149 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Title: Transmigrated into a Wasteland Novel as a Scum A - Chapter 149 Despite the reluctance to leave behind the mutant pork and rice, Chen Wan said to Qin Ke, "Here's the plan. Each of us will drive a vehicle back together. Once the RV is upgraded and we have more space, we can store everything in the compression space." "Alright," Qin Ke agreed, nodding. She was eager to try the mutant pork, as she was getting quite tired of beef and octopus. Besides, sometimes pork truly is the more flavorful option. The two climbed into their respective vehicles, while Jiang Yan Xin and Shen Ming Yan returned to the RV. Chen Wan had a quick word with Yi Yi, instructing her to park in a discreet location and commence the upgrade without delay. Yi Yi drove the RV, and Chen Wan and Qin Ke trailed behind in the truck. As they passed several military vehicles, Yi Yi pulled over and communicated with Chen Wan through their mind link, "These military vehicles contain quite a few supplies. I've already absorbed the crystal cores into the system. Should we go down and search for the rest?" Chen Wan pondered for a moment and nodded, "Let's search them. If there's anything useful, we should load it into the RV." Descending from the truck, Chen Wan and Qin Ke started their search alongside each other. They found six bulletproof vests, twenty grenades, cans of military-grade tuna, a large box of military biscuits, a whole box of luncheon meat, and about a dozen assorted rifles and machine guns, along with a box of ammunition. Such items were scarce in the post-apocalyptic world, and leaving them behind would be wasteful, yet their compression space was still limited. In the end, Chen Wan and Qin Ke had to temporarily stash the firearms, ammunition, and bulletproof vests in Qin Ke's room. As for the food supplies, they transported those to the RV and stacked them in the open space at the back of the second-floor dining area. Since Zai Zai and the dogs mostly played outside and rarely entered Qin Ke's room, it minimized any potential danger. Once the RV upgrade was complete, all these items would be moved into the compression space. After Chen Wan and Qin Ke finished transporting the supplies, Yi Yi drove the RV to a secluded neighborhood in the suburbs for the RV upgrade. Just as they left, military personnel quickly arrived at the previous location. Upon hearing the auction grounds staff’s account, they couldn’t believe that an ability user could have taken down Leopard and General Wang's forces so completely. They sent people to investigate further and subsequently mobilized two squads to hunt for Chen Wan and her team. Meanwhile, Chen Wan and her group had parked in a vast residential area with towering buildings. Yi Yi parked the vehicles between two buildings, effectively concealing them from obvious view. From the outside, only glimpses of the vehicles could be seen, mostly blocked by the high rises on either side. After returning to the RV, Chen Wan heard Yi Yi's voice in her mind as she entered. "All the necessary components for the RV to upgrade to level five—50 heavy trucks, 800 small vehicles, 3000 level 2 zombie crystal cores, and 3 level 3 mutated animal crystal cores—have been collected. Shall we proceed with the upgrade?" Chen Wan quickly responded in her mind, "Yes." "Great, the RV upgrade will commence now. Remaining upgrade time: 24 hours," Yi Yi announced, and the RV began its day-long automatic upgrade. Factoring in the cores found from both Leopard and the military, after deducting those used for the RV upgrade, Chen Wan was left with 7241 level 2 zombie crystal cores, 7123 level 1 zombie crystal cores, 631 small vehicles, and 191 large vehicles. Relaxing after taking stock of their resources, Chen Wan contemplated the food supplies, which were still overflowing. Meat, rice, and similar items from the three trucks still had no specific storage space. Chen Wan decided to take a quick shower. She wanted to play with Zai Zai for a bit but learned that he was with Jiang Yan Xin in the sunroom. Following them, upon opening the door, she found the little one trying to lift a watermelon from the ground. The large watermelon was nearly half the size of Zai Zai himself, still attached to its vine. Zai Zai exerted himself with all his might, his little face flushed red, barely managing to move the watermelon. Chen Wan chuckled, teasing Zai Zai, "Sweetheart, carrying a watermelon? Can you manage?" "I can! I can lift the melon~" came Zai Zai's defiant yet somewhat strained reply, his small round hands gripping the watermelon tightly, legs apart, little bottom sticking out, as he put his whole weight into it. The watermelon slightly wobbled but didn’t move, leaving Zai Zai panting heavily. The adults, watching, were entertained by Zai Zai's antics, while Yi Yi recorded the moment on one of the new phones they had acquired, capturing the adorable little guy's every move. Seeing his mother, mama, and aunties all laughing at him, Zai Zai felt even more determined. Rolling up his little sleeves, he continued with renewed effort, sweat glistening on his forehead. Chen Wan crouched beside him, "Our little one is so diligent, already learning to help out. You're amazing! Would you move the watermelon to the lounge for mama? Mama's thirsty." Jiang Yan Xin chimed in with Chen Wan, "I'm thirsty too, just waiting for our Zai Zai to bring that watermelon." Jiang Wan Ning joined in as well, teasing Zai Zai, "Me too, your aunt is thirsty, waiting for Zai Zai." "Alright!" Despite his resolve, Zai Zai’s face turned even redder, and he struggled to budge the watermelon. Ye Lan, coming upstairs looking for Zai Zai, overheard the adults teasing the little guy. She gave both Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin a light tap on the back, "Why bully little Zai Zai? She's too small to carry that. If you want it, do it yourselves, don’t make her.” Caught off guard, Chen Wan quickly denied, "Mom, we just want Zai Zai to get some exercise." "Right," Jiang Yan Xin added in agreement. Ye Lan gave an exasperated huff, casting a side-eye at Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin before gazing fondly at Zai Zai clutching onto the large watermelon. Watching her adorable antics, Ye Lan chuckled, "Record it well, so when Zai Zai grows up, she can see how cute she was." "Got it, Auntie. I’m recording everything," Yi Yi replied with a smile. The adults remained around the little sprite, none offering a hand. Eventually, Zai Zai sat down in frustration, looking pitifully at Chen Wan, "Mama~ I can’t lift it. I want to eat." Seeing Zai Zai call for help, Chen Wan stopped teasing, swooping in to give her a kiss on the cheek, soothing Zai Zai, "Alright, Mama will move the watermelon for you." Chen Wan picked up Zai Zai and dusted off the dirt from his little bottom, handing him to Jiang Yan Xin for a bath, the little one having accumulated quite a lot of grime. Chen Wan effortlessly lifted the watermelon, while Zai Zai was being led out by Jiang Yan Xin, constantly looking back at the watermelon, pointing with a small hand, his little voice calling, "Melon~" Jiang Yan Xin laughed, pinching Zai Zai's cheek, reassuring her, "Your mama's got it for you. Don't worry, it's all yours to eat." Reassured, Zai Zai's eyes sparkled, and she went with her mama to the bathroom to clean up. Meanwhile, Yi Yi was transferring the recording onto a tablet they had acquired, with Shen Ming Yan and Jiang Wan Ning still watching Zai Zai's adorable video. With little else to do on the RV, their main entertainment was playing with Zai Zai. The little one, always soft and cheerful, was an endless source of fun. The dogs were well-behaved too, often coming over to nuzzle and get some affection. Chen Wan stepped off the RV, heading to Leopard's truck where the mutant pork was stored. She cut off a substantial slab, slicing part into small pieces to place in the dogs' bowls. The four pups lay down obediently, savoring the meal. Chen Wan smiled at them, grateful to be able to afford four mutant pets. Their appetites were substantial. Using the remaining pork, Chen Wan made ground meat using a grinder. The greenhouse’s leeks and cabbage were ready to be picked, perfect for a hearty meal of pork and cabbage dumplings. Previously, Jiang Wan Ning couldn’t have beef, but everyone could enjoy this pork. While Chen Wan prepared the filling, Jiang Zhao Yuan had already kneaded the dough, letting it rest in a bowl to rise, ready for wrapping soon. Chen Wan cleaned the large watermelon and cut it into slices for everyone to enjoy, meticulously preparing a small dish for Zai Zai by removing the rind and making it easy to eat. Once the little one finished her bath, she skipped over to snuggle with Chen Wan. Chen Wan sat Zai Zai on the sofa with a watermelon dish, instructing her to eat quietly while she joined in wrapping dumplings. With plenty of hands to help, the dumpling-making process was swift, although the speed at which Chen Wan and Jiang Zhao Yuan rolled out the dough still couldn't match how quickly Jiang Yan Xin and the others wrapped them. Before long, rows of dumplings were neatly arranged, albeit with varying appearances: Qin Ke's dumplings were plump and round, Jiang Yan Xin's resembled crescent moons, less packed than Qin Ke's, while Jiang Wan Ning's technique produced dumplings that looked more like wontons. Regardless, the dumplings were edible, and soon Ye Lan began boiling water. As the first batch cooked, the aroma filled the air. When ready, they served the first small bowl, complete with broth and dumplings, to Zai Zai, whose eyes had been glued to the pot the entire time. To prevent Zai Zai from burning himself, Jiang Yan Xin thoughtfully helped cut each dumpling in half to ease Zai Zai's eating and ensure he wouldn’t get burned. The second bowl was given to Jiang Wan Ning, who had previously refrained from eating dumplings with beef. At last, she could indulge in these genuine delights. After blowing gently on her dumplings, Jiang Wan Ning savored a bite of the steamy pork and cabbage dumpling, finding all her troubles melted away. The filling, a perfect blend of meat and veggies, was indeed the best. This was a meal she could finally enjoy wholeheartedly after missing out on the beef ones before.