After five clear, sunny days following the Harmful Rain, the temperature quickly rose, and the Harmful Element content in Blue Star’s atmosphere dropped to normal levels. Once the Harmful Elements in the soil had also mostly evaporated, Xiaqing began to prepare for sowing.
She used these five days to clear the weeds and Poisonous Insects from the three villages and also pulled out all the Qiang Evolved Grass in the thirty-mu plot of the most fertile, level land near the reservoir. Of course, she only pulled out the Evolution Grass that had grown wildly during the Harmful Rain; she hadn’t gotten around to the sparse seedlings of regular grass growing underneath. Besides what had been nibbled by the Sheep Leader, the rest of this grass was still there.
However, Xiaqing decided not to clear it and to start plowing directly. She stood at the edge of the field, pulled out a cluster of Asparagus Chrysanthemum, shook it, and yelled, "Leader—want some Asparagus Chrysanthemum?"
The Sheep Leader, which was chewing grass in the field, immediately rushed over. As it buried its head to eat, Xiaqing took the opportunity to put a special plowing harness on it. Xiaqing had made this harness based on the design of a vest-style dog leash, ensuring the Sheep Leader couldn’t break free or be hurt by it.
After the equipment was on, Xiaqing swiveled a bamboo pole attached to the mechanical plow. The pole, with a cluster of Asparagus Chrysanthemum hanging from it, began to swing in front of the Sheep Leader’s head. Because of the language barrier, Xiaqing and the Sheep Leader had only two ways to communicate: food and fighting.
Xiaqing hung the bait and shouted, "Leader, your time to shine has finally come! Let’s get to work!"
The Sheep Leader finished the Asparagus Chrysanthemum on the ground and stretched its neck to eat the one in front of it, only to find it couldn’t reach. It stepped forward to get the Asparagus Chrysanthemum, but the Asparagus Chrysanthemum also moved forward. Unconvinced, the Sheep Leader kept trying to reach it. The ropes on its harness tightened, and the three plowshares dug deep into the soil. Xiaqing gripped the handles of the mechanical plow and began to till the land.
This three-share mechanical plow was probably meant to be pulled by a tractor; it didn’t have handles. After Xiaqing dug it out from the village ruins, she modified and repeatedly adjusted it, turning it into the current sheep-drawn plow.
The Sheep Leader easily pulled the plow from one end of the field to the other. Xiaqing jerked the bamboo pole back, bringing a cluster of Asparagus Chrysanthemum to the Sheep Leader’s mouth. While the Sheep Leader stopped to eat the treat, Xiaqing quickly moved the sheep-drawn plow to turn it around. She then hung another cluster of Asparagus Chrysanthemum, and the Sheep Leader pulled the plow from one end of the field back to the other.
One round trip, and a strip of land one and a half meters wide and two hundred meters long was plowed!
Another pass, and nearly a mu of land was finished. This was so much faster than Xiaqing turning the soil one shovelful at a time. She was so happy she couldn’t stop grinning.
When the Sheep Leader had its fill of Asparagus Chrysanthemum and was about to throw a tantrum and go on strike, Xiaqing switched the bait.
A small piece of a ration block was dangled in front of it, and the Sheep Leader’s motivation multiplied again and again. It plowed all thirty mu of land in just over an hour, consuming one ration block and a handful of Asparagus Chrysanthemum.
Xiaqing removed the harness from her great hero, then treated it to water and a good brushing. Well-fed and content from the pampering, the Sheep Leader lay down at the edge of the field to rest, its eyes half-closed as it watched Xiaqing continue to work with great arrogance.
After clearing away the tree roots, grass roots, and rocks churned up by the plowing, Xiaqing stood up and watched the magpies, sparrows, and crows landing on the tilled earth to dig for insects. She was in a wonderful mood.
’The birds will eat the insects in the soil, allowing my crops to grow better. The first day of work after the Harmful Rain has gone so smoothly—a bountiful harvest is in sight!’
But that night, when she heard a radio broadcast explaining that birds not only eat insects but also dig up and eat seeds from the soil, Xiaqing’s good mood vanished.
Immediately after, the broadcast introduced countermeasures. "The experts at our base’s Planting Research Center recommend two methods for all you Lords: First, mix the seeds with Insect Repellent Powder before sowing. This method not only repels birds but also prevents evolved pests in the soil from damaging the seeds. Second, use the juice from Level 3 scent-evolved cinnamon or camphor trees, diluted with water at a one-to-ten ratio, and spray it on the seeded plot. This method can effectively drive away most birds. Using both methods together is even more effective. The experts remind all Lords not to take shortcuts by simply scattering seeds on the surface. The ideal sowing depth for wheat is three to five centimeters, with a row spacing of... For cotton... To improve the germination rate, you can soak the seeds overnight, but you must control the water temperature..."
Xiaqing leaned over the table, taking careful notes by candlelight.
Before the Natural Disaster, Hua Country’s urbanization rate had already exceeded seventy percent, and most of its arable land was managed by large, specialized farms. In the ten years since the Natural Disaster, the elderly who knew how to farm but had low resistance gradually died off. Most of the territory Lords didn’t know how to farm. Therefore, even though the phones issued to the Lords contained the Planting Guide, the base still broadcasted detailed planting knowledge every day, never tiring of the repetition.
Xiaqing had worked at the Safe Area Planting Center, so she understood the basic farming process, but she didn’t dare to be careless. The Planting Center grew crops inside rainproof greenhouses; now, she was planting in the open.
After the Harmful Rain, the explosive growth of Qiang Evolved Plants severed transportation between the Safe Zone and the territories. Xiaqing’s two power banks couldn’t be recharged in time, so she had to prioritize saving enough power to listen to the daily broadcast. Her phone was reserved for making calls, and she avoided looking at the Planting Guide whenever possible to conserve electricity.
’After I finish sowing, I absolutely have to find a way to get some solar panels.’
Xiaqing put away her notebook and sat on the tatami mat, petting the sheep while thinking about the news from the broadcast.
’It’s been five days, and the Hui San Base broadcast still hasn’t mentioned the death toll from this Harmful Rain. I conservatively estimate it has to be over seven thousand.’
Although they didn’t report specific casualty numbers, the announcer would emotionally recount moving stories every day. Today’s story was about the heroic deeds of the Su Feng Team, who sacrificed six members to repel an "evil force" in order to protect public facilities and property.
’Xiaqing guessed that Feng Teng must have been among the six. That would explain why Feng Wen was crying so heartbrokenly on the phone with Zhong Tao.’
’As for the cause of Feng Teng’s death, it definitely wasn’t for the reason the broadcast gave. After all, when Feng Teng encountered danger, he ran faster than anyone.’
’Who was this "evil force" mentioned in the broadcast? Where did they get the nerve to confront the Su Feng Team and their backer, the base’s second-in-command, Tang Zhengrong?’
Before Xiaqing could figure it out, the Sheep Leader stood up and expertly opened the door to go outside. Over the past few days, the Sheep Leader had learned to open and close the door with its hooves, so the main entrance was secure again.
Xiaqing stopped thinking about Feng Wen’s situation, got up, and took out her seeds to soak them according to the method taught on the radio. She used filtered water for one half and higher-quality mountain spring water for the other.
Back in the Safe Zone, Xiaqing, like most people, grew vegetables in flowerpots. Although she tended to them diligently, most of the vegetables would grow uncontrollably during the Harmful Rain, leaving very little to actually eat. However, after she transplanted the ginger and garlic seedlings to her territory, only three out of seventeen seedlings underwent Qiang Evolution after a red Harmful Rain. This rate of Qiang Evolution was even lower than in the greenhouses of the Safe Area Planting Center.
After some analysis, Xiaqing figured the low rate of Qiang Evolution was eighty percent due to her watering the transplants with mountain spring water and twenty percent due to the better soil here. For the sake of both verification and safety, Xiaqing cautiously decided to use both types of water.
The seeds soaked in filtered water would be planted in the thirty-mu plowed field, while the ones soaked in mountain spring water would be planted in the plot she had tilled once before the Harmful Rain and once again after.
To ensure the water temperature remained between 30°C and 40°C, Xiaqing, lacking any temperature-control equipment, simply used her own body to gauge the temperature, barely sleeping the entire night.