The run-down prefab room at the construction site contained almost nothing except a bare wooden bed frame and a pile of worn-out bedding.Several construction workers sat around the only table, drinking heavily and playing poker with glazed, drunken eyes.“Frank Lane, it’s your turn! What are you staring at?”“Come on, Frank! You lost again. Pay up! No backing out!”Frank had drunk far too much. His eyelids felt heavy, his thoughts were sluggish, and a dull ache throbbed inside his swollen head. The entire room seemed to be covered by a layer of fog.Moving slowly, he pulled several bills from his pocket and tossed them onto the table.How had he lost again?The alcohol blurred his vision. He stared at the cards in front of him, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not make out the numbers or suits.The last trace of clarity in his mind was quickly fading.The other workers had also consumed plenty of alcohol. Now that they had won Frank’s money, they had no intention of continui

Frank Lane opened his eyes through an unbearable wave of pain.His head felt as though someone were driving a steel spike into it. He clenched his teeth and struggled to breathe as the black fog clouding his vision gradually dispersed.When he finally saw his surroundings clearly, he froze.He was not lying in a spotless hospital room filled with white walls and the sharp smell of disinfectant.Instead, he found himself inside a small, dilapidated house.The room was almost completely empty. Cold air slipped through cracks in the walls and window frames, and a thick layer of dust covered everything, making it obvious that no one had properly cared for the place in a long time.But none of that shocked Frank as much as the child standing in front of him.It was his young daughter, Lily Lane.Frank blinked repeatedly, convinced that his eyes were deceiving him.But the child did not disappear.The frightened little girl staring at him was exactly how Lily had looked when she was still a

Seeing the adoration on Lily’s face, Frank Lane felt his heart tremble.He leaned forward and ate the bite of egg from Lily’s spoon, but bitterness filled his chest as he swallowed.After setting Lily down beside Sophie White, Frank said, “I’m going to check the storage room and see if there’s anything useful. You and Lily eat first.”With that, he quickly left.Sophie looked at the plate, where more than half of the egg pancake still remained.Something stirred faintly inside her heart.But after so many years of disappointment, she no longer dared to hope for even the smallest miracle.She looked at Lily and thought that perhaps this was still a good thing.Even if she left, at least Frank might be able to take care of their daughter.At that moment, Frank was rummaging through the storage room, his face filled with urgency.After testing the Healing Spring on the wild greens earlier, he now fully understood its use.It could accelerate the growth of crops.It could also treat illne

But this was no ordinary Noodle Soup. Frank had deliberately made it with water from the Healing Spring provided by the system."I didn't have time to make soup today," Frank said. "Just have some Noodle Soup instead."Hearing that, Sophie picked up her bowl.For some reason, the dumplings tasted especially delicious today, and she suddenly found herself wanting to try the soup as well. Besides, the water used to boil the dumplings still contained plenty of flavor and nutrients. It would be a waste to throw it away.Sophie took a sip, and her eyes widened immediately.An incredibly fresh taste spread through her mouth. It tasted nothing like ordinary Noodle Soup. In fact, it was somehow even more delicious than the dumplings.Frank had made the dumplings small enough for Lily to eat one at a time. She happily stuffed one after another into her mouth, occasionally taking a few sips of soup in between."Daddy's dumplings are so good!"Hearing Lily's excited praise, Sophie smiled, and th

Frank's eyes lit up.A few simple words from the vegetable vendor had suddenly opened his mind to an entirely new possibility.Right now, Frank didn't just want to make money.He wanted to make it fast.Wholesale markets. Off-season vegetables. Specialty produce from the South...The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.Of course.Scarcity created value.Vegetables that were everywhere in the South could easily become rare commodities in the North.And this wasn't more than twenty years in the future, when modern logistics and online shopping had made almost anything easy to obtain.Seeing the smile spreading across Frank's face, the vendor chuckled."Other people have thought of it too," he said with a sigh. "The problem is, Riverside County isn't exactly wealthy. Most people around here don't have the money or resources to travel that far just to buy produce.""If you've got a reliable source, though, you should seriously think about it."The vendor gave Frank a pat