Chapter 639: Spring Planting and Unexpected Gains

Last year, just before winter set in, Xia Qing dug frost protection trenches around the winter wheat and rapeseed fields, plus on the south side of the greenhouse. She stuffed them full of crushed crop stalks and leaves. While those fermented, they also kept the fields warm.

Today, Xia Qing planned to dig out the now fully-fermented organic fertilizer and spread it across the empty fields, mixing it with animal manure to serve as base fertilizer.

All thanks to Third Brother, who developed the super-efficient compost starter—now everyone could make top-notch fertilizer at such a low cost.

Farm work like this can drain your strength, but that’s one thing Xia Qing never lacks.

First she stripped off the cover from the frost trench, then shoveled the fermented leaves and broken stalks into the rotary tiller’s trailer using a custom-made four-pronged steel pitchfork, perfectly suited for her. She hauled it to the fields and spread the fertilizer evenly.

Wen Nengjie and his group had been pulling weeds for half an hour when they looked up and saw Xia Qing had already delivered a huge cartload of organic fertilizer to the fields.

After an hour of weeding, Wen Nengjie’s team saw Xia Qing finishing her second full cart. By the time they’d been at it for over two hours and took a break, Xia Qing was still going strong—five loads in, her pace never slowing, not even thinking about resting. Wen Nengjie and his crew working the south side of the territory could only stare, dumbfounded.

But why could they only listen, not watch?

Because if they stood up on high ground and looked north, they’d spot that infamous ‘recuperating’ Evolved Wolf from Section Three staring at them with bloodthirsty eyes.

It felt like that wolf might sprint over and tear out their throats any second.

So they dared not look. They could only rely on their ears to catch Xia Qing’s movements.

After lunch, as Wen Nengjie’s group rested in the shade, the north went eerily quiet—they couldn’t hear anything. That’s because Xia Qing had left the rotary tiller idle and instead was hauling out fermented manure from the terraced slopes.

Xia Qing carried fertilizer with shoulder poles; Old Goat hauled with his back. Xia Qing did two baskets a trip, Old Goat two big baskets too. Man and sheep, both full of energy.

By the time Wen Nengjie’s group finished their workload and said goodbye at Section Three, Xia Qing was still busy tidying the fields.

Usually after a day’s work, Wen Nengjie’s crew would be joking around on the way home. Today, they were all so shaken that they walked in silence.

Tang Huai popped out from the wild grass wall guarding Territory Two. “What’s with you all? Didn’t do your jobs well, and Xia Qing’s unhappy?”

He hadn’t heard Xia Qing complain about anything.

Of course Wen Nengjie wasn’t about to admit he’d been scared stiff by Xia Qing’s strength and stamina—and that wolf—so he just grinned and shook his head. “Nah, just tired, that’s all.”

Next day, Zhong Tao and Zheng Kui drove their patrol vehicle and parked outside Section Three’s south gate.

Wen Nengjie’s group spotted Xia Qing bringing over a cart of goods by rotary tiller to trade with Zhong Tao and Zheng Kui.

“This bag has scorpions over 10 centimeters, 60 in total. These two bags hold 5-to-10-centimeter scorpions, 160 altogether. And these two small pouches contain scorpions under 5 centimeters, 235 in all.”

The numbers made Wen Nengjie’s scalp tingle. During the Devastation Rain, he’d heard Section Three reported Evolved Scorpions, but never imagined Xia Qing could catch so many.

Zheng Kui dumped the scorpions out and counted; Zhong Tao did some quick math. “Twenty credits per scorpion over ten centimeters, ten for five-to-ten, one for under five. Altogether that’s 3,035 credits. No snakes this time, Sis?”

Xia Qing smiled. “Too busy to bother. These two baskets are Green Lantern Vegetables for Xu Juan and Li Chang, one hundred credits a basket.”

“Alright, that makes a total of 3,235 credits. Want to exchange for anything?” Zhong Tao handed her the supply list.

Xia Qing swapped for two packs of toilet paper, four plates for vegetables, a two-liter bottle of Green Lantern soy sauce, and a two-liter bottle of Green Lantern vinegar.

Once Zhong Tao transferred her remaining credits, Xia Qing asked, “Tao—heard the western territory’s been abandoned. Is Base planning to open up new territory down south?”

“Yep, the area’s already set. It’s ten miles south of here, running up to the north edge of the town ruins. It’ll all be cleared out in a month. After that, the Western Lords get first pick—if they don’t take it, it’ll open for general claim.” Zhong Tao’s intel was way more detailed than what Xu Juan had heard.

Tang Huai walked out from Territory Two as well. “Zhong Tao, how many western lords plan to keep their territories?”

Zhong Tao replied, “Just a dozen or so. Most were scared out of their minds by the Wolf Pack.”

“Can’t blame them. Anyone would be. By the way, when’s the drawing for Territory Eleven?”

“Haven’t heard for sure, but soon I think. If they don’t draw a new lord soon, spring planting will be delayed.”

As Tang Huai and Zhong Tao chatted, Xia Qing headed back to her own territory and shut the gate.

After she left, Peng Qiu from Territory Seventeen sidled up to his lord and whispered, “Jie, did you hear? Sister Qing caught close to five hundred scorpions during Devastation Rain—traded them for over three thousand credits. That’s a hundred more than we got. With those credits alone, she can hire an Evolved fighter to watch her territory all through the Devastation Rain.”

Not only that, she swapped for toilet paper and Green Lantern condiments with the patrol vehicle. Meanwhile, they’re still using leaves for wiping and just salt for seasoning.

Wen Nengjie gave a chin-nod. “Back to work.”

There were still plenty of scorpions left in Section Three. They’d caught more than thirty yesterday, another dozen this morning—every one worth credits.

Not long after Zhong Tao and Zheng Kui drove off, Guan Tong came into Section Three lugging a big box. Knowing Wen Nengjie’s group was working in the south, he didn’t say much and just handed the supplies to Xia Qing.

Inside that huge box was a microscope; his backpack held a thousand rounds of ammunition and twenty pounds of Green Lantern wheat. These supplies made it just in time for Xia Qing’s sowing season.

On the third day of Wen Nengjie’s crew helping at Xia Qing’s territory, the Qi Fu couple showed up with a seeder to help plant wheat, mung beans, soybeans, and cotton.

Once the seeds were sown, Xia Qing dove into prepping the terraced fields, then soaking and sowing other crops needing attention to seed quality.

Not just Xia Qing—lords in every territory were burning the candle at both ends, racing to get their spring crops in.

Come late May, the second round of Devastation Rain would hit. Getting crops planted early meant seedlings could establish before the rain, reducing damage from evolved creatures.

On the day Xia Qing finished planting the terraces, she got fantastic news: the drawing for Territory Eleven was done. Huo Lei had become the new lord.

As Tang Huai exclaimed about Huo Lei’s insane luck on the Lords’ channel, Huo Lei was already calling Xia Qing to say thanks.

He’d given Zhou Qianpeng five points cards in total before finally landing this territory. In Huo Lei’s own words:

“I drained my savings, but at least my silly son now has a proper place to settle down.”

Xia Qing’s Lords’ Alliance had just gained two more powerhouses—one of whom was still serving in the military.