88 points were enough to buy a few pots, but not a bag of soil. Zhao Linong’s gaze fell on the patch of land she had selected, considering the possibility of digging up some soil, but this thought was quickly dismissed when a massive projection screen suddenly appeared.
The projection screen stood on the edge of the field, nearly covering the entire freshman area. The red text on a black background looked as if it was written in blood, momentarily stunning all the freshmen.
Everyone turned their attention to the projection screen in the distance, where a few lines of text were displayed:
“3. You are not allowed to carry any agricultural products on the bus.”
Just as the freshmen were confused, a voice over the field’s loudspeaker clarified the situation for everyone.
“The first rule is that all soil in the farm area is regularly sterilized and weeded by the base and is the property of the base. Students are not allowed to dig the soil without permission; otherwise, they will face severe punishment. The second rule is that untreated wasteland can easily sprout mutated plants, so students are prohibited from going to wasteland without reason. The third rule is that the bus is only for students traveling to and from the farm area. To ensure the safety of other students, those carrying crops must arrange their transportation.”
Since she couldn’t take soil from her land or the wasteland, Zhao Linong’s plan was thwarted. She looked down at her device, searching for what she needed online, but nearly everything exceeded her balance.
Hydroponics wasn’t an option either. The equipment alone cost more than 88 points, and the nutrient solution was expensive too. Buying soil seemed like a better choice.
Tomatoes take some time to germinate and grow tall, while lettuce has a shorter growth cycle and can be harvested in a little over a month. To make the most of the time, she decided to plant lettuce first.
Zhao Linong placed the two packets of seeds into her pocket and took a deep breath to steady herself.
The senior students organized a group for Agronomy Class C and directed them to the tool room to pick up their hoeing tools.
The tool room wasn’t far from the field, housed in an empty blue iron shed. Upon entering, they found an additional layer of glass inside. The left corner was stocked with hoes and buckets, and the center and sides of the room had rows of pools, about a hundred in total, each with two faucets—one for cold and one for hot water.
“This is your class’s rest area. The glass inside is strong enough to resist Class B mutant plants. It can also serve as a temporary shelter,” the senior student said, pointing to the pile of hoes and buckets. “Take one each. You can start planting today. Good luck, everyone.”
The two seniors quickly left the tool room, leaving behind a group of bewildered freshmen.
“Let’s plant the tomatoes first.” He Yuesheng approached with two hoes, handing one to Zhao Linong. He opened the seed packet, preparing to pour the tomato seeds into his hand to plant in his field.
Zhao Linong grabbed his hand before he could pour them out: “Hold on a moment.”
“What’s wrong?” He Yuesheng instinctively looked around, thinking there might be a mutated plant nearby.
Zhao Linong pointed to the rows of pools and said, “Soak them in water before planting.”
She released He Yuesheng’s hand, took out her seed packet, walked to the sink, turned on the faucets to check the temperature, and finally filled the packet with cold water, adding some hot water to keep it warm.
Seeing this, He Yuesheng walked over and asked, mimicking her actions, “Why should we soak them in water first?”
“Soaking in warm water helps with germination and also disinfects the seeds,” Zhao Linong explained as she watched the seeds in the packet. “You can also soak the seeds with chemicals, but I checked, and one pack of potassium permanganate costs 300 points, which is too expensive. Other chemicals aren’t cheap either.”
In her previous world, many online seed sellers provided potassium permanganate for free with purchases.
Some of the surrounding students overheard Zhao Linong, and while some were skeptical, they soaked half their seeds and left the other half dry. Others went straight to their fields, doubting the effectiveness of warm water and fearing it might damage the seeds.
He Yuesheng listened to Zhao Linong talk about things he didn’t fully understand and couldn’t help but say, “You seem to know a lot.”
“I know a bit,” Zhao Linong replied, though she wasn’t familiar with the plants in this world and was relying on her experience from her previous one. However, since the Central Base Network sold the necessary chemicals, her methods should be correct.
By the time the two of them finished soaking the seeds and carried a bucket of water out of the tool room, the other students in Agronomy Class C had already finished planting their seeds.
There were only ten tomato seeds in total, so it didn’t take long.
Given the unique nature of plants in this world, Zhao Linong only soaked the seeds for a short time and didn’t wait for them to germinate indoors.
The soil for tomatoes doesn’t need to be very thick. Zhao Linong carefully spaced out the seeds, planting ten of them individually and leaving room in the middle for some lettuce seeds.
She still had more than half of the lettuce seeds left to plant.
Following her lead, He Yuesheng ended up with a large portion of lettuce seeds left as well. After learning that lettuce shouldn’t be planted too densely, he quickly placed an order on his computer: “I’ll buy some pots and soil, then.”
Zhao Linong hesitated, watching him complete the order, before finally voicing her suggestion: “Would you like to split the cost of a bag of soil with me?”
A 20kg bag of soil cost 99 points, which she couldn’t afford on her own. If they shared it, she’d only need to spend half the points and still get the soil she needed.
He Yuesheng paused, then turned to her and said, “Sure, are you low on points?”
“…Yes” Zhao Linong admitted, handing 50 points to He Yuesheng. “Half a bag of soil will be enough for me.”
“Don’t you need pots?” He Yuesheng asked. “I can lend you a few if you like.”
After planting and watering the seeds, the freshmen boarded the bus to return. They were still a bit wary of staying outside, especially after planting so many seeds. If any of them mutated suddenly, it could be dangerous.
When Zhao Linong returned to the dormitory, Tong Tong was already sitting at the table, likely talking to her family on the phone.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, continuing to browse the Central Base website.
Most of the items for sale on this site were related to agriculture, from seeds to pesticides and tools. If it was related to farming, you could find it there.
But what Zhao Linong needed now wasn’t any of those things. She searched using her optical brain and eventually found a regular shopping platform—the Central Department Store Network.
Zhao Linong clicked on the search box and slowly typed in “men’s large-size jeans.”
After thinking for a moment, she added the word “cheap” in front.
Finally, Zhao Linong found a pair of men’s jeans on clearance for just 10 points at the Central Department Store. She quickly placed the order, worried someone else might grab them first.
This pair of pants was important—it would soon become her “flower pot” for growing lettuce. It was larger than the small pots sold on the Central Base Network and could be used to grow at least ten plants!
After making the purchase, Zhao Linong had 28 points left.
