Chapter 261: Fluffing Cotton

Beard Feng nodded. "Fine, then. The pine cones from the second Green Lantern Pine—bring them back, and I'll give you half a share."

The locations of those two pine trees had been told to Xia Qing by Hu Zi, and then Xia Qing had formed a team to find them. According to the team's resource-distribution rules, even if Xia Qing didn't go a second time, she was still entitled to a share of the harvest from the remaining tree.

After Beard Feng's squad left, Xia Qing carried her share—two big bags of pine cones—back home. She moved the cotton plants drying on the warehouse roof down to the yard to dry, and used the cleared space to dry the pine cones.

After three days of hard work, the pine cones filled an entire roof. Xia Qing grinned from ear to ear.

In a year of natural disasters, is there anything happier than harvesting food?

If there is, it must be harvesting even more food.

Xia Qing carefully inspected the insect-proof netting on the roof. After confirming there were no tears, she sprayed deodorizer and insecticide up there, then went downstairs for lunch.

It was called lunch, but it was already three in the afternoon. With such heavy labor today, Xia Qing didn't stint on herself at all—rice, meat, and vegetables, all the best her territory had to offer.

After eating and drinking her fill, Xia Qing went up to the second floor, gathered the dried white cotton and peanuts, and stored them in the storage room. Strictly speaking, cotton doesn't need to be kept in the storage room.

But most of Xia Qing's storage room was still empty, and it was protected by Yishi, so it would be a waste not to use it for supplies.

After placing the bundled cotton on the shelves, Xia Qing's sense of satisfaction overflowed, and her already bright eyes shone even brighter. Returning from the basement to the tool room, Xia Qing checked the lively Green Lantern and Yellow Lantern fish in the large water tank.

Because it was her first time digging a fish pond, Xia Qing lacked experience and chose a site too close to the river channel. As a result, both fish ponds were washed out during the third Killing Rain and merged with the river. To repair the pond embankments, she'd have to wait until winter, when the river's water level dropped.

Otherwise, she'd have to dig new fish ponds to raise fish.

Seeing that the spring-water fish were doing fine in the tank, Xia Qing simply decided to wait until next spring, when the fish spawned, before releasing them back into the repaired ponds.

Evolved fish have very tenacious vitality. Kept in a tank of water mixed with a certain proportion of unpolluted spring water, as long as they get enough food, these fish actually live more comfortably than in a pond. Raising them indoors only costs a lightbulb for supplemental lighting—not much of an expense for Xia Qing, who has eight solar panels.

But she didn't want to bring the poultry indoors anymore—because of the smell, and because the roosters' crowing in the morning was too loud.

Her chickens crowing "cock-a-doodle-doo" inside the house—never mind Tang Huai, now even Zhao Ze to the east knows Xia Qing raises chickens.

Taking advantage of the next two free days, Xia Qing planned to build a chicken coop next to the sheep pen, right where the wolves' and sheep's toilet was, and move that toilet to the south side of the chicken coop. Once the coop was built, when Boss Wolf and Boss Sheep went to relieve themselves at night, they'd have to pass in front of the chicken coop—essentially patrolling it along the way.

No sooner said than done. After resting from her meal, Xia Qing drove the tiller out of the garage, hitched on the cart bed she'd welded herself, and went with Boss Sheep to haul the red bricks and stones cleared out from the abandoned village.

The moment the tiller started up in Territory Three, Tang Huai in Territory Two started getting antsy. But he'd learned his lesson by now and didn't ask Xia Qing directly—instead, he took a roundabout approach and asked someone else: "Shi Zhong, you there?"

Shi Zhong replied quickly, "I'm here. What's up, Brother Huai?"

After using the medicine he'd traded with Zhang San, Shi Zhong's joint pain had eased considerably, and he even spoke more loudly.

Tang Huai asked, "I remember you said a few days ago that you know how to fluff cotton?"

Fluffing cotton means using a bowstring to beat the deseeded cotton fiber until it's soft and fluffy. After fluffing, the cotton can be strung, smoothed, and used to make bedding and padded clothes.

Xia Qing was rarely online and really hadn't heard that Shi Zhong had this skill, so she listened attentively.

Shi Zhong explained in detail, "I saw people fluff cotton when I was little. Recently I figured out how to make the tools and tried fluffing two cotton quilts. My skill definitely can't compare to the machines in the Safe Zone factories, but the cotton comes out pretty soft—good enough to use."

Tang Huai snorted. "Who told you the Safe Zone factories use machines to fluff cotton? In these times, anything that can be done by hand won't be done with electricity, fuel, or machines. I want five cotton quilts fluffed. How do you charge?"

Shi Zhong asked, "Brother Huai, do you want single or double, and how heavy?"

Tang Huai replied, "Double. Warm enough for winter."

"Winters after the disasters are colder than before. If you've got heating indoors, an ordinary person only needs a five-catty quilt; if not, they need seven. Evolvers have better physiques, so they can go lighter."

"Four seven-catty ones, one five-catty one." Tang Huai settled on the quilt weights, then asked, "Is there enough cotton in your territory? I want white, odorless cotton. I'll buy it at the Safe Zone purchase price. How do you charge for the fluffing?"

This was Shi Zhong's first job since making the cotton-fluffing tools. He asked happily, "Plenty. Brother Huai, do you just want the fluffed cotton, or the cotton seeds too?"

After Tang Huai and Shi Zhong settled on the price, Xia Qing pressed her walkie-talkie too. "Uncle Shi, when you have time, I'd like to get some cotton fluffed as well."

According to what Shi Zhong had just explained, one catty of cotton yields at most half a catty of fluffed cotton, and he charges one point per catty for processing. Xia Qing planned to send over all the white cotton she'd picked, to be fluffed into two winter quilts and two spring/autumn quilts. She'd store the leftover fluffed cotton for other uses—she missed soft new cotton quilts so much, the warmth and the smell of sun-baked cotton.

Shi Zhong answered immediately, "Are you on your territory right now? I'll send Xiaodu over to pick it up."

"I'm here. I'll go home, pack the cotton, and bring it to the road sign." Xia Qing patted the dust off herself and told Boss Sheep, "Boss, stay here and watch our tiller. I'm going home to get the cotton and deliver it to Shi Du. In a few days we'll have new cotton quilts."

Boss Sheep, who grew wool and had never used a cotton quilt, narrowed its eyes. Xia Qing briskly tucked a compressed ration into its saddlebag to keep it happy.

Xia Qing kept the Green Lantern cotton and packed up all the Yellow Lantern white cotton, hauling it to the road sign.

Shi Du, who was talking with Tang Huai under the Number Two road sign, hurried over. "Sister Qing, give it to me."

Xia Qing handed the two cotton bags to Shi Du. "This is a hundred catties. Got your points card and ID card? I'll transfer the processing points to you."

Because Tang Huai—an outsider—was present, after the points were transferred Shi Du didn't say anything more to Xia Qing and carried the cotton off.

Seeing Xia Qing about to head back to her territory, Tang Huai quickly called her over. "Xia Qing, where did you go this morning? Did you hear the evolved bear's roar? It sounded like it was on Mountain Fifty—not far from your territory."

Xia Qing was busy and had no time to chat with him. "If you've got something to say, say it."

Tang Huai grinned and winked at Xia Qing. "What are you busy with? Need any help? I'm free now—I can work for free, no points."