Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Teach a man to fish
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Actually there is nothing much to talk about. It's the same things said over and over again, just with different people saying it and in a more direct way.
"How do you feel? Is our village pretty good? Do you want to reconsider?" The grumpy old man didn't have much patience. As soon as he sat down, he got straight to the point without saying a word of nonsense.
The roasted sweet potatoes really weren't eaten in vain. Gu Mengran had anticipated this situation and shook his head decisively, "Thank you for your invitation, but we won't consider it for now."
“Tsk.”
Still unable to suppress his emotions, Duan Yueyan's eyes darkened slightly, and a sound of annoyance escaped from his lips.
But after just a few seconds, his expression returned to normal, and he smiled helplessly, "I really can't figure it out. The stone house is solid, there is no need to worry about wind and rain, the surrounding hills are flat, and mudslides will not happen. There is food, drink and a stable place to live. Isn't it good to join us? What else are you worried about?"
It was rare to see the grumpy old man speak in such a tone, but without hesitation for a second, Gu Mengran refused: "Your village is very good. It's not your problem, it's our own problem. We are all sailors who make a living by sailing. The boat is our home, and we are used to wandering."
"Don't give me that." Duan Yueyan raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "You are so delicate, you work on a ship? How many days have you worked on a ship? Are you familiar with the steering wheel?"
Gu Mengran was choked. He rarely refuted but responded with a rhetorical question: "I don't understand either. We have food, drink and a stable place to live, so it doesn't matter if there are fewer people. After all, the more people there are, the greater the consumption. The supplies on the mountain are not inexhaustible, so why are you so persistent in getting us to join? Could it be that Boss Duan has great ambitions and plans to expand into new territory?"
"You are... a sharp-tongued person." Duan Yueyan sneered, but his expression changed subtly.
It seemed to take only a second for Duan Yueyan to go from confident to confused. He held his hands in the air, lowered his eyes, and murmured to himself, "It's different now than before. The social order has completely collapsed. I have a feeling that this chaotic and disorderly life where we can only rely on ourselves will continue for a long time."
"You're right. The supplies on the mountain are not inexhaustible. But you should have noticed that the average age of our village is relatively high. We need more strong young people. On the one hand, it is to collect supplies. On the other hand, no one knows which will come first, an accident or tomorrow. I think we also need a certain degree of self-protection ability."
Hanging around the village every day, anyone with a discerning eye could see what was going on in the village. There was no point in hiding it, and the other party was not someone with ulterior motives, so Duan Yueyan was too lazy to pretend and completely revealed his cards.
"I know you guys are doing well, and maybe you don't need supplies that much. But in times of natural disasters and chaos, is it easier for a few people to survive, or for a group of people to work together? Why don't you consider it? Joining us is basically a hundred benefits with no harm."
Work together? The companions who grew up together are unreliable. How can a group of strangers who don't know their origins and background work together? I'm afraid they will all run away when disaster strikes.
Of course, you can't say that unless you want to get into a fight with that grumpy guy.
It is impossible to join. Although the current situation in Shijin Village looks good, there will be a lot of troubles in the future. Joining at this time is simply a burden to oneself.
Gu Mengran has space in his hands, he can run and hide, and he has no worries about food and drink. If he really has to deal with a large village, they will have to advance and retreat together and overcome difficulties together.
Not wanting to take risks, and even less wanting to bear responsibilities for no reason, Gu Mengran just wanted to stay out of it, but... it wasn't very realistic to just stand by and watch. Even if Duan Yueyan had foresight, it would be hard for him to predict that the rain would not stop within three years.
The bowl of potatoes was almost empty. Gu Mengran handed the bowl and chopsticks to Liang Zhao, holding his chin and thinking for a moment, then sighed silently, "Isn't this kind of cooperative relationship pretty good at the moment? If you are really worried, we can also make an agreement that if the other party encounters difficulties, we will lend a hand if we can. Of course, the premise is that we can do our best."
The words were made very clear, and there was no room for maneuver. Duan Yueyan said "hmm" softly, and without saying anything more, he supported himself on his knees and was about to stand up and leave.
But before he could stand up completely, Gu Mengran suddenly raised his hand and pressed his shoulder. He looked at him with complicated eyes and said solemnly, "If we really want to join, it's not impossible, unless the rain stops."
Duan Yueyan seemed to understand, and his body paused. He met Gu Mengran's gaze, "Your tone doesn't sound like you're talking about rain, it's more like... unless the sky falls, we can't join."
It's easy to talk to smart people. Gu Mengran pursed his lips and smiled softly, "Who knows, what if the rain stops soon? Of course, we have to make more preparations in case it doesn't stop in a short time."
"What do you know?"
"That's all I know."
…
The rain was pouring down, and the lake was covered with a layer of white mist. The steel deck above was like a drum set, and the raindrops beat hard, playing one tune after another.
At 6:30 in the morning, Gu Mengran came to the restaurant after washing up. Liang Zhao and his grandfather were already eating with their bowls. He glanced at the table and saw pork rib porridge, big meat buns, and even a plate of braised chicken legs.
Just as he was about to sigh at the sumptuous meal, Gu Mengran took a closer look and saw that there were only two bowls on the table. He immediately looked at his grandfather with a pursed mouth, "What do you mean? There's no portion for me?"
"It's in the pot, go get it yourself," the old man said jokingly as he was chewing on the ribs, "Who knew you'd get up so early after a rest? You really came out of nowhere."
"Sit down first."
Liang Zhao pulled out the stool next to him, put down his chopsticks, stood up and walked into the kitchen.
The old man looked at it and shook his head, "Spoil him, spoil him as much as you can."
I couldn't hear a word they said. Rest? Gu Mengran's slow brain started to work. He stood there for two seconds, then cried with a sad face: "Oh, I forgot to rest today, and I got up early! I'm so lazy, so angry."
"Don't be so wailing here so early in the morning. Just eat and go back to sleep."
The old man is a typical person who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Although he always dislikes Gu Mengran for sleeping in, he still cares about them very much when he knows that they have been working hard these days.
Liang Zhao came back with pork chop porridge. Gu Mengran went to the table with a pouty mouth and sighed at the big meat bun, "Alas, I can't go back to sleep. I have things to do today."
"What could happen in such heavy rain?" The old man looked over immediately.
Gu Mengran: "Eat first, and talk after you finish eating."
After finishing breakfast at the speed of light, Gu Mengran also pulled Zheng Yijie up to sleep in, adhering to the principle that no one should think of sleeping in. While Zheng Yijie was eating breakfast, Gu Mengran held a small meeting in the living room and stated that the first task for today was to go out and dig mud.
When these words came out, everyone was stunned.
"What are we digging mud for?" The old man asked the first question with a frown.
Gu Mengran: "Growing vegetables."
"Digging mud and growing vegetables on a boat? That's crazy! Wouldn't it be better to grow them in space?" Zheng Yiji, who was drinking porridge in the restaurant, raised the question.
The old man nodded in agreement: "Yes, the space is so big, isn't it enough to grow crops? How much can the four of us eat? Why bother?"
“No, no, no,” Gu Mengran waved his hand, “Growing vegetables is not just for eating, but also for others to see.”
Zheng Yijie: "What do you mean? Can you stop playing dumb?"
Having whetted everyone's appetite, Gu Mengran smiled contentedly and said, "Didn't we say before that we would send something to Heng Rongsheng? I've thought about it. It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Let's just take them to dig mud, and then give them some seeds and let them plant them on the boat."
"It's a good idea, but..." Liang Zhao glanced at the gray sky through the window, then turned to look at Gu Mengran, "If there's no sun, the growth rate of the plants will slow down a lot."
Zheng Yijie hummed, "That's right. As the light intensity decreases, the efficiency of photosynthesis will also decrease, and the growth rate of plants will also decrease... The only worry is that we can't grow vegetables this year and eat them next year."
Gu Mengran, who was well prepared, raised his eyebrows and smiled proudly, "Don't worry, I have something good."
"What?"
The three of them said almost in unison.
"Have you ever heard of the legendary plant light?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a long LED light tube appeared in Gu Mengran's hand.
Zheng Yijie stood up immediately. "Oh my god, T8 plant light tubes? You even prepared this, that's amazing!"
"You know all this?" Gu Mengran looked at him in surprise.
There are many types of plant lights. When Gu Mengran bought them, he only had a vague understanding of them after the clerk's popularization and introduction. It is said that online writers know a lot, but this...
Zheng Yijie was stunned for a moment, frowning slightly as if he was puzzled: "I graduated from Agricultural University, didn't I tell you that before?"
"Have you been making money by writing novels for a long time?" asked the old man.
Zheng Yijie: "There is no conflict between going to school and writing novels. I can write while studying."
Gu Mengran looked at him with complicated eyes, "It's hidden quite deeply."
"Why are you looking at me like that!"
"You will be responsible for this from now on."
"It's been so many years, I've forgotten everything! I don't--"
"Stop howling." The old man waved his hand. When Zheng Yijie calmed down, he looked up at Gu Mengran again, "If you want to teach a man how to fish, why don't you let Heng Rongsheng grow the vegetables on its own? From what you mean, we should also grow vegetables on the boat?"
Gu Mengran nodded. "At this point, no one should complain about having too much food. It's too abnormal that they grow crops while we don't. Besides, we are very close to Shijin Village now. Some of them have guessed that we are not short of supplies. The food will run out one day, so we have to put something on the table."
"I understand. Let's go." The old man stood up from the sofa.
Gu Mengran's eyes widened. "Come on, Grandpa, why are you joining in the fun? Just stay at home and watch TV."
The old man laughed, took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand to Gu Mengran, "What are you thinking about? Give me the light tubes and I'll go down and install them. Can I go out in the rain at my age?"
Gu Mengran scratched his head and belatedly took out the light tube from the space.
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