Chapter 31: Human-Powered Waterwheel

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Human-Powered Waterwheel

The footsteps were steady and rhythmic. Xiaqing recognized them as Tan Junjie’s. This wasn’t the time for a security patrol, and he was coming alone.

’He must be here for me,’ she thought, ’for the Asparagus Chrysanthemum.’ Xiaqing pulled off her dirt-covered gloves and took out her phone.

Sure enough, Tan Junjie walked to the buffer zone north of Territory No. 3 and stopped. He then called Xiaqing. "Xiaqing, is now a good time? I’d like to trade for some Asparagus Chrysanthemum and Perilla."

After giving the Asparagus Chrysanthemum to Luo Pei, Xiaqing had been waiting for them to offer a trade. But five days had passed, and she was beginning to think they no longer needed any safe vegetables.

Xiaqing smiled faintly. "I am. How much would you like, Captain Tan? What are you offering in trade?" ℴ

Tan Junjie asked directly, "What do you want?"

’That’s a bold offer. Can I really ask for anything I want?’ Xiaqing stated what she currently wanted most. "I want a water pump to draw water from the reservoir for irrigation."

Tan Junjie paused for a moment, then negotiated, "A water pump needs either fuel or electricity, neither of which is convenient for you. What if I have someone build you a man-powered water wheel instead?"

’A tall, round water wheel like the ones in history books? Wouldn’t it just get chewed to bits by Evolved Insects?’ Xiaqing paused before asking, "Can you make it sheep-powered?"

Tan Junjie paused for a long moment as well before replying, "I’ll go ask."

That afternoon, Xiaqing received a call from Tan Junjie. "We can do sheep-powered, but your sheep is too strong. We don’t have parts that can withstand that kind of punishment. With a man-powered one, though, it’d be easy for you to pedal given your strength."

’Not needing electricity or fuel is a huge plus.’ "Then man-powered it is. Thanks for your help, Captain Tan. What do you propose for the trade?"

Tan Junjie suggested, "How about a man-powered water wheel set for four pounds of Asparagus Chrysanthemum and two pounds of Perilla?"

This was a much lower price than Xiaqing had expected. "Deal. I hope you can keep this a secret, Captain Tan. I don’t want too many people knowing I have Asparagus Chrysanthemum in my territory."

Tan Junjie immediately agreed. "Of course. I’d also like the chance to trade with you for safe food in the future. It will take a few days for the parts to be shipped from the Safe Zone. I’ll contact you when they arrive."

Xiaqing asked, "Will Zhong Tao be the one delivering it?"

"Yes, the roads are almost cleared. If you need any supplies, you can have Zhong Tao bring them over."

After hanging up, Xiaqing didn’t contact Zhong Tao. She had no points on her card and no extra supplies to trade. Having already traded for a Protective Suit with Tang Huai, she didn’t want to use her Perilla for any more trades for the next three months. As for the Asparagus Chrysanthemum, she only wanted to trade it with Tan Junjie and Luo Pei for now.

Unfortunately, Luo Pei wasn’t interested in the Asparagus Chrysanthemum. On reflection, Xiaqing felt that was reasonable. Even injured, Luo Pei, formerly the Green Dragon Team’s Third Combat Power, wouldn’t be lacking in supplies. He wouldn’t give a few sprigs of Asparagus Chrysanthemum a second glance.

Xiaqing put her phone away and stopped overthinking it. She began searching the terraced fields, working her way down from the top. Spring was the season for new growth; she might just make a new discovery.

And after half a day, she did indeed make an unexpected find.

Xiaqing pulled out her phone. In a narrow, small terraced field, she had found some plant sprouts only two or three centimeters tall. She repeatedly compared them with the images in her Planting Guide until she confirmed the plant’s name.

Peanuts!!!

She took out her detector. The test revealed that everything growing in the six- or seven-square-meter patch of terrace was a Yellow Light Peanut. Her hands trembled with excitement.

’Who knew peanut plants were so beautiful!’

’It was a good thing this terrace was so remote and the slope so steep. It was also lucky the seedlings were Yellow Light. Otherwise, this patch of seedlings, prettier than any succulent, would have been devoured by the Sheep Leader long ago!’

According to the Planting Guide, a dense patch of peanut seedlings won’t grow well and must be thinned and transplanted.

Xiaqing chose the two equally steep terraces below. She weeded, tilled the soil, transplanted the seedlings, and watered them, working straight through until dusk. The Sheep Leader had grown impatient long before and had already gone home.

When she was finally done, Xiaqing straightened up and gazed at the three peanut patches, beaming.

’It was like a gift from the heavens. She now had two hundred and twenty peanut plants!’

Peanuts sprout in the spring, bear fruit in the fall, and wither in the winter. They had come to clear the Evolution Forest last winter, which was the withering period for peanuts. ’That meant there could be peanut seedlings down the mountain as well!’

Her steps were light as she walked down the slope, fantasizing about the wonderful days ahead when she would eat boiled peanuts in the fall. She wanted to let out a few whoops to release the irrepressible excitement she felt.

Over the next few days, Xiaqing scoured her entire seven-thousand-five-hundred-acre territory. She did indeed find two more small patches of peanut seedlings, but unfortunately, they all tested Red Light. Their Harmful Element content was too high, making them inedible.

Although she didn’t find any more edible peanut seedlings, Xiaqing made other, even more gratifying discoveries: twenty-five Yellow Light Soybean sprouts, thirty-six Green Light Garlic sprouts, and fifty-two Green Light Spinach sprouts.

Overwhelmed by her finds and afraid she’d forget where all the plants were, Xiaqing drew a simple map of her territory and marked the location of each edible species.

After marking everything, Xiaqing made another discovery: when she connected the locations of all the Green and Yellow Light plants she’d found, the resulting shape looked like a small stream flowing down the mountain.

The spring, her territory’s most important resource, was also located along this "stream."

Though she knew nothing about geology, Xiaqing made a bold guess based on pure intuition: this stream-shaped belt of edible plants might mark the path of an underground spring!

If that theory held true...

Xiaqing’s gaze followed the belt of edible plants upward, past the area she had mapped, and toward the Evolution Forest beyond the isolation belt.

’If my theory is correct, does that mean there’s also a belt of edible plants in the Evolution Forest, winding its way up the northern mountain range?’

The thought kept her up half the night, and the more she considered it, the more excited she grew.

The next morning, Xiaqing stood at her second-floor window, looking north. Her gaze traveled past the Asparagus Tree and the High Slope by the overgrown courtyard, slowly climbing toward the distant, cloud-piercing peaks. As she watched, she gradually calmed down.

’Even if my theory is correct, and the spring water, free of Harmful Elements, really does flow from higher up... the edible plants in the upper reaches of the Evolution Forest would likely just be weeds, wild vegetables, and other annuals, or tall trees like pines, mountain peaches, hickories, and wild persimmons. It’s spring now, still a long way from fruit-bearing season. Venturing into the Evolution Forest wouldn’t bring any substantial rewards.’

’Besides, even without any knowledge of geology, I know that springs don’t just flow down from on high; they can also emerge from fissures deep within the rock of the mountain itself.’

’So, for now, I should just stick to farming safely within my territory. Once I’m fully prepared, I can venture into the Evolution Forest in the fall.’