Chapter 182: Site Selection
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were both surprised to hear that Xia Lu Nong wanted to find mutated plants.
Neither of them had expected things to unfold this way.
Yan Xi Nian said, “If this can be accomplished, it would be a huge benefit for our base.”
Xia Huo Qu disagreed, saying, “This is just Xia Lu Nong’s personal initiative. What does it have to do with our base?”
“How can it not be related?” Yan Xi Nian smiled. “A new era has already begun. Humans are still weak and hold no advantage in the grand scheme of nature, but as we develop, humans will grow stronger. We need to continue living, and the base needs to develop. If Xia Lu Nong can establish a medicinal garden, it would be great for both us and the entire base.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes sparkled with longing as he listened to Yan Xi Nian.
Xia Huo Qu shot a glance at Yan Xi Nian and said, “Don’t put all the pressure of such significant developments on Xia Lu Nong.”
Yan Xi Nian quickly defended himself, “That’s unfair! I just think this is a mutually beneficial opportunity. If the medicinal garden really gets established, and there’s anything you need help with, Xia Lu Nong, just let me know. We can provide manpower and technology.”
“It’s still too early to talk about this. Don’t take advantage of Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi,” Xia Huo Qu bluntly dismissed him. Then he turned to his younger brother and advised, “The medicinal garden is definitely something you can pursue. Once you’ve set it up, it will be your private garden; we won’t interfere.”
Xia Lu Nong felt his brother’s protective sentiment and quickly added, “Brother Xi Nian was just saying that. We are all part of the base. If the base is willing to support us with policies, it’d be great to have the backing of the base to quietly make a fortune.”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “You should indeed receive support. However, everything is still in its early stages, and we need to discuss how to proceed.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled and said, “Then let’s talk about building the medicinal garden slowly.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded and asked him, “Where do you want to build this medicinal garden?”
Xia Lu Nong excitedly replied, “I just brought it up today, so I don’t have any concrete ideas yet. Brother, do you have any suggestions? Where do you think would be good? What about the valley where we graze the sheep? What do you think?”
Xia Huo Qu shook his head, “That valley is too far and not safe. If you want to put it somewhere, it should be in a safe place.”
Xia Lu Nong countered, “I’m not worried; those are mutated plants with a certain level of aggressiveness. No one would dare target them.”
“Not necessarily,” Xia Huo Qu looked at him, “Even the cleverest mutated plants can’t be more cunning than humans. If someone is determined to steal the medicine, they can easily form an armed team and take whatever they want.”
Xia Lu Nong exchanged glances with Kong Zhi and thought for a moment. “Then how about we build it in the plains at the foot of the mountain? Since it’s a busy area, there shouldn’t be any problems with people targeting the mutated plants?”
This time, it was Yan Xi Nian who disagreed, “That won’t work either. If the reputation of the medicinal plants spreads, it won’t be long before everyone knows their details. As the saying goes, ‘A common person has no guilt, but possessing something precious can lead to trouble.’ If they’re in plain sight, it’s not a good thing to have too many people looking at them.”
Xia Lu Nong shrugged, “Those are the only two places I can think of for now. Where do you think we should plant them?”
Xia Huo Qu replied lightly, “Let’s discuss it further. Think it over carefully. Right now, you haven’t persuaded a single mutated plant, so deciding where to plant them is a matter for the future.”
For now, this was the only approach they had. Xia Lu Nong changed the topic, “Brother, Xi Nian, the rice seedlings have already started to grow. You should go check them out and see if they’re enough. If not, I can ask them to grow more.”
Upon hearing this topic, a smile spread across Yan Xi Nian’s face.
He gave Xia Lu Nong a thumbs-up, “Great, that’s excellent! It’s so much better than last year. With your abilities, Xia Lu Nong, plus the seeds from the Fireseed Base, this year is bound to be a bountiful harvest.”
“I feel the same. At least we won’t have to eat sweet potatoes again this year.” Xia Lu Nong’s face showed a hint of lingering fear. “Last year, I was terrified of eating sweet potatoes.”
Kong Zhi patted his head from the side.
Yan Xi Nian also felt uncomfortable hearing this and glanced at Xia Huo Qu, letting out a silent sigh.
As a key figure in establishing the base, he actually lacked supplies.
Xia Huo Qu had refused to accept his provisions; otherwise, life wouldn’t have been so tough.
Every time he thought about this, it made his heart ache.
Xia Huo Qu could tell what he was thinking with just a glance, his brow furrowing slightly.
Yan Xi Nian wanted to say something but swallowed the words before they could come out, leaving him feeling half-sour and half-bitter.
He took a deep breath and smiled, “At least it’s all behind us now, and things will only get better from here.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t pick up on the sadness in his words and nodded vigorously, full of confidence.
Young people always look ahead.
Xia Lu Nong smiled, “This year, the land we can farm has significantly increased, and the base population has grown too. With the aid of agricultural machinery, I was thinking we could try planting some corn this year.”
Yan Xi Nian raised an eyebrow, “Huh? Why are you suddenly thinking about corn?”
Xia Lu Nong explained, “It’s not that we’re short on grains and vegetables this year; we need to ensure we have enough meat. Relying solely on hunting when we go out will lead to a decrease in meat supply. We need to raise livestock ourselves to supplement our meat intake.”
Yan Xi Nian had thought about this issue before, “We should start raising livestock gradually. Let’s try planting some corn and soybeans this year; we just need to expand the farmland a bit.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “That’s what I was thinking. Corn and soybeans both have high yields. If wild animals come to munch on them, we could also hunt them as a bonus.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “It’s settled then! Tomorrow I’ll have someone bring a plan to you for your review.”
“Sounds good,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “Since we’re starting livestock farming, should we raise more fish as well?”
Yan Xi Nian knew that Xia Lu Nong loved fish, and upon hearing this, he laughed. “We’re already planning it. Don’t worry; there’s a moat outside, right? We can set up a large net on both sides of the moat to catch fish. That way, we won’t even need ponds.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea! Now that spring is here, there are more ants outside. Today, I heard someone in the cafeteria say they caught a nest of big ants, filling up eight baskets, all piled in the cafeteria, and no one was willing to trade for them. I was just thinking, if we raise fish, we could grind those ants and other large insects into powder for fish feed; that would be great.”
Yan Xi Nian said, “Don’t worry. Your brother and I are already planning. We’ll slowly equip ourselves with everything we need. This year, let’s focus on eating enough, and next year, we’ll strive for better.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “The base’s plans are all in the White Building. If you have time, go take a look. I’ll give them a heads-up.”
The base was getting larger, and things were becoming more complicated.
The White Building was now being expanded, officially turning into an office building that managed the various affairs of the base, and the base’s management committee had also moved their operations there.
Xia Lu Nong heard that they had even equipped dedicated security personnel, but he hadn’t had the chance to see it yet.
Xia Lu Nong nodded, “I’ll go check it out with Kong Zhi when I have some free time.”
After finishing dinner, the four of them chatted for a while before heading to bed.
Xia Lu Nong kept thinking about the mutated plants; the more he pondered, the more awake he became.
When Kong Zhi returned after washing up, he saw Xia Lu Nong lying on the bed with wide eyes, seemingly lost in thought. He stood by the bed and lightly touched Xia Lu Nong’s cheek. “You’re staring at the ceiling as if you’re about to bore a hole in it. What’s got you so absorbed?”
“I was just thinking about where to plant the mutated plants after we dig them up,” Xia Lu Nong turned to face him and said. “I think Brother Xi Nian is right; the medicinal garden could become a powerful asset for us. Since there aren’t many people right now, if we don’t carefully consider the location, once there are more people around and everything gets chaotic, it could become troublesome.”
Kong Zhi casually remarked, “There aren’t many people now, so there’s no need to specifically hire anyone. As long as we plant them not too far away, the mutated plants can keep watch themselves. Once there are more people, our security will significantly strengthen, and we won’t need to hire anyone; we can just have Brother Xi Nian send a team to guard it.”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “If we plant them not too far away, where do you mean? In the vegetable garden outside?”
After pondering for a moment, Xia Lu Nong felt that planting them in the vegetable garden wouldn’t be a bad idea, as the soil there was very fertile and easy to water and manage.
However, Kong Zhi shook his head. “Planting them in the vegetable garden is worse than planting them directly in the yard. Our front and back yards are so large; it would be a waste to only use them for growing vegetables.”
Xia Lu Nong was taken aback; he hadn’t thought of that.
Now that Kong Zhi had pointed it out, he immediately stood up and slapped his thigh. “You’re right!”
Kong Zhi pulled him back down, a smile in his eyes, and lowered his voice. “Calm down; the Rose is going to hear us.”
“Who cares?” The more Xia Lu Nong thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and he also lowered his voice. “This is a brilliant idea! We’ll plant them in the yard. For security, our yard is the core of the entire base. There are people keeping watch outside. With the dense row of prickly ash trees and honeysuckle surrounding the yard, it will be tightly concealed, making it hard for outsiders to see inside.”
“Planting them in the yard also makes it convenient for us to communicate with them.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Xia Lu Nong repeatedly agreed. “We can go out and talk to the mutated plants every morning, and I can use a bit of my powers on them.”
As Xia Lu Nong spoke, he slapped his head. “I’m so stupid! How did I not think of this? It’s clearly a matter of mental inertia.”
Hearing the thud from Xia Lu Nong’s head, Kong Zhi helplessly rubbed his head.
The more Xia Lu Nong thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He was itching to go out right now to dig holes for the trees and prepare to transplant the mutated plants.
He grabbed Kong Zhi’s hand and mumbled, “Planting them in the yard is not only convenient for monitoring but also for keeping an eye on them. If anything happens, we can know immediately.”
“That’s the point.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “In that case, we don’t need to worry about any internal problems with the mutated plants.”
Seeing him so excited, Kong Zhi sat on the bed and asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“Sleep!” Xia Lu Nong made room for Kong Zhi, lay down, and covered himself with a blanket, still feeling excited and wide awake.
Kong Zhi turned his head to stare at him. “Can’t sleep? Shall we do something else to distract ourselves?”
Xia Lu Nong instantly understood and awkwardly whispered, “Are we doing that again today? We’ve already done it yesterday and the day before! I’m running low on ammo!”
Kong Zhi looked at his face and said in a hushed voice, “You won’t know until you try.”
