18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 64

Waking up naturally after a long night's sleep, Stella hadn't even had her breakfast yet when Angela knocked on her door, "Stella, what are you planning to do with your fish?"

Stella responded nonchalantly, "Thinking of making pickled fish, I'll ask Katie later."

Room 1803 had received two portions, far too much for them to eat. They planned to take half the fish to the department store's farmers market, to exchange for some useful goods.

Stella wasn't interested in the hustle and bustle of the market, "I plan to take Cooper back to Ivywood Estates, see if he can catch a rabbit or something."

The reservoir collapse was too dangerous, and they didn't want to exhaust Cody and Lukas any further.

So, they knocked on the door of room 1801. Jasper agreed to go to the market, but only to give Rosie some experience, and to expose her to the harsh world outside.

Poor Angela, she had to stay home to look after the house.

Just as they were about to leave, Katie came up to knock on the door, whispering to ask if they were going to dig wild kudzu?

With the help of the people of the 18th floor, the Moore family had acquired a lot of supplies, but who would complain about having too many stuff?

This time they were fortunate, but it was unknown if they would be so lucky next time.

Old wild kudzu roots were as thick as tree roots; ten pounds of root might not even yield a pound of flour. Digging them up was tiring enough, let alone figuring out how to grind and wash the flour.

The flour made from the roots was good for the skin, but its taste was akin to porridge and didn't fill the stomach at all.

Nobody on the 18th floor, who had plenty of food, wanted to participate in this unattractive project. With no other choice, the Moore family had to do it themselves.

After breakfast, Stella took her dog and set off. Returning to the reservoir in the assault boat, they landed and climbed towards another hill.

There was a dense bamboo forest on the other side of the mountain, which Stella had accidentally discovered when she was observing with her binoculars a few days ago.

The bamboo produced shoots in winter, commonly known as winter shoots, and it was now the perfect season for them.

Climbing along the slope of the mountain, they came across a large bamboo forest, with large chunks of soil cracked and scattered by the winter shoots, some even poking their heads out.

Stella took out her binoculars, made sure that there was no one around, and then took out a hoe from Arcadia, reminding the dog to keep a lookout.

Swing the hoe, dig, then shovel.

The shoots were very fresh, weighing about three to four pounds with the shell.

She kept digging. During this time, the dog was playing around, trying to help her dig with his paws.

"Go away, be careful, or I might chop off your paws."

Cooper didn't listen and insisted on getting close to her.

Stella put on a stern face, "Cooper, I’m gonna kick your butt."

Only then did the dog behave, hanging his head low and going back to keep a lookout.

After a while, he slipped away. That was how he was, always busy, whether it was fighting, hunting, or chasing chickens, he never had a moment of rest.

After about ten minutes, the dog came back with something bloody in his mouth. Good boy, a fat wild rabbit had been bitten with several holes in it. He must have bitten down hard.

Stella washed the rabbit clean, shook off the water, and threw it into Arcadia, giving Cooper two wild boar bones to gnaw on.

Stella was a hard worker, picking up the hoe and swinging it with all her might. Yes, she had taken all the shoots in the entire bamboo forest.

Just thinking about the bamboo shoot dishes made her mouth water.

After a brief rest, Stella took out the electric saw and began to cut down mature bamboo. Soon, the old bamboo fell in swathes.

Stella couldn't exactly say why she needed the bamboo, but she always felt that it would come in handy in the future, perhaps for building houses or sheds.

As the extreme cold set in, all the grass and trees on the mountain would freeze to death, and it wouldn't be easy for them to grow back.

She cut down hundreds of bamboo stalks, and also dug up a dozen old bamboo roots, planning to plant them in Arcadia when she had some spare time.

Not only bamboo, but she also pulled up wild grass, fruit seedlings, and various herbs from the mountain.

Seeing that it was still early, she started logging again. There wasn't enough time, so instead of cutting off the branches, she threw the whole trees into Arcadia, where they could be used as firewood once dried.

She cut down dozens of trees, and if it hadn't been for nightfall, Stella would have wanted to keep going. She was exhausted to the point of collapse, but the feeling of Arcadia being full of everything made her feel incredibly secure.

She picked up half a bundle of firewood to keep up appearances, and then drove the assault boat back with the dog.

As soon as she reached the 18th floor, Rosie flung open the door and came running out, her face full of pride, "Stella, I went to sell fish today."

Stella opened the door to let her in, "Did you sell the fish?"

"Yes, I sold 3 fish."

Stella praised, "Wow, our Rosie is so capable." ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Rosie, digging her fingers into her palm, jumped up in joy, "My brother also praised me."

As Stella took off her wet clothes and changed, she found a cartoon for Rosie to watch. But she noticed scratches on Rosie's face, "What happened to your wound?"

Rosie looked a little hurt, "While I was eating candy, someone suddenly rushed over and tried to take the candy from my mouth."

Stella frowned, "Your candy was stolen?"

"Yes, he took it out of my mouth." Rosie's eyes filled with tears, "That person's hands were so dirty, and he smelled bad. He knocked me over."

As she spoke, she rubbed her bottom, "It hurts so bad."

"Where was your brother?"

"My brother was watching."

Stella was puzzled, "And then?"

"The guy stuffed the candy into his mouth, and my brother told me to take it back."

Rosie didn't want to fight, but she didn't want to make her brother angry either, so she tried to take the candy back.

The boy wouldn't give it back, and even raised his hand to hit Rosie. Rosie got angry and fought back, easily beating him until he was bruised and swollen.

It was Rosie's first time hitting someone. In the end, she dug the candy out of his mouth and handed the saliva-covered candy to her brother. Jasper didn't take it, but patted her on the head, "Rosie, you did great. In the future, you need to protect your own things, and not let others bully you."

She sort of got it, but was also scared. She hadn't expected her brother's praise.

"Remember, I can't protect you forever. If you don't protect yourself, not only will your candy be stolen, but all the good food will be taken away. Then you'll end up like them, starving, dirty and smelly, begging on the streets."

Even though those kids didn't want to live like that, the end of the world was cruel.

Jasper told Rosie to look at the boy's eyes. The beaten child's eyes were red, as if he hated her. Rosie didn't understand. It was clearly him who had stolen her candy, which was wrong. Why didn't he admit his mistake and instead looked at her so fiercely?

"Rosie, when people are starving to death, there's no right or wrong. They think they can beat you, so they'll try to steal from you." Jasper pulled his little sister away, patiently explaining to her, "Do you know why he was so mean to you?"

Rosie shook her head.

"It's because you're wearing new clothes and eating good food, without ever having to go hungry, while he has nothing. That's why he's jealous and wants to take what's yours."

"Jasper, are they all like this?"

Walking into the marketplace, Rosie felt the weight of many such gazes, making her feel unaccountably nervous.

"Most of them are," Jasper reassured her, "but you can protect yourself using the moves I've taught you. Then no one will dare to bully you."