◎Happy Day 26: Gifts from Nature◎
Jiang Muyun took out the water purifier, filtered the gift from nature, and then boiled it in a kettle.
The water quality of the valley reservoir is still very good, and Jiang Muyun's water intake point is also remote enough with little human activity.
After filtering, she tested it with a water quality tester. The filtered water was of the same quality as mountain spring water. If you don't mind, you can drink it directly.
This was somewhat beyond Jiang Muyun's expectations.
She had originally thought that the water drawn from the reservoirs could only be used for domestic purposes. Even if drinking water became scarce in the future, the water from these reservoirs would have to undergo numerous purification steps to meet drinking water standards—specifically, the standards of pre-apocalyptic times.
If we follow the drinking water standards after the end of the world, then just scooping a bowl from a small ditch on the roadside will meet the standards.
This is also one of the reasons why Jiang Muyun stores a large number of water purification devices such as water purification tablets and life straws.
But this saves a lot of trouble.
It not only saves trouble but also saves materials.
Saving is earning. Jiang Muyun hummed a song while pouring water into the kettle.
It takes about twenty minutes to boil a kettle of water, and it can basically be served at the same time as the fish soup.
If the previous step of frying the fish is included, then the time it takes Jiang Muyun to cook a pot of fish soup can produce two pots of boiling water.
Of the two pots of boiling water, one will turn into soup, and the other will be put into a container by Jiang Muyun and stored in the space.
While the fish soup and boiling water were bubbling together, Jiang Muyun could also prepare the stewed meat without wasting any time.
In the evening, Jiang Muyun's dinner was stewed meat and fish soup.
She considers these two dishes as her culinary milestones, and she finds the soups have a sweet taste.
Contented.
After Jiang Muyun finished his meal, he fell onto the sofa like a salted fish. Xiaobai jumped lightly and skillfully put his head under Jiang Muyun's hands.
Having enough food and drink and having a cute dog come to your house, life is perfect.
It would have been even more perfect if the temperature Jiang Muyun saw the next day was not minus 30 degrees Celsius, but minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Jiang Muyun sighed, hung the thermometer back in its place, put the ice back into the freezer, replaced it with another batch of water, and then checked the health of the three cubs at home and poured them some water.
The two chicks looked much stronger after a night. At least they no longer staggered when they walked, and could even make some soft chirping sounds.
These two fluffy little round balls are very cute.
Jiang Muyun couldn't help it, opened the cage and reached in to rub it twice.
The two little guys were not afraid and they competed to get into Jiang Muyun's palm.
It's soft and warm, and feels better than Xiaobai.
Jiang Muyun couldn't help himself and rubbed it for a little longer, and was caught by Xiaobai.
Xiaobai rushed over with a howl, grabbed Jiang Muyun's sleeve and pulled her away, refusing to let her touch the two little cubs again.
Jiang Muyun listened to Xiaobai's whimpering and felt inexplicably guilty.
She picked up Xiaobai and rubbed his belly while swearing, "Xiaobai, dear, I love you the most. I don't like those two little fur balls at all."
The cries of the two little fur balls in the cage were completely drowned out by Xiaobai.
Xiaobai lay in Jiang Muyun's arms with his head buried, humming non-stop, looking extremely aggrieved but not saying anything. This made Jiang Muyun coax him while wondering whether he should really register Xiaobai for the college entrance examination.
Xiaobai was bewitched by the bad sister's sweet words, and within two minutes he returned to his usual well-behaved state, nestling on the bad sister and watching her play with her mobile phone.
There is still no water today.
It is not just the southern city that has no water supply. Many southern cities that lack adequate cold-proof facilities have fallen into a water shortage crisis.
Large areas were without water, and the water supply lasted for four days without being restored. Even the most insensitive person would have noticed that something was wrong.
Overnight, all major platforms were flooded with news about water storage.
The previous sarcastic voices under the news of water grabbing have also disappeared.
The bloggers who usually post photos of delicious food and scenery have all disappeared, and everywhere are posting photos of people queuing to buy water and their own water storage levels.
As luck would have it, after the morning news ended, the Nanshi officials released a notice online, once again emphasizing the hope that all residents would actively store water.
Maybe not everyone understands the city’s water supply system, but everyone can always understand the official notices.
It turns out that the previous official water outage notice encouraging residents to store water was not just a reminder as usual.
That is the official disaster warning!
Yesterday, the mainstream online public opinion was to store water rationally, not to panic, and to trust the authorities. Today, the mainstream public opinion has become that those who do not store water are blind optimists who do not listen to the authorities.
Not to mention the community group, some people who haven't bought bottled water are already asking about carpooling in the group and making arrangements to go to a river to fetch water.
Qin Shiwen got up very early and was asking in the group chat on the 15th floor whether he should go out to store more water.
It's only eight o'clock now. The other three people who were disliked by the company have just learned to face life optimistically. They are now enjoying their rare vacation and sleeping soundly.
Only Qin Shiwen, a former athlete and current coach who is used to morning exercises, could get up.
At this stage, of course, the more material reserves the better.
Jiang Muyun agreed without thinking.
Xiaobai will take the Xi'an University entrance exam tomorrow: [Screenshot of the community group carpooling message.JPG]]
Xiaobai has a test for Xi'an University tomorrow: By the time they wake up, I think the water stations will be sold out. We don't have a shortage of drinking water right now, so why not try your luck and just go get some water from a river or lake?
There is nothing shameful in accepting the gifts of nature.
Xiaobin: Sure. What we need most right now is water for daily use. Let's keep the water we bought earlier for drinking and use the water we pumped today for daily use.
Jiang Muyun typed quickly.
Xiaobai has a test for Xi'an University tomorrow: Then empty the water from the bucket into another container. When you go out to get water, just bring the bucket. Using a funnel to fill it is also very convenient, and it won't spill easily when you bring it back.
Qin Shiwen replied with an [OK] gesture, and after a while he sent another message saying that he had found a few red wine corks and had tried them. They could plug the mouth of the bucket and there would be no leakage unless there was a big bump.
The group chat was buzzing with messages, and perhaps the other three people hadn't muted their phones either. As Jiang Muyun and Qin Shiwen chatted, the others started to show up.
Since everyone is awake and has no objection to getting water, let's pack up, take buckets, ladles and funnels, and go out.
The water has been cut off for three or four days. Even going to the toilet requires a planned economy. It is really unbearable.
Besides, it’s okay for guys with buzz cuts like Zhao Jiahao and Li Anxuan, but for someone like Qin Shiwen who has oily hair, not washing her hair for three or four days is already her limit.
She could smell the smell of her own head as she slept last night.
If there is a stable water supply point, at least we can wash our hair and go to the toilet freely during water outages.
There were many people going out in the morning, so Jiang Muyun and the others didn't need to ask around, they just had to drive in the direction the crowd was heading.
When they arrived at the lake, quite a few people had already gathered there.
Maybe it's out of habit, even though the temperature is now 20 to 30 degrees below zero and the lake looks quite frozen, no one dares to stand directly on the ice to get water.
There was a low-lying area by the river where a large hole had been dug by the first people who came. Everyone followed a small path down the riverbank and fetched water from that area.
The muddy ground by the river was frozen, and everyone who had played in the water said it was slippery. When walking back, they kept reminding the people behind them to be more careful.
The path down the riverbank is not a properly repaired road, but a muddy road trampled out by people. The road is narrow and steep, and it takes some effort to go up and down.
This place looks quite dangerous. I heard that an accident happened there last night. A young man was squeezed and fell into an ice hole. He almost couldn't be rescued.
With this lesson in mind, no matter how many people are waiting to get water or how anxious they are, no one dares to crowd in, for fear that something else might happen.
There were several lines for water, so some people simply split up to avoid the five of them crowding together to get water, which would be too time-consuming. They were also thinking of making a few more trips today to fill up all the buckets they had bought earlier.
In this kind of weather, it takes twenty minutes to get dressed before going out. After putting on the clothes, of course you have to do as much as possible to make the most of the layers of equipment you are wearing.
Jiang Muyun found a queue at the side and while waiting in line, he heard the person behind him making a phone call, saying that after delivering the water home he had to rush back to the store to work, and it would be troublesome if he was caught late.
Jiang Muyun looked at his jacket with the XX electric car logo printed on it and turned aside: "Uncle, if you are in a hurry to get to work, let me switch seats with you."
The middle-aged man was a little surprised to hear this, but habitually tried to refuse: "How can this be so embarrassing? Don't delay your business."
Jiang Muyun's exposed eyes curved up. "What's the big deal? I'm on my day off today. I won't be late no matter how late I am. My boss's nickname is Nanshi Zhou Paopi. He deducts 200 yuan for being late. If I have something to do, I wouldn't dare let you."
The middle-aged man couldn't help but spit when he heard this: "It's the same thing in our company. Being late gets you a 200 RMB deduction, and your bonus is also affected. If the current situation wasn't so bad, I would have quit this company long ago."
Jiang Muyun swapped places with the middle-aged man and sighed, "Life hasn't been easy these past two years. There have been layoffs everywhere. People like you with experience in the company have some confidence. It's not the same for me, a new employee. Ever since the layoffs started, I've been living in fear every day, afraid of being laid off."
The middle-aged man smiled bitterly: "My company is not really a company. I just want to sit in the office. Here——"
The man pointed at the clothes and showed them to Jiang Muyun: "I'm just a car mechanic, and I also run a shop for people."
Jiang Muyun leaned forward slightly, took a closer look, and clapped his hands. "Big brand! You work on Sitong Street, right? Sitong Street is not close to this place. Can you make it in time?"
The middle-aged man raised his hand and glanced at the time: "It's so cold now, the store manager is too lazy to come to check on the shift in the morning. If I can get to the store before ten o'clock, everything will be fine."
Jiang Muyun responded, "Are you really alright? I noticed that the place on Sitong Street usually opens around 8 o'clock."
The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Usually we open at 8 o'clock, but in this weather, the boss doesn't care anymore. Why are we still working so hard? We only get a few dollars a month. Let's just live a life of idleness."
Seeing that it was their turn in the queue, Jiang Muyun signaled the man to go and fetch some water.
The middle-aged man stopped talking, quickly filled two buckets of water, and kept thanking Jiang Muyun before leaving.
Jiang Muyun said goodbye with a smile: "Be careful on your way."
After fetching water, the group of five drove home and poured the water in the buckets into the containers they bought yesterday. After that, they carried the buckets out to continue.
The few of them ran back and forth several times, filling all the water storage containers in the house. The last time they went out with buckets, ready to fill these buckets with water as well, leaving no space unwasted.
Everyone felt that they had stored enough water, and they felt much more relaxed.
Qin Shiwen bargained with Qin Shiwu while driving, and finally succeeded in using three bags of pork jerky as a reward to let Qin Shiwu act as a human shower for her while she washed her hair.
Jiang Muyun browsed Weibo for a while and found that there was no topic more popular than water storage.
Several annual subscription users who were always on the hot search list disappeared, and the hot search list was filled with the word "water", even the previous topic of low temperature was suppressed.
For some reason, Jiang Muyun always felt that this topic came up quite suddenly and was extremely popular.
She thought about it and realized that because she had always stayed in school in her previous life and followed the school's arrangements, she didn't seem to be very sensitive to these news. She only vaguely remembered that this happened, and she didn't pay much attention to other things.
Jiang Muyun thought about it and forwarded the speculation about the temperature drop that was previously brought up by Xida University, as well as some of the discussions under the topic #Minus 30 Degrees Survival Guide# to several of her groups.
Xiaobai has a test for Xi'an University tomorrow: Officials haven't announced when the water supply will be restored, so are the Xi'an University professors' previous claims that the temperature will drop considered irrefutable? Should we follow the lead of Taipei City and stock up on cabbage?
There was a popular saying on the Internet before, which said that as soon as winter comes, people in the north will prepare enough food to last the whole winter and pile it up at home. Many people also posted photos of a balcony full of cabbages.
This statement may be a bit exaggerated, at least most urban residents do not have enough space to store food for several months at home. But everyone is indeed doing this to stock up on food for the winter.
Including the past few days when the temperature in Nanshi has dropped, many people have started buying vegetables that are easy to preserve.
These people may not have foreseen the possible disaster, but may simply feel that the weather is too cold and do not want to go out often, or they may be afraid that vegetable prices will rise in the future.
But it is undeniable that many people have started storing food.
It was not at all strange for Jiang Muyun to talk about stockpiling food at this time. Her tone and timing made her look more like she was seeking everyone's opinions rather than reminding them of something.
The community group, which is mainly composed of middle-aged and elderly people, was the first to discuss the issue.
The uncles, aunts, grandparents who buy groceries and cook all year round started from various aspects, including the impact of low temperature on crops, the impact of supply and demand on commodity value, and the types of crops in Nanshi and surrounding areas. After detailed discussion and intense thinking, they came to the conclusion that it is necessary to stockpile food as soon as possible.
Everyone has been busy buying clothes and water these days, and no one has really thought about buying food for a while.
If the temperature really can't come back up in a short time, then apart from anything else, you really need to buy more vegetables.
The temperature dropped so suddenly that I’m afraid not many vegetables in the fields can survive. Transportation doesn’t seem to be very convenient either, so the price of vegetables will surely skyrocket.
If you don’t buy more long-lasting vegetables now, do you have to wait until the vegetables are 20 yuan per pound to go out and buy them?
People today are far from being short of food and clothing. As long as it does not affect themselves, everyone does not mind helping each other.
Some people who had thought about buying vegetables earlier shared the current situation of various markets in the group.
The vegetable markets closest to the community are all closed.
The weather turned cold so suddenly that a large area of crops were frozen to death. Now the prices of vegetables and fruits in the market are rising.
The wholesale market that Jiang Muyun used to go to still had vegetables for sale, but they didn't look very good and the prices changed every once in a while.
There is no need to even think about supermarkets, as even frozen vegetables are sold out. It all depends on luck when they will be restocked and whether you can buy them at all.
Jiang Muyun watched the chat history in the group scrolling quickly, took screenshots of the main content, and sent them to the dormitory group, tagging all members.
Several of her roommates are now bored and staying at home, each of them keeping their phones in their hands and replying to messages very quickly.
Several of them were students of Xi'an University. After the first few uncles were confirmed to be seniors majoring in related majors at Xi'an University, everyone believed the news coming from their own school.
They are not optimistic about the future climate environment and are always vigilant against disasters.
We didn't think of stockpiling other supplies before because everyone's attention was occupied by the lack of water and low temperatures.
Now they have realized it, and Jiang Muyun doesn't need to say anything more. They can think of storing other supplies instead of food.
After seeing several roommates start discussing what supplies they needed to stockpile, Jiang Muyun turned around and waved his phone at the people in the back seat: "Have you checked the community group chat?"
Zhao Jiahao leaned forward and asked, "What happened in the group?"
Jiang Muyun flipped the chat page up and pointed it at them: "I just asked casually, but I saw a lot of people saying that the vegetables in the vegetable market and supermarket are sold out, so I suddenly felt a little panicked."
Li Anxuan didn't come over to look at his phone. He flipped through the chat history for a while, frowning and thinking: "It seems that our family has no other vegetables except two cabbages."
He and Zhao Jiahao are both carnivores. They didn't buy many vegetables when they went to the supermarket before. They bought those two cabbages just to follow the trend. After they bought them and put them in the kitchen, no one wanted to touch them.
But for people, what they can't get is always the best.
In the past, even the mere sight of leafy greens in the supermarket was considered unnecessary. Now, if someone were to tell them they wouldn't have access to vegetables for months, they'd think, "How can we go that long without vegetables?"
Jiang Muyun put his phone away and saw someone in the group chat saying that there were still cabbages for sale at a farmers' market in the next district, so he casually asked, "I saw someone say there are still vegetables at the farmers' market. Should we go buy some?"
Qin Shiwen said indifferently, "Go ahead. Cabbage won't go bad anyway. I see people in the north bringing cartloads of cabbage home for the winter. I even saw a tutorial on how to pickle spicy cabbage. Buying some extra is a good way for me to try my hand at it."
It seems that the previous #Minus 30 Degrees Survival Guide# did have a significant impact. Qin Shiwen, who was mixing batter on the kitchen scale, actually wanted to pickle his own kimchi.
Their cars are now filled with water, so even if they want to stock up on vegetables, they have to put the water back first.
Fortunately, there are still only a few people who have realized the problem of hoarding vegetables. When Jiang Muyun and his friends arrived at the farmers' market, there were only a dozen or so cabbages left, which were bought up by several people.
Qin Shiwen was excited to start her pickling business. After buying the cabbage, she took out her mobile phone to look for the tutorial. Then, she bought a bunch of chili powder and seasonings according to the tutorial, and spent a lot of money to buy a pickling jar.
On the way home, Li Anxuan suddenly realized: "That's not right. Do we need to buy some filters or something?"
Everyone in the car, including Jiang Muyun, was stunned for a moment.
Yes, the water they fetched today was all from the river, and that river doesn’t look very clear at ordinary times.
This water is fine for flushing the toilet, but using it directly for washing, or even washing vegetables... still seems a bit unreliable.
Zhao Jiahao raised his arm with difficulty and patted Li Anxuan: "Good brother, I'm lucky to have you."
Otherwise, they will only remember this when they get home, turn on the air conditioner and change clothes, which will cause another hassle.
Qin Shiwen didn't say anything, but turned the steering wheel silently. The car, which had already entered the residential area, drove towards the shopping mall.
Jiang Muyun cleared his throat and said, "I think buying some water purification tablets and a few Life Straws will be enough."
The main ingredients of water purification tablets are chlorine or iodine, and the purified water is not suitable for human consumption.
To be on the safe side, it is best to prepare a life straw.
A LifeStraw can purify around 1,500 liters of water, which is roughly the amount of water an adult drinks in a year. It can be bought for just a few dozen yuan, making it very suitable for their current situation.
A lot of people have been buying water purification tablets these days. Several people went to several pharmacies before they could buy them, and the price was much higher than usual.
Life Straws were not a popular product, so the main focus of the rush to buy them was not on them. The first store Jiang Muyun and his companions asked about sold them.
The handwritten price tag is 648 each, it's an imported brand, no bargaining allowed, and the owner will kick you out if you ask too many questions.
Jiang Muyun walked out of the store with his hands covering his chest.
The domestic life straws that were wholesaled in her space had an average price of less than fifty yuan per piece, the quality was excellent, and the sellers were very nice.
Does this store import from Mars? How dare they sell it at such a high price?
Fortunately, the unrest has not started yet, and shop owners as brave as this are a minority. Jiang Muyun and his friends still found a shop with acceptable prices.
The price increase for this store is indeed not excessive, but the owner is using bundling sales.
There are no separate Life Straws to buy, only outdoor bags, which cost 600 yuan each.
A first aid kit contains four life straws, two magnesium rods, a solar-powered hand lamp, some small gadgets such as steel whistles and small blades, and common trauma medicines.
Apart from common trauma medicines and survival whistles, other things are completely useless for ordinary outdoor enthusiasts.
Solar lanterns, in particular, are heavy and impractical. Unless you plan to be outdoors for two months, it's better to carry a few batteries.
Magnesium rods are practical, but most beginners don't know how to use them. Furthermore, a single magnesium rod can be used to start a fire thousands of times, so buying one will last you half a lifetime. Add to that the fact that survival bracelets also come with magnesium rods, and naturally, their sales haven't been very strong.
It's obvious that this outdoor bag was put together by the store owner to clear out his inventory.
But thinking about the 648 at the previous store, this store’s bundled sales don’t seem unacceptable.
At least most of the customers Jiang Muyun and his friends met after entering the store paid promptly.
Zhao Jiahao was still a little puzzled: "It's not like there aren't other shops in Nanshi. Don't they go ask elsewhere?"
Jiang Muyun, who had just walked around the store to listen to the news, whispered, "Many stores say they only have imported brands, starting at 300 yuan each. This one seems to be the cheapest."
And in Jiang Muyun's opinion, there's a LifeStraw that can purify 6,000 liters of water; a solar-powered flashlight that requires no electricity or oil, simply providing light through exposure to the sun; a durable, water-resistant magnesium rod for starting a fire; and finally, priceless post-apocalyptic medicine. Just this outdoor bag, even at 60,000 yuan, would be a huge hit in a few months.
When the shop owner thinks about this a few months later, he will probably regret it so much that he will bang his head against the wall.
We've all seen how much water purifier prices have skyrocketed in recent days. This outdoor bag is indeed quite good value for money.
After paying and walking out of the store, Qin Shiwu, carrying his outdoor bag, couldn't help but sigh: "I don't know when the water will come back. It's only been a few days since the water was cut off and there are so many troubles."
Jiang Muyun smiled, "We don't usually have a water shortage here, so we're worried about it. If we follow the water usage habits of the desert town, the few barrels of water we bought earlier would be enough for at least a week."
Zhao Jiahao took out the Life Straw and looked around. "Let's cut off the water supply. It would be nice to give me a chance to use the Life Straw. Otherwise, I'll feel like I wasted my money today."
The next night, Jiang Muyun was at home researching a recipe when he noticed his phone was vibrating non-stop.
After clicking on the voice message in the group chat, Zhao Jiahao's howling scared Xiaobai so much that he rushed from the living room into the kitchen.
The Nanshi City government announced that starting from tomorrow, water supply will be restored from 12:00 to 14:00 every day.
I just spent 600 yuan to buy a bag that was wrongly bought!
Zhao Jiahao's tears were welling up in his stomach.
However, after seeing the notice, Jiang Muyun felt that it was fortunate that they acted quickly today.
Before you cheer for the restoration of water supply, think about the official notice this morning encouraging water storage.
If they don't buy it today, it will not cost a few hundred dollars to buy a water purification device in the future.
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