Annan didn't pay much attention to her words and waved her hand. "Go back and take your medicine."
Chu Peipei nodded gratefully, clutching the items as she weakly made her way out.
Annan watched her retreating figure, a thought suddenly crossing her mind: If, in her previous life, she had actually believed the note and had been more cautious with the two siblings, would the outcome have been different?
After a moment, she shook her head, closing the door behind her and returning home.
The past life was already gone, and all she needed to focus on now was living a happy life in this one.
Everything was different now.
She hoped that with the medicine she had given Chu Peipei, she would have a different ending this time, and that she would live on.
Back home, Annan practiced Baduanjin again, then entered the kitchen to make herself a bowl of hot soup dumplings.
The dumpling skins were thin, filled with a generous amount of filling, and the soup was savory and rich, topped with seaweed and dried shrimp.
She added a little chili oil and vinegar, and the fragrance was simply irresistible.
After finishing breakfast, she took Fuguai and entered the space.
While giving Chu Peipei the medicine earlier, Annan had suddenly thought that maybe the lawn in the manor could have another use.
As soon as Fuguai entered the space, he ran straight to the spring to drink water. Annan took out a shovel and began to mark out a planting area on the left side of the lawn.
Most of the medicine she had found in the pharmacy was Western medicine, with only a small portion being traditional Chinese medicine.
Later, she did acquire some Chinese herbs from a pharmaceutical factory, though the quantity was limited.
She had been studying wellness practices recently, and the more she learned, the more she grew to trust the profound and vast culture of traditional Chinese medicine.
Annan thought that if she could create an herbal garden in the manor and successfully grow Chinese medicinal herbs, she could eventually enjoy the freedom of using Chinese medicine.
Many of the herbs not only treated illness but also helped with wellness and body regulation.
Any surplus could be sold to others.
As the disasters continued, medicine would become more and more valuable. The various medicines in her possession were almost irreplaceable, but if she could successfully cultivate the herbs, she could produce Chinese medicine continuously.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Filled with enthusiasm, Annan quickly marked out the planting area and began clearing the weeds and tilling the soil. Although she had never done farming work before, she started off a little clumsily, her hands unskilled.
But luckily, Annan was quick-witted and adapted fast. She gradually became more proficient.
At first, she only cleared out 300 square meters as an experimental field. If things went well, she could expand the area later.
With a strong sense of determination, Annan worked tirelessly, but before she had finished tilling the land, she and Fuguai were kicked out of the space.
...
An hour passed by in no time!
It was true that you couldn't get everything done at once. Annan calmed herself down and decided to take her time.
Even though she couldn't physically be inside, she could still use her consciousness to manipulate tools and continue working in the manor.
She turned around and saw Fuguai, who had grown even more bloated after drinking so much water.
Annan picked him up. "You silly dog, why do you drink so much water every time you come into the space?"
Fuguai looked dazed, as usual. After the previous experience, Annan wasn't in a rush and first placed him in his dog bed to let him recover.
She then took out a tablet and searched for tutorials, thinking about which herbs to plant first.
After considering various options, she decided to start with Ban Lan Gen.
First, she had found the seeds for Ban Lan Gen in the building during her search for supplies.
Second, after the flood in her previous life, there had been a brief period of extreme heat, followed by several small outbreaks of plague. Ban Lan Gen happened to be an effective remedy for such plagues.
Ban Lan Gen is bitter and cold in nature, with properties that clear heat, detoxify, cool the blood, and relieve sore throats. It's particularly effective for treating the toxic effects and fever from plagues.
In her previous life, it had taken two bags of rice just to trade for half a box of Ban Lan Gen powder.
During that time, Annan had suffered terribly due to the lack of medicine. She had burned with fever for an entire week, her body aching and suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, barely managing to survive.
Luckily, she was young and had a strong constitution, but many others were not so fortunate. Many people had managed to survive the floods and extreme heat only to die from the plague.
The planting period for Ban Lan Gen was around six months, which meant it should be ready just in time for the next major disaster.
No time to waste. Over the next few days, Annan busied herself with planting in the space, while Fuguai followed her every time, drinking water.
Yes, just drinking water.
Annan couldn't help but feel helpless. She didn't know what was so attractive about the spring water that made Fuguai drink like he had an addiction.
She had smelled the water herself, and it didn't seem special—just regular spring water. She hadn't done any water quality tests, so she definitely wasn't going to drink it herself.
But she couldn't stop Fuguai. Every time he entered, he would immediately go straight to drink his fill.
When she didn't take him in, he would howl outside. By the time Annan came out, his voice would be hoarse, and her heart would soften, so she would take him in again.
As she hadn't noticed any problems with him drinking the water, she eventually decided to let him be.
She had read online that dogs naturally know how to avoid harmful substances and seek out beneficial ones. If they get a skin condition or are poisoned, they instinctively look for herbs to eat.
Maybe the water contained minerals that attracted him. The space itself shouldn't produce anything harmful.
Since she couldn't stop him, she let him enjoy himself, and he drank happily every day, his belly always full.
Meanwhile, Annan focused on studying herbal planting, learning and experimenting through practice.
In contrast to Annan's diligent efforts, the atmosphere in the community was becoming increasingly tense.
Looting and violence had become the norm. What was different now was that more and more of the cries and screams came from women.
Hungry people were beginning to realize that women were the most vulnerable in such a situation.
Since ancient times, women had always been weaker than men in terms of physical strength.
With the development of society, there had been less need for brute force to obtain resources, and women, with their more delicate sensibilities, had gradually gained more positions in society.
However, with the disasters and societal collapse, the world was reverting to its primitive state.
The strong seized more food and resources, while the weak, particularly women, were left to starve and endure abuse.
Every night, Annan could hear the cries and screams of women outside. She ignored them, put in her earplugs, and rolled over to sleep.
Having lived through four years of the apocalypse, Annan understood what was happening outside better than anyone.
But she wasn't some heroic figure, nor a savior with all the answers.
Saving people? That would only put herself in danger. Evil was happening in every corner of this world, and Annan was just one of many struggling to survive.
Not all men had absolute power, and not all women were willing to be oppressed.
Survival of the fittest.
A week passed by, and this day, as Annan was lying in bed resting after coming out of the space, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
She went to the hallway and looked through the peephole, only to see Wei Wenbin and Qian Ying'er standing outside.