Li Ba, a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, was the sales manager at a well-known seed company in Wucheng before the apocalypse. When the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, the naturally timid Li Ba faced life-and-death situations and managed to scrape by and survive. By chance, he set aside the rules of post-apocalyptic survival to save a grandfather and his granddaughter, and in return, he received a magical bracelet. The bracelet contained a universe within—a plot of land, a stone trough brimming with spring water, and a Tower—all of which opened up a mysterious realm for him. What to do when food runs out? “My Fengshou Group has mountains of grain—I’ll trade it for crystal cores and jade!” Li Ba declared arrogantly. What to do when zombies attack the city? “The mutated plants cultivated by ‘Lord Ba’ can withstand a tide of a million zombies!” Li Ba said with absolute confidence. What if you’re not an Evolver and someone challenges you to a one-on-one duel? “I’ve got talismanic soldiers guarding me. Anyone who dares challenge me will get beaten so badly, even their own mother won’t recognize them!” said Li Ba, his bald head revealing a menacing expression as he spoke viciously. Using the mysterious space and his expertise, Li Ba cultivated crops and tended fields, determined to become a major farmer in the world of *Horse Herding* and pursue a happy life in the post-apocalyptic world.
Chapter 40: The Best-Selling Bean Sprouts
There were seventy to eighty thousand refugees outside the city. As the reputation of the Western Settlement spread far and wide, this number continued to grow. To survive, every refugee contributed some supplies—more or less—in exchange for food, and the total accumulated each day amounted to a massive sum. The types of supplies were diverse, and some were in particularly high demand; the settlement authorities would buy them up at rock-bottom prices and resell them at a premium. The profit margin from this buy-and-sell operation was obvious. Furthermore, by tapping into Luo Jianguo’s network, one could obtain scarce goods such as firearms and ammunition from the settlement authorities. This was crucial for a general store. Having inadvertently closed a major deal, Li Ba was in high spirits as he whistled all the way back to the restaurant. No sooner had the car pulled up at the intersection than nine security guards, led by Zhao Hongyun, came over. Working in pairs, they began unloading the cargo. Li Ba watched this unfold and nodded to himself. These mercenaries were all quite decent—not a single lazy or devious soul among them. “Li Ge。” Da Fang and Xiao Fang walked over. Judging by the joy on their faces, they must have had a good haul at the market today. “How did the bean sprouts sell?” “You won’t believe it, Li Ge. We took our small batch of bean sprouts to the market, and before we even set up our stall, a customer bought the whole lot.” Dafang held up three fingers and said with exaggerated enthusiasm, “Three jin of grain coupons for one jin of bean sprouts—the guy didn’t even haggle over the price. Before he left, he even gave us a business card, telling us to deliver our stock directly to his luxury hotel whenever we have it—he’ll take as much as we have!” Xiao Fang, standing nearby, pulled out the business card and handed it to Li Ba. “Jiuding Grand Hotel……” Li Ba glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. He’d heard of this Jiuding Grand Hotel; it was considered one of the top hotels in the Xibu settlement. Rumor had it that it had deep connections and powerful backers. It seemed his homemade bean sprouts were quite popular! Li Ba knew exactly what was going on. “Also, Li Ge, you told us to buy up jade. It’s hard to find on the market. We went from shop to shop and bought up almost everything we could find—this is all we have.” Xiao Fang handed over a small cloth bag filled with dozens of pieces of jade jewelry. Whether they were real or fake was beside the point; the quantity was impressive. “Good work.” Li Ba nodded, clearly satisfied. From Da Fang and Xiao Fang, he learned that jade was a niche item in the market—hardly anyone wanted it. A piece of jade jewelry listed at thirty jin of grain coupons could be snagged for just ten jin after some haggling. This was yet another piece of good news for Li Ba. With this jade, he no longer had to worry about the Spirit Spring running dry and could now move forward with his grand plan without reservation. After unloading the cargo, Li Ba called out to Da Fang and Xiao Fang to return to the Villa. Last night, he had spent the entire night soaking dozens of bowls of bean sprouts. The rooms and the outdoor corridor were filled with large plastic basins. He carried seven or eight of them into Dafang and Xiaofang’s room. Then, Li Ba filled several thermoses with Spirit Spring water, handed them to Dafang and Xiaofang, and instructed them to drink only this from now on. As for the reason, he made up an excuse on the spot. He claimed the water quality in the settlement was poor and that drinking it regularly could lead to kidney stones. This spring water, he explained, was a clean source he’d brought back from outside and was safe to drink. These two were going to be his trusted assistants from now on, so of course he couldn’t shortchange them. Having the Spiritual Spring from the spatial realm to drink would improve their physical constitution and make them stronger. After lunch, Li Ba sent Da Fang and Xiao Fang out again to the market to buy as many plastic basins as possible. Since bean sprouts were selling so well, he needed to prepare more. According to his plan, under normal business conditions, they would sell 600 jin of bean sprouts daily. With each basin holding 20 jin, that meant they’d need to soak 30 basins’ worth every day. If this cycle continued, they’d need at least a hundred large plastic basins. They didn’t have enough yet. Furthermore, if sales picked up, they could increase production. One jin of beans could yield ten jin of bean sprouts, resulting in a profit margin of dozens of times. If he didn’t put his heart into this business, may the heavens strike him down with five bolts of lightning! Zhou Yan owed him 120,000 jin in grain coupons, and he had to repay this debt before the deadline. With yesterday’s harvest, the promising outlook for bean sprouts, and the endless supply of grain being cultivated in the space within his bracelet, he was confident he could earn enough grain coupons to cover the debt within twenty days. He glanced around—the entire hallway was filled with large plastic tubs. Moreover, the living room downstairs was also piled high with supplies. “This place is a bit cramped!” Li Ba muttered to himself as he walked out the door, intending to talk to Zhou Yan about borrowing two Villas for a while. He knew that out of the twelve Villas in Zhou Yan’s family, two had yet to be rented out. As soon as he mentioned borrowing the villas, Zhou Yan agreed without hesitation. When she saw Li Ba directing people to carry out basin after basin of soaking beans, she looked surprised and asked, “Fatso, are you planning to grow bean sprouts?” “That’s right,” Li Ba nodded. Zhou Yan immediately added, “All our water in Xibu comes from underground hot springs. It’s fine for drinking, but it’s no good for watering crops. As for sprouting beans… I’ve tried it before—the germination rate is too low, and most of them end up rotting. It’s not worth the trouble!” Li Ba pointed to the vegetables planted in the courtyard flowerbeds and chuckled, “Before the apocalypse, I was a top student at the Agricultural University. This little task is no problem for me.” Zhou Yan took one look and suddenly realized, laughing, “You’re right! If you can even grow vegetables, sprouting beans will definitely be no problem.” Then, she looked at the pots of soaking beans, as if she were seeing stacks of grain coupons, beaming with joy, unable to stop smiling. “Twenty days! In twenty days at most, I’ll pay back that little debt you owe me!” Li Ba leaned in, his chubby face close to hers, and whispered, “Yan Yan, when the time comes, we’ll have to get to know each other a little more ‘intimately.’ Just think of it as… paying off the debt with your body!” “Get lost!” Zhou Yan shot him a withering glance and sashayed away, her hips swaying like a water snake. Li Ba’s eyes sparkled as he stared intently at Zhou Yan’s plump behind, his desire growing unbearable. Of the two villas, only one was currently in use. All the large basins used for sprouting bean sprouts had been moved there. In addition, Li Ba used his spare time to plant vegetables in the flower beds within the courtyards of both villas. He left the watering to Yan'er. He also had Zhao Hongyun assign two of his men to keep watch, to prevent theft. Come evening, Li Ba called on Da Fang and Xiao Fang, selected a number of local specialties harvested the previous day, and went to pay a visit to Luo Jianguo’s home. They arrived at the upscale residential complex where Luo Jianguo lived. Li Ba parked the car, and Dafang and Xiaofang, each carrying a burlap sack, walked inside. Perhaps because Luo Jianguo had given advance notice, the Armed Police guard at the gate asked a few questions and immediately let them through. This was his second visit to Luo Jianguo. Li Ba knew his way around well and quickly arrived at the base of Luo Jianguo’s building. Just as he was about to go inside, he suddenly heard someone call out from behind him. He turned to look and saw a beautiful woman with short hair wearing a military uniform. “Qianqian, it’s you!” Li Ba was taken aback. It was his old colleague, Ding Qianqian—someone he’d personally mentored. They’d been on good terms even before the apocalypse. Though they’d seen less of each other since then, she’d still shown him a fair amount of loyalty. If nothing else, the fact that she’d stopped that damn woman Han Xue that day was proof enough. Today, Ding Qianqian was alone. Judging by the weary look on her face, she’d apparently been busy all day and had just gotten off work. “Manager Li.” Ding Qianqian walked briskly over in her high heels, a smile on her face, and asked, “Are you here to look for someone?” “Mm-hmm.” Li Ba nodded. Then he told Da Fang and Xiao Fang to go upstairs first and head straight to Luo Jianguo’s place. The two of them, carrying their belongings, looked a bit conspicuous. “Manager Li, what kind of business are you in now?” Ding Qianqian tilted her chin up and asked with a smile. She still cared deeply about her former boss. Li Ba shrugged and said casually, “I’m setting up a general store. It’ll open in a couple of days!” “Oh!” Ding Qianqian looked surprised. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Where’s the store located? When will it open? If you’re having any trouble, I can help out.” She spoke with such sincerity that Li Ba noticed it and felt a little touched. “The day after tomorrow! It opens the day after tomorrow. If you’re free, come show your support!” Li Ba extended the invitation. It was meant to be just a polite gesture, but to his surprise, Ding Qianqian thought about it for a moment and actually nodded in agreement. “I’ll definitely be there on time the day after tomorrow morning!” Ding Qianqian gave a sweet smile and said, “Manager Li, I believe in your abilities—you’re bound to succeed. Good luck!” The young woman clenched her fist, gave Li Ba a thumbs-up, and then turned to leave. “Don’t worry, I’ll succeed… I won’t let anyone look down on me again.” Li Ba muttered to himself as he watched Ding Qianqian’s retreating figure.
