At Hua Lingfang’s reminder, Qin Haonan quickly agreed and scanned his surroundings.
As he looked, Qin Haonan noticed a large number of bees to the port side of the speedboat. They were actually flying toward them despite the heavy rain.
"Are bees really this industrious? Flying out in a downpour?" Qin Haonan watched the bees with a look of confusion, then shut the cabin door and windows.
"Normally, bees don’t come out when it’s raining—unless they’ve run out of food!" Hua Lingfang explained.
"No wonder I knocked down two just by waving my hand. They must be weak from starvation!" Qin Haonan exclaimed in realization. "There’s another swarm flying in. Should I let them all in and take them back with me?"
"You need to follow the swarm back to its source and find the queen. These worker bees have short lifespans, and after collecting nectar, they have to return to their hive," Hua Lingfang said, shaking his head as he continued his advice.
Qin Haonan nodded and steered the speedboat in the direction the bees were coming from.
Soon, he spotted a fairly large bamboo raft. A simple rain shelter had been set up on it, and underneath were five beehives.
"Boss, there really are beehives!" Qin Haonan switched the camera to the rear view and started filming the raft ahead.
A few bees landed on the speedboat’s windshield, but the rain was so heavy they were quickly washed away.
Seeing the footage Qin Haonan was capturing, Ren Yuanyang gave an order in a low voice, "Ask them if they’re willing to sell us a beehive, bees included."
"Okay, I’ll try to find them on the regional channel first!" Qin Haonan replied, preparing to send a message.
Just as he was composing the message, he suddenly received a private chat!
Qin Haonan paused for a moment before switching to the private chat channel.
"Is that you from Peach Blossom Base, out for a trade today? I see a speedboat stopped near me. Is that you?"
Qin Haonan’s eyes lit up. He replied, "If you’re at this location, then it’s probably us."
Qin Haonan sent his coordinates.
"It really is you! Great! I’ve gathered some waterweed. Any chance I could trade it for some Cherry Tomatoes?" The person even sent a photo.
Without bothering to check if the base needed that type of waterweed, Qin Haonan replied directly, "We can trade. But, those bees are yours, right?"
"Yes!"
"There are so many of them, all over my door and windows. I don’t dare open them!" Qin Haonan grumbled.
"Huh?" The person paused, then asked, "Do you have anything sweet on your boat?"
"Do honey peaches count?" Qin Haonan asked back.
"They count. The bees are starving. Now that they’ve finally found food, of course they’re going to swarm it," the person replied with a helpless, bitter smile.
"Then what should we do? It seems like we can’t trade!" Qin Haonan said, frustrated.
"They’re pretty weak right now, so they probably won’t attack you!"
"They might not attack me, but they’ll attack the honey peaches in my speedboat!" Qin Haonan was speechless.
"Ah! You have a lot of honey peaches on your speedboat?" The person was very surprised.
"Of course. We’re here to do business. How could we do business without any goods?" Qin Haonan replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
The person was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Your base... can it mass-produce fruit?"
"Why do you ask?" Qin Haonan countered.
The person quickly explained, "If your base really is growing fruit on a large scale, I want to join you! My bees can help with pollination, and they can also produce honey!"
’He’s offering himself up before I even had a chance to make a purchase offer.’
"I need to ask my boss’s opinion first!" Qin Haonan replied, then immediately explained the situation to Ren Yuanyang.
Ren Yuanyang was slightly taken aback. He turned his head and asked, "Elder Hua, do you know how to keep bees?"
Hua Lingfang immediately shook his head. "I don’t! I’ve just seen and heard a lot, so I only know the basics."
’After hearing how knowledgeable Hua Lingfang sounded just now, Ren Yuanyang had thought he was a beekeeper!’
’If Elder Hua doesn’t know how to keep bees, then they could consider accepting this survivor.’
’Even if Ren Yuanyang could strengthen the bees and had no problem raising them, they would still need someone who knew how to harvest the honey from the hives!’
"We can accept him, but he’s required to hand over his phone and all his supplies, including the bees. If he agrees, bring him back," Ren Yuanyang replied.
After receiving Ren Yuanyang’s instructions, Qin Haonan immediately sent a message to the other party: "To join our base, you must hand over your phone and all personal supplies, including the bees. Everything will belong to the base. You will also have to follow the group’s arrangements. Do you agree?"
Upon hearing such harsh conditions, the person seemed to hesitate. After a long moment, he finally asked, "Does Peach Blossom Base really grow a lot of fruit? My bees won’t starve if they go to Peach Blossom Base, will they?"
’So, he doesn’t want to join Peach Blossom Base for his own sake, but for his bees?’
Despite his surprise, he still replied, "I don’t know if your bees will starve, but our base does have a lot of flowering plants!"
"Okay, I agree to your terms. But after I join, can I continue to take care of these bees?" The person seemed to have made up his mind.
"The base will arrange your work!" Qin Haonan didn’t answer his question directly.
"Alright... As long as there are flowers, they should be able to survive," the person replied.

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