Chapter 142: Tonight’s Deals and the Price of Trust

Tang Huai spoke up first. “There aren’t a lot of edible plants or animals on Mountain 49, and there’s no unpolluted water source either. Chances are the Azure Dragon Unit found some valuable ore up there. Could it be Yi Stone?”

“I doubt it,” Tang Zhengbo, an old hand in business, shook his head. “If they’d discovered a Yi Stone mine, there’s no way the Azure Dragon Unit would keep such a loose defense. Frankly, Mountain 49 was nothing special. The real reason they pulled out was that, after the Luo Pei poisoning incident, they completely lost faith in Tang Zhengrong and the rest of the leadership at The Base.”

Tang Huai couldn’t help but curse. “Tang Sufeng really drank Xu Pin’s Kool-Aid. Why go and poison Luo Pei out of boredom? Lucky the guy’s fine, or Yang Jin and Xie Yu, those maniacs, would have wiped Sufeng Squad off the map.”

Tang Zhengbo didn’t respond, instead focusing intently on Shi Chong’s instructions about how to weed around corn seedlings using a hoe without harming the plants.

Tang Huai kept grumbling. After listening in for a while, Tang Heng turned to his father. “The Azure Dragon Unit reclaimed over a thousand acres of farmland, and Zhang San’s territory is full of crops too. Those people aren’t likely to move out easily. With them around, if we ever face a beast tide or locust swarm, this area should hold. Dad, should we invest more into Territory Twelve and plant a few dozen acres of winter vegetables and wheat?”

When both sons looked at him, Tang Zhengbo nodded. “How about five hundred acres?”

Five hundred?

Tang Huai was so shocked he dropped the cloth he was using to clean his gun. Tang Heng looked just as stunned, but there was excitement in his eyes. “Really, Dad?”

“When opportunity knocks, you grab hold with both hands. Even if disaster strikes and nothing grows, we won’t lose much,” Tang Zhengbo said, calm and unhurried. “But if it works out, we’ll have the resources to survive in style.”

“Dad…” Tears of excitement welled in Tang Heng’s eyes. For a moment, his father’s poise seemed just like before the catastrophe.

Back then, his dad was one of the province’s top entrepreneurs. Back then, Tang Sufeng was nothing but a street punk. Without Dad’s support, would Tang Zhengrong have ever made it to mayor?

After the disaster, the more Tang Sufeng used to suck up to them, the harsher he stepped on them.

What a shameless upstart!

“So what’s everyone having for dinner tonight?” Zhang San’s weak voice came through Lord’s Channel.

Tang Huai, mid-rant, shut up instantly and started mentally counting how many Greenlight bugs he’d dug today. Would it be enough for a plate, maybe even enough to impress Zhang San?

Zhao Ze was first to answer in the channel. “I’m having flatbread for dinner. My mom’s flatbread is amazing. Want to try some, Third Brother?”

Xia Qing also pressed her button. “Third Brother, I’m picking sweet potato leaves right now. Want me to send some over?”

Qi Fu chimed in. “We’re having porridge. Shelled wheat, mung beans, and old green beans.”

Tang Zhengbo spoke warmly. “Tonight we’re having fried Yellowlight Evolved Mantis and Greenlight bug pupae.”

Luo Pei joined in too. “My brother’s over tonight, so we’re having barbecue. We caught a red muntjac today. Sadly, it was a Yellowlight one. Otherwise, I’d have sent Third Brother a few pounds.”

After listening to everyone, Zhang San made his choice. “Luo Pei, can I trade for two pounds of tenderloin?”

Tang Huai muttered under his breath, “Zhang San sure knows how to eat.”

Venison tenderloin is lean, juicy, and easy to digest. It’s the best cut on the whole deer.

“Of course,” Luo Pei agreed readily. “I just reclaimed some land to grow grain, but the soil’s full of insect larvae and eggs. Third Brother, could I trade for some extra-effective insecticide?”

Hearing that Plot One was crawling with bugs, Tang Huai’s hands started itching—felt like digging…

Zhang San named his price. “One pound of venison for one pound of insecticide.”

“Deal! Thanks, Third Brother.” Luo Pei agreed at once.

Tang Heng said quietly, “Dad, Zhang San’s insecticide must be the real deal. Should we try to swap for some too?”

Tang Huai objected immediately. “With me around, who needs insecticide?”

Tang Zhengbo ignored his oldest son and instructed the younger one, “Give your sister a call in a bit and ask her to send over four Greenlight river crabs.”

August is prime time for river crabs.

With Zhang San trading insecticide, the lords of Territories Three, Four, Five, Six, and Ten all wracked their brains for any food that might win him over. Then Assistant Liu from Territory Nine unexpectedly spoke up. “Could Territory Nine trade for some of that insecticide? We’ll offer Greenlight spinach.”

Just when everyone thought Zhang San would refuse, he actually agreed. “Sure, two pounds of Greenlight for one pound of insecticide.”

“Thank you, Lord Zhang!” Assistant Liu responded immediately.

Zhang San agreeing to trade with Territory Nine probably meant he wanted to check the Yi element concentration in their Greenlight spinach.

Xia Qing packed enough sweet potato leaves in her basket, took a deep breath, and hurried through the pungent patches of alfalfa and perilla, stepping out of the greenhouse on the highland.

She wasn’t surprised Territory Nine grew Greenlight spinach. After all, that’s the main veggie for making Special Additive and Vitality Element Stimulating Solution. With Li Si’s expertise in cultivation, he’d naturally want to experiment with spinach in different soil conditions.

Most likely, Territory Nine’s Green-glow Spinach seeds came from the Blazing Fire Unit.

She remembered Luo Pei saying that Blazing Fire Unit had crops with Yi element content as high as nine parts per ten thousand—maybe it was spinach?

Was Territory Nine offering up spinach as a peace gesture to Zhang San? And by accepting, did Zhang San agree to spare them for now?

Turning over these thoughts, Xia Qing entered the low slope greenhouse area, fetched a water bucket filled with spring water from the cave, tightened the lid, packed it away, and was just about to pick some old green beans to take home for a bean porridge—like Qi Fu’s family—when Zhang San called her.

Zhang San’s voice still sounded feeble, like he’d suffered a major blow. “Xia Qing, those two wolves are still recovering in your territory, right?”

“Yes,” Xia Qing replied instantly. “The one with the injured back already has feeling in its hind legs again. You’re amazing, Third Brother—fixing a broken spine like that.”

“That’s only because its spinal nerves weren’t completely severed. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be healing this fast,” Zhang San continued. “How are you handling their meals?”

It finally dawned on Xia Qing why her idol was calling, so she decided to hold something back. “The wolf pack brings food for them every day—sometimes birds, sometimes rabbits, even wild piglets.”

As soon as food came up, Zhang San’s mood noticeably brightened. “So while those wolves are healing in your territory, the pack hasn’t shared any meat with you?”

Already feeling a bit sick of meat, Xia Qing replied confidently, “No, but they gave me medicinal herbs.”

She’d already paid Zhang San’s surgery fee; the Greenlight meat she got from looking after the wolves was hard-earned. Not even her idol was getting a piece of that.

Zhang San grunted. Hard to tell whether he was annoyed at Xia Qing, the wolf pack, or both.

Worried about his health, Xia Qing asked carefully, “Third Brother, are you feeling okay?”

“So hungry it hurts, right in the stomach,” Zhang San replied, clearly miserable.

How could Zhang San, with multiple greenhouses, Greenlight chickens and cows, and a mountain of valuable supplies, end up so hungry his stomach hurt?

Xia Qing didn’t doubt him, just thought it was bizarre. “Doesn’t the spinach from Territory Nine agree with you?”

Zhang San grunted again and pressed, “Is it the pack that wouldn’t share meat, or have you never bothered going to collect their offerings?”

She’d eaten so much meat that she was starting to feel off, while her idol was going hungry. That’s just not right. Tomorrow she’d share some meat with him. And get some of that insecticide, too.

Xia Qing answered, “Third Brother, you think I could take food from the wolves?”

Zhang San’s spirits lifted a little. “From what I know about wolves, if they’re letting those two recover on your territory, they don’t see you as an outsider. You can totally fetch whatever they bring over. Next time, suit up in a protective suit and give it a try. If you get something Greenlight-rated, save some for me.”

Xia Qing, all fired up, said, “Got it, Third Brother! I’ll give it a shot when the wolves drop by with food tomorrow.”