Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 330: Farm Daily Life 2

The chicken coop needed to be fairly large, and they also had to build several cages. Evelyn Ford found Zion Lowell and asked him to make a few when he had a moment. Afterward, she announced the plan to everyone.

"Let’s start tomorrow. We’ll build the chicken coop next to the sheep pen and put up an awning with a tarp. It would be great if we had asbestos tiles."

Evelyn Ford agreed with Zion Lowell’s suggestion. "Then let’s start construction tomorrow. There’s a place in Tarr City that sells asbestos tiles, but a round trip would take three or four days. Let’s just use a tarp."

"Will those patrolmen come and cause trouble?" Wyatt Vaughn asked, concerned.

"They have their own problems to deal with. I doubt they have time to come here and cause trouble."

"Miss Ford, a man came by today. He asked me to check if he could come work at the farm."

Evelyn Ford looked at Chet Lawrence. "Work? What does he want to do?"

"Chop firewood, cut branches."

Evelyn Ford pressed her temples. "For now, our farm doesn’t need more people. Let’s revisit this next month. A few sheep just gave birth a few days ago, so the number of livestock on the farm is increasing. We’ll definitely need to hire some workers later on, but no more than ten."

Chet Lawrence nodded. "I understand."

"If it’s for chopping wood, go to places farther away. Don’t cut from the surrounding mountains. We need to leave the trees on those mountains to block the cold spells."

Evelyn Ford glanced at everyone. "Raise your hand if you know how to drive."

More than half of them raised their hands. Evelyn Ford considered this for a moment.

"After the sheep pen and chicken coop are done, Nathan Xavier and Drako will join the wood-cutting team. It will be safer for a group of four to move together. Remember, never go out alone. Take a whistle and a gun. It’s not easy to find someone who goes missing these days, and the chances of getting them back are slim. And..."

Evelyn Ford glanced at everyone. "I will not organize a search party to find anyone. I want to make that perfectly clear."

These rules, of course, were meant for the newcomers.

Chet Lawrence and the others naturally understood this. Although the farm had many rules, living here meant they didn’t have to worry about their safety. They had a place to live and food to eat, and for that, they were already content.

"Don’t worry, Miss Ford. We will definitely follow the farm’s rules."

Over the past few days, refugees from Fairgate had been frequently coming to Immeasurable Mountain, trying to slip through the fence. But the fence was topped with barbed wire, so not only were they unable to get in, they often fell, leaving them bloodied and bruised. Then, someone began deliberately stirring up the refugees, leading a group to make a scene outside and demand compensation.

This was a minor issue, not even requiring Evelyn Ford’s attention. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell handled it.

The two of them took charge and quickly caught the instigator. His motive was simple: revenge against the farm.

He confessed that he had come to the farm three days prior seeking work but had been turned away.

Later, he came up with a plan to incite the refugees to break into the farm and rob it. However, the fence blocked their path, making it impossible to get in, so they had to find another way.

When he learned people had fallen from the fence, he again incited the refugees to go to the farm and demand compensation.

The number of refugees in Fairgate was growing, and those three patrolmen had also stationed themselves there. However, if the refugees united to cause trouble, things would get messy.

Taylor Vance immediately announced that the farm would be hiring some people soon.

Upon hearing this, the refugees weighed the pros and cons and knew exactly what to do.

As for the instigator, he was killed on the spot to serve as a warning to others.

The three patrolmen came every day to ask for the antidote. Evelyn Ford had Quincy give them the medicine—one pill a month. If they stopped taking it, they would die.

After getting a taste of the excruciating pain, the patrolmen grew fearful. To prove their loyalty, they began patrolling diligently. Following this, a strange and unexpected harmony settled over Fairgate and Immeasurable Mountain.

Back on the farm, the chicken coop was being built in an orderly fashion. Seeds had already been sown in the greenhouses. They planted a plot of radishes and cabbage, five plots of winter wheat, and a plot of cassava and sweet potatoes.

Ten days later, the chicks and ducklings hatched. The survival rate was very high; out of one hundred eggs, ninety-five hatched.

They built a heated platform inside the chicken coop to keep it warm. The chicks looked a little strange, with flashy, colorful feathers. The ducklings were fluffy and adorable.

The mere thought of the entire farm soon to be filled with the sounds of chickens and ducks already gave Evelyn Ford a headache.

The job of raising the chicks and ducklings fell to Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell. The two of them were conscientious in everything they did. A week later, the young birds were ready to be let out of their cages.

Evelyn Ford immediately started incubating another two hundred eggs.

A few days later, the farm began hiring.

Early in the morning, as soon as Evelyn Ford arrived at the farm gate, she saw a dense crowd of people outside—at least two hundred of them.

Evelyn Ford’s hiring conditions were simple: applicants could be between the ages of twelve and forty-five.

They had to be healthy, agile, obedient, and quiet.

Evelyn Ford handed the recruitment over to Officer Graham and Miles Vaughn. Officer Graham had a sharp eye; Evelyn felt she could trust the people he picked.

A refugee came to apply with his son and daughter. The man was forty and dressed in rags, but he was tall and his eyes were clear. His son was ten and his daughter was twelve. The two children stood obediently by his side. After asking a few questions, Evelyn learned the man’s name was Paul Pence and that he had been a police officer before the apocalypse. She thought for a moment, then decided to let them stay.

The farm paid its workers daily in grain: wheat bran, rice bran, and coarse flour. Each person could exchange their day’s work for one pound of wheat bran or rice bran, or half a pound of coarse flour. Lodging was not provided, but one meal was, consisting of two coarse-flour buns.

The two children were put in charge of feeding the animals in the livestock area, and the man was sent to the cultivation area to plow the fields.

Seeing Evelyn Ford hire three people at once, the refugees behind them grew excited and rushed forward to introduce themselves.

Ronan Kendrick stood beside Evelyn Ford. When someone rushed forward, he simply picked them up and tossed them aside.

The three patrolmen also came over to maintain order. Seeing them brandishing their empty guns and posturing, Evelyn Ford almost laughed out loud.

Evelyn Ford didn’t participate in the rest of the recruitment. She hadn’t expected that in less than two months, so many refugees would have flooded into Fairgate.

Many refugees had already built wooden huts, while others were still going from door to door, begging.

Paul Pence and his two children followed Evelyn Ford to the livestock area. They were stunned by the sight: over a hundred argali sheep in a pen, a Mammoth even more imposing than an elephant, a bay horse, Red Deer, and elk.

"What are their names?"

"My daughter is named Penelope Parker, and my son is Patrick Pence. They’re very obedient and work very hard." Paul Pence was nervous, afraid that Evelyn Ford would go back on her word.

"They seem a bit introverted."

Paul Pence nodded in shame. "They weren’t always like this. The children have been through too much these past few years. They’ve had some scares, and afterward, they stopped talking much. But they’re very smart and learn everything quickly."

"Being quiet is fine. I actually prefer people who don’t talk much. You’ll work here from now on. The job is just to feed the animals leaves and water, and to keep the area clean."

Paul Pence let out a sigh of relief. "We’d like to start today, if that’s okay?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "You can. After work, find Wyatt Vaughn to exchange for your grain."