The weather is quite cold now, and you have to wear a thick coat during the day.

Xia Lunong got up early in the morning, wrapped in a thick coat, sniffed, and felt dizzy and uncomfortable.

Seeing his listless face, Kong Zhi reached out and touched his forehead, "A little hot."

Xia Lunong's throat was not comfortable, so she turned her head and coughed, and said listlessly, "Maybe you were too tired yesterday and caught a cold. Your hands are still a little cold. Where did you go this morning?"

"I went to the fields to pick vegetables." Kong Zhi said, "Now there is frost in the fields. When I went there, the vegetables were covered with a layer of white frost. The eggplants and peppers have almost stopped growing, and several tomatoes have died. We have to take time out in the next two days to pull them out and plant new crops."

Xia Lunong said, "Let's plant rapeseed flowers and eat some cabbage hearts in winter. Brother Liu should have seeds. I'll go to his place to exchange some later."

"You have a cold, don't worry. Sit down for a while, I'll go cook, and after breakfast we'll go to see Doctor Ou." Kong Zhi pushed him to the living room and sat him down, "Sit down and play with your phone for a while."

"It's not that fragile." Xia Lunong said hoarsely, "I'll go check on the summer pepper."

Kong Zhi handed him the kettle, "Give it some water, don't use your powers."

Xia Lunong nodded.

Their yard had experienced spring, summer, and autumn, and winter was coming soon. When they opened the door, there were no crops in the yard, only three loquat trees in front of the yard.

In front of the loquat trees was a fence made of pepper trees, and next to it was a huge tree. Xia Lunong still couldn't tell what kind of tree it was.

Xia Lunong looked at the tree.

The crown of the big tree is almost reaching their second floor. They have to find time to saw off some branches this winter, otherwise the crown may cause some damage to the wall.

"Swish!" Xia Huajiao found Xia Lunong and waved his branches, looking very enthusiastic.

It has grown taller and its trunk has become thicker. Now it rarely jumps out and most of the time it grows quietly in the soil.

Xia Lunong walked over and put her hand against the trunk, and laughed hoarsely: "You are full of energy. Did you have anything to do last night?"

"Swish!" Xia Huajiao said everything was fine.

Xia Lunong said, "Then I'll water you. Winter is coming soon. I wonder if your growth rate will slow down?"

"Huh?"

Xia Lunong patted the trunk, "Let's talk about it later. I'll water you first." Xia Lunong

watered the summer pepper and went to the backyard to see the honeysuckle.

The honeysuckle grows very fast. Now it has surrounded half of the backyard. I think next year it will be able to extend its vines to the front yard and wrap up the front yard.

Xia Lunong watered the honeysuckle.

The honeysuckle stretched out its soft vines to wrap around Xia Lunong's feet and rubbed his ankles affectionately.

Xia Lunong squatted down, touched its tender leaves, and watered it.

There were relatively few things planted in the backyard. Apart from honeysuckle, the chives at the foot of the house were growing the best.

Xia Lunong went to check on the chives. Seeing the thick and green leaves, he was hungry. He simply picked a handful of chive leaves, held the water bottle in one hand and the chive leaves in the other, and walked around to the front yard.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked to the front yard and before he had time to enter the house, he saw Li Mingfei from the cafeteria running over from a distance and stopped just outside their fence, looking like he was going to push the gate.

Xia Lunong went over to open the door for him and asked hoarsely, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Little Brother Xia." Li Mingfei wiped the sweat from his forehead, "The sheep that your family locked up in the cafeteria broke the cafeteria window last night and now they all ran away. Fortunately, no one was hurt. We have caught them back now. Brother Shan asked me to come and ask you to go and have a look."

The five sheep that Xia Lunong and his friends brought back yesterday were sent to the cafeteria after the young people had practiced with them, and they were asked to help kill them today.

The cafeteria has a livestock shed, which has been used to keep all kinds of prey brought back from outside by the people in the base. There has never been any accident for so long, and the people in the cafeteria did not expect that the first accident would be caused by a group of sheep.

Seeing that he was anxious, Xia Lunong immediately said, "Wait a moment, I'll put the leeks back and go with you to check it out."

Li Mingfei took a breath and said, "Then hurry up."

Xia Lunong took the leeks back. Kong Zhi, who heard the noise, came out and said to him, "You have a cold. Rest at home. I'll go over to check it out."

"Don't worry, it's just a minor cold." Xia Lunong walked into the kitchen and put the leeks in the basin. "I'll go with you."

Kong Zhi said, "Then go and change your clothes."

Xia Lunong went back to the room, changed her clothes and came out. It only took her a minute or two.

Li Mingfei was very anxious outside, "Hurry, hurry, let's go over there."

Xia Lunong asked curiously, "Haven't they been caught? Why are you so anxious?"

Li Mingfei smiled bitterly, "They were caught, but we couldn't control them. If we stayed there, everyone would be scared."

Xia Lunong couldn't imagine it, "You have so many people in the cafeteria, and you can't control a few sheep?"

"You will know if you go and see. If you don't use the beast form, you are no match for these sheep." Li Mingfei shook his head, "Too fierce, the beasts before the disaster were not that fierce."

The three of them rushed to the cafeteria while talking.

They heard the movement from the cafeteria from a long distance away.

Li Mingfei shouted, "I've brought Brother Xiao Xia and Brother Kong Zhi here."

"Hey, we're finally here." A middle-aged man turned around and said, "Quick, quick, hurry up, what are you going to do with this sheep? Kill it or what? Good fellow, we can't even make breakfast in the cafeteria."

This middle-aged man is the cafeteria's person in charge, Shan Xiayuan. Xia Lunong rarely sees him. After hearing what he said, Xia Lunong said, "Just kill it. Do you need us to come over and help?"

"Of course we have to. If you don't do anything, we really can't control these sheep." Shan Xiayuan said, "The main reason is that we can't hold them down. These sheep are too strong. We can't hold them down when we kill them, and we are afraid of being bitten by the sheep. After all, there is no rabies vaccine available now."

Kong Zhi said, "Let me hold them down. Have all the sheep-killing masters arrived?"

"Old Huang will come. Old Huang has the best skills." Shan Xiayuan said, "We originally planned to add a dish of sheep blood vermicelli soup in the morning, but after working for a long time, we couldn't even kill the sheep. It was completely in vain."

Help the canteen to kill the sheep, and the sheep's offal will belong to them.

Xia Lunong smiled apologetically at Shan Xiayuan, "Sorry for the trouble."

"What's the problem? The main problem is that we are not strong enough." Shan Xiayuan said, "This sheep is too powerful. Team Yan also said that there are such powerful mutant animals and plants everywhere outside. I think it will be more and more difficult for humans to survive in the future."

Shan Xiayuan sighed after saying this.

Xia Lunong said, "When we go out, we use human form. It is normal for us to not use human form to fight these mutant animals and plants."

"Are all the mutant plants and animals out there really that powerful?" Shan Xiayuan took out a cigarette and gave one to Xia Lunong. "If that's the case, it will be dangerous for everyone to go out and catch sheep."

Xia Lunong waved her hand, pointed to her throat, and said in a hoarse voice, "I have a cold, thank you. As for the sheep, be careful, there shouldn't be any big problems, but there are so many mutant plants and animals out there, in addition to sheep, there are others. Didn't I almost get killed by a snake before?"

Shan Xiayuan held the cigarette in his mouth without smoking it, and said with a sad face, "You brothers are already strong enough, but you are still so fierce outside. If it were ordinary people in the base, they would probably be even more worried."

"I am not a beast in my beast form. Brother Shan thinks too highly of me."

Xia Lunong saw that Kong Zhi had already caught the sheep and gave it to the sheep killer, and continued to chat with Shan Xiayuan.

Shan Xiayuan waved his hand and said, "You are strong, but it is recognized by our entire base. It has nothing to do with whether you are a beast or not."

Xia Lunong knew that he had something else in his words, and patiently turned her head to wait for him to continue.

Shan Xiayuan said, "If you all will encounter danger when you go out, it will be even more troublesome for ordinary people to go out. The base is about to usher in winter leisure, and Captain Yan said that everyone will be arranged to go out to build a protective belt. Oh, I feel worried when I think about it."

Xia Lunong understood, "Brother Shan, has your son reached the age to go out for public tasks this year?"

Shan Xiayuan nodded, "Otherwise, why should I be so worried?"

Xia Lunong comforted him, "Brother Shan, don't worry too early. We build a protective belt to ensure the safety of the base, and personnel safety is the top priority."

"The next generation of the base is a treasure of the base. Even if they are allowed to go out, it is impossible for them to get into trouble. There are so many adults in our base, how can their children have the turn to charge and trap the formation?"

"Have you arranged it now? How will it be arranged in detail? Xiao Xia, please tell me so that I can have a clear idea."

Xia Lunong shook her head, "Brother Shan, you think too highly of me. I am not a member of the property management committee. How would I know how they arrange it? But we are sure that the members of the base who go out to work will not be put in danger."

Shan Xiayuan sighed, knowing that he could not get anything out of him, he stopped asking and turned to other idle talk.

Seeing him like this, Xia Lunong thought to herself that it was pitiful that parents in the world knew what to say to comfort him, so she simply cooperated with him to change the topic.

The sheep they caught were really fierce. After Kong Zhi joined in, the five men barely managed to calm the sheep together.

The people who killed the sheep were veterans. After they held the sheep down, they killed it, bled it, and skinned it. The rest of the process went very quickly.

More than an hour later, Xia Lunong and Kong Zhi walked back side by side, carrying the mutton and the blood.

The remaining sheep from their family were temporarily placed in the canteen, and the canteen helped to pickle and dry them. When they were dried into lamb, they would take them home.

Xia Lunong and his friends have been busy recently and couldn't spare much time. Otherwise, they should have done this step themselves, and the lamb would taste better.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with leaving them in the canteen. The people in the canteen took the offal, head, and hooves of the sheep they sent over, and they were probably more meticulous than when they processed their own lamb.

When the two of them returned, Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian had already returned home and were making breakfast in the kitchen.

Xia Lunong went into the kitchen, "Brother, when did you come back? Did you go to see the flock of sheep in the valley this morning?"

"Yes, I just came back and went to the valley to take a look. The sheep are staying well there, don't worry." Xia Huoqu looked at him, "What's wrong with your voice? Let's go see Doctor Ou later."

"I have a slight cold, which may be due to the change of seasons from summer to autumn. I think it will be better in a day or two, so there is no need to see a doctor." Xia Lunong sniffed, "We just went to the cafeteria."

"Going to kill sheep?" Xia Huoqu looked at the mutton and sheep blood they brought back, "Did you go there specially to see?"

"No, the cafeteria staff came to us early in the morning and said that the sheep had smashed all their windows. Kong Zhi and I just paid off the credit coins."

Yan Xinian said, "It's normal for their old livestock house to be smashed. No one was hurt, right?"

Xia Lunong shook her head, "That's not the case, but Shan Xiayuan asked me for a long time, wanting to know how to build a protective belt during the winter and whether it is dangerous. His son will also go out with him this year to do base missions together." Yan Xinian

understood and smiled, "I said why would you let you go for such a small matter, it turns out that the drunkard has other intentions. I've made a note of this and will explain the situation at the meeting in two days."

"Brother Xinian, it's so dangerous outside now, are you really going to let those teenagers go with you?"

"Yes, if we protect them in the middle, nothing should go wrong." Yan Xinian said, "We are afraid of mutated plants and animals, but the mutated plants and animals are afraid of us. There is no need to worry so much."

Xia Lunong asked, "How many days will this base mission take?"

"It's hard to say, maybe five or six days, maybe seven or eight days. Our base is not that big, and if we all work together, maybe

we can finish it soon." Yan Xinian said, "Why are you asking this, has anyone asked you about this?" Xia Lunong shook her head, "No, but if the base mission is completed soon, do we have to arrange some other schedule?"

Yan Xinian smiled and looked at Xia Lunong, "You really haven't heard any rumors?"

Xia Lunong was at a loss, "What rumors can I hear? So do we really have a schedule? What schedule? Brother Xinian, don't keep me in suspense, tell me quickly."

Yan Xinian looked at Xia Lunong and then at Kong Zhi, "You know about the Black Gold Base, right?"

The two nodded. The Black Gold Base is the largest base nearby, but it is a bit far from where they are.

Xia Lunong asked, "Are we going to the Black Gold Base?"

"Yes. Another year is almost over. We have to go out and take a look, so as not to be too narrow-minded. Isn't the situation outside pessimistic now? We might as well go out and see how other bases deal with it."

Xia Lunong was full of interest when talking about this. He moved a small stool and sat next to Yan Xinian. "Brother Xinian, when did you decide? How many people are you taking with you?"

"The decision was made in the spring when you were still asleep. As for when to go, it depends on when things at our base are done." Yan Xinian said, "We know you want to go, so we will definitely take you. We are worried about leaving you here."

"That's great!" Xia Lunong's eyes lit up, "We will definitely gain a lot from this trip."

Xia Huo said, "This gain may also bring danger. When you are away from home, anything can happen. Now that you know it. Take the next few days to pack up the things you want to bring, and think about how to deal with danger when you encounter it when you go out."

Xia Lunong nodded quickly, "I will practice with Kong Zhi these two days. , let's see how to cooperate when encountering danger. "

Xia Huoqu looked up at him, "More haste makes waste, let's talk about it after you recover from your cold, you should stay in the base honestly for the next two days and don't go anywhere. The noodles are ready, take them out for breakfast first."

Xia Lunong was not someone who could stay in the base at all, especially since their base was so small and surrounded by mountains, it took half an hour to go around it. He felt his legs were rusty after staying in the base.

He rested at home for a day, and the next day he took Kong Zhi out, saying that he wanted to practice the coordination of the beast form with him.

The two went to the foot of the mountain to practice.

With Kongzhi by his side, Xia Huoqu was reluctant to feel relieved. He only reminded him, "The flock of sheep at the foot of the mountain has already grown up in the valley. Don't provoke them."

"Got it. Let's just walk around the nearby mountains and pick up chestnuts and other things."

Xia Lunong excitedly pulled Kongzhi out.

Kongzhi used the beast form, and he used the human form.

The two of them now cooperate very well. Xia Lunong would not encounter danger even if she did not use the safety rope when she traveled on Kongzhi's back.

The two of them went to the foot of the mountain to see the honeysuckle first.

The honeysuckle had grown up, and the vines had spread over a large area. I believe that in two years, it will be as big as the honeysuckle in the library.

Xia Lunong was originally thinking about whether to give it some supernatural powers or water it, but now when she looked over, she found that it was not necessary at all.

Honeysuckle can grow well on its own, just like any wild plant with vigorous vitality. Too much worry will be detrimental to its development.

Xia Lunong squatted on the ground to take a look, and said, "Shall we go directly to the valley?"

Kong Jindiao called softly beside him.

Xia Lunong climbed onto Kong Jindiao's back, hugged his neck, and was carried by him to the valley.

The chestnut tree they planted at the entrance of the valley a few days ago has grown up completely, two or three meters high, and is full of tender green leaves. However, it is past the fruit-bearing season and there is no sign of fruiting.

Outside the chestnut tree is a wooden fence.

Now it seems that these chestnut trees alone are enough, and there is no need to add another fence.

The golden eagle flew over the valley.

In the valley, the flock of sheep were leisurely eating grass, and many of them were lying on the ground, without any signs of escaping.

The golden eagle flew over the valley, and flew very high to avoid causing panic among the sheep.

After they looked around and confirmed that there was no problem, they went to the nearby mountain.

The chestnut forest was hidden in the woods and could not be found from above, but fortunately they remembered the way.

The golden eagle landed on the ground.

Xia Lunong slid down from him, looked around, and said, "It feels like there are more chestnuts on the ground after not coming for two days."

Kong Zhi changed back to human form, put on his clothes, and said, "This is a good thing for us. We just need to pick up the chestnuts and take them back. Don't take the shells."

"I'll carry the sacks." Xia Lunong took out the tongs, "Pick them slowly. After picking up two sacks, we'll go back and come back tomorrow."

Kong Zhi responded and approached the chestnut forest with him.

The two of them were afraid that chestnuts would fall on their heads, so they specially wore hats.

In the deep forest, the light was not so good, and the two of them had a darker vision after wearing the hats. After

the two of them picked up two sacks of chestnuts, Xia Lunong was so tired that she felt dizzy and her waist and back hurt.

He straightened up and patted his lower back. "It's interesting to say. In the spring, we were seriously short of food and everyone was skinny and hungry. But now we are not so short of food. The food is here and we are too lazy to pick it up."

Kong Zhi replied casually, "Food alone can no longer meet our needs for survival. What we need now are mutant plants and animals with more energy."

"Yeah." Xia Lunong sighed, "This kind of evolution is too cruel. Every time we think we have gained a little survival advantage, it is quickly leveled."

Kong Zhi pinched his lower back. "We are very lucky to have the opportunity to live and fight for the survival advantage."

Xia Lunong leaned on him and sighed.

While picking chestnuts, the two found two chestnut trees that were growing well, and Xia Lunong dug them up.

His backyard was bare, and there were no large plants except honeysuckle.

They could just plant chestnut trees in the backyard, and when they wanted to eat chestnuts next year, they could pick them directly in the backyard.

After watching the sheep and picking enough chestnuts, the two returned home at a little after eleven in the morning.

After a simple lunch, the two went to work in the fields in the afternoon.

Radishes, garlic, celery, rapeseed... They had enough seeds on hand, and the space was large, so they could plant a little of everything and eat them in turn in winter.

The white radish and carrots they had planted before had grown to almost the same size, and the big ones could be pulled out now.

Xia Lunong picked two carrots, dragged Kong Zhi up the mountain, and went to the terraced fields to catch a crucian carp. They cooked carrot and crucian carp soup in the evening.

Yan Xinian and Xia Huoqu were busier than them. They held meetings for almost a whole day, and then went outside to inspect and determine the location of the protective belt. After a busy round, both of them were almost exhausted.

Drinking the sweet carrot and crucian carp soup, Yan Xinian said: "You two should also get ready. There will be a meeting tomorrow night, and the construction of the protection zone will officially begin the day after tomorrow. Everyone in the base will participate. Even the elderly and children have to stay in the base to help cook."

Xia Lunong said: "No problem, others can do it, and so can we. Brother Xinian, have you decided where to build the protection zone?" "

Just build a circle around our base." Yan Xinian said, "It's mainly to prevent the spread of wildfires. Winter is too dry, and our base is built on the mountain. It will be very troublesome if the wildfire spreads."

Yan Xinian took another sip of soup. "As for the rest, we also need to prevent snakes, insects, rats and ants. But this is not the point. Nature seems to have regained its balance. Snakes, insects, rats and ants are no longer a major concern for us."

Xia Lunong listened while drinking soup.

He had no opinion on the construction of the base and could not intervene.

After listening, he said, "Then we must be very tired these days. I will go to the cafeteria in advance to exchange some meat so that we can eat better these days."

Yan Xinian gave him a thumbs up and said with a smile, "Smart! We are so tired these days, let's try to eat better."

Xia Huoqu disagreed, "Doesn't the base provide meals these days? There is no need to work too hard."

"The lunch and dinner provided by the base are basically big pot meals, which are a little worse than what we usually eat. If we want to eat well, we have to light a small stove when we come back at night." Yan Xinian said, "At worst, I can cook. I'll provide the ingredients first."

Xia Lunong said, "We can eat more grilled food these days. There is a bakery outside anyway. After preparing the ingredients, we can start a fire and then stuff the food into the bakery. We can eat the ready-made food when we come back at night."

"Great minds think alike." Yan Xinian said with a smile, "This is my vote for Xiao Nong, what about Kong Zhi? Huo Qu, don't try to make up for everything. We have enough supplies now. Eat well, it's good for your body. Don't damage your body because of too much fatigue."

Before Xia Huo Qu could say anything, he was blocked by him. He had to drink a sip of soup, "You guys do it."