Chapter 216: An Alliance Forged Before the Storm

In the end Xia Qing decided not to leave a single sunflower behind. Every plot in the territory had sunflowers, and anyone following the Lords’ Channel or listening to broadcasts would know how much trouble they’d caused lately. With seventy hours of Xiang Rain bearing down she had more than enough on her plate—no reason to leave a hidden danger behind.

Just as Xia Qing bent down to pull out the first sunflower her phone buzzed. It wasn’t Zhang San or Luo Pei calling—this time it was Qi Fu.

Qi Fu asked, “Do you have a minute? My wife and I want to bring you some fresh ginger we just dug up.”

Qi Fu had promised to give Xia Qing half his greenlight ginger as thanks after he recovered. But if it was just ginger, he could have come alone. Xia Qing figured they had something else in mind—something they didn’t want to discuss over the phone. “I’m free. I’ll wait for you and your wife at the North Barrier.”

After pulling up the last three sunflowers Xia Qing told Boss Sheep and Sick Wolf to head home first. She set out for the North Barrier to meet Qi Fu and his wife.

The couple soon arrived at Territory Three’s North Barrier, handed over the ginger, and explained, “We’d planned to wait till the end of October to harvest, but this rain came down so hard we’re not sure the ginger will survive. So we dug some up early and brought you a few pounds.”

Unlike other plants, ginger has three distinct harvest seasons: ginger harvested in late June to early July is called ‘mother ginger’, that dug up in September to early October is ‘tender ginger’, and what’s pulled at the end of October through November is ‘old ginger’.

Depending on when it’s harvested, ginger differs in moisture and heat. The ones saved for next year’s crop are always old ginger.

Xia Qing took the nearly ten-pound sack of ginger and invited them into her territory. She got the conversation rolling: “Qi Ge, sis, are your preparations just about done?”

The couple followed Xia Qing down the hillside. Yuan Yan replied, “We’ve prepped everything we can think of. We mainly came to take a look at your sunflower field. Sis, last time you asked Li Si about sunflowers—did you notice something off about them?”

Xia Qing was surprised they were here for the sunflowers too. She answered, “I checked them with the Portable Tester and found that some of the oil sunflowers had Xiang element levels close to one and a half percent. I’m worried they could turn aggressive during this rain and evolve a Xiang trait.”

She grinned, “Honestly, I’ve been jumpy ever since those dancing potato vines.”

Hearing the reason, the couple exchanged a glance. Yuan Yan leaned closer and lowered her voice, “If you trust me, take us with you while it’s still light. Show us where you planted the sunflowers.”

Could Yuan Yan have evolved an ability like her own? Xia Qing’s mind spun, but her expression stayed calm. She nodded. “Sis, Qi Ge, it’s just over here.”

As they walked toward the terraced fields Qi Fu explained, “My wife’s family had over a thousand acres before the calamity. She’s been working farmland since she was a kid—knows more than I ever will.”

“No wonder you both decided to farm. Turns out you’re both experts,” Xia Qing said as she led them into the greenhouse on the highland terraces.

Yuan Yan wandered among the sunflowers while Qi Fu studied Xia Qing’s greenhouse. “This is a smart setup. Next year I think I’ll build terraced fields and a greenhouse like this—good drainage, and the ceiling’s high.”

Xia Qing explained, “The terraces were here long before. I found the soil was great, so I cleaned it up and kept planting.”

Qi Fu sighed, “Whoever farmed here before the disaster must have been a real old hand.”

After all, no casual farmer would have worked the land so carefully or made fields this even.

Yuan Yan, standing among the crops, pointed out a sunflower and suggested, “Sis, maybe pull this oil sunflower up? It’s probably going to cause trouble during the rain.”

For any lord, every seedling is precious. Being asked to pull one up is a big ask. Qi Fu explained, “Before the second Xiang Rain my wife noticed something was off with a few potato plants. Later, they all turned into those dancing potato vines. This time she noticed several sunflowers in our field looked even stranger. We uprooted them all.”

Xia Qing didn’t hesitate—she swiftly yanked out the sunflower Yuan Yan singled out and sincerely thanked her. “Thanks, sis. If any turned aggressive, the damage wouldn’t stop at just one.”

Seeing Xia Qing’s willingness to listen and trust them, Yuan Yan smiled. The acid rain had left scars that twisted across her face, making her look a little fierce when she grinned. “We’re neighbors. Looking out for each other’s the right thing to do.”

After clearing two sunflowers from the terraces, Qi Fu and Yuan Yan followed Xia Qing down to check out the sunflowers in the greenhouse on the farmland.

As they passed the sweet potato terrace, Xia Qing explained, “These sweet potatoes were all grown from vine cuttings. There’s another terrace with plenty more. When I harvest, I’ll send you a sack.”

Only then did the couple really look into the terraces, their eyes lighting up at the sight of all those plants.

Xia Qing had once mentioned on the Lord’s Channel that she’d propagated sweet potatoes from vine cuttings, but claimed only twenty or so had survived. Anyone could tell she was downplaying the real number, but no one expected she’d underreported by ten times!

One look at that sea of green and the color of the leaves—there had to be way more than twenty green-light sweet potatoes here!

Qi Fu couldn’t stop grinning. “In that case, we won’t stand on courtesy, sis. We’ll do it fair—trade some grain with you for them.”

Xia Qing remembered Yang Jin’s advice about trading and nodded in agreement.

Following Xia Qing across the stone bridge into the greenhouse on the farmland, the couple found two more suspicious sunflowers. One was even a green-light sunflower tied with a red thread.

Xia Qing only had two green-light sunflowers left. She didn’t hesitate—she pulled it out on the spot.

Once they finished their sunflower inspection, the couple were about to head back to their own territory.

They’d come all the way to help, so of course Xia Qing wouldn’t let them leave empty-handed. She picked a basketful of vegetables for them. “I know you’ve both grown plenty, but these are green-light ones. You can dry them for the winter.”

Yuan Yan didn’t stand on ceremony. She took the basket and handed it to her husband, then quietly asked, “Sis, do you think we could negotiate with Luo Ge to store this year’s grain at his place for points?”

Compared to the Lords’ Administration in the Safe Zone, Yuan Yan and Qi Fu trusted the Azure Dragon Unit and Luo Pei far more.

“That’s my plan too. Next time we see Luo Ge, let’s ask him privately,” Xia Qing replied. She didn’t want to reveal the Storage Room in her own territory, so she planned to store grain and seeds in Plot One—giving her a justifiable reason not to buy from Zhong Tao.

Seeing Xia Qing’s thoughts matched theirs, Yuan Yan brightened. “If Luo Ge helps, we can offer more points. As long as the grain and seeds last till next spring, we’ll have nothing left to worry about.”

Xia Qing nodded and quietly reminded her, “Sis, don’t mention your knack for spotting wonky crops to anyone.”

With her rough, calloused hands Yuan Yan held Xia Qing’s tightly. “You’re the only one we’ve ever told.”

Yuan Yan wasn’t usually one for words. After that she fell silent—but Xia Qing already understood well enough.

By entrusting Xia Qing with their evolutionary secret, Yuan Yan and Qi Fu had shown real sincerity. But Xia Qing couldn’t reveal her own similar power. She’d already exposed her three elemental evolutions—any more would be asking for trouble. Still, she accepted the olive branch from Plot Five.

Xia Qing held both Yuan Yan’s hands, her cheeks glowing red in the sunset. In a voice full of earnestness she asked:

“We’re all out here farming, not forming battle squads or taking missions for points. But we can stand together as allies. From now on, Territory Three and Territory Five are in an alliance. We help each other out. How about it, sis?”

Yuan Yan’s face flushed red with excitement. “Yes! We’re not a squad—we’re a territory alliance. We’ll grow our crops and survive together.”

Even Qi Fu, holding the basket, had tears well up. The handle got so squeezed it nearly changed shape. “That’s right. In our alliance, we won’t need to worry about food or drink again.”

And so, on the eve of the fiercest Xiang Rain in the tenth year after the calamity, a territory alliance strong enough to rival The Base Administration and the squad alliances was quietly formed at Hui San Base.