Chapter 48: Does an Iron Rooster Have Feathers?

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Does an Iron Rooster Have Feathers?

Xiaqing put the bamboo rat meat into the dehydrator, set the time and temperature, and flipped the switch. Humming a little tune, she turned on the radio to the evening news broadcast and continued reading the manuals for the dehydrator and vacuum sealer.

The news broadcast offered no valuable information. The base’s weather forecast said there would be no Harmful Rain or large-scale insect swarms in the next five days, but today’s farming report was actually about how to eliminate Evolutionary Rats. Xiaqing raised an eyebrow, closed the manual, and turned on her walkie-talkie.

The first to speak today was Zhao Ze, who was asking Qi Fu for advice on making compost.

As everyone knows, inorganic fertilizers, also known as chemical fertilizers, are made by chemical or physical methods and contain one or more nutrients needed for crop growth. Organic fertilizers are made primarily from by-product resources rich in organic matter, such as animal excrement or plant and animal remains, which are then fermented and decomposed.

Before the great biological evolution on Blue Star, chemical fertilizers were the main type used for growing crops. But after the evolution, applying chemical fertilizers, which quickly supplemented the various elements plants needed, unexpectedly became the main culprit for increasing the Qiang Evolution rate in crops. Using organic fertilizer became the only option for promoting the growth of evolved crops.

When it came to farming knowledge, Qi Fu began to hold forth. "We don’t raise livestock or poultry. With just the few of us in the territory, we can’t collect much manure. The Safe Zone doesn’t sell organic fertilizer either. Do you guys know how many pigs are raised at the Wild Boar Breeding Center north of Territories Four and Five? I wonder if they sell pig manure..."

’This topic is really killing my appetite.’ Xiaqing was glad she had eaten dinner early today.

Xiaqing wasn’t the only one affected. Qi Fu’s words were cut off by Zhang San. "Stop. Don’t ruin my memory of a wonderful dinner."

Qi Fu immediately shut his mouth. Kuang Qingwei asked cheerfully, "Brother San, what did you have for dinner tonight?"

Zhang San answered earnestly, "Incredibly delicious Green Light vegetables, of course. If more can be found, I’d be willing to trade any number of points for them."

Xiaqing knew Zhang San’s words were meant for her.

It wasn’t just her. Hu Zifeng, who was eating stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat, knew. Tang Huai, who was eating fried insects, also knew. But Tang Huai couldn’t admit he knew, or he would be incriminating himself. Hu Zifeng left the choice to Xiaqing, because she was the one who had discovered that bamboo forest first.

Xiaqing didn’t take Zhang San’s bait. Instead, she waited until the idle chatter was over, then called Zhang San’s number and introduced herself. "Brother San, this is Xiaqing from the Third Territory."

Zhang San’s voice was as serious and direct as could be. "Sister Xiaqing, how many Green Light Bamboo Shoots do you have left? Name your price."

Xiaqing was just as frank. "I have ten catties left, but I have to keep those for myself. I have thirty catties of Yellow Light Bamboo Shoots for trade. Do you want them, Brother San?"

"No." As expected, Zhang San refused. "If you can’t trade the Green Light Bamboo Shoots, can you trade the location where you found them?"

Xiaqing stated her terms directly. "Yes. That bamboo forest is at least a hundred mu. We only searched about ten mu today and found one Green Light Bamboo. I want to trade the location for two solar panels plus the matching wires and storage batteries. Is that acceptable?"

The Evolution Forest didn’t belong to anyone. A bamboo forest that large was impossible to hide. Even if Xiaqing didn’t tell Zhang San now, he could deduce the general direction and area and find it by sending people into the Evolution Forest for a couple of days. That was why Xiaqing wanted to trade the location for something practical.

Anyone else would have certainly refused, but Zhang San, a connoisseur of fine food who lacked for nothing, was no ordinary person.

Xiaqing had been prepared to haggle with Zhang San, but to her surprise, he agreed in one go. "Of course. I’ll give you a brand-new set of solar equipment. Where is the bamboo?"

Xiaqing described the location precisely. "It’s in the Evolution Forest north of No. 1 Territory. Follow the creek in the gully that marks the border between No. 1 Territory and the Third Territory, and walk north for fifteen li. You’ll see it."

Zhang San thanked her sincerely. "Thank you very much. I’ll have the patrol team bring the things over to you tomorrow. When my cat has kittens, I’ll send you pictures."

「The next day」

Hu Zi had just finished installing the solar panels for Xiaqing when Zhong Tao arrived.

Xiaqing handed him the four sealed Red Light Mice and, according to the market price, traded ten catties of Yellow Light Bamboo Shoots each to Zhong Tao and Zheng Kui. With the points she earned from the Red Light Mice and the trade, Xiaqing exchanged for some thickened vacuum-seal food bags and used all the remaining points for rainproof cloth.

Zhong Tao couldn’t help but ask, "Sis, what are you doing with so much rainproof cloth?"

Xiaqing explained, "I’m planning to build a rain shelter for my vegetable garden. Otherwise, one bout of Harmful Rain and I won’t have many seedlings left."

"You’re really willing to spend on it, Sis. But you’re right; it would be heartbreaking to have the seedlings you worked so hard to grow get ruined by Harmful Rain." Zhong Tao started gossiping with Xiaqing about recent events. "In our North District, a territory not far from the Safe Zone had all its vegetable seedlings, which they’d tended to for over a month, destroyed by rats in a single night, the day before yesterday. It happened to two territories in the West District, too. One Lord, after losing his seedlings, went to steal from a neighboring territory and was beaten to death..."

Zhong Tao drove back and forth between the Safe Zone and the territories, so he had a lot of information. After hearing what he said, Xiaqing finally understood why last night’s farming report was about eradicating rats.

The inner territories discovered the rats a month later than the fringe territories like hers. Xiaqing noted this time lag and headed home, carrying her bags.

Now that she had enough stored electricity and food packaging bags, Xiaqing soaked and cleaned both the Green Light and Yellow Light Bamboo Shoots with mountain spring water, then sliced and dehydrated them.

The mountain spring water used for washing the bamboo shoots couldn’t be wasted, either. Xiaqing carried the water up the slope to water the saplings. She had planted the apple and jujube trees in the High Slope planting area, not far from the Asparagus Tree.

A few days ago, the apple trees had begun to bud. Xiaqing held a copy of *Apple Cultivation Techniques*, carefully comparing it to the buds on the branches before confirming that the two trees had a total of thirteen flower buds. This meant she might get to eat apples this year.

But the book said it was best not to let newly transplanted saplings bear fruit in their second year; it was better to let the tree grow for a year and bear fruit in its third. ’But... I haven’t eaten a fresh apple in ten years. I can’t bear to cut off the flower buds.’

’The book is talking about pre-evolution apple trees. After evolution, the fruit trees should be stronger, so it should be fine for them to bear fruit in the second year... right?’

’Even if I don’t let it fruit, it should be okay to keep the buds for a couple of days to see the apple blossoms, and then pinch them off, right?’

Xiaqing’s conflicted gaze shifted from the apple trees to the bare jujube trees, her pretty eyebrows knitting together in a worried frown.

’So frustrating. It’s been half a month, and the two jujube trees look exactly the same as when I planted them, with no signs of budding at all. If the jujube trees die, can I get Yang Jin to compensate me with two more?’

’Can you pull a feather from an Iron Rooster?’

After watering the trees, Xiaqing carried her bucket downhill, approaching the spring. In a small terraced plot five meters below the spring, two grape cuttings and two strawberry plants were growing. The strawberries had already blossomed, and the grape cuttings had sprouted delightful little leaves. Once they grew a few more leaves, Xiaqing would be willing to pinch one off to test its Harmful Element content.