Chapter 95: Compost Trades and Quiet Negotiations

Xia Qing actually enjoyed the process of cleaning the cotton plants. Whenever she plucked off tiny buds or tender leaves, she didn’t throw them away, but carefully tucked them into a sack. Once dried, they’d turn into plant ash—the perfect fertilizer for the next round of crops.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Xia Qing’s mind. She pressed her walkie-talkie. “Qi, are you there?”

The lords of Plots Four, Five, Six and Ten had a habit of keeping their walkie-talkies on except when sleeping, so as soon as Xia Qing called, Qi Fu replied, “I’m here. What’s up, Xia Qing?”

Xia Qing asked, “Qi, I remember you once said we couldn’t compost directly because there are microorganisms and insect eggs on the leaves that even normal fermentation temperatures can’t kill, and using strong insecticides could trigger Xiang-infused evolution in plants. But now that we cover all our crops with insect nets, the moths can’t get in and there shouldn’t be eggs on the leaves anymore. Do you think we can use those leaves for composting?”

That one really stumped Qi Fu. “Honestly, I never thought about it. Logically, it should be okay, right?”

Shi Chong joined in, “Even if our insect nets keep the bugs out, they can’t block out microorganisms. I remember hearing on the radio that harmful bacteria can have a bigger impact than pests.”

That was true. Shi Chong’s words dumped a bucket of cold water on the little spark of excitement in Xia Qing’s chest.

The channel went quiet for a moment, then a calm woman’s voice spoke up. “If you’re covering evolved crops with insect nets and there’s no sign of disease, you can compost them. But since your territory’s crops were only covered after the second Xiang Rain, you can’t guarantee there aren’t heat-tolerant insect eggs left on the plants.”

Luo Pei had said that Li Si was a cultivation expert, and after hearing her speak, Xia Qing believed it. She made a quick note.

Qi Fu went straight to the source. “Sister Li, after transplanting this March, I put an insect net over my vegetables pretty early on. Can I compost them?”

“Yes,” Li Si said with a professional air. “You can compost leafy-stem vegetables. For evolved eggplant with woody stems, burn them to make plant ash.”

Xia Qing saved the notes on her phone and kept asking, “Sister Li, are peanut vines considered leafy stems or woody stems?”

Li Si’s voice, though cool, was still patient. “Peanuts are leafy-stem vegetables. They can be composted. How long do you think composting takes?”

Qi Fu answered honestly, “Before the cataclysm, my family farmed. In autumn and winter it took four months for compost, but in spring and summer—when it’s warmer—it only took two or three. I haven’t tried it since the disaster, so I’ve got no idea how long it takes now.”

Li Si replied in an even tone, “The hardness of evolved plant stems, the compost starter powder you use, and temperature and humidity control all affect the time needed. With your territory’s evolved veggies and without using compost starter, relying on old-school methods from before the cataclysm, getting the stems and leaves to fully decompose would take at least seven months.”

Zhao Ze quickly chimed in, “Sister Li, you really know your stuff. Did you work in the core department of the Safe Zone Planting Center?”

The businessman Kuang Qingwei followed up, “Sister Li, since you know so much, you must know where to get compost starter and tools for controlling temperature and humidity, right?”

Inside Territory Nine, Li Si pushed up her glasses. “You can make the tools yourselves. I’ve got high-efficiency compost starter. We can trade. One bag mixes with a hundred kilos of water and can ferment five cubic meters of plant matter. I’ll trade you one bag of starter for every two jin of green-light vegetables.”

The mention of trading green-light vegetables for compost starter made Xia Qing’s heart skip a beat.

Compost starters and proper technique were treasures these days. Qi Fu jumped right in. “Sister Li, can Plot Five swap two bags for green-light eggplants?”

Li Si refused. “I don’t need the varieties distributed by the Safe Zone. Do you have anything else?”

Hearing Li Si refuse Safe Zone-distributed crops, Xia Qing’s suspicion grew deeper. Did Li Si want green-light veggies from each territory to test for Xiang and Yi element content?

Qi Fu hurried to answer, “I’ve got green-glow alfalfa and green-glow perilla—together that’s four jin.”

“Deal,” Li Si agreed.

Kuang Qingwei was quick to follow. “Sister Li, this is Kuang Qingwei from Plot Six. My territory grows green-glow purslane. Can I swap for a bag?”

“Deal.”

Zhao Ze joined in, “My Plot Four also has purslane.”

“Purslane’s already been traded. Do you have anything else?”

Tang Heng beat Zhao Ze to the punch. “Sister Li, Territory Two has green-glow edible chrysanthemum. Can I swap a bag?”

“Deal.”

Zhao Ze sounded like he was about to cry. “Other than what they mentioned, all I’ve got left is some wild green-light fiddlehead fern I dried in the spring. Is that good for trade?”

Li Si shot him down with a frosty reply. “No, I don’t like dried greens.”

Didn’t like dried greens—or did dried greens just make it hard to accurately check for Xiang and Yi elements? Xia Qing was still mulling it over when she heard Li Si, who’d just finished trading for wild water celery with Shi Chong, call her out. “Xia Qing from Plot Three, you’re not trading?”

Xia Qing pressed the button and answered with genuine regret, “Of course I’d love to, Sister Li, but I only have a few green-glow perilla plants, and the sheep already chewed on those. I really don’t have anything worth offering.”

Having already traded perilla with Qi Fu, Li Si pressed on, her tone icy. “Don’t you have green-light spinach?”

Xia Qing told the truth. “My greenlight spinach went to seed during Xiang Rain and I had to pull it out. It’s gone.”

Li Si wasn’t giving up. “Seeds work too. Two hundred spinach seeds for a bag of starter. Once green-light veggies reach maturity, even after Xiang Rain not all of them evolve. Your seeds are still usable.”

Xia Qing explained, “Sister Li, my spinach matured in Xiang Rain, so it got soaked. I can’t guarantee the seeds are still green-light, and besides, I don’t even have two hundred seeds left.”

Li Si doubted her, “Didn’t you have more than a dozen plants? How could you not have two hundred seeds?”

Xia Qing bargained, “Yeah, I did have a dozen or so, but only eight went to seed, and I’ve already traded away a chunk of what I got. I want to save the rest for myself. Besides, you’re trading a bag of starter for two jin of green-light veggies—those go for fifty points per jin, so two jin is a hundred points. But seeds are twenty points each, so by that math, five spinach seeds should equal a bag of starter.”

“Is that so?” From Li Si’s tone, she genuinely had no idea about the prices. “Then five seeds per bag it is.”

“Thank you, Sister Li. I’ll swap for two bags then.” Xia Qing had plenty of compostable crops in her plot but kept that to herself and chose to match Qi Fu’s trade amount.

Hu Zifeng spoke up, “Sister Li, can Plot One trade six bags of starter for fresh green-glow bamboo shoots?”

“Deal,” came Li Si’s chilly reply.

Then lazy Zhang San hopped on the channel. “Hu Zifeng, did you guys head up the mountain for bamboo shoots today?”

Hu Zifeng answered respectfully, “We cleared out some dangerous Xiang-infused evolved creatures up there today—and found three more bamboo shoots. We’ll bring you the two perfect ones soon.”

“Alright,” Zhang San agreed lazily, then turned to Li Si. “Hey Li Si, you’re not short on seeds. Why are you after Xia Qing’s spinach seeds?”