The weather in October certainly did not disappoint.

At the beginning of the month, it's still so hot that you can only wear a light jacket, but by the middle of the month, you have to switch to a wool coat.

I'm afraid that by the end of the month I'll have to change to a down jacket.

Autumn is so short that if you're not careful, you won't even be able to catch its tail.

In mid-month, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences released its results on whether wheat seeds that failed to adapt to the altered sunlight could germinate. Everyone was confused; they still didn't know if these seeds could grow.

Actually, even the bigwigs at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences are going bald. They've already sown several handfuls of mixed wheat grains recently.

However, it's impossible to tell from the germination results which ones are adapted to changes in sunlight and which ones are not.

We can only guess that those that grew slower and showed signs of withering were those that failed to pass natural selection.

The bigwigs also planted some wheat grains from the withered ears of wheat.

However, the two types of wheat grains were discovered a bit late, and very few of these specimens remained, so they dared not destroy them all.

But judging from the way it's sprouting, it's really hard to tell what's going on.

Anyway, they've seen green leaves, but they can't guess how it will grow after that, given the short time that's passed.

Also, their experiments are mostly conducted indoors, which is quite different from the external environment. It's unclear whether releasing these wheat seedlings into the sunlight would trigger a new round of natural selection.

There are still many topics to be researched, but they really don't have enough time to complete them before the autumn planting season. They can only share the existing results, which don't offer much guidance.

However, even if agricultural experts have figured it out, it won't have much impact on most people.

They didn't pay attention to the difference when they harvested the seeds and mixed the two kinds together. Even though they know they are different now, they can't tell them apart.

Unable to buy any other seeds, I had no choice but to plant them haphazardly. At worst, I'd harvest a batch of bitter grains, but at least I could eat them and wouldn't go hungry.

Experts believe that the current environmental conditions are more suitable for growing annual herbaceous plants with edible tubers, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes. They speculate that growing underground would likely provide them with immunity to sunlight.

However, with short spring and autumn seasons and long winter and summer seasons, it's difficult to find a suitable time for planting. You can't just harvest wheat and rice halfway through planting these grain crops that take months to grow.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan had a sudden inspiration and made several planting frames using storage boxes and cardboard boxes, planting potatoes and sweet potatoes respectively.

I wonder how many fruits they can produce or how big they'll grow in this cramped little box. Anyway, they don't take up much space, so I'll just plant them and see.

They posted the planting video on Weibo, and just like when they first started growing vegetables, it attracted a large number of people to follow suit.

The two of them were quite happy about this. Being able to make full use of time and space to enrich the dining table is a good thing for everyone.

As time went by, the temperature dropped lower and lower.

At the end of October, the daytime high temperature in Shanghai was only around ten degrees Celsius, while at night it was close to zero degrees Celsius.

In North Harbin, Simon's City, and other northern cities, daytime temperatures have already dropped below zero. The league, concerned that the recently repaired heating pipes might freeze and burst again, quickly notified the heating department to be ready to provide heating at any time.

This year, thanks to thorough preparation, there wasn't a large-scale migration south to escape the cold. However, it's also clear that people in the north are having a tough time.

Not to mention the low temperature and discomfort of living there. Just look at the fields. The sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn that were painstakingly replanted have ripened and been harvested, but when they thought about planting some winter wheat, they were afraid it would freeze to death and they would lose everything.

If we don't plant anything, we don't know what to do with the empty land, and there aren't any food crops that can withstand temperatures of minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius.

They work hard all year round, only to harvest one crop of grain, and it's not even staple food like rice or flour. Can you imagine how disheartening that is?

Things are different now than before, when you could buy whatever you wanted.

Even if people in the north wanted to buy some bitter rice or bitter flour at the market, they had to wait for an opportunity.

If it weren't for the league's behind-the-scenes intervention, many people would probably be starving to death on the roadside.

Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan, dressed in pajamas and wrapped in quilts, sat by the small stove warming themselves by the fire.

As for the two little ones, they were crawling back and forth on the bed next to them.

Shen Yanming has already installed guardrails around the bed, so he's not worried about the two little rascals accidentally falling off.

However, the couple stayed by their side, fearing that something might happen.

"Looking at this weather, it's probably just as cold as last year. I wonder if it will be this cold every year from now on," Bi Qiaoan said.

Shen Yanming got up and touched the foreheads of the two curious children. Seeing that they were warm and not sweaty, he sat back down.

"I guess so, but I'm afraid it will be even colder."

The couple sighed and then picked up their phones to go online.

There are many news articles online, including daily reports about migrant workers farming abroad.

Because the alliance took winter temperatures into account, the countries that signed the cooperation agreement were all small neighboring countries south of Qinghua and north of the equator.

The laborers arrived at just the right time, planting the seeds just before the temperature dropped. Now they're all staying indoors with nothing to do.

Also, being located near the equator, its temperature is higher than that of most cities in Qinghua Kingdom.

At present, temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius are quite comfortable.

In winter, the temperature remains around 10 degrees Celsius, which is better than in most cities in China.

These laborers were quite smug, feeling they had gotten a great deal, as they had more rest time than working time every day abroad, and they were practically bored out of their minds.

That is, they didn't take into account the heavy labor after winter and the high temperatures when summer comes near the equator; otherwise, they would probably be crying.

They and the criminals drifted along, living each day listlessly, without ever considering the relationship between giving and receiving.

The guards leading the group, however, were very disciplined every day. When they weren't on farming assignments, they would train on their own, always maintaining a physique stronger than the average person.

Some diligent laborers started practicing after being lazy for a while, while others just pretended not to see it.

Within Qinghua, those with family members on missions abroad are not so worried because they receive news from their loved ones every now and then.

The fact that the laborers who were carrying out special tasks in China never reported that they were safe has caused some families to become anxious, fearing that their children might have encountered an accident.

Zeng's parents were extremely worried and even called Shen Yanming once to inquire about the situation.

But Old Shen, being just a lowly henchman, knew nothing and could only comfort the elderly couple: "No news means everything is normal, don't worry unnecessarily."

It was only after Qinghe Alliance learned of the situation and pinned a post on their official Weibo account saying, "They are fine and working hard!" that everyone was relieved.