The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 192 - 181: Living Fossil (Additional - for reaching 45,000 recommendation votes on Qidian)

Chapter 192: Chapter 181: Living Fossil (Additional Chapter for reaching 45,000 recommendation votes on Qidian)

Manbao had already dug up the plant, and finding it cumbersome to hold, she tore off a large tree leaf, wrapped it up, and tied it with a long blade of grass to her small shoulder bag.

None of Zhou Silang and his brothers knew exactly when that plant had disappeared, but such occurrences had become rather normal for them.

When Manbao was very little, barely steady on her feet, she liked to pluck all sorts of flowers and grasses, starting with the wild weeds in the crevices of the stones in front of her home’s doorway, examining them closely before tossing them aside.

Even younger, because Manbao liked pulling up flowering plants so much, Old Zhou happily boasted about it, convinced she was the reincarnation of a Flower Fairy.

But as Manbao pulled up more and more flowers and grasses, even sparing no tree, Old Zhou no longer mentioned it, and everyone in the Zhou Family had long since grown accustomed to Manbao’s behavior.

On such a rare trip into the mountains, Manbao naturally didn’t want to leave just yet, so while everyone chatted, they walked further in. She picked countless flowers and grasses and even caught a few ants with her bare hands, joyfully holding them in her palm.

Zhou Silang watched with some concern, feeling that they needed to prepare more for her dowry. Otherwise, she might really not be able to marry off.

The deeper they went, the ground varied, with some parts hard and others soft. Looking at the soft soil, Manbao felt regretful, "This is all good fertilizer."

She had only just begun speaking when Zhou Silang immediately replied, "It’s impossible for me to come here to dig and carry soil away, it’s too far."

Manbao then suggested, "Then let’s bring crops here to plant. The soil is so fertile."

"There’s so many birds and animals in the mountains, whatever we plant won’t be enough for them to eat. I won’t bother with that trouble."

Manbao was deep in thought about what to plant that wouldn’t be eaten by the birds, yet would still yield a harvest for them, when suddenly Keke’s voice rang in her mind, "Host, please walk a bit further inside."

Subconsciously, Manbao took a step forward, staring at the ground ahead as she asked Keke in her mind, "Eh, there’s no grass up ahead?"

"There’s no grass, but there are trees."

Manbao stared at the tree ahead, blinking and blinking again. The large tree before her remained unchanged.

"Correct, it’s this tree."

This time, Manbao realized that pretending not to see was not an option. She thought to herself, "It’s too big, I can’t dig it up."

Indeed, it was enormous. The area before her eyes was quite open, with only a few scattered trees, and the largest was the one Keke had pointed out.

The soil in this vicinity was likely enriched by constantly accumulating and decomposing leaves, and the sunlight was also sufficiently good. As a result, the soil here was much darker than other places and also more pliable. The rustling of branches and leaves could be heard as people stepped on it.

Manbao ran over and hugged the tree. Since it was so large, she couldn’t wrap her arms around it, and no matter how hard she looked up, she couldn’t see the top.

Manbao felt that even if she had the ability to dig it up, she wouldn’t be able to achieve Keke’s requirement to "quietly incorporate it into the system".

So, she straightforwardly gave up and looked around, trying to find a nearby tree that was similar to this one but smaller in size.

Unfortunately, due to Keke’s training, she had become quite adept at identifying living things, especially plants, and with just a glance, she could tell that there were no similar or even slightly resembling trees nearby.

Keke had recovered from its shock and said, "No need to dig."

This was a living fossil-level plant, and it was clearly quite old, judging by its immense size. If it incited the host to dig and archive it, it could gain a substantial amount of points, but it was sure to be punished for violating the rules. Being fined points would be the least of its problems; if its actions led to the plant’s death, it could even be imprisoned or wiped.

Keke instructed, "As long as the host takes comprehensive photos and scans, we can record its living environment. If you can collect its leaves, branches, and fruit, that would be even better."

Hearing the excitement in its voice, Manbao curiously looked at the tree and asked, "What kind of tree is this? Is it really that impressive?"

Keke replied, "Although I’m not completely certain, it should belong to the Taxodiaceae family. After scanning, I speculate that even at present, it belongs to the relict species of the Metasequoia genus."

Manbao understood – this tree was a rare species even now and very scarce!

She looked up at it and said, "How pitiful, it’s the only one left."

With no kin or very few remaining.

Zhou Silang stood right behind her, also craning his neck to look at the tree and nodded, "Not bad, not bad. This tree is thick and straight; it can make a nice bed for you in the future."

Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang also saw it, they gathered around, patted and kicked it, feeling indeed it was very solid. After peeling back the bark and seeing the color underneath, they were even more pleased, "This is good. With what’s left over, we can make a chest. Manbao, when Fifth Brother comes of age and gets his share of the mountain, I’ll pick out some nice trees for you, and make a few more chests."

Having been instilled with the importance of protecting precious species since she was young, Manbao hugged the tree and said, "No, this is a rare species; we need to protect it."

"Yes, we do need to protect it," Zhou Silang agreed. "When we get back, I’ll tell Dad to mark this tree so that nobody steals it. We’ll cut it down when you’re ready to get married."

Manbao replied, "...What I mean by protect is to keep it from being cut down, to let it live on."

"Well, I can’t guarantee that," Zhou Silang said. "I’m not a tree nymph; how can I make sure it lives forever? What if it gets struck by lightning, or dies from drought, or is killed by insects? Moreover, trees are meant to make beams and furniture; we’ll just plant another after cutting it down. Why should we keep it alive?"

Because it’s a rare species, right?

But clearly, Zhou Silang could not understand this point, however, seeing Manbao’s anxious face, unable to articulate her thoughts, he didn’t argue further. With a helpless look, he complied, though he resolved to tell his father later that they had found the wood for Manbao’s dowry bed.

Manbao collected the tree bark Zhou Wulang had peeled, picked up many fallen leaves and small branches from the ground, and grabbed a handful of soil, all of which Keke archived.

Zhou Silang and the others were completely oblivious to this because they found several bamboo bushes not far from the tree, and they had spotted a clumsy rhizomys scamper into the bamboo.

Rhizomys ah~~

Rhizomys, resembling squirrels, look quite nice when they are chubby, and most importantly, they taste good.

Therefore, the three Zhou brothers exchanged glances and left behind their sister, who was squatting and diligently digging in the soil, sneaking towards the bamboo.

By the time Manbao had finally gathered all that Keke wanted and looked up, she found that her three brothers had all disappeared, leaving only her under the tree.