After lunch, the three of them went back. Qin Jianzhong had to resign from his position at the base. There wasn't much combat anymore, and most of the time, they were idle. Occasionally, they'd clear out mutant animals from the old rural areas, but there wasn't work every day.
Gao Wenbin took the items back to show the Base Commander, "With these, we can make quite a bit of sugar. And Xue Dong also gave us some dandelion and senna leaves, good for clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling, and moistening the intestines. They need to be tested first."
"Oh, these are great, go get them tested. Once it's done, come back and record it."
"Xue Dong said he wanted to exchange for some machinery and fruit seedlings."
"Sure, you arrange the items he needs first, leave them aside, and the rest can be sold."
The Base Commander agreed readily.
"Alright then, I'll take these to the sugar factory."
"Off you go. Jianzhong, what about you?"
"Commander, I'd like to resign and stay on the farm to work with Xue Dong."
"Have you thought this through?"
The Commander looked at Qin Jianzhong somewhat reluctantly. He was obedient, sensible, strictly followed orders, and never shirked responsibilities. With a robust combat superpower, it was a pity to see him go, but the base indeed couldn't afford to keep so many people anymore.
"Sooner or later, I would have to leave. With such a good opportunity, I should seize it quickly."
Qin Jianzhong touched his head and chuckled.
"Alright then, I'll process the paperwork for you."
"Thank you, Commander."
Qin Jianzhong gave a military salute.
He bounded with excitement as he went to pack his belongings. As a bachelor, he didn't have much to pack—a single bundle was all it took.
Gao Wenbin took the dandelion and senna leaves for testing and waited for the results before going to the exchange center to get the items that Xue Dong needed. He handed over a list of required items for the farm, including fruit tree saplings, various agricultural machines, green brickmaking materials, rainproof covers, animal traps, and more.
With his bundle and formalities sorted, Qin Jianzhong found someone to take him to the farm.
There happened to be a delivery to the farm that was passing by Li Pan's place. For a ten-yuan hitch, he caught a ride and arrived by afternoon.
"You're back. I've cleared out a room for you. You'll sleep on a camp bed for now. Later on, I'll chop some wood to piece together a proper bed base."
"Sounds good. I'll head out to work in the fields."
"Don't rush to the fields just yet. Dig the cave. Pan'er has already started on one and is halfway through. Dig two caves to store potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other grains, and in winter we'll also store vegetables. I'll go set up the solar panels and connect the power."
Xue Dong had exchanged for a refrigerator and washing machine and brought back some other living supplies. He didn't have time to sort the Stevia yesterday, so everything piled up in the spare plank room.
"Okay, Pan'er wanted to build a canopy over the vegetable garden, right? Let's do that tomorrow."
"Sounds good."
Qin Jianzhong grabbed a shovel and pickaxe and started to dig the cave.
Li Pan had dug a half cave a few days ago and hadn't finished. He continued where she left off. The dug-out soil was perfect for green brickmaking.
Xue Dong continued to form the brick clay. The kiln from yesterday was a success, with only a few bricks coming out damaged.
In a few hours, Qin Jianzhong finished digging the two caves. They were covered with wooden planks and were rectangular shaped, with load-bearing pillars left in place. He carefully constructed them; stone slabs were used as shelves with partitions, allowing three layers of storage to fully utilize the space.
"I'll move the potatoes and sweet potatoes from the plank room into the cave. It's getting hot, and if we leave them in the room, they're likely to sprout."
Qin Jianzhong took a basket and started to move potatoes into the cave. The plank room was especially hot in summer and terribly cold in the winter.
"Put them at the entrance. We'll eat those first. New ones can go inside."
"Understood."
After a busy half-day, he finally sorted everything in the plank room, placing grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, smoked fish, and chicken in the cave for storage on the shelves, easily accessible and cool enough to prevent spoilage.
"I'll go check on the fields."
"We need to clear the north slope soon. Once we get the test results, we'll have money. I'll go to the base to exchange for fruit tree saplings and sorghum seeds. Pan'er wants to grow sorghum, or else when we get the cattle and sheep, there won't be anything for them to eat. We need to plant a crop first."
"I got it. Let's build a chicken coop later; we can keep a few chickens. The vegetables will be ready in two months. I'll oversee them, no delays."
Qin Jianzhong thought for a moment and then spoke.
"I'll bring them back next time I go to the base. Once these animals arrive, they'll need food, one thing at a time."
"You need to think more about guarding the home, our defenses really aren't up to par."
Qin Jianzhong took the initiative to point out the problem he had noticed.
"Let's build a gate at the entrance to the valley later, and set up some animal traps. The barbed wire will arrive in a few days, and we'll fence the place off."
"All right, let's take it step by step."
Seeing that Jianzhong had things under control, Qin Jianzhong grabbed the farming tools and headed to the fields.
The land opened up yesterday still needed deeper plowing, not to mention burning off the weeds and saving the ash for the soil.
The irrigation system had just been installed, and each part needed to be checked for leaks.
Li Pan busied herself in the fields, channeling her superpower into each crop, and removing grass to check for insects. Having the irrigation system was much more convenient; there was no longer any need to haul water by hand, freeing them up for other tasks.
She went on to fill the burned clay pots with soil and ash, getting ready for the breeding process. The frame over the vegetable garden was also set up; now it was possible to make use of vertical space by intercropping.
She planned to plant strawberries and cherry tomatoes in pots since everyone really liked them and they sold for a good price. And she had to build frames for the cucumbers and eggplants, too.
"Lunch is ready."
Xue Dong called the two in from the doorway.
And with that, they both hurried back.
"The field's almost ready, we can plant the sorghum tomorrow."
"Sounds good. Made some fish stew and flatbread for today, let's eat those."
There was fish stewed in an iron pot with flatbread, millet porridge, griddle cakes, plus stir-fried chili and eggs, and sweet and sour Chinese cabbage.
"Bro, your cooking is really delicious."
"Eat up, there's plenty of food."
Xue Dong smiled and sat down to eat with them.
He had enlisted in the army as soon as he discovered his superpower. Being too young for frontline duty and needing to develop his superpower, he also studied and worked in logistics, cooking and doing odd jobs, acquiring various skills during that time.
The three of them ate heartily. Having more people around made the meal more enjoyable than Li Pan eating alone—it was livelier.
"It's great that you guys came. When I was alone on the farm, it was so quiet without anyone to talk to. Talking to myself, I felt like a fool."
Li Pan laughed, looking up.
"Pan'er, let's also get a mutant animal later. It can guard the house, protect the yard, and look after you."
"Sure, you pick one out."
Li Pan readily agreed.
After eating, Li Pan washed the dishes while Qin Jianzhong and Xue Dong went to prepare green bricks. There was still time before bedtime; they could get more work done, make more bricks, and fire them in the kiln, getting ready for the house construction.
Drawing plans on the ground, they discussed how to build the house. They would level the indoor foundation, then lay some crushed stones to even it out before pouring the concrete—saving a good amount of materials this way. Plus, they deliberated on what materials were needed for interior decorations since cement walls would shed dust and were not very clean.
Since they'd be living in the house for the long term, they wanted to make it as nice as possible. The farm might lack other resources, but there was plenty of wood.
Xue Dong knew carpentry, having worked for several years in logistics with many others, doing all sorts of jobs, and gradually mastering the craft.
They conversed and worked simultaneously.
Li Pan hooked up the washing machine to power, washing everyone's work clothes so they would be dry by morning.
Very early in the morning, before dawn, Qin Jianzhong and Xue Dong were already up, rising even earlier than Li Pan. Accustomed to early morning drills, their biological clocks woke them on time.
Xue Dong lit the stove and started to boil water, heating some steamed buns and preparing a soup before they took turns to wash and freshen up.
Li Pan also got up, first giving her attention and superpower to the vegetables in the clay pots, and only then washing up and having breakfast.
Now that there was a signal and network connection, they could use their smartphones. She had spent some time browsing on her phone the previous night.
"Bro, the base made an app for several farms, with basic information about a few of them. You can also exchange resources, chat with others, and even post in forums", I only saw it yesterday."
Their network was the local area network of the base, fairly stable, and if there was signal and internet, they could keep up with the base's news, the marketplace, the exchange, and see other things on their phones, clearly listing anything they might want to buy.
However, after making a purchase, you had to pick up the items yourself. Deliveries to your doorstep were charged; their farms were quite distant from each other, and delivery fees were based on the travel distance – over a three-hour journey cost fifty yuan. The roads were unsafe with the risk of mutant animal attacks or ambushes by bandits.