"Huh?" Jing Shu's brow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
She looked the old man up and down, her gaze tracking the muddy hem of his coat. His bones seemed sturdy enough, but was he actually planning to get his hands on Xiao Dou?
That couldn't be right. She knew Tank well enough to be sure that anyone who could find out about Xiao Dou wouldn't be the type to take advantage. Besides, from a breeding standpoint, hens weren't worth as much as those massive Lion Head geese. And as a battle pet, Tank knew perfectly well that Xiao Dou was more than just an egg-layer; there was no way he would trade her.
The old man coughed awkwardly, the sound dry in the quiet cabin. "What we mean is, we will rent you our Lion Head geese for a year. The rent will be the Z10 Synthetic Meat formula; that's one part. We know you have a knack for raising poultry, so we won't pry into your methods.
Every three months, you will raise ten healthy goslings for us, forty in total by the end of the year. That's the second part of the rent. As for the rest, whatever you hatch is yours to keep. Oh, and if you need it, we can provide professional feed. We will airship it over every three months when we come to pick up the goslings."
So, the rent was the Z10 Synthetic Meat formula and forty goslings, and they would even supply the feed.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, thinking it over as her boots scuffed the carpet. She knew just how rare living poultry had become, especially breeding pairs. Last year, a pair of live chickens sold for several thousand virtual coins, which was hundreds of times the price of grain. And now they were talking about near-extinct Lion Head geese with those powerful black beaks.
Poultry breeding depended on many things: balanced nutrition, controlled temperature through air conditioning, and even with all that, the weather, sunlight, and other environmental factors in this post-apocalyptic world made survival extremely difficult.
The biggest problem was the chaotic seasons. Breeding cycles had gone completely out of sync, and most poultry just stopped reproducing. When it wasn't a relentless drought, it was torrential rain. And if not that, there were earthquakes and lightning strikes that terrified the livestock. With all that going on, who had the mood to mate? Even humans barely did.
But her Cube Space was the most comfortable place imaginable, perfectly capable of simulating ideal conditions for the animals. Reproduction there was naturally much faster. So while the old man called it "renting," Jing Shu honestly didn't care. She only needed the geese to lay a few eggs. Once she had that, she could reproduce them on her own.
What she lacked was the seed stock.
For anyone else, this deal carried some risk. But for her? There was none whatsoever.
Seeing her hesitate, the old man sighed, his shoulders sagging. "We know we're asking a lot. A Lion Head goose lays, what, forty eggs a year at best? And not all of them hatch. The temperatures must be perfect, and even then, with the apocalypse and all, the success rate is even lower. But you, little girl, you raised chickens better than anyone! I'm sure you can get goose production back to pre-apocalypse levels, right?"
Jing Shu's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as she watched the fierce-looking geese. "So, they only laid that few per year, huh? Grandpa, can I ask—since you're clearly experienced, why not raise them yourselves?"
The old man gave a bitter laugh. "To tell you the truth, our Da Hua and Gou Dan hatched almost thirty goslings the year before the apocalypse. But it's been three years now, and they have only laid thirty eggs total. Ten hatched, and six died young. The few survivors are crippled or deformed, maybe mutated."
"So the species has started evolving," Jing Shu mused, her thoughts already jotting it down in her Rubik's Cube Space. "They're adapting to the new environment. The ones that can't evolve die, and the ones that do aren't fully stable yet. Looks like I will need to collect as many original specimens as I can."
But those "problems" he mentioned weren't problems to her at all. A few days in her Cube Space with some Spirit Spring water, and they would be laying eggs daily.
"Alright, Grandpa, I will rent your geese. But the risk is high. I might not get that many in the end. I can only promise eight goslings every three months."
"Ten."
"Eight."
"Nine."
"Eight."
"…Fine, deal."
"By the way, Grandpa, do you buy Lion Head geese?"
"Of course! At premium prices too. Folks in the capital are lined up all the way to the Mediterranean waiting to reserve one!"
Perfect. That meant there was a solid market for them.
Under the old man's reluctant gaze, they exchanged the formula for the geese and signed the paper. Tank acted as the guarantor, and the deal was sealed.
[Contract Agreement]
Party A: Starve-No-More Food Regulation Bureau
Party B: Jing Shu (codename: Mirror)
Third-Party Guarantor: Tank
Contract Terms:
Party B will provide the Z10 Synthetic Meat formula and deliver eight healthy goslings to Party A every three months, totaling thirty-two goslings a year. Da Hua and Gou Dan will be returned after one year. If Party B fails to meet the quota, Tank will compensate for the loss. Any extra goslings or eggs belong entirely to Party B.
Party A will provide sufficient nutritious feed every three months and handle delivery and pickup. If Party A breaches the contract, Tank will cover the loss.
Force Majeure: If Da Hua or Gou Dan die due to uncontrollable events, or goslings die during transit, Tank will bear the loss.
Party A has the right of first purchase for Party B's extra eggs or goslings, but prices must be mutually agreed upon.
If either party breaches the contract, Tank will take full responsibility.
Signatories: Mirror, Da Hua and Gou Dan, Starve-No-More Food Regulation Bureau
Tank: "What did I do to deserve this…?"
"Goodbye, Da Hua and Gou Dan! You two have to get along, alright? Less fighting, more arguing; it builds affection. Gou Dan, you must let Da Hua have her way sometimes. Don't start physical fights if you can just squawk it out. And Da Hua, I know laying eggs can mess with your mood. Try not to get too depressed, okay?"
Before he could finish, Da Hua and Gou Dan let out a chorus of "Honk honk honk!" and chased the old man around the cabin. The man bolted with the formula clutched to his chest.
Once they were free, Da Hua and Gou Dan strutted proudly around the cabin, their necks held high as if they owned the place. It didn't take long before they started fighting over a soft sleeping spot, honking and flapping their wings like mad.
"Go, Xiao Dou," Jing Shu said calmly. "Welcome our new family members. Teach Da Hua and Gou Dan the house rules. It's time to establish some order."
Obediently, Xiao Dou wagged her tail feathers and strutted over.
It was safe to say life in Jing Shu's household was about to get a lot noisier.
===
Poor Tank, LOL