Chapter 250: A Fair Trade and Promises Kept

Xia Qing’s Level-3 protective suit and helmet looked nothing like before. Now, she was dressed just like those early years after the calamity hit, when there weren’t any protective suits and everyone wore whatever they could find to run for their lives.

Since Zhang San was interested in the sticky pumpkin vine from the Xiang Evolution, there was a good chance he’d like the sticky chestnut leaves too. So Xia Qing told him the most important trait about the evolved chestnut tree. As long as her idol was interested, everything would go smoothly.

Sure enough, Zhang San was intrigued. “So, do the chestnut trees belong to you, or to the Azure Dragon Unit?”

Xia Qing answered without hesitation. “They’re mine for these few years. I signed a contract back then.”

Zhang San took the bait right away. “Give me a Greenlight chestnut seedling, and I’ll trade you for twenty jin of Greenlight chestnuts. Try to keep the roots as intact as possible, and bring extra soil with it.”

“Alright, Third Brother. I’ll dig one up for you tomorrow.” Xia Qing flashed a grin just like Boss Sheep’s.

Zhang San continued hashing out the deal. “For this year and the next four years, give me four hundred jin of Greenlight chestnuts every year. If you come up short, make up the rest with Yellowlight chestnuts—four jin of Yellowlight for one jin of Greenlight. If the harvest isn’t good, you can hold off until the fifth or sixth year, as long as you get me two thousand jin in total. How about it?”

Just like a true idol! Xia Qing immediately relaxed. “Of course, that’s no problem. Thank you, Third Brother. The seedling this year will cover twenty jin, so that leaves three hundred and eighty jin left…”

Zhang San sounded cheerful. “Not three eighty—you also traded eighty jin of grain seeds. But your chestnuts are excellent quality, so for the insect-repellent spray, just sixteen jin is enough. You actually sent over thirty-two jin, so that’s an extra sixteen jin. All told, you owe me three hundred eighty-four jin now. You can give me two hundred sixty jin of Greenlight chestnuts, and make up the rest with Yellowlight.”

No wonder he’s the idol—Zhang San wasn’t just a master at making medicine, he kept perfect accounts too, and still looked out for his fans. He didn’t take all of her Greenlight chestnuts.

Xia Qing readily agreed. “Alright, Third Brother—two hundred sixty jin of Greenlight, four hundred ninety-six jin of Yellowlight. I’ll bring everything to you tomorrow.”

“No need to wait for tomorrow. I’ll send someone over to haul it now. Ya Ge will come too, and use the testing unit to check your muscles and bones.” Zhang San’s voice was still lazy, but Xia Qing heard the seriousness and warning beneath it. “I’m giving you medicine that’s normally reserved for senior Evolvers in the military. If you let word of this leak out, you’re done for.”

Xia Qing had no idea what Zhang San meant by ‘done for’, but she definitely did not want to find out. She swore solemnly, “Don’t worry, Third Brother. I won’t breathe a word to anyone, not even Boss Sheep or the Wolf Pack. Thank you, Third Brother.”

Zhang San seemed pleased with her attitude. His reply was as lazy as ever. “No need for thanks. It’s a fair deal. Just take good care of your chestnut grove.”

After she hung up, Xia Qing rubbed her face and grinned like an idiot. She didn’t have any powerful connections, but thanks to those Greenlight chestnuts she’d managed to gather, she was about to use medicine reserved for the military’s senior Evolvers. Of course she was over the moon.

Xia Qing hauled more than seven hundred jin of chestnuts and hurried to the North Barrier. When she arrived, Ji Li and Ya Ge had already gotten there, each lugging a big crate.

“Ji-ge, Ya-ge, I was a little slow packing the chestnuts. Sorry I’m late.” Xia Qing greeted them and set down her haul. “Two bags of Yellowlight, one of Greenlight—they’re all labeled.”

While Ji Li inspected the chestnuts, Ya Ge patted the crate next to him and gave Xia Qing a quick wink. “Here are the small interior wall panels and the support rods you asked for. I thought I was out but found some more rummaging in the storeroom yesterday. I brought one set over to show you how to assemble it.”

From what Ya Ge said, it seemed even Ji Li didn’t know about her medicine deal with Zhang San. Xia Qing rarely showed any emotion around outsiders, so nothing showed on her face. She simply hoisted a crate. “Thanks, Ya-ge. I appreciate it.”

Ji Li turned to Ya Ge. “Ya-ge, why don’t you help Xia Qing with the assembly? I’ll call someone to come move the chestnuts.”

Ya Ge grinned his approval. “Sounds good. Xia Qing can give me a ride back when we’re done.”

“No problem.” Xia Qing shined her flashlight down the path. “Watch your step, Ya-ge.”

When Ya Ge reached Xia Qing’s house, he noticed there wasn’t a single wolf in the yard. That left him a bit disappointed until he went inside the house and saw both a wolf and a sheep sprawled on the floor. “Is that the one with the injured back? Looks so clean, and its fur’s so smooth.”

Well, its fur was bound to be smooth—it had just had a bath. Xia Qing nodded. “That’s the one. The one infected with parasites is doing much better too. It’s patrolling the territory right now.”

Ya Ge…

He had nothing to say—just two words: Totally envious!

He greeted the wolf and sheep, then carefully opened the crate. “This one’s got the interior wall panels and support rods. Once you put it together, it works as a safe. The other crate has the ultrasound testing unit. Third Brother asked me to check your arms, legs, and lumbar spine.”

An ultrasound of her limbs and spine wouldn’t reveal any of her other evolved abilities, so Xia Qing finally relaxed. She helped Ya Ge set up the testing equipment and, while she was at it, took out the wheat seeds from the crate and set them aside.

She’d have to wait until November, after the rice was harvested, to get her hands on rice seeds.

Safe assembly? She didn’t even need Ya Ge to teach her that. After working with him on putting together a storage room, she’d already mastered how to use support rods and interior wall panels.

Once the health check was done, Ya Ge exported the test results and packed the equipment back in the crate. “Third Brother says to leave this crate with you—it’ll be needed for ongoing checks while you’re on the meds. Keep it in your basement, don’t let anyone see it.”

The recovery medicine wasn’t a one-time fix. She’d have to use it for six months, with a dose every ten days, in a medicinal bath. Xia Qing immediately thanked him. “Don’t worry, Ya-ge. The wolf pack is guarding the place, it’s totally safe. Thanks for all your help.”

Zhang San kept even Ji Li in the dark but sent Ya Ge to do the checkup. What did that mean? It meant Xia Qing’s guess had been right all along: Ya Ge was Zhang San’s guy—someone he really trusted.

Ya Ge was easygoing as ever. “Don’t mention it. If you find anything tasty down the line, just save three portions for the group.”

After Ya Ge left, Xia Qing took the equipment and stored it in the cellar. She smiled from ear to ear, seeing the chestnut shelves, which she’d just filled that afternoon, now left halfway empty again.

She might have fewer chestnuts, but now she had eighty jin of premium grain seeds and the army-exclusive body repair medicine!

This trade left Zhang San satisfied, and Xia Qing even more so. Even during her evening training, she couldn’t help but grin.

Early the next morning, when Xia Qing was inspecting her territory, she spotted the Greenlight rice in the fields starting to sprout panicles.

Her hundred Greenlight rice seedlings were traded with Zhang San back in June. She’d guarded them like treasure, but still lost five. So now she had ninety-five left. Because the Greenlight rice was planted more than half a month earlier than the Yellowlight rice she’d gotten from the Safe Zone, it made sense they’d sprout first.