Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 214

The large paper box filled with steaming hot curry chicken rice had been reheated in the microwave, making it piping hot again. Shen Qiu watched as the woman carefully packed the curry rice and disposable utensils into a bag before tying it securely. Without hesitation, she took off the scarf around her neck and wrapped the food carefully to keep it warm.

Shen Qiu had no reason to keep their experiences a secret, and she had agreed to the trade with a mindset of giving it a try.

The temperature was too low. Even though the curry rice had been placed inside the RV, where the heater and air conditioning were running, it had completely cooled and even started to freeze by the time she finished recounting her story.

Of course, the woman hadn’t insisted on obtaining information before completing the trade—she simply didn’t want to eat this meal alone.

The translucent, glutinous rice, the crispy and tender fried chicken cut into neat strips, the golden curry sauce poured generously over the top, with pieces of carrot and broccoli mixed in—it was a meal she hadn’t had in a long time.

Biscuits, long-shelf-life bread, canned meat, sausages, instant noodles, dried noodles—when they had first left the university, these were the main supplies everyone had packed.

Rice was too heavy to carry, and cooking it was troublesome. They were young, inexperienced, and didn’t even know the right water-to-rice ratio, so they had never considered bringing it.

In the past, Shen Qiu had avoided rice to maintain her figure, and fried chicken—being high in calories—was something she only indulged in occasionally. Whenever Mu Kelian ate it beside her, she had always been disciplined enough to resist.

But now, just the smell of the curry was enough to make her stomach churn with hunger. She was afraid that if she took even one bite, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

She wanted to take the food back and share it with Mu Kelian. Her friend had always loved this kind of food, and every day had been a struggle for her lately. Just imagining the look on her face when she saw the curry rice made Shen Qiu smile as she held the carefully wrapped package. Yu Xi watched her quietly. Although this had nothing to do with her, she had always disliked people who couldn’t see the bigger picture, who only knew how to take from their friends without considering the situation.

Some people did more than they said—like Shen Qiu.

Others talked more than they acted—and in critical moments, their true nature became obvious.

So, when Shen Qiu once again expressed her gratitude with a polite bow, Yu Xi called out to her.

“Have you ever heard the story of the Fairy Godmother?”

“Huh?”

Leaning against the window ledge, Yu Xi propped up her fair, delicate chin with one hand and curled her lips into a smile. “Little girl, we seem to be quite fated. I’ll give you three wishes. If you ever run into a problem you can’t solve, go to the rooftop and say, ‘Star House, please, I need help,’ ten times. Then I’ll appear. Understood?”

Shen Qiu: … (completely stunned)

Yu “Witch” Xi continued smiling. “If you understand, nod.”

Shen Qiu, staring blankly at her smile, instinctively nodded.

“Good girl.” Yu “Witch” Xi was satisfied. She reached into the Star House storage and pulled out a lollipop, handing it to her.

Shen Qiu hadn’t planned to take anything else, but the moment she saw the lollipop, her eyes lit up.

It was a galaxy lollipop!

Encased in transparent wrapping, the candy had a stunning starry nebula design inside. Even someone who didn’t like sweets would be captivated by its beauty.

“Thank you!” Shen Qiu accepted it, glancing at the lollipop in her hand. Just as she was about to express her gratitude again, the RV and the masked woman inside suddenly disappeared before her eyes.

Shen Qiu: !!!

Did she… did she really just meet a Fairy Godmother!?

Shen Qiu wrapped the food securely in her coat and hurried downstairs.

On the stairs between the fourteenth and fifteenth floors, Mu Kelian, bundled up in a thick down jacket, was anxiously waiting. The moment she saw Shen Qiu, she rushed up, twisting her ankle slightly in her haste.

“Slow down! Don’t hurt yourself!” Shen Qiu quickly freed one hand to support her.

“Qiuqiu, you’re finally back! I was so scared just now. Why didn’t you come down with me?” Mu Kelian grabbed her hand, pouting in guilt. “I’m sorry, I was so terrified that I just ran. When I got back here, I realized you weren’t behind me…”

“It’s okay. Honestly, I wanted to run too, but my legs just gave out…” Shen Qiu glanced at her foot. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

“It hurts a little…” Mu Kelian then noticed the bulge under Shen Qiu’s coat. “Qiuqiu, what’s that?”

Shen Qiu hushed her with a finger to her lips and pulled her into an empty room on the fourteenth floor.

“Qiuqiu, it’s freezing. Let’s go back and warm up by the fire. Aren’t you cold? My feet were going numb just waiting for you…” Mu Kelian trailed off mid-sentence as she caught a whiff of something—curry?

No way!

But as Shen Qiu unwrapped the scarf, revealing the paper container inside, and removed the lid, Mu Kelian was completely stunned.

It really was curry rice!

“Fried chicken! And carrots and broccoli! Qiuqiu, what is this!?” Mu Kelian swallowed hard, staring at the food as if her eyes were about to pop out.

“It’s a long story. That masked, pretty lady gave it to me.”

“Then… can I eat it?” she asked, but before she even finished speaking, her hand had already reached out for a piece of chicken.

“Of course—wait, don’t use your hands, they’re too dirty. Here, use chopsticks!” Shen Qiu tried to stop her, but it was too late. Mu Kelian had already grabbed a piece of chicken and stuffed it into her mouth. Chewing happily, she nodded vigorously at her friend, showing how delicious it was.

Shen Qiu shook her head at her friend’s eagerness. She set the paper container in Mu Kelian’s hands and pulled out a disposable utensils pack from the bag. Inside were a pair of chopsticks and a spoon. She handed the spoon to Mu Kelian, who had already finished her second piece of chicken.

“Qiuqiu, hurry up and eat! It’s still warm!”

“Not scared of ghosts anymore?”

Mu Kelian stuffed a big spoonful of rice into her mouth, cheeks puffed up as she mumbled, “If it can give us such delicious food, then it must be a good ghost…”

Within minutes, the oversized portion of curry chicken rice was almost gone. Only one last piece of fried chicken remained in the bowl. Based on how they had been splitting the portions, this piece should belong to Shen Qiu. However, she had always liked saving the best for last, so she had only taken a small bite of it.

Mu Kelian licked her spoon, staring longingly at the last piece of chicken. “Qiuqiu, hurry up and eat it…”

Shen Qiu glanced at her. “Do you want it?”

“Can I? But I already ate so much…”

“If you want it, then go ahead.” Shen Qiu knew her friend hadn’t eaten enough. In truth, she hadn’t either. She also wanted that last piece of chicken, but she was willing to let her friend have it.

“Then… then I’ll eat it!” Mu Kelian hesitated for a moment before picking up the chicken and popping it into her mouth in one go.

Shen Qiu watched her finish the last bite and reached into her pocket, touching the galaxy lollipop inside.

It’s fine. She still had this…

The candy was beautiful, though it couldn’t fill her stomach. She had never intended to eat it, only to keep it as a small source of comfort.

Even now, her heart was still racing.

The food was real. The candy was real. That meant the three wishes must be real too.

Unlike the sweet and adorable Mu Kelian, Shen Qiu had always been just an ordinary girl. She wasn’t particularly beautiful—at best, she could be called delicate.

She had worried about belly fat, stressed over her grades despite trying her best, and had never once been blessed by fate. Even in moments of escape, she constantly ran into obstacles.

But this experience felt like a dream, like a ray of light piercing through the darkness and despair of her life, giving her renewed hope.

She was going to survive.

They were all going to survive.

They had to.

While the girls downstairs were finishing their meal in the cold, Yu Xi was in the kitchen of the Star House, helping prepare dinner.

Handling lobsters was a hassle. After removing the head and tail, the shell had to be peeled off the midsection, the vein removed, and finally, the meat had to be cut into evenly thick slices with precise knife work.

She carefully controlled the pressure to avoid damaging the cutting board while explaining what she had learned to Fan Qi and Yu Feng.

“Even though this is the northernmost part of China, it’s already April. This temperature and snowfall aren’t normal,” Yu Feng sighed, looking out the window.

“According to what I was told, it had already been winter here before they got trapped, though the mutation of plants and animals made the temperature slightly higher than past winters. There were a lot of plants, and the bugs were a constant nuisance.

“Also, those ‘mammoths’ we saw had already appeared at the start of the mutations. The zoo is on the western side of the city, and some of the animals there developed cold resistance. They broke free and started causing havoc, but eventually, most of them left, heading north. The elephants, though, became incredibly intelligent. They knew there was food in the city, so they never left.

“The heavy snow has suppressed the rampage of mutated plants and animals, but for creatures that can withstand the cold, it might not make much of a difference. The survivors were trapped underground for many days, so they don’t know the current state of the city or how many others are still alive.”

Fan Qi also glanced at the falling snow outside. “If this weather continues all month, we might as well stay inside the Star House.”

“You could still go outside if you wanted to.” Yu Xi had been too busy with her mission earlier to share a new item from the Star House store—sunscreen spray—with her parents. Now, she took the time to explain its function to them.

Yu Feng didn’t say much, only remarking that the timing and usefulness of the new item were impeccable.

Fan Qi, however, looked toward the black door on the upper floor with a thoughtful expression. “That system of yours… it really treats you well. By the way, does it have a male or female voice when it speaks?”

“It doesn’t have a gender. Neither male nor female.”

Fan Qi nodded, putting away her thoughtful expression.

[…]

Yu Xi: Mom, that was a compliment. What’s with the silence?

The family worked together, and soon dinner was ready.

On the terrace of the Star House, Yu Xi laid out a disposable tablecloth on the long dining table and set up a flat electric grill, plugging it into the power supply. After a moment of thought, she placed a small high-top table near the glass wall in front of the dining area and took out a stretchable screen she had purchased in the previous world. After opening it, she selected a lively travel variety show to play.

“Mom, the last world I visited was very different from the ones before. The planet was much larger, with different landforms and human societal structures. So, their variety shows and dramas are completely different. I’ve already downloaded all the good movies, TV shows, and variety programs from that world. You can pick whatever you like.

“The screen is extendable, and you can operate it directly once it’s open—it’s very simple. If you want to watch downstairs, just fold it up and take it down. It’s very lightweight, but the charger is different from what we use here. I’ll teach you how to use it later.”

“Alright, my sweet girl.” Fan Qi gently stroked her daughter’s fair face with a look of affection.

If Yu Xi hadn’t brought it up herself, neither she nor Yu Feng would have asked about what she had gone through in her mission worlds. Every one of them was a post-apocalyptic scenario—nothing pleasant to remember.

If she wanted to talk, they would listen carefully. If she didn’t, they would just hold her close and ask nothing at all.

The variety show began, and the world outside the terrace darkened.

Night had fallen, and the snow was still coming down. The glass walls, though seeming fragile, firmly separated their warm, safe world from the cold, harsh one outside.

Behind them, the faint glow from the ring-shaped glass planting wall became more pronounced as the outside light dimmed. 280 planting slots, 280 symbols of hope, 280 gentle glowing lights brightened the terrace area.

The three of them sat at the long dining table. Yu Xi grilled M12 eye beef lightly with tongs, cutting it into bite-sized pieces and placing them on her parents’ plates.

Her parents, being older, usually avoided eating too much meat at night, but the beef was just too good. With a little rose sea salt, it melted in their mouths—rich, tender, and incredibly flavorful.

There was also lobster sashimi, arranged on a layer of ice. Thanks to Yu Xi’s ice control ability, the thin ice sheets hadn’t melted, keeping the lobster meat perfectly fresh and bouncy without touching the ice water. It was the ideal balance to the richness of the beef.

And then there was beef bone soup, rich and aromatic, with slices of white radish that had soaked up the delicious broth. Sipping it slowly on a snowy night, every mouthful felt like savoring the warmth of life itself.

Fan Qi felt truly, deeply happy.

Because her daughter had carried heavy burdens in unseen places, their family could enjoy this peaceful and comfortable life.

Their lives were so ordinary, yet so extraordinary.

Before bed that night, Yu Xi took out two Advanced Strength Pills and gave them to her parents.

Regardless of whether they decided to step outside the Star House this month, she needed to be prepared in advance. This was their third dose, and after taking it, their physical stat units would increase to around 340 to 350.

Starting tomorrow, she would design a new physical training plan to prepare them for going outside.

At night, the lights in the simulated apartment dimmed, but on the Star House terrace, the gentle glow from the planting wall remained. However, from the outside, no light could be seen through the glass.

For the next two days, the snow continued to fall heavily.

Yu Xi began to wonder—if the snow kept up like this, would it eventually bury the shorter buildings in the city?

On the third day, something incredible happened.

Inside the glass planting wall, nearly half of the planting slots had sprouted tiny green shoots.

Some of the fast-growing crops had begun to sprout. Even though it was just a portion of them, the speed of germination amazed Yu Xi.

The system responded, “The planting slots and nutrient solutions naturally accelerate plant growth. This is normal.”

“So, the actual harvest time will be much shorter than outdoor planting?”

“Yes, approximately one-fifth of the normal growth time for crops on this planet.”

This news thrilled both Yu Xi and Fan Qi.

For anyone who loved growing fruits and vegetables, nothing was more exciting than the moment of harvest. Now, with nothing much to do every day, Fan Qi would go to the terrace, sipping tea, watching the snow, eating snacks, and catching up on dramas—while keeping an eye on the little sprouts growing before her eyes.

It brought her a kind of joy she hadn’t felt in a long time.

On the fourth night, while everyone was asleep, the world outside quietly changed.

When Yu Xi woke up the next morning, the endless snowfall outside had stopped.

In its place, there was pouring rain.

It must have been raining for hours already. The thick snow that had once blanketed the roads had melted and mixed with the rainwater. The heavy downpour washed over the city, revealing buildings that had been hidden beneath layers of ice and snow.

Yu Xi opened her door and quickly climbed up to the terrace, using a telescope to scan the city.

The white, snow-covered city was gradually returning to its original form.

Ruined buildings, rusted windows, broken roads, and withered vines that had once climbed the city’s walls—frozen and dead from the harsh winter—were now becoming visible again.

Suddenly, she noticed something.

On one of the buildings, the dead vines on the outer wall moved slightly.

No way.

Were these plants… still alive?