Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

Little Wheatie glanced over at Little Oakie by the pigpen, then quickly lost interest and turned back. Just as it was about to ask Kim Haru for a hug again, Go Okrim grabbed it in one swift motion. "When hyung tells you to go play with Little Oakie, you go play with Little Oakie. Disobedient kids might just get sliced up by a sickle, you know."

With that, Go Okrim carried Little Wheatie over to the pigpen and tossed it next to Little Oakie. "Little Oakie, here's a playmate for you. Keep it entertained."

As Little Oakie nodded, Go Okrim added with emphasis, "And especially teach it to distinguish between humans and plants. Not everyone's its dad."

Oh.

Little Oakie nodded again in understanding.

Feeling satisfied after ridding himself of the clingy Little Wheatie, Go Okrim dusted his hands off and made his way back to Kim Haru.

"Kim Haru-hyung, I've finished peeling those chestnuts you asked for and let them dry a bit. What should we do with them now?"

Oh, right—the chestnuts.

Kim Haru had nearly forgotten that he'd gathered a big pile of chestnuts earlier until Go Okrim's reminder.

"Do you know how to make candied chestnuts?" Haru asked.@@novelbin@@

Go Okrim shook his head.

So that meant he would have to do it by himself. He hadn't actually roasted chestnuts before, but he'd seen it done when he'd bought them, so he had a rough idea of the process.

After washing a portion of the chestnuts, he and Go Okrim scored an X on the top of each one, then boiled them for twenty to thirty minutes before drying them off and tossing them into the pan to roast.

For his first attempt, Kim Haru misjudged the heat, resulting in a slightly burnt smell. But with practice, his technique improved, and soon he'd roasted a whole pot of chestnuts, filling the air with a delicious, warm aroma.

"Take some over to Hwa Jian and Han Gwonhee, and bring the watering can back with you while you're there," Kim Haru said, dividing up the roasted chestnuts and handing a portion to Go Okrim.

Go Okrim nodded his head and activated the teleportation device.

Since Kim Haru had hired Hwa Jian and Han Gwonhee as farm workers, he'd introduced Go Okrim to them. Since then, Go Okrim had been in charge of transporting Han Gwonhee's watering can back and forth.

After a few trips back and forth, the three of them had been gradually become less distant with each other.

Kim Haru set aside a portion of the remaining chestnuts, he had plans to use them later for either another roast or to stew them with meat. Most of the chestnuts, though, he ground into chestnut flour. Chestnut flour was much easier to be stored and lasted much longer than whole chestnuts. Plus, it could be used in various ways. He decided to use some of his fresh craft for tonight's dinner to make steamed pork with chestnut flour.

Ever since the farming system's beginner period had ended, Kim Haru's free meal deliveries had stopped. Now he had to rely on the ingredients he produced himself. He couldn't eat the same thing every day, so he constantly tried to come up with new dishes.

Oh, right—the lotus roots in the pond still hadn't been harvested.

When Go Okrim returned, Kim Haru was already crouched by the pond with tools in hand.

"Kim Haru-hyung, what are you doing?" Go Okrim asked.

"Digging up lotus roots," Kim Haru replied. "Your Little Aeris and Little Ignis have already gone down, but it looks like there aren't enough hands. Go get those seven power ranger gang and bring them over."

Go Okrim quickly did as he was told.

The seven power rangers gang zombies soon followed behind Go Okrim. Kim Haru hadn't bothered giving them individual names, he just simply calling them all "Power Ranger Gang."

"Do they know how to dig up lotus roots?" He asked, a little bit doubtful. "Hopefully they won't damage my roots."

Surprisingly, Go Okrim was very confident. Although the seven power ranger Glgang seemed a bit clumsy and didn't have the agility of Little Aeris and Litle Ignis, he patted his chest in assurance. "Don't worry, hyung. I've trained them well enough."

"Alright then."

Kim Haru nodded, and one by one, the power ranger gang entered the water.

The pond on Kim Haru's farm was rather deep, and as he looked down from the bank, he could just make out some dark shapes beneath the water. The lotus roots were embedded in the thick mud at the bottom of the pond, and the zombies needed to pull them out from the sticky mire. Some areas of mud had a strong suction, making the task challenging.

However, zombies had an advantage over humans. Other than the resistance from the water, it was no different for them than working in the air. Soon, the sections of freshly dug lotus roots floated to the surface.

Kim Haru and Go Okrim stood by the shore, using long sticks to pull them in.

Some of the lotus roots were too heavy to float, so he lowered a basket attached to a rope. The zombies placed the extracted lotus roots into the basket. Once it was full, they tugged on the rope, and Kim Haru and Go Okrim would pull the basket up from the bank.

A whole basketful of lotus roots, buoyed by the water, was relatively easy for the two of them to lift. But once they pulled it up onto the shore, the true weight of all those lotus roots became apparent. The roots were plump and white, segmented, with some even as long as a person's arm. With a gentle snap, they broke apart, producing a crisp sound accompanied by delicate lotus root fibers—just the sight and sound promised an incredible flavor. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire

Seeing so many lotus roots, Kim Haru suddenly craved for braised pig trotters with lotus root.

"Gojo, keep an eye on things here. I'll make a quick trip to the safe zone."