Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Rope Grass
Zhang Yiwen circled the giant radish and said to the delighted Song Yufang, "If even radishes can genetically mutate, don’t you think we might one day, too?"
Song Yufang had considered this before, but she hadn’t seen it happen to anyone around them. Therefore, she believed that by living sanitarily, humans could definitely avoid such an occurrence.
Song Yufang said, "What nonsense. Go help your father with the firewood."
Zhang Yiwen pouted. "But it’s not time for lunch yet."
"We have to do it *before* lunch. This is our family’s private stash of firewood. No one else can use it."
"Do you want to eat instant noodles or not? If you do, then hurry up and help."
Zhang Yiwen had no choice but to go. When he reached Zhang Aihua, he stressed, "I have to get my instant noodles today. I absolutely *must* have them!"
Zhang Aihua chuckled softly. "Fine, you’ll get your noodles. We’ll add some fish, radish, and seaweed to them. It’ll be nutritious and hearty."
Zhang Yiwen’s mouth watered just thinking about it.
He hadn’t eaten anything spicy or heavily flavored in so long.
’It would be amazing if some chili pepper seeds managed to survive the ice and snow.’
Zhang Yiwen glanced at the snowy landscape behind them. ’If I really looked hard,’ he thought, ’I might just find something else out there.’
’If only I could be like Jiang Si and Qin Shen and get a monkey that would obey my commands.’
’Or even catching a moose for its meat would be great.’
’Failing that, even finding a wild pheasant or rabbit would do.’
The more Zhang Yiwen thought about it, the bolder he became. He was so sick of fish soup he could puke, but he still forced down two large bowls for the energy.
He wanted an adventure, but he wasn’t some arrogant brat stupid enough to face the dangers alone.
So, he set his sights on Brother Qiu.
Brother Qiu had already been planning to search the area for houses buried in the snow, hoping to dig out some useful supplies.
Zhang Yiwen pestered him relentlessly, so Brother Qiu agreed to take him along.
Before they set out, Brother Qiu made a point of checking if his gun was loaded.
Bullets were precious, and they were all reluctant to use them casually now.
So, they had used available materials to make some crossbows and regular bows.
Zhang Yiwen had one too, and he thought it looked pretty cool in his hands.
On top of that, he had a small, delicate-looking pistol that Zhang Aihua had given him specifically for self-defense.
It came with a total of ten bullets.
He hadn’t used a single one yet.
The two of them walked north for a while. As they moved away from the vicinity of the hot spring, the temperature dropped instantly.
Luckily, they were wearing their Vulture-brand down jackets and weren’t bothered by the cold. In fact, they were starting to sweat a little from the exertion.
Zhang Yiwen grumbled, "If Vulture down jackets had existed before the apocalypse, they would’ve easily been the best in the world."
Brother Qiu laughed. "You’re right, they’d be number one. I’d probably have gone into the down jacket business with you."
As they spoke, the snow underfoot gradually deepened until it was up to their thighs.
It became difficult for Zhang Yiwen to walk.
Brother Qiu said, "Let’s head back. We can’t keep going. Any deeper and we’ll both get buried."
Zhang Yiwen was wearing goggles, so his field of vision was clearer and wider than Brother Qiu’s.
Suddenly, he spotted a patch of green in the snow.
It was tiny, just a little tip poking out, with a snowflake resting on it.
Zhang Yiwen was incredibly excited. "I found some grass! There’s grass!"
In this world of extreme cold, green grass was a precious commodity.
For example, the chickens and ducks from Jiang Si and Qin Shen could eat fresh grass now, not just little fish.
If they planted it, having a patch of green to look at would also help relieve the strain on their eyes from the endless snow.
As Zhang Yiwen shouted, Brother Qiu furrowed his brow. "Are you sure? Maybe you’re mistaken. It’s probably just a piece of green plastic."
Zhang Yiwen stared at it carefully for a few more moments, then said with absolute certainty, "I’m not mistaken. It’s a blade of grass! We have to go dig it up, study it, and grow a huge green pasture! Let’s replace this white with green!"
In an instant, Zhang Yiwen had planned out the entire future of this little blade of grass.
Brother Qiu sighed. "How much farther is it? Point it out."
Zhang Yiwen pointed. It was about ten meters away.
There was no telling if they’d fall into a hidden pit in the snow over those ten meters, so Brother Qiu could only use a heavy wooden stick to probe the way forward, clearing a path bit by bit.
After they had advanced another two or three meters, two or three palm-sized, furry creatures suddenly shot out of the snow.
They were white or light gray, with short, thick, furry tails. They looked like squirrels without ears.
WHOOSH! They shot out from the snow, and WHOOSH! they disappeared back into the nearly meter-deep powder.
Catching them seemed impossible unless you could fly over in an instant.
Zhang Yiwen and Brother Qiu were stunned the moment the creatures burst out.
’To think there are furry rodents that can survive out here in the snow.’
’If they can live here, that must mean there’s a food source for them.’
Zhang Yiwen snapped out of it and said excitedly, "I told you there was grass up ahead and you didn’t believe me! These rodents must be eating that grass to survive. We can catch some of them, get some of the grass, and tell the people in the next shelter. We can trade it all for more good stuff!"
Now that he’d seen the rodents, Brother Qiu was convinced. "Alright!"
They quickened their pace. Suddenly, as Brother Qiu poked his stick into the snow, long, thin green "ropes" appeared in their path, one after another.
Zhang Yiwen reached out and grabbed one, cheering loudly. "It is grass! It’s grass that grows in the snow, like seaweed! This is incredible! A mutation that lets a species grow right in the snow. If I hadn’t spotted that tiny green tip, who would’ve ever known it was here?"
Brother Qiu was excited too. He grabbed one of the rope-like plants to examine it. With just a little pressure, the sharp, serrated edges of the grass sliced a gash in his leather glove.
This grass was actually quite dangerous.
’If you fell into a patch of this,’ he thought, ’a moment of carelessness could turn you into fertilizer for it.’
You couldn’t see it clearly under the snow. The more you struggled to get free, the more tangled you’d become.
Brother Qiu cautiously stopped the enthusiastic Zhang Yiwen. "Don’t go any further. We’ll head back, tell everyone, and then come back together."
Zhang Yiwen was taken aback. "But we’re already here."
Brother Qiu’s expression turned stern. "It’s too dangerous. Safety comes first. The plants and animals that can survive in this extreme cold are the most dangerous. For all we know, those rodents might even be poisonous."
The smile on Zhang Yiwen’s face froze. "Then let’s head back now," he said hurriedly.
"Right."
Before they left, Brother Qiu still used his stick to wrap up a length of the rope-like grass to bring back for everyone to study.
Song Yufang had been worried, not knowing where Zhang Yiwen had run off to, when he and Brother Qiu came running back, out of breath.
"Dad! Mom! You have to come see this!"
