Chapter 396: The Secret of the Bug Diggers

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: The Secret of the Bug Diggers

Xiaqing...

Tang Huai had a remarkable talent: no matter what mood you were in before meeting him, the moment he opened his mouth, you’d want to punch him.

"Thirty Green Light Eggs. Count them."

"Alright." Tang Huai immediately took them with great care. After confirming none were broken, he started rambling on, "My family used to have Green Light Chickens too, but one of our farmhands made a mistake during the third Harmful Rain, which caused the chickens’ quality to drop. That’s why I’m here trading for your high-quality eggs..."

Xiaqing asked, "What kind of mistake?"

Tang Huai paused, then huffed, "They forgot to lower the rain cover, so the chickens got drenched in the red Harmful Rain. My sister blames herself for it."

’It’s hard to say if that ’mistake’ wasn’t intentional,’ Xiaqing thought. She didn’t press for details about the Tang Family and instead asked about her main reason for seeking him out. "Are your chickens penned, caged, or free-range? And what do you use for feed?"

Now that Xiaqing had a High Level Evolved Green Light Chicken, she was especially focused on how to raise it to improve its quality. She couldn’t replicate the methods used by Territory Land No. 7 to raise their Green Light Chickens, so she needed to learn how others did it.

Tang Huai answered, "It’s hard to control the quality of their food with pen-raising or free-ranging. My family uses cages. We feed them edible vegetables, wheat bran, insects, or insect powder. What do you feed yours? How do you raise them?"

’Me? I use Pollution-free Spring Water and edible vegetables. They’re pen-raised, and they eat whatever insects they dig up from the ground.’

Of course, Xiaqing couldn’t tell him the truth. She answered vaguely, "It’s more or less the same as you. Where do you buy the insects and insect powder for your chickens?"

Tang Huai suddenly understood why Xiaqing had sought him out. "We used to buy edible insect powder from the Safe Zone’s breeding center. It’s the same kind used to make Number One Rations."

One of the main reasons Number One Rations were more expensive than other types was the addition of edible insect powder, which made them more nutritious than rations made from grass, vegetables, or grains.

Chickens needed to be fed insects or insect powder to not only make their meat tender and nutritious but also to improve their disease resistance. After the Natural Disasters, high-quality chickens required a diet of high-quality Green Light insects. Otherwise, the Harmful Element content in their bodies would increase, lowering their quality.

The quality of Xiaqing’s pen-raised chickens’ meat and eggs hadn’t dropped, even though they ate whatever insects of unknown grade they dug up, because she gave them Pollution-free Spring Water to drink and used Yi Stones to protect the flock during the Rainy Season.

Winter was approaching, and the insects in the topsoil would become scarce, making it necessary to supplement with insect powder or whole insects. The first trading partner Xiaqing had thought of was Territory Land No. 7, but Zhang San had told her the insects their chickens ate were a byproduct of the lab and couldn’t be traded.

Tang Huai, who had been digging for insects for half a year, was the second trading partner Xiaqing had in mind.

Seeing Xiaqing staring at him, Tang Huai’s expression grew complicated. He continued, "Well, now, my family’s chickens eat the Green Light or Yellow Light insects I dig up in the territory. How did you know I have high-quality Green Light Yellow Powder Worms? Did Brother San tell you? I definitely never mentioned it in the Lord channel, and the Green Dragon Team and Tang Zhengsu don’t know either."

’Brother San actually knows Tang Huai has Green Light insects? It seems Tang Huai’s relationship with Territory Land No. 7 is even closer than I thought. Has Brother San made progress in his research on why Tang Huai doesn’t get poisoned by mushrooms?’

In a flash, Xiaqing recalled the medicine Zhang San had just developed—one that used High Yi Element Green Light vegetables to cultivate Cordyceps Fungus to lower the Harmful Element levels in the human body.

’Could the creation of this medicine have something to do with Tang Huai?’

"Cat got your tongue? No way, did Brother San really tell you?!" The sky was almost completely dark. When Tang Huai didn’t get an answer, he assumed she was feeling guilty and took a step closer to see her expression.

Xiaqing took a step back and retorted, "No. You dig for insects every day. It would be weirder if you *didn’t* have high-quality ones."

After explaining her reasoning, she proposed a trade. "Yellow Mealworms... are those the insects people call breadworms? How many do you have? Can we trade for them?"

Having possessed Green Light insects for over half a year, Tang Huai finally had a chance to show them off and was instantly full of himself. "That’s right. They’re the same as the old breadworms, and they’re a stable Yi Evolution species."

"You guys spend all your time spraying insecticide and killing pests to grow crops, but you don’t actually earn as much as I do digging for insects. Before the second Harmful Rain, I was doing some ’archaeology’ in the ruins of the territory and found several nests of Green Light Yellow Powder Worms in a couple of cellars."

Tang Huai proudly held up two fingers. "Over five hundred of them, and most were Green Light. I started breeding them, and now they’re already on their third generation. Next year, my family’s restaurant will be able to add a new signature dish—Stir-fried Green Light insects. Guess how many points a plate will sell for?"

Without waiting for Xiaqing’s answer, Tang Huai continued smugly, "A small plate like this will sell for at least 1,000 points!"

"That’s certainly profitable," Xiaqing agreed, steering the conversation back on topic. "Are they easy to raise? Are they for trade?"

Tang Huai began his explanation. "Not easy. Ensuring the quality of the insects is not simple. You have to build a breeding room with no or low Harmful Elements, maintain the right temperature and humidity, feed them Green Light plants, and regularly clean up their droppings..."

By the time Tang Huai finished his non-stop lecture on the difficulties of insect farming, the sky had turned completely dark. He had finally satisfied the urge to talk that had been building up inside him, and he concluded, "So now you know why a plate of insects sells for a thousand points, right? It’s because the cost of raising them is high."

"The Yellow Mealworms raised at our Hui San Breeding Center have been bred for dozens of generations, and most of the stock has started to degenerate. They’re not just smaller, they also get sick easily. That’s why this clutch of high-quality Green Light Yellow Powder Worms I found in the territory this year is so valuable..."

"BAA!"

Sheep Leader, who had come out with Xiaqing, had been listening to Tang Huai’s endless chatter and let out an impatient bleat, urging Xiaqing to wrap things up and go home.

It was dark now. Xiaqing was wearing Night Vision Goggles, but she hadn’t brought a pair for Sheep Leader. Its night vision was poor, and it felt insecure being outside.

Tang Huai stopped talking at once and peered excitedly behind Xiaqing. "Was that Sheep Leader? Where is it? What’s its name?"

Xiaqing explained, "It’s dark, and it wants to go home. How do you want to trade for your Yellow Mealworms? With points or Green Light materials?"

Tang Huai’s eyes darted around as a better idea struck him. "No points and no Green Light materials. Just let me get a close-up look at Sheep Leader and the wolf on your territory, and I’ll give you a whole tray of live insects for free. How about it?"

...

...

...

Xiaqing, who had already been mentally reviewing her Green Light materials, fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "Will your family agree to that?"

’You’re being so reckless with your family’s assets. Aren’t you afraid your dad will beat you?’

Tang Huai said smugly, "I’m the one who raised the insects, so of course, I get to decide how to trade them. What do you think of the deal? I’m telling you, you’re getting a huge bargain. When Brother San buys my insects, he has to pay 20 points per worm."

’So, what do you think?’

’Of course it’s... a great deal!’