Tan Junjie didn't mention Zhao Chong again, instead discussing exchanging supplies with Xia Qing. "Could I exchange another batch of toon sprouts? With diesel, one liter of diesel for one pound of toon sprouts."
Xia Qing was certain Tan Junjie was unaware of her deal with the Qinglong team; otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed such a condition. Tan Junjie's offer was reasonable, and Xia Qing readily agreed. "Sure, how many pounds would you like, Captain Tan?"
Tan Junjie replied, "The toon sprouts won't taste good in another half month. I want to exchange more to store. How many pounds can you offer?"
Xia Qing wasn't sure either. "There aren't many sprouts right now. I'll pick them in a few more days and trade them with you. Whatever amount you have."
Thinking of his daughter, Tan Junjie smiled gently, his voice softening. "Sure, I'll bring a portable scale and diesel with me then, and we'll exchange them on the spot."
"Okay," Xia Qing agreed readily. She didn't lack toon sprouts; the more diesel, the better.
After a few seconds of silence, Tan Junjie couldn't help but remind Xia Qing, "Don't break it all off at once."
Xia Qing, lacking planting experience, also hesitated for a few seconds: "Won't breaking it all off kill the tree?"
None of the planting materials she had collected introduced techniques for planting Chinese toon trees, nor was it mentioned in the "Planting Guide" issued by the base.
Tan Junjie's silence lasted even longer. "I'll get back to you after I'm sure."
That evening, Xia Qing received a clear text message reply from Tan Junjie: "The first buds sprouting at the branch tips can be completely pruned. The lateral buds that sprout after harvesting the first buds are called second buds. These shouldn't be pruned completely; 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 the territory, she had pruned the first buds, but now the tree was full of second buds. It seemed she needed to leave two or three leaves.
Another thing that bothered Xia Qing was the word "prune" that Tan Junjie used. The Chinese toon buds Xia Qing had exchanged with him last time were all pruned. Given Tan Junjie's meticulous nature, this word must have been used intentionally. So, using scissors is better than pinching or cutting directly?
Xia Qing noted this down in her notebook. The daily news broadcast ended, still reporting that most bases in China were doing well, while the situation at coastal bases was dire.
After listening to this for the past few days, Xia Qing was almost desensitized. She turned off the radio and onto the walkie-talkie. Unsurprisingly, no one was chattering on the channel tonight.
After five minutes, Zhao Ze from Territory Four broke the silence, "Xia Qing, are you there?"
Xia Qing pressed the button and coldly replied, "Yes."
Zhao Ze solemnly apologized, "I'm truly sorry about what happened today. I didn't manage the people in my territory well. I promise this is absolutely the first and last time. I'll offer you twenty green clover plants as an apology, is that alright?"
Although Xia Qing had never mentioned having an evolved sheep on the lord's channel, Zhao Ze's territory was adjacent to hers, the sheep boss roamed around in his territory every day, and someone in Zhao Ze's territory was spying on him with binoculars, so it was normal for Zhao Ze to know about the sheep boss's existence. Alfalfa is one of the sheep's favorite grasses. Whether he genuinely didn't want to escalate the conflict, feared her gun, or had some other hidden meaning, Xia Qing accepted, "Okay."
With Xia Qing's agreement, her feud with Zhao Ze was considered over.
Zhang San immediately spoke up, "Zhao Ze, I'll take twenty green-light alfalfa plants, and either a dryer or a vacuum packaging machine—you can choose one."
Zhao Ze replied politely, "Third Brother, I only have eight green-light alfalfa plants left. How about I do what Xia Qing did and use alfalfa leaves as a deposit for both machines?"
Food drying and packaging machines are needed in every territory, and Zhao Ze's claim of only having eight alfalfa plants seemed dubious.
Zhang San lazily replied, "The deposit for both machines is one pound of alfalfa. I also have one dryer and one vacuum packaging machine left. Anyone want them? I only want the green-light plants. If not, I'll send them back to the safe zone to exchange for food."
Why does he have so many machines? Could it be that he not only knows how to make medicine but also how to manufacture machinery? Xia Qing made a note in her notebook.
Qi Fu, always enthusiastic about planting, remained silent. Kuang Qingwei asked, "Third Brother, are three ounces of green-light chives enough to pay the deposit? I'll add the remaining two ounces when the next batch grows. Can the remaining chives be used as a deposit for the kittens?"
Zhang San lazily replied, "Half a pound of chives is a deposit for two types of machines. Even if my cat has a third kitten, I won't sell it to a middleman."
Kuang Qingwei, his thoughts exposed by Zhang San, chuckled twice. "Alright, Third Brother decides. I'll harvest the chives tomorrow morning."
After Kuang Qingwei's name, Xia Qing wrote "Green-light chives, three ounces at a time," and drew a question mark, indicating uncertainty about how many green-light chives Kuang Qingwei had.
Her pen moved upwards to Qi Fu's entry for plot number five. This entry recorded that Qi Fu had chives in his plot; three of the ten he had given Xia Qing last time were green-light chives. So he didn't speak up yet, not because he lacked the deposit, but because he didn't lack dryers and packaging machines.
Through more than half a month of communication in the lord channel, Xia Qing confirmed that Qi Fu had made ample preparations for leaving the safe zone to farm. He wondered how much building materials Qi Fu had; if so, Xia Qing wanted to exchange them for insect-repellent putty for wall painting.
However, this wasn't suitable to discuss in the channel.
After discussing the deposit, Hu Zifeng from Plot One's icy voice came through: "If any bastard dares to monitor Plot One, I'll shoot his dog's head off."
Hu Zifeng pretended not to exist; today's lord communication ended there. Xia Qing turned off the walkie-talkie and began studying the edible plants he found in the surrounding territories.
Garlic, chives, peanuts, ginger, and Jerusalem artichokes all reproduce through roots or by producing fruit in the soil, so they still existed sporadically ten years after the natural disaster. Alfalfa is a perennial herb, easy to grow with many seeds; spinach and scallions have short growth cycles, also easy to grow with many seeds, so they were also preserved.
Before the natural disaster, other common vegetables were either too delicate or their fruits and plants were damaged by birds and insects, making it impossible for them to reproduce for many years. Ten years after the disaster, it would be difficult to find them in her territory.
Therefore, to find edible plants again, she would have to go to the Evolution Forest.
Xia Qing drew a line under the bamboo with her pen. April was the time for bamboo shoots. She didn't have bamboo in her territory, but there was bamboo in the Evolution Forest north of Plot One. The bamboo Xia Qing used for making furniture was all cut from that Evolution Forest.
She had tested it; there were adult bamboo with yellow lights there. So, after April, she might unlock another vegetable. She just didn't know what the evolved bamboo would taste like.
Just as Xia Qing closed her notebook, she received a text message from Hu Zifeng asking:
"Miss Xia, do you need us to send someone to keep an eye on Plot Four?"
The condition Xia Qing had negotiated with Yang Jin was that a security team would be stationed in Plot One, at her disposal.
Xia Qing, being a three-evolved human and armed with weapons, wasn't afraid of the people from Plot 4. She replied earnestly, "No need. I'm going to the Evolution Forest north of Plot 1 to dig bamboo shoots in a week. I'll be away from the territory for at least four hours, so I'll need your help guarding it then."
Hu Zifeng quickly replied:
"Okay, please let us know when you've confirmed the time. Also, we'd like to go to the Evolution Forest to dig bamboo shoots too. Can we team up with Miss Xia?"
She had told Hu Zifeng about this beforehand specifically to form a team. Xia Qing replied with a smile, "Of course."