Chapter 229 | Chapter 230 | Chapter 231
Chapter 229: A Mountain Goat
Zhou the Long-term Hired Hand had a packed schedule, but he had long since grown accustomed to it. Seeing Huai Yu take her basket to pick vegetables, he headed straight for the pond.
The two Job’s tears trees—one tall, one short—had been in a foul mood since the polluted rain. The shorter one remained unchanged, but the taller one was very different. During the two days right after the rain stopped, he would be drenched with a freezing cold splash of water whenever he carried a bucket to the cistern.
Fortunately, the “big kid” and “little kid” were indestructible. After wandering around for two days, the tree had become much better behaved.
However, the water wasn’t clean; the Job’s tears trees could only remove impurities, not the pollution itself. Every day, besides purifying the vegetable garden, that was where Huai Yu spent most of her effort.
After all that hard work, surely wanting to eat a fish wouldn’t be a problem?
Yet, when he pulled the fish trap up by the rope, his hands felt light and empty. The trap, which he had spent a fortune to repair, now had another large hole in it.
Zhou Qian: “…”
Forget it. I might as well wait at the station for whatever meat might arrive.
He checked the time.
“Xiao Yu, I’m going to Jin Yuan residential complex to buy the crocks now, then I’ll head to the station to check for deliveries.”
Seeing him push his bicycle, Huai Yu quickly shouted, “Wait!”
She ran back into the house from the vegetable garden and rummaged through a box until she found a vibrant, green-and-purple bangle. “I paid for parking three times last time. There are two left—use this to deduct it.”
One should be frugal where possible and spend where necessary; there was no point in wasting the parking fee.
Zhou Qian looked down at the bangle. Parking fees were charged, yet the token they used was a bangle—he wasn’t sure whether to praise Jin Yuan residential complex for being organized or for being sloppy.
Regardless, it was functional. He mounted the bike and was soon far away.
Watching his retreating figure, Huai Yu couldn’t help but sigh silently.
Life after the cataclysm was hard. Everyone had their share of sorrows, and Zhou Qian’s eyes were bloodshot… She really ought to do more work!
If she kept busy with many things, perhaps he wouldn’t be so heartbroken.
She carried her basket, remembering Chen Xing’s request from yesterday, and decided to change her strategy—selling fresh vegetables was simply too exhausting. It was time to process them!
Dried cowpeas, sour cowpeas, pickled chili peppers, stir-fried peanuts, pickled eggplants… if she made plenty of these and had Sister Chen Xing drive over to collect them, they could sell them through Boss Tang and Uncle Zao simultaneously. That would certainly be more efficient!
Huai Yu had a wonderful plan, but she forgot that Zhou Qian’s cooking philosophy was “as long as it’s edible, that’s enough.” As a result, an hour later, there was no sign of him.
Two hours later, still nothing.
Three hours later, Zhou Qian rode back on a tricycle, pulling a wagon filled with jars, cans, and buckets.
It couldn’t be said that their sizes had nothing to do with the “crocks” and “small jars” she had requested—only that the connection was very distant.
Among this collection of odds and ends, the smallest glass crock was labeled 30L.
The largest, a 280L monster, was a giant barrel intended for enzyme fermentation.
Zhou Qian unloaded the items from the tricycle and, seeing Huai Yu stand there in silence, asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to take a look?”
“I’ve looked.” Huai Yu sighed. It wasn’t that the items were unusable, just that they were so enormous that to fill them, she would need to stock up on significantly more oil, salt, and seasonings than she currently had.
However, considering these were meant to be sold, she decided that bigger was fine—it was a miracle that anyone in Jin Yuan residential complex was even selling these things!
Moreover, with such large barrels, they had to be opened as infrequently as possible during the summer. Otherwise, one mistake and the entire batch could spoil, which would be a terrible waste. So, they would eventually need to buy some smaller ones for their own day-to-day use.
Zhou Qian didn’t see anything wrong with it. Instead, he happily told Huai Yu, “The shopkeeper was just about to close up and clear his stock. I bought out most of his shop, and he was thrilled. He said the large barrels and crocks were hard to sell, and he’d been wanting to transfer the business but hadn’t found a buyer. The last time he was this happy was when a young lady bought two of his large water vats in one go…”
He paused, recalling the vat under the Job’s tears tree and the one used for water storage in the house, and finally realized:
“Jin Yuan residential complex—that’s the only place selling vats!”
“Well, obviously!” Huai Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Vats weren’t necessities, nor were they consumables, and they were a nightmare to transport.
The shopkeeper likely hadn’t made a single sale other than theirs since March.
Looking at the thick layer of dust on these barrels, the evidence was clear.
Zhou Qian didn’t care; in fact, he was even more cheerful. “I saw he still has some smaller crocks. Do you want them? If you do, I can go back and haul them over.”
Huai Yu thought for a moment. “Sure.”
Once the vegetables were pickled and ready to be sold to Chen Xing, she couldn’t exactly deliver them in burlap sacks. Even if the customer returned them, it would take time. It was better to have plenty on hand.
Zhou Qian laughed. “Alright! And coincidentally, a mutated mountain goat was delivered today—about sixty pounds. There was too much stuff to fit everything, so I’ll go bring it back in a bit.”
A mountain goat!!
Huai Yu’s spirits instantly lifted. “Hurry, hurry! It’s hot, if we don’t eat the goat soon, it’ll go to waste!”
She grabbed her hoe. “I’m going to dig up some potatoes!”
Of the crops in the field, potatoes were the best match for mutton. Next year, she would definitely plant a lot more!
However, how was she going to store sixty pounds of meat?
The weather was too hot; hanging it in the well wouldn’t keep it for more than two days.
She really wanted to buy a large freezer! Huai Yu tallied her contribution points, thought about the electricity bill, and instantly felt sad about how poor she was.
…
With a goat on the way, Huai Yu immediately forgot about the vegetables. She stared at the goat, which had already thawed quite a bit, feeling distressed. “They didn’t bleed the goat when they killed it—the meat won’t taste nearly as good.”
Zhou Qian took a look. “This goat probably belonged to a former farmer. You should be glad it was castrated; otherwise, the gamey smell would be much stronger.”
But picky as they were, it had been a long time since they’d had meat. Huai Yu happily pulled out a knife. “Will the wool of a mutated mountain goat be better than what’s sold in the market? I’ll shave some off and give it a try.”
Zhou Qian asked, “Is there any other work around the house that needs an extra pair of hands?”
Huai Yu looked up at him. “You mean…”
Zhou Qian grinned. “If there’s work to be done, I’ll go to the camp and call some people over to my place. We’ll have a whole roasted goat today.”
“If not, I’ll just roast the goat until it’s dry. In this temperature, that should last a few days.”
Huai Yu thought for a moment and asked, “Can they weave bamboo baskets, winnowing baskets, or bamboo trays?”
“If they can’t do any of that, I’ll be happy to welcome anyone who brings a bag of salt!”
Basketry was clearly an obscure skill; Zhou Qian couldn’t guarantee that his comrades would know it. But bringing a bag of salt was definitely no problem. He laughed.
“Deal!”
“And while I’m there, I’ll ask how the logistics department stores their supplies.”
With Flower City’s weather, the summer heat would last for a long time. They couldn’t keep making such a scene every time they got their hands on meat, could they?
Chapter 230: Roast Whole Goat
How did the logistics department store supplies? That was simple!
“An ice cellar!” Zhou Qian had gone specifically to District 69 to ask, and that was all he could find out. A familiar comrade scratched his head with a bitter smile. “What else could we do? We didn’t have much electricity to begin with, and now we can’t afford the electricity costs. After the cataclysm, forget about smartphones; we’ve all but returned to the century before last.”
After finishing his bitter smile, the man looked at him, curious. “Why are you interested in this stuff? Didn’t you used to only care about front-line matters? And another thing—do you really think the ice used to cool the training hall every summer was all produced by ability users every single day?”
That would have been asking too much of the ability users.
First of all, given their popularity, they couldn’t possibly run to the Defense Army base every day just for that.
Secondly, for such a massive supply, they simply weren’t capable of it. Freezing giant blocks of ice, constantly reinforcing them, and temporarily preserving a goat or pheasant for three or five days was one thing, but sustaining a venue as large as theirs would require an impossible number of people.
“So, yeah, our camp has an ice cellar. You mean you never noticed?”
This was truly…
Zhou Qian sighed. “How quickly we’ve returned to the Stone Age.” He really hadn’t paid much attention, given that just a few years ago, everyone had been blasting air conditioning in the summer. He thought of Huai Yu, still filled with anticipation, and couldn’t help but fall silent.
He felt unreconciled, thinking to himself, Who in the team knows how to dig an ice cellar? I’ll find time to learn and dig one for my own place.
Huai Yu had so many vegetables that when it came time to harvest, she would need a place to store them; having an ice cellar would obviously be much more convenient.
The logistics guy mentioned he could find someone. “Give it a little while… Aren’t you hosting a dinner? Just make them help you with the work while you’re hosting!”
Zhou Qian just smiled without a word.
Regardless of the era, the words “roast whole goat” possessed an immense attraction. It had his group of brothers drooling and howling with excitement. Even though Zhou Qian said they needed to bring a bag of salt as their “meal fee,” it didn’t dampen their joy.
A measly bag of salt? That was nothing compared to roast meat!
The group huddled and discussed it, and each person redeemed a bag of charcoal from the logistics office to bring over. No sooner had Huai Yu arrived at Zhou Qian’s place than she heard people approaching happily from a distance.
In the next moment, the acquaintances who had eaten there before greeted her, then efficiently dumped bags of black charcoal onto the ground. Before long, they had built a small mountain.
Huai Yu was dumbfounded.
The group was remarkably laid back: “Sister, we don’t know anything about weaving baskets or whatever you mentioned, but we’ve got strength to spare. Just tell us what needs doing.”
Others sighed with emotion:
“Roast whole goat—you’ve got to use charcoal fire! Zhou Qian, this guy, back in the team, he used to act like a robot who only consumed nutritional paste. Now that he’s retired, he’s got big fish and meat every few days… he hid his true self so well!”
“Exactly!” This sparked a collective indignation. “It’s been so many years, and I’ve never seen him host a decent meal like this! He only thought of us after he retired…”
The group was fired up, but their hands were busy the whole time. As they cleaned up the yard, they wandered about to see what else needed doing.
Huai Yu laughed, not standing on ceremony. “Then please, could you wash that large bucket in the corner? Once I’ve mixed the seasoning, the goat needs to marinate in there.”
“Is there anyone else with muscle? Help me clean up that bundle of metal strips and wire over there.”
Roasting a whole goat required something to stretch the animal out. Those useless-looking metal scraps had all been scavenged from the pile of steel junk Fanta had hauled over—some even still had traces of rust on them.
But in this day and age, who cared about that? Wash it off, scrub it down, and it would suffice; it wouldn’t kill anyone.
There were other things, too—
“I’m currently mixing the marinade for the goat. Brother Zhou Qian is prepping the meat, so why don’t you guys use those tools to poke holes in the meat?”
“Otherwise, this goat is too big, and if we don’t poke through, the flavor won’t soak in, and it won’t taste good when it’s roasted.”
Every task was tied to tonight’s gourmet feast, and the group worked with immense enthusiasm, filled with anticipation.
Huai Yu, meanwhile, was busy organizing the other vegetables.
This goat was actually quite huge. An average roast whole goat was usually about 20 to 30 pounds, but the one she had obtained weighed at least 40 to 50. Even after removing the internal organs and skin, it was still larger and sturdier than any other.
But no matter how large it was, the crowd before her were a group of human-shaped gluttons!
Last time, she had made so much food that they had polished off every last scrap. Relying solely on this one goat to fill them all up was clearly unrealistic.
But the weather was too hot, and Huai Yu didn’t have the patience to prepare an elaborate spread. She simply tossed potatoes, eggplants, and cowpeas into one giant stew, pairing meat with vegetables to fill them all up.
There was still a group of brothers hanging around, looking over the yard and glancing outside. They couldn’t help but sigh with regret: “If we had known, we wouldn’t have let you pave the ground so solidly. We could have dug you an ice cellar.”
“Yeah. The construction office should have built an ice cellar right from the start. But if you need one now, our brothers have plenty of strength; we can help you dig it.”
Whether they could dig it sturdy enough was another question.
Zhou Qian thought to himself: I’ve never even cooked at home; what would I need an ice cellar for? To store that patchy-looking cluster of green onions and garlic outside?
He politely declined. “I don’t eat much, and I don’t store that many vegetables, so there’s no need for a cellar.”
“Besides, digging a cellar requires expertise. I’ll let you know when I’ve learned how to do it properly; don’t go digging a hole now and end up collapsing my front door.”
That was a genuine possibility, and everyone laughed.
While chatting and working, as the atmosphere reached its peak, Zhou Qian suddenly asked: “When are you all heading to the wilderness next?”
This wasn’t a state secret, and his comrades were candid: “Summer plants are too violent and hard to deal with, so we should be avoiding this period. There hasn’t been a notification yet, but I estimate the earliest will be September. If we don’t head out in September, it’ll be arranged for November—much the same as previous years.”
“By the way, why are you asking?”
Zhou Qian shook his head and said nothing.
His intention had been to ask on Huai Yu’s behalf.
Since she was determined to go to the wilderness, knowing when was clearly very important.
The Defense Army’s plans for this year remained unchanged, proving that the meteorological bureau’s forecast was relatively accurate. If Huai Yu was set on going, she could use this time frame as a reference—the cooling-off period was her only chance.
However…
Zhou Qian thought of the peril-fraught wilderness and couldn’t help but get a headache again—
The little girl was just like Ningning; she listened when she wanted to, but when she got stubborn, she was impossible to pull back!
If he didn’t plan ahead, who knew what impulsive actions she might take the moment she got anxious!
Huai Yu clearly heard the answer as well and began to calculate silently—
She wouldn’t be able to make it for September, so if they left in November… could she see Lin Xuefeng before the New Year?
Chapter 231: Planning and the Signal Tower
Time passed day by day, and this small cabin on the edge of the Rose Corridor now had more and more companions surrounding it.
Although nine times out of ten they weren’t human, Huai Yu’s life had undeniably become much livelier.
By early July, under Zhou Qian’s arrangements, she had hosted another meal for his comrades.
Counting it up, once a month wasn’t too frequent. Furthermore, every time they visited, they were either tidying up the house, tending to the land, or bringing back useful supplies that could be exchanged within the Defense Army…
However, Huai Yu still had some lingering doubts.
Zhou Qian—was he always this enthusiastic, hospitable, and proactive?
Just as she was pondering this, she heard Zhou Qian calling her from the bamboo grove tunnel: “Xiao Yu!”
“Coming!” Huai Yu quickly hung the eggplants on the rope and ran over. After all, Zhou Qian had been writing and drawing since early morning with such intense focus that she felt guilty about dilly-dallying.
Zhou Qian watched the girl running toward him under the sun; the heat had flushed her face, making her look much healthier and fuller. Though she wasn’t as sturdy and powerful as Zhou Ning had been, she was no longer as pale and fragile as she had been before.
It was clear her ability was quite useful; at the very least, because they couldn’t store the mutated meat they received and had to eat it, they were both getting much better nourishment.
Recalling that there was a prepped rabbit hanging in the cistern, Zhou Qian decided they would roast that tonight, too.
As he mused, Huai Yu ran up. “What is it?”
Zhou Qian handed her his notebook. “I’ve made a preliminary plan regarding the trip to the wilderness. Let’s discuss it.”
Huai Yu: “Huh?”
For a while now, Zhou Qian hadn’t mentioned Sanqing Mountain or the wilderness. He had just buried himself in farm work, from drying potato slices to grinding chili powder, working without a single complaint…
She had thought Zhou Qian was purely obsessed with saving points, so why did he suddenly have a preliminary plan?
She opened the notebook and found it filled with a large flatbread, sesame seeds scattered everywhere, a lump of filling in the center, and various symbols…
She hesitated for a moment and asked carefully, “Going to the wilderness… should we prepare more flatbreads?”
That seemed reasonable enough; with winter approaching, flatbreads kept well. The lack of sesame seeds was because she hadn’t planted any this year, and perhaps the filling was scant to prevent it from spoiling?
Sigh! If only she had planted more red beans! Now she only had soybeans, which didn’t make for good filling!
As her imagination ran wild, she felt a tap on her head. “All you think about is food!”
Zhou Qian stared at her, speechless. “This is that map of Lin Xuefeng’s location you drew, right? I copied it and asked around during this time, but everyone said they hadn’t seen anything like it.”
Of course, they had also mentioned that the map was so abstract that even Van Gogh wouldn’t be able to decipher a route.
But Huai Yu had no artistic talent, so he kept that to himself.
Huai Yu was instantly moved. “And here I was wondering why you took the initiative to host them! It was all for this map!”
The word “map” drew a cold sneer from Zhou Qian. “If this is a map, even ten intelligence teams couldn’t parse a single route from it. You’ve got some nerve!”
Huai Yu lowered her head instantly.
It wasn’t her fault she didn’t have the talent; it must have been that scumbag boyfriend who had deceived her and hindered her self-improvement!
However, hosting them wasn’t just for the sake of this map.
Zhou Qian took the notebook and flipped to the back. “This is the route map I drew for the outskirts of the wilderness.”
“The Defense Army’s jurisdiction only covers the outskirts; for more detailed information on the deeper regions, we’ll have to wait to ask the Garrison Army.”
“I know you can walk through the Rose Corridor, but it’s too unreliable for just the two of us to go to the wilderness. It’s best to follow a caravan.”
“So, ignore the Sanqing Mountain route and look at the conventional one.”
Both the Defense and Garrison armies had official duties and wouldn’t accept outsiders joining their ranks, not even if it were Zhou Qian. Therefore, their only goal was to see how things went between Chen Xing and the [Bai Zhao Subsidy] caravan.
“It just so happens that we’ll be selling a batch of our stored dried vegetables and pickles soon. We can use that to test the waters—they won’t accept inexperienced people joining the team, but what if our vehicle just follows at a distance?”
This way, they could take advantage of the safe routes established by the large caravan, saving them a great deal of energy and burden.
“Also, I’ve told everyone to notify me as soon as they hear about any vehicles being put up for sale. If they have relatives or friends in the Garrison Army, ask them about their general patrol missions.”
They wouldn’t hinder the army’s missions, but tagging along a day or two behind should be permissible. Otherwise, how could those explorer teams survive if they were all exploring dangerous territories by themselves?
Wow! Zhou Qian looked so reliable!
Huai Yu looked at him with sparkling eyes.
Zhou Qian tapped her head again. “And, most importantly, if we don’t find the person this time, you have to give up no matter what. I won’t take you into the wilderness again, do you hear me?!”
He gritted his teeth. “No matter how important Lin Xuefeng is, he isn’t more important than a living person.”
“Nowadays, human life is the most precious thing.”
Huai Yu nodded! She nodded vigorously!
She knew her own limits, and if going to the wilderness meant forcing Zhou Qian to risk his life, she had actually already decided there would be no next time!
Zhou Qian, still worried, calculated the time. “There are four months until the departure. Modifying the vehicle will take half a month to a month. That means if we don’t buy a vehicle by early October, you should give up for this year.”
Huai Yu paused, remembering that cold, blizzard-filled nightmare. She gritted her teeth and nodded heavily. “Mm!”
“But…” she hesitated, “Brother Zhou Qian, I never meant for you to accompany me.”
“Look at Kuang Biao, Ketaro, my chicks, the ‘big kid’ and ‘little kid,’ Xiao Kui, and the vegetable patch—all of these need someone to look after them… I want you to stay home.”
She didn’t want Zhou Qian to risk his life because of her affairs.
Zhou Qian sighed.
He looked at Huai Yu, but his gaze seemed to drift toward the past. Finally, he said, “If I am like an older brother to you, then taking on dangers for your sake is something I am willing to do.”
“Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine.”
But for now…
He pointed into the distance. “The District 69 camp will rebuild its signal tower next month. You should prepare to buy a communicator from Boss Tang.”
“Although fiber optics won’t reach this far yet, at this rate, there shouldn’t be much pressure on my electricity usage by next year.”
So…
Huai Yu looked up at him. “And what about me?”
Would someone be dragging electricity or internet cables to her doorstep?
Zhou Qian tried to hide his smile. “Either you save up some more and build another house next to mine next year, or… wait a few more years.”
“Will it be available in a few years?”
Huai Yu was still reluctant to leave this place. Although she could come here to farm even if she lived further away like Zhou Qian…
Being by the Rose Corridor made her feel safe.
“No, a few years from now, you’ll probably just get used to it,” Zhou Qian answered with a smile.
