Choosing Crops

Chapter 19: Choosing Crops

Zhao Hai led the people back to the room, with Merine and the others naturally following. In the living room, Zhao Hai made Merine sit down while Meg stood behind him. But this time, she didn't lower her head; instead, she stared at Zhao Hai, lost in thought.

Zhao Hai had regained his composure now. Although Meg's sudden affectionate actions had left a deep impression on him, he had too many things to deal with at the moment. He couldn't afford to be distracted by love and romance. The future of the entire Buda Family rested on his shoulders, and he needed to prioritize the survival of more than 100 people.

Merine had become accustomed to Zhao Hai's way of handling things. She didn't hesitate and sat down, wearing an excited expression as she asked, "Young Master, what should we do now?" Unconsciously, she had started looking to Zhao Hai for answers.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Hai replied, "Grandma Merine, go outside and select the people who are best at farming. Let them cultivate those ten mu of land. Ask them what crops are suitable to plant at this time. And do we have enough seeds?"

Merine nodded and said, "Yes, we have plenty of seeds on hand. But most of them are grains and ordinary vegetables that are suitable for mountainous regions. The land outside is fertile, so it would be a waste to plant these crops."

Understanding Merine's point, Zhao Hai nodded. He then turned to her and asked, "Merine Grandma, we need to light a fire to cook. It's getting cold, so what can the slaves use to keep warm at night?"

Merine looked embarrassed as she replied, "Young Master, we initially planned to buy some necessities, like a magic furnace for cooking and keeping warm. But now we have very few magic crystals, so we can't use the magic furnace. We have to rely on dead trees and hay from the mountain for cooking and warmth."

Zhao Hai understood the situation. Despite Merine and the others' diligent preparations, they had overlooked some of the most essential items for daily life. The seven necessities for living—firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea—were things they had not fully considered. As high-ranking nobles, they were not familiar with these basic items. In the mainland, firewood was not a precious resource, and the poorest people could easily find it. However, in the barren Black Wasteland, firewood had become as precious as gold. This scarcity had not been anticipated by Merine and the others.

Seeing Zhao Hai's silence, Merine asked, "Young Master, what do you plan to do with the land outside?"

Zhao Hai was already contemplating the issue. He had a few types of seeds that were suitable for the outside environment, such as wheat and forage grass. Although he also had cabbage seeds, it wasn't the right season to plant them. However, wheat and forage grass weren't suitable either. Forage grass was unnecessary for now, and wheat didn't produce much firewood. Additionally, the output of wheat was not very high. So Zhao Hai decided against planting them. He needed to prioritize finding a solution to the Buda Family's problems, rather than focusing on personal tastes.

With only one option left, Zhao Hai decided to plant corn. Corn was a crop he was most familiar with, having grown it before on Earth. Corn had a high yield, and most importantly, it provided corn stalks that could be used as firewood during the winter. There were still many places in the northern region that relied on corn stalks for firewood.

Currently, Zhao Hai only had enough corn seeds to plant two mu of land, but the improved land area was ten mu. It wasn't enough. Zhao Hai furrowed his brow as he calculated the resources he had. He had 200 Space gold coins (which couldn't be used outside of Space), six bags of forage grass seeds (enough for six mu), two bags of cabbage seeds (enough for two mu), two bags of wheat seeds (enough for two mu), and two bags of corn seeds (enough for two mu). In the Warehouse, there was a batch of radishes that could be sold for 500 gold coins. However, he couldn't bring the gold coins into Space.

Considering the available resources, Zhao Hai concluded that he could reclaim two mu of land in Space, but it would require 200 gold coins. If he did so, he would be left with no gold coins. Seeing Zhao Hai deep in thought, Merine spoke up, hoping that their resourceful Young Master could come up with a solution.

Meg, who was lost in her own thoughts, observed Zhao Hai intently. She found him incredibly attractive, and the depth of his character captivated her.

After carefully considering his available resources, Zhao Hai formulated a plan. He turned to Merine and said, "Merine Grandma, have everyone tidy up the mine tunnels. We need to clean them up as soon as possible. Tomorrow, I will reclaim ten mu of land and let you know what to plant. I need to rest for now." With that, he stood up and walked back to his room.

Merine didn't know what Zhao Hai had in mind, but she chose to trust him. After witnessing Zhao Hai's recent miraculous achievements, and the mysterious powers he possessed, she believed that he would find a way.

Blockhead and Stonehead followed Zhao Hai back to his room, while Meg stayed behind to help Merine organize the slaves and clean up the mine tunnels. Merine had a lot on her plate, and Meg's assistance was invaluable.

Once inside his room, Zhao Hai quickly closed the door. He ordered Blockhead and Stonehead to stand guard outside and then entered his servant's room, sneaking into the Space.

The inside of the Space looked the same as before, without any visible changes. Zhao Hai carefully examined the surroundings and was relieved to see that the improvements in the land and water hadn't affected the Space's stability. He relaxed, knowing that expanding the land outside would be beneficial. If the Space were to disappear suddenly, he would still have a large area of land outside, ensuring their survival.

But for now, being in the Accumulation Stage, the Space's existence was more advantageous to him. If the improvements affected the Space in any way, the benefits wouldn't outweigh the risks.

Glancing at the mature radishes, Zhao Hai whispered, "Sell the radishes in the Warehouse."

The Space prompt sounded, asking, "Are you sure you want to sell the items in the Warehouse?" Zhao Hai solemnly replied, "Yes." The prompt continued, "By selling the items in the Warehouse once, you will obtain 500 gold coins. The gold coins will be placed in your gold coin bag. There are no items left in your Warehouse. Please continue to cultivate diligently."

Zhao Hai couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He had hoped that the radishes in the Space could reproduce, but it seemed too early for that experiment. Right now, he needed gold coins and resources that could be useful to him. After this experiment, he would focus on other matters.

With the current resources he had, Zhao Hai's inventory included 700 gold coins, six small bags of forage grass seeds (enough for six mu), two small bags of cabbage seeds (enough for two mu), two small bags of wheat seeds (enough for two mu), and two small bags of corn seeds (enough for two mu).

After carefully assessing his available resources, Zhao Hai made up his mind. He commanded, "Expand the land."

The Space prompt sounded once again, asking, "To expand the land, you need to reach level 3 and have 200 gold coins. You meet the requirements. Do you want to expand the land now?"

Zhao Hai solemnly replied, "Yes." As soon as he finished speaking, the Space fluctuated, and a mist enveloped the area. After the mist dissipated, a newly expanded piece of land appeared, adjacent to the original ten mu.

Zhao Hai looked at the two mu of newly reclaimed land, which appeared no different from the other land in Space. Without wasting any time, he ordered, "Plant corn on this land."

With shovel and bucket in hand, he quickly started planting corn on the two mu of land. This was Zhao Hai's plan.

Zhao Hai was well aware of the differences between corn and radishes. While radishes were consumed for their roots, corn was cultivated for its seeds. When corn matured, the seeds were harvested. Even if the radishes remained, the corn could still grow. The two mu of land he had reclaimed were perfect for planting corn, which would yield not only corn seeds but also corn stalks that could be used as firewood.

Typically, planting one mu of corn required around three kilograms of seeds, and the yield per mu was approximately one ton. In other words, by planting corn on two mu of land, Zhao Hai could obtain a minimum of 4,000 jin (0.5 kg) of corn. If these corn could be used as seeds, he could plant over 600 mu of land. It was an incredibly cost-effective venture.

At the moment, Zhao Hai hoped that the corn in the Space would be similar to the corn he knew from Earth, where the yield from saved seeds was significantly lower compared to buying new seeds. If the corn in the Space could be used as seeds, it would solve his major problem. He could sell the radishes from the Space and use the corn to cultivate firewood and grain outside, laying a foundation for the future development of the Buda Family.