Chapter 310: A Wall for Safety, A Gift for Thanks

When the Inspection Team reached the Northern Barrier, Xia Qing stepped out of her Territory and handed Tan Junjie a folded note. It said only one thing: At 12:20, Sufeng Squad’s Qian Lin passed from west to east along Section Three’s Northern Barrier.

Tan Junjie tucked away the note without asking any questions and just kept on patrolling.

Tiger, one of the team members, paused and asked Xia Qing, “Qing, can I buy two pumpkins? I want to try making those pumpkin chips they talked about in Territory Five.”

Compared to other crops, pumpkins had an impressive yield. After the third Erosion Rain, Xia Qing was left with just seven Yellow Lantern pumpkins and five Green Lantern pumpkins, but each plant produced about ten fruits. The biggest ones weighed over twenty pounds, even the smallest were five or six pounds each.

Most fully-grown pumpkins ended up in Xia Qing’s vegetable storage. She sold a few Yellow Lanterns to Zhong Tao or Hu Zifeng’s Squad. Since Tiger wanted some, of course she wouldn’t refuse. She went to the vegetable greenhouse by the south side of the reservoir and picked two large pumpkins for him.

Tiger took the pumpkins with a grin, tilting his head in conversation. “Qing, are you planning to fence in your Territory?”

Xia Qing had already mentioned building a wall on the Lord’s Channel, sparking a lively discussion. It wasn’t a secret. “I made some credits selling fish. After the autumn harvest, I plan to hire people to cut trees and build a fence.”

Tiger avoided staring at Xia Qing’s now pale face and glanced around at the trees. “Fencing it in will make things a lot safer and keep your sheep from wandering off. But your Territory’s huge. There’s not enough wood in the Buffer Forest alone, right?”

Section Three’s perimeter was about nine kilometers. Xia Qing couldn’t possibly clear out the entire Buffer Forest just to build a fence. “I’m planning to use as many thorny trees and shrubs from inside as I can, then pick out a few more from the nearby Evolved Forest.”

“There’s a patch of Erosion-Evolved thorny shrubs on the slopes by Mountain 51. If you’re up for it, I could show you around.” Tiger hesitated, then added, “I still haven’t taken my vacation this year. After the autumn harvest, I’ll finally have some time.”

He’d tried to invite Xia Qing to collect Green-Lamp pine nuts before, but got called away at the last minute. Now, he seized the chance again, hoping they’d spend a little more time together.

Xia Qing saw straight through Tiger’s intentions and didn’t plan on going with him alone. “You mean that patch of trees on the slope by the Territory? I’ve checked it out. They’ll work. I’ll start after the harvest. When you have time, come with Qi, Shi Du, and Guan Tong. No meals included—fifteen credits a day.”

“Deal! Just let me know when you need me, Qing.” Tiger’s heart fluttered as he carried the two big pumpkins and hurried to catch up with his captain.

Once Tiger left, Xia Qing picked a ripe Green Lantern pumpkin from the terraces and headed home. She decided to have pumpkin noodles for lunch, slice up the leftover pumpkin the way Yuan Yan suggested, sun-dry then steam it—perfect for making pumpkin chips.

Back at home, Er Gou was sprawled beneath the eaves, sunning himself. He lifted his head and even wagged his tail in delight. Honestly, the more time he spent here, the more doglike he acted.

A cluster of little swallows that hadn’t migrated yet crowded the rooftop, chattering loudly—maybe arguing whether the creature lazing below was more wolf or dog.

“I’m home! Did Er feel any better today?” Xia Qing called out, holding up the big pumpkin for Er Gou to see. “Look, it’s pumpkin! I’m having pumpkin noodles for lunch. You’ll get pumpkin and jerky in your noodle soup. How’s that sound?”

Er Gou stretched out, yawned, and padded over to sniff the pumpkin in Xia Qing’s hand. His tongue lolled out with a satisfied pant. Xia Qing ruffled his head, then headed to the chicken coop and found two eggs. She decided one would be a poached egg for her lunch, the other would go to Hu Zifeng to take back to Territory One for Luo Pei’s recovery.

Now, she could gather two eggs every day. Collecting enough to trade for Green Lantern soybeans with Territory Nine only took five days. No rush swapping eggs for the oil press from Tang Huai—she still hadn’t harvested the corn or sunflowers yet, so there was nothing to press.

She’d already gotten hold of one oil press machine today. One was plenty. As for the one Tang Huai owed her, she planned to sell it to one of her allies—Territory Five.

In the afternoon, Xia Qing finished picking the open cotton from the cotton greenhouse, then slung the bag over her shoulder and headed for the patch of Erosion-Evolved cotton. Tang Huai had warned her to be careful. She figured he’d noticed something, so she decided to do a safety check around her Territory.

The Erosion-Evolved cotton, which could release flammable gas, was the first danger she needed to tackle.

She started by picking all the open black cotton and sealing it air-tight in a bag. She planned to sell it to Zhong Tao when he came by.

The open cotton from Erosion-Evolved plants only sold for four credits per pound—just one-fifteenth the price of white cotton. That was hardly worth the effort. Plus, this stuff sometimes sparked fires. Xia Qing decided that next year, she’d just dry the plants and use them for firewood instead.

Job done, Xia Qing grabbed her walkie-talkie and radioed Section Four. “Zhao, you there?”

It was Zhao Ze’s mother who answered. “Xia Qing, Zhao Ze’s working in the fields. Just come to me if you need anything.”

“Auntie, are you free right now?” Xia Qing asked.

“I am. Want me to meet you by the river?” Zhao’s mom replied without hesitation.

“Sounds good,” Xia Qing agreed.

Just from the choice of meeting spot, Xia Qing could tell Zhao’s mom was sharper than her son. She knew to avoid Territory Two, and the rushing river masked their conversation well.

Zhao’s mom wasn’t just more observant than Zhao Ze. She was more efficient, too. By the time Xia Qing made her way through the wild grass wall, she found Zhao’s mom already waiting at the water’s edge.

She wasn’t wearing a protective mask. Her short hair brushed over a scar left on the left side of her face from a poison bug bite. Xia Qing took off her own mask, slinging it at her waist as she hurried to greet her. “Aunt Zhao.”

Zhao’s mom’s face lit up when she saw Xia Qing. “Qing, you look so much better! Did you get rid of the poison?”

Xia Qing nodded. “I got an antidote in a trade with Third Brother. Worked great. Auntie, you could ask him too—there’s probably a way to get rid of your scar as well.”

“Once the crops are in and I have some credits, I’ll ask.” She bent down and took out a sealed bag of dried wild vegetables from her basket, handing it over. “This is Green Lantern purslane. Should keep for months. Just soak it and chop it up when you want to make pork buns.”

Dried Green Lantern wild greens didn’t come cheap. Xia Qing was about to refuse, but Zhao’s mom pushed the bag firmly into her hand. “After all the fish we got thanks to you lately, it’s just a token of appreciation. I dried these myself—don’t you dare argue with me! With only one arm, I can’t win.”

Zhao’s mom hadn’t just been left with a scar after the poison bug attack—she’d lost her left arm as well.