser, watering the plants with a kettle, and greeted him when she saw him.
The Inspectors' houses assigned by the chemical plant mostly had common two-bedroom, one living room layouts, but people in the Wasteland World no longer needed to cook, so kitchens were mostly converted into multifunctional rooms.
For example, Liu Bi's kitchen was turned into a small vegetable garden.
"Cheng Ye Ko-ko, you're awake, come on, come on!"
Hearing Cheng Ye wake up, Liu Yi quickly trotted over from the living room.
The Buffer Zone of Happiness City, although more orderly than other parts of the Wasteland, was still not extravagant enough to build schools.
Liu Bi and his wife naturally couldn't bear to send their five-year-old daughter to a private academy just for schooling.
Therefore, since birth until now, Liu Yi's activity range was no further than the whole chemical plant's residential community, and she was mostly in contact with adults roughly Liu Bi's age.
Cheng Ye was considered the first young person she connected with closely.
Children naturally lack vigilance, and since Luo Xiaoxue didn't stop her from getting close to Cheng Ye.
After one night, Liu Yi became quite familiar with the newly-acquainted "Ko-ko," now raising her blushing little face, tugging at Cheng Ye's sleeve, and pulling him to the living room to show off her little garden.
"This is napa cabbage, this is baby cabbage, this is round cabbage, this is chubby cabbage..."
The living room had several flowerpots with some slightly wilted cabbages.
Based on their size and shape, Liu Yi enthusiastically introduced them, classifying them into different types.
Cheng Ye squatted down and fiddled with the cabbage leaves, curiously asking, "Oh, Yiyi doesn't like growing other vegetables?"
"I do, but Dad only brought back cabbage seeds!"
"How about the next time Brother goes on a mission, I'll bring you some different seeds when I return?"
"Okay, okay, thank you, Cheng Ye Ko-ko!"
Mentioning other vegetables made Liu Yi's eyes light up, like a little furry creature finding the traces of prey.
Luo Xiaoxue, who was tidying up the garden, heard this and couldn't help shaking her head and shouting,
"Cheng Ye, don't spoil her, our area around Happiness City can't grow vegetables at all."
"Can't grow?"
"Go wash up first, the water is ready for you, you'll understand what I mean later."
"Alright."
Cheng Ye agreed and turned towards the washroom.
Possibly because the water pipes in the suburb were newer, the water flowing from the tap was a light white color, without the pungent chlorinated smell of the Center City's tap water.
After washing his face and coming out, Luo Xiaoxue was already in the corner of the living room using a simple electric stove to boil water, with three plucked round cabbages beside her.
"Sister Luo, I'm fine with just drinking Nutrient Paste, no need to cook vegetables for me?"
How precious were vegetables in Happiness City?
At least in the original owner's memory, Cheng Ye didn't find anything. It seemed everyone started drinking Nutrient Paste from birth.
This included the residents of the Inner City; no one ate vegetables, even on holidays they just had a few slices of synthetic meat or crammed a piece of farmed chicken in a sandwich for celebration.
"You misunderstood, these things aren't actually valuable, just rare around here."
"Don't rush..." Luo Xiaoxue said as she tore the round cabbage and put it into boiling water.
After ten seconds of blanching, she fished them out with chopsticks one by one.
"Want to try?"
"Well, I'll really eat then."
Having already stayed at her house, what's this meal?
Besides, after drinking Nutrient Paste for over two months, his mouth was bland like birds', just thinking about the sweet taste of cabbage made Cheng Ye's Adam's apple involuntarily move up and down, and he picked up a chopstick of cabbage into his mouth.
But after chewing twice, his expression changed.
Initially surprised, then frowned, finally falling into contemplation.
"How is it... tasteless?"
Describing it as chewing wood might be an exaggeration, but the real texture might be worse than wood.
Like wood shavings tumbling in the mouth, not to mention the taste of cabbage, the tip of the tongue can't even find a trace of taste stimulation.
"Looks like you've tasted normal vegetables in the Inner City, Cheng Long has invested a lot in you, this thing is precious when transported to our Happiness City, requires Contribution Points for exchange, plus there are quota limits."
Turning off the electric stove, Luo Xiaoxue said with a smile, "That's why I said we can't grow vegetables here. No matter if it's cabbage, celery, lettuce... if it grows in the soil, it ends up tasting like this."
"This?"
Cheng Ye set down his bowl and chopsticks, his brows frowning into the character 'Chuan'.
Earlier, for survival, he had no mind for these matters, as long as there was something to eat to stay alive.
Understanding the Infected Body also started after being transferred to the North and South stations.
Where would he find the time to understand why no one ate vegetables, but instead drank Nutrient Paste?
"Could it be because of the Extraordinary?"
"You're right." Luo Xiaoxue replied, with some sadness, "It's not just us in Chuan City, three-quarters of Stone Province's land has been polluted by a powerful Extraordinary, all plants lose their characteristics during growth, maybe today it's the texture, tomorrow it might be the taste, the day after even the nutritional value might be gone, in short, the longer they grow, the more characteristics they lose."
"Then what about transporting new soil from unpolluted areas?"
Cheng Ye blurted out.
If it's just about taste, it doesn't matter, there are plenty of seasoning techniques.
A spoonful of evaporated milk, and whatever's cooked will have a fresh sweet flavor.
But if it loses its nutritional value, seasoning means nothing, because eating it could harm the body, better to drink the cheaper Nutrient Paste.
"It's useless." Luo Xiaoxue shook her head, "That Extraordinary has long fallen, but the infection source he turned into remains permanently in a certain spot in Stone Province, still eroding the land. New soil brought in gets assimilated within days, not just soil, even stones 'get sick'."
"However, what you just ate has only lost its taste, it's still beneficial to the body."
"Is it?"
Cheng Ye asked back, still contemplating this shocking news as he left the chemical plant community.
If anything planted in soil gets affected, doesn't that mean not only vegetables but also cereal crops are affected?
"I previously thought of establishing a small place outside the city for growing vegetables once settled, but now, it's like that possibility was killed right at the source."
"Not quite right, if Happiness City's trade channels encounter issues, and raw materials for Nutrient Paste can't be imported, wouldn't that mean famine within the city?"
Aside from natural disasters, it seems there are greater threats looming over the heads of all residents in Happiness City.
One small trigger could ignite all these threats, instantly turning them into scythes of doom.
It's just that many people, like his previous self, are unwilling to find out, or even if they do, they are helpless.
"There must be much more about this world that I don't yet understand."
"Interesting."
Cheng Ye quickly walked towards the bus stop.
To ordinary people, soil pollution means losing the most critical production capability, they could only rely on the Shelter City\'s Nutrient Paste to sustain life.
But he was different, upon learning of the Extraordinary pollution, his first thought wasn't despair but opportunity.
If he could overcome the pollution, wouldn't grown vegetables and grains sell for exorbitant prices?
And at critical times, could he completely extract himself from the constraints of Happiness City?
"No rush to research this now, my time is limited, today I must finalize the weapon, and also finish reading all the books on the first shelf at the library."
...