Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Ten minutes later, Qi Mo arrived at the free-range farm.

Ahead was a bamboo thicket, with the farm situated right beside it. There was a fairly large courtyard, and behind it stood many chicken coops, each dome-shaped and covered with straw.

No one was around, but a big black dog was tied up.

As soon as Qi Mo approached, the big black dog started barking loudly.

"Stop barking, stop barking, or I'll smack you! Is anyone here?" Qi Mo warned the dog sternly before calling out loudly.

A voice soon responded from the back: "Yes, yes. Big Black, stop barking."

Baby Yan sucked on his chubby fingers, blinking his big eyes curiously at the loudly barking black dog.

Qi Mo patted the child’s head. His baby was quite brave—he wasn’t even scared enough to cry.

In fact, it seemed like he was even eager to try to pet the dog.

But no, better not. The dog didn’t look very clean.

Chen Fang, a young man who had returned to his hometown to start a business, soon came over. Seeing the handsome young man standing at the gate, he smiled and asked, "Looking for eggs or chickens?"

Qi Mo smiled in response. "Both. I want six quails—alive, five hens and one rooster. Do you have them here?"

"I also need twenty pounds of eggs and fifty processed chickens," Qi Mo added.

Chen Fang nodded. "We have them, but prices have gone up. Chickens are now three hundred apiece—they used to be two hundred. Eggs are twenty a pound. Still want them?"

"Oh, and I also have goose eggs. Do you want any?" Chen Fang asked.

Hearing about the goose eggs, Qi Mo said, "Yes, I’ll take as many as you have. Just charge me whatever's fair."

Goose eggs could be made into salted eggs, which could be stored for a long time. As for the chickens, Qi Mo planned to turn them into smoked dried chickens.

Of course, he wouldn’t smoke-dry the ones from this ecological farm—he’d just store them in his space to eat slowly. He already had commercially raised ones in his space.

"Alright, I’ll prepare them and deliver them to you later. Where are you staying?" Chen Fang asked.

Qi Mo pointed in the direction. "The last house in Huo Village, Huo Liangzhou’s place—the one with the high courtyard walls. My surname is Qi."

"Got it. I’ll bring everything over once it’s ready. The quails are on me," Chen Fang said before heading back to prepare the order.

With the recent news from the authorities, Chen Fang was a little worried. He needed to sell off a batch of chickens quickly, keeping only a few breeding chickens to face the crisis.

Feed grain was getting scarce, but fortunately, he had ordered a large batch of feed earlier.

Selling off some chickens would help make the feed last longer.

With the cistern filled, it should last them some time.

He needed to get cash together as soon as possible to settle his debts first.

He knew of Huo Liangzhou—a wealthy man. If even people like him were rushing home, things must be getting bad out there.

Now, with no electricity and no phones working, he had no idea what was happening out there.

After buying the baby quails, Qi Mo wheeled Baby Yan's stroller back home. The sunset was a brilliant red, and wildflowers bloomed lushly along the roadside. Soon, though, these flowers would wither, and the plants would die off...

Upon returning home, Qi Mo checked the water level in the cistern and found it was already half full.

That was quick.

He tucked the little one into the deluxe playpen.

Qi Mo took out several large steel buckets from his storage space—all kitchen supplies.

There was also a smoking rack (for curing meat). He planned to chop some pine branches the next day; the smoked meat would turn out more flavorful that way.

After arranging these in the yard, he brought out a dish of fish with pickled cabbage, a bowl of rice, and a pot of mushroom soup.

He brought the child out, and father and son sat in the living room to eat their fill before heading upstairs.

The second floor had five rooms total: two master bedrooms, three guest rooms, and a small lounge.

First, he mopped the floor, removed the dust covers, and wiped down the tables and nightstands with a cloth before pulling out the bed sheets and mats from the closet to make the beds.

No AC—guess we’ll have to tough it out!

He fetched clean water to wipe down the mats as the sunset hues slowly faded, giving way to darkness.

Qi Mo brought a lantern downstairs and locked all the doors and windows.

Someone knocked at the gate.

"Mr. Qi, are you there? I’ve brought the eggs, goose eggs, and quail," Chen Fang called from outside.

Qi Mo placed the little one in the playpen and hurried out.

Opening the gate, Qi Mo said in surprise, "You’re fast! Already processed the chickens?"

"Not yet. I’ll deliver the chickens tomorrow morning. For now, I’ve brought the eggs, goose eggs, and the baby quail. The crate comes with it," Chen Fang replied.

Qi Mo inspected the goods. "How much?"

Chen Fang, having already calculated, answered, "Four hundred for the eggs, six hundred for the 60 goose eggs—the total’s a thousand."

"Just set it all in the yard. I’ll get the money," Qi Mo said before turning to fetch it.

Chen Fang carried the eggs and goose eggs into the yard and placed the quail to the side.

After handing over the money and seeing Chen Fang off, Qi Mo closed the gate.

Goose eggs were a great score. He should also stock up on century eggs—at least enough to show he had bought them, so it looks like regular household stock.

He took out a glass jar from his storage space, selected ten particularly large goose eggs, along with some chicken eggs, washed them, and left them to dry.

He poured in 50-degree warm water, added a bit of salt, some ginger, and a splash of liquor, then set it aside.

They’ll be pickling by morning.

He kept ten goose eggs and around twenty chicken eggs in the kitchen, storing the rest in his space.

He put the baby quail in a cage measuring 3 feet long and 1.5 feet wide.

He set it near the planter by the dining spot.

With grass and flowers offering cover, the baby quail had hiding spots to let them settle in.

Cover the cage with a plastic board and weigh it down with a few bricks.

Set up the water dispenser and feeder on top—raising the quail should be fine.

After settling the baby quail, Qi Mo carefully washed his hands and checked the water tank’s storage level, which was already 70% full. He shut it off, planning to top it up tomorrow.

Water loss from evaporation wouldn’t show for the first two weeks.

Locking the living room door, Qi Mo carried the yawning Chubby baby out and took him upstairs.

On the third-floor terrace, the water in the large bucket that had been left under the sun in the afternoon was now warm. Qi Mo brought out the baby’s bathtub.

He poured half a basin of water, then plopped the Chubby baby into the tub.

Under the moonlight, Baby Yan’s big eyes sparkled as his little chubby hands sent water flying everywhere.

Qi Mo ignored the baby and fetched a large basin of warm water for himself, stepping back to keep the kid from getting splashed.

He washed his hair and bathed…

In the middle of summer, the breeze was still warm.

Grabbing a dry towel, he dried his hair and wiped off the water droplets. Qi Mo felt like he’d come back to life—it felt amazing. He hadn’t had a proper bath in days.

Walking back to the baby’s bathtub, he saw that the tub was empty. After putting on his pajamas, Qi Mo took out the wind lamp and lit it.

He spotted the baby already crawling toward where he had just bathed, likely lured by the water sounds.

Grabbing the Chubby baby’s hands, he lifted him back to the tub, scooped up a ladle of water, and hosed down the grubby kid.

He pulled out some baby wash and scrubbed the baby from head to toe, then changed the water for a final rinse before toting the Chubby baby back to the second-floor bedroom.

Lying on the bed, Qi Mo felt totally blissed out—pure comfort.

He let the baby clamber and paw at him, probably wide awake now after the bath.

Qi Mo blew out the oil lamp, dousing the room in darkness. Outside the open curtains, countless stars glittered, with no city lights to outshine them.

The usually bustling city was dark as pitch, except for the construction site where water reservoirs were being built.

At the Huo family’s security department, a dim light still burned in the CEO’s office.

Under the wind lamp, Huo Liangzhou looked at his younger brother. “What’s the status of the Qi, Chen, and Jiang crews?”

Huo Liangchuan replied, “The Qi family landed five reservoir jobs, the Chen family also got five, and the Jiang family three.”

“Cutthroat,” Huo Liangzhou chuckled, not a shred of humor in it.

Huo Liangchuan hesitated. “Brother, we only took two projects. Isn’t that cutting it thin?”

Huo Liangzhou glanced at him. “Xiao Mo told you—the real effects of the water shortage won’t hit until two weeks from now. We just need to do these two right, make sure they’re airtight and bulletproof. If not for the mission, we wouldn’t even bother taking contracts. We’ll build two for ourselves, but publicly, only one.”

“Time’s tight,” Huo Liangzhou added. “If we go past two weeks, there might not be enough water left to store.”

Huo Liangchuan understood—if the reservoirs couldn’t hold water once completed and the government started using them, any leaks would mean trouble.

Doing two properly minimized the risks.

"It wasn’t time to make a move yet."

But the people in Wuli Village—they were fair game.

Huo Liangzhou left the office and soon vanished into the night.

In the middle of the night, Qi Mo grabbed a small blanket and draped it over Baby Yan’s belly.

It was a little chilly at the foot of the mountain.

Early the next morning, when the sky was still gray and birds were chirping, Qi Mo woke up and immediately got out of bed. He carried the still-sleeping Baby Yan downstairs and placed him in a fancy playpen.

Soon, there was a knock at the courtyard gate.

"Mr. Qi, it’s Chen Fang. Your chickens are all prepped," Chen Fang called out.

Qi Mo opened the door. Chen Fang was still pushing the same cart from last night, with the chickens packed in foam boxes.

"I’ve already washed them. You just need to rinse them. Since there’s no fridge now, soak them in saltwater, splash some liquor on them, let them dry in the sun for a day, and then smoke them in the evening. That’ll preserve them longer," Chen Fang reminded him.

Qi Mo watched as Chen Fang carried the chickens inside and handed him the payment.

After Chen Fang left, Qi Mo rinsed the chickens and stashed them in his space. Then he pulled out some chickens he’d stockpiled in his space and soaked them in a large steel bucket with a whole pack of salt, ginger, and liquor.

The goose and chicken eggs that had been drying overnight were packed away in glass jars by Qi Mo.

He then carried them to the kitchen—They’d keep for two or three months, no problem.

Along the way, Qi Mo had been living off supplies from his space.

This morning, he lit the gas stove with a match and whipped up a big pot of pumpkin millet porridge.

He also fried over twenty eggs, stashing the extras in his space.

Peering out the window, Qi Mo decided to make some pickles—white radish, carrots, and kohlrabi—stuff that could sit out in the open.

After breakfast, he gave Baby Yan, who was still sleeping, a quick diaper change.

He then popped a bottle into the now-awake baby’s mouth.

Once Baby Yan finished, Qi Mo placed him in the stroller and tossed it into the trike.

The moment he stepped out, he saw Aunt Wang from Elder Clan Leader’s family arriving.

"Momo, you’re an early bird! Where’s Baby Yan?" Aunt Wang asked.

Qi Mo replied, "He’s asleep in the stroller. Aunt Wang, we’re hitting the town to see what’s left to grab."

"What do you plan to buy?" Aunt Wang inquired. Food was already scarce.

After some thought, Qi Mo said, "Tissues, toilet paper, sugar, salt—daily necessities like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and towels. They might run out soon. If possible, I’d also like to buy some cigarettes and liquor—they might go up in value. And some powdered milk and rice cereal too."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Wang remembered hearing about people hoarding tissues—somewhere, whenever trouble arose, people stocked up.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We need to hurry to town. If we’re late, not only will we miss out on goods, but the sun’ll be brutal," Aunt Wang said, also mounting her tricycle.

However, their tricycles were different—one had the cargo box at the back, and the other had it in front.

Huo Jianian watched the two tricycles leave, then took out the key he had found the previous evening and hurried to open the gate of Qi Mo’s courtyard.

But the key didn’t fit the lock at all.

Huo Jianian glared resentfully at the figure disappearing down the road before turning and running back home.

Huo Jingzhong sat with a dish of peanuts, a plate of sliced boiled pork belly, and a bottle of liquor, eyeing his angry grandson. “Who got under your skin this early?”

“It’s that schemer again—he actually changed the keys! Oh, and Grandpa, I heard from a friend that Qi Mo killed someone outside. Let’s turn him in—only if Qi Mo’s locked up will my brother stand a chance,” Huo Jianian said.

Huo Jingzhong’s eyes immediately lit up. Huo Liangzhou—who wouldn’t want to marry their family’s fertile woman to him?