Zhang San, who rarely discussed farming, suddenly became interested in spinach seeds. "Xia Qing," he said, "I'm your third brother. When Green Light spinach matures, the plant will release seeds outwards when stimulated, with a radius of over ten meters; it's quite destructive."
Huh? The planting guide for spinach didn't mention that spinach seeds burst open when mature.
Xia Qing listened attentively as Zhang San continued to impart his experience. "So, when the seeds are almost ripe, you need to prepare a protective shield with high elasticity and toughness beforehand. Make a cover by combining four layers of rainproof cloth; it should be able to withstand the spinach seed burst."
Xia Qing quickly and humbly asked, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother San. How do I tell if the spinach seeds are ripe? By color, shape, or smell?"
"None of those are reliable," Zhang San chuckled. "Try picking a spinach leaf. If it's ripe, it will release seeds. Don't waste the leaves you pick; bring them all to me. When the spinach is almost ripe, the leaves aren't very useful, so picking a few extra leaves won't hurt."
Xia Qing…
Sure enough, Zhang San always spoke about food.
Before Xia Qing could reply, Tang Huai spoke up, "Third Brother, this is Tang Huai from Area Two. I've been trying to call you for the past few days but haven't been able to get through. We found some wild chrysanthemum greens and horsehair in our territory and wanted to send them over for you to try. The mutton we exchanged last time spoiled; it was my fault. Please forgive me, Third Brother, and give me another chance. If you agree, our Su Feng team's vice-captain, Xu Ping, will send the vegetables over to you immediately."
Xia Qing raised an eyebrow. Were the Su Feng team idle lately? Xu Ping hadn't even returned to the safe zone. Just who was Zhang San? Even the top-ranked Su Feng team from the Hui San base had to send their vice-captain to deliver vegetables as an apology.
Everyone knew how gluttonous Zhang San was. Two months had passed since the last incident; Zhang San's anger should have subsided by now. But to everyone's surprise, Zhang San explicitly refused, "I have those two items in my territory too, no trade. Also, I don't see people I dislike."
Xia Qing immediately nodded. Xu Pin from the Su Feng team was the kind of person you instantly disliked.
It wasn't that he was ugly, but rather his arrogant attitude—thinking he was the most handsome and awesome person in the world, and that everyone else was trash, not even worthy to carry his shoes—made you want to kick him and spit on him.
Damn it, even Yang Jin, who's better and more handsome than you, isn't as arrogant as you.
Tang Huai was like a grandson in front of Zhang San, not daring to get angry even after being rejected. "Okay, Third Brother, I'll remember. I'll trade with you again if I find any other green-light food."
Zhang San ignored him and brought up the purpose of his login, "Kuang Qingwei, I remember you said the wild boars at the breeding center were found in that valley?"
Kuang Qingwei immediately replied, "Yes, three large wild boars and a group of small ones were found in the valley. However, after the breeding center was built, the safe zone transported another batch of wild boars, but I don't know the exact number. What's wrong, Third Brother? Is something amiss?"
The others also pricked up their ears to listen.
Zhang San replied lazily, "Those wild boars in the valley are most likely prey raised by the wolves. The wolves returned from their wintering in the deep mountains and found their territory cleared by humans, their food taken, which is why they hunted the boars in anger. These next few days, you all need to behave yourselves. It's best not to venture near the edge of the territory, and even inside, wear protective suits and avoid loud talking or laughing, lest the wolves perceive it as provocation."
This was the longest message Zhang San had ever sent in the lord's channel, further confirming Tan Junjie's assessment of Zhang San: he really wasn't a bad person.
While Xia Qing was reflecting on this, she received a call from Zhang San.
Zhang San gently reminded Xia Qing, "Xia Qing, your sheep is very likely also prey raised by the wolves. If Yang Jin can't wipe out the wolves, they'll come back for the sheep sooner or later, or they might already be lying in ambush in the nearby Evolution Forest. To prevent the sheep from being killed, you can spray a highly effective deodorizer in your territory. I have a 30-pound bucket of deodorizing concentrate here. Dilute it according to the standard, and it'll be enough to spray your territory three times. I guarantee it'll be ten times more effective than what you buy from the safe zone. I'll also give you a spray to spray on the sheep; except for wolves with evolved sense of smell, other wolves won't be able to smell the sheep in your territory."
This was something that could save the sheep's life, and Xia Qing readily agreed, "Thank you, Brother San. I'll go pick some spinach leaves and cut some perilla right away and bring them to you later. But the quantities are small; is two pounds enough?"
After so many transactions, Xia Qing was certain that Zhang San always offered good stuff, so it was no wonder Tang Huai was so eager to trade with him.
"There's something delicious," Zhang San's voice was so kind it could melt your heart. "Two pounds isn't enough to cover the cost of materials; you need at least four. Have you finished your Green Lantern cucumbers?"
"Yes, I've finished."
The two Green Lantern cucumbers had always been watered with spring water, and they tasted excellent. Because she didn't know the elemental content of Green Lantern plants in other territories, Xia Qing was worried that her Green Lantern cucumbers had a lower elemental content than those in other territories. Therefore, until she could test the elemental content of Green Lantern plants in other territories, Xia Qing decided to stop trading Green Lantern plants watered with spring water, just to be on the safe side.
Spinach and perilla were watered with river water and could be traded.
Zhang San said regretfully, "Then I'll wait until your next batch of green-light vegetables grows before supplying me. It's dangerous outside, and the inspection team probably won't be available. Can I send someone with the deodorizing solution to your territory to exchange for it?"
"Of course, thank you sincerely, Brother San," Xia Qing said sincerely, then took the opportunity to ask, "Brother San, you just said my sheep might also be prey raised by wolves. Logically, there should be more than one sheep raised in captivity. Do you think there's a way to find the other sheep?"
Xia Qing guessed that the sheep Tang Huai had hunted and traded with Zhang San for mutton when he first came to the territory might belong to the same flock as the alpha sheep.
Zhang San replied, "What kind of ability did that sheep evolve into? Can you show me a picture?"
"Power evolution." Xia Qing immediately took a full-body photo of the alpha sheep and sent it to Zhang San.
"This is just a Small-tailed Han sheep. The meat of this breed is tender, flavorful, and has a high yield. It was probably raised by farmers nearby before the natural disaster." Mentioning the food, Zhang San couldn't help but swallow. "Last spring, there was indeed a flock of this breed of sheep in our territory, eight in total. Seven were captured by the team, and one escaped. But the escaped one was a ewe; yours is a ram. Open the sheep's mouth, let me see its teeth."
"Okay." Xia Qing then opened the ram's mouth again, took a close-up picture of its teeth, and sent it to Zhang San.
Zhang San gave a positive answer, "This lamb still has its milk teeth, so it must be the lamb born to the ewe who escaped last spring. Don't even think about the other lambs. That ewe and the other lambs were either caught by humans or wolves. Don't worry about them."
Xia Qing stared at the swaggering eldest lamb, incredulous. "Brother San, are you sure this lamb was born last year? It's already over 200 jin (100 kg)."
Xia Qing clearly heard Zhang San swallow hard. "Before the natural disaster, the Small-tailed Han sheep could grow to over 100 jin (50 kg) in seven months. After evolution, it's normal for it to reach 200 jin (100 kg) by one year old. After the great biological evolution, the lifespan of many advanced evolved creatures on Earth has increased, so judging age based on pre-disaster experience will be inaccurate. Perhaps the milk teeth of an evolved sheep born the year before last haven't fallen out yet."
After hanging up the phone, Xia Qing stared blankly at the eldest lamb.
This greedy sheep with spiral horns and over 200 jin (100 kg) was only one or two years old?
"No, I can't," Xia Qing decided, deciding to rename it. "Second Brother, you stay home and wait. I'll go pick some vegetables to get you your life-saving medicine."
Seeing Xia Qing about to leave, the eldest sheep immediately stood up. Xia Qing then gave him a few dried yellow bamboo shoots. "Be good, you stay here and watch the house. I'll make you some delicious feed tonight."
Xia Qing carried a bundle of tarpaulin to the planting area on the north slope. She carefully surrounded the spinach plants that had already bolted and seeded. She plucked a spinach leaf; the spinach hadn't sprouted seeds yet and wasn't mature. Xia Qing then plucked over thirty more leaves, stem and all, and put them in her basket.
She had over fifty spinach plants in total, but she had mentioned in the lord's channel that she only had a dozen or so. So she couldn't pluck too many leaves; doing so would give her away. Although everyone communicated in the lord's channel every day, they were actually strangers who had never even met. It was essential to be discreet, and no one would reveal their true strength.
After harvesting the perilla leaves, Xia Qing was about to go to the road sign on the south side of the territory to trade supplies with the people sent by Zhang San when she suddenly heard the sound of familiar hooves. She rushed into the buffer zone and saw the eldest sheep running towards her with a mouthful of dried bamboo shoots in its beak. She was both amused and annoyed.
What was going on? Fighting wolves while carrying provisions? Not only was it offering itself up to the wolves, but it also had to provide them with a balanced after-dinner snack? Xia Qing charged forward, but this time the eldest sheep didn't run away or hide. Instead, it stopped in front of Xia Qing, raised its head, and gestured for her to put the basket down so it could put the dried bamboo shoots inside.