The next morning, the construction team arrived in big trucks, bringing heavy construction equipnt.
However, they had to finish Mr. Zhao’s task first, so Gu Xi’s little house would have to wait a while longer.
Gu Xi wasn’t in a hurry, though.
Qin Yi ca over early in the morning to snag so sweet potatoes. Seeing the construction team had already started work over there, she couldn’t help but feel a little envious. "I wonder when I’ll get to have a little house of my own..."
Gu Xi found that a bit odd. "You guys shouldn’t be short on money, right?"
"Short? Of course we’re short!" Qin Yi took a vicious bite of her sweet potato. "The country has had it rough these past few years, and the army has had to tighten its belt to get by. All the money my sister and I had saved up, we spent it all on seeds the other day."
"What’s your problem?" Wei Heng, cradling a large sweet potato, sat next to Qin Yi and shot her a sidelong glance. "Did my sweet potato offend you sohow?"
Qin Yi shot him a glare and ignored him, turning to Gu Xi with a grin. "After we finished planting the waterlons yesterday, Mr. Zhao said your land has been worked too hard and won’t recover without resting for three to five months. So, Gu Xi, what are your plans now?"
Wei Heng huffed from the side, "Don’t you go getting any ideas about Gu Xi. We bought a whole case of soil nutrient solution yesterday. Besides, even if Gu Xi’s land can’t be planted on, there’s still my hundred acres..."
’Trying to poach her right from under my nose? Not a chance.’
But his luck wasn’t as good. Unlike Gu Xi’s land, which was all by the creek, flat, and easy to cultivate, his plots were situated between a slope and a forest. Nearly half of it had now grown into a dense mountain wood.
The mutant trees in that forest blotted out the sun, their roots deep and leaves lush, and there were all sorts of vines and shrubs... In short, it was very difficult to clear.
As for the remaining sloped land, it could be cleared with so effort and used to plant sweet potatoes or the like. But judging by Gu Xi’s expression, it seed she had other plans.
"Gu Xiaoxi," Wei Heng said as he peeled his sweet potato. He glanced at Shen Yue, who was walking toward them from a distance, and let out a dry laugh. "Another person’s co for your sweet potatoes."
Sure enough, the first thing Shen Yue said when he ca over was, "Gu Xi, got anything to eat? I’m starving..."
Gu Xi pointed to the stove, telling him to get so himself.
In the end, he took the entire pot, claiming—under the noble pretext—that he had to bring so back for the professors.
Wei Heng chuckled drily twice but said nothing.
But Gu Xi glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Shouldn’t the mutant dry rice be ready for harvest? What did Mr. Zhao say?"
After eating nothing but sweet potatoes for days on end, her heart, which longed for a bowl of white rice, was thumping with anticipation.
Shen Yue took a bite of sweet potato and mumbled, "It should be today, but I’ll have to ask the two professors again..."
After hearing this, Gu Xi’s eyes brightened. She swallowed the rest of the sweet potato in her hand, casually wiped her hands on so nearby wild grass to wash them with the morning dew, and stood up. "Then I’ll go with you and ask Mr. Zhao."
’If you’re not proactive about eating, you’ve got your priorities mixed up.’
This matter couldn’t be delayed.
Shen Yue watched her remarkably proficient way of washing her hands with dew and thought, ’This girl really lives a rough life. She could almost give a run for my money.’
「...」
Mr. Zhao didn’t disappoint Gu Xi. After coming over to confirm it himself, he told her that the dry rice was mature and ready for harvest.
After the harvest, Mr. Zhao only took half, giving the rest to Gu Xi for seeds.
Gu Xi cradled the heavy heads of rice and thought, ’Finally, I can eat white rice.’
Little Green Sprout was probably influenced by her mood. It shot out and wrapped itself around the heavy stalks of rice, circling them several tis.
Mr. Zhao found this very amusing. He asked her with a smile, "Gu, I’m afraid this plot of yours will need a good long rest. What are your plans for what cos next?"
Hearing this, Wei Heng, who was standing to the side, imdiately felt sothing was off. ’Why are so many people trying to get their hands on Gu Xiaoxi?’
But an idea sparked in Gu Xi’s mind.
"Professor, what do you think about planting so fruit on that slope over there?" she asked Mr. Zhao, pointing to the hillside behind them.
"You want to plant fruit trees?" Mr. Zhao was a bit surprised. These days, there weren’t many Wood Elent ability users who dared to plant fruit trees.
He thought for a mont and said, "This slope is actually quite suitable for fruit trees. However, Gu, have you really thought this through? Fruit trees have a long growth cycle, and their mutation rate is even faster than ordinary crops..."
"Mr. Zhao, I want to try." Now that she finally had a peaceful life, Gu Xi didn’t want to deny herself.
’Her only real hobby was eating fruit. Since she had the ability, why not treat herself a little better?’
"Professor, do you have any fruit seeds?" Gu Xi asked.
Although she was confident she could grow delicious fruit, she didn’t have any seeds.
Mr. Zhao shook his head. "Fruit seeds... I don’t have any here either..."
Gu Xi was a little disappointed, but then she heard Mr. Zhao add with a smile, "However, I can help you apply for them."
With his status, applying for fruit seeds shouldn’t be a big problem.
Mr. Zhao sighed. "But... Gu, you also know that fruit is a rarity these days. Fruit seeds, especially those with a low mutation coefficient, are even rarer and more precious. I can’t guarantee how many seeds I’ll be able to get for you..."
Back then, that great mutation almost completely wiped out all the fruit trees, and they could no longer bear fruit that was edible for humans.
The currently existing fruit seeds are from the pre-apocalypse seed banks that the country activated over the years. They had High-level Wood Ability Users rapidly mature the plants to produce the seeds we have now.
But even when using pre-apocalypse seeds, the resulting fruit trees would mutate in a very short ti, and the fruit they eventually bore would have varying mutation coefficients, so high and so low.
As Mr. Zhao spoke of this, his face was filled with regret and... deep sorrow.
Gu Xi expressed her understanding and thanked him. "Thank you, Mr. Zhao. I’m not picky about the quantity or type of seeds." ’As long as there’s sothing to eat.’
After a pause, Gu Xi couldn’t help but ask again, "Mr. Zhao, the X Energy inside plants and animals... is it really impossible to purify, or perhaps extract directly?"
Mr. Zhao hadn’t expected her to ask this. He was stunned for a mont before shaking his head. "For now, there’s no effective thod."
In fact, after the second great mutation of plants and animals, soone had proposed that if the X Energy could be extracted or purified, it would solve the food crisis.
Unfortunately, after all these years, no effective thod has ever been found.
"So there’s no way at all?" Gu Xi frowned slightly. ’That can’t be right...’
Gu Xi would never underestimate the power of the state apparatus, not even during the darkest period of the apocalypse.
Sure enough, Mr. Zhao paused and then said, "That’s not entirely true. Over twenty years ago, soone suggested that perhaps they could try using abilities..."
"...Although all those attempts later failed, back then, Mr. Ye used her own Purification Skill to pacify the X Energy within the seeds, basically hitting the pause button on them..."
Speaking of which, Mr. Zhao paused and sighed with emotion. "It’s thanks to Mr. Ye being there back then that the country was able to preserve so many seeds with low mutation coefficients."
Otherwise, if they had let those seeds continue to mutate at that ti, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Mr. Ye?" Gu Xi raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with feigned curiosity.
"Yes. The vice director of the Central Base Superpower Research Institute, Ye Xin."
Mr. Zhao already knew this girl was from the ruins and wasn’t familiar with the outside world, so he explained a little more:
"For years, Mr. Ye has been on the front lines of research. Her Purification Skill can effectively pacify X Energy and reduce its activity..."
And it was on the back of this achievent that Ye Xin successfully took the position of vice director of the Abnormal Ability Research Institute fifteen years ago.
Now, she holds significant authority within the Abnormal Ability Research Institute, and even throughout the entire Central Base.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a major figure.
But Gu Xi’s focus at this mont was on sothing else entirely.
"So you’re saying that the seeds distributed by the base these days have all passed through the hands of a Healing System ability user?" Gu Xi asked, tilting her head.
"That’s right." Mr. Zhao nodded. "Mr. Ye’s ability research shows that a Healing Ability can pacify the violent nature of X Energy and reduce its activity..."
Gu Xi, however, frowned slightly as she recalled the subtle difference she had perceived the first ti she plundered energy from those sweet potato seeds compared to when she’d plundered it from wild mutant plants in the wilderness...
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