Chapter 369: Community of Shared Interests

Seeing his father slowly open his eyes, Tang Huai immediately leaned over and asked, "Dad, do you need to pee or drink some water? Does the wound still hurt?"

Tang Zhengpo didn't want to pee and didn't want to drink water either, and the wound hurt terribly, but he still took two sips of water with his son's help before asking, "What time is it?"

Tang Huai answered immediately, "Four o'clock, it's still early and light out. Keep sleeping."

Tang Zhengpo responded, and comforted his eldest son, who looked on the verge of tears, "This time fetching the wheat seed was protected by people from the Azure Dragon Squad. I only suffered superficial wounds, didn't get infected with the evolution bacteria, and with Zhang San's special medicine I'll be fine in a few days."

"Dad…" Tang Huai couldn't hold back his tears, feeling useless, "I'm really so useless."

"Who says my son is useless?" Tang Zhengpo said very firmly, "You've been smart and sensible since you were little, and your studies never gave your mom and me a single worry. If it weren't for the natural disaster, you'd definitely be an archaeologist leading a team around by now."

"Dad…" Being an archaeologist was Tang Huai's childhood dream. His family supported him, and he had always been working toward that dream.

Who could have imagined that the natural disaster would completely change Blue Star—corpses everywhere, not enough to eat, and archaeology was now utterly worthless.

Tang Zhengpo's voice was gentle, "Once this batch of seeds is brought back, the favors I've called in with people at Hui-1 Base will be used up. From now on, we'll have to rely on our own real abilities to trade for supplies. Your sister has a head for business, let her keep running the restaurant. You and Ah Heng stay on in Territory Two. I can still manage our family's territory for a few more years."

Tang Huai wiped away his tears, "Once the wheat in our territory sprouts, those two brothers will know we tricked them. Is it still necessary for Ah Heng and me to stay in the Sufeng Squad, to stay in Territory Two?"

"Until the territory is built up, your grandma, your mom, and your sister still need to stay in the inner city of the safe zone, so we can't completely fall out with Tang Zhengrong right now." Tang Zhengpo's body was weak, but his mind was very clear.

"Once they know the grain seed was brought back by me and the Azure Dragon, they won't let you two brothers leave Territory Two even more. Because when those people in Territory Two make mistakes, they need someone to take the blame, and also because they have their eye on the high-quality wheat in our territory."

"Blue Star's environment has changed, but the basic rules of human survival haven't. It's always strength that wins, the strong are honored. In the ten years before the territory policy, evolvers were the strong ones at the bases. After the territory policy, ordinary people can also become strong."

"So Ah Huai, this is our rare chance to turn things around."

Tang Zhengpo's voice was weak, but still composed, and his words carried conviction, "Tang Zhengsu is nothing but a gun in Tang Zhengrong's hand, nothing to fear. If we were still in the safe zone, we really couldn't fight Tang Zhengrong, but the territories are guarded by the military. Tang Zhengrong can't cover the sky with one hand."

"It's still that old saying: there are no permanent friends in the world, only eternal interests. You need to bring out the same drive you had studying archaeology and digging bugs, and go understand the needs of those hundred-plus refugees in Territory Two. Going against Territory One and messing up this territory—that's not the goal of the refugees or the Gui San Squad members mixed in among them, it's the goal of the Tang Zhengrong brothers."

"Find out the refugees' real needs, then tie their needs to our goals. Those refugees can become a community of shared interests with us—seeking common ground while reserving differences, cooperating for a win-win." Tang Zhengpo spoke with earnest weight, "From here on, it's up to you two brothers. When you can win over the refugees of Territory Two, that's when I can put down the burden and retire in peace."

Tang Huai tucked the blanket around his father and solemnly promised, "You just focus on recovering. Those hundred-plus people, Ah Heng and I can handle them. A few days ago I traded Xia Qing for 30 green-light chicken eggs, we'll definitely hatch green-light chicks before the new year. Once you can get up, just feed the chickens and raise birds in the territory. Leave all the troublesome stuff to us."

"Good." Tang Zhengpo smiled and asked, "Zhou Zhaoping has entered Territory Eight?"

Tang Huai answered, "Yes, he came over on the supply transport plane. From the look of it, he's staying in Territory Eight to manage the factory."

"You've got good ears. When you have time, listen more to how he manages the factory and the refugees—you'll definitely learn a lot from it. Don't quarrel with Xin Yu, get along well with Xia Qing and Zhang San. When you go to Territory Seven tomorrow, don't talk too much. Whatever Zhang San tells you to do, just do it…"

After his father's muttering trailed off into sleep, Tang Huai turned off the light, lay down on the small bed beside him, and was soon snoring loudly.

Tang Zhengpo, woken by the snoring, kept his eyes closed and smiled silently.

"Sis, last time I delivered the refugees I wanted to tell you—your wall is just amazing!"

After settling all the refugees, Zhong Tao drove the patrol car to the territory to deliver rapeseed and supplies. The moment he got out, his eyes lit up as he praised the newly built wire-mesh wall of Territory Three, "Your wire is even thicker than the safe zone planting center's. You wouldn't worry about a car crashing into it."

The south wall of the territory was already finished, and Xia Qing grew more satisfied the more she looked at it, "The planting center has the safe zone's wall to shield it, and so many guards. It doesn't need a wall that's too sturdy. Here it's different—the thin stuff won't hold up."

Zheng Kui told Xia Qing some new news, "Hui-1 Base has developed a new coating material. They say after metal is coated, it can greatly improve wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and oxidation resistance. We two don't have channels in that area, but you could ask the Azure Dragon Squad."

"Thanks, Brother Kui." Xia Qing explained her difficulty, "I had to sell the grain I just harvested to barely scrape together enough to fence in the wall. Once I harvest the wheat and rapeseed next year, I'll look into getting the wall coated."

Zheng Kui nodded.

Zhong Tao continued, "You were right to fence it in. Several territories near the safe zone have been invaded by refugees—impossible to stop them."

In the face of refugees on the verge of starvation and losing control, the law had no binding force at all. That was why Zhong Tao and the others had been called away to settle refugees for a while, with no time to come patrol.

"Oh right, you haven't heard yet, have you, sis?" Zhong Tao lowered his voice, gleeful, "Territory Forty-Nine got invaded too. Over a dozen earthworm sheds got smashed up."

Territory Forty-Nine had stolen Sun Zhe and Zhong Tao's cousin's earthworm-castings business, so Territory Forty-Nine suffering was naturally good news for Zhong Tao.

After chatting for a while, Zhong Tao handed the package he'd brought over to Xia Qing, "This is the wheat seed you stored in the safe zone warehouse. This is one jin of yellow-light rapeseed—half a jin is a reward for you, the other half needs to be exchanged for vegetables or grain. Want the rapeseed, sis?"

When she went to the agricultural products trade fair in July, Xia Qing had also set aside forty jin of yellow-light wheat as seed, paying to store it in the safe zone food warehouse. Now it was time to sow the winter wheat, so of course she had to take the seed back.

After confirming the wheat and rapeseed were fine, Xia Qing named the vegetable seeds she wanted to trade for, "I want another hundred seeds of Indian lettuce, and a hundred seeds of celery. Can you still get crab-shell fertilizer, Brother Tao?"

There were four kinds of vegetables available for exchange this time; Xia Qing already had two of them.

Zhong Tao took the few yellow-light pumpkins Xia Qing had used to trade for the vegetable seeds and rapeseed, and asked, "There's one last batch of crab-shell fertilizer shipped over from Gui San Base. How much do you want, sis?"