◎Happy 91st Day: Old Summer Friends◎

Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen pushed the cart with the supplies and arrived at the meeting place they had agreed with Tang An. However, the evil wind showed no sign of stopping.

Strictly speaking, bad weather is the norm in the apocalypse.

Fortunately, it was just windy and there was no sign of rain, otherwise they would probably not be able to go back today.

When Tang An and others went there, they pulled several large carts of things. When they came back, not only did the things they brought not decrease, but they even had several more carts, and each of them looked very heavy.

Although it slowed down the progress, considering the current strong wind, the heavy objects on these trucks just gave everyone a sense of security.

The big bags that Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen brought back shocked everyone for a long time.

It has been three or four years since the first abnormal drop in temperature. Even Qin Shiwen and others who thought they were living a good life have to rely on mushrooms and sweet potatoes to fill their stomachs.

They have even accepted in their minds that the processed foods and various industrial products of the past will probably never be seen again.

In-demand items like food, medicine, and cleaning supplies should have been looted long ago.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen went back to Nanshi and actually brought back several big bags.

"Are you two going to rob?" Qin Shiwen became more certain of his guess after seeing that among the supplies they brought back, there were actually quite a few guns, bullets, and ammunition.

Jiang Muyun remained calm, "No, I found a supermarket in the villa area on the outer ring of South City that looked out of my reach. It's underground and the entrance is quite inconspicuous."

There was a period of time when the villa area on the outer ring of Nanshi was flooded with advertisements, with claims of luxurious private courtyards, landscape gardens away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and all kinds of messy promotional slogans could be seen everywhere.

Even Jiang Muyun and his group, who had no intention of buying a house, knew the name well. They had even seen the promotional signs for the villa area in the ruins when they were searching for supplies in Yi City.

Maybe it doesn't mean much to people living in a large apartment in the city center, but to Jiang Muyun and others, it is a wealthy area shrouded in mystery.

Wang Qingqing looked at the bag full of exquisite products in small packages and believed Jiang Muyun's statement without a doubt.

After all, they buy dried chilies in plastic bags at the market and just take them away. This way of selling a small handful of chilies in a separate bag makes it obvious at a glance that these are expensive products with "Selected xx Chilies" written on the packaging, the kind that won't be sold in a year if placed on the shelves of ordinary community supermarkets.

Zhou Ying and Jiang Muyun were peeling pepper seeds head to head, exclaiming in admiration as they did so: "You two found a supermarket like this! You two are really creative, even thinking of heading towards the villa area!"

Those who can afford to buy a villa in the vicinity of Nanshi all have some money. They moved to the north where the heating was still available when the temperature first dropped. They would not stay in Nanshi until the heavy rain comes.

Naturally, there are fewer supplies to be found in uninhabited areas. If you come across a high-end residential area in the city, it's okay to search it casually, but it seems a bit crazy to go specifically to a suburban villa with an average occupancy rate.

But judging from the results, Jiang Muyun and his companions obviously made a lot of money on this trip.

Any problem with the brain circuit instantly turns into a clear and unique idea.

Jiang Muyun, who was very thoughtful, decisively put the blame on Chu Buwen: "Ask our Master Chu, he was the one who found the place."

Several people looked at Chu Buwen at the same time.

Especially Qin Shiwen and Qin Shiwu. They heard from Chu Buwen that he rented a house in Nanshi and was almost unable to pay the rent. He seemed to have nothing to do with the villa area.

Chu Buwen pondered for a moment. "While delivering food, I took over an errand order from a wealthy second-generation man who lived alone. After delivering the food, the customer added another 200 yuan and asked me to go to the supermarket again. I wandered around for half an hour and couldn't find the entrance. It was another housekeeper who was buying soy sauce who took me there."

Chu Buwen spoke so convincingly that Zhou Ying, a poor peasant from three generations ago, was envious: "I also want to have this kind of happiness where money is nothing but dirt."

Jiang Muyun carefully wrapped up all the chili seeds he had picked up: "That's what I said, now you have it."

Wang Qingqing put her arm around Zhou Ying and said, "How about this? Let's go back to the city and find a big mall for you to go shopping in. You can experience the feeling of buying things without looking at the price."

"Get lost." Zhou Ying refused to listen. "I buy things every day without even checking the price, so why would I need to experience this? But can it be the same now as before?"

"F-1 fragmentation grenades." Li Anxuan looked at the ammunition that Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen had collected and piled up nearby and said, "This isn't something ordinary military or police officers would be equipped with. Are you guys okay?"

Jiang Muyun waved his hand casually: "No injuries. These were obtained from the Western Suburbs Base."

Jiang Muyun simplified the story and said that when he and Chu Buwen were passing through the mountains in the western suburbs, they accidentally encountered a group of second-generation rich people who wanted to rob them, so they killed them in order to protect themselves.

Even the fact that the second-generation rich man might be the only son of the boss of the Western Suburbs Base was not concealed.

Li Anxuan was silent for a moment, then asked calmly, "No one was left alive, right?"

Jiang Muyun spread his hands and said, "Don't worry about my work. If Lao Hei gets involved in a scam, I'll clean it up cleanly."

Chu Buwen also said calmly: "I checked them one by one."

He even took a special look at the unlucky guy buried in the ground. The other party was already dead before Jiang Muyun killed the second-generation rich guy.

"How exciting." Wang Qingqing murmured, "I don't know why, but I feel like you two have done something truly remarkable."

Qin Shiwen of the film magazine Bolanqun explained: "Perhaps because if this were a movie, what they do would be the protagonist's opening scene, enticing the second-generation rich man's father, the film's main boss, to hunt him down. Then the protagonist would defeat monsters, level up, and recruit followers, and in the end, justice triumphs over evil, with a happy ending."

Qin Shiwen summed it up: "A standard popcorn movie commercial blockbuster."

Jiang Muyun pretended to look at himself in the mirror and said, "If this is really a movie, with the looks and figures of the lead actor and actress, it shouldn't be a problem to make at least ten small box office hits, right?"

Qin Shiwen asked her, "Why don't you two go back to the western suburbs and shout that you two killed the man?"

Jiang Muyun: "Is there cement in my brain?"

Qin Shiwen looked regretful. "You two didn't leave a single one alive. If you don't turn yourself in, how will the boss know who killed the person? If the boss can't find the murderer, how can the plot of the movie move forward? Wouldn't this movie be aborted?"

Given the current situation outside, someone was killed and thrown away in the wilderness with no witnesses. Even if Conan came, he wouldn't be able to solve the case.

What's more, in the eyes of Qin Shiwen and others, the encounter between Jiang Muyun and the second-generation rich man was purely a coincidence, and the other party had no way of guessing the murderer based on the motive of the crime.

This is also the main reason why they can still sit here and chat and laugh.

As long as Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen don't go to the gate of the Western Suburbs Base and shout at the top of their lungs, "I killed your family's kid", no one will know who did it.

Jiang Muyun, who wasn't worried about the matter being exposed at all, handed the collected chili seeds to Zhou Ying: "How about soaking the chili seeds first? How many should we plant at a time?"

Zhou Ying counted briefly and said thoughtfully, "Let's soak a quarter of it first. If nothing sprouts, we can try other methods. If any of these seeds sprout, we can treat it as a bonsai and take good care of it. As long as one of them grows, it will be a huge profit if we trade it later."

Zhou Ying wrapped all the chili seeds, and the remaining dried chili skins with their souls drained out were solemnly handed to Chu Buwen by Jiang Muyun in exchange for a spicy grilled fish meal in the evening.

Zhou Ying was able to think of this transaction thanks to the company commander.

Before Jiang Muyun and Tang An parted ways, Tang An said that they would go to the North District Base on the 15th of every month, and the gathering place would remain the same every time.

If Jiang Muyun and the others wanted to join them, they could go directly to the South One Base to find them. Even if the South One Base established trade relations with other bases in the future, they would also welcome Jiang Muyun and the others to come along for a ride.

Not only Tang An and Jiang Muyun said this, but those who went to the Dawn Base also said similar things to Zhao Jiahao and the others.

"They looked like they had planned to trade long ago," Li Anxuan said. "The Dawn Base is quite populated, and it's been around for a long time, so it already has a relatively well-established trading market with various regulations and pricing. Zhao Jiahao and I went for a look, and there were quite a lot of things there, including some rare items. The variety is much richer than at the South One Base."

After all, the Nanyi Base was established not long ago, and it is located in the suburbs, quite far away from the surrounding urban areas.

As a result, the survivors of the South 1 Base need to travel long distances to collect supplies. They must focus on looking for key survival supplies. Some miscellaneous things are not worth transporting back from a long distance.

Jiang Muyun immediately understood what Li Anxuan said: "Now I know what kind of favor Captain Yu is selling."

The ten of them may not be able to be self-sufficient in everything, and there will always be times when they need to trade with others.

It would be fine if it was a small transaction, but if it was a transaction of scarce goods, it would be easy for them to be targeted with only a few people.

By then, following the team from South One Base would be much less troublesome than acting alone.

After listening to their explanation, Wang Qingqing still trusted her instincts. "Once a month, go whenever you want. Wouldn't that make us owe them an even bigger favor? Why would they help us like this?"

It has been raining continuously during this period, and the yield of other crops cannot be increased, so mushrooms have become their staple food.

This is something that can actually save lives.

In Wang Qingqing's opinion, the mushroom cultivation method taught to them by the South One Base was enough to offset all the favors they had done before.

Jiang Muyun stroked her fur, "After all, we have saved people before. Of course, there must be more than just this reason, so I guess Professor Chen may have some good news to tell us."

They had a lot of interactions with the South One Base. Jiang Muyun calculated and felt that the only thing that was still unsettled and worthy of such a big favor from the other party was the bag of castor seeds she had given to Professor Chen before.

Sure enough, a few days later, news came from the South One Base that a castor plant had successfully taken root and was currently growing well.

Along with this news, there was also a method for growing castor beans, and even a tutorial on how to handle coating agents.

Professor Chen specifically wrote that these seeds seem unable to germinate using common methods.

The only one she managed to grow was one she planted directly into moist soil after soaking the skin to soften it, and it sprouted naturally after a while. But it's possible that only one seed in the bag is still alive.

For Jiang Muyun and others, just being alive is enough for the time being.

They grow castor beans mainly for castor oil.

Castor bean oil contains trace amounts of toxicity. Taking a small amount is a good laxative. Using it to cook every day is an act of living a life of plenty.

Originally, they were afraid of being robbed, so they just wanted to grow some castor beans and extract oil for their own use, with no intention of selling the oil outside.

Even with the promise of lifetime free rides from the South One Base, they have no ambition to become oil tycoons.

Grow as much as you can and earn some pocket money.

After all, they still have chili peppers.

They are few in number and have little power, so they sell things at high prices rather than high quality. Their goal is to make a fortune quietly.

I would buy all sorts of good stuff in small quantities and sell them off, going back and forth between bases, only returning to the same base after a few months.

In this way, in the eyes of others, they are similar to those survivors in the apocalypse who are either lucky or have special experience in searching for supplies. They can make money without attracting attention.

Thinking about the future of castor oil and chili peppers, and then thinking about the family's breeding business that has begun to take shape, Jiang Muyun felt that they would become rich in the near future.

Both peppers and castor beans like heat, and these days are a good time to germinate them.

The dried chilies were all bought by Jiang Muyun around Xishi. They were basically dried by farmers at home and had not been over-processed. Later, Jiang Muyun kept them well in the space and just needed to soak them and wait for them to sprout according to the normal process.

Castor is a bit more difficult.

They divided a small amount of seeds and tried other methods to germinate them. Most of them followed Professor Chen's instructions, burying them in the soil after softening the skin, watering them abundantly, and then waiting for them to sprout naturally.

As a result, more than half a month passed, all the peppers sprouted and were planted in the soil, and even the two rebellious chickens in Jiang Muyun's house started laying eggs again, but there was still no movement from the castor beans.

Jiang Muyun deeply suspected that the bottle he left behind might not contain a single living seed.

Qin Shiwu said calmly, "Don't worry, don't worry. Maybe the seeds weren't soaked properly. Castor seeds have a hard outer shell, so it's normal for them to germinate after half a year if they're not soaked enough."

Recently, Qin Shiwu was inspired by the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" that Jiang Muyun gave him, and he often looked for various books when he went out to search for supplies.

Although most of the books were soaked to pieces, including those in plastic wrapping, there were always some that survived.

For example, a box of books was wrapped in plastic. The books on the outer layer were soaked, but the books in the center were not affected much.

For example, there are some collector's editions that are tightly packaged and obviously not meant for people to buy and read, or various books that are carefully cared for by their owners and put in sealed bags and stored in cabinets to prevent dust and moisture.

Among them, the books on traditional Chinese medicine that Qin Shiwu wanted were found in this way.

And there's not just one book, but a whole box.

The wooden box, which looked old and worn, and was older than Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen combined, was placed in an ordinary, inconspicuous residential building.

The lock on the box was so rusted it fell apart with the slightest effort, yet the box refused to let any water in. The books inside were as old as the box, but all intact, looking like they had been passed down from an old Chinese doctor.

They also recovered a number of Buddhist and Taoist classics - all of which were dug out from the same house as the medical books.

The same old box, with Taoist scriptures on the left and Buddhist scriptures on the right, implements freedom of belief quite thoroughly.

Jiang Muyun found an album in the cabinet, which contained a photo that had not been completely soaked.

An old lady with Buddhist beads on her wrist and an old man in coarse linen clothes are sitting side by side. They are holding a banner with gold letters on a red background that reads "The Compassionate Heart of a Doctor" and are smiling happily. The background of the photo looks like this house.

Jiang Muyun took out the photo and took it back with the two boxes of books.

After finding the book, Qin Shiwu studied Chinese medicine when he had nothing to do, and other people also started to read medical books.

It is always good to have many skills. Who knows, something you see today may become the key to saving your life one day in the future?

A group of amateur doctors spend their days poring over medical books, and after reading, they go around taking people's pulses to verify their learning results.

This joyful atmosphere made Dr. Qin recall his student days.

This recollection reminded him that he had not yet obtained his medical license.

It's just a few days away.

He had worked so hard for so many years and was about to get the certificate, but then the world ended!

The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and Qin Shiwu became more and more angry. One day, when he took his own pulse, he found some symptoms, and he started meditating every day to calm his mood.

Jiang Muyun was not sure whether Qin Shiwu had memorized the entire Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine in the end, but she saw that Qin Shiwu had memorized the Four Yellow Emperor's Classics quite well.

There is a tone of seeing through the world in his words.

Jiang Muyun patted Qin Shiwu and said, "Take it easy, old man. I just found a few copies of The Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King yesterday. Would you like me to lend them to you to relax? Don't push yourself so hard."

Jiang Muyun found those copies of The Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King in the toilet tank of a male dormitory in a high school in Yi City. Even the tsunami couldn't damage the words on the books at all, as they were packed so tightly.

They had brought back a few books before, but they were just the ones they found intact while searching for supplies. The number was extremely small, and they were basically incomprehensible.

It's different now.

The food out there was pretty much gone bad anyway, so they wouldn't starve to death with the mushrooms. They already had a full supply of daily necessities, so their need for other consumables wasn't urgent at the moment.

Unless they could get a generator and fuel, or happen to come across a store full of packaged foods that had not been searched by anyone like Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen, no matter how hard they tried to search for supplies, what they brought back would not be enough to significantly improve their lives.

Materially speaking, you have reached your limit, so it is normal to put your energy into your spiritual life.

Everyone's enthusiasm for finding books grew stronger and stronger, and they always carried a large backpack when they went out. The cart was used to haul firewood, which was their main job and they couldn't lose it, and the bag was specially prepared for carrying books.

Even though there were not many books that survived the flood and they often came back with empty bags, it did not dampen their enthusiasm.

In addition to looking for books, Jiang Muyun also picked up her skill of treasure hunting in remote places.

Anyway, I can hitch a ride with the South One Base caravan. I can sacrifice a small amount of time collecting wood and find more rare materials to exchange with others. This deal will not be a loss.

The wanderer Jiang Muyun has considerable experience in this area.

So the places where they searched for supplies became increasingly strange.

Just like this children's park that has been abandoned for a long time today, there are not many daily necessities in it, and few people would think of coming here to search for things.

Some anti-riot equipment was locked in the security room inside the children's park. Protective sponges were removed from various children's entertainment facilities. Even the elastic ropes and elastic fabrics on the trampolines were not spared. Many protective nets were dismantled, and all the oversized garbage bags in the park's utility room were taken away.

Jiang Muyun found some instant drinks, some of which he didn't know whether they were spoiled or not, as well as large barrels of commercial detergent in the restaurant's kitchen.

In the shops that were in ruins after the flood, there were still many plastic figurines buried under the ash and soil.

Jiang Muyun picked and chose, and took away those that seemed relatively intact.

Chu Buwen estimated the price of her bag of things and found it could probably be exchanged for a whole year's worth of food.

Zhao Jiahao thought it was impossible: "At this time, how could anyone exchange food for these things? They have too much supplies and they are in a hurry to burn them."

Jiang Muyun was speechless: "Didn't you say it all? He's the one with the most supplies."

At this time, those who are not short of supplies are more willing to spend money on such things.

Just like some people liked to buy gems before the end of the world.

Don’t ask why people buy it when it has no practical use, because people are willing to buy it and can afford it.

Although these small ornaments are water-resistant, they are easily scratched and will scatter everywhere when washed by water, so it is still difficult to find one in good condition. If you can collect a complete set and bring it to a large base, you will definitely be able to sell it for a good price.

Especially because they are small in size, light in weight, easy to carry and not attractive to thieves, they were one of Jiang Muyun’s favorite things to dig in his previous life.

After finding all these miscellaneous things, I shoveled the mud, sand and dust in the room into bags, dismantled the collected wooden horses and stools and loaded them into the truck. This trip was quite fruitful.

After all the items are loaded and stacked, use ropes and film to secure them all to prevent them from being blown away by the wind on the road.

Since the day Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen returned from Nanshi, the wind outside has never stopped.

This wind is different from the strong wind when it rains.

It's not as horrible as when it's not raining, but it just blows and doesn't stop.

And it blew on day after day, but it didn't blow away the dark clouds in the sky.

Not only did the dark clouds not disperse, but the rain fell more and more frequently.

The temperature is also increasing in tandem with the frequency of rain.

When Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen followed Tang An's team to South City for the second time and were trapped in the North District base by a rain that lasted the whole day, they realized that spring was about to pass.

This summer did not come suddenly. The hot and humid climate has lasted for quite some time, and the temperature has only risen from 28 or 29 degrees to 36 or 37 degrees.

However, days with temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius were already not very pleasant, and if the temperature went up a bit, they would feel like they were in a steamer.

They have already started counting the days to open the ice cellar.

It’s not open now, mainly because the past few summers were too scary.

They were afraid that if they opened the ice cellar too early, the temperature would continue to rise and there would be no ice when it was the hottest, and they would not be able to survive.

Besides, there is still wind outside. When it is not raining, it is not unbearable to be in the wind on the mountain.

It's just a little troublesome when I go out to work.

The current temperature is not so high that they cannot go out, and they don’t want to start sheltering at home as soon as the weather changes, so they have to consider how to prevent heatstroke when going out.

They rummaged through all the supplies they had, and in the end, the two old summer friends, Fengyoujing and Qingliangyou, stood out.

Jiang Muyun smelled the scent of menthol and thought for a moment, then opened a bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi water in public.

A familiar yet unpleasant smell spread instantly, and everyone shuddered.

Jiang Muyun leaned in to smell it himself, and immediately shivered uncontrollably.

"Even though it's expired, the smell is still there." Jiang Muyun said solemnly, "My body has muscle memory for it. I feel refreshed the moment I smell it. Smelling it more often should also have an effect, right?"

Wu Xingyue took two steps back and said, "No, my body has muscle memory for it, and I feel like vomiting when I smell it."

Wu Xingyue's physical condition was not very good at the beginning, so she drank Huoxiang Zhengqi water the most.

I'm really scared of giving her a drink.

Just because Wu Xingyue doesn’t want to drink doesn’t mean others don’t want to drink either.

Not long after Jiang Muyun's tube of Huoxiang Zhengqi water was boiled, her two rebellious chickens came out of the woods, smelling the scent.

At first, Jiang Muyun didn't know what they were trying to do, so he was led into the woods by these two rebellious chickens flapping their wings.

When we got there, we found that the three chicks, which had grown wildly into big fur balls, were huddled together in the grass.

They looked listless, and no matter what was happening around them, they looked indifferent to life and death and too lazy to move.

Jiang Muyun looked at the two rebellious chickens that had regained their noble demeanor, then looked at the three big balls of hair on the ground, and tentatively poured the tube of Huoxiang Zhengqi water in his hand onto the ground in front of him.

Without the restraint of the container, the extremely refreshing smell rushed out.

The three big fur balls turned their heads at the same time and stared at the area where the smell was the strongest.

A few seconds later, the three big fur balls that had just looked like they were ready to kill or chop you up, and if you move, you lose, slowly stood up and moved a little further away from where Jiang Muyun was.