CHAPTER 57: AFTER MODIFICATION: CHAPTER 57: SCARCELY ANY TEA LEAVES

When Qin Lan returned with his team, Uncle Ding was already waiting at the door of the private storeroom.

Seeing Qin Lan and the others return with vegetables, he finally nodded to Qin Lan and said, "Xiao Qin, good job. No troubles on the road?"

"Thank you for your concern, Captain. There were no issues along the way. These are the 400 pounds of vegetables exchanged from Chen Xin, 200 pounds of cabbage, and 200 pounds of lettuce. The rest will be delivered to us after his harvest next month." Qin Lan saluted Uncle Ding before reporting on the exchange.

Uncle Ding looked at the vegetables brought back, nodded with satisfaction, and signaled for them to be placed in the private storeroom. He then said to Qin Lan, "Xiao Qin, come with me; I have some matters to ask you about."

Qin Lan nodded, asking no questions, and followed Uncle Ding through the corridor to the meeting room.

The meeting room had now become the office of the special police team. A large table was in the middle, covered with a map of the city, clearly marking all the refugee shelters, with many data and patrol routes indicated.

Around it were several huge file cabinets, even two weapon cabinets, one of which was open, showing the guns inside. Next to the gun cabinet was a large indoor planting box with some green plants growing inside.

Because of his daughter’s connection to Mo Qingyan’s place, Uncle Ding, although the captain of the special police team, was entitled to a room. However, he didn’t take it; instead, he set up a camp bed in the meeting room and pulled up a curtain to make a small divider, using it as his private space.

Uncle Ding took out two teacups from a cabinet beside him, then fumbled for a long time in the small space behind a curtain before pulling out a small can of tea leaves. Opening it, he delicately picked out a few precious tea leaves and put them in the cups.

Feeling that a few tea leaves were a bit miserly, he reluctantly picked a few more and put them in one of the cups, then covered them with a lid.

"How is Xiao Ning?" Uncle Ding asked seemingly inadvertently, adding hot water to the cups and pushing the one with more tea leaves to Qin Lan.

"Ding Ning is doing well. Over at Qingyan’s, they lack for nothing. The conditions are better than ours, though Ding Ning still has some grievances about you granting her extended leave." Picking up the teacup, Qin Lan looked at the sparse tea leaves inside and reported on his daughter’s situation.

Hearing that Ding Ning was doing well, Uncle Ding finally let out a long breath but maintained a serious expression on his face.

"Xiao Qin, what do you think of Xiao Chen?" Uncle Ding shifted the topic to the trade with Chen Xin: "Using supplies to trade for vegetables from him is indeed a business worth doing, but can his side be relied upon?"

As if fearing Qin Lan might not understand his meaning, Uncle Ding added, "I mean, can his vegetable output be guaranteed? If it’s just a few hundred pounds of vegetables each month and supply can’t be ensured, then this matter isn’t..."

"Regarding this, I think Chen Xin can ensure the vegetable production. He has a greenhouse and plans to expand it for hydroponic planting, so production should increase." Qin Lan spoke candidly, neither speaking favorably because of his past relationship with Chen Xin nor deliberately hiding anything: "I think we can continue this trade; however, while Chen Xin’s vegetable production is stable, we lack stable products for exchange."

"That is indeed a problem." Uncle Ding furrowed his brows and took a sip of tea, contemplating: "Does Xiao Chen smoke?"

Cigarettes, before the disaster, were a common consumer item. Good cigarettes sold at high prices and were a popular gift in Flame Country’s social exchanges.

After the disaster hit, non-essential items like this naturally weren’t stockpiled, but the special police team still received a small supply from the city government each month. Uncle Ding wondered if Chen Xin smoked because cigarettes could be a great trade item.

In the black market now formed in the refuges, a pack of cigarettes could be exchanged for many things.

However, Qin Lan shook his head and said, "Chen Xin doesn’t really smoke, though he drinks, but not much, and he can get alcohol from Qingyan."

Hearing this, Uncle Ding couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful, but as an old smoker himself, he was also slightly relieved. Quitting after smoking for decades would be tough.

"So Xiao Qin, what do you think we should use to maintain this trade with Chen Xin? You know the current situation; having an additional few hundred pounds of vegetables each month would be immensely beneficial to the special police team." Uncle Ding sought Qin Lan’s opinion.

Uncle Ding couldn’t take this matter lightly. Though the food in the shelter was assured, everything else was still lacking. Having several hundred pounds of vegetables each month would greatly improve the survival conditions of the special police team, whether for consumption or trade for other resources.

Qin Lan couldn’t immediately think of a good idea, but after pondering, she said, "Maybe we can trade daily supplies with him? He’s just one person, and it’s inconvenient for him to get things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, and soap. We could consider exchanging these daily necessities."

Hearing this, Uncle Ding nodded in agreement but didn’t make a final decision, merely telling Qin Lan, "I’ve noted this matter; you can go about your business, and I’ll discuss it with the commissar later."

Qin Lan didn’t say much, simply saluted and left the meeting room.

As she was heading to her quarters, intending to rest after a busy day, a little girl of about four or five suddenly popped her head out and happily greeted her, "Sister Qin!"

"Huihui! What are you doing here? Where is your mom?" Qin Lan, a bit surprised, looked at the little girl and squatted down to talk to her.

This was Huihui, the little girl who lived next door to Qin Lan. Her father was also a member of the special police team, while her mother worked in an administrative role in another city department. When housing was allocated, their family stayed with Huihui’s father at the special police team premises.

However, Huihui’s father wasn’t in the police station shelter at the moment but stationed at the pedestrian street shelter, providing necessary force deterrence to maintain order there.

"Mom went to work, and I’m feeding the mealworms," Huihui said with a proud little expression, boasting to Qin Lan.

The mealworms Huihui referred to were a type of insect assigned to each household in the shelter for rearing. These high-protein insects were easy to keep, requiring just a dry breeding box and some food scraps, a task even a child as young as Huihui could handle.

Yet it pained Qin Lan to think that such young children still had to perform these tasks.