Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

No sooner had he finished speaking than flames leaped up; a few minutes later, a large bucket of boiling water was brought into the house, bubbling and steaming.

The conditions were indeed shabby; there wasn't even a water pipe installed, let alone a bathtub.

But Qiao Jingjing didn't even frown, nor did she show the slightest bit of politeness.

She picked up the bucket and walked straight into the small bathroom right under Lin Quan's nose. She closed the door with a "click" and started washing herself.

Lin Quan glanced at the closed door, a slight smile playing on her lips. She then turned around, tied on her apron, and deftly began washing rice and chopping vegetables.

When Qiao Jingjing came out, drying her wet hair, a pot of fragrant white rice and three dishes of home-style stir-fry were already neatly arranged on the stove.

Lin Quan had just opened his mouth to call her to eat—

Suddenly, a string of ear-piercing curses erupted from the neighboring yard, the spittle seemingly flying over the wall.

Without listening closely, Lin Quan understood immediately: who else could it be but that mean-spirited old lady, Jia Zhangshi?

Before he could even speak, Qiao Jingjing, who had just finished showering, frowned slightly: "Who lives next door...?"

Lin Quan looked up, but before he could even utter a word, he froze.

The girl in front of me, fresh from her bath, wore a dark silk nightgown that draped close to her body, outlining her curvaceous figure; especially her long, straight legs, which were dazzlingly white and exuded a languid charm.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he quietly swallowed.

Their eyes met suddenly—

Lin Quan's ears burned, and Qiao Jingjing's cheeks also flushed slightly, like the blush of peach blossoms just beginning to appear on branches in early spring.

After several seconds, Lin Quan abruptly turned his face away and coughed lightly, "How about... you change your clothes first?"

Qiao Jingjing smiled, her eyes slightly upturned, and said, "I'm not afraid, so why are you panicking?"

Before she finished speaking, a delicate, warm fragrance wafted past her nose, and she gracefully sat down at the dining table.

Then, she turned her head, her voice carrying three parts teasing and seven parts certainty: "Besides—back when the Time Mirror connected to the apocalypse, you saw everything you should and shouldn't have seen."

Lin Quan froze instantly, his face burning up.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but felt it was all nonsense; he wanted to refute, but the facts were undeniable—in that accident, with the interplay of light and shadow and the disheveled clothes, what part hadn't he seen clearly?

The thought crossed his mind, and he straightened his back, met Qiao Jingjing's smiling eyes, strode over, and sat down steadily opposite her.

I thought she would continue to tease me, but to my surprise, Qiao Jingjing lowered her eyelashes, her ear tips turned red, and even the fingers holding the chopsticks curled up slightly.

Lin Quan's heart softened, a smile appeared in the corner of her eyes, and she raised her hand to push the bowl and plate: "Eat while it's hot."

Qiao Jingjing took a deep breath, quickly composed herself, picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in her mouth, then casually changed the subject: "By the way, what exactly happened next door?"

The old hag next door cursed again, like a dull knife scraping the bottom of a pot.

Lin Quan picked up a piece of tofu, chewed it slowly, and then spoke:

"Everyone living over there is an exceptional individual."

"Yi Zhonghai, a moral exemplar; Liu Haizhong, a model of filial piety..."

"And then there's He Daqing, who specializes in targeting widows, and Jia Zhangshi, the patriarch of the 'lying down' world."

He revealed the true colors of those people to Qiao Jingjing, using the most commonplace language.

"hiss--"

Upon hearing this, even Qiao Jingjing, who had survived countless deaths and crawled through the night, gasped in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief.

What an amazing bunch of clowns!

In these times of kindness and compassion, they are truly exceptional, one in a million, the cream of the crop among oddities.

Seeing the expression on Qiao Jingjing's face, Lin Quan helplessly shrugged and gently shook his shoulders.

"You'd say these people are one in a thousand? No... let's just say they're one in a million 'geniuses'..."

There are quite a few people in this world who specialize in exploiting children who have no descendants!

Even more repulsive things can be found at random!

They can empty people's pockets and exploit them for a lifetime, all while putting on a compassionate face...

Not to mention Lin Quan's stomach was churning, even Qiao Jingjing's fingertips clenched unconsciously, her knuckles turning white.

"Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant things, let's start eating—"

Lin Quan had just pushed the bowl and chopsticks towards Qiao Jingjing when, before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly struck by a thought.

Before Qiao Jingjing could speak, he changed the subject:

"After you left, I went to buy some food that you urgently needed."

"I reckon the grain shop staff will deliver the goods to the courtyard in a little while."

"We were in a rush, so we only managed to gather 30 tons in the first batch—10 tons of rice, 10 tons of refined flour, and 10 tons of cornmeal."

Upon hearing the words "thirty tons of grain," Qiao Jingjing's chopsticks paused instantly, hovering in mid-air without falling.

In the apocalypse, this amount of food is indeed as insignificant as dust!

But Qiao Jingjing, who had personally experienced famine by gnawing on tree bark, fighting for swill, and risking her life for half a piece of compressed biscuit, knew very well that thirty tons was enough to shake up the situation, establish a stronghold, and save a few lives.

Lin Quan's gaze fell on her face, and he asked casually:

"What are your plans for this batch of grain?"

Qiao Jingjing met his gaze, but didn't say anything for a moment. She just lowered her eyes and remained silent for two seconds.

Seeing this, Lin Quan added:

"You're currently at level two in mental power. In your area of ​​expertise, what level would that be considered?"

Without much thought, she answered directly:

Level 2 is not at the very top in the post-apocalyptic world, but it's enough for someone to be able to go it alone.

Before the contract was signed, she traversed ruins on foot, endured the harsh winter with sheer willpower, and used that willpower to forge herself into a shadow—she couldn't defeat a level three awakened one, but if she wanted to escape? No one could stop her.

The power of mental energy is far more than just controlling objects. It can envelop her and lift her into the air, gliding along the broken walls of the ruined building, skimming over the heads of the horde of corpses, and landing silently, like a gust of wind that refuses to fall to the ground.

That's why she lived until the moment the contract was written.

As soon as she finished speaking, Qiao Jingjing suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at Lin Quan:

"You mean... take the grain here and exchange it for something with me?"

"right."

Lin Quan nodded decisively.

Then he leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more serious:

"If we're not strong enough, we can only cower in a corner and hide, even our breathing has to be done in a low voice."

"But you have the ability to protect yourself and can walk around freely in the apocalypse—then we don't need to hide."

"My grain is piled up like mountains here, while you're starving and fighting over rats."

He paused, his gaze intense:

"We provide the grain, they provide the crystal cores. It's a simple exchange of grain and crystal cores."

"Let's build up our strength steadily with crystal cores, then discuss the next step—do you think that's a good idea?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Qiao Jingjing quietly.

A light suddenly shone in her eyes, not from a flame, but from flint that had been suppressed for too long and was finally ignited.

Lin Quan's meager grain supply, thrown into the vast ocean of the apocalypse, certainly wouldn't make a ripple.

But for her, it was just the right amount, enough to ignite the first spark.

As for bigger moves? Nobody has the resources for that right now.