Chapter 36: Escalation of Secret War and Guardian Alliance
# Chapter 36: Secret War Escalation and Guardian Alliance
As soon as the morning dew wet the leaves of the old varieties of crops, Uncle Li ran towards Chen Wang's house, his trouser legs stained with mud, his voice full of panic: "Xiao Wang! It's bad! The lock of the seed warehouse has been picked, and several bags of old varieties of seeds are missing!"
Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman had just finished their breakfast when they heard this and immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks and rushed to the warehouse. Pushing open the creaking wooden door, they saw tattered linen bags scattered on the ground. The neatly stacked "Star Pattern" tomato seeds and double-kernel walnut seeds were mostly empty. The surveillance camera in the corner had a broken lens, and the exposed wires were still emitting faint sparks, glaring in the morning light.
"It was Anderson's men who did it!" Lin Xiaoman squatted down, his fingertips running across the metal scratches on the sack—the scratches he made when he picked the lock. "They must have sneaked into the village last night, and their target was our seeds."
Chen Wang picked up a dark leather shoe print on the ground. The sole of the shoe was stained with the black soil unique to the spiritual plant field: "They not only stole the seeds, but also went to the base." The two of them ran quickly to the old variety base, and sure enough, they found new footprints under the old pear tree. The soil under the tree was turned upside down, and a few silver-white tree roots were exposed, with a withered gray-yellow color, as if they had been deliberately pulled.
"What a bunch of black-hearted people!" Uncle Li was so angry that he smashed his hoe on the ground, sparks flying. "I'll call the young men from the village and go to the town to stop them!"
"Don't go." Chen Wang held him back, his eyes as cold as ice. "They must have retreated long ago after they succeeded. Going to search now will only alert them. Besides, they dared to act so brazenly, maybe they have a backup plan."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Zhou, who was in charge of e-commerce, ran over, his phone clutched. His face was as white as paper. "Mr. Chen, Ms. Xiaoman! The internet is full of posts smearing us. They say our old varieties are genetically modified and will cause allergies. They even attached fake test reports!"
Lin Xiaoman snatched up her phone. The post on her screen had already topped the local trending search list, with a striking headline: "Qingxi Village's 'problematic crops' have entered the market, and consumers are experiencing allergic reactions after consuming them." The comment section was filled with messages such as "I'll never buy this again" and "Check their farm immediately!" One "consumer" even posted shocking photos of their swollen and red arms. To make matters worse, the e-commerce platform's backend was flooded with refund requests. Even the organic food chain they had partnered with for three years sent a message saying they were suspending their partnership pending "a thorough investigation."
"It's Anderson's doing!" Chen Wang punched the bamboo frame next to him, causing the strips to tremble. "They stole the seeds to copy our varieties, and spread rumors to destroy our sales. They're using both methods to completely destroy us!"
Lin Xiaoman took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "We have the official test report from the county agricultural science institute, and we have the villagers who have been growing the old varieties for decades as evidence. Now we need to compile the evidence and issue a clarification statement. We can't let them succeed."
But before they could turn on their computers, another shout came from the base: "Sister Xiaoman! It's bad! All the crops in the field are wilting, even Xiaochen's tomato seedling is almost dead!"
The two rushed over to take a look, and their hearts sank instantly - the new flower buds of the double-kernel walnut vine were all withered, and black spots were crawling along the vines; the leaves of the strawberry bed were rolled into tubes and fell off at the touch; the most distressing thing was Xiaochen's "star pattern" tomato seedlings, the leaves were falling down one by one, and the originally bright light yellow lines became dull. Xiaochen squatted beside, and his tears fell into the soil, making small holes in the soil.
"How could this happen?" Lin Xiaoman lay on the edge of the field, her fingertips stroking the dead leaves of the tomato seedlings, tears streaming down her face. "We clearly watered the roots with mugwort water yesterday, how could they still wither?"
Chen Wang suddenly noticed a light green sheen on the soil. He pinched some soil with his fingers and brought it up to his nose—a pungent chemical smell, not the inhibitor from before: "They've applied herbicide! It's targeted at the genes of our old varieties, specifically to destroy these seedlings!"
Just then, an agricultural expert arrived with two uniformed men. One of them flashed his ID and said, "We're from the County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau's law enforcement team. We've received a report of malicious destruction of rare and ancient local varieties, so we're here to investigate."
The expert squatted down and took a soil sample with a test tube, his brow furrowing. "This is a targeted herbicide. We need the genetic data of our old varieties to formulate it. Anderson and his team must have analyzed the leaf samples they stole earlier." He paused, his voice grave. "This herbicide will seep deep into the soil. If we don't deal with it promptly, we won't be able to grow crops in this field for six months."
Lin Xiaoman quickly dug out her grandfather's notes, her fingertips rapidly scratching across the pages until she came across a note: "Symbiosis of old varieties: Boil mugwort in water and mix it with morning dew, then add new soil to cover the roots. This can alleviate mild pesticide damage." She looked up at the old pear tree and suddenly remembered: "The old pear tree has deep roots that can stimulate the vitality of the surrounding soil. We can use it as a 'core' to connect the root systems of all crops and fight the poison together!"
Chen Wang immediately assigned tasks: "Uncle Li, take a few people to cut away dead vines and leaves to prevent the spread of the toxin. Aunt Wang, boil a large pot of mugwort water and add plenty of pine needles. Xiao Zhou, organize people to collect morning dew from the mountain stream, the more the better. Comrades from the law enforcement team, please help us set up a cordon to keep no one near."
The villagers immediately took action, and even the elderly in the village came to help on crutches - Grandma Zhang and the children squatted by the mountain stream to collect the morning dew, with enamel cups placed in a row; the old accountant wrote "Qingxi old variety, century-old inheritance" on paper with a brush and posted it around the base to refute the rumors; agricultural experts were on the side to guide the adjustment of the concentration of mugwort water to ensure that it could eliminate pests without harming crops.
Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman knelt under the old pear tree, mixing morning dew, wormwood water, and new soil, and then poured it around the tree's roots bit by bit. Xiaochen also held his own small cup of water and poured morning dew on the roots of the tomato seedlings, saying in a baby voice, "Come on, Miaomiao, I'm with you."
A miracle slowly happened - the roots of the old pear tree began to regain vitality, and the grayish-white color gradually turned into light brown; in the strawberry bed next to it, tiny new leaves emerged next to the dead seedlings; on the stems of the tomato seedlings, new buds as big as rice grains actually grew, and the light yellow lines became bright again.
"It's alive! It's really alive!" Uncle Li shouted excitedly, and the scissors in his hand fell to the ground.
At that moment, a member of the law enforcement team received a call, their tone excited: "Anderson and his assistant were stopped at the highway intersection! All the stolen seeds were recovered, and they also admitted to spreading rumors and spreading herbicides!"
The villagers cheered instantly. Aunt Wang brought out freshly brewed strawberry jam and spread a little on everyone's steamed bun. The sweet aroma mixed with the scent of earth was reassuring. Someone from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau smiled and said, "We've designated your old variety as a county-level rare crop. We'll be sending regular inspections and allocating funds for fences. No one will dare to damage it anymore."
In the evening, the setting sun shone on the base. The branches of the old pear tree swayed gently in the wind, the new shoots of the tomato seedlings shone, and the new leaves of the strawberry bed stretched out. The villagers gathered under the old pear tree, eating steamed buns dipped in strawberry jam, chatting and laughing, and the previous gloom was swept away. Xiaochen, holding his tomato seedling, sat on Chen Wang's lap and pointed at the new sprouts and said, "Dad, look, the seedlings have new leaves!"
Chen Wang took out his mobile phone, took a picture of the scene in front of him, and edited it into his "Orchard Diary": "Although the secret battle is dangerous, fortunately people's hearts are united - with the support of the government, the guidance of experts, and the support of villagers, the old varieties can overcome the difficulties. Protecting this land and these varieties is to protect the roots of Qingxi." In the photo, the setting sun dyed everyone's smiling face warm, and the shadow of the old pear tree was very long, as if guarding this small world.
Lin Xiaoman leaned on Chen Wang's shoulder and whispered, "We don't have to worry about anyone stealing our varieties anymore."
"Yes." Chen Wang held her hand tightly, the silver ring on his fingertip gently touching her pear wood ring, "Because we are not guarding alone, we are all guarding our home and our old species together."
The night breeze blew through the backyard, carrying the sweet scent of strawberries and the subtle aroma of mugwort, quietly telling a story of protection. Chen Wang knew that as long as people's hearts remained united and the land remained uncultivated, Qingxi Village's traditional varieties would continue to grow, passing on their sweetness from generation to generation.
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