Chapter 85: Stomach
After the heavy rain, the weather cooled down.
When Xia Lu Nong woke up, he put on a T-shirt and went outside to brush his teeth. As he brushed halfway, the wind blew, raising goosebumps on his arm.
When the wind brushed over his scalp, he shivered even more, and the water in his hand wobbled, spilling a bit.
Xia Huo Qu looked at him, “Go put on a jacket.”
“Ah, okay.” Xia Lu Nong hurriedly finished brushing his teeth, ran back to his room, and put on a light jacket. He touched his head and said, “Having a buzz cut is really cold.”
“Then grow it out a bit.”
As Xia Huo Qu spoke, he flipped over the peanuts spread out on the ground. He grabbed a few, gently cracked them open, and examined them closely.
The peanuts, which had gotten rained on the previous night, were now dry on the outside. However, when he cracked them open, the pink peanuts inside had small, white sprouts at the tips.
Xia Huo Qu’s face darkened as he cracked open a few more peanuts, all showing the same signs.
Xia Lu Nong leaned over to look, “Did they really sprout?”
“Yeah.”
Xia Huo Qu checked the peanuts in the baskets as well.
Those peanuts were dry and in good condition.
Only the half load of peanuts that had gotten wet in the rain the previous day had started to sprout.
Xia Lu Nong grabbed a handful and asked, “So what should we do with these peanuts? I’ve heard sprouted peanuts can still be used to make oil.”
“The oil they make isn’t good.” Xia Huo Qu frowned. “Let me think about it.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at the peanuts in his hand and suddenly said, “How about planting them again?”
“Hmm?”
Xia Lu Nong explained, “It might still be early enough in the season to harvest another batch.”
“The temperature during the peanut-growing period needs to be at least in the teens (Celsius). Planting now would be too late.”
Xia Lu Nong muttered, “But I have powers, right?”
“You overused your powers last month.” Xia Huo Qu immediately rejected the idea. “It’s not that many peanuts anyway. We can just take them to the market and trade them for something else.”
It was true there weren’t many peanuts.
Xia Lu Nong looked disappointed.
After breakfast, Xia Huo Qu and Kong Zhi needed to check the situation outside the base, especially after the heavy rain, to see if the mutated plants and animals were acting up.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi were going to the fields to check on the vegetables they had planted the day before.
It was still raining lightly, so they both put on straw hats, rolled up their pants, slipped on sandals, and carried hoes as they slowly walked to the fields.
The paths around the base were all dirt roads, so with the rain, everything was muddy. They walked carefully on the grass by the road to avoid the mud.
Xia Lu Nong’s calves got scratched and marked with red lines from all the different plants brushing against him.
The rain had come down hard, and the mountains on either side were covered in white mist. The hydropower station had opened its gates to release water, and the rumbling sound of water echoed throughout the base.
Xia Lu Nong turned his head to look at the hydropower station and suddenly said, “With all this rain, do you think the fish will come out?”
“Hmm?”
“Remember last time when we were washing peanuts, we saw fish in the river?” Xia Lu Nong said excitedly. “How about we go fishing later?”
“Let’s ask brother Huo Qu for his opinion.”
“Sure, we’ll ask when we get back!”
Xia Lu Nong quickened his pace, “Let’s hurry and check the fields. With all this rain, I wonder if the seeds got washed away. We might need to replant them.”
“We’ll know when we check.”
The two of them hurried to the fields.
The ditches were filled with water, especially the ones in the field, where the water reached Xia Lu Nong’s ankles. Branches and leaves soaked in the water made the area look messy.
Xia Lu Nong quickly dug a few drainage holes in the ridges to let the water flow out, then ran to check the seeds they had planted the day before.
Fortunately, because they had covered the seeds with soil, most of them hadn’t been washed away. Some had even sprouted small, green shoots, swaying slightly in the breeze.
Xia Lu Nong was relieved and went on to check the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
The branches of the tomato plants had been badly damaged by the rain, many of them broken.
Xia Lu Nong took a deep breath, “Tomato plants are really fragile.”
“Our tomato plants have grown too big,” Kong Zhi said as he propped up the broken branches with sticks. “If they were smaller, they’d handle the rain better.”
“That’s okay. I’d rather deal with cleaning up after every rain if it means the plants can grow bigger.”
Xia Lu Nong muttered as he propped up the branches with sticks and picked up the tomatoes that had fallen into the ditches.
Many of the tomatoes were half-ripe. Xia Lu Nong picked out a couple that were relatively red, washed them in the rainwater, took a bite, and then handed another to Kong Zhi.
The tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and other vegetables had been knocked down in large numbers. The two of them used a bucket from the field to collect them, planning to take them back later.
“Let’s go, we should check the wheat field and the rice paddy.”
“The rice paddy should be fine. Let’s check the wheat field first.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Wheat is susceptible to waterlogging, and by the time they arrived, most of the wheat in the field had fallen over.
The mutated wheat was in even worse condition, with mud and water covering the leaves, and many stalks were broken.
The two of them spent a long time in the field, trying to prop up one plant only to have another fall down.
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t expected the wheat field to be in such bad shape and sighed in frustration, hands on his hips. “So what do we do now?”
“Leave it. Let it grow naturally, there’s nothing else we can do.” Kong Zhi gave his shoulder a push. “Come on, there’s no use staring at this mess.”
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t willing to just leave it like that. After hesitating for a moment, he turned back and used his powers on the wheat.
His powers might help the wheat recover and grow upright again.
However, after using his powers, his face turned completely pale.
Kong Zhi sighed. “You should go home and rest. I’ll check the rice paddy by myself.”
“I’ll come with you. It’s not that far.”
Kong Zhi carried the bucket and followed behind him, noticing Xia Lu Nong’s pale complexion. “Turn into a cat, and I’ll carry you.”
“Huh?”
“Transform.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at him with uncertainty.
Kong Zhi tilted his head up. “If you don’t transform, you’re not coming.”
Xia Lu Nong was exhausted and didn’t really want to walk anyway, so he gave in to Kong Zhi’s insistence.
He took off his hat, removed his shirt, glanced at Kong Zhi, and transformed into a large, long-haired cat with a silver back and green eyes.
Kong Zhi bent down to pick him up, intending to place him on his shoulder. But after looking at him for a second, he said, “Did your animal form get bigger again?”
“Meow?” Xia the cat looked surprised, “Meow?”
Kong Zhi supported him with one hand and gestured with his other hand over his shoulder. “You used to be able to sit on my shoulder, but now you can’t.”
“Meow.”
He didn’t believe it.
Kong Zhi looked him in the eye, gently placed him on his shoulder, and let go.
The cat couldn’t balance on his shoulder at all!
Xia the cat didn’t even have time to react as his paws slipped, and he nearly fell off.
Instinctively, he dug his claws in, clutching onto Kong Zhi’s shirt for dear life. “Meow?!”
His animal form had really grown!
And it wasn’t just a little bigger!
Kong Zhi picked him up again, weighing him in his arms. “You’re around fifteen or sixteen pounds now.”
As he said this, Kong Zhi glanced at his belly.
Xia the cat looked down and realized that his belly had somehow started to bulge.
What?!
Xia the cat’s green eyes widened in shock.
He had gotten fat!
He had a belly!
And it was a big one!
He clearly had abs in his human form!
“Meow!”
He couldn’t believe it!
This belly must be fake!
Kong Zhi patted his smooth, glossy fur. “Let’s go.”
With one hand carrying a bucket of supplies and the other holding the cat, Kong Zhi headed up the hill to check the rice paddy.
Xia the cat, still dazed, lay limply in his arms.
There were fish in the rice paddy, and Kong Zhi had been diligent in setting up barriers to prevent them from escaping. Even after the heavy rain last night, the rice was mostly unaffected.
They only needed to drain a bit of water from the paddy now.
After tidying up the rice paddy, Kong Zhi took Xia the cat back home.
Xia the cat, feeling defeated by the state of the wheat and now by his own belly, lay listlessly on the sofa.
Kong Zhi prepared lunch.
When Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned from patrolling, they noticed something was off with Xia the cat.
Xia Huo Qu sat on the sofa and stroked his smooth back. “The wheat crop didn’t go well this time. We’ll just plant it again next season. No one can prevent natural disasters.”
“Meow.” Xia the cat buried his head under his paws, not wanting to respond.
Xia Huo Qu gently squeezed his soft pink paw. “Come on, let’s go have lunch.”
“Meow.” Xia the cat batted his brother’s hand away with his furry paw, for the first time, not interested in eating.
He had always been the good-looking one, often invited to model and act when he was younger.
As he grew older, he became not only the most handsome guy at his school but also one of the top in the entire university town.
Who could have imagined that now he had a belly?
Even if it was just in his animal form, a belly was still a belly!
It was humiliating!
“Meow.” Xia the cat curled up his paw, completely unwilling to meow anymore.
Sensing something was wrong, Xia Huo Qu asked Kong Zhi, “What’s going on?”
Kong Zhi brought out the food. “Xia Lu Nong’s animal form has grown again.”
“That’s normal. His body is getting stronger, so his animal form is bound to grow a bit.” Xia Huo Qu looked down. “Isn’t it great to have such an impressive animal form?”
“Meow!” Xia the cat continued to sulk.
He wasn’t just bigger, he was fat.
Kong Zhi squatted down on the other side and scratched his head. “I didn’t say you were fat.”
Xia the cat lifted his head. “Meow!”
That meaningful look you gave me earlier sure didn’t seem like you weren’t calling me fat!
Xia Huo Qu finally understood the issue. He looked down and said, “You’re covered in fur. How could you be fat?”
“Meow.”
Xia the cat looked down at his belly again.
He was so chubby that he didn’t even want to return to his human form.
Following the cat’s gaze, Xia Huo Qu looked at his belly and gently rubbed the soft fur. “Your belly isn’t fat at all.”
Yan Xi Nian, who seldom witnessed Xia the cat showing his belly, came over to pet him and laughed, “Exactly, it feels so nice! How could you be fat?”
“Meow!”
Stop lying! Did you rub my belly?!
Perhaps Xia Huo Qu quickly understood his brother’s mournful expression. He pinched the soft fur on Xia the cat’s belly and lifted a small fold. “You mean this?”
“Meow.”
Xia Huo Qu released the small roll of flesh and asked, “Do you know cats have a unique organ called a primordial pouch? That’s what this is.”
“Meow?” Xia the cat’s sweet face showed a doubtful expression as he looked down at his belly, then back at his brother.
He was well-read, but could this really be true?
Yan Xi Nian laughed. “So that’s why you were so upset? If I had known, I’d have gotten you a few books on cat anatomy.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded in agreement and flicked the cat’s head lightly. “What goes on in that head of yours all day?”
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Thanks for the chapter! lol, silly kitten