Chapter 447: Chapter 447
"Hmm??" Jing Shu frowned. What did this mean? She sized up the old man; his bones seemed quite robust. Could it be that he had set his sights on the fat chicken?
That seemed unlikely, though. Tan Ke was someone she knew well enough to be certain that anyone who would reveal information about the fat chicken wouldn’t be looking to take advantage. Besides, from a species valuation perspective, an old mother hen was worth less than a lion-headed goose. And in terms of battle pets, Tan Ke was also well aware that the fat chicken wasn’t just for laying eggs; it definitely couldn’t be traded away.
The old man coughed sheepishly and said, "What we mean is, we’d lease the lion-headed geese to you for a year. As for the rent, a part of it could be the Z10 synthetic meat recipe. We know you’ve got a knack for raising domestic poultry, and we won’t pry into your secrets. You would just need to breed 10 healthy lion-headed geese for us every three months, for a total of 40 geese as the final part of the rent. Any extras you hatch can be kept for yourself. Of course, if you need it, we can also provide professional nutritional feed, and every three months when we come to collect the geese, we can airlift it to you."
So, the rent would be the Z10 synthetic meat recipe and the breeding of 40 lion-headed geese, including their feed.
Jing Shu squinted and looked thoughtful. She knew that living animals, especially breeding pairs of domestic poultry, were very valuable. Last year, the price for a pair of live chickens had reached thousands of Virtual Coins, hundreds of times more expensive than grains, not to mention lion-headed geese that were on the brink of extinction.
There were many factors involved in the breeding of domestic poultry. Food and nutrition could be managed, and temperature could be regulated with air conditioning, but climate, external factors, and the sun in the apocalypse posed challenges that made the already scarce population of domestic poultry extremely difficult to breed!
The most significant factor was the disrupted seasons that led to disarray in the breeding period of domestic poultry, causing the majority to stop reproducing altogether. Besides, with constant droughts or downpours, not to mention earthquakes and lightning—living in such daily turmoil—animals had no mind for breeding, and neither did humans.
However, Jing Shu’s Magic Cube Space was the most comfortable place to be. It could simulate the perfect living temperature and climate for these animals, so naturally, their reproduction rate was high. The old man talked about renting, but Jing Shu didn’t really care about that. If she could just borrow a few geese for a few eggs, she could endlessly breed them herself.
What she lacked was the breeding stock.
For others, this might pose some risk, but for her, it was non-existent.
Seeing Jing Shu’s hesitation, the old man knew he might have asked for too much. "We know this is a tough ask. After all, a lion-headed goose only lays about 40 eggs a year, and it’s not certain that they will all hatch. Hatching requires even higher temperature precision, and in this apocalypse, the success rate is even lower. But you, girl, have raised chickens so well. If you raise geese, you surely can achieve pre-apocalypse production levels, right?"
Jing Shu’s fingers rhythmically tapped on the table as she stared at the fierce lion-headed geese for a while. So the lion-headed goose only laid so few eggs a year, huh.
"Old man," she asked, "if you don’t lack for anything, why don’t you raise them yourselves? You seem to have more expertise."
The old man gave a bitter smile. "Not to hide it from you, but in the year before the apocalypse, Da Hua and Gou Dan hatched about 30 goslings. But now, three years into the apocalypse, they’ve only laid 30 eggs in total, with only 10 hatched, and 6 of those died. Those that managed to survive either have disabilities or are underdeveloped; it seems they’ve mutated."
So the species has started evolving to adapt to the apocalyptic environment. The unsuccessful mutations die, and the successful ones aren’t yet perfect. It looks like I need to hurry up and collect the original species. Jing Shu swiftly recorded this in the Magic Cube Space, noting it down as one of her tasks.
But the problems mentioned by the old man weren’t issues for her at all. Just a few days in her space and a bit of Spiritual Spring water would ensure an egg a day.
"Old man, I can rent your geese, but the risk is too high. It might turn out that I don’t get many in the end. I can only promise eight every three months."
"By the way, old man, do you guys buy lion-headed geese?"
"We do, for a high price. There’s a line of people in the Imperial Capital waiting to place orders that stretches to the Mediterranean."
That’s great; it must be a very good market.
Under the old man’s reluctant gaze, with one hand exchanging the formula and the other the geese, both parties signed the contract. Finally, with Tan Ke as the guarantor, they completed the transaction.
[Party A: Starvation Food Supervision Bureau]
[Third Party Guarantor: Tan Ke]
[Contract Content: After friendly consultation between both parties and in the spirit of equality, mutual benefit, and joint development, this contract pertains to Party B renting Party A’s property (specifically, the Lion-Head Geese Da Hua and Gou Dan) and Party B providing goose rearing and breeding services as follows:
1. Party B provides the Z10 synthetic meat formula and, every three months, supplies Party A with 8 healthy goslings. After a total of 32 goslings have been provided within the year, Party B shall return the Lion-Head Geese, Da Hua and Gou Dan. Should the provided number of goslings fall short, Tan Ke will make up for the loss. Any additional goslings and goose eggs produced shall belong entirely to Party B.
2. Every three months, Party A provides Party B with sufficient, nutritious feed and is responsible for transporting and receiving the goslings. If Party A breaches the contract, Tan Ke will be responsible for the loss.
3. Force Majeure: If Da Hua or Gou Dan die due to force majeure, or if the goslings die en route due to uncontrollable circumstances or other such accidental factors, Tan Ke will be responsible for the loss.
4. Party A has the right of first refusal to purchase goose eggs and goslings owned by Party B, but the price must satisfy Party B. Check latest chapters at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
5. If either party breaches the contract, Tan Ke will bear the responsibility.
Signatories: Mirror, Da Hua and Gou Dan, Starvation Food Supervision Bureau.]
Tan Ke: What did I do wrong?
"Goodbye then, Da Hua and Gou Dan," the old man said, his voice full of advice. "You must love each other, fight less and argue more to enhance your relationship. Gou Dan, Da Hua has a temper, so just give in to her a bit. Try not to get physical when you argue. You know, women get a bit irritable for a few days every month. Da Hua, I know that mother geese need to recuperate after laying eggs and can become easily depressed. You too should try to be more understanding..."
The old man hadn’t finished talking when Da Hua and Gou Dan started HONK HONK HONKING and chasing after him.
The old man ran off in a sorry state with the formula.
Having regained their freedom, Da Hua and Gou Dan started to play around the airplane’s cabin as if they were inspecting new territory. However, it wasn’t long before they got into a ferocious fight over a sleeping spot. It was hard to tell if this was the fighting the old man had mentioned...
"Go on, fat chicken," Jing Shu instructed. "Give a warm welcome to our new family members. Teach Da Hua and Gou Dan well and let them know the rules of our house; we’ve got to establish some discipline."
Obediently, the fat chicken waddled over, its butt wiggling... It was foreseeable that Jingshu’s house was going to be very lively from now on.