The Cat Who Farms in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland – CH33

Chapter 33 – Expansion

Yan Xi Nian kicked the stainless steel granary.

The impact felt heavy, and despite his strength, it didn’t budge an inch. The grain inside must be packed tightly.

Yan Xi Nian looked down at the kitten and asked, “Shall we open it?”

The kitten nodded seriously, “Meow.”

The granary had been buried under the ruins for almost two years, and the lid had practically fused with the rest of the structure.

Yan Xi Nian tried to pry it open but couldn’t.

Ba Niu slapped his chest and volunteered, “Let me do it. You all step back.”

Everyone stepped back, giving him room to work.

Ba Niu rolled up his sleeves, grabbed his hoe, and inserted the pointed end into the seam of the granary. He started prying with all his might.

Xia Lu Nong, seeing his bulging chest and arm muscles, his face turning red, and the veins popping out on the back of his hands, was about to suggest they all pitch in.

Ba Niu let out a roar, “Hoah!”

With that mighty shout, the granary lid popped off, flipping through the air several times before landing five or six meters away.

“?!”

The kitten’s eyes widened in awe as he glanced at the lid that had landed with a “clang,” and he shrank back slightly.

Dust billowed up, and the stale smell of old grain filled the air. Instinctively, everyone took a small step back to avoid the rising dust.

Panting heavily, Ba Niu wiped his face and peered into the granary, estimating, “It’s full—at least a thousand kilograms.”

Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up instantly, and he stretched his head forward, eager to see inside.

His brother carried him closer.

Only then did Xia Lu Nong get a full view of the granary.

Inside the silvery-white stainless steel granary, golden rice was piled almost to the entrance.

The rice grains were plump and full, looking like golden treasure in the granary.

Yan Xi Nian grabbed a handful, rubbed it between his fingers, and sniffed. “Good rice, not spoiled.”

Xia Huo Qu commented, “Stored this well, it wouldn’t go bad. Even before the disaster, some households stored rice for five or ten years.”

He sighed, “Unfortunately, there’s a bit of insect infestation.”

Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “That’s fine, it’s normal for rice to have grain bugs. We can dry it out when we get back.”

He glanced around at everyone’s faces and said, “We’ll follow the usual rules: those who find the grain take fifty percent, and the rest is shared equally among everyone. Any objections?”

Ba Niu, Luo Congxin, and Cong Lian all shook their heads in agreement.

Yan Xi Nian continued, “So, following the rules, after deducting the fuel and rental fees for the vehicle, Xia Lu Nong and I will take fifty percent of the total grain, and the rest will be split among everyone. We’ll take it back first and divide it at the base.”

“Meow.” Xia Lu Nong’s emerald eyes sparkled with excitement. With such a large granary of rice, at least they wouldn’t have to eat coarse grain this year.

There was too much rice to take it all at once.

After inspecting the granary, Yan Xi Nian secured the lid and placed several large stones on top to hold it in place.

He waved his hand energetically, “Let’s head to the mountain to dismantle the hydroelectric station and load the generator parts. After that, we’ll use any extra space to load the rice.”

Ba Niu and the others nodded enthusiastically, “Got it!”

Even Xia Lu Nong joined in with an excited “meow,” eager to participate.

Only Xia Huo Qu objected, “It’s fine to dismantle the hydroelectric generator, but someone should stay behind to guard this place.”

“Why?” Ba Niu, being straightforward, couldn’t help but counter, “This place is so remote. We drove away the mutant plants and animals yesterday, and the lid’s covered—who do we need to guard against?”

“No.” Xia Huo Qu gazed into the distance and replied, “We only drove away the exposed mutants. Who knows what might still be lurking underground? Besides, just because it’s remote doesn’t mean no one will pass by. With such a big granary, I wouldn’t feel safe leaving it unguarded.”

Everyone looked at Yan Xi Nian, waiting for his decision.

Yan Xi Nian nodded, “Huo Qu has a point. Food isn’t easy to come by. Let’s leave one person to guard the granary while the rest of us dismantle the hydroelectric generator.”

“Captain Yan,” Cong Lian asked, “Wouldn’t leaving just one person be dangerous?”

Xia Huo Qu suggested, “Xia Lu Nong isn’t much of a fighter and won’t be of much help at the hydroelectric station. I’ll stay with him to guard the food. The rest of you can dismantle the generator. Or, if you want, consider the granary as something found privately by Xia Lu Nong and Captain Yan, so no one else has to take the risk—but that means no one else will get a share of the grain.”

No one spoke.

With such a large, golden granary of rice sitting there, who wouldn’t be tempted?

Yan Xi Nian said, “Let’s vote. Anyone willing to take the risk and share the grain, raise your hand. If you take the grain, you’ll also complete the work of the person guarding the granary. Xia Lu Nong isn’t a fighter and hasn’t earned contribution points from the base this time, so anyone who wants a share of the grain just needs to take over Vice-Captain Xia’s work.”

Yan Xi Nian looked around at them, “One, two, three—vote.”

He was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

Ba Niu glanced at Xia Huo Qu, then at the grain below, and raised his hand.

Luo Cong Xin hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand as well, explaining, “When I flew overhead, I saw other beastmen in the distance. If we don’t guard it, another base might steal it.”

Cong Lian, after some hesitation, crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and then raised his hand.

Yan Xi Nian nodded, “Alright, it’s unanimous. We’ll share Huo Qu’s work between the four of us for now. Let’s see what Quan Nan thinks later—if he’s willing to take on more work, he’ll get a share too.”

Xia Huo Qu said, “No need to take over for me. Leave some work for me, and I’ll find someone to switch with me later.”

“This… isn’t really necessary,” Ba Niu said, uncertain. “The generator dismantling doesn’t involve much work anyway.”

Xia Huo Qu insisted, “Just leave me some. I’ll carry it myself when I’m done.”

Yan Xi Nian concluded, “Let’s settle it this way for now. After breakfast, we’ll discuss it again. When we’re still in the village, no need for special guards. Once we head up the mountain, Huo Qu can bring Xia Lu Nong to guard the granary.”

Xia Huo Qu didn’t object to that.

The group returned to their temporary resting place to have breakfast.

When Liao Quan Nan heard they had found a granary, he agreed without hesitation, “I have no problem with that. Count me in on Vice-Captain Xia’s work.”

Yan Xi Nian replied, “Great, it’s unanimous. Let’s eat quickly, then head up the mountain. We aim to dismantle all the generator parts and bring them back to base today.”

With the added grain reward, the team was motivated and didn’t need Yan Xi Nian to encourage them further.

After breakfast, they checked their gear and stripped down, hanging their clothes over their shoulders. Everyone except Ba Niu transformed into their beast forms and rushed up the mountain.

The hydroelectric station was halfway up the mountain, and they had to go there to dismantle the equipment.

Xia Huo Qu and Xia Lu Nong headed back to the granary.

They had to guard the granary first, then, after loading the generator onto the truck, they’d see how much space and capacity was left to load the grain.

If they couldn’t take all the grain, they’d have to wait for a second trip, but the truck rental, fuel costs, and other expenses would need to be split among them.

The May sun was strong.

There wasn’t much to do near the granary.

Xia Lu Nong wandered around nearby, bored, using his paws to dig through the ruins.

It seemed his luck had run out. After digging all morning, he didn’t find much useful, just a lot of ordinary pots, pans, and other household items. But since the base had plenty of those, bringing them back wouldn’t be worth much, and the fuel costs would be higher than their value.

During their search, they stumbled upon several more skeletons.

Xia Huo Qu silently helped dig a pit to bury them, his expression calm.

Since the great disaster, they had seen countless friends and family pass, not to mention the remains of strangers.

By noon, Yan Xi Nian and the others had not come down.

In the small mountain village, they could hear faint noises from the mountain, including two tiger roars, indicating that they hadn’t encountered too much trouble.

Xia Lu Nong and his brother spent the whole morning searching, exhausted by the end.

At noon, they ate a simple meal of lamb. Xia Lu Nong lay beside his brother, drowsy.

A hot breeze blew from behind the house, making his long cat fur ripple wildly.

He felt like a book with pages flapping in the wind, his fur rustling, which made him irritable.

His brother wrapped him in a jacket, but he felt hot. He tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable.

Xia Huo Qu absentmindedly stroked his brother’s fur. Seeing Xia Lu Nong’s restless state, he suddenly realized something and held up the kitten in front of him, gently shaking his front paw while looking him in the eye. “Can you change back to human form?”

“Mew?” The kitten flicked his tail, looking confused. “Meow?”

How do I even do that?

Xia Huo Qu said, “Try imagining your hands and feet, like using them to grab something. You should be able to change back.”

Xia Lu Nong found it hard to imagine.

His brother put him down and encouraged him, “Give it a try.”

The kitten rolled over and lay flat on the ground, trying to imagine his hands and feet, picturing reaching out to grab something.

He could feel his hands, but they seemed wrapped up, and extending them felt extremely difficult.

“Meooow!” The kitten whimpered, straining to stretch forward. There was an odd change in his body.

Xia Huo Qu held his breath, watching closely.

One second, two seconds, three seconds… The kitten’s body puffed up in different places, like a balloon being squeezed, shifting from side to side for a while. In the end, he collapsed flat on the ground like a pancake, completely still.

Xia Huo Qu’s heart sank. He quickly picked up his brother to check on him.

As soon as he held him, he realized it wasn’t an illusion—his brother really had grown. He was heavier now, too.

The kitten that had originally weighed half a kilogram was now at least five or six.

“Mew?” The kitten looked at his brother, bewildered.

He tried what his brother had suggested, but it didn’t seem to work.