Chapter 323: The Dilemma Facing the Lords

After the great biological evolution of Blue Star, microorganisms changed dramatically. Even if they looked the same as before, starving humans would rather boil grass leaves than dare to eat mushroom-type fungi. Because eating edible grass leaves won't kill you, but eating evolved fungi will.

There was one exception: Tang Huai.

Last time when she gathered everyone to catch fish at the reservoir, Xia Qing had already noticed that although Tang Huai and the people of Territory Seven pretended to be strangers on the surface, their attitudes and movements revealed a sense of familiarity.

What did this indicate?

It indicated that the note Jili gave Tang Huai last time had a follow-up, and Tang Huai had reached some kind of deal with Territory Seven.

Her idol Zhang San was very likely researching why Tang Huai didn't die after eating mushrooms. In the near future, there might be antidote or body-conditioning medicines appearing among Territory Seven's exchangeable drugs.

Xia Qing looked forward to that day arriving sooner.

When she hurried to the road sign, sure enough, she saw not only Jili but also Tang Huai leaning against the Territory Two road sign.

Xia Qing handed the corn and a small packet of chrysanthemum flowers to Jili. "These are chrysanthemums I picked a few days ago. You can make tea with them, but they're yellow-light. Brother Ji, take them back for Third Brother to try."

"Alright." After Jili took them, he asked, "What do you want to trade for?"

Xia Qing asked, "Brother Ji, could you ask Third Brother for me if he has any fertilizer he can't use up? I still haven't gathered enough fertilizer."

Xia Qing knew these things definitely weren't enough to trade for fertilizer, but as long as Territory Seven's fertilizer wasn't outrageously expensive, she could add other supplies Zhang San needed to trade for it. If it was outrageously expensive, she'd think of other ways.

Farming requires being willing to use fertilizer, only then can crops grow well.

"I'll go back and ask."

When Jili turned to leave, he was called back by Tang Huai. "Brother Ji, has Third Brother been busy these past few days? Kou Fanming from our team who was injured by lightning still can't move his lower body. We'd like to ask Third Brother to take a look at him."

"I'll go back and ask." Jili gave the same answer, turned, and left.

"Take care, Brother Ji." After seeing Jili off, Tang Huai immediately greeted Xia Qing warmly. "When are you harvesting the late-planted corn in your field? If you can't handle it, just call me anytime."

Xia Qing turned her head, looked at Tang Huai's face where the scars had faded considerably, and replied expressionlessly, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

From Tang Huai mentioning Kou Fanming just now, Xia Qing knew this wasn't what he really wanted to ask. Because Kou Fanming was the mad dog Tang Zhengsu kept, and over the years he'd bitten the Tang Zhengpo family plenty of times.

So Xia Qing guessed it was Xu Pin who sent Tang Huai out. Wanting to enter her territory to help was probably also a task Xu Pin had assigned Tang Huai. Possibly, Xu Pin was monitoring their conversation through some means, which was why Xia Qing gave Tang Huai some face.

To prevent Xu Pin from thinking Tang Huai was useless and sending him away, replacing him with someone new to garrison Territory Two.

Tang Huai's expression instantly lit up at Xia Qing's reply. "Alright, just call me when the time comes. Can your sheep chase birds away? How about I go back with you to guard the corn?"

This person really was the type to bloom at the slightest bit of sunshine. Xia Qing refused expressionlessly, "No need."

After walking a stretch into the wild grass wall, Xia Qing stopped, pricked up her ears, and listened carefully to the sounds from Territory Two.

Tang Huai was still standing under the road sign, not having left. From the sounds, it seemed he was smoking, but Xia Qing wasn't a smell-evolved person, so at this distance she couldn't smell the smoke.

Then, Xia Qing heard a faint command from inside the walkie-talkie: "Go to Territory Twelve, film close-up video of the evolved eagle."

Tang Huai was unwilling. "That's Seeing Xin Yu's tamed beast."

Xu Pin's voice grew even colder. "I don't care whether it's Seeing Xin Yu's tamed beast. I only care how many more days Tang Ning can live."

Then, Xia Qing heard Tang Huai's heavy footsteps. He vented all his fury by kicking and beating the wild grass wall.

Xu Pin had hit Tang Huai, and was using Tang Ning's safety to threaten him—this matter, Tang Zhengpo absolutely had to know.

Xia Qing immediately sent a message to Luo Pei, then went home to sort the corn and make lunch.

Inside Territory One, upon receiving Xia Qing's message, Luo Pei, who was lying on the bed, smiled. "Worthy of being a high-level hearing-evolved person, the intelligence she gathers is more comprehensive. When I call Tang Dong back this afternoon, there's even more I can tell him."

Xie Yu, who was sitting beside him eating grapes, spoke up. "Tang Zhengpo will definitely know, but if Brother Luo mentions it to him, it'll better show our sincerity and strength. How about we have Tang Zhou go with Tang Dong to Territory One to pick up the wheat seeds?"

Yang Jin, half-sitting on the windowsill sunbathing, shook his head. "I'll go. I'll take care of a few things while I'm at it."

"To the military department or Liehuo Mountain?" Xie Yu tossed half a bunch of grapes to Yang Jin. "You're injured, I'll go."

Before Yang Jin could speak, Luo Pei agreed. "Let A-Yu go. Next time it's my turn. You two rest up properly."

With the targeted antidote, Luo Pei's body was recovering rapidly. In at most a month, he could return to peak condition.

Yang Jin nodded. "A-Yu stays in the territory waiting for news first. I'll go back to the safe zone this afternoon to keep an eye on Qian Lin's matter."

Xie Yu grinned mischievously. "Not going to see Sister Qing before you leave?"

Yang Jin smiled. "She's busy. We'll talk after Qian Lin's matter is handled."

Ugh... Xie Yu stuffed all the remaining grapes into Luo Pei's hands. "Not eating anymore, can't take it, sickeningly sweet."

Inside Territory Three, Xia Qing was doing a weasel's work—plucking hair.

The sick wolf had a bit of bad luck; all three birds it caught were red-light, but Xia Qing still cleaned them up and boiled a pot. Just before it was done, she added the cabbage leaves it loved to eat, along with half an egg yolk.

Xia Qing herself ate cucumber scrambled with egg.

She'd recently become obsessed with eating eggs—fried, boiled, steamed. Eggs were truly a miraculous food, delicious no matter how you cooked them. Once her chickens laid more eggs, she was going to pickle a big jar of salted eggs to eat slowly.

Xia Qing ate her scrambled eggs contentedly, listening to the lords chat about how to handle corn stalks.

"One point per jin is too cheap. I'm keeping my corn stalks for fertilizer." The calculating Kuang Qingwei did the math for everyone.

"The price of worm castings in Territory Forty-Nine has already risen from one point per jin to three points for two jin, catching up with the animal manure from the Battle Team Alliance. Fertilizer prices probably won't come down next spring either. Returning stalks to the field is more cost-effective than selling the stalks and buying fertilizer."

Zhao's mother asked, "How much is crab shell fertilizer now?"

Kuang Qingwei answered, "Still six points per jin."

Qi Fu sighed. "The crops we harvest can barely afford the fertilizer for the next planting."

Xia Qing nodded.

The agricultural knowledge broadcast introduced that for wheat to grow well, each mu of land needs at least 500 jin of livestock or human manure-type organic fertilizer, plus 600 jin of plant stalk fertilizer—that's a total of 1100 jin of fertilizer.

This number sounded exaggerated, but it was already the minimum standard.

Li Si's "Green Bean Cultivation Guide" stated that with current insufficient soil fertility, the total fertilizer per mu needs to reach 2000 jin for crops to grow well.

Therefore, how to gather enough fertilizer for the cultivated farmland was the challenge facing every lord.