Chapter 85: Busy Farming in the Last Days

Aug 12 2023

“These are not my words, I am being framed!” Li Lingyun kept struggling, shouting in anger.

Liang Jincheng put away the recording pen, “We have all the witness and physical evidence now. You killed Cheng Feng and are still planning to take control of the base. The base has decided to execute you.”

The soldier standing next to him did not look away. Li Lingyun’s left and right hand men were nowhere to be seen, and he knew he had fallen into a trap. Looking at Liang Jincheng’s expression, Li Lingyun knew he was doomed.

“What identity do you have to kill me now?” Li Lingyun gritted his teeth. “You’re just a squad leader!”

Liang Jincheng sneered, “What do you think my identity is?”

His own position wasn’t high, but Li Lingyun knew very well that no one in the base could shake Liang Jincheng’s position. Even when Cheng Feng attempted to make some changes, he was mercilessly removed. Now, it had become a situation of killing two birds with one stone, and he was one of the birds. And now that Liang Jincheng had clearly decided to seize power, there was no room for negotiation.

Li Lingyun laughed in anger, lowered his head and remained silent.

On the farm.

“Boss, the army has sent back the milk test results.” Wang Qiang rushed into the farm office with a paper report, his face both joyful and proud. “See, I told you the milk we brought was drinkable.”

“Hey, weren’t you supposed to have half a day off today? How did you get here so soon?” Ji Cha stood up and took the paper from Wang Qiang.

Yesterday evening, Wang Qiang and his family moved into their new home in the base, which was in a good location. Ji Cha understood that they had a lot to tidy up, so he gave them all half a day off.

“Well, why do we need so many people to take a break? My sister, my mom, and I can handle the cleaning. My uncle, dad, and cousin are all here to work. Otherwise, who would dare to milk the cows this morning? Isn’t that a waste? And, I happened to meet the person delivering the report at the door, so he let me bring it in.”

During his speech, Ji Cha glanced through the report. The main idea was simple: no zombie virus was found in the milk, and it was deemed safe for consumption after processing.

This was great news. Milk could be processed into so many products, enriching the base’s diet. At least now, almost everyone in the base could have a glass of milk after milking the cows.

“I had someone feed the cows earlier. They’re quite clever. They don’t get agitated when they see someone coming to feed them. They just stand there waiting. After a while, our workers will be able to milk them up close,” Ji Cha said.

“That would be great,” Wang Qiang chuckled. “In a little while, it’ll be time for mating season. Then we can look forward to having some calves.”

Yesterday, their family had finally eaten delicious food again in the base. They slept in houses with water and electricity, and they didn’t need to take turns to stand guard at night. They could sleep soundly until dawn, which felt like a luxury.

Over the past two days, they had collected several thousand kilograms of milk. Since there was no equipment to process the milk in the base, they had to use two stoves and a large black pot to boil and sterilize the milk. They didn’t have professional disinfection equipment and couldn’t add any additives to the milk. Therefore, the milk’s shelf life would be much shorter.

Now, there was no immediate way to process the milk. The best solution was to drink it directly.

While Ji Cha was getting instructions from Wang Qiang on how to process the milk, he tried to request a broadcast message through the base’s computer system. However, he received a message back that the broadcast system was being occupied.

Occupied?

This situation had never happened before. Apart from announcing significant events, there was hardly ever a need to use the broadcast system in the base. So why was it being used now?

Ji Cha was about to use the device to inquire about any possible machine malfunctions on the other end when the base’s broadcast equipment suddenly came to life.

To his surprise, he heard Liang Jincheng’s voice coming from the speakers!

Ji Cha was surprised and immediately ran outside to listen to the radio attentively. Ordinary residents working in various places were also attracted by the sound of the broadcast.

“I am Liang Jincheng, and I have two things to announce to everyone now.

First, around yesterday midnight, the highest commander of the original base, Cheng Feng, was attacked and killed by zombies in his bedroom. After on-site investigation, the source of the zombies was one of the five zombies that Cheng Feng kept in the basement. The zombie has now been disposed of, and Cheng Feng’s body has been cremated. I am being honest and open to hope that everyone will not panic because of this. Everything is currently under control.

Second, Cheng Feng’s death was partly due to his own fault, and partly due to someone deliberately plotting against him. After collecting evidence and careful elimination, the culprit, Li Lingyun, 36 years old, who had been in the base for more than a month, has been arrested. The evidence is as follows…”

After that, there was Li Lingyun’s recording and the testimony of an anonymous person.

“The base has decided to execute Li Lingyun by firing squad, to be carried out immediately.”

As soon as Liang Jincheng’s words fell, there was a faint gunshot in the broadcast, and everything returned to calm.

“The subsequent arrangements of the base will be handled by me until a new leader is elected.” Liang Jincheng’s voice remained calm, “Sorry for the interruption.”

Compared with Cheng Feng and Li Lingyun, Liang Jincheng was a more familiar figure in the base. His achievements and reputation were far more spread than Cheng Feng’s. It was better to let someone they fully trusted lead their lives than some elusive figure.

Liang Jincheng’s decisive actions not only did not cause panic but also made the residents of the base cheer. Cheng Feng’s open death news and the way he died made them believe even more that Liang Jincheng would not deceive them.

Only the small base of a thousand people led by Li Lingyun was frightened, afraid that Liang Jincheng would seek revenge and implicate them all.

As for Ji Cha, as soon as the broadcast ended, his computer immediately received a reply from the broadcast station, asking what content he wanted to play.

This interrupted his train of thought that was about to disperse due to the sound of gunfire. There were still many things to be busy with here, why bother thinking so much?

Ji Cha quickly sent the message he wanted to convey in text form. Shortly afterwards, another broadcast was heard from outside.

“Broadcast notice, broadcast notice, the source of the message is the farm office. From today on, the farm will supply a certain quantity of milk. Each person can buy up to 100 milliliters per day, and each household can buy up to 500 milliliters. It costs 1.5 points per purchase and resale on the black market is strictly prohibited. For special needs such as infant consumption, separate application can be made. Purchase time is from 7:00 to 19:00. Please bring your own container when purchasing and inform each other.”

This made the residents of the base who had just received news of the deaths of Cheng Feng and Li Lingyun fluctuate in their emotions. They directly pushed their deaths to the side.

1.5 points is not a small amount nor is it a large amount, but it is just right for most members of the base to afford. It depends on whether you are willing to spend the money or not. For example, for hard-working people in the farm and some construction workers, they can earn 20 points per day. If you exclude the expenses for food, water, electricity, and rent, having an extra 4 or 5 points per day is still acceptable. Under such conditions, if there are children at home, buying some milk to supplement their nutrition is nothing.

About half an hour after this broadcast was sent, a large group of people came to the entrance of the base. They all brought their identity cards and various containers to buy milk.

Ji Cha was already prepared and had a large tent set up at the entrance of the farm, which led to the farm behind it.

After Wang Qiang and the others disinfected the milk, they rode a tricycle out of the farm and brought the milk down. The residents who were eagerly waiting over there were in a good mood and even thanked them.

Wang Qiang was quite honest and even a little embarrassed at first, but then he felt that what he was doing was meaningful. He went back with his head held high and continued to cook the milk.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The milk was poured into measuring cups and then accurately poured into various containers, swiping the identity card and leaving. This process continued and was synchronized with the milk boiling process in the farm.

By noon, all the milk squeezed yesterday was sold out.

Ji Cha checked the information and estimated that they had sold more than 5,900 portions. He figured they could sell about the same amount today. As he was calculating, someone knocked on the office door.

“Boss, there are five couples here to apply for milk.”

Ji Cha looked up and saw five couples standing awkwardly at the door. Three of them were holding children, while the other two were not.

“Those with babies can sit down first. We don’t have enough chairs, so the others can stand for a while. Please line up in order and tell me about your family situation.”

Ji Cha opened his computer, created a new document, and opened the personnel information system.

“We have only my wife and me at home. Our child was born at the end of last year after we entered the base. Since then, my wife’s health has not been good, and she has little breast milk. Although the child can gradually start eating porridge, the nutrition is still not enough. I also want to give my wife some nutritional supplement.”

Ji Cha checked their income and family situation through the system. The woman of the family was currently unable to work because of taking care of the child, but the man had a good job and earned 18 points per day, which was considered above average in the base.

“Okay, we will adjust your daily quota to 400 milliliters, and the price will be adjusted accordingly.” Ji Cha took out a farm-specific proof paper from the drawer and explained the situation on it. He then marked the price at 1 point and said, “Please come back to renew this once a month.”

The other party took the paper gratefully and left.

The following situations were all similar, with milk insufficiency being the main issue. However, each family had different incomes, so the price of milk varied from the original price to 0.5 points per portion, and the quota varied depending on the size of the infant.

When this news spread, dozens of households came to apply for more quota in the afternoon. For those with breastfeeding pregnant women at home, Ji Cha made corresponding adjustments one by one.