Chapter 190: A Compromise
Lily Hart glanced at Logan Holland and said resignedly, "What are you sighing for? Honestly, just relax."
Hearing this, Logan Holland felt another sigh coming on. The infighting within Central Command was growing more intense by the day.
The three factions refused to yield to one another. Every general meeting was a battlefield, thick with unspoken hostility...
That was one thing, but they had nearly come to blows on several occasions.
What’s more, the major bases had all more or less taken sides. Nutwood Base, for instance, had aligned with the Radical Faction, while Fortune Base sided with the Hope Faction.
This inevitably sparked conflict between the bases. It was completely unavoidable. How could he possibly relax?!
But with a slight turn of his head, he saw Lily Hart. Eyes narrowed in contentment, she was gently rocking in her lounge chair, enjoying the breeze on her face and occasionally popping a piece of fruit into her mouth.
Whether she had customers, whether business was good, whatever conflicts raged in the outside world—it all seemed to have nothing to do with her.
Logan Holland couldn’t help but calm down as well. He leaned back, pillowed his head on his hands, and let the chair rock gently. But his mind, against his will, kept on thinking.
After closing his eyes for a long moment, he finally said, "Boss Hart, why don’t you come with me to take a look at that vegetable patch?"
Lily Hart knew his personality. If she refused, he’d probably nag her to death. With a sigh of resignation, she got up. Giving a dismissive wave of her hand in a "fine, whatever" gesture, she said, "Let’s go, let’s go."
One after the other, they walked to the vegetable patch behind the hotel. Even before they got close, a vibrant, healthy green aura seemed to rush toward them.
Logan Holland gazed at the plants as if they were his own children, his face full of doting affection. His voice softened without him realizing it. "Just look at them. Look how well they’re growing."
Lily Hart wholeheartedly agreed. They both squatted down in unison, surveying the small patch with looks of deep satisfaction.
He hadn’t seen them for a few hours, but—and maybe it was just his imagination—Logan Holland felt they had grown even bigger. At this rate, they’d be fully mature in just a few days.
He stared at the ground. "What on earth is in this soil?"
"I don’t know," Lily Hart answered with perfect honesty. With her hands resting on her knees, she looked surprisingly docile squatting there.
But only someone who didn’t know her would think that.
"You do know!" Logan Holland insisted, unwilling to let it go. This plot of land was the biggest discovery of his trip. He wouldn’t be able to sleep until he figured it out!
Before Lily Hart could even say anything, Logan Holland’s voice started up again, chattering away.
She covered her ears and let out a long breath. She really couldn’t stand his nagging.
Finally, she said, "It’s not a problem with the soil." She let out a breath of relief after saying it. ’Anyway, the sapling that improves the soil belongs to Stan Sterling.’
’Without his permission, no one could possibly take it. Unless they kidnap Stan Sterling and haul him off to Central Command.’
’Although, knowing Central Command, that’s exactly the kind of thing they might pull.’
"Then what is it?" Logan Holland’s sharp gaze swept across the vegetable patch, but he still couldn’t find the cause.
In his layman’s eyes, these were just unmutated, thriving fruits and vegetables. Beyond wanting to eat them and possess them, he saw nothing else...
"It’s a secret." This time, Lily Hart was completely serious, with no hint of a joke in her tone.
She then picked a small cucumber, slightly longer than her palm, and stuffed it into his hand. "Here, eat this. It’ll keep your mouth shut. No more questions."
The fresh scent of the cucumber filled the air. Logan Holland couldn’t bring himself to eat it. He tucked it away, planning to take it back to share with his wife and daughter.
He immediately opened his mouth to ask, "Boss Hart, have you ever considered visiting Central Command?"
"Not interested, thanks," Lily Hart refused flatly. Her eyes were glued to a small watermelon. ’It looks ripe, right? Can I eat it? I really want to eat it!’
Logan Holland: ...
He sighed again and said wistfully, "If only all the land in the world were like this patch. Then no one would ever have to go hungry again."
’Is he trying to awaken my long-dead sympathy?’
She placed a hand over her heart, feeling for a reaction. A little worried, she concluded that, no, it had not been awakened.
So she just stared at Logan Holland, waiting to see what else he would come up with.
Logan Holland waited patiently. Seeing no reaction from her, he pressed on, "You haven’t seen the refugees in the bases. They’re in a pitiful state, can’t get enough to eat, can’t sleep properly..."
He began describing how difficult life was for the lowest rungs of survivors in this apocalypse. Lily Hart felt a faint stir of emotion, but only a faint one.
He talked until his mouth was dry, but Lily Hart still gave no reaction. Exasperated, he plopped right down on the ground.
Lily Hart followed suit and sat down as well. Tangled melon vines lay between them, and they were careful not to crush any.
She sighed and offered a compromise. "How about I sell them to you at a discount?"
’That should stop them from coveting my tiny vegetable patch day and night. It’s barely anything, yet they’re always going on about it.’
Logan Holland choked. Was this about buying and selling? He wanted Boss Hart to come to Central Command!
’And bring this vegetable patch with her, and if possible, let the researchers study it thoroughly.’
’Then they could propagate it, so everyone could eat fresh fruits and vegetables.’
’Sigh. Thinking about it now, he realized he was being too greedy.’
He agreed. "Alright. How would we price them? Where would they be sold? Will there be a purchase limit?" A whole host of questions immediately sprang to mind.
Lily Hart felt a headache coming on. She threw the questions right back at him. "You’ve seen the place. It’s only this big. What do you think?"
Logan Holland glanced around. The patch was small, but incredibly productive. The two peach and pear trees were laden with heavy fruit.
As for the vegetables—the watermelons, pumpkins, winter melons—they were all growing splendidly, with many fruits sprouting from a single vine.
But no matter how plentiful it seemed, it was still just this much—not enough for the whole world to share.
Without waiting for his answer, Lily Hart continued, "Of course, we’ll have to limit purchases. And quantities. One item per person, per day, no matter what it is. As for the price, it definitely won’t be expensive."
Logan Holland nodded in agreement. ’This woman,’ he thought, ’talks a big game about not caring, but she has it all planned out.’
"To make sure everyone has a chance, we can only sell them through the online supermarket. Sales will start at a fixed time, and it’ll all come down to who has the fastest clicking fingers. How’s that?" Lily Hart suggested.
Logan Holland naturally agreed. That was the perfect solution, as it would prevent the higher-ups from using their power and influence to hoard everything.
Lily Hart’s tone shifted. "However, I’ll still have to ask Stan Sterling about this."
After all, the source of it all was the soil-improving sapling, which was Stan Sterling’s reward. She had just added the other plants later.
Hearing this, a great weight was lifted from Logan Holland’s heart. As long as Lily Hart had agreed in principle, the matter was as good as settled.
He agreed immediately. The two of them headed back to the RV together. Lily Hart had just sat down when Diana Sharp called out to her.
"Lily, someone’s here to redeem a prize," Diana Sharp said.
"Huh?" Lily Hart got up, confused. ’If someone’s redeeming a prize, they can just do it. Why do they need to call me?’
She walked over, and her eyes lit up when she saw the person. If Frost Shaw had a boyish air, Roman Rowe was lively and flamboyant, and Leo Colby was silent and reserved...
...then the man before her was the very picture of gentle refinement. Despite his faded clothes, nothing could hide his scholarly aura.
He seemed almost fragile.
A smile bloomed on Lily Hart’s face as she took the initiative. "Redeeming a prize?"
The man nodded silently and handed a small card to Lily Hart.