Chapter 182: Harvest, Busy Days on the Farm

(from ""Restarting the Farm at the End of the World"")

In her previous life, Bian Changxi had never felt as carefree and above it all as she did now. Back then, she’d suffered a lot because of the water plant, always hoping someone would open a rival plant and put the base’s monopoly out of business.

Sure enough, not long after, someone actually did just that. With competition, water prices finally stabilized—they no longer spiked at a whim, and water shortages became less frequent.

Once the first private water plant appeared, a second soon followed. Previously, everyone had been intimidated by the base’s authority, but once the precedent was set, things got easier. Water plants, ice factories, power stations run by fire-type abilities, and brick-and-cement factories built by earth-type users all sprang up. It was as if people’s minds suddenly opened up, and everyone started down the path of entrepreneurship.

But because Su City Base had such a short history, these industries were just getting off the ground when the city-state was wiped out by a zombie beast horde. Later bases, though, all adopted these innovations.

Bian Changxi felt that Jiangcheng Group had plenty of people, but still too few industries. Many people were forced to go out and fight monsters. Some professionals could only make a difference by sitting in an office and using their brains, while some muscle-bound men and ability users could only do physical work, but there weren’t enough production lines for them to contribute. Instead, they were bogged down by daily chores—a huge waste of resources.

After Chen Yisha’s trouble came up, Bian Changxi thought long and hard. Once her mind landed on the idea of a water plant, her thoughts branched out to all sorts of possibilities. Today’s outing was partly to survey things in person and refine her ideas. Succeeding on a grand scale was Gu Xu’s job—only he could make it happen.

If they succeeded, Jiangcheng Group, as the first to take the plunge, would reap endless benefits. With the collective growing stronger and wealthier, those at the top—like her—would finally have no worries, truly able to put down roots.

They’d just about finished their inspection when Zhao An’an suddenly approached from the shadows. “Something’s up.”

Bian Changxi nodded. The three of them left immediately. Moments later, a small squad rushed over. “Where are they?”

A nervous subordinate replied, “They left—just two minutes ago.”

“Damn it! Couldn’t you have stalled them a bit?”

The team leader was furious. He was from the Central Research Institute, and today’s mission was to bring Bian Changxi in on the commander’s orders. He’d figured going to Villa District One would be a headache, so when he heard Bian Changxi had been spotted on the street, he’d hoped to intercept her. With orders from above, he thought he could bring her in—what happened after that wasn’t his concern.

But even with all the rushing, he was still a step too late...

He turned on the area supervisor. “Why didn’t you stall her?”

The supervisor stretched lazily. “How could I dare? She’s got a black card. If she shouts, the Military Police will show up, and I’ll be the one in trouble.”

The so-called Military Police were formed by several top leaders working together, so their ranks weren’t pure—every faction was represented. While they maintained order in the base, they also divided up power. The deployment of the Military Police was, in a way, a reflection of the surface harmony and underlying rivalry between the bigwigs. Even if Zhuge Yunma himself showed up, he couldn’t guarantee the Military Police would obey him. That’s why the supervisor said what he did—they might not cooperate with the research institute’s people.

Anyone who could say such things clearly wasn’t from Zhuge Yunma’s faction. In fact, he was loyal to Ge Jianhua.

Back when this area was still barren, Hu Aiquan had applied to build a modern military base here. Xu Chang, through Qu Shangjin and the Su family, had pulled some strings and taken it for himself. Zhuge Yunma, not wanting his deputy to develop too quickly, happened to be planning a trade hub, so he rezoned the surrounding streets, turning what could have been an independent development into a busy, vital thoroughfare.

Then the base requisitioned the land and built a bank and an auction house. Since these were public assets, they needed security and management. The Ge faction was always neutral, so the job fell to them. The rest of the land seemed to be under Xu Chang’s control, but in reality, it was a three-way standoff.

Zhuge Yunma was always good at balancing power, but he probably hadn’t expected Ge Jianhua to get into trouble—and then be cured by Bian Changxi under Gu Xu’s command. Since the Ge faction got this news earlier today, their stance had started to shift. That’s why Bian Changxi got such attentive service from the supervisor—he’d quietly let her leave without interference.

What no one expected was that soon, the three-way balance would be broken, and a fourth force would rise rapidly and powerfully.

Bian Changxi walked into the villa. Before she could check if a certain someone was back yet, a fat cat pounced on her face.

“Meow, meow, mrrrow...” Milk protested loudly. She hadn’t taken him out last night, and now she’d left him behind again today. Outrageous!

Bian Changxi pulled him off her face and glared. If he wasn’t so clean and dry, she’d have given him a smack. This little guy was getting more and more spoiled!

Holding Milk, her hair a mess, she sneaked inside. Aunt Zhao came out of the kitchen. “Xiao Xi, you’re back. Want something to eat?”

“Uh, is Gu Xu back yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“Oh.” Bian Changxi couldn’t deny she felt a bit relieved, but then realized her attitude was off. She straightened up and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not hungry. I’ll head upstairs first.”

Back in her room, she locked the door and, as usual, entered her farm space.

Looking at the vibrant farm, she sighed. So far, the farm hadn’t been of much use. The crops didn’t even grow as fast as the ones she tended outside. Its main functions were storage and the creek water. Honestly, she felt a little let down.

She’d risked so much to develop this farm and pasture, and in her past life, reborn people had fought over it with greed. Yet in her hands, it hadn’t been put to great use.

Grumbling to herself, she changed into a bat-sleeved shirt, grabbed a small sickle, and happily started harvesting the ripe crops.

Oilseed lettuce, bok choy, chives, water spinach—these fast-growing veggies, once mature in the rich black soil, could stay fresh for a while, but would eventually overripen or rot and take up space. Harvesting and storing them in the warehouse was the best way to keep them.

Food wasn’t scarce now, but thinking of the long journey to the capital ahead, she figured it was better to stock up. Having food on hand meant peace of mind. Relying on dwindling industrial rations was no match for growing a steady supply of vegetables and fruit.

She harvested everything she could, leaving the roots in the soil so they could regrow—no need to replant. She tidied up the pea trellis, now blooming with white and purple flowers. The loofah and melon vines had climbed halfway up their frames. She dug around the sweet potatoes and peanuts, checked on the squat strawberry plants already bearing tiny red fruit. Milk scampered around, occasionally flopping down to watch her work.

After finishing up on the farm, she checked on the fluffy chicks. They were growing fast, which made her happy. She rummaged through the warehouse and found a few bags of chicken feed. Setting up the solar cooker, she poured in creek water and cooked a big pot of rice. Mixing the feed, rice, oats, corn, and veggie leaves into a big bucket of mash, she fed part of it to the chicks and set the rest aside for later.

If anyone knew how she fed her chickens, they’d call it a terrible waste. Food was so precious now—many people barely got enough to eat. Even the base’s few livestock farmers fed their chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep only straw, weeds, and husks. Their animals were scrawny, and only the elite could afford such “luxury” foods.

Only Bian Changxi was so extravagant.

She waited by the chicken coop, keeping an eye on a few particularly aggressive adult hens. With a flick of her vine ability, she tied them up and carried them down to the creek. Setting up a board, knife, basin, and bowls, she began the chicken-slaughtering operation. The chickens’ squawks echoed far and wide.

Bian Changxi let out a breath. Killing chickens was harder than killing zombies, but seeing the plucked, white chickens filled her with a sense of harvest joy.

She hadn’t eaten yet, but as an ability user, she could go longer without food. Now, though, looking at the chickens, her appetite was roused.

On a whim, she added angelica, goji berries, peanuts, and other ingredients, and set an old hen to stew on the electric cooker. Barefoot, she ran to the creek to catch fish and shrimp. The fish and shrimp were now plump and plentiful—the creek kept their numbers in check, and the current density was just right. The only pity was the lack of variety.

She caught a fish—looked like a snakehead—and a bowl of big shrimp. After rummaging in the warehouse, she found a few boxes of tofu that hadn’t expired and made a pot of fish and tofu soup. The shrimp she simply steamed and dipped in vinegar—her cooking was basic, but this way preserved the original flavors.

Later, she’d blanch some bok choy, pick a few strawberries—this simple meal would be plenty rich. She’d saved a bit of rice from the big pot for herself, just enough for a casual meal.

Seeing the chicken and fish soup weren’t ready yet, she patted Milk, who was circling the pot hungrily. “Keep an eye on the fire.”

She herself ran to the fruit trees by the creek. The saplings were only knee-high, tender and fragile, their species still hard to tell. Standing a few steps away, she crouched down, touched the soil, and sent her ability into the earth, splitting it into several streams that wrapped around the roots of a few trees and merged into them.

In the soft sunlight, five or six delicate saplings all swayed left twice, right twice, wiggled, nodded, and shook their leaves—as if dancing.

Thanks to ""Little Bug 07"" for the pink ticket!

Thanks to ""Sleeping Dog 11"" for the pink ticket!

Thanks to ""A Light Year Away in the Sea of Stars"" for the pink ticket!

Thanks to ""muluoxi2009"" for the pink ticket!

Thanks to ""lyy007"" for two pink tickets!"