seattlejaycees Chapter 331: Farm Daily Life 3
Chapter 331: Farm Daily Life 3
Evelyn Ford found Wendy and asked about the Snow Rabbits. She had been so busy these past few months that she’d rarely checked in on Wendy, but the girl had always been steady and diligent, completely self-sufficient.
"They’ve already had two more litters? Rabbits breed way too fast. We can build a proper rabbitry. Wendy, have someone else take over your work in the vegetable sheds for now. From now on, you’ll be in charge of raising the rabbits. We won’t be slaughtering these two new litters. Let them breed on a large scale."
Wendy was overjoyed. Lately, to prevent the rabbit population from exploding, the larger ones were slaughtered as soon as they grew up, leaving only a small pair for breeding each time. Now that Miss Ford told her they could start raising them on a large scale, how could she not be happy?
"Miss Ford, I’ll definitely take good care of the rabbits! They’re very obedient. If I tell them to eat leaves, they won’t dare drink water."
Evelyn Ford was amused by her.
"You’re amazing, Wendy. From now on, you’re the director of the rabbitry."
A single doe can have eight litters a year, with six kits per litter. Rabbits reproduce incredibly quickly. If their breeding wasn’t restricted, they could turn the entire farm into a rabbit paradise within a year.
The next morning, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick found some wood and started building a rabbitry next to the chicken coop. The rabbitry would cover an area of over five hundred square meters. All they needed was a large shed, a few rabbit cages, and to ensure the ground was kept clean and the temperature was suitable.
Officer Graham’s recruitment drive had also ended. Including Paul Pence’s family of three, a total of eight people were hired this time. Officer Graham had specifically recruited a cook, Aunt Crane, who was forty-five years old. She was all alone and had nowhere to live, so she was assigned to the cabin with Chet Lawrence and the others.
Since room and board were provided, there would be no grain rations for them to exchange. This was a farm rule.
Although they didn’t eat together, the storeroom keys were held by Evelyn Ford and Officer Graham, and the grain distributed was the same for everyone. Currently, it was only sweet potatoes, coarse flour, and wheat bran.
Evelyn Ford didn’t like being harsh, but she also didn’t want to spoil anyone.
The food wasn’t great, but it was filling, and they got one meat-based meal every two days.
Once the grain was harvested, they would reform the meal plan.
The farm hadn’t hired many workers. There were over two hundred refugees in Fairgate, and some of them, knowing the farm raised chickens and ducks, came over carrying firewood to trade for supplies.
Taylor Vance asked for Evelyn Ford’s opinion. After some thought, she agreed.
"They can trade for chicks and ducklings. Five hundred and fifty pounds of firewood or six hundred and sixty pounds of branches for a pair—one male and one female. Before you trade them, you must confirm the health of the chicks and ducklings. We don’t want them to die and have people come back trying to pin the blame on us."
Evelyn Ford’s terms were a bit harsh. Five hundred and fifty pounds of firewood was no small amount, but it would discourage some people and prevent everyone from trying to take advantage of them.
After Taylor Vance spread the news, many people felt the farm was profiteering from their suffering. A pair of chicks cost maybe ten yuan before the apocalypse, but now they required five hundred and fifty pounds of firewood in exchange. Everyone thought it was a rip-off.
However, some people thought it was a great deal.
"Chickens lay eggs, and eggs hatch into chickens. A pair of chicks is quite valuable. A year from now, we’ll all be able to eat chicken. I heard the farm also has wheat bran. I plan to trade for some. We humans can eat leaves and gnaw on bark, but the chicks need to be fed well. Life has to go on. Now that the farm is willing to trade chicks with us, we should know a good thing when we see it."
Hearing this, everyone became more enthusiastic.
"I like ducklings. I want to raise a pair of ducklings."
"Alright. I’ll trade you a pair of chicks for a pair of ducklings then."
"These patrolmen have been acting strange lately. Everyone says they’re a bunch of arrogant lords, but they seem terrified of the people from the farm."
"They’re running a whole farm. You think they’re ordinary people? The patrolmen are even helping out on the farm now. Yesterday I saw them chopping firewood, and they even scrounged a meal in the afternoon."
"That’s incredible. Even the patrolmen listen to them. The farm people are actually decent. They haven’t driven us away. I’ve decided to get along with them from now on and try to get a job there."
"Forget about it. They said they only hire once a quarter, and only three to eight people at a time."
...
Evelyn Ford hadn’t expected these patrolmen to be so thick-skinned. Unable to support themselves, they’d actually set their sights on the farm and just wormed their way in to do work.
When Evelyn Ford appeared, the three of them were so scared they trembled and nearly fell to their knees.
Evelyn Ford glanced at them but said nothing.
’Keeping these patrolmen alive kills two birds with one stone. They can keep the refugees in Fairgate in check and also deal with the higher-ups.’
Most of the time, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick stayed inside their cabin. After all, they still had to harvest the crops in her space.
The harvest in her space was bountiful. The wheat and corn were being harvested in succession. The heads of wheat were incredibly full; one-sixth of an acre could yield over two thousand pounds of grain. Evelyn Ford could only husk it and mill the flour inside the space.
The wheat straw and corn stalks had to be collected as well, to be used as fodder later.
The wheat grown in her space was exceptionally fragrant. Evelyn Ford took out about two pounds of it, preparing to steam some mantou.
In a few more days, the rice would also be ready for harvest. Although it was their first time growing rice, with the blessing of the black soil in her space, the crop was still excellent despite their lack of experience.
Ronan Kendrick’s current task was to work in the space, while Evelyn Ford occasionally went out to inspect the farm’s operations. Under the management of Taylor Vance and Officer Graham, the farm was now on the right track.
Lately, many refugees had been coming to trade for chickens, ducks, and grain. As long as they brought firewood or branches, Evelyn Ford would make the trade.
The people in Fairgate had spontaneously formed a village and even elected a village chief. Those who had survived this long were no ordinary people; most had some sort of skill. Upholding the principle of peaceful coexistence, the village chief proposed a future trade for seeds, and Evelyn Ford did not refuse.
However, much of the land had become permafrost, making planting no easy task.
No one knew when this little ice age would end. As long as the low temperatures persisted, it would be difficult for crops to thrive.
Some refugees decided to seek a way out at Tarr Base. They firmly believed that the higher-ups wouldn’t abandon everyone and that if they could just get into the base, they would receive food and shelter.
The water in the reservoir had settled and was now clean, so everyone no longer needed to go to the mountains to dig for snow. Evelyn Ford went to check on the vegetable sheds; the radishes and wheat had already sprouted.
「Time flew, and another month passed.」
The weather had been good recently. The sun was out every day, but the temperature remained very low. The thorn seeds Evelyn Ford had sown along the inside of the fence had sprouted, and the snow on the mountains was also showing signs of melting.
Paul Pence came to find Evelyn Ford. He wanted to trade the grain his family of three had saved over the month for clothes. The clothes and shoes that Penelope Parker and Patrick Pence were wearing were in tatters, and they had no other outfits, having worn the same set for the entire month.
Evelyn Ford agreed. She happened to have a lot of scavenged old clothes and shoes in her space.
They had saved ninety-nine pounds of wheat bran in a month, which they traded for three sets of clothes and shoes. Although the items were old, they were all very happy. The clothes were thick and not torn at all. Once they put them on, they wouldn’t be cold anymore.