Chapter 341: A Day of Harvests and Wolves

After seeing off Chang Li and Hu Zifeng from Section Three, Xia Qing returned home. She gently picked up Alpha, who was stretched out on the living room table, carried him back to the sheep shed, set him down on a dry comfy straw mat, then brushed out his fur so he could rest easy.

A wounded hero deserves this kind of treatment.

Only after Alpha closed his eyes to rest did Xia Qing turn her attention to the new injured wolf nearby.

The more she looked, the more it felt like time was rewinding.

This wolf—its looks, its injuries, and its wild ferocious eyes—reminded her so much of the Lame Wolf she’d taken in three months ago when it first came here for treatment.

But Lame Wolf was male—this one was a female, so she was a bit smaller.

No matter how fierce this wolf’s gaze was, it couldn’t scare Xia Qing anymore. She was no longer the same timid girl she’d been three months ago.

Grinning, Xia Qing teased, “So, the wolf who carried you here—is that your brother or your dad?”

The injured she-wolf glared at Xia Qing, eyes savage and full of suspicion. The sedative still hadn’t worn off, so she couldn’t manage to snarl, swipe, or even bare her teeth.

“I’m betting that’s your brother. With the way that limping guy looks, I doubt any female wolf would give him a second glance.”

After a bit of gossip about the wolves, Xia Qing went back inside and cleaned the first-floor living room. Then she grabbed the trembling rabbit cowering in the cage in the tool shed and carried cage and all outside to set it in the chicken yard.

Without a few companions to keep it company, Xia Qing was worried this skittish rabbit would eventually get scared to death by the wolves.

Yesterday morning, even the Green Lantern Chickens in the chicken yard had been so frightened by the wolves, they didn’t dare make a sound. But by now, they were back to pecking and clucking and acting completely normal.

Still, the hens did lay one less egg than yesterday. Xia Qing blamed that on Crippled Wolf, though she figured there was no need to demand compensation. After all, the value of that pigeon egg-sized Yi Stone Crippled Wolf traded for the protective dog suit more than made up for the loss.

After putting the rabbit in with the chickens, Xia Qing still wasn’t in any rush to trade for the protective dog suit. She grabbed the corn stored in the basement and spread it out to sun-dry on the cement out front where the eaves cast a sunny patch.

Drying corn under the eaves, covered with a tarp, was actually safer than on the roof. That’s because the swallows nesting under the eaves were very territorial. Any bird that tried to swipe her corn would be chased away.

So, thanks to the swallows defending their turf, Xia Qing’s corn was extra safe.

After checking with Old Goat and Er Gou to make sure they were watching the two sedated wolves and the corn, Xia Qing was just about to head out to the fields when her phone pinged with a notification.

She checked the screen and saw that Red Squirrel, known for mooching food, was perched on the ruins of the house nearby, staring longingly at the corn she’d set out.

Xia Qing didn’t even get a moment’s rest, let alone time to deal with a greedy squirrel. The Green Lantern Rice in her fields was ripe—she had to harvest and thresh it all this afternoon.

Fortunately, the job wasn’t too hard, since Xia Qing only had ninety-seven stalks of Green Lantern Rice. The Yellow Lantern Rice she’d planted later wasn’t ripe yet.

Even with just ninety-seven stalks, each plant had sprouted three to six extra shoots, and every shoot was topped with a grain-filled panicle. Each panicle could yield dozens of grains—every single one a treasure.

This Green Lantern Rice had come from Zhang San, who’d traded its seeds to Xia Qing. It was the same double-cropping variety as the forty pounds of Yellow Lantern Rice Zhang San later traded her.

Double-cropping rice meant she could plant two harvests a year—one in spring and one in fall.

So if these ninety-seven seedlings overwintered safely, and she sowed every grain for seedlings next year—barring any disasters—by June she’d be harvesting around eight hundred pounds of Green Lantern Rice. And that’d just be the first crop for the year…

Even if she decided to be picky and only eat Green Lantern Rice like her Idol, she wouldn’t have to worry about starving.

Energized by the thought, Xia Qing snipped off all the rice panicles, brought them home to dry alongside her corn, took a water break, and checked on the two injured wolves.

Alpha and Old Goat were both sound asleep, gently snoring. Lame Wolf’s sister still fixed Xia Qing with that wild stare, while Er Gou lay guarding the corn pile, not letting any birds—near or far—get close.

Xia Qing scratched Er Gou’s chin and gave him a piece of jerky as thanks. Then she stripped the grains off the rice panicles, laid them out next to the corn to dry, and headed back to the fields to pick mung bean pods.

With the weather turning cooler, crops were maturing faster. Anything ready for harvest had to be taken in quickly.

As soon as Xia Qing stepped out of the village, she saw Red Squirrel sitting at the roadside, tail swishing, little paws rubbing together, gazing hungrily at her.

Xia Qing laughed, “You want a free meal? Pecans or corn? Those pecans cost me three hours of sleep last night and a sixty-mile run after treating a bunch of wolves. The corn took me three months to grow—none of it’s for you. If you’re hungry, go pick your own in the Evolved Forest.”

Red Squirrel pestered her a few more times, but when it realized Xia Qing wasn’t giving it any snacks, it scampered off, grumbling, to scavenge in the Evolved Forest—there were plenty of ripe fruits these days, and it was busy too.

Bending over to pick mung bean pods, Xia Qing thought how grateful she was for the injury-healing potion Zhang San had traded her.

If she hadn’t taken two medicinal baths, there was no way she’d still feel this lively after running all over today. Before, after tending to wolves, she would have needed to lie down for a full hour.

But now, with the bath relieving her fatigue, she could take advantage and finish her harvest. After collecting all the ready mung bean pods, and seeing there was still time, she decided to gather alfalfa too.

Even though alfalfa seed pods stank less than the flowers, Xia Qing still figured she’d better ask the others the best way to harvest it. Everyone around here grew the same Greenlight Alfalfa—traded from Zhao Ze—so their advice was valuable.

“Aunt Zhao, are you there?”

Xia Qing first called out to the new leader of the territory next door.

Zhao Ze’s mother quickly replied, “Here, Qing! What’s got you so busy? Haven’t heard a peep from you all morning.”

If I told you, you’d never believe it—I went to the Wolf Den this morning and hauled back six big bags of Green Lantern Pecans.

But what Xia Qing said out loud was very calm. “I took advantage of the nice weather and picked all my ripe mung bean pods. Looks to me like the alfalfa seeds are ready too. Have you started harvesting yours yet?”

Greenlight Alfalfa was the priciest wild crop in Section Four, so Zhao Ze’s mother was sure to take it seriously.

Before she answered, Tang Huai jumped into the chat, gloating. “Xia Qing, you didn’t have your walkie-talkie on this morning, so you missed it. The alfalfa seeds stink so bad! Zhao Ze’s family was so grossed out at lunch, they couldn’t even eat.”

Everyone else…

Xia Qing silently counted: one, two…

“Tang Huai.” Before Xia Qing could finish counting to three, Tang Huai’s dad cut in. “What did I tell you?”

“Got it, Dad,” Tang Huai said, instantly polite. Then he quickly changed the topic, “Aunt Zhao, I’ve got some Evolved Lemons, Yellow Lantern kind—if you slice and boil them, they release a lemon scent and get rid of the stench. Plus, drinking lemon water boosts saliva and stomach juices, helps your appetite. Want to trade for a couple to try?”