Chapter 106
Jiang Zhi's heart tightened.
Then the sound of people picking up hoes and shovels, ready to fight, could be heard.
Grandma Jiang gritted her teeth and said, "Which damned bastard dares to steal from the Jiang family?!"
Jiang Zhi didn't care about the cold outside anymore and ran out in her slippers.
As soon as I squeezed in, I saw that the mound of earth that my second uncle had turned over all night was completely bare, without even a trace of moss or green. Apart from the few piles of low-toxicity soil, there was no trace of moss left.
Yuan Ying was heartbroken.
She patted her husband on the shoulder and said, "Ahe, did you forget to cover the snakeskin bag last night?"
Last night before going to bed, Yuan Ying and the others were worried that if the things were piled up outside, they would be stolen by those starving people, so they specifically told Jiang He and his son to pack the things properly and cover them with snakeskin bags so that no one would see them.
Wu Xiu said, "Sister-in-law, don't blame my second brother. I saw them all covered up last night."
Not only did they cover it, but Jiang He and his son also shoveled some wet soil from the newly turned-up ground next to it and pressed it onto the opening and corners of the bag, making sure that none of the moss was exposed.
With everything so well covered up, no one should have noticed.
I was surprised to find it empty when I woke up this morning!
Jiang He couldn't understand it and kept muttering, "It shouldn't be like this... It really shouldn't be like this... I got back to my room very late last night and didn't sleep well afterwards, so I really didn't hear any noise."
Grandma Jiang also said, "I got up early and didn't hear any noise outside."
Jiang Hai frowned: "That's strange... Big Tree, tell me again what you just saw."
Jiang Shu said anxiously, "I really didn't see anything! When I came out, the snakeskin bag was still properly closed, but when I opened it, it was empty."
Upon hearing this, the anger on everyone's faces instantly subsided under a layer of solemnity. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
—What on earth could take their things away so quietly?!
Seeing that everyone was about to associate it with ghosts and spirits, Jiang Zhi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Um, I took it..."
As soon as she finished speaking, all eyes in the courtyard turned to her.
Jiang Hai was stunned for a moment, then spoke first: "You took it? Azhi, why didn't you tell your family?"
Jiangzhi felt bitter inside.
She wanted to say something too, but the problem was, even she herself was confused and had no idea what was going on.
To this day, she still hasn't figured out the connection between the seed and that grassland alternate dimension.
You can't say that these mosses were somehow transferred to other places, can you?
Seeing that Jiang Zhi was stammering and couldn't give a clear answer, Jiang Shan noticed his daughter's embarrassment and offered her a way out: "Did you later realize that this thing was useful, so you put it away first?"
Jiang Zhi felt a sense of relief and almost wanted to rush over and give her dad a bear hug—her dad understood her so well and was so considerate!
She nodded hurriedly, "Yes... I was worried about leaving it outside, so I put it away first. I meant to tell everyone this morning, but I forgot."
Ye Qingyun watched from the sidelines, secretly amused.
She subtly asked, "Do you need that moss? If you do, you don't need to release it, so we don't have to worry about it being stolen."
Jiang Zhi blushed at Ye Qingyun's words and quickly followed up, "Hmm...it does have some effect."
Ye Qingyun gave Jiang Shu a wink: "This is Da Shu's fault. He made a fuss without even asking what happened. Make him do more work later!"
Jiang Shu was about to argue when he saw his sister's guilty look, so he swallowed his words, chuckled, and continued the conversation:
"Yes, yes, it's my fault. I was just making a fuss."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Jiang sighed and waved her hand, "I thought it was something serious. If Azhi has any use for it, take it. There are also some moderately poisonous things in the house that can come in handy." Then she looked at Jiang Shu and her tone softened, "Dashu means well. This isn't just empty talk. We need to be vigilant when necessary."
Everyone chimed in, "That's right! It's not easy for families like ours to accumulate any good stuff, so we have to be extra careful!"
Grandma Jiang waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, as long as nothing's lost, there's nothing to worry about. Everyone, go home and do what you were doing!"
Their task today is also very important.
The pine nuts and other nuts we traded with Han Lei and the others need to be processed and pressed into oil today.
That plot of land outside the courtyard also needs to be fenced off as soon as possible.
In addition, things like buying seeds and tilling the land to improve the soil should be done as early as possible.
And we can't delay dealing with that giant centipede either...
In short, whenever there's a harvest at home, it means a period of non-stop work.
Once everyone was back inside, Jiang Shu leaned over to Jiang Zhi, nudged her arm with his elbow, and winked, "Zhi, tell me honestly, are you plotting something new again?"
Jiang Zhi hesitated for a moment, then finally showed the white seed in her hand. "Brother, if I told you that those mosses might have been swallowed by this seed, would you believe me...?"
Ginger Tree: ...
Jiang Shu's gaze fell on the seed in her palm.
It's about the size of a fist, milky white all over, and round. It looks no different from any grass seed you might pick up by the roadside. Except for some special patterns, it's as ordinary as can be.
"That's it? It eats moss? Ah Zhi, are you kidding me?"
He reached out and touched his younger sister's forehead. "Ah Zhi, are you tired? Or are you feeling unwell? Are you delirious?"
Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes, slapped his hand away, and said irritably, "Get lost! If you don't believe me, fine, I'm too lazy to talk to you!"
With that, she simply stuffed the seeds back into her pocket, turned around and walked into the house, saying, "I'm going back inside to change my clothes, don't follow me!"
Jiang Shu scratched his head, muttering incredulously, "A broken seed swallowing moss? Is this world too magical, or am I just too out of touch?"
After changing her clothes, Jiang Zhi took a closer look at the seeds in her hand.
Unlike the appearance in my dream, the real thing had lost its hazy white halo and looked like an ordinary seed, with no connection whatsoever to that vast grassland.
Could it be that I'm dreaming about something I've been thinking about all day? Because I keep thinking about that alternate dimension, that's why I had that dream last night?
But Jiangzhi quickly rejected the idea.
If that's the case, how come the moss in my house suddenly disappeared?
After much thought, Jiangzhi still couldn't figure it out. She decided to put the question aside and plant the seed first.
The temperature dropped several degrees again today. It's snowing outside, and judging from the gloomy sky, it won't stop so soon.
Inside the hall, Yuan Ying and the others were engrossed in shelling pine nuts.
The oil should be pressed out early to avoid wasting extra firewood as the weather gets colder.
The pine nut shells they peeled off were casually tossed into the brazier, crackling softly as the room was filled with the sweet fragrance of pine nuts.
The aroma was so enticing that Jiang Zhi couldn't resist and secretly picked up a peeled fruit and popped it into her mouth.
Freshly shelled pine nuts have a refreshing, grassy aroma, like pine needles covered in morning dew and dried in the sun, mixed with a faint, almost undetectable scent of pine resin.
It's a pity that these pine nuts still need to be pressed for oil.
Otherwise, in the dead of winter, sitting by the fire pit, warming yourself and chatting would be so pleasant.
Seeing that Jiangzhi liked it, Grandma Jiang stuffed a small handful into her mouth and said, "You've come at the perfect time. Have a bowl of braised pork rice while it's hot. If you and Dashu have some free time today, go to the collection area and bring back some soil. The base's bulletin board posted a notice this morning saying that it will snow heavily for several days after tomorrow, and then winter will officially begin. If we want to clear the land, we need to get everything we need ready today."
Jiang Zhi took the large bowl of barley rice and half a bowl of braised meat handed to her by the old lady, and asked curiously, "Can the highly toxic soil in the collection area be used?"
She thought she could just turn over the soil at the base and plant things.
“Even if it can’t be used, it’s still better than what’s at the base,” Grandma Jiang said with a smile. “Farming is not easy. Just getting the soil right takes a lot of work. When you bring it back, we’ll have to add farmyard manure and wood ash to increase its fertility.”
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.
She never imagined there were so many intricacies involved in farming; she knew absolutely nothing about it.
Originally, she had planned to simply plant the white seed and be done with it, but now she had no choice but to take out the seed and humbly ask for advice, "Grandma, can you help me take a look? What kind of plant does this seed look like? How do I plant it?"
Grandma Jiang squinted at it and immediately asked, "Where did you get this? It doesn't look like a seed."
If it weren't for the tiny pointed tip on it, the old lady would probably have thought it was a novelty she had found for her two little ones.
Ginger twig, "...found on the road."
Grandma Jiang asked casually, and was reaching out to take the seed for a closer look when it suddenly veered off course and rolled to the ground.
Both of them were startled, thinking that they hadn't held it properly.
Grandma Jiang hurriedly said, "Oh dear, old age really does make you useless; your hands aren't even accurate anymore."
As he was about to squat down to pick it up, the seed rolled away and landed at Jiang Zhi's feet just as his fingertips were about to touch it.
Grandma Jiang's eyes widened in surprise. "A-Zhi, did you see that? Is this really a seed? But it seems to me... it has its own ideas and won't let me touch it!"
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
—Are there still seeds that can grow brains?
Everyone became interested and crowded around to see what was going on.
Unexpectedly, the seeds seemed to have come to life, as if afraid of being picked up by someone, and in a hurry, they rolled between Jiang Zhi's feet.
Wu Xiu chuckled as she watched: "Oh ho, that's really strange, this little thing only recognizes Azhi!"
Ye Qingyun moved even closer, his eyes filled with curiosity: "What kind of plant seed is this? It looks a bit like a living thing."
Yuan Ying: "Oh my goodness, will this flower grow into something that can walk?"
Jiang Shu was originally pondering the matter of the seeds, but upon hearing the commotion, he squeezed through the crowd, glanced at the seeds on the ground for a moment, and then hissed as he gasped.
Looking at it this way, this seed really might swallow something!
He couldn't help but ask Jiang Zhi, "Ah Zhi, you said you wanted to reserve a square meter of land, could it be that you wanted to plant it?"
Jiang Zhi bent down and picked up the seed that was still swirling slightly at her feet, as if she could sense that the seed was proud and didn't want anyone to touch it.
She couldn't help but laugh.
"yes."
Ye Qingyun said, "These seeds are so spiritual, I'm really curious to see what they'll grow into."
Jiang Shan laughed, his tone relaxed: "Why don't you give it a try and see?"
He turned to Jiang Zhi and suggested, "Your second uncle used to be very knowledgeable about these things, let him help you figure it out."
Jiang Zhi had the same idea in mind, so she nodded upon hearing this.
Upon hearing this, Jiang He blushed slightly and waved his hand, saying, "My skills have become rusty. If I really can't grow it well, please don't laugh at your second uncle, Azhi."
Jiang Shu couldn't wait any longer. "Second Uncle, let's start now. These seeds aren't big, and the soil that Azhi brought back yesterday should be enough."
Grandma Jiang: "What's the rush? You should eat breakfast first. It's so cold, it's hard to be hungry."
With Grandma Jiang watching over them, the brother and sister devoured the breakfast prepared for them.
We made a lot of braised field mouse meat at home before, but these past few days we've been eating braised meat with barley porridge.
Only those who need to go out, like her and Jiang Shu, will get to eat dry food.
After finishing breakfast, the brother and sister followed Jiang He to the corner of the city wall in the area.
The land there had been plowed by Jiang He and his son last night.
In the very center, there was a mound of soil with low levels of toxins that Jiang Zhi had brought back yesterday.
The dark, gloomy patch stood out starkly from the surrounding yellowish-brown earth, making it quite distinct.
Jiang He picked up a hoe and loosened the soil again, breaking up the clods of earth underneath even more before piling the layer of low-toxicity soil back on.
He straightened up and said to Jiang Zhi, "Although I don't know what kind of seed this is, it looks like a bean. Why don't we try planting it like beans? But with this weather, it might not sprout easily. If it really doesn't work, we'll have to build a small shed to keep out the wind and cold."
Jiang Zhi had no objections. As far as she was concerned, as long as the seeds could be kept alive, she didn't care how they were planted.
Jiang He taught Jiang Zhi little by little, "First, dig a small hole on it. As for the depth, it should be two or three times the size of a bean. If it's too deep, the bud won't be able to push it out, and if it's too shallow, it might freeze to death."
Jiang Zhi had no concept of these things; she did whatever Jiang He told her to do.
After burying the seeds in the hole, Jiang Zhi followed Jiang He's instructions and pressed the surrounding soil with her fingers to test its firmness before covering it with fine soil.
The moment her hand left the soil, she suddenly felt a faint, pleasant sensation emanating from the seed, like a body stretching out.
Jiang Zhi found it somewhat amusing—this little guy really knows how to enjoy himself.
Seeing that the program wasn't as complicated as he'd imagined, Jiang Shu said, "It looks pretty simple."
Jiang He smiled and said, "The beginning is not difficult, the difficulty lies in the later stages. We still don't know what kind of seed it is, so we can only take it one step at a time."
Afterwards, the brother and sister watered the seeds with some low-toxicity water, and Jiangzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Having finished the most pressing matter on her mind, Jiangzhi began preparing to collect soil from the sampling area.
Now that there are far fewer mutated creatures surviving in the gathering area, it's the safest time. The Jiang family isn't as worried about the siblings going to the gathering area as they used to be.
Ye Qingyun prepared several large steamed buns for the brother and sister, saying, "It's cold, so go early and come back early."
At this moment, Jiang Shan pushed a bicycle out of the house. "Let's ride it. Be quick, otherwise your clothes will be soaked through on the way back and forth in this snowy weather."
The brother and sister looked at it and realized that it was the same car that Luo Yonghui had given them before.
Jiang Zhi exclaimed with delight, "Dad, you found someone to help cheer you on?"
Jiang Shan smiled and said, "My colleagues at work told me that it's starting to freeze outside these past few days, and the roads are very wet and muddy, so it's actually more convenient to ride a bike."
This mountain bike is just right, and because it's a brand name product, the rear wheel has a strong load-bearing capacity, so it's not a problem for people as heavy as them who are fully equipped.
Jiang Shu said happily, "That's great! Otherwise, I was really afraid of stepping into some pothole on the way back and having my legs frozen stiff."
Luckily, the lotus leaf-patterned jacket I made at home wasn't damaged, and it's perfect as a raincoat in this kind of weather.
The brother and sister each put on a lotus leaf-patterned jacket and rode their bikes out the door.
This time it was a family matter to attend to, so I didn't invite Niu Dali and the others.
As soon as Jiang Shu stepped out of the yard, he straddled his mountain bike. He had only pedaled twice when the bike started to wobble.
Jiang Zhi stepped on the pedals on both sides of the rear wheel, gripping her brother's shoulders with both hands. She felt the car swaying from side to side, and several times she felt like she was about to fall off.
"Brother, be careful!" she couldn't help but whisper, her feet instinctively tensing up.
"Okay, okay!"
Jiang Shu broke out in a sweat, slowly relaxed, and tried to adjust his pedaling rhythm. The handlebars finally became more stable, and he moved forward a few meters, albeit crookedly.
Standing by the door, watching the brother and sister leave, Ye Qingyun chuckled and muttered, "These two kids, they're so big and still so impetuous."
Once Jiang Shu had gotten used to the mountain bike, he proudly turned around and greeted Ye Qingyun before speeding off towards the west gate.
Along the way, we actually saw quite a few groups of people going out of the city to hunt.
It is said that after the severe cold wave, most of the mutated beasts on the ground died, with only some small mutated beasts that could dig holes and hide surviving. In the past few days, as the temperature has just warmed up a bit, many mutated beasts such as rabbits have come out to forage for food, attracting many hungry residents to go there.
At times like this, the base can no longer worry about whether it's dangerous outside.
The future of the entire base is still uncertain, and such risky individual actions can only be left to fate.
As they approached the city gate, the car slowed down, and Jiang Shu turned to ask, "A-Zhi, how about we go take a look outside the gathering area?"
Jiang Zhi shook her head, her tone resolute: "No. We're going to Collection Area 3 today."
Jiang Shu frowned: "We've been to Collection Area No. 3 several times already. You're not thinking about that river again, are you?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "You guessed half right."
She wanted to go to the No. 3 collection area for two reasons: firstly, the soil by the river is always fertile, and secondly, she wanted to explore the cave she had accidentally discovered before.
As for the third point...
Jiang Zhi always felt that, in some mysterious way, there was something that the seed desperately needed.
After what happened with Feng Yan, Jiang Shu didn't have a good impression of the No. 3 collection area.
Seeing her brother's disapproving expression, Jiang Zhi had no choice but to tell him about how she had accidentally wandered into an undeveloped place.
Jiang Shu's eyes widened upon hearing this. "You mean, you found a special golden item inside?"
Jiang Zhi nodded. "Back then, we weren't strong enough to force our way in. Now we have a certain ability to protect ourselves, and that place is like a canyon, so it should be less affected by the cold wave. That's why we plan to go back and take another look."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi immediately forgot her previous disagreement and said, "Alright, let's go to Collection Area 3!"
As they spoke, the brother and sister had already ridden to the outside of the base.
Fine snowflakes drifted down from the leaden sky, melting into water shortly after landing on the lotus leaf.
The road surface was covered with a thin layer of ice, and in some places it had frozen into a smooth ice shell, making it easy to slip if you weren't careful.
In some places, the mixture of melted snow and mud turned into a dark brown mud. When the wheels rolled over it, it splashed up specks of mud that stuck to the trouser legs and looked incredibly dirty.
The wind, carrying snowflakes, lashed my face with a biting chill. In the distance, the bare trees were piled high with snowflakes, and the world was a hazy white.
Along the way, you can still see quite a few footprints.
It seems that there are quite a few people like them who have their eyes on that river.
The wild grass that used to block the road has either been harvested or withered and drooping on the ground, blending into the dirt road.
In any case, without the mutated weeds blocking the way, the speed of travel was much faster.
The brother and sister quickly arrived at the No. 3 collection area.
Compared to six months ago, the desolation here is clearly visible.
The waist-high bushes had vanished, leaving only some withered, dark branches standing crookedly on the ground.
The trees in the distance had lost all their leaves, their bare branches covered with a thin layer of ice.
The mutated wild vegetables and unknown plants that used to be found in the gathering area have now vanished without a trace. Only withered yellow grass stubble clings to the ground, lightly covered by a thin layer of snow.
At first glance, there was nothing to eat.
No wonder the base's residents have all gone hunting outside the gathering area.
"Ah Zhi, where should we go first?"
Jiang Zhi checked the time; there must be quite a few people on the Wei River side at this hour. She said, "Let's find that cave first."
"OK!"
Jiang Shu responded, and with a push of his foot, the mountain bike wheels rolled over the thin ice on the road surface, making a soft "crunching" sound.
When they arrived at the valley, the brother and sister were so shocked by the desolate scenery that they almost thought they had come to the wrong place.
The two wandered around several places they remembered several times, and in the end, Jiang Shu used his special ability to find the entrance.
The entrance was completely blocked by piles of withered vines and rotten leaves, and the two missed it several times, almost returning empty-handed.
Unlike the trepidation she felt when entering the cave before, Jiang Zhi was completely calm this time.
Jiang Shu couldn't resist using his supernatural abilities to investigate the situation inside the cave.
Upon seeing the lush greenery over there, she was stunned, her voice trembling as she exclaimed, "Ah, Ah Zhi! You were right! It really wasn't affected much inside!"
Jiang Zhi was also excited when she heard this.
"Let's go in and take a look now."
Clutching the tortoise shells in their hands for defense at any moment, the brother and sister quickly made their way through the cave path.
Before Jiang Zhi could even feel happy for long, she heard a series of red warning beeps from the dashboard:
"Beep—A Level 5 mutated plant, the Sighing Willow, has been detected. It is a psychopathic attack. Please be on alert."
"Beep—Level 5 mutant plant Spore Mine Flower detected, with super-powerful spores that explode like thunder. Please be on alert."
"Beep—Screaming Vine, a level 5 mutated plant, detected. It is using sonic attacks. Please be on alert."
"Beep—Level 4 mutant plant fleshy fungus detected, capable of decomposing dead matter."
...
The dense cacophony of warning sounds pierced the ears like needles, sending shivers down one's spine.
Jiang Zhi's expression hardened, and she suddenly grabbed her brother's wrist: "Wait!"
Jiang Shu was puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"Danger inside—"
Before Jiang Zhi could finish speaking, the dashboard beeped again:
"Found a purple-gold item, dew from a gas sac hydra."
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