Chapter 76 – Cleansing
When Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned to the field, they found their cat surrounded by people, wearing a resigned expression on his furry face.
The crowd quickly noticed Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian approaching, and feeling a bit embarrassed, they stepped back to give them space.
Xia Huo Qu and the others loaded the peanuts into their baskets, preparing to head home.
Finally, someone called out to them, “Hey, Vice Captain Xia, are you planning to press these peanuts for oil?”
With one person speaking up, others quickly followed.
“Yeah, Vice Captain Xia, can we trade for some seeds?”
“I’ll give you three pounds of peanuts for one pound of yours!”
“Vice Captain Xia, besides your ability, did you use any special planting methods for these peanuts?”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at the cat sitting on the ground, then said, “We can trade some as seeds, but we’ll need to figure out the exact amount. We’ll let you know later how much we’re offering per pound.”
People were a bit surprised but quickly understood and said they’d wait for the good news.
This time, Xia Huo Qu stayed behind to watch over the peanuts, leaving Yan Xi Nian to take his younger brother back.
Kong Zhi also carried a basket and returned with them.
Xia Lu Nong actually wanted to stay and listen to what his brother had to say, but since it was clear his brother wasn’t keen on that, he had no choice but to follow Yan Xi Nian home.
When they arrived, it was still early, but Xia Lu Nong was already tired. He jumped onto the sofa, curled up, and fell asleep with his eyes closed.
His brother and the others were busy going in and out, and before they knew it, the afternoon had arrived.
Pulling peanuts was exhausting, so no one felt like cooking. They decided to order some stir-fried dishes from the canteen instead. The canteen had wild mushrooms today, so they ordered stir-fried mushrooms with meat, stir-fried bitter melon, and stir-fried eggplant, and requested a big pot of steamed rice.
When the canteen delivered the food, Xia Lu Nong saw his brother hand over a big bag of rice in exchange and immediately felt heartbroken.
In cat form, he had no rights.
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him but didn’t say anything. However, when it was time to eat, he casually scooped Xia Lu Nong up to join them at the table.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t like bitter melon much. Even in human form, he wasn’t fond of it, and in cat form, he disliked it even more. When his brother put a big helping of bitter melon on his plate, he disdainfully pushed it away with his paw pads.
His brother pushed it back, saying expressionlessly, “Eat it. It helps reduce heat.”
“Meow.” Xia Lu Nong nudged the bitter melon aside with his mouth, retreating with his paws. He wasn’t overheated—clearly, it was his brother who needed to eat more bitter melon.
Watching their interaction, Yan Xi Nian turned to the serious matter at hand and said, “People from the base want to trade for our peanuts to use as seeds. What do you all think?”
Since the peanuts were primarily grown by the Xia brothers, Yan Xi Nian was asking for their opinion.
Xia Huo Qu replied, “We can trade, but I don’t suggest giving away too many. The peanuts Xia Lu Nong grew haven’t been tested, so no one knows what they’ll be like when planted. If anyone swaps all their seeds for these, they might run into problems next year.”
“I agree,” Yan Xi Nian said. “So, should we let White Building get some seeds first and test them out?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded.
Yan Xi Nian looked over at Xia Lu Nong, who was still battling with the bitter melon.
Xia Lu Nong folded his paws and looked at Yan Xi Nian, giving a serious nod in agreement.
“Then, we need to figure out how to trade the seeds,” Yan Xi Nian said. “How do you want to do the exchange?”
Xia Huo Qu suggested, “Let’s go with the deal they proposed—one pound of our peanuts for three pounds of theirs. We’ll also set a limit: each family can only trade for ten pounds. White Building’s group can have a bit more—we can give them up to fifty pounds.”
Considering how special Xia Lu Nong’s peanuts were, trading them with other bases at a ratio of one pound for ten wouldn’t be unreasonable. The fact that they were offering a one-to-three trade within their own base was Xia Huo Qu’s way of being generous.
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “Alright, one pound for three. I’ll put out an announcement.”
“And tell them the trade ends when we run out.”
Yan Xi Nian chuckled. “I know.”
He quickly posted the announcement. It explained the unique nature of the peanuts grown by Xia Lu Nong and warned that if anyone used these as seeds, they should be prepared for the possibility of further mutations—potentially negative ones.
Many people had seen the Xia family harvesting peanuts, so word had already spread around the base. However, the public wasn’t too concerned about the warning of mutations; they were more envious of how large and abundant the Xia family’s peanut crop was.
“Just two plots of land! They harvested over 900 pounds of peanuts from two plots—can you believe it?”
“I thought it was a joke! Does that mean you could get around 5,000 pounds of peanuts from an acre?”
“5,000 is a bit much, but I’m not greedy. If I can get 3,000 pounds from an acre next year, I’ll be more than satisfied.”
“Same here. I’m planning to plant half an acre next year. If I can harvest a thousand pounds, I’ll be able to eat oil to my heart’s content!”
Each evening, the people in the base gathered in the small square, and this was the main topic of conversation. The Xia family’s peanut harvest was the most exciting news in the base.
One night, Xia Lu Nong snuck out to listen in, but unfortunately, everyone was either eating or smoking, which wasn’t very friendly for a cat.
“Three pounds of peanuts for one pound from the Xia family is actually a good deal. I’m going to use my quota and my cousin’s to trade as much as I can.”
“Didn’t Vice Captain Xia say the seeds are unstable? Maybe it’s not a good idea to take too many for planting.”
“Well, it’s a new crop. Of course, Vice Captain Xia won’t make any promises. He’s just being cautious.”
“I think the same way. Fortune favors the bold. If I don’t try these high-yield peanuts, I’ll just end up planting my own shriveled seeds.”
“No rush. We can’t plant peanuts until next year anyway. White Building’s team also got some to test out, so we’ll see the results before deciding.”
After the announcement, Xia Huo Qu gave everyone two days to think it over before officially starting the seed trade on August 1st.
People had been eagerly waiting, and on the morning of the 1st, before the sky was fully light, a crowd was already gathered in front of Xia Lu Nong’s house, each person holding a basket of peanuts.
Hearing the commotion, Xia Huo Qu stepped out of Yan Xi Nian’s house.
The base residents were momentarily surprised upon seeing him but quickly greeted him.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Please wait a moment.”
“Of course, Vice Captain Xia. No rush.”
“Vice Captain Xia, do you have a scale? If not, I can bring one over.”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “We have one. We prepared everything last night.”
As he spoke, he knocked on the door to remind those inside.
Kong Zhi, hearing the noise outside, came out to open the door.
Both men weren’t used to dealing with crowds, but their presence was so commanding that the base residents felt a bit tense standing near them.
Xia Huo Qu asked Kong Zhi to handle weighing the peanuts, while he sat nearby with a notebook to record the transactions.
Soon, Xia the cat woke up and saw the living room crowded with layers of people, unable to offer any help. He could only squat on the table and watch to see if his brother made any mistakes in the registration process.
Fortunately, Yan Xi Nian arrived shortly after, and under his guidance, everyone orderly exchanged 880 pounds of peanuts, leaving 37 pounds for their own use as seeds.
The 880 pounds of peanuts quickly turned into 2,640 pounds in trade, filling the living room to the point where people could barely move.
The entire room was filled with the rich scent of peanuts.
When the base residents came to exchange peanuts, they were particularly selective, and most of the peanuts they brought were large and round.
Yan Xi Nian casually grabbed a handful of peanuts from one of the bags, cracked them open with a series of pops, and examined them carefully.
These peanuts weren’t as full as the ones from Xia Lu Nong’s crop. When cracked open, the peanuts inside were noticeably shriveled and tasted less flavorful.
After tasting two, Yan Xi Nian tried another bag, but the peanuts inside were the same—shriveled, bland, with thick shells and small kernels.
Looking at the peanuts in his palm, Yan Xi Nian sighed silently. “It seems this year’s harvest isn’t looking too promising.”
Xia Huo Qu responded calmly, “This was the base’s first year planting peanuts, so there’s not much experience. Once White Building’s team releases the analysis and a planting guide, next year should be better.”
Yan Xi Nian wondered aloud, “I wonder if Xia Lu Nong’s peanuts, grown with his powers, can pass on their traits stably? It would be great if they could.”
Xia Huo Qu was unfazed, “Leave that to the scientists at White Building. There’s no point in worrying about it.”
Yan Xi Nian tossed two more peanuts into his mouth and sighed, “You’re right about that.”
After eating a few more peanuts, Yan Xi Nian said, “Since the weather’s good, should we take the peanuts to the river and give them a wash?”
The peanuts brought by the base residents were freshly harvested, still covered in dirt and sun-dried. If they were to be used as seeds, they could be bagged and hung from the rafters as is.
However, since these peanuts were destined to be pressed for oil, they needed to be washed. Otherwise, the oil would be filled with mud, making it inedible.
Xia Huo Qu glanced over and said, “Let’s go today. With the good weather, we should wash and dry them quickly.”
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Are we washing them outside?”
There was a canal that ran through the base, but it was difficult to wash peanuts there because the water was only released at fixed times due to the hydroelectric station. Plus, with 2,640 pounds of peanuts to wash, it would be quite the chore, requiring trips back and forth.
After thinking for a moment, Xia Huo Qu agreed, “Alright, let’s load them up on a truck and take them outside to wash. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can bring them back.”
“I’ll go arrange for a truck. It’ll be at the door soon, so you all prepare to load up the peanuts.”
Neither Xia Huo Qu nor Kong Zhi had any objections.
Xia the cat meowed at their feet, wanting to express his opinion, but his brother pushed him back down.
Xia Lu Nong was now deeply regretting overusing his powers. If he hadn’t overdone it, his brother wouldn’t be so annoyed with him, and he wouldn’t be living in such misery, losing even his basic rights.
Life without any autonomy was too hard—meow.
Xia the cat’s emerald eyes were full of melancholy as he walked over to Kong Zhi, clawing at his pants and quickly climbing up onto his shoulder.
Kong Zhi casually scooped the cat into his arms.
Xia the cat wanted to go outside too, but his brother originally forbade him. It wasn’t until Kong Zhi spoke up on his behalf that his brother reluctantly allowed him to go out and play.
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong called from the sofa, watching as his brother and Kong Zhi carried the peanuts out one basket at a time.
The 2,640 pounds of peanuts took 33 trips in total, and after more than ten runs, they finally loaded all the peanuts onto the truck.
Watching his brother and Kong Zhi, their clothes soaked with sweat and foreheads glistening, Xia Lu Nong felt uncomfortable.
Once everything was loaded, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu drove the truck, while Xia the cat and Kong Zhi sat in the truck bed, surrounded by the peanuts.
Sleeping on the peanuts wasn’t bad. The gentle swaying of the truck soon lulled Xia the cat to sleep.
When they reached their destination, it was Kong Zhi who woke him up. “Get ready to wash the peanuts.”
“Meow,” Xia the cat poked his head out from the pile of peanuts to look around.
His brother and Yan Xi Nian had already gotten out of the truck and were cautiously scouting the area. Once they confirmed there were no large wild animals nearby, they returned to the truck to start unloading the peanuts.
After surveying the surroundings, Xia Huo Qu said cautiously, “We’ll take turns washing the peanuts while one person keeps watch.”
Kong Zhi volunteered, “I’ll keep watch first. You and brother Yan can start washing.”
Xia Huo Qu agreed, “That works.”
Kong Zhi got out of the truck, and while Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu began unloading the peanuts, he held Xia the cat in his arms, keeping watch nearby.
The sun was scorching in the wilderness, and a strange mix of scents rose from the ground, creating an odd smell.
Poking his head out from Kong Zhi’s arms, Xia the cat sniffed the air, recognizing the scent—it was oddly familiar.
He wriggled his pink nose, trying to identify the smell. It was… ants?
