Chapter 136: Growing Vegetables in a Glass Greenhouse
Su Tao hesitated for a long time before finally taking out 300,000 credits from the public funds.
She returned to the small empty lot and built a 100-square-meter glass greenhouse.
The real thing looked even better than the pictures—crystal-clear rooftop and walls, white frame, and a double glass door entrance. The moment she stepped inside, she was hit with humid, refreshing air.
Although there were no crops yet, the greenhouse already had a complete irrigation system and a temperature control center.
Just as Su Tao was about to continue exploring its features, her communicator rang. As soon as she picked up, she heard Zhuang Wan’s voice:
“Boss, what are you doing? Auntie Qi just started her first day at work and immediately reported that she saw you enter a big glass house. Is this a new type of residence?”
Su Tao was speechless. “What new residence? Wouldn’t that be suffocating? It’s a greenhouse for growing vegetables. Since you called, tell Qian Lin and Wu Zhen to come find me.”
Less than two minutes later, Wu Zhen came rushing over. When he saw the brand-new glass greenhouse, his jaw almost dropped to the ground.
“Is this a greenhouse? My god…”
He ran excitedly around the small greenhouse, then stopped and started touching everything—bouncing up and down like a kid in a toy store.
Su Tao let him have his moment. Once he was done, she waved him over and patiently explained:
“The temperature control center is here. You can check the temperature and CO₂ levels. There’s also an irrigation system. This setup supports both soil-based and hydroponic farming. Over there are 10 sets of farming tools, and in that corner, we have a few boxes of nutrient-rich soil…”
The more Wu Zhen listened, the more excited he became. “This is so much better than the third-floor greenhouse at the canteen! Sure, my ability lets me tame plants, but if the growing conditions are already ideal, it’ll reduce my energy consumption and make cultivation much easier. The crop yield and quality will also improve.”
He paused and added, “In fact, with this setup, if I use my pre-cultivated seeds, even without my constant ability infusion, they should still grow quite well.”
Su Tao waved her hand. “Then this greenhouse is yours to manage. If you like it, I can build you a smaller one for your balcony at home.”
Wu Zhen’s face lit up. “I’d love that! Thank you, Boss!”
At that moment, Qian Lin also arrived. She was equally shocked by the gleaming glass greenhouse. After a moment, she joked:
“Boss, you really keep your word. I thought just having an empty plot of land would be great, but you went ahead and built an entire greenhouse! But… it’s a little small. Boss, can we make it bigger? We believe in you!”
Wu Zhen also looked at her expectantly.
Of course, the bigger the greenhouse, the better! The more, the merrier!
Su Tao pretended to be annoyed.
“Other people push their kids to excel; you guys push your boss! Do you know how much this one little greenhouse cost me? Almost half my life savings! Let me recover financially first, and then we’ll talk about expanding.”
300,000 credits—if it weren’t for the plantation, she wouldn’t have been willing to spend that much.
Now, their public funds only had about 500,000 credits left, including reimbursements.
*
Before Lunch
By lunchtime, the vegetables, tools, and equipment from the third-floor greenhouse had all been moved into the new glass greenhouse.
The plantation workers were so excited that they barely had any appetite. They just grabbed a quick bite and rushed back to start working in the new greenhouse.
Word about Taoyang’s new greenhouse spread across the community within a single afternoon.
Some curious tenants even went over to take pictures and check it out, but Qian Lin mercilessly chased them away, fearing that too many people would trample the seedlings.
Even Grandma Cen came looking for Su Tao.
“Tao girl, does your greenhouse need more workers?”
Su Tao shook her head frantically. “Grandma, you should just stay home, cook meals, and chat with everyone. Working in a greenhouse is tiring—no need to join the chaos.”
Grandma Cen wasn’t happy. “Don’t underestimate me! I grew up in the countryside and know how to farm. Back when the greenhouse was on the third floor, I used to help out all the time. Even Qian Lin praised me for my skills! I don’t need a salary, I just want to help.”
Su Tao couldn’t refuse her, so she secretly told Qian Lin:
“Let Grandma find something to keep her occupied, but don’t actually give her heavy work.”
Qian Lin sighed and agreed.
Just as she finished dealing with that, Pei Dong called regarding their trade discussion from the morning.
“The commander agreed. For the second half of this month, Dongyang will take all of Taoyang’s surplus vegetables. We can offer you two crystal cores for them. However, starting in August, we can only pay 800 Federal Credits per pound, with no extra crystal cores. Is that acceptable?”
Su Tao nodded repeatedly. “That works!”
There wouldn’t be many vegetables left after half a month anyway. The old commander was essentially using two crystal cores to secure a long-term vegetable supply deal with Taoyang.
For her, it was a deal with all benefits and no downsides.
Pei Dong chuckled. “The old commander was worried you might refuse. Otherwise, he’d have to go back and haggle with people again.”
Su Tao quickly said, “I wouldn’t play hard to get. The old commander once gifted me a crystal core for free—I still remember that. If anything, I’ve been the one taking advantage of him.”
Pei Dong shook his head. “The water and fuel you supply to Dongyang are priceless. Alright, enough talk. Someone will deliver the crystal cores tonight—just make sure to receive them.”
*
That Evening
Before nightfall, Su Tao received a wooden box containing the two crystal cores, carefully wrapped in velvet fabric, showing how much the sender valued them.
She took out the two crystal cores, holding them in her hands, feeling them carefully. Not only were they not warm, but they actually felt a little cold.
She handed one to Lin Fangzhi. “Here, you try touching it.”
The moment Lin Fangzhi lightly touched the core, he felt a wave of energy radiating from within—it was so intense it almost burned. An inexplicable desire surged inside him.
Unable to describe the feeling, he anxiously paced in circles.
Seeing this, Su Tao suddenly had a hunch—this might actually be a good thing.
To test it further, she called over two other ability users, Meng Xiaobo and Lei Xing.
She even asked Lei Xing to bring Big Mouth, another spatial ability user, for comparison.
To her surprise, after all three of them held the crystal cores, none of them felt the heat that Lin Fangzhi described.
Lei Xing tossed the crystal core back to Su Tao, then turned to Lin Fangzhi.
“Describe exactly what you felt.”
Lin Fangzhi, who wasn’t great with words, blushed. He struggled for a long time before squeezing out:
“Hot… I can’t control it.”
Not just Lei Xing, but even Su Tao was confused.
She waved a hand. “Forget it. We’ll keep observing for now. Thanks, everyone—you can all head back.”
Before leaving, Lei Xing pointed to White Sesame—a little creature curled up under the couch, trembling. His golden leopard-like eyes gleamed as he grinned, showing sharp fangs.
“Can I borrow this little guy for two days?”
White Sesame was so terrified that it bolted out from under the couch, leaping into Su Tao’s arms, burying its head under her armpit, shivering uncontrollably.
Su Tao threw a tissue at Lei Xing.
“You’re really that bored, huh? Stop teasing it! You know it’s terrified of you. Get out of here!”
After Lei Xing left, Su Tao spent ten whole minutes comforting White Sesame before it finally calmed down.
Just as she thought the matter was settled, Su Tao noticed Meng Xiaobo lingering.
“What’s up, Xiaobo?” she asked.
The 1.8-meter-tall man hesitated, then finally spoke.
“Boss Su, I saw that Taoyang’s security department is hiring… Do you think I’d be a good fit?”
