Chapter 31: Earn Points with Every Purchase

When Yang Sen delivered the people, Tang Miao arranged for Zhang Xinrou to lead everyone in greeting them, while she remotely controlled the redwood trees to open and close.

She stood before the artificial lake, weighing the feasibility of building wooden cabins on the tree trunks. Once the rough blueprint was constructed in her mind, she reviewed the map repeatedly before heading to an undeveloped patch of wasteland.

On the wasteland, she dug six small pits, burying different types of household waste in each. Beyond the variety of waste, she experimented with two methods of disposal: burying items separately versus burying them in a mixed pile.

When she dug up the pits again, the waste buried separately had largely decomposed, but in the pits where it had been mixed, about 30% of the waste remained. Tang Miao now understood; it was necessary to implement waste sorting, as the variety of trash would only increase as the farm’s population grew.

Jiang Nanxing helped fill the pits and asked, "Miaomiao, what do you plan to do with the excavated soil?"

Zai Zai raised its hand, "Aba!" It wanted to keep digging!

Shou Gao-Gao and Pang Hu-Hu piled the soil into a small hill; she intended to continue digging tunnels into the mountain. As the artificial lake grew larger, more and more soil was accumulated, and simply leaving it in a pile was not a viable long-term solution.

Jiang Nanxing suggested, "How about building a garden? We could layer it, creating a terraced design." He still remembered how Tang Miao had used the soil from digging wells and small ponds for flower pots, though they hadn't planted any flowers yet.

"Let's store it to the side for now; let me consider it." The mall sold tigers, black bears, and pythons; in the future, this soil could be used to build caves for them. Furthermore, there were only 12 days left until the second release of the new human gene. Soil and water resources would be contaminated, and other safe zones would likely be unable to grow crops. She wondered if this soil would still function once it left the farm—perhaps she could earn a tidy sum of points from it.

As the sun set behind the mountains, the light filtering through the canopy dimmed, and the farm’s ground lights slowly flickered on. A bonfire was lit in the clearing; eating dinner by the fire had seemingly become a consensus among everyone.

To accommodate Lin Yue’s emotional state, Zhang Xinrou decided to split the dinner into two tables. Zai Zai was the only exception, nesting in Tang Miao’s arms as usual, waving a small hand at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue clutched her bowl tightly, not daring to breathe. Before arriving, Yang Sen had told her that the staff at Tang Miao’s farm were zombies. She hadn't expected these zombies to have thoughts; she had witnessed her own parents being torn apart by zombies. Seeing them brought back the memory of that day.

Tang Miao coughed twice. "Alright, everyone on the farm is very friendly, don't worry. Eat your fill first; tomorrow, everyone will be going to dig the lake."

When they began to eat, Lin Yue buried her head in her bowl, drinking soup bowl after bowl. The others slowed down their movements, glancing at each other.

Lin Chaofeng spoke up first, "Lin Yue, don't just drink soup, eat some meat."

"Exactly, exactly." Zhang Xinrou placed two duck legs in her bowl. "Look at how scrawny you are. Eat more meat; there’s plenty."

Zai Zai also pushed its bowl toward Lin Yue. This was the chick Mom had just hatched today; it was delicious. They wouldn't get to eat it again for a week—Mom said they had to wait for the chicks to grow up, and this time was just an exception.

Tang Miao pulled Zai Zai’s bowl back. "This chick is specifically for you; the others cannot have it." She placed a few more pieces of meat into Lin Yue’s bowl and added with a faint smile, "We don't do that 'Red Fire Safe Zone' nonsense here. Eat without worry."

The dorm supervisor had been gossiping about Lin Yue to Shou Gao-Gao earlier. She had kindly tried to teach the young girl how to cook, only for the girl to wail as if she had seen a ghost. Now, hearing the movement from the next table, she stopped grumbling.

Tang Miao’s phone vibrated several times. She glanced at it; a new client had arrived. "You all keep eating; I’m going to meet a new client."

In the night air, the tall redwood trees parted once again. Outside sat a jeep, accompanied by two men and one woman.

Tang Miao let out a small burp. "Hello, welcome to Miaomiao Farm. It’s past working hours, so I’m the only one here to greet you. What would you like to purchase?"

The three of them were stunned for a few seconds before coming to their senses. It wasn't surprising—the scouts' report had mentioned that the owner of this farm could control trees.

"Hello, I am Gu Suian, captain of the First Patrol Team of the Jin'an Safe Zone. Nice to meet you."

"I am Ge Shan, captain of the Logistics Support Team of the Jin'an Safe Zone. Nice to meet you."

"I am Zhang Ansong, captain of the Strategic Support Team of the Jin'an Safe Zone. Nice... to meet you."

Tang Miao narrowed her eyes. It was too dark to see them clearly, and besides, there was something off about Zhang Ansong’s aura. "It’s too dark outside; come in and talk."

Although it wasn't much brighter inside the farm. The three hesitated for a few seconds before gripping their guns and entering. The first things to catch their eyes were the three wells, then the rows of crude, waterproof shacks. Nearby, a bonfire crackled in the open space, surrounded by a group of people. In the dim light, they could also see a pond and several fruit trees.

"Tell me, what do you want to buy?"

Gu Suian withdrew her gaze and bowed her head slightly. "Apologies, Miss Tang, for rudely scrutinizing your farm." She had a buzz cut and wore a tailored black tracksuit, with a pistol holstered at her waist, her right hand gripping it tightly.

"It’s fine, I’d be just as curious if I were you. What do you want to buy?"

Gu Suian hesitated for two seconds. "We don't need much—some fish fry, vegetables, and poultry chicks. But we aren't sure if we can afford your price." They wanted to purchase chicks, hoping that Tang Miao’s fee would be lower.

Tang Miao observed the map and already had a plan. She went to the fence, picked up a flower pot, and called Zhang Xinrou to prepare a contract and send someone over with bottles and jars for collecting samples. After hanging up, she kept the line open with Zhang Xinrou to facilitate the drafting of the contract.

"I will sell you 30 mature fish, 200 pounds of vegetables, and 30 each of chicks, ducklings, and goslings. I’m not selling the hatchlings yet; I’ll give you 10 of each for now, and you can come back for the rest in a week." The latest batch hadn't grown large enough yet; the numbers weren't sufficient.

Ge Shan and Zhang Ansong stepped forward in excitement, but were blocked by Gu Suian. "That’s too much; we can take less."

"Don't worry about the payment. Your safe zone has a lake, right? Collect samples of the lake water and the organisms within it twice a week, mark them according to my requirements, and send the data once. Each delivery will be worth 300 points."

"I will send you a list later. While ensuring the order of your safe zone, keep an eye on these people for me. Remember, it is to observe, not to look after. Send your observations along with the sample data; each time will be worth 300 points."

"Additionally, each of you take two pots of soil. Plant your safe zone’s crop seeds in three of them, and use the seeds I provide for the other three. Try to see if you can grow anything within a week."

"Do not water them or fertilize them. Keep them in the same location and bring them back after a week; that will be worth 400 points. This matter must be kept confidential. If it leaks, all your points will be wiped to zero."

Gu Suian’s hand trembled uncontrollably; she opened her mouth several times but couldn't speak. Ge Shan, however, was eager. "We’ll sign! We will definitely sign!"