The Cat Who Farms in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland – CH18

Chapter 18 – Moving Forward

Xia Huo Qu thought back to the early days of the catastrophe.

He wasn’t exactly sure how he had managed to transform into beast form. One day, when pushed to the brink, he just suddenly did it.

He didn’t give a direct answer, instead, he ruffled his younger brother’s hair, “When the time comes, you’ll be able to do it.”

Xia Lu Nong felt a bit frustrated, not knowing when that ‘time’ would come.

The two of them rested on the sofa for a while before Xia Huo Qu pulled Xia Lu Nong up, “Go take a bath and eat first. Then you can sleep as much as you want afterward.”

“Alright.” Xia Lu Nong sat up, dragging his legs lazily to grab a bucket and pick out some clean clothes to toss in the laundry basket.

On his way past the bathroom mirror, he had already walked by but then turned back, standing in front of it and staring at his reflection. He raised a hand to touch his short-cropped hair. “Brother, my hair’s grown longer. Should I cut it?”

“What do you mean, ‘grown longer’?” Xia Huo Qu glanced at him, “Do you really like the monk look?”

“Summer is coming, cutting it shorter would be cooler.”

“If it’s too short, you’ll sunburn your scalp. This length is just fine.”

“Oh.” Xia Lu Nong felt a bit disappointed.

Xia Huo Qu walked over and ruffled his fluffy hair again, “No matter what kind of haircut you get, it won’t look bad on you.”

Xia Huo Qu looked closely at his brother’s face—deep-set eyes, high nose, narrow face, and thin lips. Just standing there quietly, Xia Lu Nong had a certain ethereal, almost fairy-like charm.

No matter the aesthetic standard, his little brother would be considered handsome.

He squeezed the back of his brother’s neck gently, a smile in his eyes, “Let’s go.”

Xia Lu Nong took one last look at his reflection in the mirror, checking himself from every angle, and decided that he indeed didn’t look bad. Only then did he catch up with his brother.

The two of them took a bath and then carried their buckets to the canteen for dinner.

Today’s basic meal set consisted of steamed taro, cabbage porridge with rice, and tofu stew with salted vegetables.

It was a better meal than they had before, but after Xia Lu Nong had eaten three hearty meals outdoors, he had no appetite for the canteen’s large pot food.

He picked at his meal for a bit before suddenly looking up at his brother, “Brother, how about we cook our own meals at home from now on?”

“Hm?” Xia Huo Qu paused in the middle of grabbing some food, looking at him, “Wouldn’t you get tired of cooking every day?”

“What’s so tiring about cooking? Even if we don’t cook, we still have to do other chores. Finding food isn’t easy, and if we cook ourselves, we can save some materials.”

“Don’t worry about that. I earn enough.”

Xia Lu Nong shook his head, “Yeah, you can earn enough, but the family shouldn’t rely on you alone. Besides, the canteen food is really hard to eat. We have our own home; who eats at the canteen every day?”

Xia Lu Nong was firm in his decision. Xia Huo Qu considered it for a moment and then nodded, “Alright, we’ll give it a try. If cooking becomes too much of a hassle, we’ll go back to eating at the canteen.”

“I promise it won’t be too much trouble.”

Xia Huo Qu smiled but didn’t say anything.

That evening, Yan Xi Nian joined them for dinner. When he heard Xia Lu Nong suggest cooking at home, he smiled, “How about I join in? We can cook together.”

Xia Lu Nong instinctively glanced at his brother.

Xia Huo Qu raised his chin slightly, signaling for Xia Lu Nong to make the decision.

Seeing that his brother didn’t object, Xia Lu Nong readily agreed, “No problem, Brother Xi Nian, just pay for your share of the food.”

Yan Xi Nian’s eyes crinkled with a smile, “I noticed your place already has pots and pans. We just need to gather some firewood in the next couple of days, and we can start cooking.”

As he spoke, Yan Xi Nian nudged Xia Huo Qu with his elbow, “We don’t have much to do tomorrow, how about we go chop some wood?”

“I’ll go too!” Xia Lu Nong eagerly jumped in, “Last time we went chopping wood, I got pretty good at bundling it up.”

Xia Huo Qu looked at his brother and nodded.

After dinner, Yan Xi Nian volunteered to wash the dishes.

Before he finished, someone called for them from outside, and Xia Huo Qu went out.

Xia Lu Nong could hear talking outside but couldn’t make out what was being said.

After wiping down the table, he stepped out, but the person had already left.

His brother turned to him, “Someone from the canteen came by earlier. They said the pig has been processed, and we can go pick up the meat.”

“Great!” Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up. “Shall we go now?”

“Grab the baskets,” Xia Huo Qu said. “You stay home, and your brother Xi Nian and I will go.”

Xia Lu Nong wanted to go with them, curious about the process. “There’s nothing to do tonight anyway, so I’ll just come along.”

Yan Xi Nian smiled and said, “Let him come with us. After we collect the meat, we can bring some to Liao Cheng.”

Xia Lu Nong nodded eagerly.

The three of them carried their baskets to the cafeteria. Along the way, more people greeted them than usual, though no one lingered to chat. Xia Lu Nong noticed that everyone seemed a bit reserved around Yan Xi Nian, likely because he was the real authority at the base.

Their house was not far from the cafeteria, and they arrived after a short walk.

The pork had already been butchered and placed on a clean banana leaf on the chopping board. The cafeteria staff spoke softly, explaining, “We’ve kept the pig’s head, lungs, and intestines. The rest is here. The cleaned intestines are ready, and we’ve also cut up thirty pounds of meat into small pieces.”

Yan Xi Nian nodded. “Thanks for your hard work.”

“It’s our duty, Captain Yan. Would you like us to deliver it to your place?”

“No need, we’ll carry it ourselves,” Yan Xi Nian replied as he looked around. “Do you have any straw? Tie up a piece of meat, about ten pounds.”

The staff quickly agreed, found some straw, and tied up a ten-pound piece of meat, which they handed to Yan Xi Nian.

He passed it to Xia Lu Nong. “On your way, take this to Liao Cheng.”

Xia Lu Nong nodded.

The pig was enormous, with over two hundred pounds of meat. Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu each carried a load so heavy that the poles bent under the weight.

Xia Lu Nong followed behind them with the ten pounds of meat. At the fork in the road, he turned off towards Liao Cheng’s house.

When he arrived, Liao Cheng was still sleeping. He opened the door, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Lu Nong, what brings you here?”

“I came to bring you some meat,” Xia Lu Nong said quickly, adding, “Brother Xi Nian asked me to deliver it.”

Liao Cheng paused mid-yawn and shook his head. “I didn’t help with the hunting, so I can’t accept this. You should take it back, but thank Captain Yan for me.”

Xia Lu Nong insisted, “Brother Xi Nian thinks you contributed.”

“Even so, rules are rules. I can’t take it. You take it back, and I’ll come by sometime for a meal instead.”

Despite Xia Lu Nong’s efforts, Liao Cheng refused. Finally, Xia Lu Nong had no choice but to return with the meat.

His brother, seeing the meat, asked in surprise, “Why did you bring it back?”

“Liao Cheng said he didn’t contribute to the hunt and refused to accept it,” Xia Lu Nong explained, setting the meat back in the basket. He went to the kitchen to drink some water, gulping it down before returning. “Brother, what are we going to do with all this meat?”

“Never mind. We’ll weigh out sixty pounds to turn in as our contribution to the base. Some of the rest we’ll cure into bacon and sausage, and we’ll make jerky too. Whatever’s left, we’ll cook up and eat over the next two weeks.”

Xia Lu Nong’s eyes widened at the first part. “We still have to turn in supplies?”

“Of course. The base needs resources to keep running. The warriors who go out hunting or gathering have the highest quota. Each person must contribute thirty pounds of meat or sixty pounds of equivalent grain per year. Those who farm inside the base contribute less.”

“What happens if someone can’t meet the quota?”

“Then they have to work for the base to make up for it.”

“But doesn’t everyone already have base duties?”

“Yes, but that’s separate. To keep the base running, everyone has to pitch in.” Xia Huo Qu patted his brother’s back and pushed him toward the door. “Now, go ask your brother Xi Nian if he wants to contribute together.”

Leaning on the doorframe, Xia Lu Nong muttered, “But I mostly farm at the base. How am I counted as a warrior?”

Xia Huo Qu looked up at him. “Don’t want to go out anymore?”

“I do!” Xia Lu Nong replied quickly, then ran off to find Yan Xi Nian.

When he explained the situation, Yan Xi Nian smiled. “I forgot about that. Let’s weigh it all, and I’ll take it to the committee later.”

Xia Lu Nong nodded.

They had a scale at home, so they decided to weigh all the meat at once. After removing the bones, they had a total of 217 pounds. After setting aside the 90 pounds required for the base, they had 127 pounds left, including the 30 pounds already set aside for sausage.

Of the remaining 97 pounds, they decided to cure 30 pounds into bacon, use another 30 pounds for braised meat, and dry the final 37 pounds to be eaten over the next two weeks.

Looking at all the meat, Xia Lu Nong gulped. “So that means the three of us have to eat over two pounds of meat each day?”

How extravagant.

“Not quite,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Since we just transformed into our beast forms, each of us will need at least three pounds of meat a day for the next three days.”

Xia Lu Nong did the math. Well, 37 pounds over two weeks wasn’t that much after all.

Managing a household sure wasn’t easy.

Having so much meat also meant more work. The three of them borrowed firewood from the base and worked by candlelight until after midnight, salting, frying, and drying the meat.

The rich smell of meat lingered in the house. Once they finished, Xia Lu Nong couldn’t resist his cravings anymore and made a late-night snack of hand-pulled noodles with chives.

The noodles were a pale yellow, and the chives a vibrant green. He poured bone broth over them, added a few slices of brown meat, a spoonful of chili oil, and a splash of vinegar. The dish was so fragrant that it could make your eyebrows twitch.

The three of them ate in silence, heads down, sweating as they enjoyed the meal.

Though Xia Lu Nong usually didn’t eat much, he finished two large bowls.

Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian each ate three and a half bowls, finishing the entire pot of noodles.

Afterward, Xia Lu Nong was about to clean up, but the other two stopped him, quickly taking over the dishwashing duties.

Xia Lu Nong stared at their backs as they walked side by side, feeling that the atmosphere between them was a bit strange. It seemed closer than friendship, yet not quite at the level of being lovers.

“What are you thinking about?” Xia Huo Qu asked, wringing out a cloth to wipe the table. As soon as he came out, he noticed his brother’s subtle expression and shot him a warning glance.

“Nothing, I’m going to brush my teeth.” Xia Lu Nong immediately darted into the kitchen, grabbed his toothbrush, squeezed toothpaste, and took some water outside to brush his teeth all in one go.

As he started brushing outside, he heard his brother Xi Nian ask, “What’s going on?”

His brother responded, “Lu Nong’s expression looked like he was asking for trouble.”

Xi Nian chuckled softly, and Xia Lu Nong couldn’t help but think that Xi Nian’s laughter sounded quite nice.