Chapter 528: Winter Treats and Secret Codes

Tan Qi thought the Section Six ration gruel was delicious. Xia Qing tasted it and found it a far cry from Green Lantern rice porridge. Still, she finished every last drop without complaint. Anyone who’s gone hungry knows just how precious food is—she’d never let a bite go to waste.

Even though Xia Qing was still recovering and had been eating nothing but Green Lantern food lately, having a few bites of Yellow Lantern food now and then wouldn’t do her any harm.

Besides, the corn grits in this bowl were most likely grown by her own hands. The harder it was to grow the corn, the more precious this porridge felt.

After Xia Qing finished eating, Tan Qi ladled another bowl for her, then asked hesitantly, “Sister Qing, can I take this egg back for my dad?”

“No.”

Xia Qing turned her down without hesitation. For safety—and to keep her agreement with Zhang San—any eggs laid by chickens inside Section Three weren’t for trade. But Xia Qing understood the girl’s intentions and explained, “This egg was cooked for you. If your dad wants eggs, he can trade with me for them.”

“Okay.”

Tan Qi carefully peeled the egg with reverence, her eyes widening when she saw the dazzling white egg white.

This egg was even better than the one she’d gotten for her birthday last year. It’d probably take at least 150 credits just to trade for something like this. Tan Qi checked her balance and realized she couldn’t afford it.

But still…

Tan Qi offered Xia Qing a steamed bun from her own bag. “Sister Qing, try this! It’s made with Green Lantern wild greens and Yellow Lantern rabbit meat—I made them myself.”

“It’s delicious.” Even though only salt was added, the wild greens and meat melded perfectly, making for a great flavor. Xia Qing ate two in a row before Tan Qi finally started nibbling at her egg with a bit of perilla.

After lunch, Tan Qi hurried to wash the bowls with filtered water from another bucket, then asked, “Sister Qing, will you hatch chicks next spring? If you do, I’d like to trade for a few so I can raise them at my place.”

Once those chicks were grown, she’d finally have eggs of her own.

Xia Qing explained, “I got my chickens from a trade with Territory Seven. If Territory Seven doesn’t hatch chicks for trade next spring, then I can hatch some. There’s no written rule about it, but everyone follows the same custom. It’s like when Section Four found Green Lantern alfalfa—now that I’ve got it growing here too, if someone wants to trade for it, we still all go to Section Four first.”

Tan Qi had no idea about these unspoken boundaries between territories, but she nodded and made a mental note. Once she had her things packed up, she shouldered her bag and thanked Xia Qing. “I’m off to weed now. When the chives are ready in a few days, I’ll bring you some so you can make dumplings with chive and egg!”

With Xia Qing’s nod of agreement, Tan Qi happily hefted her massive backpack and followed Xia Qing out through Section Three’s south gate, heading home at a brisk pace.

Xia Qing watched until she entered Territory Fifteen, then headed back to grab her phone and report Tan Qi’s movements to Yan Long. She’d barely sent the message when a new one popped up from Tang Huai:

“Xia Qing, you busy? Your bugs still alive? Should I send you some more?”

Xia Qing glanced back at the wild grass wall that bordered Territory Two, then replied:

“Busy. They’re alive. No need.”

Getting her response only made Tang Huai more excited. He fired off a flood of messages, but Xia Qing ignored him, pocketed her phone and grabbed a bamboo pole to replace a creaky greenhouse support.

“What’s everyone up to?” Zhu Li asked in the group chat. “I thought I heard a car outside in the corridor—is the crew here to put in the ground base station?”

Xia Qing also caught the sound of an engine. From the way it rumbled, she knew it was the delivery truck from Territory Eight. But since her sharp hearing was still her own secret, she kept quiet.

Sure enough, Tang Huai chimed in, “That’s the delivery truck from Territory Eight. Xin Yu, your air filter is clogged again—the engine doesn’t sound right. Better check on it soon.”

Of course, Xin Yu had no interest in replying to his pointless chatter.

After waiting a few seconds, Xia Qing pressed her walkie-talkie. “I’m swapping out greenhouse supports. Noticed some were nearly shot last night during an inspection.”

From next door came Zhao Ze’s mother’s voice, quick and anxious, “We’re weeding in the greenhouse now. Qing, what does it look like when a support’s about to break?”

Xia Qing explained, “If you hear a creak when the wind blows, or see a crack on the bamboo pole, it’s starting to fail. You’ll want to swap it before the wind gets any worse or the greenhouse might get wrecked.”

If the greenhouse got blown apart, subzero air could rush in and freeze the canola or wheat sprouts.

“Got it. I’ll send Zhao Ze to check right now.” Zhao Ze’s mother quickly responded and turned to check on Zhu Li. “Li, is your foot any better?”

Zhu Li answered, “Auntie, I just lost a toenail, that’s all. It’s not stopping me from working!”

Shizhong spoke up, “Qi, you there? How’s the yellow chive growing in your greenhouse?”

Qi Fu replied, “A bit thin on the nutrients, but no disease. We should be able to cut the first batch soon.”

After chatting for a while, once Xia Qing confirmed all the Lords’ Alliance members were online, she pressed the walkie-talkie again. “Qi, I want to trade for half a pound of yellow chive. Would you prefer corn or wheat?”

That was their secret code in the Lords’ Alliance. When Xia Qing asked about yellow chive, it was time for a meeting. Qi Fu replied immediately, “Either works. Want me to cut it and send it over?”

“No need. I’ll drop by and pick it up later.” Later meant ten o’clock. Xia Qing paced herself, leaving from her north gate at 9:35 sharp, heading straight to Section Five.

When she arrived with Zhao Ze, the basement at Qi Fu’s place was packed. Kuang Qingwei and his wife, Shizhong and his wife, and Yue Haiying were already there, and the table was covered with dried fruits and homemade snacks.

Spotting Xia Qing, Zhu Li immediately waved her over. “Xia Qing, aren’t you cold? Come try some of my roasted sunflower seeds!”

Madam Shi laughed. “It’s the 28th today—only three more days to year 11 since the Catastrophe. No matter what happened this year, we made it. That’s worth celebrating! Qing, why are you dressed so light? Don’t catch a chill.”

“I’m wearing enough, not cold at all.” Xia Qing grinned as she put her backpack down and pulled out a 20-liter bucket of water. The weather was so frigid, the water inside was already starting to freeze, though it wasn’t fully solid yet.

“I brought a bucket of water. Qi, mind boiling it? Everyone can have a taste of the water quality.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up when they heard there’d be a water tasting.

“I’ll do it.” Yuan Yan hurried upstairs to fetch a small wood stove and kettle. Soon, a whole kettleful was boiling, enough for everyone to get a bowl.

Kuang Qingwei took a sip and asked, “There’s no stink to this water at all. What did you use for filtering—is that a new filter cartridge?”

“This isn’t river water, is it? Tastes much softer,” Madam Shi chimed in.