Chapter 143: Trading Goose Meat and Racing Against the Storm

Early the next morning at four, the Alpha Wolf led the pack to deliver four birds. Trailing behind them was that pitiful Yellow Weasel, once again in charge of plucking feathers.

Xia Qing took her share inside, drew the blood, and checked for Xiang element content. As expected, it was still Greenlight. She snapped a photo of the bird—which looked oddly like a giant goose—and sent it to Ji Li:

“The wolves just brought some food. I grabbed one and checked—it’s Greenlight.”

She didn’t message Zhang San directly because it was still dark out. Her idol had specifically told Xia Qing not to contact him at night.

To Xia Qing’s surprise, less than ten minutes later Zhang San called, his voice bubbling with happiness. “Xia Qing, it’s me, your Third Brother. Let me have half of that Greenlight Black-maned Goose, what would you like in return?”

“So it’s called a Black-maned Goose? That’s a pretty fitting name.” Xia Qing named her trade, “Can I trade for the insecticide you swapped to Luo Ge yesterday?”

Now that he had Greenlight meat, Zhang San was in a great mood and generous. “Sure thing. A pound of Greenlight Black-maned Goose equals four pounds of insecticide. How many pounds do you want?”

“Enough for eight acres will do,” Xia Qing replied, a little uncertain about how much she’d need.

Zhang San helped her out, “You need two pounds per acre, use it once per crop. Sixteen pounds are enough. I’d like to trade for two more pounds of meat though, is there anything else you want?”

Catching Zhang San in such a good mood, Xia Qing decided to ask about making the Special Additive with spinach. “Third Brother, how long can I keep the juice if I extract it from spinach stems and roots?”

Zhang San answered right away, “With your current storage setup, it’ll last just a day. If you get a fridge, I’ll give you some extra preservative so you can keep it for five days.”

Xia Qing pressed further, “Five days isn’t long enough. Can I give you the spinach stems and roots in exchange for Premium Nutrient Solution with a longer shelf life?”

Zhang San paused for a few seconds before answering, “Deal. You give me three pounds of clean spinach plants, I’ll give you a vial of Premium Nutrient Solution that lasts two months.”

Xia Qing did some quick math: three pounds of spinach for one vial of solution—the usual price for a vial was 2,000 points. Of course, this trade was sweetened by the Greenlight goose meat and Zhang San’s good mood, so his asking price was low.

So Iron Rooster Yang Jin’s price for her had been pretty fair, after all.

Decision made, Xia Qing said, “Thanks, Third Brother. I’ll swap you the whole goose. Once I harvest my Greenlight spinach, can I send you all the plants I have in exchange for batches of the two-month Premium Nutrient Solution?”

You can’t just tie yourself to one tree. She’d told Zhang San she only sowed 300 spinach seeds, but in reality, she’d planted 1,200.

When it was time to harvest, she’d give a quarter of the crop to Zhang San for special solution and sell the other three quarters to Yang Jin. That way, she’d get both top-tier nutrient solution and plenty of points. Perfect!

Xia Qing silently gave herself a thumbs up.

Zhang San agreed cheerfully, “Black-maned Goose is delicious—you don’t need to swap the whole thing, just save a leg for yourself. I’ll have Ji Li pick it up right now.”

Ji Li moved fast. Right after Xia Qing hung up, she chopped off a goose leg, sealed up the rest of the bird, and brought the goose blood along as she hurried to the rendezvous point.

But to her surprise, waiting at the North Barrier of Territory Three wasn’t Ji Li—it was Yan Long.

Maybe it was her skill, maybe her guts—Yan Long didn’t even bother with a Protective Mask, which left Xia Qing unsure what to think. She handed over the goods with both hands. “Thanks for making the trip, Sister Yan.”

Yan Long took them, handing over a bag of insecticide. She gave Xia Qing instructions, “This insecticide can be used while tilling or diluted for irrigation. Don’t let it touch your skin.”

“Got it, thank you, Sister Yan,” said Xia Qing, accepting it.

Yan Long just looked at her quietly. Right as Xia Qing thought she was going to say something else, Yan Long turned and walked off with the goods.

Although she was a bit puzzled, Xia Qing wasn’t the overly curious type. She simply turned around and headed home.

After stashing the insecticide away, Xia Qing wasted no time prepping the goose leg. The bird was big—one leg weighed a pound and a half, enough for a solid meal.

She boiled water and scalded the goose leg to start plucking feathers, but the fine down stuck to her fingers and wouldn’t come off. Xia Qing seriously considered asking the Alpha Wolf where that plucking wizard Yellow Weasel came from—she wanted one herself.

Once the goose leg was clean, she tossed it into a clay pot with spring water and spices, brought it to a boil, then lowered the heat to simmer.

Then she untied her apron and got to work on other tasks.

First job: moving the chicks from the cage into the Chicken Enclosure. As soon as Xia Qing opened the cage by the enclosure, a streak of black shot out.

Watching the black-feathered, red-crested rooster stretch its neck and flap its wings, Xia Qing figured it had to be an evolved chicken.

Should she tell Third Brother? Maybe later.

For now, she decided to keep it to herself—she’d traded for these Greenlight chickens, so they were entirely hers. If they grew up showing off crazy evolved abilities she didn’t need, then she’d consider telling Zhang San.

After pouring the mixed feed into the trough, Xia Qing was surprised when Zhang San called again. This time, his voice was friendly and energetic, nothing like his weak tone yesterday. “Xia Qing, that goose blood’s fresh. I’ll toss in a sunshade for you and bring it over tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks, Third Brother. If the wolves bring another Greenlight animal tomorrow, I’ll see if I can snag one. If I do, I’ll bring it to you.”

“You don’t have to bring it all—keep enough for yourself and just swap the rest with me,” Zhang San replied, then started chatting excitedly about recipes for the goose. “This goose meat is top notch. How are you going to cook that leg?”

“I’m boiling it,” Xia Qing answered honestly.

“Right, goose leg is best boiled for white-cut goose,” Zhang San approved. “Don’t bother with extra spices, just wine and ginger slices, low heat for half an hour, then chop it up and dip in sauce.”

The way Zhang San described it sounded pretty bland, which left Xia Qing a bit unsatisfied. “I already added bay leaf, chili peppers, peppercorns, cooking wine, and scallions to the pot.”

Zhang San paused, “That’ll be tasty too, but next time, try it plain.”

After the call, Xia Qing checked over the territory and was just about to head home when rumbling thunder rolled from the east. The sky southeast, which should’ve been brightening, was darkening by the second as clouds gathered at a speed you could almost see.

Are those Xiang Rain clouds or just ordinary rain? Last night’s forecast called for clear skies, but ten years living through disasters taught Xia Qing to trust her gut. She yelled urgently, “Boss Sheep, Boss Sheep, come to the fields—now!”

Boss Sheep was inside but dashed out the moment he heard Xia Qing’s anxious call. By then, she’d already reached the small farm shed by the fields and started hauling out rainproof tarps from the greenhouse. When Boss Sheep arrived, she slung a basket over his back, stuffed two folded tarps inside, grabbed a coil of rope and other gear, and charged ahead. “Let’s go! To the highland planting area—quick!”

The terraced plots on the high ground were filled with Yellowlight sunflowers, Greenlight spinach, and Green-glow Mung Beans, all just barely sprouted. If Xiang Rain hit them directly, most would turn.

A moment ago, they only heard thunder—now wind kicked up, laced with a chill that felt unnatural for late July.

Xia Qing sped up. She anchored one end of a tarp, stretched it over to the other end of the greenhouse, and lashed it down. Then she tossed a couple of ropes over the middle from east to west, shouting for help. “Boss Sheep, over here!”

Boss Sheep had been standing nearby, eyes squinting at the clouds. He trotted over when Xia Qing called. She tied a couple of ropes to his horns. “When I say pull, you pull—but not too hard or you’ll rip the frame apart!”

Boss Sheep didn’t budge, and Xia Qing wasn’t sure if he understood, but there was no time to explain. She scrambled up to the fourth level of the terraced plots, grabbed the other ropes, and braced herself. The wind picked up, the tarp flapping loud as thunder.

If it weren’t for Xia Qing and Boss Sheep both being Strength Evolvers, they’d never hold the ropes. Xia Qing yelled, “Boss, pull!”