They arrived at the Ninth Base Trading Market without any issues. Zhao Linong parked the bike in the lot near the entrance, and the two of them went inside, each carrying a bucket of water.
From the outside, the market looked like a large shed with dark glass, making it difficult to see inside. A sign at the gate read “Trading Market.”
Upon entering, they saw rows of windows, each with a line of people holding buckets, clearly there to trade. Some were also shopping for items like various seeds and fruits, which could be purchased there. The place was bustling with activity.
Many guards patrolled the trading market.
Although most crops don’t mutate after being harvested, unexpected events could always occur.
Today’s regulations at the base are the hard-earned results of past experiences.
“The vegetable purchasing window is over there,” He Yuesheng said, pointing to a window.
Zhao Linong, holding a bucket of lettuce in one hand, replied, “Let’s go check it out.”
In front of each window stood a 1.5-meter vertical screen that continuously displayed the vegetable purchase prices. A search box at the top allowed people to look up the vegetables they wanted to buy.
Zhao Linong lined up behind He Yuesheng. When they reached the screen, she typed “lettuce” into the search box, and a result immediately appeared.
He Yuesheng was surprised, “Didn’t they say last week that a good-quality head of lettuce could sell for 140?”
Someone ahead of them turned around and said, “It was 110 just the day before yesterday, but a new batch of fruits and vegetables from the Fourth Base hit the market yesterday. The large supply caused the price to drop suddenly.”
He Yuesheng and Zhao Linong understood after hearing this.
The Fourth Base specializes in growing fruits and vegetables. Whenever they release a new batch by the ton, the market price of those items drops significantly.
A stable life in the central base depends on each base fulfilling its duties and producing continuously.
Aside from the high prices of fresh produce, other items are reasonably priced. For instance, the Sixth Base exclusively grows oil and fiber crops, and under the central base’s control, prices are kept low, so essentials like clothes are not expensive.
“This is a big loss,” He Yuesheng muttered, scratching his head as the purchase price was cut in half.
Zhao Linong wasn’t in a good mood either. While picking the lettuce, she had already planned how to spend her points. Now, with her points cut in half, her plans were ruined.
“There will be more of these situations in the future, so you’d better be prepared,” the person in front of them warned. “But don’t think about planting out-of-season crops—they’re prone to mutation.”
“We know,” He Yuesheng said, pointing at himself and Zhao Linong. “We’re not that advanced yet.”
Zhao Linong glanced at his pointing finger and said nothing.
Even with the lettuce price halved, they had to sell it. They’d already picked it, and if they didn’t sell, the price would drop even more.
After waiting in line at the purchasing window for half an hour, it was finally their turn. He Yuesheng lifted the bucket onto the marble table. A staff member, wearing gloves, took out the vegetables one by one and placed them on a long stainless steel tray for inspection.
“The outer leaves are yellow and dry, and there are insect bite marks on the leaves,” the staff member noted, using an instrument to measure pesticide residue on each head of lettuce. Finally, he quoted a price, of “40 per head.”
He Yuesheng pointed to the screen outside, “It says 55!”
The staff member remained indifferent, “55 is for lettuce in good condition.”
“When the next batch of vegetables and fruits from the Fourth Base is released, this price will only be charged by the kilogram,” the staff member added.
Finally, they settled at 40 per head.
“Next,” the staff member said, dumping the vegetable leaves and soil off the stainless steel tray and looking at the next person in line.
Zhao Linong also placed her bucket of lettuce on the table. After inspecting them, the staff member looked surprised at her before continuing the check.
“You’ve grown some good lettuce,” the staff member commented gentler. “55 per head. There are 34 of them, so that’s 1,870 points.”
“Thank you,” Zhao Linong said, raising her left hand to swipe the watch on the machine at the window. 1,870 points were instantly credited to her account.
Zhao Linong felt overwhelmed, as she needed to buy seeds and fertilizer.
The online fermented fertilizer from the central base wasn’t cheap. A small five-kilogram bag of chicken manure costs thousands of points.
She finally understood that in this world, anything related to farming was never cheap.
“If I’d known, I would’ve come to sell it the day before yesterday,” He Yuesheng sighed, holding the empty bucket.
He didn’t need the points; he just felt it was a shame.
“Pay attention to the timing next time,” Zhao Linong said, keeping a calm demeanor. Although she had few points now, there would always be a way. At worst, she could just take on another mission.
The two didn’t leave immediately. Zhao Linong bought okra and watermelon seeds, instantly losing a thousand points.
“Are you sure you want to buy okra seeds?” He Yuesheng asked when he returned from a walk, noticing the two packets of seeds in her hand. “Although okra grows quickly and isn’t prone to disease, I’ve heard it can mutate badly.”
“Why does it mutate?” Zhao Linong inquired.
“I don’t know,” He Yuesheng replied, shaking his head. “I heard from seniors that when okra mutates, it grows very fast, and each okra becomes as sharp as an arrowhead, capable of piercing the human body. Even a light touch could be dangerous.”
Zhao Linong recalled the appearance of okra. Even in the normal world, people would sometimes get pricked by the hairs on its surface when picking it. It was easy to imagine how lethal the mutated okra in this world could be.
“I’ve already bought it,” Zhao Linong said, putting away the two packets of seeds. “It cost hundreds of points; we can’t waste it.”
When Zhao Linong returned to the dormitory, Tong Tong had just gotten back from the field.
“Linong, let me show you the roses I planted,” Tong Tong said excitedly, opening his laptop. “Look, two roses have buds!”
The thin rose in the photo had grown buds, and you could faintly see the colors inside—one light yellow and the other purple-red.
“I heard…” Zhao Linong began slowly, looking at the photos of the roses, “When the rose buds first appear, they should be pinched off, and any overly dense or crossing leaves should be trimmed.”
“Maybe the roses from cuttings are too small, and the nutrients they produce to grow into flower buds are insufficient,” Zhao Linong added. “That’s probably the reason.”
“Then… I’ll go pinch them off this afternoon,” Tong Tong hesitated for a moment but decided to follow Zhao Linong’s advice, feeling that she knew more.
“Also, you can break off leaves that are crowded together,” Zhao Linong explained. “My teacher said that if the leaves are too dense, they won’t get enough sunlight.”
Zhao Linong tried not to sound too professional. Fortunately, when Tong Tong returned two days later, she eased Zhao Linong’s concerns.
Tong Tong mentioned that their teacher had discussed this in class, instructing students to pinch off the rose buds and thin out the leaves.
“I did it before the others,” Tong Tong said with a hint of pride. “Thanks for telling me.”
“Once the roses get stronger, they should bloom,” Zhao Linong said.
“Linong, I’ll give you the first flower that blooms,” Tong Tong smiled, revealing two dimples, looking very sweet.
“Give it to me?” Zhao Linong was surprised. “Flowers are very expensive.”
This isn’t the original world; in today’s world, flowers are highly valuable.
“It’s okay. I’ll grow more flowers in the future,” Tong Tong said nonchalantly. “Besides, the teacher said the flower market is very strict in inspecting flowers. Defective ones don’t sell for much and are only used to make ordinary fragrances.”
Zhao Linong agreed, “Okay.”
After their conversation, Tong Tong went off to do her own thing. Zhao Linong stared at the interface of the central base network for a long time.
She couldn’t afford fermented fertilizer with her points, but the tomato seedlings in the field needed fertilizer; otherwise, after blooming, they wouldn’t produce many fruits or might not bear fruit at all.
Although there was no immediate need for fertilizer, she couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Just as Zhao Linong was about to take on a mission to earn points, she suddenly remembered that the Ninth Agricultural Base also had animal husbandry.
To gather more information, she needed to find He Yuesheng, so she immediately sent him a message.
**AAA Farmer Xiao Zhao:** [Do you know any seniors who raise chickens?]
**Mr. He, the Gossiper:** [Chickens? Let me ask around first. What do you need them for?]
**AAA Farmer Xiao Zhao:** [I want to buy some chicken manure. The price should be cheap.]
**Mr. He, the Gossiper:** [Uh… you’re using chicken manure as fertilizer? It’s not very safe. I heard someone at the base collected manure and dumped it on the ground, and all the crops mutated.]
**Mr. He, the Gossiper:** [Okay, I’ll contact some people and get back to you.]
About an hour later, He Yuesheng provided her with the contact information of several people.
Zhao Linong added them all as friends; they were all chicken farmers.
The Ninth Agricultural Base Trading Market doesn’t accept livestock manure because the quantities are too small and difficult to manage.
There used to be private transactions among students, but after the incident, such cases became less frequent.
Zhao Linong asked about the price of chicken manure one by one and finally chose the senior who offered the lowest price—a 40kg bag of chicken manure for just 129 points.
**AAA Farmer Xiao Zhao:** [Can we trade tomorrow?]
**Mouldy Gas Can:** [Sure, meet me at 6 PM in Shed 4-52, East District.]
