Chapter 64: Dessert

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Dessert

Zhang San, who rarely joined in on farming topics, suddenly showed interest in the spinach seeds. "Xiaqing. It’s Brother San. When Green Light Spinach matures, any jostling will cause the plant to shoot out its seeds. The radius can be over ten meters, and they’re quite destructive."

’Huh? The *Planting Guide* didn’t say anything about spinach seeds exploding out when they mature.’

Xiaqing listened attentively as Zhang San continued to share his knowledge. "So, when the seeds are almost mature, you need to prepare a highly elastic and tough protective cover ahead of time. A cover made from four layers of rainproof cloth will be strong enough to handle the exploding seeds."

Xiaqing quickly asked, "Thanks for the heads-up, Brother San. How do I tell if the spinach seeds are mature? By color, shape, or smell?"

"None of those are reliable," Zhang San chuckled. "Just try picking a spinach leaf. If they’re ready, the plant will fire off its seeds. Don’t waste the leaves you pick—send them all to me. When the spinach is almost ripe, the leaves don’t matter much anyway, so picking a few extra is no big deal."

Xiaqing...

’Of course. Every time Zhang San opens his mouth, it’s about food.’

Before Xiaqing could reply, Tang Huai jumped in. "Brother San, this is Tang Huai from Territory Two. I’ve been trying to call you for the last few days but couldn’t get through. We found some wild Green Light chrysanthemum greens and ma’er greens in our territory and wanted to send some over for you to try. The lamb from our last trade went bad, and that was my fault. Please, Brother San, find it in your heart to forgive me and give me one more chance. If you agree, the vice-captain of our Su Feng Team, Xu Pin, will deliver the vegetables to you right away."

Xiaqing raised an eyebrow. ’Is the Su Feng Team that bored lately? Xu Pin still hasn’t returned to the Safe Zone. Who exactly is Zhang San that even the top-ranked Su Feng Team from Hui San Base has to send their vice-captain to deliver vegetables as an apology?’

Everyone knew what a glutton Zhang San was. Two months had passed since the last incident, so his anger should have cooled. But to everyone’s surprise, Zhang San flatly refused. "I have both of those in my territory. No trade. Besides, I don’t see people I find annoying."

Xiaqing immediately nodded. ’Xu Pin of the Su Feng Team is exactly the kind of guy you hate on sight.’

’It’s not that he’s particularly ugly. It’s his whole attitude—the ’I’m the handsomest, most badass guy in the world, and you’re all trash not even fit to shine my shoes’ vibe—that just makes you want to kick him a few times and spit.’

’Fucking hell, Yang Jin is way more capable and better-looking than him, and even he isn’t half as arrogant.’

Tang Huai acted like a meek grandson in front of Zhang San, not daring to show any anger at the rejection. "Understood, Brother San. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll contact you again if I find other Green Light food to trade."

Zhang San ignored him and moved on to his reason for logging on. "Kuang Qingwei, I recall you saying the wild boars for the breeding center were found in that valley, right?"

Kuang Qingwei answered at once. "That’s right. Three large wild boars and a herd of little ones were found in the valley. But after the breeding center was built, the Safe Zone brought in another batch. I don’t know the exact number now. Why, Brother San? Is something wrong?"

The others also pricked up their ears to listen.

Zhang San replied lazily, "That herd of wild boars in the valley was likely the Wolf Group’s livestock. The Wolf Group returned from wintering in the deep mountains only to find their territory cleared and their food captured by humans. That’s why they flew into a rage and hunted the wild boars. All of you lay low for the next few days. Best not to wander around the edges of your territory. Try to wear Protective Suits even inside your land, and don’t laugh or talk loudly, or the Wolf Group might see it as a provocation."

This was the longest speech Zhang San had ever given on the Lord channel, and it reaffirmed Tan Junjie’s assessment of him: the man really wasn’t so bad.

Just as Xiaqing was reflecting on this, she got a call from Zhang San.

Zhang San reminded Xiaqing in a pleasant tone, "Xiaqing, that sheep of yours was very likely the Wolf Group’s livestock too. If Yang Jin can’t wipe out the Wolf Group, they’ll be back for the sheep sooner or later. Or they could already be lying in ambush in the nearby Evolution Forest. To keep your sheep from being killed, you can spray a high-efficiency Deodorant around your territory. I have a thirty-jin barrel of deodorant concentrate. If you dilute it to standard, it’s enough to spray your entire territory three times. I guarantee it’s ten times more effective than anything you can buy in the Safe Zone. I’ll also give you a spray for the sheep itself. Aside from Evolutionary Wolves with an evolved sense of smell, no other wolf will be able to detect the scent of a sheep in your territory."

This was life-saving stuff for her sheep. Xiaqing knew exactly what to do. "Thank you so much, Brother San. I’ll go pick some spinach leaves and cut some Perilla right now to bring over. It won’t be a large amount, though. Is a total of two jin enough?"

After so many trades, Xiaqing had confirmed that everything Zhang San offered was top-notch. It was no wonder Tang Huai was willing to grovel for a chance to trade with him.

With the prospect of good food, Zhang San’s voice became as gentle as could be. "Two jin won’t even cover the cost of the materials. I’ll need at least four. Are your Green Light cucumbers all gone?"

"They’re gone."

Her two Green Light cucumber plants had always been watered with mountain spring water, and they tasted exceptional. But since she didn’t know the Harmful Element content of Green Light plants from other territories, Xiaqing worried that her cucumbers might have a lower level of it. To be on the safe side, she had decided not to trade any Green Light plants watered with spring water until she could learn more about the levels in other territories.

’The spinach and Perilla were watered with river water, so they were fine to trade.’

Zhang San sounded disappointed. "In that case, you can make it up to me with your next batch of Green Light vegetables. It’s dangerous out there, and the patrol teams are probably too busy. Can I send someone to the edge of your territory with the deodorant concentrate to make the exchange?"

"Of course. Thank you, Brother San," Xiaqing said sincerely. She then used the opportunity to ask another question. "Brother San, you mentioned my sheep might be the Wolf Group’s livestock. Logically, they would have been raising more than just one. Do you think there’s a way to find the others?"

Xiaqing guessed that the sheep Tang Huai had hunted right after arriving in his territory—the one whose meat he traded with Zhang San—might have belonged to the same flock as her Sheep Leader.

Zhang San answered, "What’s its evolved ability? Send me a photo."

"Strength Evolution." Xiaqing immediately took a full-body photo of Sheep Leader and sent it to Zhang San.

"That’s a Small-tailed Han sheep. The meat from this breed is tender and fragrant, with a high yield. It was probably raised by local farmers before the Natural Disasters." At the mention of delicious food, Zhang San couldn’t help but gulp. "Last spring, there was a flock of them in our area—eight in total. A team captured seven of them, but one got away. The one that escaped was a ewe, though, and yours is a ram. Pry open its mouth so I can see its teeth."

"Okay." Xiaqing once again pried open Sheep Leader’s mouth and sent a close-up shot of its teeth to Zhang San.

Zhang San gave a definitive answer. "This sheep still has its milk teeth. It must be a lamb from the ewe that escaped last spring. As for the others, forget about them. The mother ewe and any other lambs were either caught by people or gotten by the wolves. Don’t waste your time thinking about it."

Xiaqing stared at the hulking Sheep Leader in disbelief. "Brother San, are you sure this sheep was born last year? It already weighs over two hundred jin."

Xiaqing clearly heard the sound of Zhang San gulping. "Before the Natural Disasters, a Small-tailed Han sheep could grow to over a hundred jin in seven months. It’s perfectly normal for an evolved one to reach two hundred jin within a year. After the great evolution of life on Blue Star, the lifespans of many High Level evolutionary creatures have been extended. That’s why judging age based on pre-disaster knowledge can be inaccurate. It’s even possible that an Evolutionary Sheep born the year before last still hasn’t lost its milk teeth."

After hanging up, Xiaqing stared blankly at Sheep Leader.

’This gluttonous, two-hundred-plus-jin sheep with spiraling horns is only a year or two old?’

’This won’t do.’ Xiaqing decided to rename him. "Second, you wait at home. I’m going to go pick vegetables and trade them for your life-saving medicine."

Seeing that Xiaqing was about to leave, Sheep Leader immediately stood up. Xiaqing stuffed a few more dried Yellow Light Bamboo Shoots into his mouth. "Be good. You stay and guard the house. I’ll make you a delicious, special feed tonight."

Xiaqing carried a bundle of rainproof cloth to the North Hillside planting area and carefully cordoned off all the spinach plants that had bolted and started to seed. She plucked one leaf—the seeds didn’t explode, so they weren’t mature yet. Xiaqing then pinched off thirty-some more leaves, stems included, and placed them in her basket.

’She had over fifty spinach plants in total, but she’d told everyone on the Lord channel that she only had a dozen or so. She couldn’t pick too many leaves, or she’d expose her lie. Even though they all talked on the Lord channel every day, they were strangers who had never met face-to-face. You can never be too careful. No one would reveal everything they had.’

After cutting the Perilla, Xiaqing was about to head to the road sign at the southern edge of her territory to trade with the person Zhang San was sending when she suddenly heard familiar hoofbeats. She dashed into the Buffer Forest and saw Sheep Leader galloping toward her, a mouthful of dried bamboo shoots hanging from his mouth. She didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry.

’What was going on here? Was he bringing rations to a fight with a wolf? Was it not enough to serve himself up on a platter? Did he have to bring the wolf a well-balanced after-dinner snack, too?’ Xiaqing rushed forward. This time, Sheep Leader didn’t run or dodge. He skidded to a halt in front of her, lifted his head, and gestured for her to put down her basket so he could put the bamboo shoots inside.