novelraw Chapter 157: Breeding Expert
Chapter 157: Breeding Expert
The Four Seasons Green grew quickly. After a few days, the ground in the safe zone looked like a field of sprouting wheat—a sea of tiny green blades of grass at a glance.
Under Ronan Kendrick’s meticulous care, the little rabbit could now run and hop. Evelyn Ford went to trade for another one, making a pair. The two of them planned to expand their rabbit-raising enterprise.
"Evelyn, are you going to fetch water?" Serena Lynch called to her from outside the door.
Evelyn Ford suspected they weren’t just going to fetch water, but were hoping to get lucky and catch some game. Still, she wanted to try her luck too, so she left Ronan Kendrick alone in the safe zone and went off with the large group of women to fetch water.
"Evelyn, do you have any chicks left? I’d like to trade for two."
Wyatt Vaughn was on pretty good terms with Evelyn Ford now. Seeing her carrying two large iron buckets with a shoulder pole, Evelyn couldn’t help but feel for her thin shoulders.
"I do. I’ll get them for you when we get back."
Wyatt Vaughn nodded quickly. "Thank you! I want to start raising animals like you, so my brother won’t have to work so hard."
"Good luck, then. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask around."
The others chimed in. "Evelyn Ford is the best at growing vegetables and raising animals in the whole safe zone. We should all learn from her."
Evelyn forced a dry smile. If they kept praising her, her head was going to swell.
Once they reached the mountains, no one was in a hurry to fetch water. They all snuck up the mountainside, one by one, waiting to catch any animals that came to drink.
Evelyn walked at the very back, watching them all move as cautiously as thieves. She felt an urge to laugh but had to hold it in.
"Doesn’t look like there’s anything. Bad luck today. No rabbits, no pheasants," one of the women sighed in disappointment.
"Wait, there’s a snake over there." Wyatt Vaughn grew excited. Evelyn stared at her in disbelief. ’I can’t believe this seemingly gentle and frail girl is so fierce.’
Wyatt picked up a rock and threw it. The snake moved, and in the next second, the shoulder pole in her hands slammed down on its head. The others rushed to help, and within a minute, they had killed a snake as thick as a person’s calf.
"Whoa, nice! This is a big one. We can each get a piece."
Evelyn didn’t ask for any. She hadn’t helped, busy watching the other women kill the snake. But Wyatt Vaughn insisted on giving her a piece.
"I can’t eat this right now, it’s that time of the month."
Wyatt looked regretful. "You’re missing out. Snake meat is delicious. Evelyn, you’re too thin. You need to eat more to build up your strength."
Glancing at Wyatt Vaughn, who stood at about five-foot-three and couldn’t have weighed more than ninety pounds herself, Evelyn could only nod and smile.
Evelyn did agree with her on one point, though. Snakes were disgusting and terrifying, but their meat was tender and nourishing.
Evelyn saw the saplings and bamboo shoots growing taller by the pond and gave them some water.
After fetching their water, everyone started heading back. They were all happy about their catch, and two of the women nearby were already debating whether to make soup or steam the snake.
The temperature had risen to seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit. The fishing party had returned; they had been gone for ten days.
"Did you catch any fish?"
"We did! A huge haul! We even brought back some fry. Mr. Vance said we’re going to dig a fishpond to raise them, so everyone will be able to catch fish."
"That’s great! We’ll have fish in the future. But what about the water?"
"We’ll raise the fry in jars first. Once the bamboo grows taller, we can use it to pipe water into the safe zone. Then no one will have to haul water from the mountains anymore."
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick went to join the excitement. Seeing everyone return with a full load, their faces beaming with unstoppable smiles.
"There are so many fish. We’ll rest for two days and then go catch more. The kiln didn’t collapse, so we can keep making more clay jars to pickle the fish."
Quincy brought two fish over to Evelyn. "A bountiful harvest! Take these. You can make fish soup tonight."
Evelyn laughed heartily and accepted them without hesitation. The group had been gone for ten days, and they were stunned to see the small blades of grass that had sprouted in the safe zone upon their return.
"Not a blade of grass is growing outside, so how come our safe zone has grass?" one of the older men asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"It must be because we’re living here. It’s the life we bring!"
"Why do I hear a goat bleating?" Officer Graham looked left and right, finally confirming that it was indeed the sound of a goat.
"Those are the goats Evelyn brought back. A male and a female. Once they have kids, I’m going to trade with her for two of them. But the kids will definitely be expensive."
"In your dreams! I called dibs first! I’m going to raise goats too."
The two men almost came to blows as they argued. Standing a short distance away, Evelyn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
For the next two days, the entire safe zone was filled with the smell of fish. Now that they had salt, they were willing to use it generously on the smoked fish.
Evelyn suddenly remembered her vegetable garden didn’t have any chili peppers. She immediately pulled a packet of chili seeds from her space and quickly arranged to have them planted.
The fishing party set out again three days later, and this time, Ronan Kendrick went with them. He’d seen Evelyn accept the fish Quincy had given her and misinterpreted her mood. Thinking she was envious, he’d been gloomy all night, afraid she would abandon him for being useless. The very next day, he told Evelyn he was going fishing, taking the cart and the burlap sacks with him.
After Ronan Kendrick left, Evelyn suddenly felt a bit lost. There was one less person in the house. He was usually a man of few words, focused only on his work, and it had seemed like he barely had a presence at all. ’So why does the house feel so empty the moment he’s gone?’ she wondered. ’It’s like even a cough would echo now.’
But Evelyn, a workaholic at heart, had no time for sentimentality. She had to go graze the goats.
Everyone in the safe zone knew these two goats belonged to Evelyn. She led them out of their pen and let them graze on the Four Seasons Green that had grown along the path.
The Four Seasons Green grew incredibly fast, reaching knee-high in just half a month. She cut a handful to take back for the rabbits. Looking at the two plump little things, Evelyn nearly drooled.
"You two better have babies soon, or I’m eating you."
The threatened rabbits scattered in fear. Watching their tiny, stubby legs, Evelyn laughed without reservation.
"Evelyn, what kind of seedlings are these?"
"I’m not entirely sure. They might be chili peppers from the seeds I brought from home."
"I knew they looked like chili peppers! I’ll trade you for two."
"Alright."
Evelyn pulled up two chili seedlings for Serena Lynch, and Serena gave her two chicks in return. Looking at her growing flock of chickens and ducks, Evelyn felt like she had chosen the wrong major back in college.
’I should have gone to agricultural school,’ she thought. ’These hands were made for farming.’
News that Evelyn had chili seedlings spread like wildfire. The next day, a long line of people formed, all wanting to trade with her.
Evelyn looked at the two hundred or so chili seedlings in her garden and could only sigh helplessly.
"One per family! I don’t have many left. For those who don’t get one, the plants will fruit in two months, and we’ll have seeds. You can plant them then, so don’t worry."
In the end, Evelyn only kept five seedlings for herself. Staring at the hundred-plus chicks and ducklings she’d received in trade, she had to temporarily stop all exchanges.
If she kept going, she’d run out of room in the coop.