Chapter 68 - 64: Building a Greenhouse When You’ve Never Farmed? Taking Things for Granted

Chapter 68: Chapter 64: Building a Greenhouse When You’ve Never Farmed? Taking Things for Granted

"We’ve finished clearing out the zombies in Building One. The entire building is now secure, so you can move around freely."

While they were gathered for lunch, Yu Dong made the announcement.

Everyone’s expression relaxed a little.

No one liked living in the same building as zombies.

"But... there’s still a lot of cleanup to do. Searching the entire building for useful supplies, moving them, and organizing them will be our main task for now. This work isn’t too strenuous, so the women of the team will handle it. Everyone has to pitch in."

After he spoke, Yu Dong gave Yang Yi a pointed look. She quickly lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

"All supplies will be collected in the three apartments on the sixth floor. They’ll be distributed uniformly later. No hoarding. Otherwise... you’ll face the consequences."

Yu Dong paused, then looked at Qiao Ping. "It’s not convenient for you to go up and down the stairs in your condition. You’ll be in charge of planning the storage space and keeping inventory."

A warm feeling spread through Qiao Ping’s heart.

"I promise to clearly record every item that comes in and goes out. I won’t miscalculate a single thing."

Qiao Ping was a smart woman. She got it immediately, understanding at a glance what the most crucial aspect of this job was.

Yu Dong was very pleased with Qiao Ping.

’In the apocalypse, you don’t just need people to go out and kill zombies. You also need people who can properly manage the supplies back at base.’

No one else objected to Qiao Ping’s assignment. They couldn’t bear the thought of making a pregnant woman run around.

Zhao Wenjie, in particular, gave Yu Dong a thumbs-up, fully approving of the special consideration shown to the expectant mother.

"Men, rest a bit after you finish eating, then come with me to the roof. We’ll figure out how to set up the greenhouse and see if we can get it built... so we can grow some fresh vegetables."

Hearing this, Zhao Youcai said casually, "The shopkeeper told me that thing is easy to set up. You just have to build it so it doesn’t fall over."

"The few of us can get it done in a day. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely be eating fresh vegetables by next month."

Hearing this, the old woman sitting nearby, who was eating slices of an Energy Brick, let out a cold sneer.

"A greenhouse on the 32nd floor... Do you even know what a ’ground-sweeping wind’ is? At that height, one bad gust will send you and the greenhouse flying. Eating fresh vegetables... More like waiting for your own funeral feast."

"Ground-sweeping wind?"

Except for the old woman, the other ten people all looked completely lost.

Six university students, one high schooler, one nurse, one chemistry teacher, and one civil servant—none of them had ever heard the term.

Being mocked by the old woman, Zhao Youcai’s face fell.

"Who cares what kind of wind it is? I’ll just use expansion bolts to secure the frame to the concrete. I refuse to believe the wind can rip the whole rooftop off."

"Heh..."

The old woman returned a cold sneer.

Zhao Youcai looked at the old woman’s deliberately provocative expression and gritted his teeth in anger. He had already incurred Yu Dong’s displeasure by messing this up, and now this old woman kept bringing it up, putting him in an awkward position.

’If Yu Dong wasn’t here, I’d have slapped her across the face already. What the hell is she laughing at?’

"Once the greenhouse is built, I’ve got lots of vegetable seeds I bought. Napa cabbage, bok choy, celtuce, spinach, and even chives and scallions that you can harvest over and over. We’ll have achieved vegetable freedom."

Whether he could pull it off or not, Zhao Youcai had to brag about it first. After all, this was his ’flagship project,’ something even Yu Dong hadn’t thought of.

When the others heard they could still eat so many kinds of vegetables after the apocalypse, their gazes toward Zhao Youcai filled with admiration.

After all, eating ’Energy Bricks’ every day was maddening. It would be much better to have something normal people eat.

The old woman scoffed after listening.

"Is your soil living or dead?"

"What do you mean, living or dead? I bought professional potting soil!"

"So it’s dead, then. Do you know how to make it living soil? Do you know if your vegetables prefer acidic or alkaline soil? If they need a lot of water or prefer it dry? Do you know what temperature will scorch them, and what temperature will freeze them?"

The old woman’s rapid-fire series of questions, flecked with spittle, left Zhao Youcai stunned.

"Why are you yelling? I have special vegetable fertilizer. I can just sprinkle that on, can’t I..."

"Are you using potassium fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer, or manure? A light application or a heavy one? How do you control the salinity? How do you irrigate? How do you manage drainage? How do you handle pests?"

Zhao Youcai couldn’t answer a single one of the old woman’s questions. He didn’t even understand some of them...

Seeing him like this, the old woman already knew his skill level.

"University students these days... all talk and no action. Have you ever farmed a day in your life, and you’re building a greenhouse? You just assume things..."

"And you expect to eat vegetables? You’d be better off pressing the seeds for a bowl of oil."

"My son could do a better job just by pissing on the plants every day."

"If you don’t know how to do it, then don’t. You’re just wasting seeds."

The old woman’s verbal assault, like a chain cannon, made Zhao Youcai see red. The questioning looks from the others, in particular, made him fly into a rage out of shame.

"Are you fucking looking for trouble! I’ve put up with you for a long time, you old hag! You do nothing and you run your mouth! If you’re so good, why don’t you do it? Are you an expert at growing vegetables?"

Hearing this, the old woman’s face filled with contempt.

"Am I an expert? Open your damn eyes and look down! I planted all the vegetables in the residential complex! A bunch of you little punks steal my vegetables every day. You think you haven’t stolen my tomatoes? Huh? And you," she said, "last time you picked my celtuce for your hot pot, don’t think I didn’t see you!"

The old woman pointed at Yan Yikai and Qiao Ping.

The two of them blushed... They had indeed picked some.

"If it weren’t for those bastards from property management always secretly pulling up my vegetables, I would have planted up this entire complex! Leaving so much land to grow grass... what a waste!"

Hearing this, Yu Dong became thoughtful.

"So, ma’am, you know how to grow vegetables in a greenhouse?"

"Stop calling me ’ma’am.’ I have a name. It’s Wang Xiuying. I’m only 69, that’s not old yet. The greenhouse vegetables I grew were sent for disaster relief in Sichuan back in the day! I even have medals at home to prove it!"

At this, the way everyone looked at Wang Xiuying changed.

Wang Xiuying popped a slice of Energy Brick into her mouth, chewed on it, and grimaced.

"If we have to eat these damn crackers every day, we’ll all get constipated sooner or later. Are you going to dig it out for me then? Let those girls go move the supplies. I’ll go with you guys to the roof later to work on the greenhouse..."

Hearing this, the red-hot anger that had consumed Zhao Youcai after being chewed out began to fade. The expression on his face was complicated.

Yu Dong looked at the still sharp-tongued Wang Xiuying and smiled faintly.

"Alright. It’s settled."

Wang Xiuying took out the key to 502. "Here, I don’t want this."

Yang Yi immediately said with disgust, "Old woman, this is where we live, not a kennel. Your dog absolutely stinks!"

Although Qiao Ping didn’t speak, the expression on her face clearly showed she didn’t want to live with a dog either. As a pregnant woman, she was extra careful about her living environment. She couldn’t afford to get sick now.

"Auntie, 502 is right next door. Wouldn’t it be more convenient for you to live alone?"

Zhao Youcai, looking as if he saw right through her, sneered, "Some people just can’t get through the day without making others uncomfortable. Thinks she’s so valuable just because she can grow a few vegetables. Putting on airs."

Shen Xinyi linked arms with Qiao Ping and said, "Sister Ping, if this doesn’t work, you can just move out on your own. There are plenty of empty apartments. You don’t want to have an allergic reaction to dog hair... You have to be extremely careful now."

Qiao Ping hugged Shen Xinyi’s arm and nodded, the two of them looking like the best of friends.

This only served to highlight the old woman, Wang Xiuying’s, stubbornness.

Even Yu Dong looked at Wang Xiuying with some confusion.

’Isn’t it better for her to have a whole apartment to herself?’

’Does she have to stay here and make everyone in the house despise her?’

She scanned the circle of unfamiliar faces around her, her gaze finally resting on Yu Dong. A hint of kindness appeared in her eyes.

"Young man, get me a key for one of the apartments on the 32nd floor."

"Greenhouse vegetables are delicate. The weather is unpredictable—one minute it’s freezing, the next it’s hot. It can be 2 degrees at dawn and 20 degrees by noon. If no one is watching the greenhouse constantly, nothing will survive."

"I... I’m not like you all. I don’t know how the world ended up like this, and I don’t know what you’re all trying to do. My child and I won’t stay here and be a nuisance to you."

She picked up the little Teddy from the floor, holding him tightly in her arms.

"Good boy, let’s go upstairs. There’s a lot of space on the roof... enough room for us."