Famine-stricken cannon fodder tries to rewrite their lives, Part 3 - First update, mwah...
Starting from the end of July, Chen Xia had the small system send warning emails to the inboxes of leaders of relevant national departments every day, reminding them that famine and the end of the world were coming.
At first, no one took her warning seriously. Instead, they tried to find the hacker who was sending prank emails by tracing the IP address of the email.
After all, the apocalypse rumor has been circulating online for a long time; who in real life believes it?
But they were proven wrong in no time. Chen Xia accurately predicted the Los Angeles wildfires, even specifying how long the fires would last before they were extinguished.
Then came the eruption of Mount Fuji and the earthquake in the Philippines, which also matched up perfectly, even down to the exact timing.
The elder said solemnly, "It's better to believe it's true than to be afraid of the impossible. If it is true, we can't let the people's livelihood be ruined in our hands."
“Indeed, look at the famine and apocalypse described in the email from this mysterious person. It’s terrifying to hear. First, there’s a global drought and crop failure, then months of continuous rain. If this lasts for two years, won’t there be corpses everywhere?”
Everyone fell silent. They had all lived through that era and experienced hunger. They needed to prepare, lest they be caught off guard.
They acted immediately, and the first thing they did was to inspect the grain depots to see what the actual situation was like in various places, how many new grain depots needed to be built, and how many tons of reserve grain needed to be stored.
This investigation uncovered a large number of giant rats, which gave me a real fright.
Thankfully, we checked in advance; otherwise, if the famine had really come, how many people would have starved to death with those empty grain reserves?
The top leader personally intervened, and everyone was punished to the fullest extent of the law; if the death penalty could be imposed, a suspended death sentence would never be given.
After cracking down on those corrupt officials, various regions embarked on a frenzied infrastructure construction spree, building massive amounts of grain reserves across the country, all of which were located near military bases.
The second step was to import massive amounts of grain from around the world. Some countries, led by the United States, had initially lost a significant amount of grain to Chen Xia. However, it wasn't their style to pass up profits; they stated they had plenty of grain, but prices would have to be raised.
The rabbit said no problem, it would buy even if the price went up, and then it just kept buying and buying.
Aside from rejecting radioactive rice from other countries, China accepts all kinds of food from other nations.
Every year, many people starve to death in India, and its grain production is not enough to feed its own people, yet it still manages to sell large quantities of grain abroad every year.
The rabbit doesn't mind; if he sells, we'll buy. When we run out of food, we can just wash it a few more times and cook it.
Besides food, China is also spending massive amounts of money to purchase other strategic resources globally.
The US couldn't sit still any longer and went to China: "Rabbit, what's wrong with you? Are you stockpiling food to start Season 3 early?"
The rabbit pushed up its glasses: "Don't speculate. According to our country's experts, based on the current global climate analysis, the apocalypse is coming..."
The eagle stared in disbelief for a long time before finally speaking: "Rabbit, are you out of your mind? What do you mean by the apocalypse? Stop spouting nonsense and believe in science. Fine, if you think it exists, then so be it. I wish you good luck!"
After the US left, it spread the word about why China was stockpiling grain, and went around mocking China for being too timid, unaware that it had taken the rumors it had only heard as gossip seriously.
When other countries heard about it, some laughed at China for being overly worried, while others secretly followed suit after some reflection. In any case, no matter what others said, China continued to spend its money on large-scale purchases around the world.
The US has contacted many of its allies, urging them to sell aggressively, as this is the best opportunity to fleece China.
The massive rabbit purchases continued until drought swept the globe, prompting countries to tighten food exports.
At this time, the national grain reserves, under extreme circumstances, could supply the basic food needs of the entire population for up to seven years.
The country has done its best. The Chinese Academy of Sciences launched research on extremely drought-resistant food crops and projects on indoor hydroponics of potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., long ago.
In times of famine and apocalypse, survival is the top priority, and high yield is paramount; whether the food tastes good or not is not a consideration.
While things were turbulent outside, Chen Xia was living a very fulfilling life back in her hometown.
She built a sturdy sunshade in her yard, which will also provide shelter from the rain during the rainy season.
By avoiding direct sunlight and watering frequently, her vegetable garden is lush and green, and she can't possibly eat all of it.
Several young people who had been working in other places returned to the venue one after another.
Living in the city now, the cost of living is just too high. The air conditioning won't bring the temperature down, and although the prices of rice, flour, and cooking oil are under government control, they haven't risen too much.
But for ordinary people, this is still a considerable expense. The key issue is that there are purchase restrictions everywhere, so even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy it.
Rather than suffering in the city, it's better to go back to my hometown; at least I won't go hungry.
When these young people saw how sturdy and beautifully rebuilt Chen Xia's house was, they were very inspired and began to renovate their own old houses in the same way.
Ling Yi acquired all the houses in front of, behind, and to the sides of Chen Xia's house. The houses were not rebuilt, but only renovated and reinforced. Now, lifelike robots have moved in.
It's always good to be cautious. Chen Xia is traveling with an elderly person and a young child this time, so for their safety, it's best to be extra careful.
As time went by, when school started in September, the government issued a notice that due to the excessively hot weather, students would not return to school for the time being and would instead take online classes. The specific date for resuming classes would be announced later.
Having students take online classes at home is a last resort.
The school is so hot and the population density is so high. It would be dangerous if there were a mass heatstroke incident.
Chen Xia bought Xiao Shitou a laptop and a tablet, along with two large widescreen displays.
One is for Xiaoshitou to use for online classes, and the other is for Chen Ma to watch melodramatic family dramas.
Mr. Chen's greatest hobby was to sit on a small stool and play chess with a few old friends while smoking.
The forest farm where Chen Xia's family lives is located on the southern slope of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, which is mainly composed of low mountains and hills, with the highest elevation being less than 1,000 meters. It belongs to the Songhua River tributary system.
The vegetation is mainly composed of red pine and oak. The red pine forest is tens of meters high with a dense canopy. Even when the sun is blazing outside, walking through it feels like being in a "green air-conditioned room".
In addition, Chen Xia set up a formation for the red pine forest near his home, making them grow even denser.
When a gentle breeze occasionally blows, the shade under the trees becomes a summer retreat for the elderly.
If you plant mosquito-repelling herbs under the trees, this grove will be even more popular with the elderly.
With so many elderly people gathered together, it's inevitable that some people will ask Chen Xia why she's come back to stay for so long.
Chen's mother didn't shy away from saying, "Of course I have to go back to my parents' home after the divorce. This child was disobedient back then and insisted on marrying far away. She suffered a lot of grievances."
That bastard cheated on me, who could stand that? My daughter immediately filed for divorce and came back home.
This divorce was definitely the right decision. Not long after the divorce, that bastard's parents were involved in a car accident and a stroke, leaving them both bedridden and needing to be taken care of.
He's also lost his job, and the woman is now divorcing him. It's better to leave this unfortunate family sooner rather than later.
Thank goodness my daughter divorced him early, otherwise I don't even want to imagine what kind of life she'd be living now.
"This is what they mean by a blessed woman not marrying into an unblessed family. This divorce was the right thing to do; I hear there's a famine in the city now."
"My parents are paralyzed, and my husband is laid off. How can we possibly survive?"
"You left your granddaughter with her father? Why didn't you bring her back?"
Chen's mother sighed: "Don't laugh at me, my granddaughter is indeed ungrateful, just like her father."
She resented her mother for being too strict with her, liked the mistress her father had an affair with, and took the initiative to recognize the other woman as her mother.
You know, this child's study habits and grades were never good to begin with, so is it wrong for a mother to be strict? Sigh, she broke my daughter's heart!
The old lady is very clever. They are already on the moral high ground, so why hide it? They want everyone to know that their daughter is the victim.
In this way, if any disputes arise in the future, they will be invincible in terms of public opinion. It's not that she thinks people are wicked, but rather that people's hearts are inherently unpredictable.
Time flies and it's already the end of October. Every year at this time, the average temperature in Heilongjiang Province has dropped below ten degrees Celsius, and the daytime high temperature is only in the teens.
This year, the temperature has never dropped below 40 degrees Celsius. The scorching sun relentlessly baked the earth, and the whole world seemed to be placed in a giant steamer, making it hard to breathe.
High temperatures and drought have led to near-total crop failure, and even pasture grasses are unable to grow. Vegetation has withered and died due to lack of water, and apart from forest areas, many places are barren and devoid of any greenery.
The disaster in China was relatively mild. Every night after Chen's parents fell asleep, Chen Xia would take Ling Yi and drive around in a flying car to create artificial rain.
Fortunately, the rain-spreading talismans obtained from the small system's transactions were plentiful and plentiful, and Chen Xia was willing to pay a high price to customize an enhanced version.
Although these efforts are only a drop in the ocean for the vast land of China, they are better than doing nothing.
At least some of the largest grain-producing areas have been saved; a reduced yield is better than a complete crop failure abroad.
Qin Shuang had just entered her home carrying rice and wilted bok choy she had bought from the supermarket when she saw Bai Yu sitting on the sofa, looking at her with a gloomy expression.
She carried the rice and bok choy to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of mineral water, and took a sip. Only then did she feel alive again.
Bai Yu questioned angrily, "What did I tell you? I asked you to take care of Mom and Dad these two days because I had to work shifts at the company. Why did you leave everything to Tian Tian?"
She's still a child; how could she possibly take care of her parents? Dad had a persistent high fever; if I hadn't come back in time and taken him to the hospital, he might have been in serious danger.
Qin Shuang glanced at him: "You did say it, but I didn't agree. They are your parents, not mine."
His fever is none of my business. If you were truly filial, you wouldn't be avoiding me all the time. I'll say it again: if it works out, great; if not, divorce.
Bai Yu stood up abruptly in anger: "What can you do all day long besides talking about divorce? Why can't you think about me?"
I'm exhausted after a long day at work, and when I get home I still have to take care of my parents, cook, and clean the house. And what do you do? You only cook for yourself and don't want to lend a hand with anything. Can't you stop being so selfish?
Qin Shuang rolled her eyes. She must have been out of her mind to have fallen for such a thing.
Ignoring Bai Yu's incompetent rage, Qin Shuang steeled her heart, threw all his things out, changed the door lock's password, and confidently walked past Bai Yu's house arm in arm with her tall and handsome new boyfriend.
Bai Yu was furious, but he couldn't beat Qin Shuang's new boyfriend, so he could only watch helplessly as she cheated on him.
Bai Yu always felt that people were looking at him strangely whenever he went out. After a short while, he couldn't stand it anymore and agreed to divorce Qin Shuang.
After his divorce, Bai Yu was devastated and blamed all his misfortunes on his parents.
The care they received became increasingly perfunctory, and not long after, Bai's father and mother passed away due to complications.
After Bai Yu's parents passed away, Bai Yu appeared quite heartbroken, while Bai Tiantian was much more indifferent. She had long hoped for their deaths and even changed their medication to vitamins.
She thought that life would get better and better after her father married her favorite Aunt Qin Shuang. Little did she know that her hard times were about to begin. She had to go to school, help take care of her grandparents, and was often scolded by them for being heartless.
She cried to her father, who only told her to bear with it. Gradually, Bai Tiantian came to hate her parents, cursing them behind their backs every day and thinking about how to kill them.
Later, she saw on TV that a man had replaced his wife's heart medication with vitamins in an attempt to harm her. She secretly remembered this and secretly switched her grandparents' medication as well.
Not long after, Bai's parents' condition deteriorated rapidly. Fearing discovery, Bai Tiantian ground her mother's painkillers into powder and added large doses to their soup to relieve their pain.
Bai Yu was too busy with work to take care of his parents, which allowed Bai Tiantian's plan to proceed smoothly. Then, the two of them died quietly.
After Bai's parents died, the father and daughter's life improved somewhat, but with soaring prices, Bai Yu's meager income was only enough for them to make ends meet.
Bai Tiantian couldn't help but recall the time when Chen Xia was around. Although he was strict about her studies, as long as she studied hard, Chen Xia would satisfy all her desires, whether she wanted to eat or not.
Bai Tiantian felt increasingly upset: "Dad, why don't we go find Mom? When Mom was here, she would buy me whatever I wanted."
Bai Yu was also tempted. Nowadays, many people are going back to their rural hometowns. His ex-wife Chen Xia's family is from a forest farm in Northeast China. They say that people who live near mountains live off the mountains and people who live near water live off the water. It's definitely better than struggling in the city.
Bai Yu excitedly picked up Bai Tiantian: "Tiantian, you're so smart. Dad will ask for a long leave from work tomorrow, and we'll leave the day after tomorrow to stay with your mother."
If your mother refuses to take us in, cry loudly outside your maternal grandparents' house.
The father and daughter discussed excitedly for a long time. When Bai Yu was about to buy train tickets, he suddenly felt dizzy. He shook his head and hesitated when choosing the address. He turned to ask Bai Tiantian.
"Sweetie, I remember your maternal grandparents' home is in Inner Mongolia, right?"
Bai Tiantian shook her slightly dizzy head, looking puzzled: "Dad, you don't even remember where my maternal grandparents' house is? My maternal grandparents' house is clearly..."
Oh, where is my maternal grandparents' home again? And my mom, how could I forget her face and name?
Bai Yu blurted out, "Your mom's name is... what was it again? This is really weird, my brain is all mush today, I can't remember anything?"
The little system snorted coldly. With it around, those two ingrates wouldn't be able to harm Xia Xia.
To make these two forget Chen Xia, the little system not only put long-lasting forgetfulness talismans on them, but also fed them medicine that could confuse their memories at night.
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