Chapter 507: Winter Tasks and Quiet Rewards

After returning to the territory, Xia Qing felt a mix of emotions. Instead of heading home, she grabbed a small hoe from the shed by the fields and went to the rapeseed patch to clear out Devastation Grass.

Digging frost trenches, using extra fertilizer, and covering the fields with rain covers at night did help keep her crops warm, but it also gave Devastation Grass a chance to sprout during the cold Devastation Snow period.

With unmelted Devastation Snow constantly releasing Devastation Elements, the air was thick with them after the snowfall, much higher than usual. That’s why Devastation Grass kept popping up everywhere.

The concentration wasn’t enough for the Devastation Grass to go out of control, but they still grew faster than any normal crop, stealing space and nutrients from everything else.

So, weeding Devastation Grass had become an everyday chore lately. Luckily, Xia Qing didn’t have a huge field, and after a year of planting the Devastation Grass seeds in her soil were much less than before. It made the job manageable.

After everything she’d been through lately, Xia Qing found real satisfaction just standing in her field with all her limbs intact pulling weeds. She treasured this peace.

She was grateful her fields still had seedlings after the snow, grateful for the quiet routine she had now.

Before long, Er Gou nosed open the bamboo door to the greenhouse and padded over, setting the little basket he held beside Xia Qing and gazing up at her hopefully.

Looking at how much healthier Er Gou appeared, Xia Qing suddenly remembered Shi Jiaran, her body marked all over by injections, curled up emptily on a hospital bed.

Dan Ying had offered a sky-high price to buy Er Gou, just to do the same awful things to him that were done to Shi Jiaran!

There were a lot of people out there like Dan Ying. Relying on others for protection wouldn’t work forever. Er Gou had to get back to his peak, and quick.

Xia Qing put down her hoe and crouched next to Er Gou, scratching under his chin as she explained gently, “Er, look—these are all Devastation Grass. They’re full of Devastation Elements, so you can’t feed them to chickens, fish, or rabbits. If you do, they’ll end up sick.”

When she finished, Xia Qing was surprised to see genuine disappointment cross the wolf’s face.

Amazed, she cupped Er Gou’s head and ruffled his fur, praising him loudly. “Er, your expressions are getting so vivid! That’s incredible! Let’s watch more videos together tonight, okay?”

Er Gou grinned from ear to ear, clearly delighted.

One of the things Yang Jin had traded Xia Qing was a laptop with video lessons on training domesticated beasts. The videos weren’t much different from those old ‘Teletubbies’ episodes:

A bunch of people in animal costumes would listen to commands, do silly moves, then spin around laughing.

Er Gou loved watching, but Old Goat didn’t care for them at all. Sometimes he’d even get annoyed at the noise.

Not that anyone could blame Old Goat. The video lessons covered wolves, bears, even birds, but never once a sheep.

Honestly, who would go to all that trouble teaching an animal destined for the dinner table to be a tamed beast?

When things finally calmed down and Tang Huai’s injury healed, Xia Qing figured she could ask him to put on a sheep costume and record some training clips for Old Goat.

Anyone else would definitely make Xia Qing pay in credits for such a bizarre favor. But Tang Huai? He would probably prepare the costume and ask her to film him himself.

Someone that easy to work with was rarer on Blue Star than even a Recovery Evolutionary. Xia Qing planned to keep up a solid business relationship with him.

Just before dark, the team sent to clear the firebreak on Hill Fifty returned. Zhao Ze reported their progress over the walkie-talkie.

Hearing that they’d even exceeded today’s target and that no one was seriously hurt, Xia Qing praised Zhao Ze’s scheduling skills and recognized the efforts of the Qinglong and Inspection Team members who formed the guards.

No sooner had Xia Qing finished than Zhao Ze could react, when Tang Huai came online. “Well done, Sister Qing. Only a few days on the job and you’re already nailing it. Managing the whole territory and that huge mountain on your own—must be a lot. How about I become your assistant? I don’t want any credits, just want to learn alongside you.”

Since Xia Qing had just decided to keep working with Tang Huai long-term, she kept things polite. “That’s not really up to me. You’ll have to go to Territory Seven and ask Third Brother.”

Before Tang Huai could say anything, Zhang San joined in sounding tired. “You can’t even handle Territory Two and you want to take on a mountain fifteen hundred times bigger?”

Tang Huai quickly clarified, “Third Brother, I’m not looking to manage the mountain—I’d just like to run errands for you and Xia Qing, maybe gain a little management experience.”

Zhang San cut him off, sounding impatient. “Talk to me again after you can carry a full ton of supplies and kill a pack of evolved giant lizards by yourself.”

The Auditory Evolutionary, Tang Huai, fell silent. Zhu Li popped online and asked, “Third Brother, can I trade you some Green Lantern Mung Beans for medicine? I need something to help with swelling and pain after being hit. Green Lantern Mung Beans sprout fast, and if you add vinegar and chili, the stir-fry is amazing.”

Zhang San replied half-heartedly, “Sure.”

Xia Qing asked, “Did you get hurt, Sister-in-law?”

Zhu Li sounded a little embarrassed. “I overestimated myself and dropped a big stone on my foot. Didn’t break any bones, it’s just hard to walk.”

A job that paid fifteen credits a day and wasn’t all that dangerous was nearly irresistible for a regular person. Zhu Li hadn’t expected to get hurt herself.

Even though all the territories had grown two rounds of mung beans so prices had gone down, it still pained Zhu Li to trade precious grain for medicine.

If she hadn’t knocked off her toenail and worried about super bacteria, she wouldn’t have made the swap.

Xia Qing checked, “Hill Fifty is a dangerous zone. Your protective suit and boots—no tears, right?”

Zhu Li answered quickly, “Checked everything right after—no rips. It’s all thanks to Old Kuang insisting I wear a new suit. If I’d worn the old one, I probably would’ve gotten infected. Huge thanks to the sisters for helping me out too. Otherwise, I’d never have finished my share of the work today. Old Kuang even sent you all some of my dried wild berries, so hope you don’t mind.”

Today Zhu Li worked with Madam Shi and Yuan Yan, not Kuang Qingwei. When Kuang Qingwei heard his wife was hurt, he rushed to finish his own tasks so he could do hers too. But he was still just an ordinary guy—not as strong as Madam Shi or Yuan Yan—and couldn’t keep up the pace.

Now, outside the Northern Gate of Territory Ten, Kuang Qingwei handed a pouch of dried Green Lantern Snakeberries to Shizhong, thanking Madam Shi for helping his wife.

Shizhong was no good with words and had to accept them after Kuang Qingwei’s persistent thanks. Kuang Qingwei leaned in and whispered, “Shi, I think you and your wife should get tested for Strength Evolution in Territory One or Seven. I bet she’s hit level two by now. That would make her an Evolutionary, and the points from missions would double.”

Shizhong grinned. “Xiao Du mentioned it to Captain Yang today, so the two of them will head over soon. We really have Xia Qing to thank for this.”

Why they were both grateful to Xia Qing needed no explanation between them. After dropping off more dried Green Lantern Snakeberries with Qi Fu, Kuang Qingwei pulled his coat tight and trudged back through the snowy drifts to the territory.