Chapter 527: A Winter’s Night in Section Three

In the middle of the night Xia Qing got up and lifted a corner of the blackout curtain, gazing out at the little house by the fields under the stars. The blackout curtains on that small house weren’t as effective as the ones at home and a soft glow from the nightlight slipped through the fabric and the window. The gentle light and smoke curling from the chimney melted into the star-filled sky, creating a quiet harmony.

It was winter now so this bit of light wouldn’t attract swarms of bugs, no real danger. Xia Qing straightened the curtain, then walked over to the second-floor fireplace, tossed in a few more logs and stood on the stairs, glancing down. She noticed her two companions both looking up at her.

Old Goat stared back without expression, Er Gou’s grin was wide and wicked. Xia Qing just smiled back and spoke softly, “It’s nothing. I just got up to check on the fire.”

Life in the Safe Zone meant the chance of being attacked by evolved creatures had dropped a lot, but the risk of suffering at the hands of your own kind had risen just as sharply.

Blue Star had evolved, but humans were still the most intelligent, most cunning creatures on the planet. Some of them were kind-hearted, content with what they had. Others were selfish and insatiable. For humanity to survive, goodness had to prevail over evil and become the force that made and kept the rules and set the path forward.

Maybe things were different elsewhere, but here in this Territory the leaders and Inspection Team were still good people. Good outweighed bad. So even though disasters like Devastation Rain, Devastation Snow or those waves of beasts and bugs were much worse than in the Safe Zone, Xia Qing liked life here better.

Her body was more tired, sure, but her mind could finally relax. She could grow and forage for real food in the Evolved Forest, which boosted her resistance and evolutionary abilities.

If even Xia Qing could figure that out, there’s no way Tan Junjie hadn’t seen it coming.

With a yawn, Xia Qing pulled the quilt tight around her, snuggled up next to the warm wall and drifted back to sleep.

In the little house by the fields, Tan Qi jolted awake from a nightmare and sat upright. Wide-eyed, she stared at the nightlight in fear until it finally sank in where she was.

This wasn’t that crowded home back in the Safe Zone, nor was it her dad’s tiny dorm. She was in Section Three now.

All alone in this house, nine-year-old Tan Qi didn’t feel afraid at all. In fact, being here made her feel truly at ease.

Here, in this safe little house, Xia Qing, the wolf and the sheep in the Territory—none of them wanted to hurt her or take her supplies.

Tan Qi laid back down, curled up small under the covers. The walls here were warm, the quilt and the pad soft and cozy. Before long, sleep took her away again.

The next morning Xia Qing was woken by her friendly neighbor Red Squirrel. After giving it some water and enjoying a free tail dance, she glanced toward the little house by the fields. The curtains were already open and Tan Qi, just like Red Squirrel, was busy with her morning training inside.

That little girl really had a strong sense of crisis. She was desperate to make herself stronger.

“Sister Qing—”

When Xia Qing was making her rounds near the fields, Tan Qi waved at her through the window with a beaming smile. She hadn’t opened the window since she wasn’t wearing her Protective Suit or Mask. Having that kind of risk awareness was impressive.

Xia Qing quickly walked over, opened the door and stepped inside. “How’d you sleep last night? Were you warm enough?”

“Not cold at all! I slept great!” Tan Qi grinned and pointed to the steaming pot atop the stove. “I brought the Safe Zone’s newest Section Six compressed ration, it makes fantastic porridge. And I brought wild veggie buns too—I made enough for both of us!”

Xia Qing didn’t turn down the girl’s kindness. “Sounds good. I’ll finish my rounds first, then pick some perilla from the greenhouse so we can have it cold with the meal.”

“Okay!”

Tan Qi chirped back. She didn’t ask to join in on patrolling the Territory or help with the greenhouse. During these disaster years, everyone understood boundaries. This was Xia Qing’s Territory. Everything here belonged to her. No one else could just wander around.

After a loop around the Territory, Xia Qing went home, grabbed the food bowls for Er Gou and Old Goat and made her way to the greenhouse. She gave Er Gou—on fish and chicken duty—some jerky and water, then cupped some water for Old Goat, who was chewing straw, and only then went to pick perilla.

After over a month, the vegetables in the Planting Greenhouse were finally mature. The grass fence around the three planting beds was gone now, so Old Goat could go in and feast on the pasture grass Xia Qing had grown just for him.

She’d gathered the pasture seeds over the summer and fall from the Territory. Some of what Old Goat liked best had grown from those. There were both Green Lantern and Yellow Lantern strains.

Besides pasture, the three beds of alfalfa she’d planted were thriving. While the alfalfa was young and tender, Old Goat ate it. So did Xia Qing and Er Gou. So she let Old Goat graze two beds and left the last one for herself and Er Gou.

With all those fresh greens and alfalfa to munch on, greedy Old Goat didn’t bother with tough dried corn leaves anymore.

Xia Qing snipped some grass and alfalfa and fed them to the chickens, mealworms and rabbits in the Breeding Greenhouse. Er Gou showed real talent for raising fish—those in the tank were always well-fed. Xia Qing didn’t have to worry at all.

There were three rabbits in the cage now. The male rabbit was one Xia Qing had traded with Shi Du for, one female was caught by Er Gou and the third—a Red Lantern female with bandaged legs and neck—was one Xia Qing had captured herself. It had a Devastation Element concentration as high as 2.5%, but with the Devastation Element Antidote, pure spring water and Green Lantern plants at hand, Xia Qing figured there was hope for it yet.

After feeding the animals, Xia Qing grabbed two Green Lantern eggs, scooped up some perilla and headed quickly for the little house by the fields.

No time to waste—the temperature outside was already below minus twenty-five. Move too slow, and the eggs and greens would freeze solid.

Once she’d stepped into the little house and taken off her Protective Mask, Xia Qing caught a whiff of food in the air.

“Wow, Sister Qing—the perilla you grow is even better than what my dad or Uncle Ying manage.” Tan Qi took the basket, her eyes widening when she spotted the two eggs inside, mouth nearly as round as the eggs.

Xia Qing laughed at the expressive look. “These came from my chickens this morning. Rinse them off and toss them in the pot.”

“Alright!” Tan Qi cleaned the eggs, popped them in the pot, blanched the perilla, tossed it with the salt she’d brought and set it out on the small table. She lifted the lid, drew out four coarse buns and used the newly-washed bowl to serve up two big bowls of porridge.

You could tell she was used to this—her hands moved with quick practiced ease.

“Sister Qing, this is the Section Six ration from the Safe Zone. It’s mostly purslane and corn grit, made just for cooking porridge.” Tan Qi was excited to share. “The broadcast said these are made from crops the lords risked their lives to grow outside the Safe Zone. Because of them, we get to eat better food.”

Xia Qing had heard that same broadcast too. This type of ration was nearly ten percent full corn grit—the highest food content in any rations people could buy. Of course, it cost twice what the grass-based ones did—two credits a piece—but was half the price of the Number One ration with added bug powder. All things considered, the price was fair.

A regular person doing a regular job in the Safe Zone could earn one to two credits a day, enough to buy exactly one ration and keep hunger at bay.