Chapter 21: Unable to Hide the Hatred and Envy in His Eyes—Wow!

After several days of watering, the corn in the field began to sprout little by little. On the expanse of brownish-yellow earth, tiny tender green shoots emerged one by one, bringing great joy to Mi Tang. Whether familiar or not, everyone adored these delicate seedlings. If they grew well, they would earn more points or purified corn in the future—good days were beckoning them.

Once the sprouting of the corn was taken care of, the reclamation team resumed their search for purified plants on Mountain No. 1. Throughout the entire day, Gu Xiaomai neither heard the inner voice of the red-bellied pheasant nor caught sight of it. Strange—this little creature, which used to keep such a close watch on her, was nowhere to be found. Before, it seemed convinced she would deceive it, but now it had apparently let down its guard? Over the next few trips up the mountain, she still never saw it, and Gu Xiaomai began to think the bird had abandoned their deal. She felt a mixture of relief and slight disappointment.

Time passed day by day, and the corn seedlings in the field grew taller with each passing day, now reaching ankle height. Besides their expeditions to Mountain No. 1, the reclamation team would clear the weeds in the cornfields every few days. These weeds often sprouted sporadically; if not removed promptly, they would grow large and overshadow the corn plants, competing fiercely for the soil’s scarce nutrients and moisture. Truly, it was a case of endless weeds—no matter how many were uprooted, the spring breeze would cause them to grow anew.

One day, after hoeing the weeds, Mi Tang gathered the entire reclamation team. “Some of the camp’s logistics personnel are returning to base. Anyone who wants to go back should gather at the south gate of the camp at dawn tomorrow.”

Gu Xiaomai’s eyes brightened instantly. After more than a month here, she finally had a chance to go out and see the world. “Oh, right. Those sent here as punishment for labor reform don’t get the chance!” Her eyes dimmed again. She closed them tightly and silently cursed the hidden culprits who had framed the original owner.

“For those not returning to base, spend the next few days clearing the remaining weed patches in the cornfields. You’re free to move about during your spare time...” Mi Tang finished speaking, and everyone dispersed.

Corn turned and noticed Gu Xiaomai’s eyes were tightly closed. “Whoa! Little Sister Mai, why are your eyes shut?”

Jiang Chen’an glanced over as well. She feared that if she opened her eyes, the resentment and envy within would show.

Gu Xiaomai opened her eyes a sliver. “They’re a bit tired. Are you two going back to base this time?”

“Are we going back?” Corn asked Jiang Chen’an.

“Yes,” Jiang Chen’an replied firmly. “We’ve waited so long for this opportunity. We need to buy salt and a pot.”

Once they had these, they could finally eat purified plants. He had been waiting so long he could hardly contain his excitement.

“Great!” Corn said happily. “I wonder if those things are expensive?”

“I asked Elder Xia. He said the size of the pot varies, and the rank of the metal-type psychokinetic who made it affects the points needed. A small gray pot costs at least a hundred points, and 300 points can buy 20 grams of salt.”

Corn counted on his fingers for a long time before realizing, “That’s so expensive! You’d have to work ten days just to earn enough points to buy one gray pot and 20 grams of salt.”

...

The next morning, the tents buzzed with activity as people gradually emerged and headed toward the camp’s south gate.

Gu Xiaomai woke as usual to the sound of soldiers training and went out to exercise. Without Jiang Chen’an’s whip-cracking sounds nearby, she felt a little unsettled for a moment. By then, Jiang Chen’an and the others had already left the south gate, heading toward the base.

Gu Xiaomai practiced Tai Chi repeatedly, channeling her frustration over not being able to go to the base. In the end, she calmed her mind and returned to the tent.

Only she and Wan Chuncui remained in Tent No. 5. The nine men left on their side were also prisoners like Gu Xiaomai and Wan Chuncui, though none had committed serious crimes. Severe offenders were typically sentenced to death to avoid wasting resources on them. The labor reform periods for this group ranged from two to four months; by comparison, Gu Xiaomai had the longest sentence among the eleven.

Back in Tent No. 5, Wan Chuncui was already awake. After greeting each other, Gu Xiaomai took out a nutrition vial and grabbed a hoe, heading to the cornfield with Wan Chuncui to weed. The men had also taken hoes and gone to the fields. There weren’t many unweeded areas left, so they finished their work in a day.

Though Jiang Chen’an and Corn’s journey back to the base wasn’t as fast as last time, they still reached the east gate by mid-afternoon the next day. After passing inspection, Jiao Yang led the camp’s people ahead, and the reclamation team dispersed to attend to their own tasks.

“Brother Chen, we meet the day after tomorrow morning—more than a day from now. Should we buy things first or do other errands?” Corn asked as they walked along East Street toward the interior of the base.

“Let’s check out the exchange point in District 13 first.”

“I’ve never heard of those seasonings Little Sister Mai mentioned. Last time when we bought nutrition vials at the District 13 exchange point, did you notice what else they had?” Corn asked.

Jiang Chen’an shook his head. Even if he had seen them, he probably wouldn’t have recognized them.

Corn doubted the exchange point in District 13 would carry those items. “I don’t think they even have small pots or salt there. District 13 is the slum area—buying a pot and salt would cost points enough to buy almost a month’s worth of nutrition vials for one person.”

“Let’s go see anyway!” Jiang Chen’an wasn’t sure if they’d have those items either. “If not, we’ll check other districts.”

“I’ve only ever looked around the entrance of the exchange point before. Last time I went inside to buy nutrition vials was the first time; I only bought nutrition vials on the first floor and didn’t look around much. This time, I want to explore properly and see what’s inside. Maybe I can buy something for the director and Xiao Douzi.”

Talking as they went, they turned right off East Street onto Northeast Sixth Street, where the District 13 exchange point was located—a standalone twenty-story building of modest size.

Inside, they found the first floor the most crowded, mainly with people queuing to buy nutrition vials or drinking water.

The second floor was less crowded, filled with clothing and various household goods.

Corn’s eyes brightened at the sight of new clothes hanging on the racks. The little ones’ clothes had been patched by Granny Gu for so long; it was time for some new ones. He also admired the sparkling hair clips and ribbons in the accessories section, hoping to buy some for the little girls like Maruko, whose hair always got cut short, making them look like little tomboys.

“Let’s check upstairs first, then come back to buy,” Jiang Chen’an said, pulling Corn up to the third floor.

The third floor held home furnishings, which didn’t interest them much, so they went straight to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor sold simple cold weapons and tools needed outside the base—knives, swords, daggers—all-metal cold weapons in greater quantity and variety. Though these were crafted by novice metal-type psychokinetics, Jiang Chen’an and Corn both looked on enviously; neither yet owned personal weapons they could use openly.

Though tempted, they remembered their purpose and continued upward.

The fifth floor was even less crowded, with only a few scattered people. The sales clerks behind the counters were so bored some were dozing off, and some counters appeared unattended.