Chapter 28: Still Useful

After signing the contract today, Tang Miao gave everyone a day off, considering how many had voluntarily worked overtime throughout the previous week.

Tall-and-Thin and Chubby exchanged glances, picked up their shovels, and headed toward the artificial lake. Seeing this, the others followed suit. The lake needed to be dug wide and deep, a task that couldn’t be finished in a short time, and they wanted to complete it as soon as possible to ease Tang Miao’s burdens.

Although the mall had unlocked many furniture items, Tang Miao still chose to purchase poultry, fruit tree saplings, and several piglets, leaving exactly 2000 points remaining. She needed more time to consider the experience of the Premium Plant Blind Box. After the bulk purchase, she handed the supplies to Zhang Xinrou, instructing her to lead the others in delivering them to the various zones. With the zombies occupied at the lake, she tasked Song Mingchen and Lin Chaofeng with the moving and planting.

Tang Miao went to the edge of the artificial lake to continue refining her renovation plans. In her arms, Zai-zai waved its little hands and opened its mouth wide toward her.

*Look, Mom, teeth.*

On its pale grey gums, two rows of teeth had emerged—no longer just a lonely two or three. Tang Miao’s brain stalled for a moment. What was one supposed to do when a child started teething? She had no experience raising children; she only knew that when a tooth fell out, you were supposed to pick it up and throw it onto the roof. Was there something special to do when they grew in?

Zai-zai giggled, jumped out of Tang Miao’s arms, dove onto the ground, and took a big bite of dirt, only to spit it out with a sputtering sound.

"Zai-zai, teeth aren't for digging in the dirt!" Tang Miao quickly washed its mouth with water. "In a couple of days, when I raise some meat you can eat, I'll give you bones to gnaw on to soothe your gums."

The previous batch of chickens hadn't been sold off completely, and they would start laying eggs tomorrow. She planned to use her psychic energy to hatch a few and see if the offspring would be suitable for Zai-zai and the others to eat. While they could technically eat the current chickens, ducks, and geese, the meat provided nothing more than satiety—it felt like a waste.

Jiang Nanxing approached Tang Miao at some point and handed her a tissue. "Miaomiao, he doesn't seem like a good person." His voice was clearer now, no longer as raspy as it used to be.

"It’s fine. He can't cause any real trouble on the farm. I might be going on a long trip in a while; can you keep the farm running well if you stay behind?"

"Aba-aba!" *Wherever Mom goes, I’m going too!*

"Miaomiao, let’s go together. Don’t leave us behind."

Tang Miao felt a pang of guilt. It seemed the previous incident had left a shadow on Jiang Nanxing’s mind.

"It’s not about leaving you behind, it’s that you guys first—"

"Go together, Miaomiao, we can help."

Zai-zai whimpered, tears already welling up as it clutched Tang Miao’s neck tightly with its small hands.

"Alright, alright, if I do go on a long trip, we’ll go together."

*Sigh*, she would skip this topic for now and find another opportunity to talk to them properly in a couple of days.

When night fell and the stars hung in the branches, Jiang Nanxing did not return to his bedroom. Instead, he kept watch at the corner of the wall outside Tang Miao and Zhang Xinrou’s room. Wild grass had begun to sprout in the farm's barren patches; he lowered his gaze to pull out the weeds around the fresh shoots while straining his ears to listen to the conversation inside.

"Tang Miao, there is something about Song Mingchen I want to tell you." Zhang Xinrou was nervously wringing her hands, unable to look Tang Miao in the eye.

Tang Miao was busy sketching on an A4 sheet of paper, her tone calm. "What is it? Did he and Lin Chaofeng fail to look after the livestock area?"

"No..." Zhang Xinrou took a deep breath and confessed everything about her flirtations with Song Mingchen, including the events of the day Tang Miao was bitten by the zombie.

Tang Miao stopped her work, and Zhang Xinrou quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Tang Miao. I was wrong back then. Even though I didn't really like him, it’s true that I harassed your boyfriend, and I..."

"You said you were confessing to him that day, and he didn't refuse?"

"Yes, yes. I didn't actually want to be with him, Tang Miao; I just wanted to stir up trouble between you two. I’m sorry."

"Did you push me that day?"

Zhang Xinrou’s eyes widened slowly. "How could I?! I didn't push you. I always thought Song Mingchen wasn't good enough for you, and I only did those things because you were acting so love-struck back then. In that situation, pushing you would be no different from murder..." She suddenly realized something. "Didn't you jump yourself that day?"

Tang Miao had already reached her own conclusion, and she knew Zhang Xinrou wasn't lying. "Just act like you don't know about this for now. I still have use for Song Mingchen."

Tang Miao looked over her chart with satisfaction and handed it to Zhang Xinrou. "Keep this list safe. Since you’re the farm's accountant, you have the right to know the specifics of our transactions and income."

The list detailed the resources the farm was currently cultivating and raising, including their purchase prices from the mall, their growth cycles, and the sale prices of items already traded. The crucian, carp, and grass carp in the pond would be ready for sale in half a month, but since they cost 10 points for five fish and only sold for a few dozen points each, the profit margin was low. The returns from chickens, ducks, and geese were significantly higher—no wonder Tang Miao had bought so many this time. The fruit trees she had planted last week, apples and peaches, would take a month to mature, meaning they still had half a month to go. Each piglet cost 500 points, and the two they were raising wouldn't be ready for slaughter for another month...

Two tears fell onto the A4 paper. "Thank you, Tang Miao..."

If it weren't for Tang Miao, Zhang Xinrou didn't know what kind of miserable life she would be living now. She had come today prepared to be expelled from the farm, never imagining that Tang Miao would not only be forgiving but also trust her enough to reveal the secret of the mall.

"Alright, don't cry. We have a busy day tomorrow, get some rest."

Zhang Xinrou wiped her tears, tucked the chart into her notebook, and pulled out a drawing. "Tang Miao, look at this. I had a dream a couple of days ago where we built a small pond on the canopy of the red-leaf tree and added walkways and wooden cabins on the trunk." She sniffled. "I used my spare time to draw the general idea of what I saw in the dream. We could probably put this into practice on our farm, right?"

"I see you want to build a small hydroelectric plant. We could build a small pond out of woven branches above the plant to store water; it would help with power generation and allow us to raise fish at the same time." Tang Miao’s eyes brightened. "This is a great drawing—very practical. Remember to tell me if you have any more dreams like this."

The two huddled together, refining the details of the design. Once finished, Tang Miao headed toward the artificial lake. Zai-zai was still there digging with the others; she would check on them, bring Zai-zai back for a bath, and then head to bed.

The next day, sparrows chirped on the towering canopy, branches swayed, and crystal-clear dewdrops dripped into the pond, sending out ripples.

"Today is Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 7:30 AM. It is the 29th day since the apocalypse began. Miaomiao Farm completed its first transaction contract yesterday. Tang Miao will now proceed with the subsequent production arrangements."