Chapter 49: Teaming Up Again

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Teaming Up Again

Although she hadn’t tested the Harmful Element content of the exchanged tree and strawberry saplings, Xiaqing was optimistic. For one, Luo Pei was still in her territory, recovering with the help of her spring water, so the saplings from the Green Dragon Team were bound to be good. For another, she had chosen an excellent spot to plant them.

The two small Asparagus Tree saplings that Xiaqing had transplanted from beneath the large Asparagus Tree to the edge of the spring had both survived, and they were still Green Light plants. This proved the soil conditions in the vicinity were perfect for cultivation.

As for the five Asparagus Tree saplings she had transplanted to the edge of the yard? Well, they had been crushed by the wall that she and Sheep Leader knocked over during a fight. Not a single one survived.

While collecting spring water, Xiaqing surveyed her vegetable garden. Finding that most of the transplanted seedlings were thriving, she couldn’t help but start imagining a garden overflowing with fruits and gourds.

After screwing the lid on the water bucket and stuffing it into her backpack, Xiaqing crossed the stone slab bridge over the GURGLING stream to water the sweet potato and potato seedlings.

After a month of growth, the sweet potato vines were already over half a meter long and had even sprouted several smaller offshoots. Their progress was encouraging, and every plant was Green Light. The potato plants were about palm-high, but their leaves had a reddish tint to their green, making Xiaqing wonder if what she’d received were really potatoes; the seedlings at the Planting Center certainly didn’t look like this.

By communicating on the Lord channel, Xiaqing learned that the other Lords’ potato seedlings looked the same. She then speculated that the color difference was because the base had issued Yellow Light Potatoes to the Lords, whereas the Planting Center had Green Light ones.

Although she was dissatisfied with the color of the potato seedlings and their growth rate, Xiaqing still watered each one conscientiously.

If the other Lords knew what she was thinking, they would definitely accuse her of humblebragging. Their potato seedlings were much shorter than Xiaqing’s, only about finger-high.

After watering the potatoes and sweet potatoes, Xiaqing went to check on the wheat seedlings, mung beans, and cotton, finding they all needed watering too.

Because Luo Pei was using a large amount of water, Xiaqing couldn’t save up enough spring water to irrigate her farmland. Therefore, she had to use water from the reservoir for all her fields, regardless of whether the seeds had been soaked in filtered water or spring water.

Xiaqing was just about to go back and get the water-pumping bicycle from the tool shed when she received a call from Hu Zifeng.

Zhang San had invited Hu Zifeng’s team to go dig for bamboo shoots in the Evolution Forest, along with another team he had found. Hu Zifeng was calling to ask Xiaqing if she wanted to join them. "Zhang San found an eight-person team. On my end, I’m leaving two people to protect the Third Territory and one to protect the No.1 Territory. If you join us, that makes a perfect eight. The haul this time will definitely be bigger than the last. If you participate, we’ll still divide the supplies based on a logistics member’s Contribution Value."

Of course, Xiaqing would go, but she said, "I’m just a temporary logistics member this time, Captain Hu. You don’t need to give me any special treatment."

"Understood," Hu Zifeng added. "Other than your own essential supplies, our team will be responsible for preparing everything else."

Since she would be heading into the mountains again to dig for bamboo shoots, Xiaqing postponed watering the fields and went home to take care of some miscellaneous tasks.

The dehydrator was still running smoothly. Xiaqing carried a large bundle of thick bamboo poles out from the tool shed and started splitting them in the yard to build the frame for a rain shelter.

Sheep Leader lay beside her, basking in the sun with its eyes narrowed. Xiaqing turned on her walkie-talkie to listen to the other Lords chat idly.

Zhang San wasn’t on the channel at the moment, so Zhao Ze seized the opportunity to continue asking Qi Fu for advice on making compost.

Qi Fu was still fixated on the idea of the Wild Boar Breeding Center. "Pigs can eat, poop, and root around—they’re excellent at making manure. I heard they have more than a dozen pigs over there, and it’s not like they’re doing any farming..."

Kuang Qingwei felt it was a long shot. "The Breeding Center is under the jurisdiction of the base’s Safe Zone. If you can think of a good idea like that, don’t you think the people in the Safe Zone have already thought of it? The pig manure from the Breeding Center surely goes to the Planting Center. We should probably think of another way."

Xiaqing agreed with Kuang Qingwei’s point of view and pressed the talk button. "Brother Qi, besides animal manure, can you make compost with leaves and grass? I’ve seen that method mentioned in books."

Zhao Ze immediately jumped in, "You can do that? Sister Xiaqing, you sure know a lot."

Ever since the incident with Zhao Chong’s spying, Zhao Ze had been, whether intentionally or not, trying to curry favor with Xiaqing. Xiaqing just pretended not to notice.

Kuang Qingwei seized the opportunity to pry, "That Green Light food Brother San ate yesterday... you’re the one who traded it to him, aren’t you, Sister? I knew it. In our area, no one else has that kind of skill but you."

Xiaqing took over the conversation. "Besides the four of us, there are more than a dozen other Lords around here. They have plenty of good things, too."

Kuang Qingwei was floored. "Sister Xiaqing, you can contact other Lords? How do you reach them? Which ones are they?"

Xiaqing answered vaguely, "I just heard someone mention it in passing."

Zhao Ze immediately followed up, "Sister Xiaqing is so amazing."

"CRACK!" The "amazing" Xiaqing split a bamboo pole several meters long and didn’t respond.

Qi Fu spoke up. "You used to be able to compost with leaves, but not anymore. I heard from people at the Planting Center that after the great biological evolution, dead leaves are full of microorganisms and insect eggs that can’t be killed by normal fermentation temperatures. So, you can only use the manure excreted by animals as organic fertilizer. Still, now that Sister Xiaqing has brought it up, I’ve thought of a method."

Zhao Ze immediately asked, "What method?"

Qi Fu replied, "Worm castings. If we have earthworms eat the dead leaves and grass, that would surely kill off the microorganisms and insect eggs. The only thing is, I don’t know how to produce worm castings. Little Xia, Sun Zhe’s dad from your old team used to work at an organic fertilizer plant before the Natural Disaster. Have you ever met Old Sun?"

Xiaqing put down the split bamboo pole and pressed the button. "I’ve heard of him, but never met him."

Sun Zhe was a year younger than Xiaqing, and his family of three were all ordinary people. Fortunately, before the Natural Disaster, his family lived in the city where the Hui San Base Safety Zone was now located. Because of this, the Sun family never had to experience the apocalyptic despair of fleeing for their lives or being torn apart by life-and-death separations. They were among the luckiest people in the early years of the Natural Disaster.

After the Safe Zone was established, the Sun family continued to live in their own house. It wasn’t until supplies and food became increasingly scarce that his father started going on missions outside the Safe Zone with a team to earn points.

During one mission, the team was attacked by evolved Poisonous Insects. His father fell while fleeing and was bitten. Although he fought his way back to the Safe Zone, he lost his lower left leg and his left arm, leaving him unable to work. From then on, Sun Zhe, who worked as a laborer on a construction crew, became the family’s primary breadwinner.

Qi Fu sighed. "When are we ever going to get a signal out here?"

If they had a signal, they could call Sun Zhe and ask him how to produce worm castings.

Xiaqing didn’t say anything more, but Kuang Qingwei from Territory No. 6 excitedly shared some news. "I just heard a car and thought it was the patrol team coming by. I ran out to take a look, and guess what? A whole truckload of people showed up at Brother San’s territory! Every single one of them was wearing a camo Protective Suit and carrying a gun. What a crew!"

"Brother San is definitely no ordinary person," Zhao Ze immediately added.

Xiaqing put down her machete, now understanding why Zhang San hadn’t sent anyone into the Evolution Forest to dig for bamboo shoots today. He was short-handed and had to call in reinforcements from the Safe Zone.

After she finished splitting the bamboo, Xiaqing began to tie the frames together. The vegetables would grow to about a person’s height at most, so a two-meter-high rain shelter would be sufficient. Any higher and it would be easily blown over by the wind. After tying the frame, Xiaqing heard the dehydrator signal that it was done. She went inside, packed the dried bamboo slices into sealed bags for storage, and then casually tossed a fresh slice of bamboo shoot to Sheep Leader.

Worried the dehydrator might break down from running continuously, Xiaqing decided to let it rest for a few hours and start it again in the evening. She, on the other hand, shouldered the bamboo frame and headed straight for the back slope. The frame wasn’t heavy, but it was bulky and awkward to carry. ’Now that the road is fixed,’ she thought, ’I should get a trailer and use the micro-tiller to haul things.’

If this next trip into the Evolution Forest yielded a big haul, she would trade with Zhong Tao for the key components needed to build a trailer.