The Overlord Flower's Guide to Intercepting a Woman's Wife's Death and the Male Lead&

Chen Tiezhu, the platoon leader of the outpost, crawled out of the low stone house.

I arrived last night, and it was so dark I didn't get a good look at people.

Now I can see clearly that the person is very dark-skinned and thin, with several bloody cracks on his cheeks and white skin on his lips.

She's not even thirty, but she looks like she's forty.

"You're a member of Political Commissar Zhou's family, right? You must be tired. Come in and warm up."

Chen Tiezhu poured a tub of hot water for Su Xingmian.

The water was carried back from three kilometers away, and it tasted alkaline after being boiled.

Su Xingmian took a sip from the enamel mug, and felt a dryness on her tongue.

Xiao Zhao instructed the soldiers to move sixteen baskets of humus and seed bags to the open space. Chen Tiezhu glanced at them but didn't say anything.

"Platoon leader, what kind of food do you usually eat?"

Su Xingmian put down the jar.

"Pickled vegetables".

Chen Tiezhu squatted by the door, poking at the firewood in the stove with fire tongs.

"Soaking dehydrated dried radishes and stewing them in a pot can last for three or four days."

He paused, then said, "When the mountains were closed off, supplies couldn't get through. The longest we went without vegetables was fifty days. During that time, we even ran out of dried radishes and just ate steamed buns with salt."

He spoke very casually, as if he were talking about someone else's business.

Su Xingmian did not respond.

After shoveling the firewood, Chen Tiezhu stood up and pushed open the door made of thick wooden planks.

"You'll see when you come out and take a look."

She followed him around the stone house and headed towards the northwest corner.

The wind howled, and the pebbles stung my face.

In the northwest corner, there was a sunken depression, blocked on three sides by rock walls, which provided some shelter from the wind.

A very thin layer of topsoil covered the ground, and a rub of your foot would reveal the grayish-white gravel underneath.

Less than 20 square meters.

The only place with soil around the entire No. 7 outpost.

"We've tried this in previous years too."

Chen Tiezhu nodded his chin toward the depression.

"The cooks dug holes, filled them with soil, and watered them, but whatever they planted died."

"When the cabbage died, we planted radishes; when the radishes died, we planted spinach; and finally we tried Artemisia arenaria, which was said to be the most resilient."

"And the result?"

"It lasted for a month, then froze to death in the winter. When we pulled it out, it was like a dry stick of firewood."

Su Xingmian had already detected the water vein eight meters underground last night and knew what was going on.

"Platoon leader, what dish would you most like to eat?"

Chen Tiezhu was stunned for a moment.

He lowered his head and pondered for a while, his lips moving slightly.

I dream of eating something green.

He kept his voice very low, afraid that his soldiers would hear him.

"I'm not picky, really not picky."

He rubbed the calluses on his hands, his voice becoming even hoarser.

"It doesn't matter what kind of vegetable it is, as long as it's green, even if it's just a blade of grass, as long as you can taste it."

Su Xingmian stared at the bloody cracks on his face for two seconds.

They're lacking vitamins. Everyone in the outpost is.

"It can be grown."

Two words: crisp and clean.

Chen Tiezhu lowered his clasped hands and stared at her.

I neither said I believed nor I said I didn't believe.

He turned around and walked back, leaving behind a single sentence.

"Then I'll go boil some water for you."

In the afternoon, Su Xingmian led Xiao Zhao and twelve soldiers from the outpost to get to work.

Mix humus and gravel in a 3:7 ratio, then pour basket after basket into the depression, turn it over, and spread it evenly.

Old Wei squatted down to the side, rubbed some soil between his fingers, and leaned close to her, lowering his voice.

"A 3:7 ratio is too diluted; the soil should be at least half humus, otherwise the roots won't be able to take hold."

"It's hold."

Su Xingmian did not explain further.

Old Wei opened his mouth, but remembering what had happened on the saline-alkali land at the foot of the mountain, he swallowed his words.

After a whole day of work, the depression was covered with a layer of dark brown mixed soil.

Su Xingmian marked the rows and furrows in the soil and squatted down to sow the seeds.

The wild onion seeds have been fully soaked, and their color is two shades darker than that of the dry seeds.

Each one is infused with the vitality of plants beforehand.

Twelve soldiers followed her, clumsy but very earnest.

Chen Tiezhu wasn't idle either. After moving the stones, he went to carry water, a trip of three kilometers each way, and he made two round trips.

Dinner was coarse grain steamed buns with pickled vegetables, so salty it hurt my throat.

Chen Tiezhu pulled out half a can of luncheon meat from the deepest part of the cabinet and insisted that Su Xingmian eat it.

Su Xingmian broke off a small piece and pushed the rest back.

"You two should split up; you still have manual labor to do tomorrow."

Twelve people sat around a half-eaten can of food, each receiving a piece the size of a fingernail, smacking their lips as they ate.

There was a young soldier who was only eighteen or nineteen years old, with not a single stubble on his chin. He held the luncheon meat on the tip of his tongue for a long time before he could bear to swallow it.

Su Xingmian sat on the wooden stool by the door, lowered her head, and clenched her fingers.

Two o'clock in the morning.

The sentry post was filled with the sounds of snoring, and Xiao Zhao, who was on duty, was dozing off at the door wrapped in his coat.

Su Xingmian patted him on the shoulder.

"Go to the restroom, it's right next door, you don't need to follow me."

She wrapped her cotton coat tightly around herself and pushed open the door to go out.

The moonlight was cold and pale.

She took off her shoes when she reached the edge of the depression.

The gravel, at minus eight degrees Celsius, pierced the soles of my feet, sending a dense, stinging pain up my calves.

She clenched her teeth and forced herself to hold her breath.

You must be barefoot.

The demonic power is too easily lost through the sole of the shoe, resulting in insufficient precision.

The moment his foot touched the ground, demonic power surged into the earth from the sole of his foot.

She needs to carve a vertical channel through the gravel layer to allow groundwater eight meters deep to seep upwards along the cracks in the granite, forming a moist zone at the bottom of the soil layer.

The demonic power transformed into hundreds of thin threads, which burrowed down into the gaps between the rubble.

A gap that's too wide won't hold water, and a gap that's too narrow won't let water seep in; adjust them one by one.

Sweat began to bead on my forehead.

The sensation in my feet has completely disappeared.

Forty minutes.

She dug out three seepage channels, arranged in a triangular pattern at the bottom of the depression.

The daily water seepage is just enough to maintain the humidity required for seed germination; any more would be a waste, and any less would cause the seeds to die of thirst.

The moment the demonic power was withdrawn, his knees buckled.

She squatted down, catching her breath, and looked down at her feet.

The skin on the big toe was bluish-purple, with a thin crack and blood seeping out.

When putting on the shoes, your feet are stepping on hundreds of needles.

She limped back to the gate of the outpost.

Xiao Zhao didn't sleep.

He pulled a thermos wrapped in cloth from behind him and stuffed it into Su Xingmian's arms.

"Sister-in-law, this is what the political commissar asked me to bring. He said the kang (heated brick bed) at the outpost isn't warm enough, so you can put it by your feet when you sleep."

He scratched his head.

"I forgot to give it to you last night because I was in such a hurry to get up the mountain. I'm making it up to you today. Your health is delicate, and your hands and feet can't stand the cold."

The water in the thermos was still hot.

Xiao Zhao would go to the stove to change the pot every now and then.

Su Xingmian held the thermos, her palms burning red from the heat of the cloth wrapping.

The old fox wasn't there, but nothing he had arranged was left undone.

She placed the thermos next to her feet and climbed into bed, pressing her frostbitten feet against it, the warmth spreading upwards from the soles of her feet.

She turned over and gripped the corner of the blanket.

……

The third day after sowing.

There was no movement on the surface of the depression.

Chen Tiezhu developed a habit.

After each patrol, he would not go inside the house immediately, but would go around to the northwest corner and squat for a while.

He placed the enamel mug on his lap and stared intently at the patch of earth, not moving an inch.

His soldiers murmured amongst themselves.

"Is the platoon leader out of his mind? He's squatting down and looking at clods of dirt like an old farmer waiting for his crops."

"Shh, don't let the platoon leader hear you."

Su Xingmian ignored their discussion.

During the day, I recorded the temperature and wind speed with Lao Wei, and at night I used my demonic power to explore the seeds.

On the third day, the radicle broke through the shell and penetrated downwards by one centimeter.

On the fifth night, she sat cross-legged on the bed, spreading her demonic power downwards.

I felt a sense of relief.

The thickest root had already penetrated forty centimeters of soil and continued downwards along the pre-designed crevice, its tip touching the edge of the moist zone.

The moment it comes into contact with the moisture, the tendrils split, and two thin roots desperately try to burrow inside.

Alive.

……

Early morning of the seventh day.

Su Xingmian was awakened by a sound.

It's very light and very stuffy.

Some people suppress their sobs, refusing to let them escape.

She put on a cotton-padded coat and walked out of the guard post.

In the direction of the depression, a blurry light flickered.

Chen Tiezhu squatted there.

One hand held an enamel flashlight, its beam shining obliquely onto the ground.

He supported himself on his knee with his other hand, his whole body hunched over.

Su Xingmian took a few steps closer and looked in the direction of the flashlight beam.

A row of tender green shoots emerged from the surface of the mixed soil.

绿的。

On a scree slope at an altitude of 2,400 meters and a temperature of minus eight degrees Celsius, there was a breath of green so tender it was almost transparent, squeezed out from between the rocks.

Chen Tiezhu extended his hand.

The hand had several cuts, and the knuckles were large and the bones were protruding.

I touched the tip of the largest bud.

The force was incredibly light; in front of it wasn't a wild onion sprout, but a newborn baby.

His shoulders were shaking.

No sound.

Su Xingmian stood three steps behind him, without going over.

There was movement coming from the outpost.

A soldier was awakened by the light outside. He rubbed his eyes and came out, cursing and asking who was up in the middle of the night.

Then he saw the row of tender buds.

The words stuck in his throat and wouldn't come out.

The second one came out. The third one. The fourth one.

The eighteen or nineteen-year-old private rushed out wearing only a thin shirt and squatted down to count.

"One, two, three..."

"Thirty-seven trees! All thirty-seven have sprouted!"

My throat is cracked.

Chen Tiezhu stood up.

He turned his back to everyone and smeared his face haphazardly, but when he turned around, his expression had already composed himself.

Only his eye sockets were still red.

He walked up to Su Xingmian.

Heels together.

It straightened its back, which had been bent by the wind and snow.

He raised his right hand above the brim of his hat.

A perfect military salute.

Su Xingmian's meridians swelled.

Merit flowed in.

Before them were twelve rough-looking faces, and behind them were hundreds of soldiers like them in thirty-seven outposts.

The heavier the weight of the statement "I dream of eating something green," the deeper the merit it carries.

Su Xingmian suppressed the sour feeling rising in her nose and smiled at Chen Tiezhu.

"Platoon leader, we'll be able to eat organic food this winter."

Xiao Zhao stood diagonally behind her, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He glanced down at Su Xingmian's shoes.

On the edge of the left shoe opening, there was a dark stain, which was blood that had seeped out and dried.

Xiao Zhao buried his head and didn't make a sound.

……

As the sun rose, the entire outpost looked like it was celebrating the New Year.

Chen Tiezhu immediately decided to assemble the entire platoon and began making arrangements, pointing to the three rock walls of the depression.

"The gap on the west side is large, so we'll cut down some trees to seal it off first."

"Build a sloping canopy on top, leaving an opening on the south side to let the sun shine in."

"This area must be covered up before the heavy snow closes the mountain pass!"

The soldiers roared as they carried logs up the mountain.

Su Xingmian stopped Chen Tiezhu and added a few more points.

"Shallots can withstand temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, but don't let the temperature drop below -15 degrees Celsius for an extended period."

"On the coldest days, just light a small fire in the shed to raise the temperature by five degrees."

"Water once every three days, using a ladleful each time, and pour it into the furrows between the rows, not directly onto the seedlings."

Chen Tiezhu took out a pencil stub and wrote down every word she said.

The eighteen or nineteen-year-old private took out a tattered cloth from his pocket and ran to the gap on the south side of the depression.

Two tree branches were used to create a crooked, palm-sized windbreak.

Chen Tiezhu scolded him for messing around.

The young soldier declared confidently, "Platoon leader, this is the smallest one; I'll shield it from the wind first!"

Su Xingmian couldn't help but laugh.

"You can't stop it, but the thought is there. Hurry up and build the greenhouse. Once it's up, the microclimate inside will be a hundred times more effective than this piece of cloth."

By the time the sun set, the main frame of the wooden shed had been erected.

The west windbreak wall consisted of three layers of interlocking wooden planks nailed together, with the gaps filled with dry straw and rags.

The roof is tilted to the south, with a 1.2-meter-wide opening on the south side, which is exactly aligned with the angle of the sunlight from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Su Xingmian stood in the shed and looked up. The light shone in obliquely from the opening, just enough to cover the entire sowing area.

"OK."

She gave Chen Tiezhu a thumbs up.

Chen Tiezhu grinned, and the cracks on his dark face widened even more.

Xiao Zhao squatted in the corner of the wooden shed and placed the thermos within Su Xingmian's reach.

The kettle was still hot.

Su Xingmian took a sip of water and turned to look down the mountain.

The gray-brown ridges of Helan Mountain were outlined by the last rays of sunlight, disappearing layer upon layer into the twilight.

I wonder how the other two outposts are doing.

Has the old fox finished his meeting?

"Sister-in-law, let's hurry down the mountain before it gets dark."

Xiao Zhao stood up.

"Okay, coming right away."

Su Xingmian bent down to tie her shoelaces, and as she moved her left foot, the tear on her big toe opened up, sending a sharp pain through her.

She didn't show it on her face, and straightened up to walk down the mountain.

Two hours later, just after descending the mountain, a tremendous amount of merit surged into his meridians.

Su Xingmian seemed to understand something and looked in the direction of the other two outposts.

Successful.

Before Su Xingmian could even feel happy, she discovered that her surging demonic power had reached a critical point.

She is about to undergo another qualitative change in her demonic power.

She glanced down at her hands.

Spikes protrude from beneath the skin, faintly emitting a very faint green light.

The sound of Xiao Zhao's footsteps behind me grew closer and closer.