Chapter 251: Fertilizer Scramble and Hidden Moves

Five to seven days after rice starts heading, it’s time for the flowers to bloom. She remembered the farming broadcast emphasizing just how critical proper management during this phase was for keeping yields steady and boosting production.

The top priorities right now are keeping the roots healthy, protecting the leaves, and helping the plants withstand the midday heat. That means over the next few days, she needs to fertilize the rice, check the insect netting, spray insecticide to prevent pests drawn to the blooms, and guard the leaves and rice heads from sun scorch.

The Greenlight rice seedlings Zhang San provided were precious. Whether she could plant wide fields of Greenlight rice next year depended entirely on how many seeds these ninety-seven plants produced. There was no room for error—her care had to be meticulous.

“Time to fertilize and water the fields.” Xia Qing stepped out of the rice greenhouse and ruffled the head of Number Two, her wolfdog, who had been waiting patiently by her side. A few steps forward, and she was delighted to spot the corn starting to tassel.

According to the farm broadcasts, after evolution, corn only takes a month from tasseling to harvest. It’s a result of its natural adaptation, but still requires extra fertilization.

Both rice and corn need extra nitrogen fertilizer during the heading phase. The mung beans were also at a key stage, finishing flowering and starting to set pods—they’d need fertilizing too. Even the vegetables in the hillside and greenhouse plots were due for watering and top-dressing.

Fermented animal manure made for excellent nitrogen fertilizer. Right now, Xia Qing had four types on hand: Greenlight chicken manure, Greenlight sheep manure, Redlight earthworm castings, and Redlight wolf manure.

Except for the earthworm castings, Xia Qing had personally collected and fermented the other three. Combining the soil insecticide she’d traded from Zhang San and the high-efficiency compost starter from Li Si meant thorough fermentation and insect control. She could use everything with peace of mind.

The Greenlight chicken manure had to go to the Greenlight spinach first.

Since both the sheep and wolves used the same spot for their business, she could only compost those two manures together. Those would be reserved for Greenlight rice and the rest of the premium vegetable fields.

There was just one sheep in her territory—not to mention only a couple of wolves and eleven chickens. That tiny crew barely produced any manure. So, when it came to fertilizing the rice, corn, mung beans, and more, she had to lean heavily on the earthworm castings she’d gotten from Sun Zhe.

There were enough earthworm castings left in the storeroom to get through this round, but she’d need to order more soon. In November, she had to prepare for winter wheat and also plant greenhouse vegetables—fertilizer demand would only grow.

Xia Qing never dragged her feet. She whipped out her phone and dialed Sun Zhe. “Sun Zhe, I want to trade for 1,500 pounds of earthworm castings. When can you deliver? Do you want points or goods in exchange?”

Sun Zhe’s voice sounded tired. “Qing-jie, I’ve only got 300 pounds right now. If you’re not in a rush, I’ll have 1,500 pounds ready in twenty days. But if you can’t wait, you could buy from Plot Forty-Nine—they sell it for double, one point per pound.”

Sun Zhe had been working hard to expand for half a year. Last time they spoke, he was beaming—finally getting daily yields up to a thousand pounds, enough to supply dozens of territories.

Yet today, she’d only ordered 1,500 pounds and it would take twenty days to deliver. That tired voice was all she needed to hear—something had gone wrong, and badly.

Xia Qing asked, “Twenty days is fine. I haven’t used up the last batch yet—this order’s for the autumn wheat. Everything okay over there?”

Back in the Safe Zone, Sun Zhe had worked with Deputy Team Leader Xia Qing for years on the construction crew. Now they weren’t in a hierarchy, but when Xia Qing asked, Sun Zhe didn’t hesitate to explain his troubles.

“The new lord of Plot Forty-Nine, Jiang Yansheng, is the nephew of our base’s Lords’ Administration chief. He didn’t just lure away most of my workers with high pay, he also got those left behind to sabotage things. Now, only one of my earthworm houses is left working.”

“There’s no way this year’s yield will recover, but we’re searching for solutions, pulling every string. Qing-jie, when you do the spring irrigation for next year, fertilizer won’t be a problem.” Though he had suffered a blow, Sun Zhe wasn’t beaten. “Actually, I have an idea. Want to hear it?”

Xia Qing sat under a tree, her voice as calm and steady as when she ran the construction team. “Go on.”

Sun Zhe explained, “Plot Forty-Nine’s got powerful backers, so I’ve got to lay low for a while. I’m planning to sell off most of my worms and the associated equipment, cash in some points and ride out this period. What do you think?”

It was a forced and bitter move.

But in the current situation, there was nothing someone like Sun Zhe—at the very bottom with no money or power—could do except endure.

If Xia Qing were Lord of Plot Forty-Eight, she’d do the same. Then, once Jiang Yansheng dropped his guard, she’d quietly sabotage Plot Forty-Nine. Maybe meddle with their people or supplies, and make sure every earthworm there turned up dead.

But this was definitely not advice to share over the phone. Instead, Xia Qing passed on what she’d heard. “Jiang Quan from Lords’ Administration is close to the deputy base director. Right after the last Produce Trade Fair, I saw Jiang Quan and Secretary Wang from Hui One Base chumming it up. Jiang Quan comes off slick—he shouldn’t be this obvious about helping his nephew stir trouble. There’s more to it. It’s smart to keep your head down for now. So, who are you selling to?”

Sun Zhe replied, “Word is, Luo Pei from Azure Dragon Unit is opening up over a thousand acres in Plot One. He’ll need fertilizer for sure. Azure Dragon Unit doesn’t push around small folks like me, and even if the deal falls through, they won’t make trouble. If they agree, I’d like to send my parents there to teach them how to run earthworm casting operations. As long as my family is safe, I’ll be fine.”

Sun Zhe had the protection of the Lords’ Law—as long as he didn’t leave his territory, the Jiang family could only play dirty tricks; they couldn’t openly target him.

Only lords needed earthworm castings, and as far as Xia Qing knew, big buyers were limited to territory-wide expansions like Plot One and Twelve. If she had to choose, she’d trust Luo Pei over Tang Zhengbo any day.

She agreed, “Plot One is a great partner for this.”

Deal or no deal, Xia Qing reasoned it was wise to diversify her fertilizer suppliers to keep next year’s crops secured.

She grabbed her walkie-talkie and called the local middleman, Kuang Qingwei. “Qing-ge, you around?”

Kuang Qingwei responded promptly, “Right here, Xia Qing—you’re up early today! What’s up?”

Xia Qing rarely used her walkie-talkie in the morning, so she skipped the explanation. “Do you have any leads on fertilizer? I want to buy 1,000 pounds of manure.”

Kuang Qingwei replied, “I’ve got two kinds: earthworm castings and mixed manure. Earthworm castings have doubled in price—Plot Forty-Eight took major losses from the Xiang Rain, so our only source now is Plot Forty-Nine at one point per pound. Mixed manure is any type, all fermented, but it’s four points per pound.”

Xia Qing asked, “Is the mixed manure brought in from outside?”

Kuang Qingwei answered, “No, it’s done via the base’s Squad Alliance. They collect it from Evolver Forest. Supposedly, the quality is excellent, but I haven’t seen any myself. They’re taking orders in advance, then shipping in bulk together. With winter wheat planting just over a month away, everyone’s scrambling for fertilizer, so they set the price high.”