◎Happy 122nd Day: Making a Huge Profit◎
Jiang Muyun's sinister intentions were kept secret with the help of a group of hateful adults.
Under the guidance of the goose farmer who firmly believed that oviparous animals were also very smart, the large frames for drying earthworms were placed behind the dead forest where they first rebuilt the awning.
Captain Yu, who claimed half an hour ago that he should not lie to children, gently stroked his conscience and set up a new camp between the dead woods and the insulation room, using the camp as a second cover for the dried earthworm processing factory.
To this end, he even sent someone back to the South 1 Base the next night and transported a few more modified floating houses to build a row of them to ensure that their intention to dry the earthworms would not be discovered by the cubs.
The group just stayed here.
Relying on the speed of the mutant animals and the constant supply of materials brought by this speed, they managed to survive until the earthworms were almost extinct.
At first, the chicks' workplace was about 240 to 250 meters away from the earthworms' activity center. They could bring out several large boxes of earthworms from the insulation shed almost every ten to twenty minutes.
Three days later, the greenhouse was moved to a location less than 200 meters away from the center.
Then these chicks became more and more skilled in picking earthworms from the sand. After taking turns to be tortured by the dense swarms of earthworms in the dried earthworm processing factory, the others also overcame their fear and discomfort of the earthworms. From time to time, they would wrap themselves tightly and go for a walk in the greenhouse to serve as bait.
A few living people are much more attractive to the group of earthworms than these chickens. Whenever there are humans moving around in the insulation, the group of earthworms always seem to be particularly lively, and even rush over much faster than usual.
And they always go shopping just before dawn.
They took advantage of that moment to attract all the earthworms to stay under the greenhouse, and when the earthworms gathered around, they turned around and ran away.
The earthworms wanted to chase, but often found that the temperature around them had begun to rise rapidly after a few steps. They had no choice but to retreat to the shelter of the relatively low temperature in the insulation shed, and then they were caught by the chicks who went out to work during the day, and they had nowhere to escape.
The two sides cooperated with each other, catching earthworms faster and faster, but fewer and fewer earthworms were fooled and rushed over.
It took them less than half a month to return to the place where they first camped.
At this time, there are very few earthworms they can catch. Even if someone walks around in the sand at night, it will take more than ten minutes to come across an earthworm.
Sometimes, I couldn’t find any earthworms for more than half an hour, and even the chicks couldn’t dig them out.
To be on the safe side, Jiang Muyun played the bad guy again and changed the daily routine of his cubs back to sleeping during the day and coming out at night. Every night he took the cubs for a stroll around the camp.
When they had wandered around for two days without catching a single earthworm, Jiang Muyun finally let her family's unlucky laborers go and paid them with several large sacks of dried earthworms and a bag of chicken feed she had prepared before the end of the world.
Jiang Muyun secretly had someone take the reward home without it ever meeting her children.
The kids have only received a few bottles of live earthworms so far.
Jiang Muyun told her two rebellious children that these were extra rewards and the bulk of them were at home, so they could ask whoever was at home when they returned.
With the help of those large bottles of live earthworms, Jiang Muyun successfully tricked her children into staying here for a few more days, acting as security personnel while everyone was digging for small powder, to prevent any earthworms from escaping and suddenly running out to be bitten by people.
The subsequent excavation work was the responsibility of Captain Yu and others.
The powder they dug out now actually doesn't look much different from ordinary soil, and the main way people can tell them apart is by observing the reactions of the mutant animals.
The one that Xiaoguai and Xiaobai showed disgust and rejection towards was Xiaofen.
If there is no special reaction, it is normal soil.
Using this method, Captain Yu and his companions dug up all the small powder they could and brought it home.
Unlike what Jiang Muyun imagined, there were actually not that many little fans.
Jiang Muyun estimated that after being pressed firmly, the volume of the small powder was less than ten cubic meters at most.
Jiang Muyun even packed a small bag of it and took it back, saying that he wanted to try to see if he could raise earthworms.
"You don't really think I'm the kind of parent who would lie to their children, do you?" Jiang Muyun said disdainfully, "I can't feed thousands of earthworms to feed them, but I can probably raise a few as snacks."
Captain Yu felt as if he had been stepped on for no apparent reason. He protested, "What if you can't feed a few of them?"
Jiang Muyun sighed sadly, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate. My son is very sensible. He knows I've done my best and he won't blame me."
Captain Yu gave her a similarly disdainful look in response: "After all this talk, weren't you just making promises?"
Jiang Muyun said disdainfully, "I can tell you were that kind of naughty kid when you were little. Your parents promised you a gift after you did well on your final exams, but you insisted on spending 50,000 on a pair of shoes when their combined monthly salary was only 5,000."
Captain Yu was so angry at her that he was speechless. He looked for weapons everywhere and said that he would fight her to the death to clear his innocence. However, he was caught by Chu Buwen on the way.
Chu Buwen hooked his neck and pulled him to the edge of the sand pit, asking him to take a closer look to see if there were any signs of earthworm activity.
Captain Yu was interrupted by Chu Buwen and was scratching at an ordinary piece of sand. Jiang Muyun turned around and walked over with her child, saying that for the safety of their comrades, it was their patrol team's responsibility to work harder every day.
The two rebellious cubs in Jiang Muyun's family cooperated very well and made two "goose" sounds. The strange pronunciation sounded like they had returned from studying abroad with the group of big geese next door.
During this period, she had nothing to do with digging sand and soil. Jiang Muyun was responsible for holding ice cubes to entertain cats and dogs every day, and patrolling the surrounding area with a group of mutant animals. Occasionally, she would go home to check on the progress of the excavation of the reservoir at the transfer station.
Over the past six months, they have dug the reservoirs on the mountain. Now they just dig a few shovels of water at the foot of the mountain with the mentality that they have nothing to do.
This kind of life is neither tiring nor boring. Although everyone is reluctant to grow mushrooms themselves to save water, the supplies they exchanged for cigarettes, alcohol, electrical appliances and other products they collected in the early stage at the transfer station are enough for everyone to have food and clothing.
They've calculated this clearly: water is now more than a hundred times more expensive than dried mushrooms and other foods. Rather than using water to grow mushrooms to satisfy their hunger, they're saving that water and exchanging it for food. The dried food they can exchange for is definitely more than the fresh food they can grow themselves.
After Jiang Muyun and Captain Yu reached a deal and they successfully obtained the privilege of free bills and taxes at the transit station, they felt more secure.
They are now even willing to water the crops normally, and when the crops are really wilting, they put ice in the caves where they grow vegetables to cool them down.
Anyway, now we don’t have to worry about dying of thirst. The water in the reservoir can be saved when necessary and used when needed. We don’t need to spend half an hour scooping each bucket of water like before.
After Xiaofen finished his excavation work, Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen did not follow them back to the transfer station. Instead, they asked Captain Yu for a sled and asked Xiaobai to take them home.
This was the first time Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen returned home after the transfer station was built.
Previously, because they had to deal with the trap problem on the mountain, and both of them had strong endurance and could stand boredom, when everyone was arranging their shifts, they took the initiative to apply to postpone their rotation time and stay in the transfer station for a few more months in the early stage.
Calculating the time, it was time for them to go home and change shifts, so they simply went home directly.
When Jiang Muyun arrived home, it was time for the harvest.
They are no longer in danger of dying of thirst, and they don't have to eat the harvested crops immediately to save water. Instead, they can clean them, dry them, and preserve them, increasing the amount of food they have on hand.
That night, while collecting dried sweet potatoes, Qin Shiwen said to Jiang Muyun, "Actually, even without the deal with Captain Yu, we'd be living quite well. Even now, our food reserves are still increasing, not decreasing. Our quality of life is definitely better than 90% of the survivors. Now that you've gotten two more life-saving talismans from Captain Yu, I'm not exaggerating when I say you're on the verge of prosperity."
Jiang Muyun pretended not to understand what Qin Shiwen meant. "You're right. I believe our family is where we are today thanks to our thorough preparations. Our per capita water storage capacity is definitely among the highest among the survivors in South City."
Jiang Muyun said seriously, "Back in the day, we had a lot of trouble waterproofing this huge reservoir. We even dug holes all over the mountains and plains like rabbits. Only then did we get back the happy life we have today."
Qin Shiwen patted her head: "Pretend, keep pretending."
"Hey, you, why are you still doing this?" Jiang Muyun squeezed out two dry tears and rubbed his head in grievance. "I'm not just doing this so I can eat, drink and get free things at the transfer station in the future. I just want to make a contribution to the future of mankind, right?"
Qin Shiwen: "But you are so powerful that you are worried about the future of mankind."
Jiang Muyun put down the bag full of dried sweet potatoes in his hand, feeling a little puzzled.
Qin Shiwen is not the kind of person who can't see the reality and protects her like a baby. They have taken risks before, and Qin Shiwen has never stopped her.
Just like the recent time when Jiang Muyun followed him to the Western Suburbs Base, Qin Shiwen was worried, but he didn't resist that much.
Qin Shiwen placed his bag of dried sweet potatoes next to Jiang Muyun's, rubbed his brow and said, "I'm not saying that even at this time, I still want you to stay at home every day and not take risks. I just want you to be a little more conservative when making decisions in the future."
Qin Shiwen thought for a moment and then put it in a more concrete way: "Natural disasters and man-made disasters are different. Even if you rushed out with a gun and fought with the enemy right now, the danger wouldn't necessarily be as great as singing a song at the foot of a volcano with your backpack on your back."
"Its danger is uncontrollable and unpredictable, just like this drought, and like the swarm of mutant earthworms you're facing this time." Qin Shiwen said, "When faced with something like this, I hope you'll be more conservative and run when you need to, okay?"
A drought that lasts more than a year can have far more impacts on people than just a lack of food and water.
It's more of a psychological deterrent.
It is normal for Qin Shiwen to have this unprecedented fear of nature.
Compared to disasters that are easily defeated, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, this long dry season is like the Blue Planet using a blunt knife to torture the survivors.
In the last few years of the world, the survivors had just learned how to survive in extreme weather conditions, and how to make kangs, burn charcoal, and store ice and water.
Just as everyone was about to adapt to the extreme climate of Blue Star and gradually began to recover, Blue Star suddenly used an unprecedented high temperature and drought to tell them that it was wishful thinking, as things would always develop into something worse than you could imagine.
People thought that fifty degrees was summer in the apocalypse, but it turned out that the outside had turned into a desert, with the highest daytime temperature reaching seventy degrees.
People thought that half a year of rain and half a year of sunshine was the most torturous thing, but it turned out that the sun on the blue planet hung happily for more than a year, almost wanting to dry up the sea.
The survivors who had just thought they had grasped the patterns of seasonal changes after the apocalypse had their only sense of security shattered.
Yes, who said that the climate change on the blue planet is measured in half a year?
If this drought can suddenly last for a year, is it possible that there will be a severe drought for three or five years in the future? Or maybe there is no need to wait for the future, and the drought will last for three to five years this time.
Or maybe it won’t rain anymore.
Is it possible?
Even the most optimistic person cannot say with certainty that it is impossible.
Even Jiang Muyun, who has been in the apocalypse for more than ten years, doesn't dare to say that there is no such possibility.
This apocalypse is like the Blue Planet taming humans the way humans tame dogs. First, it slowly wears down people's will with a series of disasters, then gives them a little sweet treat when they're down. Then, when they feel they're up again, it gives them another hard blow.
This cycle will repeat itself until humans forget the past and are completely lost in the end times.
Jiang Muyun reflected on himself.
Compared with Qin Shiwen and others, she is indeed less respectful of nature now because of her previous survival experience and the confidence brought by the abundant supplies in the space.
No matter how much supplies Jiang Muyun has in her hands, it would be easy for nature to kill her.
Let’s not talk about the distant future, just looking at the earthworms. What if they are just restricted by their biological clocks during the day and therefore lack energy, and then that night they turn into little sand dragons, gather their army, pounce on the camp and eat them?
Nowadays, there are many kinds of animal mutations, and Xiaofen itself has its own special characteristics, so this kind of thing is not impossible.
Jiang Muyun was awakened by Qin Shiwen, but she couldn't say that to Qin Shiwen.
She looked at Qin Shiwen's dry, chapped lips and rubbed her head. "You know, I've always been very careful with my life. This time, it was our poison kings who were at work. I was hiding behind the supervisor and didn't go near them at all."
No matter whether people admit it or not, whether they appear panicky or optimistic, they can deceive others but not themselves.
If the situation continues to get worse, the panic in everyone's hearts will only get worse.
Jiang Muyun didn't want them to become victims of Blue Star's torture plan, and didn't want them to be molded by Blue Star into the most common survivors in the apocalypse, either numb or crazy.
In the previous life, Blue Star spent ten years trying to tame Jiang Muyun, and it couldn't do it this time either.
Jiang Muyun shook the plastic bag of dried sweet potatoes and said, "Even this drought isn't all bad. At least we can take advantage of this time to stockpile food. We can dry and store all the food we can scrape out."
Jiang Muyun picked up a piece of dried sweet potato and chewed it, mumbling, "I'd rather eat less at every meal now and save more food. There aren't many times like this when we can efficiently produce high-quality, long-lasting food. We have to cherish it, Sister Wen."
In Jiang Muyun's view, whether it is the dry season, rainy season, winter or summer, all have their pros and cons.
Jiang Muyun, holding a dried sweet potato in her mouth, began to impart her life experience to Qin Shiwen: "People who think about the lack of water in the dry season and the lack of sunshine in the rainy season will naturally feel that there is no point in living day by day."
"But think about it the other way around. The dry season is when it's time to make long-lasting food, and the rainy season is when it's time to store large amounts of water. Doesn't that give us hope for the future?"
Anyway, everyone is reluctant to die, and Blue Star cannot stop them from tormenting them. So instead of complaining, they might as well think about the benefits of the current weather and make some preparations for the future and stockpile some supplies.
Jiang Muyun not only brainwashed Qin Shiwen and others, but also spared no one who stayed in the transit station.
Jiang Muyun found an excuse to sell expired rice and flour and went to the transit station for a walk. He vigorously promoted to the few people who stayed at the transit station the joy of stockpiling food during the dry season.
Before leaving, Jiang Muyun happened to see someone selling a vacuum machine, so she negotiated with the person and bought a vacuum machine from the caravan.
But in reality, Jiang Muyun brought home three food vacuum machines and two small vacuum pumps, one electric and one manual. In addition, there were also a bunch of food vacuum packaging bags and textile vacuum bags.
Now the sun is shining brightly every day, and everyone has no shortage of electricity.
The number of people staying at the transit station dropped from six to two, and all the others came back to contribute to the grain storage cause.
Everyone vacuumed all the existing food reserves and stored them in small packages according to the amount for one person's meal. They then sealed the small packages together according to the amount for one person per month, and finally sealed the food for one person for half a year in large vacuum bags.
After the existing stored grain was sealed, they also sealed two vacuum machines with plastic film to prevent the appliances from getting damp and malfunctioning when the rainy season arrives, leaving only one for daily use.
Zhao Jiahao rubbed the cracked lines on his fingers, put the sealed vacuum machine and unused packaging bags into the plastic bag and tied it up.
He felt a sense of accomplishment as he looked at the bags of vacuum-packed food, and suddenly understood why Jiang Muyun said that she would rather eat less now and save more food.
Watching my own food reserves increase little by little, and seeing that they are foods that can be stored for as long as I want, without having to worry about them going bad for ten or eight years, this sense of satisfaction is much better than eating two more bowls of mushrooms at this meal.
All the pressure, anxiety, and fear that had gathered in my heart were dispelled at this moment.
What are you so anxious about? Why don't you hurry up and find some food and stock up on it? Everyone, get up and get to work!
It takes time to grow mushrooms and vegetables without water? No problem, we can still go hunting in the mountains.
Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen were both people who made a living in the mountains in their previous lives. They knew too well how tenacious the vitality of mutant animals was.
The desert may kill humans, but it may not kill animals.
Nanshi is located in a plain and hilly area with many small hills.
Even if they can't find prey, they can still identify plants on the spot.
Old Man Li had taught them a lot of things before, but they learned in batches.
Old man Li took people for a stroll outside, sharing whatever he saw. Everyone learned something different. After everyone finished learning, they would use photos and notes to exchange ideas with each other about what they had not learned.
Someone recognized this grass on this hill. The next time they passed by and wanted to take other companions to see the real thing, they found that the hill had been rented and they could not go up.
At this time, if they don’t encounter the same plant somewhere else, then the matter will be left unresolved and everyone will just have to make do with the photos.
Now they can take advantage of the opportunity of hunting to take a practical lesson at the same time.
It also saves people from having nothing to do every day and starting to wonder why it hasn't rained that day, or whether Blue Planet really doesn't want to support humans anymore and wants to kill us all.
A huge profit.
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