Chapter 863: That Scumbag Doesn't Deserve It

Thank heavens — four days after she took over, Daigua finally showed signs of improvement. Xia Qing happily flicked Daigua Monkey on the forehead, and while she was at it, she repositioned its arms and legs into two heart shapes.

She turned to go back to weeding, only to see Little Feimao had already nibbled through a small piece of green-light cucumber, and was now trembling its little whiskers, pawing weakly at the cage with its tiny claws, staring at Xia Qing.

That look — exactly like its mother.

Xia Qing paused for two seconds. "Want spinach seeds?"

Skinny and tiny Little Feimao, draped in a dull, patchy coat missing tufts here and there, gazed at Xia Qing pitifully.

She couldn't underestimate the instincts of a brain-domain evolver. Little Feimao hadn't even gone home, following her eagerly wanting to eat X-3 seeds — probably because the seeds contained nutrients it urgently needed.

Xia Qing took off her mud-caked protective boots and went inside, fetched two seeds from the second-floor windowsill, and gave them to Little Feimao. "Eat up, get better soon, and bring me back something more valuable."

Little Feimao crunched the spinach seeds with little crack-cracks, then grabbed the cage and gazed at Xia Qing with eager, hopeful eyes.

Is it full now and wanting to go home?

Xia Qing had just opened the cage when the little thing scrambled up her arm and into the side pocket of her protective suit — the same pocket that had held the spinach seeds…

Little Feimao might become the first debt she can't collect after entering the territory.

Xia Qing sighed, put on her gloves, and went back to weeding. After clearing the invasive grass beside the eastern shed where the orange saplings, figs, and jujube trees were planted, she pulled open the rainproof cloth of this small shed and looked at the lush little seedlings inside — especially the fruit on the fig tree — and her mood lifted considerably.

The rainproof cloth roof over the green-light orchard on Gao Po had been torn off by the gale, flew over two wire-mesh walls, and landed in Zone 3 of Mountain 49. The fruit trees in the orchard had been pelted by hail again.

The jujube-sized little apples on the apple tree were knocked down to barely a few; the newly sprouted jujube tree was beaten bald; more than half the branches of the Sichuan pepper tree were broken. Only the little grapes on the trellis by the spring-water hill in Shed No. 2, and the green-light strawberries in the planting greenhouse, were unharmed.

Though she hadn't had time to check the chestnut trees growing in Valley No. 1 of Mountain 49, Xia Qing guessed their losses wouldn't be great. One, the terrain there could shield the chestnuts from most of the hail; two, the branches of evolved chestnut trees were hard enough.

After these two years, Xia Qing had figured it out: you can't just throw up a roof for fruit trees — you have to build proper greenhouses to protect them, or the chances of actually eating the fruit are slim.

Putting up shelters for climbing grapes, creeping strawberries, and small saplings is simple, but designing shelters for jujube trees nearly ten meters tall and apple trees five meters tall takes serious planning.

That matter — she'd deal with it once the current work was done.

"This return rainstorm caused 43 deaths and 56 injuries in the northern Zone 1 and Zone 3 territories, and destroyed 468 mu of farmland. The Base Commander is deeply concerned for the disaster-affected residents of the territories, and has ordered the Territory Management Department to devote all efforts to treating the wounded and to vigorously support post-disaster reconstruction…"

After broadcasting the base's expressions of solidarity with the disaster areas, the announcer shifted tone and began reporting touching deeds from this natural disaster.

"The Ninth Planting Center in northern Zone 1, established less than a month ago, suffered zero casualties among its 136 employees, and its farmland and supplies were undamaged."

"In addition, the center's employees went out to support surrounding territories, contributing their share to the disaster response and relief efforts in northern Zone 1, fighting the natural disaster alongside the lords and protecting the farmland…"

"Next, we connect with Director Yan Yue of the Ninth Planting Center. Please tell our listeners the reasons for and process of the external support. Director Yan, hello."

The base broadcast station had planned to connect with Xia Qing, but Xia Qing didn't have time, so she pushed the troublesome task onto Yan Yue.

Yan Yue's official, polite voice came through the broadcast. "Hello, host. Hello, listeners. I'm Yan Yue from the office of the Ninth Planting Center."

Once Yan Yue began speaking, Tang Huai and Hu Zifeng stopped arguing too. Everyone listened attentively as Yan Yue, with clear logic and concise words, described the measures the Ninth Planting Center had taken to guard against sudden disasters, then mentioned that Director Xia Qing had dispatched people to support neighboring territories at the very onset of the disaster, and that when the situation grew dire, the center's employees had answered the director's call and gone out to support the effort without hesitation.

Tang Huai sighed. "Director Yan is really talented. Listening to her, I feel our Sister Qing being made only vice base commander is a waste of her talent."

Huo Zhun replied, "Brother Huai, don't compare Tang Zhengrong with Sister Qing — that scumbag doesn't deserve it."

Everyone: Hasn't Huo Zhun only been here one day? Why does he sound like he's known Xia Qing forever? Could they have met when she was forging at the Huo family blade shop in the safe zone?

After Yan Yue's segment ended, the host connected with the agent of Territory 12 and the lord of Territory 17, both of whom had received aid. Listening to their tearful speeches, everyone got teary-eyed too.

The lord of Territory 12 and Tang Huai, agent of Territory 2, tearfully thanked Xia Qing and the brothers of the Ninth Center over the lord channel.

After the thanks, hearing no response from Xia Qing, Tang Huai sniffed and asked, "Xia Qing's not online? What's she busy with?"

Without needing anyone to answer, Tang Huai already knew what Xia Qing was busy with. From over in Territory 3 came the familiar buzz of the tiller mowing grass.

That sound hammered at Tang Huai's eardrums like a drumstick.

While he, the recipient of help, was still sobbing with overwhelming emotion, Northern Alliance Leader, Director of the Ninth Planting Center, and tri-system evolver Xia Qing had her walkie-talkie off and was working hard in her territory. Most likely, she hadn't even turned on the radio.

The fact that she'd started tilling with the tiller first thing in the morning meant she'd already finished pulling the Xanthoside-39 in the areas that needed tilling!

That work definitely wasn't done by the boss and Wolf Lao Er on her behalf — their hooves and paws couldn't handle it.

She was the lord who lost the least in this disaster, yet she was the first to propose solving the problem of quickly deploying and retracting greenhouse rainproof cloth after it.

A year and a half, and no matter how her status changed, Xia Qing's style hadn't changed at all. She was crystal clear-headed, she had her own plans, and she always knew what she wanted and what she should do.

Tang Huai put on his protective suit, grabbed his single crutch, and limped out of the house toward the insect-rearing greenhouse.

Just like after the second invasive rain, after mowing the abandoned village where she lived, Xia Qing cut a north-south dividing line through the flat areas of her territory, then mowed a ring around the cultivated-land greenhouses.

She parked the tiller beside Greenhouse No. 12 and began pulling the Xanthoside-39 inside the ring of invasive grass she'd cut around the cultivated-land greenhouses. Once she finished here, she still had to clear the buffer forest and Zone 3 of Mountain 49.

She planned to finish all this in two days — otherwise the big household on Mountain 55 would be running out of patience.