Chapter 79

Although she meant well and wanted to help, Jiang Zhi felt it was better to clarify some things, especially the disclaimer.

"Let me make it clear first, I can help, but I need to enter the mental pool to check, and I can't guarantee a 100% cure."

Mental damage of the level seen in Lin Yuan is the kind that is very difficult to treat.

If she doesn't tell everyone in advance, and then everyone's expectations are too high, she won't be able to handle it, and that would be incredibly embarrassing.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble Comrade Jiang Zhi to take a look."

Seeing that Lin Yuan had agreed, Professor Yang said impatiently, "Comrade Xiao Jiang, let's hurry up and make the most of this time."

Jiang Zhi was surprised that Lin Yuan agreed so readily.

No matter what, the mental pool is a very secretive place for mutants.

Showing your abilities to others is tantamount to completely exposing your strength.

She glanced at Lin Yuan and, seeing that he didn't seem to be reluctant, stepped forward and grasped his wrist.

The other person's knuckles weren't particularly prominent, but when they bent, they formed a sharp arc, like hard stones, demonstrating powerful strength.

The moment their skin touched, Jiang Zhi felt as if she were touching a block of ice that couldn't be melted.

My fingertips trembled involuntarily.

She glanced at Lin Yuan and slowly probed his spiritual energy into his inch-mouth.

As soon as she stepped inside, Jiang Zhi felt as if she had fallen into a huge abandoned warehouse.

—The opponent's mental pool is ridiculously large.

The bottom of the pool was pitch black and could not be seen to the end. There were large cracks around it, and scattered points of light flickered inside.

Jiang Zhi knew that Lin Yuan's injuries were not minor, but she was still surprised to see how serious they were.

This is equivalent to the other party's mental energy becoming a plug riddled with holes.

Jiang Zhi found it hard to imagine that someone with such an injury could still unleash the mental power to repel a peregrine falcon.

She hesitated for a moment, but still tried to spare a sliver of her spiritual energy and then, like applying putty, patched up the other person's damaged spiritual pool.

Unexpectedly, it was absorbed by the other party instantly as soon as it was applied.

at the same time.

Lin Yuan sensed a gentle yet powerful spiritual force surging through his mental sea.

The feeling was like someone waving a cake in front of someone who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights.

It's so sweet and delicious that it's hard to resist the temptation to eat it.

His current state is like that of someone who has been starving for three days and three nights.

In fact, Lin Yuan couldn't resist and directly absorbed the wisp of spiritual energy released by Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi was completely dumbfounded.

—This guy actually absorbed my spiritual power so rudely?

Jiang Zhi, refusing to believe in superstition, drew out another wisp of spiritual energy.

This time, before she could take any action, she vanished without a trace as soon as she entered the other party's mental pool.

But Lin Yuan was completely unaware of this.

At this moment, he was like an insatiable glutton, his entire spiritual pool revealing a state of hunger.

Jiang Zhi twitched the corner of her mouth.

Is she being treated like a snack?

Given Lin Yuan's damaged mental pool, it's estimated that it could drain her mental energy. If that's the case, she'd have to stay in bed for ten days to half a month.

At this point, Jiang Zhi dared not take the risk.

She gently released Lin Yuan's hand.

Upon seeing this, Professor Yang quickly asked, "How is it? Comrade Jiang, is Captain Lin alright?"

Lin Yuan looked up at the girl in front of him.

On the surface, he remained calm as usual, but inside, a raging storm was brewing.

—The girl's few strands of spiritual power shattered the silence like a thunderbolt—pure to the point of being almost crystal clear, and abundant to the point of being far beyond imagination. Just one strand was equivalent to ten strands that others had painstakingly condensed.

He could even feel that his condition had improved considerably.

Jiang Zhi glanced at Lin Yuan, who seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "I'm sorry, Professor Yang, I can't help you with anything for the time being."

Lin Yuan's situation is like a basin full of holes; if it's not repaired, no matter how much spiritual energy is channeled in, it will only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

Note that Jiang Zhi said it was temporary, not impossible.

He glanced up and looked over, his gaze lingering on Jiang Zhi's face for half a second longer before quickly looking away.

The professors were prepared and were not disappointed.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhi said, "However, I have a special item here that can nourish spiritual power. Brother Lin Yuan can try it."

It's that name again.

Lin Yuan looked over again and saw that Jiang Zhi's expression was normal, so he casually looked away.

Jiang Zhi didn't have any complicated thoughts; she just felt that since the Lin family had taken such good care of their family, there was nothing wrong with calling Lin Yuan "brother."

Professor Yang was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Comrade Jiang, you're willing to give it up?"

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "There's nothing I'm unwilling about. With Brother Lin Yuan's strength restored, our safety will be more guaranteed."

As she spoke, she took out a few ginkgo leaves that could nourish spiritual energy from her backpack. "I've used this quite a few times, so if Brother Lin Yuan doesn't mind, you can give it a try."

Professor Yang was so happy that he said "good" several times in a row.

He was extremely satisfied with Jiang Zhi. The girl had special abilities, was not arrogant or conceited, and had a strong sense of righteousness.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, don't worry, we won't let you suffer any losses. I will write a report to the base and ask the higher-ups to send you a special item of equal value."

Jiang Zhigan chuckled twice, feeling somewhat guilty. "Professor Yang, you're too kind..."

The truth is, she had almost used up all of these mutated ginkgo leaves; they no longer had the ability to enhance mental power and could only be used for daily nourishment. That's why she was willing to take them out.

Even so, it was enough to make Lin Yuan feel a little better.

Lin Yuan looked up at the special item in the girl's hand. Seeing her sincere expression, he reached out and took it. "Thank you. I'll remember this favor."

Jiang Zhi was a little embarrassed. "You're welcome. Grandpa Lin has helped us a lot too."

Lin Yuan smiled.

He didn't say anything more.

While they were talking, the soldiers had already filled in most of the potholes that were obstructing the vehicles' passage.

After Liu Haining and the others disassembled and packed up the communication equipment, the team was ready to continue their journey.

Their large group meant they would have to take a long detour, and if they didn't speed up, it would be ages before they reached Hunan Province.

Watching Jiang Zhi return to her group, Lin Yuan subtly brushed his hand over the spot where the girl had just touched him.

There seemed to be a trace of warmth still lingering there.

And he seemed to still be able to sense that pure spiritual power.

Warmth and steadfastness.

Lin Yuan's lips curled slightly.

It truly is one of a kind in the world.

Professor Yang: "Captain Lin, your situation is special. Next time, unless absolutely necessary, please don't use your superpowers."

Lin Yuan: "Professor Yang, don't worry, I'm much better now."

Professor Yang thought it was the mutated ginkgo leaves that had worked, and was very pleased. "That's good."

There was also a hint of regret: "It would have been better if Comrade Xiao Jiang's ability level was a little higher. What a pity."

Lin Yuan laughed.

This girl's level is quite high.

"Yes, what a pity."

*

Ancheng Base, 1 p.m.

What should have been a bright and sunny day was instead blocked by layers of thick clouds, not a single ray of sunlight could be seen.

Many pedestrians on the road were wrapped in thick, large lotus leaves to ward off the sudden drop in temperature.

Some even had two holes dug in them for easier work, so that their arms could stick out.

From a distance, it looks rather comical.

Jiang Hai and his nephew Jiang Wen, dressed in similar attire to passersby, pushed a cart full of timber back home.

Niu Dali followed behind, still dressed in thin clothes.

As they passed by their low-rent housing, Jiang Hai and his nephew Jiang Wen could clearly feel the pairs of eyes watching them.

That gaze almost materialized.

Even now, some people are still trying to take advantage of timber.

Fortunately, many people knew of Niu Dali's reputation, so no conflict occurred.

When he returned to the self-built housing area, Jiang Wen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily, Brother Dali is here, otherwise those people would probably have made a move."

Niu Dali chuckled and said, "Azhi and my wife told each other that since they're not here, our two families should help each other out."

Jiang Hai also said with a smile, "So Dali, if you need any help, don't be shy about asking."

Niu Dali scratched his head. "Okay, I'll tell my wife."

The three chatted as they walked, their feet moving at lightning speed.

At the same time, the cold wind stung my face.

The slight warmth that the body had generated from the intense exercise was instantly dissipated by the wind.

Jiang Wen shuddered.

"This awful weather! The temperature dropped to the teens in a flash. I thought we had two months to prepare, but it's only been a few days and we've gone straight from summer to near winter."

After learning from Ye Qingyun that the brother and sister had participated in the base's closed research project with Jiang Shan, the temperature suddenly plummeted a few days later.

The residents, who had little savings, were terrified.

Winter hasn't even officially arrived yet, and it's already unbearably cold. Who knows what it will be like when winter truly arrives?

In those few days, a small-scale disturbance occurred at the base as a result.

More than a dozen households in Block 4 of their self-built housing area were robbed.

This is practically asking someone to die.

Each family had at least several hundred kilograms of grain, all of which they had hoarded with the combined efforts of the entire family, and it's all gone just like that!

Jiang Wen went to join the fun that day, and he can't forget the desperate expressions on those people's faces.

When everyone knows they are about to face extreme cold, stealing other people's food is no different from murder!

Although the base's patrolmen eventually helped recover most of the food, at times like this, even losing a single pound of food can cause heartache for a long time.

Because of this incident, everyone in the base was on edge, and whenever they went out, they would form gangs and travel in groups.

Area B has completely sealed off its main gate, leaving only a narrow entrance connecting it to Area C. A guard post has been set up there, and everyone entering or leaving must register; the checks are very thorough.

In the end, the base had to increase patrols again and make an example of a few offenders to deter others from committing similar crimes, which brought the theft and robbery to a halt.

Jiang Hai said with some emotion, "It's thanks to A-Zhi's early discovery that something was wrong that we were able to prepare so thoroughly."

Otherwise, their entire family would probably have a hard time surviving this winter.

After returning to the self-built housing area, Niu Dali escorted the uncle and nephew to their doorstep before going back home.

As soon as the uncle and nephew entered the courtyard, Wu Xiu quickly came over to help unload the goods.

Upon seeing that the amount of timber collected today was a third less than yesterday, he asked, "Why is there so much less?"

Jiang Hai sighed: "There's nothing we can do. Due to the weather, there are far fewer mutated plants in the gathering area. Everyone is afraid that when winter really comes, we won't even have a single leaf to eat, so everyone is pulling as much as they can... We only managed to get these logs because we were so efficient."

Logically speaking, a temperature of around ten degrees Celsius shouldn't make anyone feel cold.

But for some reason, even under the bright sunlight these days, people still feel cold and damp.

This completely ignited panic among the base's residents.

Almost every day, each collection area was crowded with people.

At this point, regardless of whether it could be used or not, as long as it was of moderate to low toxicity, everyone would accept it without hesitation.

Those popular gathering areas have become visibly bald.

Wu Xiu was somewhat worried: "At this rate, I'm afraid that in just a few days, we won't be able to find any timber outside."

As the weather gets colder, everyone knows how important timber is, and the trees in the harvesting area are not growing as fast as they are being harvested.

Previously, when the Jiang family was stockpiling goods, they always thought that even if winter came, there would be no shortage of rotten leaves and dead wood, so no one thought about stockpiling more timber.

As a result of the climate change, everyone went crazy and crowded into the collection area.

Look, it's only been a few days, and the harvest has already been reduced by more than half.

Timber is a consumable resource; the less you use, the less there is. When the time comes, the little bit of timber they have stockpiled will definitely not be enough.

Yuan Ying helped move the things to the foot of the Jiang River and asked him to pack up all the timber.

One person said, "Didn't the broadcast yesterday say that the recent high temperatures were caused by cold fog from the Qiling Mountains next to Collection Area No. 8? Why are so many people still going there to join in the fun?"

The base's implication is that there's a possibility of a further warming up.

But nobody believed it.

Grandma Jiang: "How can we not fight for it? This is a life-or-death matter. We've prepared quite a lot, otherwise I think you'd be even more anxious than them."

Yuan Ying knew this perfectly well; she just kept complaining.

If her family hadn't stocked up on food beforehand, she would definitely have been one of those people.

This is similar to the situation in the past when people frantically hoarded salt when there were talk of war or an epidemic.

The temperature has genuinely dropped to the ten-plus degrees Celsius; who cares what caused it?

Jiang He took the wood from his wife and placed it on the workbench to sand and cut: "It's alright, I've taken on quite a few orders these past few days, we'll let them pay with the wood later."

Jiang Hehui makes kang (heated brick beds), and lately he and Han Lei's brothers have taken on quite a few jobs.

Jiang He was only responsible for overseeing things, while Han Lei's subordinates were responsible for doing the work. After a few days, they made quite a bit of money.

Jiang Wen was worried that his father's health couldn't take it, so he went over to help: "Dad, you stayed up half the night again last night. Let me do it. You go and get some rest."

At times like these, pragmatic individuals like Jiang He are busiest.

Jiang He didn't try to be stubborn: "Okay, remember to make all these pieces of wood into cubes. Don't cut corners to be lazy, or it will be hard to maintain later."

Jiang He has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He had cut the timber he collected over the past few days into roughly the same length and thickness, then stacked them one by one from the base of the wall up to half a person's height, each piece neatly arranged. It was hard to find even a speck of wood in the gaps; they were perfectly straight, as if measured with a ruler. It looked so neat and tidy, even more pleasing to the eye than a painting hanging on the wall.

Jiang Wen smiled and agreed.

Jiang Hai and his friends planned to try making charcoal from the remaining large scraps.

From a resource utilization perspective, it is more cost-effective to turn wood into charcoal.

If successful, turn half of the wood into charcoal.

Xu Na was making clothes in the hall. Seeing that things were busy outside, she wanted to go out and help, but Ye Qingyun pressed her down.

“You’re pregnant, so we can do the heavy work.”

Jiang Si raised her hand and said crisply, "Auntie, I'll keep an eye on Second Aunt for you!"

Ye Qingyun smiled and patted her head: "Good girl, Sisi."

After Jiang Suimo finished writing, she took the writing to Ye Qingyun and asked, "Auntie, do you think this is correct?"

Ye Qingyun was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected that the child could write so well after she had only corrected Jiang Sui's writing once.

"Yes, yes, that's right. Our Sui Sui is so smart, even smarter than your little aunt was when she was little."

Jiang Sui was a little embarrassed by the praise.

It was Grandpa Jiang's idea to send the children to school.

In fact, in today's world, the Jiang family does not insist on reading and writing.

However, Jiang Sui is talented and sensitive to numbers. In addition, the base now attaches great importance to the research institute, and Jiang Sui herself likes to read. So, they thought they would let Jiang Sui study in his spare time as a backup plan.

After completing the dictation task, Jiang Sui thoughtfully helped with the housework.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's still damp and chilly. So, Grandma Jiang and a few other women in charge of the household have been making thin cotton-padded jackets from the leftover scraps of cotton.

This is no easy task. First, you have to take the long-sleeved clothes you used for gathering in the summer, cut them into large pieces, wash them, and let them dry thoroughly. Then, you have to use the same color cloth to patch up any holes or wear and tear.

In the past, for convenience, the whole family chose dark-colored fabrics. If we couldn't find the same color, patching it up wouldn't look out of place.

Then cut two rectangles of the same size to be the lining and the outer layer, leaving a half-inch seam allowance at the edges. Then loosen the prepared cotton wadding and spread it on the lining, making sure it is even and compact, avoiding lumps.

Finally, cover it with the outer fabric and sew it around the edge of the garment. That's it.

These are all details, and most men can't be patient enough to handle them, so they leave them all to the women in the family.

For pregnant women like Xu Na, the others only let her do sewing and mending work.

Fortunately, Xu Na is skilled with her hands and will sew extra vertical lines to secure the cotton thread, preventing it from clumping together after a few wears. Moreover, the thin cotton-padded jackets that Xu Na mends have fine stitches, making it less prone to leaking cotton, bulging, or hardening.

After a few days, they made thin cotton-padded jackets for the elderly couple and the children. As for the others, they didn't have enough fabric at home, so Wu Xiu and the others discussed it and decided that for people their age, they could just make mandarin jackets, which would be convenient for working.

In addition, to prevent rain and snow in winter, Ye Qingyun gritted his teeth and disassembled his and his wife's down jackets to make a large raincoat that could be worn over their heavy cotton-padded clothes.

Grandma Jiang entered the hall, rubbed her stiff hands, and sat back down at the table to continue cutting fabric. "The weather is getting colder and colder. It's dropped a few degrees today compared to yesterday. The temperature gauge says 14 degrees, but it feels more like 4 degrees to me."

"Mom, please wear more clothes, don't catch a cold."

Grandma Jiang was also worried that she would get sick at her age and become a burden on her children and grandchildren, so she said, "Okay, I'll go drink a bowl of ginger water later."

We keep ginger water at home these days, mainly because many people have caught colds and fevers after the temperature dropped.

As a result, Grandpa Jiang, the barefoot doctor who was skilled at treating headaches and fevers, became extremely busy.

"By the way, Mom, yesterday I exchanged some mutated rubber tree leaves with the Zhang family. These leaves are thick enough, so I can use them to put on the kang (heated brick bed) for you and Dad."

Both of them are eighty years old, an age when they are most afraid of the cold.

Even women like them need to lay dry straw on the kang (heated brick bed) several times to keep warm, let alone the two elderly people.

Therefore, Ye Qingyun specially replaced several rubber trees for the two elderly people to use as mattresses.

After the mutation, each leaf is over 1.5 meters long and 3 centimeters thick. The density is very high, and people can lie on it without worrying about sap being squeezed out. It is one of the most popular bedding products at the base recently.

On days like this, adding a layer of soft cloth not only keeps you warm but also makes you very comfortable.

Grandma Jiang said with a smile, "It just so happens that your dad has been saying that his knees are sore from the cold these past few days. He even found the kang (heated brick bed) too hot to sleep on in the summer, but now that the weather has cooled down, it feels chilly."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted while keeping their work going.

Ye Qingyun was worried that Xu Na would hurt her eyes by doing needlework for too long, so she said, "Xiaona, take a break. If you feel like you have nothing to do, make some windproof coats for your uncle and the others using lotus leaves. I see them wearing them every day, and it must be quite inconvenient."

Xu Na quickly agreed.

The crime rate in the base has increased recently, so in order not to be targeted when going out, we have to dress like everyone else, the more tattered the better.

Although the lotus leaves weren't very warm, they were good at blocking the wind, and many people would wear them when going out.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sui said, "Second Aunt, let me help you."

Yuan Ying happened to walk in from the courtyard and couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, saying, "Oh, our Sui Sui is so sensible."

“Since you’ve been helping every year, it would be unreasonable for me not to help.”

Yuan Ying laughed as she picked up a lotus leaf and went back to work.

The mutated lotus leaf is very tough; sometimes even with force, it may not be able to tear.

Yuan Ying and Xu Na symmetrically cut half a head-sized hole at the top of the leaf near the center, just the right size to use as a pullover.

Then the two of them measured the length of their forearms from both sides of the lotus leaf toward the center, cut an arc-shaped slit on each side, folded the cut edges of the lotus leaf outwards, and sewed them into sleeves using a rope as needle and thread.

Then pinch a small pleat on each side of the waist, thread it with dried lotus pod stems and tighten it, and you can make it one size fits all, so that anyone in the family can wear it.

After Yuan Ying and her daughter-in-law made several sets of lotus leaf shirts, Jiang Sui counted them and found that there were only three sets: "Grandpa's, Second Uncle's, Second Uncle's... Hey, Second Aunt, aren't you going to make one for Little Uncle?"

Xu Na felt a little embarrassed by the question. She didn't know when Jiang Shu would return and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Ye Qingyun said with a smile, "By the time your uncles and the others come back, it might already be winter."

Yuan Ying asked in surprise, "So long? Qingyun, what kind of research have my brothers been doing that they've been locked up for so long?"

Ye Qingyun laughed and said, "How would I know? It's a secret."

Yuan Ying muttered, "Since it's at the base, why not let people come back from time to time? The base is being too inhumane."

Ye Qingyun smiled, suppressing his worries.

He didn't say anything more.

Just as everyone was busy with their own things, a knock suddenly sounded on the door.

Everyone's expression tightened.

Jiang Hai frowned. "Don't be nervous, Wen. Come with me to open the door."

No wonder the Jiang family was nervous.

Who would normally visit someone's home at this time?

After Jiang Hai and Jiang Wen placed the hoes from their home on either side of the door, they asked through the door, "Who is it?"

"Is Comrade Ye Qingyun home? We are from the base research institute and are here to deliver communications information to Comrade Ye Qingyun."

Everyone looked at each other, somewhat puzzled.

Ye Qingyun's heart skipped a beat.

She quickly stood up and walked out of the yard, taking bigger steps than usual, but her feet felt unsteady, as if she were walking on cotton.

"I...I'll go open the door."

As soon as the door opened, two researchers in uniforms were standing outside.

"Is this Ms. Ye Qingyun? Here is an audio recording of your communication. Please listen to it."

Ye Qingyun was a little nervous.

She was the only one who knew that her husband and children were away on missions. What if something happened to them...?

Thinking of this, Ye Qingyun felt his body go weak.

She took a deep breath and accepted the round glass bead.

The researchers laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's not bad news. When no one's around, you can squeeze this communication bead to listen to it."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyun visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After signing for it, Grandma Jiang asked, "What is this? Did Dashan and the others give it to us?"

Wu Xiu: "Sounds like it's for leaving messages? The base still has such high-tech stuff?"

Jiang Hai said, "It should be reserved specifically for my younger brother and sister-in-law. Didn't those two researchers just say that they wanted my younger brother and sister-in-law to listen to it when no one was around? It's a secret."

Seeing his family members looking over curiously, Ye Qingyun, afraid of giving himself away, quickly said, "What you say is true, brother. I don't know what's inside yet. We'll tell you after we hear it."

Grandma Jiang was also worried about her son, grandson, and granddaughter, and urged, "Then you should listen quickly, in case something serious happens."

Ye Qingyun responded.

Just as she entered the room, the base's highest alert suddenly sounded—

"Waaah—"