Chapter 95: High-Efficiency Composting Bacteria Powder

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: High-Efficiency Composting Bacteria Powder

Xiaqing enjoyed pinching the suckers off the cotton plants. She didn’t throw away the small buds and tender leaves she snapped off, but instead collected them in a bag. Once dried, they could be used as plant ash—a type of fire manure—to fertilize the next crop.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xiaqing’s mind. She pressed the button on her walkie-talkie. "Brother Qi, are you there?"

The Lords of Territories Four, Five, Six, and Ten were all in the habit of keeping their walkie-talkies on, except when sleeping. So, as soon as Xiaqing called out, Qi Fu responded, "I’m here. What’s up, Xiaqing?"

Xiaqing asked, "Brother Qi, I remember you saying we can’t compost directly. You said it’s because the leaves have microorganisms and insect eggs that normal fermentation temperatures can’t kill. And using high-efficiency insecticide risks triggering Qiang Evolution in the plants. But our crops are all covered with insect netting now. Moths can’t get in, so there shouldn’t be any eggs on the leaves. Can we use them for compost?"

Xiaqing’s question really stumped Qi Fu. "I’ve never actually thought about that. Logically, it should be possible, right?"

Shi Zhong spoke up, "Even if our insect netting can keep out the bugs, it can’t stop microorganisms. I remember the broadcast saying that the impact of harmful bacteria is even greater than that of pests."

’They did say that.’ The small flame of excitement in Xiaqing’s heart was doused by Shi Zhong’s words.

The channel went quiet for a moment before a calm female voice spoke up. "Plants protected from evolved pests with insect netting can be used for composting, provided they aren’t diseased. However, the crops in your territories were only covered up after the second Harmful Rain, so there’s no guarantee the plants don’t have heat-resistant insect eggs on them."

Luo Pei had said Li Si was an expert in cultivation techniques, so her words carried a lot of weight. Xiaqing quickly took note.

Qi Fu asked Li Si for advice, "Fourth Sister, my vegetables were covered with insect netting shortly after being transplanted in early March. Can they be used for compost?"

"You can," Li Si replied with professional precision. "Vegetables with herbaceous stems can be composted directly. The woody-stemmed Evolved Eggplant stalks should be burned to make plant ash."

Xiaqing noted this down on her phone and continued to ask, "Fourth Sister, are peanut stalks herbaceous or woody?"

Although Li Si’s voice was cold, she was still patient. "Peanuts have herbaceous stems, so they can be composted. How long do you think composting takes?"

Qi Fu answered honestly, "Before the Natural Disasters, my family were farmers. Composting in the fall and winter took about four months. In the spring and summer, when it was warmer, maybe two or three. I haven’t done it since the Disasters, so I don’t know how many months it takes now."

Li Si calmly replied, "The composting time depends on several factors: the hardness of the Evolved Plant stems, the compost activator powder used, and the temperature and humidity controls. Based on the types of Evolved vegetables in your territories, if you don’t add an activator and just use the traditional composting methods from before the Natural Disasters, it would take at least seven months for the stems and leaves to decompose completely."

Zhao Ze quickly chimed in, "You know so much, Fourth Sister! You must have worked in a core department at the Safe Area Planting Center, right?"

The businessman, Kuang Qingwei, also jumped in. "Since you’re such an expert, Fourth Sister, you must know where we can get some of that compost activator powder and tools for controlling temperature and humidity, right?"

From the No. 9 Territory, Li Si pushed her glasses up with the palm of her hand. "You can make the tools yourselves. I happen to have some high-efficiency compost activator powder I’m willing to trade. One bag of powder mixed with a hundred kilograms of water can ferment five cubic meters of compost from stems and leaves. Depending on the type of plant matter, fermentation takes anywhere from twenty days to a month and a half. You can trade Green Light vegetables for it. Two pounds of vegetables for one bag of the powder."

When she heard Li Si wanted Green Light vegetables in exchange, Xiaqing’s heart sank.

High-efficiency compost activator powder and the knowledge of how to use it were a rare and valuable find. Qi Fu quickly asked, "Fourth Sister, can Territory Five trade Green Light eggplant for two bags?"

Li Si rejected the offer. "I don’t need the vegetable varieties you get from the Safe Zone. Do you have anything else?"

Hearing Li Si reject the vegetable varieties issued by the Safe Zone made Xiaqing even more suspicious of her motives. ’Does she want the native Green Light vegetables from each territory so she can test their Yi Element content?’

Qi Fu quickly replied, "I have Green Light Alfalfa and Green Light Perilla. I can scrape together four pounds between the two."

"Acceptable," Li Si agreed.

Kuang Qingwei quickly followed up, "Fourth Sister, this is Kuang Qingwei from Territory Six. My territory has Green Light mallow. Can I trade for one bag?"

"Acceptable."

Zhao Ze chimed in as well, "My Territory Four has mallow too."

"I already have a trade for mallow. Do you have anything else?"

Before Zhao Ze could speak, Tang Heng jumped in with his own offer. "Fourth Sister, the Second Territory has Green Light wild chrysanthemum greens. Can we trade for one bag?"

"Acceptable."

Zhao Ze sounded like he was about to cry. "Other than what they’ve already mentioned, all I have left are some wild Green Light fiddlehead ferns that I dried in the spring. Can I trade those?"

Li Si’s voice was icy. "No. I don’t like dried vegetables."

’Is it that she doesn’t like dried vegetables, or is it because it’s hard to accurately measure the Yi Element content in them?’ As Xiaqing was mulling this over, she heard Li Si—who had just struck a deal with Shi Zhong for wild water celery—call her out by name. "Xiaqing of Territory Three, don’t you plan on making a trade?"

Xiaqing pressed the button and replied with regret, "Of course I want to trade, Fourth Sister. But I only have a few Green Light Perilla plants, and they’ve already been gnawed on by my sheep. I really have nothing worth offering."

Li Si, who had already traded for Green Light Perilla with Qi Fu, asked icily, "Don’t you have Green Light Spinach?"

Xiaqing answered truthfully, "My Green Light Spinach went to seed during the Harmful Rain, so I pulled them up. I don’t have any now."

Li Si persisted. "Seeds will do. Two hundred spinach seeds for one bag of the activator powder. Once Green Light vegetables reach maturity, not all of them will undergo Qiang Evolution, even if exposed to Harmful Rain. Your seeds are still viable."

Xiaqing explained, "Fourth Sister, my spinach matured during the Harmful Rain. It was drenched and soaked by the rain, so I can’t guarantee it’s still Green Light. Besides, I don’t have two hundred seeds to offer."

Li Si was skeptical. "Didn’t you have a dozen or so spinach plants? How can you not even have two hundred seeds?"

Xiaqing began to bargain. "I did have over a dozen spinach plants, but only eight of them went to seed. I’ve already traded some of the seeds I harvested, and I intend to keep the rest for my own use, so I can’t spare two hundred. Besides, your trade is one bag of activator for two pounds of Green Light vegetables. Going by the public market price, Green Light vegetables are 50 points a pound, making two pounds worth 100 points. Green Light vegetable seeds are 20 points each. At that rate, it should be five Green Light seeds for one bag of activator."

"Oh, I see." Judging by Li Si’s tone, it seemed she genuinely didn’t know the prices of vegetables and seeds. "Then five seeds for one bag it is."

"Thank you, Fourth Sister. In that case, I’ll take two bags of the activator powder." Xiaqing had a lot of vegetables that could be composted in her territory, but she didn’t want anyone to know that, so she opted to trade for the same quantity as Qi Fu.

Hu Zifeng spoke up. "Fourth Sister, can the No. 1 Territory trade fresh Green Light Bamboo Shoots for six bags of activator powder?"

"Acceptable," Li Si replied icily.

A lazy-sounding Zhang San came on the channel. "Hu Zifeng, you guys went into the mountains to dig for shoots?"

Hu Zifeng answered respectfully, "We went into the mountains today to clear out dangerous Qiang Evolved creatures and found three more Green Light Bamboo Shoots had grown. Two of them are in perfect condition. Shall I send them over to you in a bit?"

"Good," Zhang San replied lazily. He then asked Li Si, "Li Si, it’s not like you’re short on seeds. What do you want with the spinach seeds from Territory Three?"