Chapter 42: Bartering in Spring: Deals and Green Shoots

Tan Junjie didn’t bring up Zhao Chong again and turned the conversation to trading supplies with Xia Qing. “Can I trade for another batch of Chinese toon shoots? I’ll use diesel—one liter of diesel for every half kilo of shoots.”

Xia Qing was sure Tan Junjie had no idea about her side deal with the Azure Dragon Unit. Otherwise, he wouldn’t offer such reasonable terms. Since the offer was fair, she agreed at once. “Sure, Captain Tan. How many kilos do you want to trade for?”

Tan Junjie said, “In another half month, the shoots won’t taste as good. I’d like to stock up while I can. How much can you spare?”

“There aren’t many shoots right now,” Xia Qing replied honestly. “Give it a few more days. I’ll pick all that I can and trade whatever I get.”

Thinking of his daughter, a gentle smile softened Tan Junjie’s face and his voice grew warmer. “That works. I’ll bring my hand scale and the diesel over when it’s ready. We’ll do the exchange on the spot.”

“Alright,” Xia Qing answered crisply. Toon shoots weren’t in short supply for her, and diesel was always welcome.

After a quiet pause, Tan Junjie couldn’t help reminding her, “Just don’t strip the trees bare all at once.”

Xia Qing, who had no experience with planting, fell silent for a few seconds. “Will stripping them bare kill the tree?”

She’d searched all the planting materials she’d collected, but there were no tips on cultivating toon trees—and the Encyclopedia of Cultivation the base issued didn’t mention them either.

Tan Junjie fell silent even longer. “I’ll confirm and get back to you.”

That night, Xia Qing got a definite text from him: “You can cut all the very first shoots at the tops of the branches. After harvesting those early shoots, the side shoots that sprout afterwards are called second shoots—they shouldn’t be all cut off. You need to leave two or three leaves at the base to form side branches that help the tree recover.”

Xia Qing understood. She’d picked the first sprouts when she’d just arrived in her territory, but now only the second shoots remained on the trees. Looks like she’d need to leave some leaves behind.

Something else nagged at her—Tan Junjie used the word “cut.” Last time, all the shoots she’d traded him had just been snapped off. Given how precise he was, he must have chosen that word on purpose.

So… is using scissors better than just snapping them or twisting them off?

Xia Qing jotted that question in her notebook. By the time she finished, the daily news broadcast had wrapped up—still the same news: most bases in Hua Nation were doing fine, but the coastal bases were struggling.

After listening to it several days in a row, Xia Qing was getting numb. She turned off the radio and switched on her walkie-talkie. As expected, the channel was quiet tonight.

After five minutes, Zhao Ze from Plot Four finally broke the silence. “Xia Qing, you there?”

Xia Qing pressed the button, her reply cool. “I’m here.”

Zhao Ze gave a formal apology. “I’m really sorry about what happened today. I should have kept a better eye on my people. I promise it was the first—and the last—time. As an apology, I’d like to give you twenty green-glow alfalfa plants. How about it?”

Even though Xia Qing had never mentioned her evolved sheep in the leader channel, Zhao Ze’s plot neighbored hers, and Boss Sheep roamed freely. With people in his territory spying through binoculars, it was natural Zhao Ze knew. Alfalfa was a sheep’s favorite. Whether he was honestly hoping to keep the peace, afraid she had a gun, or had some other reason—Xia Qing accepted. “Fine.”

With her answer, the grudge between her and Zhao Ze was officially settled.

Zhang San immediately chimed in. “Zhao Ze, I want twenty green-glow alfalfa too. You can take your pick—either the food dehydrator or the vacuum packing machine.”

“Brother San, I only have eight green-glow alfalfa left,” Zhao Ze replied politely. “Would it be okay if I used alfalfa leaves as a down payment for those two machines, same as with Xia Qing?”

Food dehydrators and packing machines were necessities for every territory. Zhao Ze claimed he only had eight alfalfa plants left, but that sounded suspicious.

Zhang San replied lazily, “You’ll need half a kilo of alfalfa as a down payment for both machines. There’s just one dehydrator and one vacuum packaging machine left. Does anyone want them? I only trade for green-glow plants. If no one’s interested, I’ll send them back to the Safe Zone for food.”

Why did he have so many machines? Could he be more than just a pharmaceutical expert—maybe he could make machinery too? Xia Qing jotted that thought in her notebook.

Qi Fu, always eager about planting, stayed quiet. Kuang Qingwei spoke up. “Brother San, would three-tenths of a kilo of green-glow chives be enough for a down payment? Once the next batch grows, I’ll finish paying the remaining two-tenths. Can the rest of my chives count as a deposit for one of your kittens?”

Zhang San responded lazily, “Half a kilo for both machines, and even if my cat gives birth to a third kitten, I won’t sell it to scalpers.”

Kuang Qingwei let out an awkward laugh, busted. “Fine, Brother San, you’re the boss. I’ll cut the chives first thing in the morning.”

In her notebook, Xia Qing wrote next to Kuang Qingwei’s name: “Green-glow chives, can harvest three-tenths of a kilo per go”—and drew a question mark, marking she wasn’t sure how many he really had.

Then her pen drifted over to Qi Fu’s entry for Plot Five. She’d noted before that his territory had chives, and last time he traded her ten plants, three of them were green-glow. So if he hadn’t spoken up tonight, it was because he didn’t need a dehydrator or packaging machine, not because he lacked a deposit.

After over half a month in the leader channel, Xia Qing was sure Qi Fu had come well-prepared to farm outside the Safe Zone. She wondered whether he had plenty of building materials—if so, she’d like to exchange some insect-repellent putty for wall repairs with him.

But that wasn’t something to bring up in the open channel.

Business over, Hu Zifeng from Plot One spoke up, his voice icy. “If anyone dares spy on Plot One, I’ll put a bullet in their head.”

Tang Huai, everyone’s favorite scapegoat, pretended he didn’t exist. With that, tonight’s leaders’ meeting wrapped up. Xia Qing switched off the walkie-talkie and went back to studying the edible plants she’d found nearby.

Garlic, chives, peanuts, ginger, and Jerusalem artichoke all propagated by roots or underground tubers, so they’d survived in scattered patches ten years after the disaster. Alfalfa was a perennial herb, great with seeds, and easy to keep going. Spinach and scallions also had short cycles and seeded prolifically, so they were hanging on too.

Other common veggies from before the disasters? Too delicate, or else their fruit and leaves had been wiped out by birds and bugs. After a decade, you’d be lucky to spot a single one growing wild in any territory.

To find more edible plants now, you had to venture into the Evolver Forest.

Xia Qing drew a line beneath “bamboo” in her notebook. April was prime time for spring bamboo shoots. There weren’t any in her territory, but she knew there was bamboo in the Evolver Forest north of Plot One—she’d cut all her furniture bamboo from there.

She’d already tested it; there were mature bamboo poles glowing yellow in there. That meant, once April hit, she’d likely unlock another vegetable. The only question was what evolving bamboo would taste like.

Xia Qing had just closed her notebook when a text came in from Hu Zifeng:

“Ms. Xia, do you need us to keep an eye on Plot Four for you?”

Back when Xia Qing negotiated with Yang Jin, she’d agreed to have his security team stationed in Plot One, available whenever she needed.

As a triple-attribute Evolver with weapons to back her up, Xia Qing didn’t fear anyone from Plot Four. She replied seriously, “No need. But in a week or so, I’ll be heading to the northern Evolver Forest to dig bamboo shoots. I’ll leave my territory for at least four hours, so I’ll need your team to guard the place for me then.”

Hu Zifeng replied almost instantly:

“No problem. Let us know the time when you’re sure. By the way, we’d like to dig up some bamboo shoots ourselves. Would you mind if we teamed up with you, Ms. Xia?”

Telling Hu Zifeng in advance was exactly so they could team up. Xia Qing replied with a grin, “Of course. Let’s make it a team effort.”