Chapter 33
After Chao Youqian and Lang Xin checked the conditions of each room and the storage of supplies in the villa, they felt that the air humidity on the upper floors was much lower. Although it was not to the point of mold growth, small water droplets were still emerging when dehumidifying from time to time.
The villa's ventilation system was set to its highest setting, the air conditioner was set to 20 degrees Celsius, and a high-powered dehumidifier was running continuously on two underground floors. A humid environment is not good for human health, and vacuum-packed supplies cannot withstand prolonged high humidity.
When basic renovations such as waterproofing and moisture-proofing were done, the entire house was covered. Because they used to live in Province G, which has a very humid climate called the Return of the South Wind, Chao Youqian also built a thickened partition wall and waterproof paint on the basement and the first floor when he renovated it again. The floor was also flat, not a floor that is easily affected by moisture, but marble tiles.
The roof is equipped with a lightning rod and bird-repellent radar, and the sloped roof provides excellent drainage. After the recent heavy rain, the waterproof, transparent privacy film covering the building has performed well, and the fixed solar charging panels are still functioning normally.
The overall area is larger than that of a flat, after all, there are six floors in total. The canned food and other long-shelf-life foods stored are twice the inventory of a flat. We always pay attention to the temperature and humidity conditions to ensure that there is no loss of materials.
In the villa's basement, there were three large upright freezers, similar in layout to those on the ground floor, storing pre-prepared meals, bread and pastries, and a variety of meats. The first-floor kitchen, a similar refrigerator, was relatively bare, save for a few bottles of juice and soda in the refrigerated compartment.
I placed a large order with Dari in the whole city. The villa is very spacious. In addition to the refrigerator on the first floor and the freezer on the basement floor, there are also two refrigerators on the third floor specifically for drinks, ice cream and other snacks.
Since they wanted to experience a little farming life in the villa, they chose to find professionals to use special equipment to handle some of the initial heavy manual labor.
After putting the traps in the tool storage room and reporting to the property management, the professional team quickly transported the large machine to the outside of the yard. Since the area was small, they did not weed separately. They used a large shovel to dig away the original weeds and waste soil, replaced them with nutrient soil that would not breed insects, and then used another small machine to plow the land.
With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, starting with sowing wouldn't be feasible for any variety. This led the company to bring in mature, seasonal plants and plant them according to the layout of the yard. Compared to hydroponic vegetables grown on high floors, these fruits and vegetables have roots that are more than twice as thick, and the fruit is larger.
While the team diligently renovated the yard, the two of them drove to buy some other necessities and returned to the flat to sort out some matters. The drive from the villa to the flat took less than half an hour, of course, this was also due to the reduced traffic on the road caused by the X virus.
The home appliances on the flat are also intelligent. The temperature and humidity can be controlled remotely to a range suitable for material storage. The main things that need to be dealt with are the large number of vegetables and fruits on the balcony and the chickens that are still in the growth stage.
After being cared for for such a long time, these seemingly thin roots in the hydroponic racks have also produced one or two waves of fruits. The trunk of the car they drove this time was very large, with two sets of spare hydroponic racks and a large number of seeds left on the flat floor. This still vibrant rack was dismantled into two layers and placed in the car.
The chicken coop is also loaded into the trunk. I originally bought it because the owner raised them effortlessly, without odor or noise. However, after all this time, the chickens still produce a certain odor from their secretions, especially when the balcony door is open and the fresh air system ventilates the entire house. While I can change the mat every half day at home to reduce the odor, if I don't do anything about it for a week, it will definitely become a very smelly place.
Chao Youqian wanted to live in the villa for a while, partly because he wanted to change the environment and raise chickens. Fresh eggs are still very good, but it is still a bit difficult to raise large chickens in high-rise buildings.
This time, I took the opportunity to move these chickens to the spacious and open yard while staying at the villa. There are also frozen fresh eggs, instant soft-boiled eggs, tiger skin eggs, etc. in the flat freezer for backup.
Except for the area with solar photovoltaic panels on the 27th floor, all the windows and curtains were closed and locked in other places. They left this place where they had lived the longest in H City.
The boss who had previously purchased smart planting racks and chicks said enthusiastically that he also had various kits for this purpose after hearing that they were going to start soil cultivation.
Driving to the market, Chao Youqian was a little curious about how skilled the boss was in breeding and planting, and how he had opened shops in various fields and achieved good success.
When we arrived, the internet-famous market that used to be bustling with people was now only sparsely populated. The owner's soil-based planting shop was opposite his hydroponic supplies store.
"Boss, how come you opened so many planting-related stores? You're really a multi-disciplinary expert." Chao Youqian asked curiously as he looked at the store's wide variety of potions, fertilizers, and professional tools.
The boss said with a bit of pride and embarrassment, "Well, that's just because of the development of the times. Urbanization is becoming more and more widespread, and everyone wants to do it themselves. No matter how much you can grow, what you grow yourself is definitely green and safe."
He sighed and continued, "I also had a fish fry shop, but it's closed and is being sold. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend you to raise some fish. You see, the policies in the city are so strict now, it's hard to buy fresh fish."
It wasn't that Chao Youqian was too tactless to keep asking questions. It was simply because the words "Come and ask me why" were written on the boss's face. He cooperated and said, "Then why did you close the fish fry shop?"
As if he had finally found someone to talk to, the boss couldn't stop talking. "Hey, if you weren't an old customer, I'd be embarrassed to tell you this. Eighty to ninety percent of the new fry in every tank in my store died. Even if I had money, I couldn't afford such losses. Moreover, the epidemic has led to a decrease in customer traffic. I can't even make back the rent, so I closed the store and sold it."
"I told others about this, and they all said there must be something wrong with my fish. It's hilarious. I've been running this business for so many years and have never had this problem. The fish died around the same time as the lettuce you sent me that had rotten roots. I think it must be an environmental issue. The climate is changing so drastically right now."
The boss looked like he had a lot more to say. Chao Youqian recalled the feeling of being bombarded with complaints from Zhao Tian and secretly poked Lang Xin on the back. He wondered if it was because he looked so gentle that he always complained to him, while Lang Xin had a cold image and so rarely talked to him.
Lang Xin understood and raised the corner of his mouth, diverting his boss's attention to discuss the changes in the world's environment and the need for this generation to protect the environment and leave a home that can continue to develop for future generations.
Strolling around the store and admiring the various agricultural products, a sudden flash of inspiration crossed Chao Youqian's mind. Could it be the same time as the lettuce roots at home rotted, as it was the red moon that night?
"Boss, where do you put the fish in your fish fry shop at night?"
The boss, who had spoken to Lang Xin frankly, was a little puzzled but said cheerfully, "It was too hot a while ago, so we kept them in the store during the day. It's cooler at night, so we put the newly arrived fry at the door. What's wrong?"
Chao Youqian's face paled. "It's nothing. I just wanted to ask, could it be that someone accidentally put something into the water tank that caused the fish to have problems?"
The boss waved his hand casually. "No, I have surveillance cameras installed at the entrance of my shop. This is a model-level market and there are always security patrols."
This sentence only deepened Chao Youqian's worries. He forced a smile. Lang Xin glanced at him worriedly and said, "We have something else to do later. Just deliver the order to this address. I'll be leaving now."
The boss nodded. He hadn't chatted with customers for a long time because of the epidemic, and he had finally gotten over his urge to talk. He repeatedly said that he would definitely pack the things they bought well, and that the things in his store were of the best quality.
Back in the car, Lang Xin took out a tissue and wiped the sweat off Chao Youqian's forehead. He asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Chao Youqian said gloomily, "If it's really the Red Moon that caused the root rot of my lettuce and the death of my boss's fish, then global grain production will be cut in half or even more. The original production is not enough to feed the world's population, and if it drops any further, famine will definitely occur."
Lang Xin sighed softly. Chao Youqian had always been kind-hearted. When he first revealed he'd had a premonition of the apocalypse, he'd been worried he'd be soft-hearted and make it public. When he learned his predictions were incomplete and biased, Lang Xin secretly felt relieved. This way, Chao Youqian could live a safe and low-key life.
"Don't consider the lives of everyone in the world your responsibility. I hope you can be a little selfish. The dramatic changes in the world are beyond human control. Even if you could foresee every disaster, it wouldn't be possible to change it. Besides, as you said, many things are different now." Lang Xin looked seriously into Chao Youqian's eyes. His long eyelashes drooped, making Chao Youqian look particularly pitiful, as if he was about to cry at any moment. "Of course, everything is your choice. I just want you to not feel guilty about owing anyone. I will always stand by you."
She watched his reaction closely, always ready with a tissue to wipe his tears, but unexpectedly Chao Youqian quickly calmed down: "I'm not that fragile, I understand what you mean. I told you before not to act like a big brother, I'm older than you mentally, it's just sympathy."
"I'm not as kind as you think. After all, people are selfish. The most important thing is that the two of us can survive in the future."
Lang Xin's eyes were gentle. If he were truly cold-blooded and selfish, why would he grieve over the fate of others? He was truly selfish. He wanted Chao Youqian to think only of himself and focus on himself. If it weren't for maintaining necessary social relationships, he would show only indifference to others.
Only Chao Youqian entered his heart, and only to him did Lang Xin show all his true feelings.
The world is like this, and human suffering continues to repeat itself. Even the Buddha cannot save all sentient beings, let alone mortals? If others do not offend me, I will not offend others. This is the only thing he can ensure.
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