Chapter 83: Peaches
With the pigs settled in a borrowed pigpen, Xia Lu Nong suggested they build one of their own.
Yan Xi Nian said, “We’ll definitely need to build a pigpen. The question is, what kind of pigpen do you want?”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “If we’re building one, it should be sturdy. I think a brick house would be better than a bamboo shelter.”
Yan Xi Nian looked at Xia Huo Qu for his opinion.
Xia Huo Qu agreed, “I think Xiaonong’s right. Let’s build a brick house.”
Kong Zhi added, “Bamboo shelters are too fragile and need constant repairs.”
Yan Xi Nian said, “Alright then, we’ll build a brick house. The base doesn’t have bricks right now, so we’ll need to place an order with the property management office and see if any scavenging teams can bring us some.”
It wasn’t hard to find bricks outside, as the area was full of ruins. The challenge was transporting them back.
The group placed an order with the property management office and waited for news from the scavengers.
Peanuts still needed a few more days to dry, so after lunch, Xia Lu Nong decided to go work in the fields.
They had just finished harvesting the peanuts and removing the bean vines, so now it was time to till the soil and plant other vegetables.
Kong Zhi offered to join him in the field. Xia Lu Nong asked, “Don’t you need to go to the rice fields?”
“I’ll go tomorrow. Today, I’ll help you till the soil.”
“Alright, then I’ll go with you to the rice fields tomorrow.”
In the height of summer, some families were picking tobacco leaves while others were harvesting mid-season rice.
The sound of threshing machines echoed across the fields as people worked under the sun, their sweat mixing with the various scents, creating the essence of summer.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi were busy in the field, feeling the heat as they worked.
Xia Lu Nong took off his straw hat, stood up, and used it to fan himself while stretching his back.
Most people would take a smoke break to relax, but since neither of them smoked, they just sat and caught their breath.
Xia Lu Nong looked up at the clear blue sky and the large, fluffy clouds and said, “While the weather’s good, let’s pick the chilies and dry them.”
“Sure, we can do that later.”
“And the tomatoes. Since the base has too many tomato-chili cakes, we might as well dry some tomatoes.”
“Let’s also dry some winter melon.”
“Yeah, and we can save the winter melon skins for winter melon tea.”
The two chatted casually as they worked, eventually returning to tilling the soil.
When they harvested the peanuts earlier, they had been thorough, but as they tilled the soil again, they found more peanuts left behind.
Xia Lu Nong gathered the missed peanuts into a pile to take home later.
Tilling was a meticulous task. The two worked the whole afternoon and finally finished preparing the bean and peanut fields for new crops.
When they finished, it was already dark.
Xia Lu Nong straightened up and massaged his lower back. “Let’s call it a day. We’ll come back tomorrow. There’s no way we’ll finish tonight.”
“Let’s at least scatter the seeds first; it won’t take long,” Kong Zhi said, giving him a gentle push. “You take a break on the side. I’ll scatter the seeds.”
Xia Lu Nong stretched, hearing a crack from his waist. He sighed, “Never mind, let’s do it together. We’ll finish faster that way. I’ll scatter the seeds, and you cover them with soil.”
Kong Zhi nodded and used the hoe to level the vegetable bed.
Xia Lu Nong evenly scattered the seeds across the bed, leaving them spread out sparsely.
Once the seeds were scattered, Kong Zhi went to the nearby canal to fetch water, soaking the seeds they had just planted. Then, he covered them with a layer of dry soil to prevent the sun from burning the seeds the next day.
By the time all the seeds were planted, watered, and covered with soil, the sky had turned completely dark, and the moon had risen.
The moonlight was quite bright that night, illuminating the land enough for them to see clearly.
Xia Lu Nong straightened up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and stood in the middle of the field. He activated his ability.
Every time he used his power, he felt as if something tangible was being released from his body, like a chemical substance seeping out of his pores and into the surrounding crops.
After using his ability, he always felt exhausted.
This time was no different. He was so tired that he leaned on his hips, not wanting to speak.
Kong Zhi placed their hoes into a bucket, along with the peanuts they had collected earlier, and then carried the bucket. “Let’s head home.”
“Alright.” Xia Lu Nong wiped off his sweat, walking slowly behind Kong Zhi, feeling the cool evening breeze.
Most of the other people working in the fields had already gone home, leaving the surroundings quiet and empty.
Only a few remained to monitor irrigation or those in beast form who had gone out to hunt at night.
When Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi finally got home, they were surprised to find the house completely dark, and even their neighbor, Yan Xi Nian’s house, was empty.
“They’re still not back?” Xia Lu Nong was puzzled. “Did something happen at the base?”
“We’ve been at the base all afternoon. If something had happened, we would’ve heard about it by now.”
“Then why aren’t they back yet?” Xia Lu Nong couldn’t think of any reason his brother and the others would stay out this late, even with the moon already up.
Kong Zhi suggested, “Let’s make dinner first. They’ll probably be back soon.”
“I’m going to take a bath first. I smell awful.”
Kong Zhi started a fire and heated some water for Xia Lu Nong to bathe.
After his bath, Xia Lu Nong cooked eggplant omelets, stir-fried chili with cured meat, tomato and winter melon soup, and steamed a large pot of rice.
Looking at the clock on the wall, it was already past nine, and neither his brother nor Yan Xi Nian had returned.
“What’s going on?” Xia Lu Nong, unable to remain calm any longer, said, “I’m going out to look for them.”
Kong Zhi grabbed a flashlight. “I’ll go with you.”
“Let’s first check the small square and see if anyone has seen them. It’s strange. If something happened, my brother would have left a note explaining the situation.”
The two of them took a flashlight and headed to the small square.
Most people who had come to cool off had already left. Xia Lu Nong found the last few people and asked them if they had seen his brother and the others.
It turned out they had. They told him that earlier, a few young people had gone outside the base in search of honey. Surprisingly, they had actually found some, but the bees were so large that they chased them in a panic. Two of them managed to escape and sell the information to the property management office, prompting a family to offer two thousand kilograms of rice as a reward for a team to go out and rescue the others.
The group spoke in disdain as they gossiped:
“Those kids are so reckless. We warned them about the danger, but they sneaked out anyway. Now look at the mess they’ve caused—costing their family a fortune in grain, and who knows if they’ll even make it back safely.”
“Exactly. Young people think they know everything. Sure, there are good things out there, but you’ve got to be alive to bring them back.”
“Yeah, poor families. Losing all that grain means months of hard work down the drain.”
Xia Lu Nong frowned. “Didn’t they commission the property management office? Why did my brother and the others go out?”
“Captain Yan was interested and volunteered to go along.”
“Don’t worry, Xiao Nong. Your brother and Captain Yan are top-notch. If they went, they must be confident.”
“Yeah, Captain Yan led the team, and Old Liu and Dr. Ou went with them. Nothing will happen.”
“That’s right. I bet they’ll be back soon.”
Xia Lu Nong thanked them and headed home with Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi reassured him, “Huo Qu and the others know what they’re doing. They’ll be fine.”
“I know. If they run fast enough, the bees won’t catch them,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “I just wish my beast form was more of a predator.”
Kong Zhi said, “If you were a predator, you probably wouldn’t have your special ability. Your power is pretty useful—lots of people at the base envy you.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
They didn’t have to wait long. A little after ten, Xia Lu Nong heard movement outside. He quickly opened the door and ran out to see what was happening.
From a distance, he could see a group of beastmen running down the mountain, led by two white figures—a tiger and a wolf.
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Bro——ther!!!”
The white wolf clearly heard him and suddenly changed direction, running toward them, while the white tiger continued to lead the group toward the small square.
Xia Lu Nong ran out to meet his brother, who quickly reached their doorstep.
It was only then that Xia Lu Nong noticed his brother was carrying a large, heavy bundle in his mouth.
Rushing over, Xia Lu Nong asked, “Brother! Are you okay?!”
Xia Huo Qu dropped the bundle, rolled onto the ground, and shifted back into human form. After retrieving his clothes from the bundle and putting them on, he panted, “I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt. Neither was Yan Xi Nian. We were in a hurry this afternoon and didn’t have time to tell you. We also didn’t expect it to take this long.”
“Glad to hear you’re all okay. What about the young people?”
“They’re fine, just minor injuries. With Dr. Ou around, there’s no major issue.”
Xia Lu Nong let out a sigh of relief and finally had a moment to look at the package.
When he opened it, he found it was full of peaches.
These peaches were as big as grapefruits, with pale pink skin and a blush of red at the tip, giving off a rich, sweet peach fragrance.
Xia Lu Nong was surprised. He brought one close to his nose and took a deep breath. “Why are there so many peaches?”
“They found the bees in a peach orchard. Before the disaster, it was probably a fruit farm. We went there to rescue people and picked some peaches on the way back.”
“Is the orchard far from the base?”
“Not close, at least 60 to 70 kilometers.”
Xia Lu Nong took a sharp breath and, along with Kong Zhi, carried the peaches home, asking as they walked, “How did they find it so far away?”
“They said they followed the bees and eventually found the hive,” Xia Huo Qu said. “They were lucky, but they’re not very skilled yet.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “We didn’t dare touch the bees. They tried to smoke the hive but didn’t do it right, angering the bees. It’ll be a while before we can go back for the hive.”
Xia Lu Nong handed his brother a glass of honey water and said, “It’s better to play it safe.”
As they were talking, Yan Xi Nian came in, slumping onto the sofa.
Xia Lu Nong noticed his lips were dry and chapped, so he quickly brought him a glass of honey water. “Brother Xi Nian, have some water.”
Yan Xi Nian gulped it down in one go, and after catching his breath, he said, “Thanks.”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head and said, “I’ll bring the food out.”
“Great,” Yan Xi Nian stretched and said, “Coming home to a meal is such a luxury. If only the young people at the base were like you and Kong Zhi, we’d have it much easier.”
The conversation turned back to the recent incident. Xia Lu Nong asked, “So the families of those who got into trouble today really gave up 2,000 kilos of rice?”
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “Yep, actions have consequences.”
“And they could all manage to provide 2,000 kilos of rice?”
“Maybe not right away, so they’ll owe it for now,” Yan Xi Nian said. “They’re all beast folk, so they’ll have to work hard to gather supplies for a while. And, funny enough, there’s someone we know among them.”
“Who?”
“Yan Ning Wang,” Yan Xi Nian replied. “He’s the guy who traded cigarettes for half a pound of honey.”
