On her way back, Melody Summers glanced again at Lorne’s tightly shut gate.

Lorne’s family had moved in before, but they were always elusive. Later, it seemed they had moved out again.

In any case, Melody Summers had never met this neighbor.

Melody Summers returned home, carried Albus back to her room, locked the door, and entered the Arcadian Space.

She had been staying at The Nimbus Hotel for the past half-month and hadn’t shipped anything, so a lot of crops had accumulated in the space.

Melody Summers listed all the fruits she had previously picked in The Arcadian Woods: apples, pears, oranges, honey plums, persimmons... She priced them all at 20,000 per box.

She packed the pineapples from the farmland, three to a box, and priced them at 10,000 per box.

A combination gift box of purple grapes and Sunshine Rose grapes was priced at 40,000 per box.

For watermelons, she packed four small ones or two large ones to a box, pricing them at 20,000 per box.

Melons with an ice-cream-like texture were packed four to a box and priced at 30,000 per box.

...

The fruits she had eaten at The Nimbus Hotel these past few days gave Melody Summers confidence. ’No commercially available indoor-grown produce tastes as good as what comes from the Arcadian Space!’

Among the vegetables in the farmland, green beans and cucumbers had the highest yields, piled up into two small mountains. Melody Summers packed them into portions and listed them for sale: 8,000 for cucumbers and 6,000 for green beans.

She cut the large pumpkins in half, revealing their golden flesh. She didn’t even scoop out the seeds, since they could be roasted and eaten. Melody Summers listed all the halves for sale, pricing each portion at 20,000.

In addition to these, Melody Summers also listed some tomatoes, cauliflower, and zucchini...

After listing the fruits and vegetables, Melody Summers went to the livestock farm.

Looking at the young chickens covering the ground, she kept two large roosters and ten egg-laying hens. The rest were all sent to the processing plant, prepared, and listed for sale.

’Rabbits really do breed quickly.’ The pens that had once seemed empty were now nearly full. Watching the white furballs scampering everywhere, Melody Summers found it hard to believe she had started with only three rabbits.

Melody Summers kept three does and two bucks, taking the rest of the adult rabbits to the processing plant.

After Melody Summers listed the chicken, duck, and rabbit for sale, she was surprised to find that all the fruits and vegetables she had posted earlier had already sold out.

Melody Summers, a little touched, said to Albus, "I can’t believe it. We were closed for a while, but everyone is still so supportive now that we’re back."

Finally, Melody Summers found the two rams she had selected earlier and herded them into the processing plant. A moment later, the fully butchered and cleaned sheep emerged on the conveyor belt.

The meat yield from the sheep really wasn’t high; the two rams only produced sixty pounds of meat.

Melody Summers kept ten pounds to roast at home and listed the remaining fifty pounds of mutton and offal. The mutton was sold in five-pound portions, priced at 50,000 each.

A sheep’s head was priced at 20,000. Melody divided the remaining offal into six portions, pricing each at 50,000.

The moment the mutton and offal were listed, they were instantly sold out.

Melody Summers pulled out the cardboard boxes she had stockpiled, and she and Albus got busy packing and shipping orders.

*

By the time she finished shipping, it was nearly evening. Melody Summers took three pounds of mutton and prepared to go to Crystal Mart.

To her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Sophie Thorne’s nanny standing there, holding a box.

Seeing Melody Summers open the door, the nanny pulled back the hand she had been about to raise to the doorbell and said with a smile,

"Miss Summers, Miss Sophie asked me to bring you these fruits and vegetables. Please, take them."

Melody Summers didn’t refuse and accepted the box with a smile.

After seeing the nanny off, Melody Summers carried the box inside. Then, she brought out many more fruits and vegetables from the Arcadian Space, piling them up until the floor was covered.

The Summers family had cleared out the refrigerated vegetables before they left, and the heat had killed everything in the yard. Melody had been worrying about where to get produce. ’I can’t just openly take things out of the space.’

Now that Sophie Thorne had sent vegetables, she finally had an excuse to bring out the various fruits and vegetables from the Arcadian Space. There was more than enough to fill a refrigerator.

Once she’d finished, Melody Summers shouted up the stairs, "Grandma, Miss Lowell, Aunt Winnie! I left the vegetables from Sophie Thorne in the living room! Could you please put them away? I’m heading out!"

Melody Summers made her way to Crystal Mart, observing the Desert Vines along the road as she walked. It was clear the property management had been diligent with cleanup; there weren’t many new vines, but each one was crawling with conspicuous white bugs.

As Melody Summers entered Crystal Mart, she caught sight of a crowd gathered around the emergency management office next door.

There weren’t many people in the store yet. It was too hot outside; most people waited until sunset to come out and collect their sand vine cakes.

When Crystal Lynch saw Melody enter, she rushed over happily. "Melody! You’re finally back! It’s been ages."

Melody quietly handed her the mutton. "Fresh leg of mutton," she said with a smile. "For you, Mr. Lynch, and Lynch."

Crystal Lynch accepted it with a grin. "You have to stop giving us such valuable things," she said. "My dad and brother feel bad. When you left half a month ago, you gave us several boxes of things—vegetables, fruit, and so much fish and shrimp. My dad and brother were floored! They keep telling me to transfer more money to you."

Such things wouldn’t have been a big deal before the cataclysm, but now, they were incredibly precious.

Although the two families had become as close as one over the past six months, the old saying held true: even close relatives must keep clear accounts.

Melody knew the Lynchs were sincere people. She smiled and said, "My uncle and my mom often eat lunch here when they don’t come home or pack their own. You’re making us sound like strangers."

Melody then asked, "What’s going on with the office over there? Why is everyone gathered around it?"

Crystal Lynch paused for a moment, then sighed. "It’s about the bugs that hatch from the Desert Vines. They started hatching in the western cities a few days ago, but it hadn’t really started here."

"Half a month ago, a wildfire broke out on the mountain behind our complex, making the bugs hatch early. That’s why, in all of Anworth, our neighborhood has the most. They’re discussing pest control because the bugs bite people."

Melody thought to herself, ’Sandvine Worms are relatively docile and rarely attack people. That’s why, in my past life, so many people caught them to cook for protein.’

’Of course, some people did get bitten accidentally while catching them. The wound would look frighteningly bruised and purple, but it wasn’t actually very painful. It would usually be fine after a little while, with no need for a hospital visit.’

A little while later, the sun set, and residents began trickling into the supermarket to get their sand vine cakes. Winnie Summers, Colin Summers, and Finn Lynch and his son returned to the store to help with the distribution.

Officer Tristan Tanner and a few security guards stood by the entrance. Everyone queued up in an orderly line, chatting as they waited.

"There are more and more bugs in the complex lately. It’s really scary."

"I wonder if we can catch them to eat. I mean, it’s protein."

"Oh my god, bugs are so gross! Aren’t you afraid of getting bitten?"

"What’s gross about them? They say most wildlife has gone extinct from the heat and lack of water. It’s a rare treat to see a creature that can still survive and reproduce. If you ask me, they’re all quite dashing."

"Yeah, if you think bugs are so gross, why are you in line for sand vine cakes? Did you think these cakes don’t have bugs in them?"

"Why can’t I? I always eat them with my eyes closed. Out of sight, out of mind. If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist."

"Most of these bugs are on the Desert Vines. What if you get pricked by a vine while trying to catch one?"

"..."

Listening to the crowd’s chatter, Melody Summers turned and headed for the emergency management office next door. Officer Sean Pierce was on duty inside.