After Apocalypse, I Got Rich With Superpower

Li Pan entered the kitchen, set down her things, lit the stove, and sat a kettle of water on it to heat some water—she needed hot water to scald chicken feathers later.

She came out holding stevia, waved at Xue Dong, and called out, "Brother, I have great news, we've hit a lucky start."

"What great news has got you so happy?"

Xue Dong glanced at her and kept on with his work.

Li Pan bounced over, holding the stevia up for him to see, "Look, this is stevia, it produces sugar and can also help with diuresis and reducing blood pressure."

"Really?"

Xue Dong raised his eyebrows, "Sugar production, that really is great news. Sugar is precious, a strategic material, and the base is in desperate need of it."

The prices of various sugars in the store varied; fruit candies were the cheapest, a bag of ten pieces cost 20 coins—indeed, they sold it by the piece, and other milk candies were even more expensive.

"How much do we have?"

"Plenty, fields of it. I reckon we could harvest over ten thousand pounds. That hillside over there is covered with it. Brother, I know how to make sugar, I've done it before."

Xue Dong, "This really is a good thing. Go back and tell the boss, ask him to send two people to help you cut the grass, and while at it, collect sugar. Offer them some food, have them help you clear a few more acres of land, and don't forget the base's task that requires clearing a hundred acres within three years."

Zhao Quan, slightly older, was steady and thoughtful in his considerations.

"Alright, you handle cutting the stevia this afternoon, I'll handle weeding."

"I'll start making the sugar tonight."

Li Pan immediately nodded, turned back, and went inside to cook.

Xue Dong and the others continued working. They adjusted their strategy, piling the cut grass to the side for now, deciding not to burn it right away.

The shanty was built, and Xue Dong at the kitchen door built Li Pan a rustic stove, to cook outside during summer, as shanties got quite hot.

The shanty was a basic one, quick and simple to build, but stuffy in summer and cold in winter, offering little insulation.

Zhao Quan and Qin Jianzhong went to continue cutting grass, striving to do more work and clear a few more acres for Li Pan.

Li Pan had prepared cornmeal mixed grain buns with a bit of whole wheat flour earlier—the steamed buns were quite hearty.

She scalded the chicken, plucked the feathers, slit it open, cleaned it thoroughly, and made a spicy stir-fried chicken offal dish. The chicken meat was stewed with red braising and paired with potatoes, along with her homemade pickled vegetables and salted vegetables.

These dishes were what she had saved up before. Xue Dong had rented a yard for her at the base, which also belonged to his teammate. Having a yard allowed her to farm.

She grew her own vegetables and mixed grains. The surplus was sold for money. This past winter, she harvested the last wave and left the winter wheat for the landlord as thanks—they hadn't charged her extra, just 100 coins a month. The neighbor's yard cost 500 coins a month.

"Dinner's ready."

"Coming."

The three hurried back upon hearing her call.

The clay stove was also built and would be ready for use after drying out in the afternoon. The farm had both yellow and red clay—just dig away.

"Smells good."

"I stewed two chickens, eat up."

Rarely getting to eat meat, everyone dug in without reservation, devouring the red-braised chicken pieces stewed with potatoes, so delicious that everyone simply kept their heads down and ate vigorously.

"Delicious, sister, how did you manage to save so many spices?"

"I grew chilies, scallions, garlic in clay pots, which I made myself. Out of five pots, two or three would turn out successful, really handy for planting without the soil getting stuffy."

"Impressive."

Xue Dong served her several pieces of meat and potatoes, ensuring she got her share of the meat.

"After lunch, let's clear a few more acres, aiming to clear fifteen acres total between the three of us. We've had our meat and buns, now we need to put in the effort."

Zhao Quan smiled and promised they'd definitely get the work done in the afternoon.

"Alright."

In just half an hour, the three had finished their meal, wiping the plates clean of vegetables, buns, and even the meat soup with their buns—the dishes shone.

Qin Jianzhong carried several buckets of water and filled the kitchen tank. When he arrived, Xue Dong had exchanged for a water purifier, since the lake water might be unclean, and needed filtering.

Zhao Quan finished washing the dishes and even filled the thermos with boiling water.

Li Pan cleaned the stevia outside, picked the tender leaves, placed them in a kettle, poured boiling water over them, and let them steep for a while, creating a sweet sugar-water.

Sugar and salt were strategic commodities and were quite expensive.

They all went to cut grass to help Li Pan clear the weeds from the field, aiming to open up several more acres of land, as the spring planting season waited for no one.

By evening, it was already dark, and Xue Dong ran to get a kerosene lamp and hang it on a tree branch; the four of them worked another two hours until midnight.

Li Pan had to call a halt, as not only did she need rest, but others did too. Zhao Quan and Qin Jianzhong had to return to the base tomorrow, and they still had a four or five-hour drive ahead.

"Time to rest."

"Alright, I'm just a bit more to finish."

Qin Jianzhong and the other man responded.

Xue Dong and two others cut nearly 15 acres of land, averaging about five acres per person.

Li Pan cut a little more than four acres, just short of five acres, showing that superpower users were indeed formidable.

They had to make do in the plank house at night, wiping the floor and lying directly on the ground was enough, as men with sturdy bodies weren't afraid of the cold with the door closed.

Li Pan slept in a wooden plank bed she had constructed herself, which she had brought with her to the farm.

The quilt was military-grade, exchanged by Xue Dong.

The few of them washed their faces with hot water before going to sleep.

In the early morning, as the sky began to brighten, mist filled the valley like ethereal clouds, Li Pan rubbed her face to wake herself up and briskly got up.

She combed her short hair, then went to the kitchen to boil water and prepare breakfast.

Short hair was easy to manage and clean, making it convenient for working.

First, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. Soap did the job. Xue Dong and the others had already gone to cut grass in the field, waking up an hour before her.

The large basin of meat prepared the previous day was completely eaten. Qin Jianzhong and Zhao Quan, possibly feeling embarrassed, had quietly risen before dawn to start cutting the grass for her.

Stevia was already bundled up and piled high in the kitchen.

The remaining weeds needed to be picked out and the useless ones burned, accumulating the wood ash. When the seedlings sprouted, she would spread the ash in the field. Wood ash, being a potash fertilizer, not only fertilized the soil but also acted as an antifungal agent, especially needed for potato breeding.

Li Pan heated a pot of steamed buns, along with pickles, and salted eggs, which had already been salted earlier, and brought a jar of water infused with stevia.

She filled a basket to take to the field, "Brother, time for food."

"No, let's finish a few plots first."

Zhao Quan refused, having eaten so much meat, he felt it was too much to eat more. "

"That won't do, you guys are heading back soon, and it's a four or five-hour journey. You can't go on an empty stomach, eat first then leave."

"Come eat, if you won't, I will."

Xue Dong had already stopped working and came over.

"Come on, wash your hands."

Zhao Quan and Qin Jianzhong also came over, "Sis, we're really embarrassed eating so much of your food, even the fine grains."

"Brother, you're being too polite. You helped me clear so much land, saving me a lot of trouble. I can start breeding soil soon, almost half a month's work. It's normal practice to provide meals for such hard work."

"You're a straightforward person. We'll clear another couple of acres after eating."

After eating, Zhao Quan and Qin Jianzhong didn't rush to leave but opened up three more acres of land. They only hurried back to the base by noon. Li Pan, while they were not paying attention, threw two chickens, a bunch of steamed buns, and cooked wild eggs into their vehicle for them to take away.

Xue Dong had taken a three-day leave, so he could still help her with some tasks.

"When you get back, process the stevia into sugar, so I can take some to show the leaders at the base when I leave."

"Sure."