Picking Cotton (v1ch69)
Ye Sheng used a small hoe to crack open the cotton boll and took out the round object inside. She held it in her hand and examined it closely. It was only as big as a yo-yo, and its snow-white color made her nervous.
She squeezed it hard but couldn't break it. She secretly took out her super watch, logged into the forum, and scanned it again.
Several related search terms appeared.
She followed the usual rules and chose a reliable reply.
[Snow cotton cocoon: A rare product of mature cotton trees. It is the 'tomb' that blood-sucking aphids create for themselves. They spit out the excess blood essence and saliva they absorb, mix it with the sap of the cotton tree, and form a cocoon. They burrow into it and seal it with saliva when they are about to die. But the snow cotton cocoon often becomes a delicious meal for other blood-sucking aphids, so it is very scarce. It is one of the precious materials that the base uses to make some special weapons.]
As Ye Sheng had guessed, it was indeed a snow cotton cocoon!
She quickly finished the search and exited the forum.
If it weren't for the loud noise of the scanner, the inability to lower the volume, and the risk of attracting attention, she would have spent more time searching on the super smart network. But luckily, the results were good. It was really a snow cotton cocoon!
A small snow cotton cocoon could be exchanged for ten pounds of cotton!
How nice.
Her cotton picking was off to a good start.
Ye Sheng happily put the snow cotton cocoon in her bag and then plucked out the remaining cotton from the cotton boll. She got off the high stool and carried a bucket full of cotton to the steward.
The steward was a supervisor compared to the other workers.
When he didn't have to work, he had a field desk where he recorded the workers' performance. Although everyone's salary was fixed at 300 points a day, those who didn't meet the standards would have their wages deducted. And those who did excellent work could get extra rewards.
For example, a few more pounds of cotton.
What counted as excellent work?
Of course, it was the speed and quantity of cotton picked.
"Look at you, a little girl who is so thin and weak. I didn't expect you to be so capable. You pick faster and faster. Keep it up, and today's outstanding reward will surely be yours."
"Yeah, I'll work hard."
Ye Sheng poured the cotton from the bucket into the big basin next to the steward. He took out a thick notebook and asked Ye Sheng to write her name, age, and other details. Then he stamped it with his seal.
After confirming that it was recorded, Ye Sheng went back with the empty bucket.
As she passed by the others, she didn't forget to observe. She saw that the strongest man who had picked the most cotton had only filled less than half of his bucket...
Ye Sheng raised her hand and touched her nose, feeling that she was too conspicuous.
She decided to be a low-key worker.
Anyway, if she picked too much, it wouldn't be hers.
┐(￣ヮ￣)┌
She just wanted to stay within the range of getting excellent rewards.
By observing the working conditions of everyone, Ye Sheng found that the biggest challenge in picking cotton was not the bolls, but the blood-sucking aphids. They would jump out and attack from time to time.
A blood-sucking aphid leaped out and bit someone, who fell off the stool without a sound.
The aphid's saliva had a paralyzing effect, so the victim couldn't move and could only watch the aphid suck their blood. Luckily, there were mercenaries on patrol. They saw what happened and sprayed the aphid with a watering can.
The aphid shrieked and let go, then tried to run back to the tree, but the mercenary stomped on it and crushed it.
"Are you all stupid pigs? You can't even handle a bug. You're such a waste. Get your act together!"
The mercenary was annoyed by the dirt on his shoe. He lifted his foot and wiped it on the paralyzed person. Then he kicked and cursed them as if to vent his anger.
Finally, the worker who followed him pleaded in a low voice and gave him an edible green date. The mercenary left "out of kindness".
When the mercenary was gone, the man who had just groveled changed his expression and sighed.
"The Gray Wolf Mercenary Group is still so arrogant and cruel. They bully the weak without mercy. They're so shameless. They'll die by the claws of the polluted creatures sooner or later."
After venting, he helped the paralyzed person up and put them aside to wait for recovery.
Ye Sheng walked by quietly, then climbed on a high stool to pick cotton. She was more careful, afraid that she would be bitten and kicked by the mercenaries too.
She saw what the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group did and thought of the Azure Phoenix Mercenary Group. She felt that they were incomparable.
She wondered why the mercenary group had changed to pick cotton this time. Or had the members of the Azure Phoenix Mercenary Group been sent to other areas?
She slowed down her cotton picking this time and picked more thoroughly.
But she didn't find another snow cotton cocoon until the work ended in the afternoon.
She thought that not only humans wanted snow cotton cocoons, but blood-sucking aphids wanted them more. She had probably gotten the snow cotton cocoon because the aphids that attacked her before had eaten some, which gave her an edge.
"Shengsheng, picking cotton is so exhausting. I don't dare to slack off."
The sun was setting in the west, and the orange-red light cast a veil over the cotton forest. It looked peaceful and beautiful, and made people feel relaxed.
Zhou Lin, who followed Ye Sheng, chatted and rubbed her sore arms. Her excitement had turned into gloom, but luckily, her mood didn't last long.
They followed the crowd after work and soon reached the spot where the steward had set up his desk during the day. Two hundred people had gathered. The steward picked up his notebook and read out everyone's work results today.
"Huang Li, five bags of cotton, qualified."
"Lin Bin, eight bags of cotton, qualified."
"Liu Sijia, three bags of cotton, unqualified!"
After saying "unqualified", the steward stopped reading and said to everyone: "We don't tolerate lazy people here. Even a child can pick three bags of cotton. You're not young, so don't give me any excuses. Those who are unqualified today will have their points cut in half, and they'll have to work an extra hour tomorrow."
The young steward finished speaking, and the crowd erupted in noise. But he didn't waste time and kept reading.
"Zhou Lin, seven bags of cotton, qualified."
"Zhou Rui, twelve bags of cotton, qualified."
"Zhou..."
Zhou Lin breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that she was qualified.
She was glad she hadn't slacked off!
She heard her older brother Zhou Rui's results and grabbed Ye Sheng's arm excitedly. She laughed and said, "Shengsheng, did you hear that? My brother is amazing!"
No one had picked more than ten bags of cotton yet!
The outstanding reward for today would surely be his~
Ye Sheng felt a twinge of envy when Zhou Lin bragged about her brother. She raised her hand and touched her nose, but didn't say anything. She thought that she had done pretty well today too.
"Shengsheng, you're also very good. I saw you bringing back cotton several times. You must have qualified!"
Zhou Lin praised her, but the steward's voice cut in.
"Ye Sheng, eighteen bags, qualified!"