Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

Chapter 284 Harvest Season - First Batch of Grain Enters the Barn

He Yuanchao stepped onto the damp soil at the edge of the vegetable patch, his palms sweating slightly. This sweat wasn't from exhaustion, but from the considerable commotion he'd caused in the field. He looked down at his feet; the patch of soil he'd turned over, loose and crumpled, was now completely covered by green stems and leaves.

Today is the fifteenth day after sowing.

In the old world, crops growing to the height of a palm at this age would be considered a stroke of good fortune. But now, the corn stalks before them had grown to over two meters tall, their thick stems appearing even thicker than an adult's wrist. Each stalk bore two or three heavy ears of corn, the outer husks still a tender green, but the red tassels at the tips already withered and blackened. This was a sign that they were fully ripe.

Old Reverend Phillips squatted beside the field ridge, his hands constantly making the sign of the cross. He kept muttering words of thanksgiving to God, his voice trembling violently. His eyes were full of tears, which streamed down his wrinkled face and into the freshly turned soil.

"Advisor He, this really happened." Phillips pointed at the potato vines, his voice filled with disbelief and fear. "I just secretly dug up one, and the potatoes underneath are all as big as a fist. I've never seen crops grow so fast and so well in my entire life."

He Yuanchao didn't respond to his words. He bent down, reached out and grabbed an ear of corn, and snapped it off forcefully.

"Click."

The crisp cracking sound carried far through the quiet valley.

He tore open the green husk. Inside, the corn kernels were neatly arranged, each one golden yellow with a healthy sheen. He pinched one with his thumbnail, and white sap immediately splattered out.

This corn not only grows fast, but it also has a high water content and a seemingly high starch content.

"Let's get to work." He Yuanchao straightened up and waved to the group of stunned survivors behind him. "Greg, take some men and clear out the warehouse. Jack, you take a few men and you're in charge of harvesting corn. Emily, you take the women and you're in charge of digging potatoes. Hurry up, everything must be in the warehouse before dark."

The people in the camp only then realized what was happening. They cheered, the sound echoing through the valley and startling several unidentified birds in the forest.

These people hadn't felt this kind of heartfelt joy in a long time. From fleeing that hellish city to the nuclear explosion behind them, and then to the nerve-wracking survival they'd endured for over half a month in the wilderness, their nerves had been constantly on edge. Now, seeing this real food, the fear of hunger had finally dissipated considerably.

Greg's bald head gleamed brightly in the sunlight. He strode over, stretched out both hands, and took the corn cob that had been broken off from He Yuanchao's hands.

"They're really heavy." Greg weighed them in his hands, his old face beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum. "Advisor He, your seeds are truly treasures. With these, the thirty-odd of us will never have to worry about going hungry for the rest of our lives."

"Don't get too excited yet." He Yuanchao patted the mud off his hands. "This is just the first batch. In the apocalypse, too much food can be a problem. Keep an eye on the surroundings, don't let those rotten meats come smelling the food, and don't let the people in this camp overeat and ruin their stomachs."

Greg chuckled and turned to start shouting.

The entire afternoon was filled with bustling activity at the camp.

Jack led the two high school students into the cornfield. The tall corn leaves stung their skin, but the boys didn't care. They carried cloth bags they'd salvaged from the helicopter, filled them, and ran towards the warehouse.

Rune and Old Tom weren't idle either. They were responsible for spreading the harvested corn on the open ground in front of the warehouse. The work wasn't heavy, but it required care. Rune inspected each ear of corn repeatedly, picking out any with wormholes or mold.

Emily, along with Lisa, an office worker, and several women who used to be supermarket cashiers, were squatting in the potato field, sweating profusely. They were holding iron hoes and rakes they had scavenged from a hardware store, and with each stroke of the rake, they pulled out several large potatoes.

Lisa's once delicate hands were now covered in blisters, but she didn't complain. Looking at the round, muddy things, her eyes shone with a light she'd never shown before in the office.

He Yuanchao had seen this kind of radiance many times before in the world of "Bright Sword." It was the resilience that comes from seeing hope for survival, the most primal attachment of ordinary people to their land.

He Yuanchao did not participate in the actual harvesting. He sat on a large rock by the river, stroking the cold iron dagger he had just replaced with.

The blade exuded a chill, a sensation that seeped into my heart from my palm.

He looked at the busy crowd in the distance, his mind wandering elsewhere.

The field yielded approximately 300 kilograms of grain. According to his calculations, if each person was rationed daily, this amount would be enough to last for more than a month. Combined with the canned goods and compressed biscuits retrieved from the town, the camp's reserves had reached a very secure level.

But as he told Greg, in this disordered world, abundance often means danger.

This vast expanse of green fields was too conspicuous in the gray wilderness. If those roaming raiders or some of the remaining Umbrella remnants that weren't quite dead saw this from the sky, they would surely pounce like sharks smelling blood.

"He, what are you thinking about?"

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Alice appeared sometime earlier. She carried a Nepalese kukri, and her black combat uniform clung to her skin, revealing a powerful, muscular physique. Fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, and her blond hair was slightly disheveled by the wind.

"I'm thinking about how to protect this grain." He Yuanchao didn't turn around, his eyes fixed on the calm river surface.

Alice sat down next to him and casually stabbed her military knife into a nearby tree trunk.

"Those people were very happy. This is the most united I've ever seen them."

"When people are well-fed and warm, they start thinking about lust." He Yuanchao sneered. "Right now they're happy because their stomachs are full. But in a couple of days, they'll start thinking about other things. Who does more work and who does less, who gets more refined grains and who gets more coarse grains. These trivial matters could break up a family in the old world, and they can destroy a camp in the apocalypse."

Alice was silent for a moment. She looked at Howard, who was carrying corn.

The former accountant was unusually enthusiastic at that moment. He was carrying two bags of corn by himself, panting heavily, his glasses slipping off his nose but he didn't even bother to push them up. He looked like the most hardworking laborer.

"Howard has been behaving himself these past few days," Alice said.

"This honesty is all an act." He Yuanchao sheathed his cold iron dagger, stood up, and said, "He thinks that once the grain is in storage, he has a foundation for his system of committees and voting rights. As long as he has grain in hand, he thinks he can negotiate with me."

"Would you let him speak?"

He Yuanchao turned his head and looked into Alice's blue eyes.

"I will show him that in the apocalypse, the only thing that can keep him alive is not his vote, but my gun."

The harvest continued until evening.

The warehouse was crammed full. The once spacious room was now piled high with sacks of corn and baskets of potatoes. The fresh, clean scent of the crops filled the wooden house, masking the previous musty smell.

He Yuanchao kept his promise. An extra meal tonight.

Phillips and Emily set up three large iron pots in the middle of the camp. The fire was burning brightly, and the pots were bubbling with diced potatoes, peeled corn, and several cans of luncheon meat they had rummaged through the supermarket.

He Yuanchao even took out half a packet of hot pot base that he had been reluctant to use and two packets of salt from his pocket and threw them in.

The intense aroma spread throughout the valley.

Everyone gathered around the campfire, holding wooden bowls or tin boxes in their hands.

"Dinner's ready!"

With a loud roar from Greg.

An eerie silence fell over the camp—everyone was engrossed in their work.

He Yuanchao filled his bowl to the brim.

He sat on the big rock, slowly chewing a kernel of corn.

It tastes great. Although it's a modified, fast-growing variety, it still retains the characteristic sweetness of grains. The potatoes are stewed until very tender, absorbing the oil from the luncheon meat and the spiciness of the hot pot broth, melting in your mouth.

He ate very slowly, savoring each bite.

In the world of "Bright Sword," he and Li Yunlong once squatted in a trench and ate this kind of stew. Back then, there was no meat in the pot, only a few radish leaves and black soot, but it tasted exactly the same as it does now.

That's the taste of being alive.

Angela, clutching her teddy bear, snuggled up to He Yuanchao.

The little girl's bowl was filled with the selected pieces of luncheon meat. Jill had saved it especially for her, and no one in the camp objected.

"Uncle, this is delicious." Angela scooped up a spoonful of potato and brought it to He Yuanchao's mouth.

He Yuanchao smiled but didn't eat. He reached out and patted the little girl's head.

"Eat more if it tastes good. You'll have the energy to run when you're full."

"Where are we going?" Angela asked, tilting her head.

"We're not going anywhere for now. We're going to build our home here."

Angela nodded as if she understood, and continued to eat the meat in her bowl.

Howard then walked over with a bowl in his hand. He pushed his glasses up to his forehead, a smile on his face that was both ingratiating and reserved.

"Advisor He, today's harvest is truly encouraging. I think we should take this opportunity to formalize the camp's management structure. For example, we could establish a production management team to be responsible for subsequent planting and harvesting allocation..."

He Yuanchao finished the last drop of soup. He looked up at Howard, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Howard, are you full?"

Howard paused for a moment, then said, "Ah, I'm full."

"After you've eaten, go check the fence for Old Tom. If any zombies get in tonight, I'll throw you out to feed them."

Howard's face froze. He pursed his lips a few times, but ultimately didn't dare say anything and slunk away.

Martin watched this scene from a distance, and the step he was about to take back was now behind him.

He Yuanchao slammed the bowl down on the ground.

He looked at the night sky.

Beneath those stars.

The system displayed new text on his retina.

The first-ever bumper harvest of grain boosted team cohesion at the camp.

Reward causal points: 500.