Chapter 143: Rumbling Thunder

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Rumbling Thunder

At four o’clock the next morning, the Head Wolf led its pack to deliver four birds, followed by that pitiful Weasel in charge of plucking.

Xiaqing took her share, brought it inside to bleed it, and tested its Harmful Element content. As expected, it was Green Light. She took a photo of the bird, which looked like a large goose, and sent it to Ji Li:

The Wolf Group brought food. I took one and found it was Green Light.

She didn’t message Zhang San directly because it wasn’t light out yet, and her idol had specifically warned her not to contact him at night.

To Xiaqing’s surprise, less than ten minutes later, Zhang San called, his voice filled with delight. "Xiaqing, it’s me, your Brother San. Give me half of this Green Light Black Feathered Goose. What do you want for it?"

’So this type of goose is called a Black Feathered Goose? The name is quite descriptive.’ Xiaqing stated her trade request, "Can I trade for the insecticide you gave to Brother Luo yesterday?"

With Green Light meat on the table, Zhang San was in a great mood and feeling generous. "You can. For the Green Light Black Feathered Goose meat, one jin can be traded for four jin of insecticide. How many jin do you want?"

Xiaqing didn’t know the dosage and wasn’t sure how much she should trade for. "Enough for eight mu of land should be enough."

Zhang San told Xiaqing the application rate. "Two jin per mu. You use it once per crop cycle, so sixteen jin will be enough. I’d like to trade for two more jin of meat. What else do you want?"

Taking advantage of her idol’s good mood, Xiaqing asked about using spinach to make Special Level Nutrient Liquid. "Brother San, how long can the juice from my spinach roots and stems be stored?"

Zhang San answered precisely, "With your current storage conditions, probably one day. If you get a refrigerator and I give you some preservatives to add, it can be stored for five days."

Xiaqing asked again, "Five days is too short. Can I give you the spinach roots and stems in exchange for Special Level Nutrient Liquid with a longer shelf life?"

Zhang San was silent for a few seconds before answering, "Yes. Give me three jin of spinach plants without any soil, and I’ll trade you one tube of Special Level Nutrient Liquid with a two-month shelf life."

Xiaqing silently did the math: ’Three jin of spinach for one tube of nutrient liquid. One tube of nutrient liquid sells for two thousand points. Of course, this trade offer is because of the Green Light Goose meat. Brother San is in a good mood, so he’s asking for a lower price.’

’So, the price that Iron Rooster Yang Jin quoted her was actually quite reasonable.’

Xiaqing quickly made up her mind. "Thank you, Brother San. I’ll trade you the whole goose. Once my Green Light Spinach is harvested, can I send you all the plants in exchange for Special Level Nutrient Liquid with a two-month shelf life?"

’It’s never good to put all your eggs in one basket. She had told Zhang San she’d only planted three hundred spinach seeds, when in reality, she had planted twelve hundred.’

’Once the spinach matures, a quarter of the plants will go to Zhang San for the Special Level Nutrient Liquid, and three-quarters will be sold to Yang Jin. That way, she’ll get high-quality nutrient liquid and earn points. Perfect!’

Xiaqing silently gave herself a thumbs-up.

Zhang San readily agreed. "Black Feathered Goose meat is delicious. You don’t have to trade the whole thing to me. Keep a leg for yourself. I’ll have Ji Li come over to pick it up now."

Ji Li was very fast. As soon as Xiaqing hung up, she immediately chopped off a goose leg, sealed the now one-legged goose, and brought it along with the goose blood to the meeting point.

To Xiaqing’s surprise, the person waiting at the North Isolation Zone of No.3 Territory was not Ji Li, but Yan Long.

Perhaps because the skilled are bold, Yan Long had come to pick up the items without even wearing a Protective Mask, leaving Xiaqing at a loss for words. She handed over the goose meat and blood with both hands. "Sorry to trouble you, Sister Yan."

Yan Long took them and handed a bag of insecticide to Xiaqing, instructing, "This insecticide can be used when tilling the land or diluted with water during irrigation. Do not let it come into direct contact with your skin."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Yan." Xiaqing accepted it.

Yan Long watched Xiaqing quietly. Just as Xiaqing thought she was about to say something, she turned and left with the items.

Although Xiaqing was a little confused, she wasn’t a particularly curious person by nature, so she also turned crisply and headed back to her territory.

After bringing the insecticide home and stowing it away, Xiaqing immediately started preparing the goose leg. The goose wasn’t small, so a single leg weighed one and a half jin, enough for one meal for Xiaqing.

When she scalded the goose leg with boiling water and started plucking it, the fine feathers stuck to her hands and wouldn’t shake off. Xiaqing really wanted to go out and ask the Head Wolf where it found that plucking Weasel. Xiaqing wanted one too.

After plucking it clean, Xiaqing tossed the goose leg into a clay pot, added spring water and seasonings, brought it to a boil, then turned it down to a low simmer.

Then, she took off her apron to attend to other matters.

The first task was to move the chicks from their cage into the chicken coop. Xiaqing carried the cage to the coop, and just as she opened the door, a black shadow shot out with a WHOOSH.

Xiaqing watched the little black-feathered, red-crested cockerel as it ran out, stretching its neck and flapping its wings. ’This thing seems to be an evolved chicken.’

’Does Brother San know? Should I tell him?’

Xiaqing decided not to say anything for now. These Green Light Chickens were hers, obtained through a trade. When the chicken grew up, if it displayed a prominent Evolutionary Ability that was of no use to her, then she would consider telling Zhang San.

After Xiaqing put the mixed chicken feed into the trough, Zhang San surprisingly called. His voice was kind and cheerful, a completely different person from the listless man yesterday. "Xiaqing, the goose blood was very fresh. I’ll throw in a sunshade net for you. It’ll be there tomorrow morning."

Xiaqing knew how to play along. "Thank you, Brother San. If the wolves bring more Green Light animals tomorrow, I’ll see if I can get them. If I can, I’ll send them over to you."

"You don’t have to send them all. Just keep enough for yourself and trade the rest to me," Zhang San said, then enthusiastically started discussing how to cook the goose meat with Xiaqing. "The meat on this goose is excellent quality. How are you planning to cook your goose leg?"

Xiaqing answered honestly, "I’m boiling it."

"Right, goose leg meat is best boiled to make white-cut goose," Zhang San said, affirming her method. "You don’t need other seasonings. Just add cooking wine and ginger slices, simmer on low for half an hour, then chop it into pieces and eat it with a dipping sauce."

Hearing that Zhang San’s method was quite simple, Xiaqing was a bit dismayed. "I added bay leaves, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, cooking wine, and green onions to the water."

Zhang San paused for a moment. "Stewing it like that should still be delicious. You can try the white-cut method next time."

After hanging up, Xiaqing finished inspecting her territory and was about to head home when she suddenly heard the low rumble of thunder from the east. The southeastern sky, which should have been brightening, was now gathering dark clouds at a visible rate.

’Is that a massive patch of Harmful Rain clouds or just regular rain clouds?’ Although last night’s weather forecast hadn’t mentioned rain, Xiaqing, who had lived through ten years of Natural Disasters, felt something was wrong. She immediately shouted for her companion, "Sheep Leader, Sheep Leader, get to the fields, quick—"

Hearing Xiaqing’s anxious shouts, Sheep Leader, who was at home, immediately ran out. By then, Xiaqing had already reached the shed by the farmland and started hauling out the greenhouse’s rainproof cloth. When she saw Sheep Leader arrive, Xiaqing immediately placed the panniers on its back, stuffed two large, folded pieces of rainproof cloth into them, and charged ahead while hugging a roll of rope and other tools. "Let’s go! We’re heading to the High Slope planting area! Quick!"

The Yellow Light Sunflowers, Green Light Spinach, and Green Light Mung Beans planted in the terraces of the High Slope planting area were all in their newly-sprouted seedling stage. If they came into direct contact with the Harmful Rain, most of them would be contaminated.

A moment ago there was only thunder, but now the wind had picked up, carrying a distinct chill. For late July, which should be hot, this cold wind was truly abnormal.

Xiaqing moved faster. She secured one end of the rainproof cloth, quickly unrolled it, pulled it to the other end of the greenhouse frame, and tied it down securely. Then, she threw several ropes meant to secure the middle section of the cloth from the east side of the frame to the west side, shouting to her companion, "Sheep Leader, come help!"

Sheep Leader, who had been squinting at the clouds from the side, trotted over to Xiaqing. Xiaqing tied two ropes to its horns. "When I tell you to pull, you pull. Don’t use too much force, or you’ll pull the greenhouse frame apart."

Sheep Leader stood motionless, and Xiaqing didn’t know if it had understood. But she didn’t have time to repeat herself. She quickly jumped onto the Level 4 terrace and grabbed the other two ropes. Just then, the wind grew stronger, making the rainproof cloth flap and rustle violently.

If Xiaqing and Sheep Leader weren’t both Strength Evolvers, they probably wouldn’t have been able to hold onto the ropes. Xiaqing shouted to Sheep Leader, "Sheep Leader, pull the ropes!"