Chapter 203: First Harvest
Chapter 203: First Harvest
Holding the note, Wu Lian gathered his team and set out to inspect the abandoned building. Though skeptical, he had to check the truth behind this information before drawing any conclusions. If the Crouching Tiger Gang really hides supplies there, then the soldiers will have food to eat tonight.
Leaving the military base, Wu Lian led twenty soldiers and drove two military trucks to visit the abandoned building. Before going inside, they checked the surroundings to make sure it wasn't a trap.
When they didn't find anyone around, Wu Lian said, "Four people stay here and guard the trucks. The others will follow me."
"Yes, Sir." The soldiers accepted the order and quickly followed him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
They raised their guns and went inside cautiously. After inspecting the building, Wu Lian lowered his gun and frowned because they hadn't found the supplies.
Noticing his disappointment, one of the soldiers asked, "Captain, could this be just a prank?" Wu Lian didn't answer, but his clenched hands gave away his frustration. With limited fuel, it hadn't been easy to get permission to use the vehicles. If this turned out to be a prank, he might face punishment later.
Rubbing his tired brow, Wu Lian sighed and said, "Let's go back."
Before he could take a step, a soldier shouted from upstairs, "Captain, I found it!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Wu Lian and the others rushed upstairs. Seeing the soldier approach with a bright smile, Wu Lian asked, "Did you find the supplies? Where is it?"
The soldier nodded, "The supplies were hidden under an oilcloth on the top floor. A wall blocks the room it is in and cannot be seen from the outside. If I hadn't gone around to check, I might have missed it."
Listening to his explanation, Wu Lian patted the soldier on the shoulder and said, "Well done."
After that, he and other soldiers followed that soldier upstairs. The moment he saw the supplies piled up to the ceiling, Wu Lian's eyes flickered with surprise.
He quickly opened a bag of rice and found white, plump grains inside. Putting the rice back into the bag, he turned to the large wooden boxes. Opening one, he was shocked to see it was filled with varieties of corn.
With his heart pounding, he opened more boxes. He found sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, beans, meat, and vegetables, and his excitement was hard to describe. Although the food was frozen, it looked fresh and in good condition.
Before he could calm down, the soldiers had already checked the other boxes and bags.
Seeing the clothes, quilts, boots, medicines, Chinese medicinal herbs, and other daily supplies, one soldier exclaimed excitedly, "Captain, there's medicine and clothes here!" Wu Lian immediately looked over and saw the frostbite cream in the soldier's hand. He couldn't believe his eyes and hurriedly took the medicine. After checking the production date, he confirmed it was still usable.
Holding the frostbite cream, Wu Lian said, "Move everything. We need to transport it back before it freezes."
While the other soldiers moved the supplies, another soldier opened the metal boxes and saw weapons and ammunition.
He was shocked and said, "Captain, there are a lot of weapons and ammunition here. There's even explosives!"
This time, Wu Lian was also shocked to see the number of weapons, ammunition, and explosives. If these things fall into the wrong hands, it will be a disaster for them and the -citizens.
He clenched his hands and thought to himself, 'The Crouching Tiger Gang is really stronger than we thought. Fortunately, we can get rid of them before they get stronger. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable.'
Thinking of this, his expression gradually calmed down, and he said, "Move them all back." "Yes, Sir."
The soldiers nodded and worked quickly. Since they only had two trucks, they would need to return for the remaining supplies.
Wu Lian took four soldiers with him to escort the supplies back to the military base, leaving the others to guard the rest. When he returned, he brought ten trucks and loaded everything. After they left, Yao Ran and Long Yu came out of their hiding place.
Watching the trucks disappear into the night, Yao Ran said, "Those supplies should last them for a while."
Long Yu nodded, "Let's go back. It's really cold at night."
After that day, Yao Ran occasionally observed the soldiers. Noticing they had replaced their thin jackets with thicker ones and that their frostbitten fingers and ears had healed, she was in a good mood.
Apart from visiting the neighborhood committee to collect relief supplies, gathering firewood, and sneaking out at night with Long Yu to donate supplies to the military, Yao Ran rarely left home.
When she woke up each day, she entered her space to collect eggs and milk and feed the animals. Yao Ran didn't know why there were no weeds in the farmland, but it saved her a lot of time.
Half a month later, Deng Qiqi came to visit her. Seeing the sleepy Yao Ran, she excitedly said, "Elder Sister Yao Ran, the potatoes seem ready for harvest!"
Yao Ran's sleepiness disappeared the moment she heard this. "So fast?" She asked, surprised.
Deng Qiqi nodded, "We weren't sure, so Brother Xuan sent me to ask you to take a look." Hearing what she said, Yao Ran fell into deep thought, 'Normally, it takes 60 to 80 days to harvest early-season potatoes. Less than a month has passed, and they're already ready for harvest.'
'It seems the diluted lake water can speed up plant growth as the undiluted one. If I can distribute the diluted lake water, the military won't have a problem solving the food shortage.'
After thinking for a moment, she said to Deng Qiqi, "I will go there in a while."
Deng Qiqi looked at Yao Ran's messy hair and apologized, "Ah, I'm sorry for waking you this
early, Elder Sister Yao Ran.
Yao Ran waved her hand and yawned, "It's fine."