Wasteland Farming, Manual for Raising Human Cubs

Chapter 17: Yungu Temple Ruins
The eldest and second oldest Meng thanked the monk with glasses and carried the hyena into the temple.

Zhao Xiaoxiu poked her head out from her father's raincoat and looked at the temple in front of her with curiosity.

Except for the mutated weeds on the roof which were a bit thick, everything was tidy up everywhere.

Apparently, this bespectacled monk has been living in this temple since the virus outbreak.

With so many people coming and going on the mountain, I never heard anyone in the base mention this temple.

However, the location here is also very hidden, surrounded by various pine and bamboo forests. If it weren't for the macaques leading the way, they would never have found it.

The monk with glasses is called Shanyuan.

He said: "The little monkey was raised by the old abbot since he was a child. After the virus broke out, everyone fled down the mountain. The little monkey was locked in a side room and couldn't escape. I rescued it."

"It has evolved very quickly. It has cleared out all the ghosts and mutant animals around here. Thanks to it, I am still alive today. We have been staying in the temple, growing our own vegetables, and living a good life. We are all vegetarians anyway, so we won't starve to death."

As they were talking, everyone followed Shanyuan from the backyard to the main hall gate, where square plots of cultivated vegetable plots were exposed to everyone.

There are pumpkins as big as wheels, pink tomatoes like bunches of grapes, humming sunflowers, and rainbow-colored cabbages.

Shan Yuan looked at Zhao Xiaoxiu's stunned expressions and explained with a smile:

"I found these evolved vegetables in the vegetable fields behind the temple. They look a little strange, but they taste the same as before. There are no viruses, so you can eat them without worry."

Zhao Xiaoxiu immediately thought of all kinds of delicious food, such as pumpkin soup, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, spiced melon seeds, and shredded cabbage salad.
"Gulu~"

Zhao Xiaoxiu subconsciously looked at her belly.

No, it wasn't her stomach growling.

When he tilted his head, he saw the two Meng brothers staring at the strange-looking evolved vegetables in the field, swallowing their saliva secretly, their eyes glowing green.

The little monkey that had been following everyone suddenly jumped into the vegetable garden, picked a bunch of tomatoes and handed it to the Meng brothers.

Meng Laoer almost couldn't help but take it.

But after so many years of struggling in the apocalypse, he has long known that there is no free lunch in the world.

What's more, in an environment where food is so scarce, this kind of evolved vegetables is simply not something that ordinary people like them can touch.

Seeing that the Meng brothers didn’t want it, the little monkey took it to Zhao Gang and Zhao Xiaoxiu.

Zhao Gang is indifferent to human food.

The saliva in Zhao Xiaoxiu's mouth was secreted like crazy, but she still buried her head in her father's chest, trying not to see or taste him.

There was no way. With the money she and her father had, they couldn't afford the food.

The little monkey was very confused. He scratched his cheek with his paw, and couldn't understand why these people didn't want it.

But they don't want it, and it likes it very much.

He held the tomato in his arms, sat on the ground and started eating it happily.

A rich scent of tomatoes instantly filled the noses of Zhao Xiaoxiu and the others. There was nothing more torturous than this.

But I still have to pretend that I don’t care, I don’t want it, and I’m not interested.

Shanyuan looked at these people who clearly wanted it but didn't, and his eyes dimmed.

How long has it been since I saw someone with such a bottom line?
Zhao Xiaoxiu, who felt hungry due to the smell of tomatoes, looked up at the sky and down at the ground to divert his attention.

She saw a mottled Buddha statue in the main hall.

Next to the main hall gate, there is a stone tablet standing crookedly. It should have been moved out from some collapsed ruins and placed here. It looks a bit abrupt.

I vaguely saw the words "Yungu" written on the stone tablet.

Meng Laoer suddenly realized something and slapped his head, "Is this the ruins of Yungu Temple?"

Shanyuan looked at him in surprise, "You've been here?"

Meng Laoer: "I've seen it on the guide map at the entrance of the scenic area." Shanyuan smiled slightly, "The original buildings of Yungu Temple have long been gone. The halls now are replicas of them."

He put the hoe in his hand next to the vegetable patch, led Zhao Xiaoxiu and others to the small house next to the main hall, and took a pot of water for them to rest at their leisure.

This was originally the duty room for the temple management staff, and the surveillance screen, which had long been out of service, was covered with a thick layer of dust.

In the small room, there is a set of desks and chairs in the middle, a small bed against the wall, and various daily necessities hanging on the wall.

Shanyuan took the sickle from the wall, picked up the empty vegetable basket in the house, prepared to go to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables, and said he would treat them to a meal.

"Don't worry, I won't charge you any money, as long as you don't tell anyone else that I have vegetables here."

When they heard that no money would be charged, Zhao Xiaoxiu and the Meng brothers felt uneasy.

But after hearing the last sentence, the two adults and one child instantly became excited.

Only Zhao Gang did not show any emotional fluctuations from beginning to end.

He put down the backpack on his back, untied Zhao Xiaoxiu from in front of him, carried her to sit on the stool, picked up the kettle and tea bowl that Shanyuan had placed on the table, and poured her a glass of water.

Compared with the unfinished building at the base, Zhao Xiaoxiu felt that the temple in front of him was like a paradise.

There are no survivors fighting over a bite of food, no disgusting, crowded aisles, and you can eat fresh vegetables.

The water here is a bit bitter, but it's good to have water to drink.

and many more.

Zhao Xiaoxiu paused while drinking water.

The little feet that were swinging back and forth in anticipation of the delicious food also stopped swinging.

Why do you feel something is wrong?
He glanced at his father and said, "Dad."

Zhao Gang looked around and saw nothing that could hurt himself and the cub. He touched the cub's head and said, "It's okay." Do whatever you want.

Zhao Xiaoxiu's two feet started to swing again. If her father said it was okay, then it must be okay.

When Shanyuan picked the vegetables and walked into the small kitchen next door, heavy rain started pouring down again.

But this time they had a house to shelter from the rain, and the tempting aroma of food came from next door, so Zhao Xiaoxiu and his friends felt comfortable.

The little monkey ran to the main hall to shelter from the rain. It deliberately searched for things in the hall, and from time to time it picked up a few things and threw them into the duty room.

Pointing at Zhao Xiaoxiu, they are all for her.

There were broken crystal chandeliers, plastic flower baskets, and a My Little Pony plastic bead necklace.

Colorful and shiny, these are things that children will be interested in.

Zhao Xiaoxiu slid down from the stool and picked up the necklace. The little monkey immediately jumped around happily two or three times on the spot.

Shanyuan walked in with the prepared dishes and caught a glimpse of the bead necklace in Zhao Xiaoxiu's hand. His eyes flickered with sadness and resentment.

He put the dishes on the table, asked the little monkey to bring the remaining dishes from the kitchen, and squatted in front of Zhao Xiaoxiu.

"Do you like it?" Shanyuan reached out to help her put on the necklace.

But before she could do anything, Zhao Gang suddenly appeared, carried his daughter back to the table, took the necklace away and put it aside, and said softly, "Xiaoxiu, eat."

After saying that, he turned to look at Shanyuan, who had an embarrassed expression, with a fierce look, like an old hen protecting her chicks, full of warning.

The eldest and second oldest Meng hurriedly thanked Shanyuan for the hospitality, and the atmosphere finally eased.

The little monkey worked very efficiently. After serving the dishes, he placed bowls on the table and distributed chopsticks to everyone.

When it was assigned to Zhao Xiaoxiu, she was given a spoon, as if she knew how to take care of children especially well.

But Zhao Xiaoxiu didn’t notice the presence of other children here, so how did it learn it?
(End of this chapter)