Chapter 111 – Plant Down
In the afternoon, the four of them went out, bringing plenty of rope and sacks, preparing to cut some grass.
Once they left the base, the grass outside grew dense and lush. Apart from a few mutant plants, most of the grass looked normal.
They tied up their pant legs and waded through the grass, soon finding their clothes covered with seeds and leaves.
The grass and branches scratched against Xia Lu Nong’s clothes, tearing a few holes and leaving small scratches on the backs of his hands.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at the sharp grass and branches. “With such sharp grass, I don’t think the calves will be able to chew it.”
“We’ll have to find something else for them,” Xia Huo Qu said, glancing up at the clear sky. “It’s already autumn. We probably won’t find any tender grass.”
“That’s true.” Xia Lu Nong followed his brother, trudging along, breathing heavily. “How much farther do we have to go?”
Today, they needed to find a place to plant the honeysuckle.
They couldn’t plant it too close to the base for fear of alarming the others, so they planned to find a spot farther away.
Their base was nestled in a mountain valley. Once outside, they faced layers of mountains. Apart from the main road, there were also terraced fields that had been carved out by nearby villagers before the disaster.
These terraced fields had been cultivated and were relatively fertile, no longer the barren yellow or brick-red soil.
They were looking for such a place—somewhere not too close, not too far from the base, with fertile soil and easy access to water.
But finding such a place wasn’t easy. They walked in circles under the scorching sun, yet still couldn’t find the perfect spot.
Every place they found either wasn’t spacious enough, didn’t have fertile soil, or wasn’t convenient for water access. After careful consideration, every location seemed to have some drawback.
Kong Zhi even flew Xia Lu Nong up into the sky to take a look from above.
But with the mountains blocking their view, they couldn’t see clearly and had to land again to continue their search.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Let’s keep looking. It’s easier to find a place for the pasture, but once the honeysuckle is planted, it’ll be hard to move. We need to consider carefully, so we don’t have problems later on.”
Xia Lu Nong, remembering the honeysuckle bushes outside the library, nodded in agreement.
Today, they weren’t just planting honeysuckle; they were also finding a home for a friend. It made sense to be as careful as possible.
Yan Xi Nian suggested, “How about planting it in the valley along the river? That way, water will be convenient. The honeysuckle plant is going to grow large, and once it spreads out, it’ll probably need a lot of water.”
They had already checked the valley.
Xia Lu Nong disagreed, “Everything else is fine, but I’m worried about flash floods in the summer. The area is too low.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “If we don’t find anything today, we can keep searching for a few more days. Xia Nong, your powers can keep the plant alive. There’s no rush. We can treat today as a scouting trip to check out the area.”
With Xia Huo Qu’s words, everyone agreed.
They continued their search under the scorching sun, gradually moving farther away from the base.
Their base was located in the mountains. After passing two peaks and descending, a vast plain stretched out below.
Xia Lu Nong stood at the top of the mountain, hands on his hips, looking down.
It had been a long time since the great disaster, and the plains below had been searched countless times. There were few dangerous mutant plants left, and not much of value remained. It had essentially become a paradise for greenery.
Pointing with his hand, Xia Lu Nong suddenly asked, “Will we move down to the plains from the mountains someday?”
“That’s hard to say,” Yan Xi Nian paused, “Right now, nothing is certain. Who knows if there will be more mutations following this disaster? Many mutant plants and animals are still undergoing further changes, and we don’t know what things will look like in the future, let alone moving down from the mountains.”
Living in the mountains was indeed more isolated, but that isolation also ensured a degree of safety.
The resources in the mountains were relatively scarce, but they had built walls around the base. As long as they posted guards on the walls daily, they could mostly guarantee safety.
If they moved down to the plains, which were open and accessible from all directions, they wouldn’t be able to avoid mutant plants or animals no matter where they came from.
Xia Lu Nong let out a long sigh, “If we do move back down to the plains in the future, planting the honeysuckle there would be a great choice—the soil is fertile, and water access is easy.”
“But it’s uncertain,” Yan Xi Nian added. “I think we should plant the honeysuckle on the hillside outside the base. It might be harder to access water there, but if other plants can grow on the hill, the honeysuckle should be fine too.”
Xia Huo Qu calmly said, “It would be better to plant it at the foot of the mountain, on the plain. The conditions there are better, and it’s farther from people.”
Kong Zhi chimed in, “Why not plant it at the base of the mountain? With the honeysuckle’s abilities, it should be able to protect itself.”
The group fell silent as the wind blew around them.
Yan Xi Nian turned to Xia Lu Nong and said, “Let Xia Nong decide. The honeysuckle entrusted its body to you, so you should make the call.”
Xia Lu Nong looked around, feeling a bit melancholy. “Why don’t we keep walking for a bit? Maybe we’ll find a good spot soon.”
They had explored the nearby mountains many times and had a general understanding of the terrain around the base.
After circling a few times without finding a suitable place, they realized that there simply wasn’t an ideal spot nearby.
Even if they searched for a few more days, the result would likely be the same.
After thinking it over all afternoon and noticing the sun starting to set, Xia Lu Nong made up his mind, “Let’s plant it at the foot of the mountain on the plain.”
He muttered to himself, “The plain is a bit far, but with its abilities, it should survive. We can also plant some pasture around it, and it’ll be convenient to check on it when we drive down to cut grass.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “You’ve decided?”
“I have,” Xia Lu Nong replied, sniffing slightly. “No point in going in circles anymore and wasting time.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Then let’s plant it down there.”
The group began descending the mountain.
The path down was much easier than the climb, and they walked with more lightness in their steps.
Though the foot of the mountain didn’t look far, the saying “looking at the mountain makes the horse run to death” proved true. It took them over an hour to reach the bottom, their legs sore from the walk.
The plains at the base had been cultivated by humans long ago and were now familiar ground, offering favorable conditions in all respects.
Xia Lu Nong chose a spot not far from the river and the road, set down his backpack, and said, “Let’s use this spot as the center and start cutting grass around it.”
“Sounds good,” Xia Huo Qu agreed. “While cutting, separate the good grass to bring back for the cattle, and leave the regular grass here.”
One of their objectives for coming out was to cut grass, and now they could kill two birds with one stone. Everyone was on board with the plan.
The four of them spread out in different directions, slowly cutting grass with sickles.
Xia Huo Qu wasn’t worried about the others but was particularly concerned about his brother. “Be careful when cutting, especially watching out for snakes and bugs, and pay close attention to big ants.”
“I know.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced over his shoulder. The large ants were easy to catch and tasted good, and they had already become a dish at the base.
Whether people could transform into beasts or not, they generally ensured their safety when catching ants outside the base. As a result, many people spent their free time catching ants nearby.
Over the past month or two, the ant population near the base had nearly been wiped out.
Luckily, ant meat was slightly sour and couldn’t be eaten as a staple food, allowing them to escape total extinction.
Xia Lu Nong carefully bent down to cut grass, and soon he spotted a snake in the brush.
It wasn’t one of the more aggressive types.
There were many kinds of snakes; some tasted good, while others were too fishy or rank to eat. The ones he saw fell into the inedible category.
Xia Lu Nong exhaled, raised his hand, and swiftly chopped off the snake’s head.
After so much time, he was no longer the weak scholar he once was. Regular snakes and insects were no match for him.
They worked quickly, and in less than an hour, they had cut twenty-three bundles of grass.
All the grass was suitable for feeding cattle. Even if some of it wasn’t particularly palatable, they could chop it into fine bits, mix it with oil cake or soybean meal, and it would still sustain the cattle.
As the sky gradually darkened, they didn’t cut any more grass.
Xia Huo Qu straightened up and said, “Xia Nong, go ahead and plant the honeysuckle.”
“Alright.” Xia Lu Nong took out the honeysuckle plant wrapped in cloth from his backpack.
The green vine looked exactly the same as when he had first received it.
Xia Lu Nong focused for a moment but didn’t sense any consciousness from within.
This vine appeared no different from an ordinary, non-mutant honeysuckle.
After inspecting it for a while, Xia Lu Nong turned his gaze away.
At the center of the grass-cleared area, Xia Huo Qu and the others had dug a large pit, removing stones, roots, and debris, leaving only soft, fertile soil.
Xia Lu Nong placed the honeysuckle in the pit and filled it with soil, firmly covering the roots.
Yan Xi Nian went to fetch water and thoroughly soaked the surrounding soil.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Is that all it needs?”
“That’s good. I’ll use some of my abilities on it, and it should be fine,” Xia Lu Nong said, closing his eyes and channeling his energy.
As soon as his energy touched the honeysuckle, tiny buds began to sprout along the vine. By tonight, it would likely have new leaves.
With the honeysuckle planted and watered, their task was complete. All they could do now was wait.
Xia Lu Nong called out, “Let’s carry the grass back. It’s getting late.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “Xi Nian and I will carry the grass back in our beast forms. You and Kong Zhi tie the grass into bundles. Then you can fly back ahead of us to start dinner. We’ll unload the grass at Aunt Zheng’s place and head home for the meal.”
“Got it,” Xia Lu Nong replied, raising his head. “What do you want for dinner tonight?”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t hesitate, “Meat.”
