Chapter 42: Green-Light Alfalfa

Tan Junjie didn't mention Zhao Chong again, and discussed trading supplies with Xia Qing, "Can I exchange another batch of Chinese toon buds? Diesel for them—one jin of diesel for one jin of Chinese toon buds."

Xia Qing confirmed that Tan Junjie didn't know about her trade with the Green Dragon Squad; otherwise he wouldn't have proposed such exchange terms. Tan Junjie's terms were very reasonable, so Xia Qing of course agreed, "Sure, how many jin does Captain Tan want to exchange?"

Tan Junjie replied, "In another half month the Chinese toon buds won't taste good anymore. I want to exchange more to stock up—how many jin can you supply?"

Xia Qing wasn't sure either, "The buds aren't that plentiful right now. Give me a few more days to let them grow, then I'll pick them and trade with you. However many there are, that's what we get."

Thinking of his daughter, Tan Junjie showed a gentle smile, and his voice softened a little too, "Fine. I'll bring a portable scale and the diesel over then, and we'll trade on the spot."

"Okay." Xia Qing agreed crisply—she wasn't short on Chinese toon buds, and the more diesel the better.

After a few seconds of silence, Tan Junjie still couldn't help warning Xia Qing, "Don't snap them all off in one go."

Having no planting experience, Xia Qing also fell silent for a few seconds: "Will snapping them all off kill the tree?"

None of the planting materials she had collected introduced techniques for growing Chinese toon trees, and neither did the Planting Encyclopedia issued by the base.

Tan Junjie's silence lasted even longer, "Let me confirm, then I'll get back to you."

That evening, Xia Qing received Tan Junjie's clear text reply: "The first-flush buds that sprout earliest at the tip of the branch can be cut entirely. The side buds that sprout and grow after the first-flush buds are harvested are called second-flush buds. They shouldn't be harvested by whole-branch cutting—leave two or three leaves at the base to form auxiliary branches and restore the tree's vigor."

Xia Qing understood. When she first arrived at her territory, she had snapped off the first-flush buds; now the trees all had second-flush buds. It looked like she needed to leave two or three leaves.

There was one more thing that caught Xia Qing's attention—the word "cut" that Tan Junjie used. The Chinese toon buds she had traded him last time were all snapped off. Given Tan Junjie's meticulous personality, he must have used that word deliberately.

So, using scissors is better than pinching or cutting directly?

After Xia Qing noted this point in her notebook, the day's routine news broadcast also ended. The content was still the same: most bases in Hua Nation were in good condition, while the coastal bases were in trouble.

After listening for the past few days, Xia Qing was nearly desensitized. She turned off the radio and switched on the walkie-talkie. As expected, no one was chattering on the channel tonight.

After waiting five minutes, Zhao Ze from Plot Four broke the silence, "Xia Qing, you there?"

Xia Qing pressed the button and replied coldly, "Here."

Zhao Ze solemnly apologized, "What happened today was truly unfair to you. I failed to manage the people in my territory. I assure you this is absolutely the first and last time. I'll offer you twenty stalks of green-light alfalfa as an apology. Do you think that's acceptable?"

Although Xia Qing had never mentioned on the lord channel that she had an evolved sheep, Zhao Ze's territory was adjacent to hers, and Big Sheep wandered around her territory every day. There were also people in Zhao Ze's territory spying with binoculars, so it was perfectly normal for Zhao Ze to know of Big Sheep's existence. Alfalfa is one of sheep's favorite grasses. Whether he genuinely didn't want to fall out with her, feared the gun in her hands, or had some other deeper motive, Xia Qing accepted it all the same, "Fine."

Once Xia Qing agreed, the grudge between her and Zhao Ze was considered settled.

Zhang San immediately spoke up, "Zhao Ze, I'll also take twenty stalks of green-light alfalfa. A dehydrator or a vacuum packaging machine—you pick either one."

Zhao Ze replied politely, "Third Brother, I only have eight stalks of green-light alfalfa left. How about I do the same as Xia Qing—use alfalfa leaves as the deposit for these two machines?"

Food dehydrators and packaging machines were a need for every territory. Zhao Ze said he only had eight stalks of alfalfa left, but his credibility wasn't high.

Zhang San replied lazily, "The deposit for both machines is one jin of alfalfa. I still have one dehydrator and one vacuum packaging machine left. Anyone want them? I only want green-light plants. If not, I'll send them back to the safe zone and trade them for food."

Why did he have so many machines? Could it be that he didn't only know pharmaceuticals, but also knew how to make machinery? Xia Qing jotted a note in her notebook.

Qi Fu, who was always enthusiastic about planting, stayed silent. Kuang Qingwei asked, "Third Brother, is three liang of green-light chives enough for the deposit? When the next flush grows, I'll make up the remaining two liang. Can the rest of the chives serve as a deposit for the kittens?"

Zhang San replied lazily, "Half a jin of chives is the deposit for both machines. Even if my cat can give birth to a third kitten, I won't sell to a middleman."

Having his ulterior motives exposed by Zhang San, Kuang Qingwei gave a dry laugh, "Alright, Third Brother has the final say. I'll cut the chives first thing tomorrow morning."

After Kuang Qingwei's name, Xia Qing recorded "green-light chives, can cut three liang at a time," and drew a question mark, indicating she wasn't sure how much green-light chives Kuang Qingwei had on hand.

Her pen tip moved up, to the column for Qi Fu of Plot Five. This column recorded that Qi Fu's territory had chives; last time he traded her ten stalks, three of them were green-light. So his silence now wasn't because he lacked the deposit, but because he didn't need a dehydrator or packaging machine.

Through more than half a month of exchanges on the lord channel, Xia Qing confirmed that Qi Fu had made thorough preparations for farming outside the safe zone. She didn't know how much building material he had, but if he had plenty, Xia Qing wanted to trade with him for insect-repelling putty powder to paint the walls.

However, this matter wasn't suitable for discussion on the channel.

After the deposit discussion, Beard Feng from Plot One spoke up, his voice carrying a frosty edge, "If any bastard dares to surveil Plot One, I'll blow his damn head off with one shot."

Dog Head Tang Huai pretended he didn't exist. Today's lord exchange ended here. Xia Qing turned off the walkie-talkie and began studying the edible plants discovered in the surrounding territories.

Garlic, chives, peanuts, ginger, and Jerusalem artichoke all reproduce through roots or by fruiting underground, so they still existed in scattered patches ten years after the catastrophe. Alfalfa is a perennial herb that produces lots of seeds and is easy to grow; spinach and small green onions have short growth cycles and also produce lots of seeds, making them easy to grow, so they survived too.

Other common vegetables from before the catastrophe were either too delicate, or their fruits and plants were destroyed by birds and insects, making multi-year reproduction impossible. Wanting to find traces of them in the territories ten years after the catastrophe would likely be difficult.

Therefore, to find more edible plants, one would have to go to the Evolution Forest.

Xia Qing drew a line under "bamboo" with her pen. April was the season for spring bamboo shoots. She didn't have bamboo in her territory, but the Evolution Forest north of Plot One did. The bamboo she used for making furniture was all cut from that Evolution Forest.

She had tested it—there were yellow-light mature bamboo there. So once April came, she might unlock another vegetable. She just didn't know what the bamboo would taste like after evolving.

Xia Qing had just closed her notebook when she received a text inquiry from Beard Feng:

"Miss Xia, do you need us to send someone to keep an eye on Plot Four?"

The original condition Xia Qing had negotiated with Yang Jin was that the security squad would be stationed within Plot One and available for her to call on at any time.

Xia Qing was a tri-system Evolver and had weapons on hand; she wasn't afraid of the people from Plot Four at all. She replied seriously, "No need. In a week I'm going to the Evolution Forest north of Plot One to dig bamboo shoots, and I'll be away from my territory for at least four hours. I'll need to trouble you to guard my territory then."

Beard Feng replied quickly:

"Understood. Let us know once you've confirmed the time. Also, we'd like to go to the Evolution Forest to dig shoots too—may we team up with Miss Xia?"

She had told Beard Feng about this in advance precisely so they could team up. Xia Qing replied with a smile, "Of course."