Chapter 401: 25 Yi Stones

Chapter 401: Chapter 401: 25 Yi Stones

The sheep and wolf in the greenhouse might not have understood what Xiaqing was saying, but they could understand her tone. After she lightly scratched the plastic film with her nails and put the compressed rations and eggs she had just taken out back into her pocket, they grasped her meaning.

It meant: damage the plastic film, lose your food.

The Sheep Leader, who loved compressed rations, squinted, pretending it didn’t understand a thing.

The Sick Wolf, which adored boiled eggs, stepped forward, carefully touched the plastic film with its paw, and then retreated two steps.

Once she confirmed both her companions understood, Xiaqing was about to ask them to help her lay the mulch film when she heard a notification from her phone.

Yang Jin had arrived at her territory and was asking if she was free.

Yang Jin must be here about the spinach seed deal. This was a transaction worth millions; of course Xiaqing was free.

It was warm and windless inside the greenhouse, but outside, the cold wind howled. Xiaqing closed the wooden door of the shed, pulled her Protective Mask down snugly, and crossed the stone bridge, her feet crunching on fallen leaves as she made her way to the North Gate.

As Yang Jin emerged from the swirl of falling leaves in the Evolution Forest, Xiaqing couldn’t help but think, ’Long legs really make a difference. Even the way he walks is a pleasure to watch.’

Walking up to her, Yang Jin explained why he had come so late. "Tang Zhengsu and Xu Pin are coming over tomorrow morning, so the next few days will be busy. I figured I’d take this chance while I’m free tonight to settle our accounts. I heard from Zifeng that you got the greenhouse assembled. The steel pipes all worked out, right?"

Settling accounts meant Yang Jin was about to transfer points to her, so Xiaqing immediately invited him into her territory. By now, the sky was pitch-black. The curtains in the shed by the fields didn’t block light well, so Xiaqing had originally planned to invite him to her house. But when he mentioned the greenhouse, she changed her mind. "The greenhouse parts Captain Hu’s team delivered were all there, and assembly was very easy. They just helped me finish one this afternoon. Would you like to go see it?"

"Sure." Yang Jin’s laughter was cheerful. "If they weren’t complete kits, I wouldn’t have dared to charge ten thousand points a set."

The greenhouse’s plastic film was covered with thick, insulating straw mats, so the grow lights shining inside weren’t visible from the outside.

Xiaqing asked Yang Jin to wait outside the greenhouse shed for a moment. She went in first to get the Sheep Leader and the Sick Wolf and send them home.

When the Sheep Leader came out and saw Yang Jin, it stopped dead with a loud "BAA," pawing the dirt with its hoof as if signaling for Xiaqing and the Sick Wolf to charge with it.

The Sick Wolf immediately took its side, standing beside the Sheep Leader and assuming an aggressive stance toward Yang Jin.

’Hm? The last time I was here, this Evolutionary Sheep only dared to make a racket from a distance. Where did it get the confidence to challenge me now?’

Yang Jin asked Xiaqing in a low voice, "Which of the three of you has gotten stronger?"

’Which one? Heh.’

’You’d be jealous if I told you the truth—all three of us have!’

Though she was proud inwardly, Xiaqing answered humbly, "It’s not about getting stronger. It’s just seen you visit so many times and realized you won’t hurt it, so now it dares to be provocative. It does the same thing when Captain Hu and his team come over."

After explaining her companion’s attitude to Yang Jin, Xiaqing quietly soothed the Sheep Leader. "Boss, Second, you two head home first. When I get back, I’ll boil you some eggs and soak some Asparagus Chrysanthemum for you to eat."

At the promise of good food, the Sheep Leader immediately abandoned the fight and bolted for home.

Watching the Sheep Leader’s snow-white form dash away, Yang Jin could hardly hide the envy in his eyes. ’He wanted to go home with Xiaqing and have dinner with her, too.’

"Captain Yang, watch your step. We haven’t had a chance to clean the floor in here yet." Xiaqing pushed open the shed door and invited Yang Jin into the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was bright and warm. Yang Jin took off his Protective Mask, hooking it onto his belt. He spotted two rolls of black plastic sheeting nearby, recognizing it as mulch film. "The insulation in this greenhouse is pretty good," he commented. "The humidity must get high, right?"

Xiaqing quickly wiped the dirt off a bench, moved it in front of Yang Jin for him to sit on, and then explained, "I learned a few practical dehumidifying tricks from other Lords. Tonight, I’m going to cover the ground with this plastic sheeting to reduce moisture evaporation from the soil and see how well it works."

Yang Jin nodded. "Since you haven’t planted anything yet, covering it with mulch film should be quite effective. Are you laying it lengthwise or widthwise?"

"Either way works," Xiaqing replied automatically, only to see Yang Jin hang his backpack on the steel frame and bend down to grab the mulch film.

Xiaqing was about to stop him, but he had already skillfully started unrolling the film. He motioned for her to hold down one end and began to spread it out as he talked about the spinach seeds. "I’ve already had my people get things set up over at the Death Sea Spring. I talked to the Base Commander today about promoting the spinach, and we settled on a final price of 60 points per seed."

A price of 60 points per seed was much lower than the 300 points Yang Jin had mentioned before. Xiaqing asked, "Was the difference made up with supplies?"

"That’s right." Yang Jin, who had reached the east end with the roll of film, drew the dagger from his waist and neatly sliced it off, a wide smile on his face. "Besides two Special Level Protective Suits and better weapons and equipment for the team that patrols this territory, I also traded the seeds for two pieces of new material ore and twenty-five Intermediate Yi Stones."

’Yi Stones?!!!’

’Twenty-five of them?!!!’

The light in Xiaqing’s eyes nearly rivaled the glow of the grow lights hanging in the greenhouse. "How big are they?"

Yang Jin knew she’d be pleased. "They’re the same kind you got from the Wolf Group—about the size of a pigeon’s egg. Each one is appraised at 200,000 points, and that’s just the starting bid. If the quality of your spinach seeds hadn’t been so incredibly high, the Base Commander would never have been willing to part with so many Yi Stones."

After they quickly finished laying the mulch film, Yang Jin dusted the dirt from his hands, opened his backpack, and took out a small box. He handed it to Xiaqing. "The Yi Stones are all in here. You can open one up in a bit to check the quality."

While Xiaqing had eyes only for the Yi Stones, Yang Jin noticed a couple of spots where the film wasn’t lying flat, so he went over to straighten them out.

Xiaqing thanked him, then asked seriously, "If these really are Intermediate quality Yi Stones, they’ll be effective for two months, and each one will protect a 20-meter diameter. How are we splitting the assets from this trade?"

Seeing her clutching the box of Yi Stones, Yang Jin motioned for Xiaqing to sit. He then took another box out of his bag and handed her a list. "This is the value of the items from the trade. Take a look."

Xiaqing took one look at the list and her mind went blank.

A total of 27,082 spinach seeds had been traded. Xiaqing had contributed 75% and Yang Jin 25%. However, because Yang Jin was the one who negotiated the deal with the Base Commander, Xiaqing had agreed to pay him a 10% commission. Therefore, of the points and assets they received, Xiaqing’s share was 65%, and Yang Jin’s was 35%.

The points totaled over 1.62 million, of which Xiaqing’s share was more than 1.09 million.

Two Special Level Protective Suits (one for Xiaqing, one for Luo Pei) valued at 600,000 points; two pieces of rare ore valued at 800,000 points; and 25 Yi Stones valued at 5,000,000 points. The total value of the assets was 6,400,000 points, of which Xiaqing’s share was 4,160,000.

Once she understood the breakdown, Xiaqing handed the list back to Yang Jin. "Captain Yang, what can these two pieces of ore be used for?"