Chapter 171: Idle Matters
For the past year, there hadn’t been many new developments at the base, and everyone’s life had been relatively stable.
Now that a new territory was finally being developed below the mountain, the entire base was buzzing with excitement.
That’s why the plain below seemed so lively and full of activity.
Xia Huo Qu gave a general overview of the situation and said, “After all those trips we made to collect supplies, we brought back a lot of machinery, and now it’s finally being put to use. Everyone’s really motivated.”
Xia Lu Nong, however, was more interested in how the land was being divided. Leaning closer to his brother, he asked quietly, “So, how is that plain being divided? Does whoever builds it get to own it?”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him and said, “Of course not. We cleared the river, built the electric grid, and cleaned up the plain. The land is ours. Old Liu and his people are just renting it from us.”
Xia Lu Nong let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest. “That’s better. We’ve been working hard for so long, we can’t just do all this for someone else.”
His brother raised an eyebrow. “Do you think your brother Xi Nian and I are that easy to deal with?”
“I was just worried,” Xia Lu Nong said, moving over to massage his brother’s shoulders with a grin. “Brother, guess what we brought back this time?”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “A meteorite?”
“Yes! But it’s not a whole meteorite, just fragments of one.” Xia Lu Nong excitedly pulled out a bamboo container from his spatial storage. “It’s all inside here. We’re not sure if the meteorite is radioactive, so we didn’t dare to take it out.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “You didn’t run into any trouble when retrieving the meteorite, did you?”
“Not at all. It went very smoothly. You won’t believe it, but I actually dreamed about the meteorite first. Following clues from the dream, Kong Zhi and I found it. When we retrieved the fragments, we asked the rose to help. Since the rose has many bodies, there was no risk.”
Xia Huo Qu wanted to examine the meteorite fragments but couldn’t see anything through the bamboo container.
He weighed the bamboo container in his hand and asked, “So, what do you plan to do with these meteorite fragments?”
“I discussed it with Kong Zhi. We’re planning to send them to the White Tower so professionals can handle it,” Xia Lu Nong said. “What do you think of that plan, Brother?”
“It sounds good,” Xia Huo Qu replied, handing the bamboo container back to him. “Are you guys hungry? I’ll cook.”
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t been hungry, but as soon as his brother asked, his stomach growled loudly.
He patted his belly and said, “I guess I am a bit. Brother, what do we have at home?”
“Not much. Just some radishes, cabbage, and two large pieces of frozen venison. What would you like? I can trade something for you at the cafeteria.”
While Xia Huo Qu was speaking, Yan Xi Nian’s voice came from outside, “Xia Lu Nong, Kong Zhi, you’re back! How did it go?”
“Brother Xi Nian!” Xia Lu Nong turned and went outside to greet him, immediately spotting the big fish in his hand. Excitedly, he asked, “How did you know we were back?”
“Your beast form is so conspicuous. When you flew in, the whole base saw it,” Yan Xi Nian chuckled. “I traded something at the cafeteria and got this big fish. Let’s have boiled fish tonight.”
Xia Lu Nong gave him a thumbs-up, beaming. “Just what I wanted!”
Xia Lu Nong was the best cook in the family, and he didn’t want to waste such a large mutated fish. Rolling up his sleeves, he decided to cook, while the others helped out.
As he skillfully scaled and gutted the fish, Xia Lu Nong asked, “Brother Xi Nian, we were just talking about the plain below the mountain. You guys have been working so fast!”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “We didn’t have much else to do. Remember that batch of utility vehicles we brought back earlier? They’re perfect for the work we’re doing now. Plus, everyone at the base wants to earn a bit more to prepare for the new year.”
As they cooked, they discussed the plain, the meteorite, and the mutated plants, as well as the people from other bases.
Yan Xi Nian mentioned, “You raised the issue of recruiting talent earlier. I’ve been thinking about it lately, and we really do need to attract more skilled people. The base has limited capacity, so we can’t accommodate too many people. Now it all depends on how the plain below develops.”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “The plain construction has just started. Will people really want to come?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Yan Xi Nian said. “Our base is known for being welcoming, and the resources in the plain are rich. If people come now, they’ll be the first settlers, which gives them an advantage. They might get the chance to eat meat, while those who come later might only get the scraps.”
Hearing this, Xia Lu Nong smirked knowingly and asked, “So, have you already made some moves?”
Yan Xi Nian smiled as well. “Nothing major. We’ve just let a few rumors slip. How many people come and who they are is out of our hands.”
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t worried, knowing how shrewd Yan Xi Nian was. He asked a few questions but didn’t press for more details.
Yan Xi Nian, in turn, asked about their trip, and Xia Lu Nong told him everything.
Kong Zhi and Xia Huo Qu, being quieter, stayed busy but occasionally chimed in when needed.
Xia Lu Nong worked quickly, and with four people preparing dinner, it only took half an hour for three dishes and a soup to be ready.
He handed the first bowl of rice to his brother and said, “Let’s eat. While we were outside, I was just waiting for this moment to have a good meal and rest properly.”
“Don’t eat too fast, watch out for fish bones,” Yan Xi Nian reminded him, then added, “We’ve all got some free time now, so leave the rest of the work to us.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled. “I was waiting for you to say that.”
After dinner, Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi went to bathe.
After spending so many days outside, Xia Lu Nong hadn’t had a proper wash. Finally home, he was eager to wash his hair thoroughly.
Once done, he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He lazily leaned against Kong Zhi, unwilling to move.
Kong Zhi stood behind him, drying his hair with a blow dryer.
As Kong Zhi massaged his scalp with his large hands and the warm air blew gently through his hair, Xia Lu Nong felt tingly and drowsy.
He eventually leaned back fully, resting against Kong Zhi’s broad chest, and closed his eyes.
Kong Zhi ruffled his hair. “Your hair’s grown longer. It’s almost covering your eyes. Want me to trim it a bit?”
“No, it’s cold,” Xia Lu Nong mumbled sleepily. “If it really gets in the way, I’ll just tie it up with a rubber band.”
Kong Zhi chuckled, his chest rumbling with laughter.
Xia Lu Nong leaned against Kong Zhi’s chest, clearly hearing everything, and playfully rubbed his back against Kong Zhi’s chest.
Seeing him like this, Kong Zhi turned off the hairdryer, gave him a kiss, and gently guided him under the blankets. “Hurry up and sleep. We’ll talk more when you wake up.”
Xia Lu Nong, already with his eyes closed, rested his head on the pillow and tugged on Kong Zhi’s clothes. “You sleep too.”
“We’ll both sleep,” Kong Zhi said as he lay down and wrapped his arms around him. “Unless you want me to go out and steal something instead?”
That night, they both slept soundly.
Back in a safe place, no longer needing to stay on alert, the quality of their sleep improved dramatically.
The next day, Xia Lu Nong woke up naturally, but after getting up, he already felt sleepy again.
Kong Zhi brought over a warm towel to wipe his face. “Get up and have lunch first, then you can go back to sleep.”
“Alright.” Xia Lu Nong placed his feet on the ground, sitting on the bed and waiting for Kong Zhi to help him wash his face.
Kong Zhi, not very skilled, wiped his face with the warm towel, accidentally making his hair stick up in messy tufts.
Even with Xia Lu Nong’s good looks, this slightly silly hairstyle was hard to pull off.
Kong Zhi glanced at him, then took a rubber band from the drawer and tied a small ponytail on top of his head.
Xia Lu Nong, already very handsome, looked even more striking with a bit of grooming. His face was so handsome that it was hard to look away.
Kong Zhi admired him for a moment and then leaned down to kiss his smooth forehead.
Xia Lu Nong fell back into his arms, hugging his waist. “Have my brothers gotten up yet?”
“They’ve been up for a while. They already left; I think they went down the mountain to oversee some work,” Kong Zhi replied as he held him. “Shall we head out for lunch?”
Knowing his brothers weren’t around, Xia Lu Nong felt bold. “I don’t feel like moving. You carry me out.”
Kong Zhi laughed, wrapped his arm around Xia Lu Nong’s waist and legs, and easily lifted him like a child, carrying him out.
For lunch, they had all of Xia Lu Nong’s favorite dishes.
After eating, Xia Lu Nong finally felt more awake.
He went out to check on the rose.
The night before, they had been too tired to properly take care of the rose. They had simply dug a hole and planted it in the ground, letting it settle itself.
The rose was still exhausted and in hibernation.
Even as Xia Lu Nong approached, there was no response.
He didn’t bother trying to wake it up.
He looked at the flowers on two of its main bodies, which were blooming even more vibrantly than before, as if it were late spring or early summer. The cold wind seemed to have no effect on them.
Normally, flowers would have wilted in such harsh winds.
But not the rose. Even though its flowers were covered in a thin layer of frost, they still looked fresh and vibrant.
Xia Lu Nong scratched his cheek and whispered to Kong Zhi, “It feels like these flowers have mutated again.”
Kong Zhi replied, “That was expected.”
After discussing it for a while, Xia Lu Nong finally woke the rose up.
The rose seemed groggy from its sleep and took a moment to respond to Xia Lu Nong. “Is there something you need today? Or are you here to recharge my energy again?”
“I’m just checking on your condition. Also, I need some of your leaves and petals. How do you feel? Any injuries or abnormalities?” Xia Lu Nong asked.
The rose carefully checked itself and shook its leaves. “No injuries. I just now understand what you humans mean when you talk about being tired.”
Xia Lu Nong reminded it, “The two bodies affected by the meteorite are growing faster. Keep a close eye on them, and if anything feels wrong, immediately cut off your connection to them.”
The rose acknowledged this.
Xia Lu Nong collected some of its petals and leaves, packed them in a plastic bag, recharged the rose with a bit of his energy, and then went to check on Xia Hua Jiao.
Despite the cold wind, Xia Hua Jiao was full of energy, waving its branches excitedly as it told Xia Lu Nong everything that had happened at the base over the past few days.
Most of the information Xia Lu Nong had already heard from his brothers, but hearing it again from Xia Hua Jiao was still entertaining.
Afterward, he relayed the news to Kong Zhi and remarked, “Xia Hua Jiao’s ability is really useful—practically like a spy.”
Kong Zhi replied, “As long as we don’t snoop where we shouldn’t, we’ll be fine. If we do overhear something sensitive, we can just choose not to listen. Think of this ability as an ace up our sleeve.”
After taking care of the plants at home, they changed clothes and prepared to go out.
The cold wind outside woke Xia Lu Nong up even more, and feeling refreshed, he decided against going back to sleep. Instead, he and Kong Zhi headed to the White Tower.
They had become frequent visitors there recently and were already quite familiar with the place.
Thanks to Yan Xi Nian’s prior arrangements, their handover at the White Tower went smoothly.
As Xia Lu Nong handed over the bamboo container, he couldn’t help but reflect, “Our base is so small, there really aren’t any secrets. Even if there were, the more we interact with others, the more everything comes out.”
“As long as we’re revealing things to trustworthy people, it’s fine. It would be too exhausting if we had to keep every secret ourselves,” Kong Zhi glanced at the time. “It’s only four-thirty. Do you want to head down the mountain for a bit?”
Kong Zhi could easily fly down the mountain in his golden eagle form. It wouldn’t take him more than ten minutes.
Xia Lu Nong thought about it. “Let’s go. It was too dark last night for me to get a good look at the plain. I want to check it out again. If we have time, we can move one of the rose’s main bodies there, so it can help keep an eye on things.”
“Good idea,” Kong Zhi agreed.
Holding his hand, Xia Lu Nong said, “Then let’s head back now.”
