Chapter 42: Green Light Clover

Chapter 42: Green-Light Alfalfa

Tan Junjie did not bring up Zhao Chong again, instead discussing a resource exchange with Xia Qing. "Can I exchange another batch of toyon sprouts? I'll use diesel—one liter of diesel for one jin of toyon sprouts."

Xia Qing confirmed that Tan Junjie was unaware of her dealings with the Azure Dragon Squad; otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed such an exchange rate. The terms were reasonable, so Xia Qing agreed. "Sure. How many jin does Captain Tan want to exchange?"

Tan Junjie replied, "The toyon sprouts won't taste good in another half month, so I want to exchange more to stock up. How many jin can you provide?"

Xia Qing wasn't certain either. "There aren't many sprouts right now. I'll wait a few more days to pick them and then trade with you. I'll give you as many as there are."

Thinking of his daughter, Tan Junjie flashed a gentle smile, his voice softening slightly. "Alright. I'll bring a handheld scale and diesel when the time comes, and we can exchange on the spot."

"Deal," Xia Qing replied briskly. She wasn't short on toyon sprouts, but the more diesel, the better.

After a few seconds of silence, Tan Junjie couldn't help but remind her, "Don't strip the branches bare all at once."

Lacking any farming experience, Xia Qing fell silent for a few seconds as well. "Will stripping them bare kill the tree?"

None of the planting materials she had collected contained tips on growing toyon trees, nor did the *Comprehensive Planting Guide* issued by the base.

Tan Junjie remained silent even longer. "I'll get back to you once I've confirmed."

That evening, Xia Qing received a clear text reply from Tan Junjie: "The first flush of sprouts that emerge at the very tips of the branches can be cut entirely. The lateral buds that grow after the first flush is harvested are called the second flush; they shouldn't be harvested by cutting the whole branch. You must leave two or three leaves at the base to form auxiliary branches to restore the tree's vigor."

Xia Qing understood. When she first arrived at the territory, she had been picking the first flush; now, the trees were covered in second-flush buds, so she would need to leave two or three leaves.

One detail particularly caught her attention: Tan Junjie's use of the word "cut." The toyon sprouts she had exchanged with him last time were all plucked by hand. Given Tan Junjie's rigorous personality, he must have chosen that word intentionally.

So, was using scissors better than pinching or plucking?

After noting this in her notebook, the daily routine of news broadcasts ended. The content remained the same: most bases in China were in good condition, while coastal bases were in trouble.

Having listened for several days, Xia Qing was nearly desensitized. She turned off the radio and switched on the walkie-talkie. Unsurprisingly, no one was chattering on the channel tonight.

After waiting five minutes, Zhao Ze from Plot 4 broke the silence. "Xia Qing, are you there?"

Xia Qing pressed the button and replied coldly, "I'm here."

Zhao Ze apologized solemnly. "I am truly sorry about what happened today. I failed to manage the people in my territory properly. I guarantee this is absolutely the first and last time. I'll make amends to you with twenty stalks of green-light alfalfa. Would that be acceptable?"

Although Xia Qing had never mentioned in the Lord Channel that she had an evolved sheep, Zhao Ze's territory was adjacent to hers. The "Sheep Boss" wandered through her territory every day, and since people in Zhao Ze's territory used binoculars to spy, it was normal for him to know about the sheep. Alfalfa was one of the sheep's favorite grasses. Whether he was doing this because he genuinely didn't want a fallout, because he feared her gun, or because he had other intentions, Xia Qing accepted. "Fine."

With her agreement, the grudge between her and Zhao Ze was settled.

Zhang San immediately spoke up. "Zhao Ze, I'll also contribute twenty stalks of green-light alfalfa. You can choose either a food dehydrator or a vacuum sealer."

Zhao Ze replied politely, "Third Brother, I only have eight stalks of green-light alfalfa left. How about I follow Xia Qing's lead and use alfalfa leaves as a deposit for those two machines?"

Food dehydrators and vacuum sealers were necessities for every territory. Zhao Ze's claim that he only had eight stalks of alfalfa seemed highly questionable.

Zhang San replied lazily, "The deposit for both machines is one jin of alfalfa. I still have one dehydrator and one vacuum sealer left. Does anyone want them? I only take green-light plants. If not, I'll take them back to the Safe Zone to trade for food."

*Why does he have so many machines? Could it be that he doesn't just know pharmacology, but also mechanical manufacturing?* Xia Qing made a note in her notebook.

Qi Fu, who was always proactive about planting, remained silent. Kuang Qingwei asked, "Third Brother, is three taels of green-light leeks enough for the deposit? I'll make up the remaining two taels when the next batch grows. Can the rest of the leeks serve as a deposit for the kittens?"

Zhang San answered lazily, "Half a jin of leeks is the deposit for both machines. Even if my cat could give birth to a third kitten, I wouldn't sell it to a middleman."

Having had his intentions exposed by Zhang San, Kuang Qingwei gave a dry laugh. "Fine, Third Brother has the final say. I'll harvest the leeks tomorrow morning."

Next to Kuang Qingwei's name, Xia Qing recorded: "Green-light leeks, can harvest three taels at a time," and drew a question mark to indicate she was unsure how much green-light leek he actually had.

Her pen moved upward to the entry for Qi Fu in Plot 5. This entry noted that Qi Fu's territory had leeks; of the ten he had exchanged with Xia Qing last time, three were green-light. Therefore, his silence now wasn't because he lacked a deposit, but because he didn't need a dehydrator or a vacuum sealer.

Through the communications in the Lord Channel over the past half month, Xia Qing had confirmed that Qi Fu had made ample preparations for farming outside the Safe Zone. She wondered if he had many construction materials; if he did, she wanted to trade with him for insect-repelling putty to paint her walls.

However, such matters were not suitable for discussion in the channel.

Once the discussion about deposits concluded, Hu Zifeng from Plot 1 spoke up, his voice sounding icy. "If any bastard dares to monitor Plot 1, I'll blow their dog head off with a shot."

Ignoring the "dog head" comment, Tang Huai acted as if it didn't exist, and today's Lord exchange came to an end. Xia Qing turned off the walkie-talkie and began researching the edible plants found in the surrounding territories.

Garlic, leeks, peanuts, ginger, and Jerusalem artichokes all reproduced via roots or underground tubers, so they still existed sporadically ten years after the catastrophe. Alfalfa was a perennial herb that was easy to grow via seeds, and spinach and scallions had short growth cycles and were also easy to grow from seeds, so they had survived as well.

Other common vegetables before the catastrophe were either too delicate or had their fruits and plants destroyed by birds and insects, making long-term reproduction impossible. It would be difficult to find traces of them in the territories ten years after the disaster.

Therefore, if she wanted to find more edible plants, she would have to go to the Evolved Forest.

Xia Qing drew a line under "bamboo" in her notebook. April was the time for spring bamboo shoots. She had no bamboo in her territory, but there was some in the Evolved Forest north of Plot 1; the bamboo she used for furniture was all harvested from that forest.

She had tested it; there were yellow-light adult bamboo trees there. So, once April arrived, she would likely unlock another type of vegetable—she just didn't know how the evolved bamboo would taste.

Just as Xia Qing closed her notebook, she received a text from Hu Zifeng

"Miss Xia, do you need us to send people to keep an eye on Plot 4?"

The condition Xia Qing had originally negotiated with Yang Jin was that the security squad would be stationed within Plot 1, available for her to call upon at any time.

As a triple-attribute evolver with weapons in hand, Xia Qing had no fear of the people in Plot 4. She replied seriously, "No need. In a week, I'm going to the Evolved Forest north of Plot 1 to dig for bamboo shoots. I'll be away from my territory for at least four hours. I'll need to trouble you to help guard my territory then."

Hu Zifeng replied quickly

"Understood. Let us know once you have confirmed the time. Also, we would like to go to the Evolved Forest to dig for shoots as well. Can we team up with you, Miss Xia?"

The reason she had told Hu Zifeng about this in advance was precisely to form a team. Xia Qing replied with a smile, "Of course."