Chapter 30
The plot of the superhero movie was very exciting and popcorn-like. Chao Youqian ate too many snacks, so after the movie ended, he lay sleepily in the chair and didn't want to get up.
Lang Xin turned on the eye-protection light in the audio-visual room, and Chao Youqian leaned back in the massage chair, feeling even more at ease, browsing his phone. The surfing expert immediately spotted the new trending search terms, and when he clicked on them, the dense swarm of flying ants made him nauseous.
Chao Youqian frowned and retched, quickly grabbing a glass of ice water to suppress his nausea. The water ants captured and magnified by the high-definition camera were truly unpleasant. They were unlike anything he had ever imagined, black, large, and emitting a venomous sheen.
He forwarded it to Lang Xin, who gloated over it and filled a glass of water for him. However, Lang Xin remained calm and even commented on the insect's appearance.
It was a mistake. I forgot that Lang Xin had done in-depth research on insects when he was developing a game. Chao Youqian still remembered that thick, ultra-clear picture album of insects. No, I feel a little sick when I think about it.
Lang Xin rubbed his back helplessly. He was like a cat to Youqian, cute and caring, but also wanting to tease him from time to time. "I'll get you some Chinese medicine pills to help with digestion. Drink a cup of hot water and go to bed early tonight."
Chao Youqian, feeling the bitterness of the pill, mumbled through a piece of licorice candy, "Okay, let's turn off the lights and go to bed early today. Those water ants are really attracted to light."
He just saw a circle of friends post from a classmate who stayed in school. The picture was taken from the dark dormitory window. Under the on street light, there were dense crowds of water ants, like snow. The caption said that he turned off the lights and windows and was shivering in the dark.
What's even more exaggerated is that people who ate at food stalls at dinner time had water ants all over their food and bodies. When they drove home, the water ants hit the car like raindrops.
Goosebumps appeared on his skin. After saying good night to Youqian and Langxin, he pulled the curtains in the room tightly and closed the windows. No matter how close the insects were to the glass, they couldn't get in. He reminded himself not to think about the army of water ants he had brushed against, and fell asleep quickly after wrapping himself in the quilt.
The sun still didn't come out the next day. When I woke up, it was already past 10 o'clock and the room was still dark. When Chao Youqian opened his phone, the first thing that popped up was the weather forecast news. The rain was coming again, with moderate to heavy rain in some areas, accompanied by a force 6 gale.
The next news feed lifted his spirits. Last night, water ants attacked several areas across the country, causing various damages. Officials urged residents to keep doors and windows closed after dark. Red-colored text indicated that these ants were somewhat toxic. Bite bites required disinfecting surfaces in contact with the bites and seeking medical attention immediately if any discomfort arose.
Chao Youqian brushed his teeth while watching the news. Other countries outside of China were also being attacked by insects attracted to light. Currently, except for the polar regions, the global temperature was high, and it was rainy and humid. This steamy environment was actually suitable for insects to reproduce.
As usual, Lang Xin got up earlier than him, heated up a frozen pork fillet and egg McMuffin in the refrigerator in the air fryer, grilled a few smoked sausages, and drank freshly ground coffee with oat milk.
If we start from the day Virus X was announced, they have been living at home for more than 40 days, almost 50 days. During this period, they did not strictly adhere to the standard of staying at home, and they bought supplies several times in the meantime, so their reserves were still very complete.
Although dine-in is not allowed in H City at present and people are required to scan codes, take tests and wear masks in public places, normal life and production have basically resumed.
Currently, the areas most severely affected by the X virus are only three cities in China that are still under lockdown, but the number of new cases is gradually decreasing to zero.
The policy has also been relaxed a bit. Residents have been restricted from going out for three hours a day to area-based unblocking and tiered management, allowing the majority of healthy people who have not been infected to return to normal life.
The news channel centered around the X virus, reporting on the number of X virus infections and deaths at home and abroad as usual. Everyone who saw it would sigh that it was fortunate that the country had taken strict measures in the first place.
A 5-minute science video was also featured, highlighting last night's water ant infestation. Emergency testing revealed a possible mutation of the water ants. The powder on their wings contains toxins that can cause pain and itching, but poses no health risks. Experts recommend disinfecting contact surfaces and applying a mild balm or other anti-itching agent. If the pain persists, seek medical attention.
A host from an agricultural science channel also appeared, stating that the country has introduced measures to facilitate farmers' efforts to secure a good harvest in anticipation of the upcoming autumn harvest. While the complex international situation and unusual weather have led to a decline in overall grain production, the country has ample reserves and preparations.
Chao Youqian downed the last sip of his coffee, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. The novel's main plot, as he remembered it, ended with a population dwindling to the point of cannibalism. Knowing there would be a major disaster in the future, but not knowing when or how it would occur, he couldn't help but feel down.
Lang Xin had finished breakfast long ago and spent half an hour in the gym. He went to the balcony every day to add nutrient solution to the vegetables and fruits he planted, observe for pests, and pick the leaves that grew in time.
"Chao Chao, come quickly!" The balcony and the living room were very close, and Lang Xin's puzzled voice could be clearly heard, "Why are the roots of these lettuces rotten?"
Chao Youqian rinsed the bitter taste out of his mouth with a cup of warm water and walked closer to examine it carefully. "Huh? Really? And only these few are rotten. The others are all fine."
I'm baffled. The nutrient solution and water are the same, and there's no distinction between them. The smart light's brightness is normal. If there's anything special about the rotten lettuces, it's that they were all on the edge of the multi-layer hydroponic rack.
I took a photo and sent it to the owner of the previous smart planting and breeding store. Before I could send a detailed description, he replied immediately:
[Overall, the planting is going great. Balcony planting will definitely become even more popular after this epidemic. I've received a lot more pre-orders.]
The boss was as warm-hearted and talkative as ever. Chao Youqian quickly sent a detailed picture of the rotten lettuce to interrupt him:
[Boss, I noticed today that some of the roots of my hydroponic plants are rotten. Although this is just an isolated case, I'd like to know what the cause could be? I've done all the same operations, and only these few have problems.]
After waiting for a few minutes, the boss replied:
The smart planting rack automatically changes the water, so the problem isn't water quality. Perhaps the nutrient solution is flooding too many parts of the plant. Alternatively, try increasing the pump's circulation frequency and duration. In the summer, high temperatures require the environment to be maintained below 30 degrees Celsius.
[Hydroponic plants don't easily rot. You can cut off the rotten parts and soak the roots in disinfectant, then replace the water with new water. After new roots grow, add nutrient solution.]
He sent an "OK" emoticon to Youqian, forwarded the precautions to Lang Xin, and increased the number of cycles of the water pump on the touchpad.
The weather outside is gloomy and muggy. I lower the central air conditioning to 22 degrees Celsius and run the dehumidifier I bought for the house. The fresh air system and the air purifier I bought during the renovation also kick in. Together, the air inside the house is fresher than a walk in the park.
The rotten lettuce was removed and discarded, and the section was cleaned. Lettuce matured very quickly, and they hadn't eaten all the previous harvest yet. Only a few of the lettuce had rotted, so it was better to clear it out and plant something else.
Two weeks before the announcement of the X virus, it was difficult to buy vegetables in the locked-down cities, and a trend emerged online of not throwing away the vegetable roots but growing them hydroponically in plastic bottles.
The result of these large-scale attempts has been a variety of failures. One tried growing fresh green onions and garlic hydroponically, but ended up filling the house with a pungent onion and garlic odor. Another tried growing sunlight, which promotes chlorophyll production, but the temperature on an unenclosed balcony was already over 30 degrees Celsius. The direct sunlight and high temperatures caused algae to grow on the roots, preventing them from growing normally.
Based on the experience of the past few dozen days, Chao Youqian and Lang Xin concluded that the most important things to note in hydroponics are to change the water frequently and add appropriate nutrient solution, control the amount of water so as not to submerge the entire root system, and choose suitable species. Leaf condiments such as rosemary and coriander are easier to grow than garlic.
Therefore, for species that are not easy to grow hydroponically, such as garlic, their storage method is to freeze the garlic paste and chili pepper rings. The whole garlic cloves are also washed and placed in food storage bags and frozen. Of course, in order to prevent the smell from coming from each other, they are wrapped tightly.
The tops of the newly grown green onions were already a little yellow. Chao Youqian used scissors to remove the yellow area, cutting a few centimeters above the root. He washed these fresh green onion segments and used them as garnish for the sauerkraut and pork ribs stew at noon.
After breakfast, the exercise was over. The sofa was large enough for both him and Lang Xin to lie down. Lang Xin took out his laptop to do some work. The project development team would still come to him for help when they encountered difficulties.
The value of the gaming company's shares has skyrocketed as people continue to stay at home. With the high returns, Lang Xin is happy to provide solutions to his veteran employees. Although the workload isn't large, his involvement is crucial, and he gets a share of the final project results.
Chao Youqian was more relaxed. The stock funds he held were all from hot industries. Thanks to the dividends from the X virus, their values were appreciating rapidly. He could still make money even if he just did nothing. He just had to take some time every day to observe the trends and decide whether to sell or buy.
So, with the background noise of TV news and the sound of Lang Xin typing on the keyboard, he put a pillow behind his back and leisurely browsed the recommendations on social networks.
Suddenly, a picture of a red moon caught the eye. The blogger said that he was annoyed by water ants and couldn't sleep yesterday. He stayed up all night until around three o'clock and suddenly felt that the moonlight had become brighter. He recorded a video and when he watched it back, he found that the moon turned red for a few tenths of a second. The screenshot showed a red moon.
More than a dozen comments below have questioned how a red moon could suddenly appear when it is not the time of total lunar eclipse. They suspect that the blogger used a filter.
The blogger quickly released a video proving his innocence, and it instantly became a viral sensation. However, the subsequent discussion was muted, as unusual astronomical phenomena have been frequent recently, and the topic faded after a few comments.
A thought suddenly popped into Chao Youqian's mind: Could the rotten lettuce have been caught in the gap between the curtains, caught by the crimson moonlight? This absurd speculation lingered. Searching for related keywords yielded no results, so Chao Youqian could only console himself and put his worries aside.
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