Chapter 9

I shook my body, trying to dislodge the images of those zombies from my head. I should be far enough out of the way for them to never come looking for me at the ranch.

And it wasn't like I was going to go looking for them. Nope, not a chance in hell.

I grabbed my purse with my list of what I wanted to buy and left the apartment. It was vacant, so if Jenny needed to show it at the last minute, she could.

The first place that I went to was a seed store. As I walked in, reality once again gave me a slap upside my head. It was November 4th, and as much as I was expecting it to be snowing at this point in time, the mild weather made me forget that seeds would not be that popular right now. Who knew that City A didn't experience snow until December?

I smiled at the cashier that looked at me in surprise. Well, I guess most people would not be walking into a nursery at this time of the year.

"Sorry about this," I said as I approached him. "I was just hoping to get a head start on the growing season, but I completely forgot that winter was approaching here."

"Not from around here, then?" He asked as he looked me up and down.

"Nope, I am from City H, just moved here for a job. I wanted to grow a few things on my balcony to make it feel like home," I said, the lies flowing smoothly. I still adhered to the principle that you catch more flies with honey. Might as well tell him what he wanted to hear.

Besides, he must be bored stupid being in the store alone all day.

"Ah, yeah, it is easier to grow things all year round down there. It has a more tropical climate than what we normally get."

"So I am learning," I laughed. I left him at the counter and walked around to see what he had in stock.

I was impressed with the selection and found several packets of seeds that I would like to grow. They had most of the herbs that I was looking for, but I would need to go to a few other places to look for the peppers. I wanted more than just bell and jalapeno peppers.

Of course, they offered like fifteen different varieties of tomatoes to keep me happy. I would have to come back in the spring to see what they had when they were all stocked up.

"I'll grab these for today and then come back in a few months to grab some other fruit and veggie seeds," I said as I put my choices on the counter. I was not going to pull another bakery episode. Don't worry.

"What are you looking for? I can add them to the order to make sure we have them," said the man I can only assume was the owner.

"You might regret saying that!" I laughed. "I am hoping to find a house with a good-sized backyard so I can grow a lot of stuff."

"It's all good. Let me know, and the worst-case scenario is I can't get it for you."

"Well, standard things I guess: strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelons, pumpkins, zucchinis," I started to name off. A lot of these I grew in Canada, so I didn't know if they would have them here, or even by those names.

"Alright," he said as he wrote down my list. He didn't seem confused, so I could only assume that they were standard here as well.

"Any kind of peppers you can find, corn, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes," I laughed, enjoying myself.

"Did you want any saplings? I can do apple, pear, orange, and cherry."

"Oooh, those sound great! How about some blueberry and raspberry bushes? Goji too, if you can find it! Can you get your hands on a couple of maple trees? The ones with the sap?"

"I'll talk to my supplier," the owner smiled in return. "Leave your name and number and I'll give you a call if they have something that we didn't mention. Did you want any flowers?"

"Yeah, sunflowers, nasturtiums, marigolds…"

Now I had the owner laughing out loud. "So, you actually know what you are doing. I'll get you some companion plants. What about ginger, turmeric, echinacea, and chamomile?"

"If I didn't know better, I would think that you were just trying to increase your sales for the year. I'll take all those too." I paid for my purchase and promised to return in February when he would have the rest of my order in.

I wasn't in a hurry. I could afford to take my time now. I was just glad that I returned when I did, so I would have this time to prepare.

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Liu Wei looked at the latest information on Li Dai Lu and wondered if he should give it to Wang Chao with his regular report.

"You seem to be thinking hard, just spit it out," said Wang Chao as he sat on the couch of his office in Phoenix Conglomerate.

"Apparently, Li Dai Lu has been purchasing several different types of seeds. She has also put in an order for several fruit trees to be picked up in the spring," said Liu Wei, not sure how this information was important.

"So, she bought a 3,000-acre ranch and is buying a bunch of seeds?" Asked Wang Chao, trying to think of what could be happening. Could it really be as innocent as she bought a farm to… farm? Or was this a plot from M government to rebuild Blood Moon without suspicion?

And what would a rich girl like her know about farming? Why would she want to farm? What did she know that would lead her to do something like that?

He had researched her past and there was nothing about her knowing or liking plants or even food. It was as if she woke up one morning and just decided on this path. She has even stopped contacting her friends and family.

If she had gotten in contact with Blood Moon and was working with the M government, it would explain a lot of things.

"Keep your eyes open. If she is part of the Blood Moon, then she will slip up sometime. I will not let that organization regroup and be a threat to us again."

"Yes, Sir. Understood," said Liu Wei as he bowed and walked away.