Chapter 16: 1% Affinity with Plants

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Nian Nian was startled. She widened her eyes, got down from the chair, and grabbed Meng Ran’s hand.

“What’s going on?”

Meng Ran shook her head and motioned for her to go inside to watch cartoons.

She sat on the rocking chair in the courtyard and opened the group chat. Nearly all the residents from the third to the eighth floor of this building had heard the noise but weren’t sure what had happened.

“I heard the voice of the person who bought water from Grandma Liu last time,” Nian Nian said from the doorway.

Meng Ran turned to look at her. “You heard it?”

Last time, Meng Ran had noticed that Nian Nian’s hearing had become unusually sharp.

Nian Nian nodded and gave a brief description of what she heard.

“It sounded like a robbery.”

Meng Ran knew what kind of character Fang Weiwen was but hadn’t expected him to start causing trouble so soon.

Fang Weiwen from unit 517 in building 23 wielded a fire axe, smashing down a door on the floor and storming in aggressively.

“Bring out all the food and drinks in your house!”

Fang Weiwen swung the axe at the wall. Inside, a child’s cries echoed. A couple stood before him: the man limping, the woman pale with fear.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Fang Weiwen had deliberately chosen this household; this floor was the easiest to bully.

“Do you know this is illegal?”

Hong Hao trembled with anger, pushing his crippled leg forward to block him.

The cold axe blade pressed against his face. “Then get someone to arrest me.”

Fang Weiwen was brazen.

“I don’t want anything else. Give me all the food and drink, and I’ll spare your lives!”

The water pipes had burst earlier, and now the power was out—the household simply couldn’t hold on.

Everyone was guarding their food so tightly and unwilling to share or trade. Fang Weiwen could only think of this method.

He glanced around the modest furnishings, finding nothing valuable.

Hong Hao took a deep breath and looked at his wife, Xu Chuxi.

“You go get all the food from the house.”

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Xu Chuxi turned away, forced to comply with Hong Hao’s words. They really had no way to deal with this rogue.

They handed over the remaining flour and vegetables to Fang Weiwen. He looked somewhat dissatisfied but went inside to look around himself.

“There really isn’t anything left!” Xu Chuxi’s palms were sweating.

Fang Weiwen shoved her aside. “Get lost! You’re so guilty, you must be hiding a lot.”

He opened the door. The child inside saw him and backed away, terrified.

Fang Weiwen ransacked the room but only found two bags of cookies and a box of bottled water.

He took these out. “Chen Yun, come over and help carry this!”

Chen Yun came from behind the door, conflicted as she glanced at Hong Hao and Xu Chuxi.

Xu Chuxi wept. “Chen Yun, I know you’ve suffered, and I even bought you medicine for your injuries. I haven’t treated you unfairly. Please, let him leave some food for us. Otherwise, we really will die.”

She grabbed Chen Yun’s clothes, hoping Chen Yun would show mercy for old times’ sake.

Chen Yun bit her lip, pushed Xu Chuxi’s hand away, and threw a few coins down.

“Sorry.”

Xu Chuxi looked at the coins on the ground and cried uncontrollably. What use were these coins now? They couldn’t buy food.

Fang Weiwen and his group swaggered back with the food.

No one on the floor dared to come out, but some were outraged and reported the incident in the property management group chat. That’s how Meng Ran found out what had happened.

Trouble had started in their building, which was bad news for Meng Ran.

With Fang Weiwen leading the way, such incidents would only increase. For the vulnerable in the community, this was a catastrophe.

It was cold enough to hide inside wrapped in layers of blankets, but without food, no one could last long.

Many people condemned Fang Weiwen’s behavior, but he was arrogant. Seeing the comments in the group, he replied:

23-517: “If any of you keep complaining, I’ll visit your homes next. I’m doing whatever it takes to survive. Don’t pretend to be high-minded. When your food runs out, you’ll be no different from me.”

Fang Weiwen didn’t think these people in the group were any nobler than him. When your own life is on the line, who knows—some might be even more vicious.

“The lady downstairs is still crying.”

Nian Nian leaned against Meng Ran, feeling so unfamiliar with the community she had always lived in, now unrecognizable.

“We can’t get involved in things like this. Nian Nian, remember, you must protect yourself in everything.”

Meng Ran held her and put plush earmuffs over her ears, not sure if they would help.

Right now, going out to be charitable would only bring trouble.

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No one knew when the heavy snow would stop; storing strength and supplies was the best choice.

Fortunately, the supplies in the space were enough to support them for a long time.

There was little activity in the group chat Meng Ran had joined, so she stopped paying attention.

She turned off her phone to conserve battery. Although the power was out, the network was still holding up for now. Meng Ran could only hope it would last a little longer to let her gather more information.

The accumulated snow hadn’t been cleared for days. The first floor was buried, making the situation worse.

They were trapped inside each building. To go out, they had to clear the snow first, but now everyone was on edge and distrustful, so no one would do such chores unless absolutely necessary.

For Meng Ran, this was somewhat fortunate—at least she didn’t have to worry about residents from other buildings banding together to attack her.

Meng Ran exercised in the space, wiping sweat from her brow. She checked the ripe tomatoes growing in the vegetable patch.

She picked one, wiped it with her clothes, and ate it directly, then handed one to Nian Nian.

The tomato’s juice was sweet and tart. Meng Ran smiled with satisfaction, eyes squinting.

“[Plant Affinity +1%]”

Startled by the sudden notification, Meng Ran paused.

She wiped her hands. Plant affinity? What was that?

Feeling something, a tender green vine sprouted from her fingertips. The vine seemed alive, brushing affectionately against her.

“Mom, grass is growing on your hand.”

Meng Ran chuckled softly. “I don’t know what this is either.”

It was a wonderful feeling—her body warm. She seemed able to control the vine at will.

Raising her hand, the vine extended outward, though it was thin and fragile. Still, this strange ability was a delightful surprise.

She retracted the vine, feeling a bit dizzy. Just 1% affinity consumed quite a bit of her energy at this stage.

“I only gained this affinity after my tomato harvest. Maybe future harvests will have the same effect.”

Meng Ran touched her ring. All this was thanks to that ring—she hadn’t expected that a single act of kindness would bring such a reward.

With affinity rising, her abilities would improve. Meng Ran grabbed a hoe from inside, and Nian Nian came to help.

She needed to plant more crops. Once this batch was harvested, they would have more seeds again.