Chapter 115 – Bamboo
Xia Hua Jiao, naturally, didn’t want to stay behind and guard the house.
It was wilder than a monkey and had no desire to stay put—it only wanted to go out and play.
Xia Lu Nong had to reason with the tree and promise to take it out for a special trip to the mountain where it found something exciting, just to barely calm it down.
Exhausted, Xia Lu Nong slumped onto the couch, lying back and rubbing his face.
Talking to Xia Hua Jiao had left his cheeks sore.
Kong Zhi handed him some tea.
Xia Lu Nong grabbed the cup and gulped it down in one go, letting out a long sigh. “I feel like I need to start working on educating Xia Hua Jiao. If we don’t get ahead of this, it’s going to become even harder to manage as it grows.”
Xia Lu Nong had joked about Xia Hua Jiao being like a child, but now he was truly feeling what it was like to raise one.
Even though Xia Hua Jiao could communicate with Xia Lu Nong, its “animal instincts” still far outweighed its human traits.
And that wasn’t a good thing.
Kong Zhi said, “You can’t rush things. Take it slow.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
With Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian out getting a ceramic jar, it was just the two of them left at home.
After sitting for a bit, Xia Lu Nong stood up and stretched. “Let’s make dinner, and fry some meat to take with us on the road.”
Kong Zhi asked, “Weren’t we planning to bring hot pot ingredients and have hot pot on the road?”
“Hot pot’s good too, but we’ll have to see if we can find enough ingredients on the way.”
Always cautious, Xia Lu Nong decided to fry some meat just in case.
There was no harm in being prepared.
The next morning, they set out early, before the sun had risen. The dew clung to the weeds on either side of the road.
The truck stopped at the base of the mountain, and they took a detour to check on the honeysuckle they had planted there.
The honeysuckle was creeping through the grass, already sprouting tender leaves.
Xia Lu Nong looked at Kong Zhi beside him. “It survived.”
“With you taking care of it, was there ever any doubt it would grow?” Kong Zhi pulled him along. “We’ve seen it; let’s go.”
“Wait, I’ll water it first.”
Kong Zhi nodded, and Xia Lu Nong smiled at him, fetching the water he had prepared from the truck and pouring it directly onto the honeysuckle roots.
After watering the plants, the two climbed back onto the truck bed, carrying the buckets side by side.
Yan Xi Nian stuck his head out of the driver’s seat. “Shall we head out now?”
“Alright,” Xia Lu Nong called out. “Brother Xi Nian, you drive.”
With a press on the accelerator, Yan Xi Nian slowly started the truck.
As the truck picked up speed, the autumn wind blew into the cabin, making the tarp on both sides flap noisily.
Kong Zhi pulled out a coat and handed it to Xia Lu Nong. “Put on another layer.”
“Okay.” Xia Lu Nong wrapped himself in the coat, laid down, and rested his head on Kong Zhi’s lap. He mumbled, “I’ll sleep for a bit. Didn’t get enough rest last night.”
Kong Zhi patted his head. “Why don’t you shift into your animal form to sleep?”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and agreed. He transformed into his beast form on the spot, his fluffy tail swishing as he nestled into the pile of clothes and into Kong Zhi’s arms.
Kong Zhi hugged him and covered him with clothes.
In his cat form, Xia Lu Nong was much smaller and more agile.
Soon, the little cat was sprawled out in deep sleep, its long, soft fur spreading across Kong Zhi’s lap.
Kong Zhi held the cat, a smile in his eyes the whole time.
Their truck bumped along a nearly abandoned road, eventually arriving at Changhe Swamp.
Before the great disaster, Changhe Swamp was a famous scenic area known for its vast reed fields and swans. Now, it had become a haven for mutated plants and animals.
By the time they drove into the scenic area, night had already fallen.
Yan Xi Nian followed the signs at the entrance and drove the truck into an abandoned parking lot. He called out, “Shall we stay here for the night?”
Half-asleep in the truck bed, Xia the cat let out a sleepy “meow” in response.
With his sharp ears, Yan Xi Nian laughed. “Xia Lu Nong has no objections, so I guess no one else will either. Let’s settle here.”
Yan Xi Nian locked the truck and got out, followed by Xia Huo Qu. The two stretched their limbs in the open space.
Xia the cat turned his bright green eyes to Kong Zhi, signaling for him to get out of the truck as well.
Kong Zhi gave the cat’s soft back a gentle rub. “Alright, I’ll get down.”
He hopped out and secured the tarp.
In the dim truck bed, Xia the cat stretched his front paws forward, arched his back, and yawned widely in his feline form. Feeling refreshed, he shifted back into human form, lazily putting on his clothes and shoes. He grabbed two bamboo seeds from a nearby sack and jumped out of the truck.
The parking lot of Changhe Swamp was vast, now eerily empty with only their truck occupying the space.
Xia Lu Nong found a spot with fertile soil, yanked up some grass, dug two shallow pits, and planted the bamboo seeds. “I’m planting some bamboo, no need to fetch extra water.”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t even turn around. “Alright, I’m going to collect some firewood with Xi Nian.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded. “Be careful.”
He then channeled all his energy into the bamboo seeds.
His ability couldn’t be stored, and it would slowly regenerate over the course of the day. Knowing this, Xia Lu Nong didn’t hold back, pouring all his energy into the seeds.
It was also the first time he had ever used his entire ability on just two plants.
Usually, he would spread his energy across many plants.
After channeling his power, Xia Lu Nong didn’t leave but squatted nearby, watching.
The bamboo quickly sprouted, shooting up from the soil and growing visibly taller, changing from a tender green to a rich, vibrant green.
Within a minute, the bamboo was knee-high and still growing.
Kong Zhi, having cleared the campsite, came over to observe the bamboo. “No matter how many times I see it, it’s still amazing.”
“It really is amazing,” Xia Lu Nong lazily leaned against Kong Zhi’s leg. “We can just wait here for my brother to come back.”
With the campsite ready, there wasn’t much for them to do.
Kong Zhi brought over two small stools, and the two sat in front of the bamboo, watching it grow.
The bamboo shot up rapidly.
Twenty minutes later, the bamboo had reached two to three meters tall, its leaves spreading and rustling in the wind.
When the bamboo reached about three meters, it stopped growing upward. Instead, its stems began to thicken, and its outer layer darkened from vibrant green to a deep, rich green.
At the same time, tiny beige bamboo flowers began to bloom, and bamboo shoots emerged from the ground.
Xia Lu Nong, the creator of all this, was still taken by surprise at the sight.
He had only intended to grow two bamboo plants to draw water for their use that night.
He had experimented back at the base, and he knew that bamboo was an excellent natural filter. It could absorb water, which would then be stored in its hollow sections, allowing them to harvest the water later.
It was the first time he had seen bamboo bloom and grow shoots after being enhanced with a large amount of energy!
Completely unexpected!
No longer sleepy, Xia Lu Nong stood up, gazing at the bamboo in awe, eager to see what would happen next.
The beige flowers soon withered, giving way to purplish-red fruits.
The fruits slowly grew larger, while the bamboo leaves began to dry up.
Kong Zhi came over with a hoe and, after glancing up, said, “Once the bamboo seeds ripen, we can harvest them and try them out.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded enthusiastically. “Good idea!”
Kong Zhi then dug up the bamboo shoots growing at the base.
These shoots were growing visibly taller by the second, and if left unchecked, they would soon be too tough to eat.
From the two bamboo plants, they harvested eleven bamboo shoots in total.
The shoots varied in size, weighing about seven to eight pounds in total.
Kong Zhi peeled three of the shoots and stored the rest, still in their husks, in the truck bed for later.
The peeled shoots were ivory in color, tender, and quite cute.
Xia Lu Nong picked up one of the shoots and sniffed it gently. The scent was pure and identical to that of the wild bamboo shoots they had dug up from the mountainside or wilderness, which meant they were likely safe to eat.
Kong Zhi took a cutting board from the truck bed and started slicing the bamboo shoots.
Having used up all his energy, Xia Lu Nong sat nearby, watching both the bamboo and Kong Zhi. The rhythmic sound of bamboo slicing made him yawn, feeling drowsy.
About an hour later, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned, each carrying something in their hands.
Before Yan Xi Nian even reached the camp, he called out from afar, “Xia Lu Nong, your ability is amazing! The bamboo grew that tall in just one hour?”
Xia Lu Nong, still feeling a bit weak from the energy drain, lazily replied, “It surprised me too. Not only did the bamboo grow tall, but it also produced seeds and shoots.”
“I was wondering why the leaves were turning yellow—it’s because of the seeds!” Yan Xi Nian said, looking up. “I’ve heard bamboo usually takes decades to bear seeds, right?”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe when I used my ability, I only intended for the bamboo to grow quickly to give us enough water, so they felt a sense of urgency?”
Yan Xi Nian looked up at the bamboo. “Well, it’s quite a spectacle.”
The bamboo’s outer skin had slowly turned yellow, and the seeds at the top had ripened into a purplish-red color.
The seeds were large, about the size of soybeans, weighing down the branches. They looked incredibly tempting, with a faint fresh bamboo scent wafting through the air.
From sprouting to wilting, the entire life cycle of the bamboo took just over an hour.
Xia Lu Nong, witnessing the complete process for the first time, stared at the bamboo in a daze, full of thoughts but unable to express any of them.
He looked down at his hands. It was these very hands that, in just over an hour, had brought the bamboo through an entire life cycle.
It was unbelievable.
Xia Huo Qu patted his shoulder. “Your ability has gotten stronger.”
“Yeah, it seems so,” Xia Lu Nong mumbled. “It happened without me even realizing it.”
Yan Xi Nian added, “That’s a good thing.”
