Chapter 398: Binding the Birth System to Become a Life Winner Chapter 399: Wasteland Collection Daily (27)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Shen Yao changed the subject at the right time, not letting Song Ling fall into sadness.

To the base, these people of theirs were not important; population could be increased. Unless they were special talents, the base wouldn't care about the lives of the wedding guests.

The mother and daughter put away the weaving materials they had collected, then returned to the base early.

With the B District property certificate, Shen Yao didn't need identity verification when entering and exiting B District, but because the distance was relatively far, the time she spent on the road still increased.

Splash splash—

The back basket carried on her shoulder was taken down, and the hemp sack dragged in her hand was tossed aside.

Shen Yao shook her slightly sore and numb wrists, rested for a moment, then quickly proceeded with the subsequent processing.

Washing, rubbing, polishing, peeling—only after the entire small courtyard inside and out was completely covered did Cheng Qi return from his shift with the Patrol Team.

Bringing the latest cotton collection news, Cheng Qi rolled up his sleeves and helped Shen Yao finish the remaining bit of work.

Shen Yao went to the kitchen to cook, taking out several potatoes and thawed goat meat.

She cut the goat meat into chunks and stewed it, then added the cut potatoes and other vegetables; the rice was eaten with steamed buns from the morning, and finally she could dip them in sauce to finish.

"I mentioned the cotton matter to Mom today; we can discuss with a few families to go together."

More people means more safety; the wilderness isn't like the cotton fields designated by base regulations—anything could happen there.

If lucky enough to pick plenty of cotton, not only could they make a big profit and buy enough supplies, but if unlucky, they'd get nothing and might even lose their lives.

"I know a few good spots on my end; the Patrol Team will also send people then," adding them would affect the cotton distribution amount, but safety would greatly increase, and overall it was still a gain.

She hummed and nodded, and the two washed the bowls and chopsticks on the table and put them away, then turned to the studio to busy themselves.

All the vines brought back had to be woven into thick window mats or door mats to block wind and snow.

Both had craftsmanship; one person wove one, and in just one night they added a thick winter garment to all the windows of the rooms.

The room door was quite wide, and the wall also needed protection, so they could only leave the remaining work for tomorrow, then lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Shen Yao opened her eyes; by the time she came downstairs to the living room, Cheng Qi, who had gone first, had already made breakfast and brought it directly to the table.

After washing up and waking up, Shen Yao picked up a slice of golden, fragrant, and sweet pan-fried bun and put it in her mouth.

Mm

Freshly pressed oil tastes fragrant, more flavorful than the synthetic oil sold at the Exchange Center.

Cheng Qi had to go to the Patrol Team for work soon, so Shen Yao stayed home to organize supplies.

The Exchange Center had been selling winter vegetables these past few days, all storage-resistant varieties; the price wasn't cheap, but if the order quantity increased, they would deliver to her home.

Shen Yao planned to order a batch of winter vegetables; whether for eating herself or making sauce vegetables and pickled vegetables, it was better than hiding at home in the cold season and dry-chewing nutrient agents.

After the two finished breakfast and each went about their business, Shen Yao first ran a trip to the Exchange Center, then bought many bottles and jars back; after washing and drying them, once the winter vegetables were all delivered, Shen Yao began her pickled vegetable journey.

During this time, Song Ling guided her remotely via wristwatch, and Cheng Ma also passed on many pickling techniques.

For example, taste, seasoning ratios, pickling time, etc., would all affect the final product's texture.

Shen Yao dared to try; basically every flavor she made several jars of, and after pickling she moved them to the attic for storage, waiting until they could be eaten to open and taste.

Busy and bustling, washing and scrubbing, Shen Yao's small days were extremely fulfilling.

Finally arriving at the cotton picking day, Shen Yao put on a set of thick clothes, wore a veil hat, and didn't forget to tighten the binding rope at her chin.

The hardest part of the cotton field was the insects, spiders, and other small animals growing inside.

They carried poison on their bodies; minor cases caused redness and swelling that wouldn't subside, severe cases meant death and no more.

Cheng Qi was also required by Shen Yao to be fully armed; this person was worse off than her—Shen Yao was a picker, while Cheng Qi was a staff member responsible for protecting them.

"Get on the truck quickly, remember not to go too deep; the further in, the more problems."

The cotton field was too large; generally, the inner cotton had a higher shipping rate, while the outer cotton was often sun-scorched and extremely prone to high mutation.

Correspondingly, the deeper the cotton, the more it attracted insects; people and animals seek benefits and avoid harm, and highly mutated cotton wasn't good for insects either.

Shen Yao nodded, raised her hand, and climbed into the back seat of the truck; buses had been temporarily abandoned in such situations, the cotton field location had many rugged mountain roads, and only military trucks could drive through smoothly.

The truck had a layer of rainproof cloth on top, somewhat like a sun umbrella, with little specific function, just providing simple shelter for people.

Once the truck was full of collectors, the driver in front stepped on the gas and started, ignoring the fact that so many people behind hadn't gotten on yet, and drove straight out.

Ow ow

The people in the truck bed stumbled back and forth, being tossed around like goods.

Shen Yao had foresight; she directly grabbed the handrail at the edge of the truck, pressed her body tightly against the truck skin to secure herself, to prevent being thrown out.

There were many people in the vehicle, packed tightly together; it was hard to cause a collision accident, but coming out covered in bruises, dizzy and swollen-headed was simply too easy.

When they arrived, they still had to climb trees to pick cotton; Shen Yao didn't want to waste energy at this time, and didn't even care when people beside her pushed her.

The truck shook and swayed on the road for over an hour before reaching the destination.

The sealed truck bed was opened by people, and everyone jumped down slowly.

Shen Yao landed last; looking up, she saw heads everywhere around her.

Cheng Ma and Song Ling and them weren't in this batch; through wristwatch chat, Shen Yao knew they were still on the trucks behind.

This cotton field was truly too large; people thrown in were like a drop of water falling into the sea, leaving no trace at all.

"Line up, line up properly, get your number plaques." Staff members in front held speakers and kept shouting.

Shen Yao took the opportunity to squeeze to the front and stand, while asking about Cheng Qi's position.

"Look ahead, I'm at the Tool Collection Point."

Shen Yao saw the wristwatch content, tiptoed to confirm Cheng Qi's position.

Hard work pays off—she finally caught sight of a figure, but they were hidden in the crowd, hard to make out.

"Take it, next, next……"

The staff member issued a metal plaque that could be worn on the hand.

"65"

The metal plaque had numerical markings; Shen Yao examined it carefully up and down, then obediently went to the tool station and stood ready.

"Gloves, scissors, call for help immediately if there's a problem."

Shen Yao took her tools, blinked at Cheng Qi standing to one side, turned around, and entered the cotton field like white clouds.

"65, 65, 65"

Muttering it a few times in a low voice, Shen Yao finally found the cotton tree she needed to pick.

The cotton tree, nearly three floors high, had branches covered in cotton like clouds.

Looking closer, there were worms slowly wriggling inside the cotton.

Shen Yao checked her clothes and veil hat again, making sure no skin was exposed, before daring to put on gloves and climb the cotton tree.

Crack crack—

The cotton tree branches made noise; Shen Yao feared the branches couldn't support her weight and dared not move around carelessly.

Calling the system to quickly scan the cotton situation, Shen Yao frowned, took out her scissors, placed her back basket upright under the cotton, and cleanly cut it down.

Who let the cotton tree fork so much, with short thorns the length of a finger all around the forks.

Shen Yao was careful and careful, but was still pricked by the short thorns no fewer than several times.

Unable to resist the urge to curse, Shen Yao slowly exhaled the frustration in her heart, climbing slowly up along the branch trunk.

The system at this time dared not displease the Host; not only did it thoughtfully mark the cotton with low-to-medium mutation, it also directly blocked out the glaring worms.

After working on one tree for nearly an hour and a half, Shen Yao came down and sat by the tree to rest.

Taking off the veil hat on her head, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat beads on her forehead; Shen Yao rested for a while before standing up.

Delivering the cotton in her back basket to the staff for detection and recycling, then recording the weight of the harvested cotton through the metal plaque on her hand, Shen Yao returned to the cotton field and climbed up an unharvested cotton tree.

The number 65 did not refer to one tree, but to the five nearest trees around.

How to put it—the base had the mind to make people work more, but couldn't produce enough chips.

Shen Yao's work here counted as fast, but her physical strength consumption was too great. By the time the second cotton tree was finished, it was noon, when the sun was most scorching.

The sweat on Shen Yao's body had soaked through half her clothes; she barely finished registering the cotton weight, and had little strength left to eat.

When Cheng Qi came over, he saw Shen Yao looking pitifully dazed from exhaustion; he quickly unscrewed his own nutrient agent and carefully poured it into Shen Yao's mouth.

Mm

The nutrient agent's taste was too strong; Shen Yao opened her eyes and saw Cheng Qi squatting beside her, using his sleeve to wipe the sweat beads off her face.

"I'm fine"

Shen Yao explained for herself, but unexpectedly Cheng Qi said nothing more, only mentioning he had some time in the afternoon and could help harvest.

Shen Yao: ……Huh?

Shen Yao wanted to refuse, but seeing Cheng Qi's serious expression, she finally swallowed the topic back.

Mm, anyway her space had stored plenty of cotton, and even because of the space's special nature, worms and spiders couldn't enter the space at all, causing the cotton in her space to be very clean, at the level of being usable with just a flick.

………

"Is there no danger around?" Shen Yao did not continue climbing trees in the afternoon, but instead had Cheng Qi go up while she waited at the base of the tree to operate.

Cheng Qi shook his head. "The Patrol Team cleared the surroundings in advance; it's been very safe these past few days," his cotton-cutting movements were clean and efficient, and soon he threw the cotton packed into hemp sacks down from the tree.

Shen Yao opened the hemp sack and, expressionless, took out the cotton to test each one individually.

The wristwatch made a dripping sound; soon, one hemp sack of cotton was tested, and another hemp sack fell down from the tree.

The two cooperated, finishing harvesting all three remaining cotton trees before returning to the base.

The staff registered the quantity and skillfully handed Shen Yao the corresponding weight of cotton.

"Sign to confirm"

The base's cotton had to be transported separately, while personal cotton had to be carried by oneself.

At times like this, Cheng Qi's Patrol Team identity proved unusually useful.

It could be placed directly on the Patrol Team's vehicle, without needing to carry it to squeeze into the truck bed.

"Slowly, slowly, don't squeeze"

"Ouch, my hemp sack, push gently"

"……"

Shen Yao did not squeeze to the very back, but instead hid near the vehicle doorway, holding onto the crossbar above the truck bed to steady herself.

Ten thousand times more crowded than when they came, especially since the cotton in the hemp sacks had problems, and even small worms crawled out and fell onto people.

In any case, when Shen Yao returned to the base, her ears were still buzzing and itchy.

Shen Yao: ……

Shen Yao asked about Cheng Ma and Song Ling's situation, but unfortunately the wristwatch had no response, and everyone around her was just returning crowds.

"Let's go home first"

Cheng Qi shook the hemp sack in his hand; the weight of several dozen jin was lifted effortlessly.

Shen Yao glanced back at the messy environment behind her, then turned and left with Cheng Qi.

Not long after the two of them left, Song Ling and Cheng Ma squeezed out of the crowd one after another.

Compared to Shen Yao's clean and dry appearance, these two looked rather down-and-out, carrying their own hemp sacks, supporting each other to find an empty spot to rest.

Glancing at the message on her wristwatch when she had a moment, seeing Shen Yao had moved, Song Ling hurriedly replied with a sentence.

Both were complaining that this year the base's cotton field yield was not great; to have enough for their families, they still had to rely on those dangerous wild collection points.

"Hmph, what isn't dangerous? Second Brother said we'd go together; after we finish the base's work, we'll take a look."

Cotton collection takes two days per person, and the quota in catties will not change.

They belong to the type who work one day and ring the bell one day; it's just that Cheng Qi is more troublesome. The Patrol Team has shift arrangements, but Dawn Base's population is too large, so Cheng Qi may not be able to spare much time.

"It's fine, there's still Lao Shen and Xiao Yu," they have someone from the Shen Family who can be used.

Song Ling has always been generous toward her family. Because Cheng Ma introduced blind date partners, she and Song Ling got along well, and the two often made appointments for wild collection together.

Compared to the mother and daughter who used to stick together all the time, Shen Yao, as the old love, has already lost favor, while Cheng Ma is the new love, currently in the heat of passion.

………

After entering the room and lighting the lamp, Shen Yao and Cheng Qi had not eaten, but instead took a bath first to relieve the discomfort on their bodies.

The ointment was taken out and applied to some places that had been accidentally bumped. Shen Yao sat on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the hemp sack thrown at the doorway.

"What's wrong?"

Cheng Qi came out, a towel hanging around his neck, water still dripping from his hair.

Shen Yao frowned and acted spoiled, saying she disliked the bugs on the cotton.

Cheng Qi raised an eyebrow and told Shen Yao to rest; he would handle these cotton.

"How are you going to do it?" Manual processing? The matters are trivial and also waste time.

Cheng Qi smiled at this, turned his head to take some food out from the Storage Room, and then used the idle wooden boards and rattan strips at home to weave a long wooden box.

The cotton was poured into the wooden box and placed outside the door. Relying on the animals' phototaxis and food lure, Cheng Qi felt this method would reduce their workload by 80%.

"If you have time, you can go to the Exchange Center to buy a few bottles of disinfectant as a reserve. Animal eggs might be hidden in the cotton; soaking with disinfectant and then drying would be better."

As for how much better, anyway, every year a large number of people go to buy disinfectant at the base. Disinfectant has high cost performance and is definitely better than some flashy but useless things.

Shen Yao heard this and glanced at Cheng Qi who had returned, then glanced at the clean cotton lying in her space, thinking that her cheat was still the most reliable. After finding an opportunity later to do a simple in-and-out, all troubles would be smoothly resolved.