Bab 31: Chapter 29 Resolution
Li Pan returned to her room, changed out of her soaked clothes, took a hot shower, and dried her hair before going downstairs.
She headed to the kitchen to make some ginger soup for everyone and to heat some water for later use.
Fortunately, her quick reaction today meant almost no losses, and it was lucky to have Brother Qin and Liu Qian there—a couple of strong helpers made a big difference.
While the ginger soup was simmering, she casually checked her phone.
She browsed the new forum on the farm and noticed that it was much livelier than before; it had changed significantly during the days she hadn't visited.
The homepage now featured a small marketplace where one could shop online, and there was even an option for home delivery, though delivery required an additional fee.
They had agricultural products, medicinal materials, and such.
There were also requests for help on the forum, discussing how several farms had experienced severe insect infestations. The continued rain was making it even more challenging, and it was uncertain if there would be a good harvest.
Out of fifteen farms, more than half reported pest damage that they couldn't manage in time.
There were also reward requests for catching thieves; five farms had experienced thefts, leaving virtually nothing behind, and farmers were desperately complaining.
The mention of theft caught Li Pan's attention, and she clicked to read more.
"Fuck, if I find out who stole my grain, I'll kill them. The fields are almost cleared."
"The same happened to us. My dad and brother even got into a fight and were hurt. They're still bedridden, the corn field is gone, and the thieves got away. This year, I'm doomed; it was all for nothing. The previous pest damage was bad enough, and now theft has occurred. I feel like dying."
"My situation is similar, a corn field was also stolen. I didn't dare chase for fear of killing someone, and luckily my family took turns patrolling at night, or it would have been worse,"
Li Pan added a comment too, but she didn't say much else, not wanting to stand out and fearing jealousy from others.
"Base Commander, come out and say something, what about our losses?"
"Exactly, the Base Commander must give us an explanation."
"All our money and contribution points are tied up in the farm, and now with such severe losses, none of our families have any income, and our food is almost gone. Save us!"
"Don't you still have potatoes and sweet potatoes? I heard your potatoes had a good harvest, and the Base Commander didn't collect them; you refused to sell. Now eat your potatoes!"
Someone mocked sarcastically.
"Selling food was voluntary; don't we need to eat? Luckily we didn't sell back then; what would we eat now, the north wind?"
"That's easy for you to say. Don't we need to eat too? Originally, you promised to take care of us; I don't care, the Base Commander needs to speak."
People suffering heavy losses were breaking down and getting desperate after seeing half a year's hard work go to waste.
Li Pan read a few comments and no longer continued.
As dawn approached, the rain almost stopped.
Xue Dong and the others came back.
"Tough night, isn't it cold? Come inside quickly, shower, change, and the ginger soup is ready,"
Li Pan hurriedly handed them towels to dry off.
The three went inside to change their clothes and take a hot shower to warm up before coming out to sit down and drink the ginger soup.
"Secured against the Wolf King watching, we didn't suffer any losses, don't worry,"
"That's good; I just realized while browsing on my phone that many farms had faced losses. These people must be working in a gang. Now the Base Commander is under pressure,"
Li Pan frowned in worry.
"I've already made some calls. I don't know if these few can reveal more, but I guess we'll have visitors soon."
"Girl, as long as our farm hasn't suffered, you don't need to worry about this trouble; we're here, it won't fall on you,"
Liu Qian assured her straightforwardly.
"Alright, you've had a hard night, and I've made breakfast. Eat something to fill your stomachs. You'll be busy when the visitors come. Brother, should we cook for them?"
"No, they will leave after they bring the people,"
Xue Dong furrowed his brows, pondering where these people had come from.
Li Pan brought breakfast, and everyone enjoyed a warm bite.
"Your Space Barrier is quite effective."
"Just ten minutes, it's only for emergencies."
"Still, that's impressive. Those ten crucial minutes could save lives."
"Pan'er, later go and take everything from the cave and the storeroom into the space. I'm worried that the thieves who haven't died off might come back for a second attempt. We can't afford to lose the food. Let's hide it for now to be safe."
"Okay, I'll go after eating."
She nodded her head.
After lunch, when the rain had stopped, she hurried to the fields to check all the crops and store the grain in the cave.
Base staff arrived to take the three thieves away. Xue Dong and Liu Qian negotiated with them, while Li Pan didn't join them and went to work instead.
She took ropes, a sickle, and a hoe to the mountain to see if there were valuable things to pick.
At the place where the long licorice grew, she found that indeed, there was a new growth of licorice, mugwort, as well as honeysuckle and Perilla, enough to make a worthwhile gathering.
Mugwort could also be picked and dried to be pulverized into mugwort felts, which are very useful for pest control and warding off the cold, and could also be used to make green dumplings.
The honeysuckle had grown more, and there were some senna leaves left, albeit not many.
Having a space makes things easier, allowing freshly picked items to be stored directly and sorted at home, without having to carry everything.
She also found raspberries and, after sensing them with her superpower and confirming they were positive, decided they were edible and were plentiful enough to be picked for making juice back home.
She tasted one, it was sour and sweet, quite a nice flavor. She also picked some Sichuan peppercorn and cut some cinnamon to take home and dry.
After picking, she cut some white vine to take home to make baskets, as the firewood for cooking at home was quickly depleting; she cut some more on her way back.
She detoured to the orchard area to transfer some superpower, checked around, and then went home.
Since the rain had just stopped today, there were no mushrooms yet. It would take two or three sunny days for mushrooms to appear.
The three thieves had been taken away. She didn't ask for specifics. Xue Dong and the other two clearly didn't want to discuss it. Knowing too many secrets might be trouble, though she could guess they must have used some methods during last night's interrogation.
"I'm back. The crops in the field are looking good. How long until harvest?"
Liu Qian asked proactively.
"Without rain, it'll be about seven or eight days. We don't need to water it in these few days, just wait till the last few days."
Li Pan took a breath and smiled, expectation in her eyes.
"During these days, we'll take turns patrolling in threes, splitting the shifts between the first and second half of the night. The wolf pack will also patrol separately."
It's absolutely necessary not to take this lightly. It's the last few days, and we must guard the food no matter what.
"Then I'll join you on the night shifts."
"No need. You just focus on absorbing the Crystal Core to stabilize your advancement. Leave the rest to us."
Liu Qian patted her hand.
"Okay then."
Indeed, it didn't rain afterward. The sun started to blaze fiercely, providing ample sunlight that began to heat up their bodies. By June, the harvest season was nearing. With the help of the Wood Power, many crops could be harvested one or two months early without violating natural laws, and with proper care, they could yield highly.
Li Pan changed her routine to transferring superpowers to the field three times a day. Now that her superpower had been upgraded to the middle level, she possessed more energy than before, requiring a third round of power transfer after dinner.
Xue Dong had also moved out the stone mill, getting ready to grind the food once it was harvested.
With good sunlight in the past few days, on the third day, Li Pan took Liu Qian to the mountain to see if there were mushrooms or other medicinal materials to pick once more, and they could be sold to the base together.
They did pick some mushrooms; the rain had brought plenty of wild herbs and vegetables. The cinnamon was completely harvested, and the Sichuan peppercorn was also picked. The scent of the peppercorn was very strong, making it a painful task to pick them as the scent was so overpowering it could bring tears to the eyes, and even a mask was not sufficient.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone