This is a three-bedroom apartment, and the entire building has this layout.
In order to save resources and keep cool, they decided to sleep together in the master bedroom.
The bed was set, everyone took off their shoes and got on the bed. Qiao Qingqing then took out a small table and everyone sat around it.
"It's a pity that there is no way to install a solar generator on the second floor. We can only use fans."
"It's okay. When the renovation of Qiuye Village is completed, we will try our best to get a house on the top floor, and we will be able to use it then." Qiao Qingqing said with a smile.
As usual, there were ice buckets and solar fans, and everyone ate breakfast around a small table, and then went to bed after breakfast.
The air in the room was still very bad, but one got used to it after smelling it for a long time. Anyway, since the temperature rose, they rarely had comfortable air at the tip of their noses.
The neighbors and the people upstairs were also packing their luggage with the sound of clanging. As the sun rose higher, their sleep-during-day and night-out lifestyle made them feel sleepy.
"I'm so sleepy. Let's have breakfast and go to bed. If we don't go to bed now, it will be too hot and we won't be able to sleep later."
"Go to sleep, go to sleep!"
The neighborhood gradually quieted down, and the lights in the town government building went out one by one. The solar panels on the rooftop absorbed heat from the sun, continuing to provide bright energy for the darkness of a new day.
In the days after moving, Qiao Qingqing and her family rarely went out. Living in a house is definitely much more comfortable than living in a tent, and everyone likes it here very much.
The villagers had much more trouble moving than them. The first group of people who came took four days to move and still couldn't finish. By this time, the second group of people also started moving, and the community was very lively.
When things get busy, chaos can easily occur, so Shao's father doesn't let Shao Shengfei go out to play.
"Can I play with my toys at home?"
Shao Shengfei nodded, and after a while said, “I want to watch TV and watch cats.”
None of us have watched TV since we left home.
Shao's mother coaxed him by saying that watching TV wastes electricity and they could watch it later.
Qiao Qingqing said, "Then let's watch TV for a while to celebrate our move to a new home."
When people have free time, they want to pursue some spiritual relaxation. When Shao Shengfei mentioned it, she also wanted to watch TV.
After the solar generator was put into use, the family's fuel generator was temporarily put on leave. She took out the generator, TV and DVD player, and Shao Shengan started, installed and connected them.
The black TV screen flashed, made a few crackling sounds, and then the picture returned to normal.
"Cat!" Shao Shengfei pointed at the TV and shouted happily.
"Shh, big brother, let's watch quietly." Shao Shengan turned around and made a hushing gesture to him.
Shao Shengfei quickly covered his mouth and nodded vigorously.
"Come on, let's watch together." Qiao Qingqing called him with a smile.
Shao Shengan responded and climbed onto the bed to sit with Qiao Qingqing. The family sat on the bed and watched TV. Although it was a cartoon, it looked very interesting, simple and happy.
"I'll find some snacks to eat." Qiao Qingqing took out potato chips, rice crusts and peanuts from the space, unpacked them and poured them into a plate and placed them on the small table. Then she took out a cup and red wine, and turned her head to look at Shao Shengan, "Red wine, you said it was to celebrate moving to a new house."
Shao Shengan uncorked the wine and filled six cups. Shao's father and the others took the wine with a smile, drank red wine with snacks and watched cartoons under the fan, and they all felt that this day was pretty beautiful.
"Do you have Sprite? I'll add some." Qiao Songzhi took two sips and found it unpalatable. She loved adding Sprite to red wine.
"Yes." Qiao Qingqing took out Sprite and poured it for her.
She shook the cup and took another sip, her eyes and eyebrows showing a satisfied look: "This is the way to get used to drinking!"
Mother Shao was tempted: "Then let me try too?"
"Come on, mother-in-law, try it too!"
The vigorous and lively moving process lasted for a month before it came to an end. Whenever Qiao Qingqing met Village Chief Ye occasionally, she could feel that he had aged a lot. He looked like a shriveled sweet potato, haggard and tired. It seemed that organizing the villagers to move had consumed a lot of his energy.
During this month, Qiao Qingqing's anti-heat medicine sold quite well. After all, everyone was moving, and even moving at night was tiring enough. The temperature at night was 38 or 39 degrees Celsius, and many people suffered from heat stroke. Qiao Qingqing also went to the emergency room once, and she and her mother-in-law helped a villager give birth smoothly. Both mother and daughter were safe.
After the wave of emigration passed, the town began to calm down. The security team maintained order, and people began to set up stalls on the roadside at night to exchange some daily necessities. Occasionally, Qiao Qingqing and her friends would go out at night and stroll around the area, but the experience was not good. They encountered groups of rats twice. Rats these days are fat and very aggressive. People dare not think too much about what they have eaten to grow so big. The first reaction when encountering rats is to avoid them, otherwise if they are bitten, they may say goodbye to this fucked up world. The second reaction is to catch and kill them. After all, it is meat. After cooking at high temperature, swallow it whole with your eyes closed. It's enough to fill your stomach.
Shao's mother was scratched by a rat and had several bloody wounds. After returning home, Qiao Qingqing helped her deal with the wounds. After that, the family tried not to go out as much as possible.
After that, they often saw people wearing armbands on their arms. They turned on the flashlights and held nets, sticks and plastic buckets in their hands, catching rats along the streets. The captured rats were beaten to death and the bodies were put into buckets. Then their companions turned on the sprinklers and sprayed disinfectant.
"There are a lot fewer rats now, but we should not go out for now. Your mother's foot injury hasn't healed yet. Those damn rats are very poisonous!" said Shao's father.
In the second month after the move, the town government issued a recruitment notice, requiring a large number of construction-related workers.
Both Shao's father and mother and Qiao Songzhi signed up, and in the end, Shao's father and mother were hired. Qiao Songzhi smiled bitterly: "The interview time was very fast. When we walked in, the interviewer asked us to carry buckets from one end to the other. There were stones in the buckets. I estimated that each bucket weighed 70 to 80 kilograms. If we couldn't carry two buckets with both hands, we used shoulder poles. There were shoulder poles there too--"
She simply didn't have that much strength, and even with all the strength she had from breastfeeding she could only walk a dozen steps carrying a bucket in both hands.
It was obvious that the recruitment this time was to recruit workers with good physical strength and great power. Although Qiao Songzhi felt regretful, there was nothing he could do about it.
Shao's mother said to Qiao Songzhi, "Sister Zhi, I heard from Qingqing that you used to run a flower shop in your hometown. It's normal for a flower shop to not have great strength. When I was flipping the wok in the kitchen, the pot was not light! Qingqing can treat patients, Sheng An, me and Lao Shao can work together, and this family can be supported. It's okay if you are not selected. Besides, there must be someone at home, so you can help Qingqing at home, and I'm troubling you for Feifei."
Qiao Songzhi sighed: "This is the only way. Don't worry, I will take good care of Feifei."
Three days later, Shao's father and mother set out with the team, carrying the backpacks prepared for them by Qiao Qingqing.
Two days later, Shao Shengan received his work arrangement, and his work location was in the village next to Qiuye Village.
"Is it really okay for you three to be at home?" Shao Shengan was worried. He actually didn't approve of his parents going to work. First, his parents were old and he didn't want them to be too tired. Second, if he went out to work, it would be safer with more people at home. But his parents insisted and Qingqing supported him. As a result, he had to go out too. Only Qingqing, his mother-in-law and his elder brother were left at home. He was really worried.
Qiao Qingqing straightened his collar and said gently, "It's okay. It's safe now. Didn't you encourage me not to be too pessimistic? We each have our own jobs now and are not bound by the end of the world. How wonderful it is. It's also a kind of happiness to wait for you to come back home."
Shao Shengan kissed her and said, "Okay, then you wait for us to come back. Take good care of yourself before we come back." After touching Qiao Qingqing's face again, Shao Shengan reluctantly left home at the urging of his colleagues downstairs.
Qiao Qingqing did not go downstairs, but just stood upstairs and watched.
During the separation, Qiao Qingqing was worried, but now she is much stronger than when she was reborn. If her emotions at that time were fragile glass, now those cracks have been repaired in the company of her family and lover in the past three years. She is worried about Shao Shengan and her parents-in-law, but she can handle her emotions well and keep a stable mentality.
She also has a lot of work to do and is busy almost every day.
She was quite frugal in using medicines, not wanting the villagers to think that she was very well-off. During her time in Qiuye Village, her medical skills were well honed, especially her acupuncture skills, which improved by leaps and bounds. Practice makes people progress, and this saying is indeed true. She can now treat some minor illnesses and pains with acupuncture, and with a small amount of medicine, she can achieve very good results.
After living in the community for a month, even local residents began to seek her medical treatment.
"My wife has always had a bad lumbar spine. She just endured it when it flared up in the past two years. Can you help her?" A couple from the 19th floor came to see a doctor. The husband showed Qiao Qingqing his wife's previous X-rays and medical records. He actually didn't trust the new "Dr. Qiao" that much.
This Doctor Qiao looks too young, not even thirty years old. Can he really be a good doctor?
But there was no way. His wife had suffered from back pain for several years, especially during those two years when the temperature was low, damp and cold. Many times he was afraid that his wife would die from the back pain.
"Let me take a look." Qiao Qingqing read it carefully, "Your wife needs surgery in this condition."
Pei Yan was disappointed: "I know, they said before that she would have to undergo surgery, but then her temperature dropped and my wife fell... After she recovered, the hospital ran out of medicine and couldn't perform the surgery."
"I can only use acupuncture to help her relieve the pain. If she agrees, I'll do it. There will be obvious improvement after about two courses of treatment, but there is no way to cure it."
"Yuxiu——" Pei Yan looked at his wife.
Chi Yuxiu looked very bad. She nodded weakly: "It's okay if it can be relieved."
"Okay, how much is the consultation fee?"
"Just exchange the supplies, or I'll take the gold, jade, and jewelry."
Pei Yan took out a gold ring and asked, "Can this last for two courses of treatment?"
Qiao Qingqing took a quick look and said, "Sure, your wife still has some spleen and stomach disorders, so I'll take care of her while I'm at it."
After acupuncture, Pei Yan carried his wife upstairs. Chi Yuxiu kept wiping his sweat and cried with heartache.
"It's all my fault for getting you into trouble. I'm just a useless person..."
"Don't say that. You're my wife. Isn't it my duty to take care of you? Don't cry. We'll be home soon."
After one course of treatment, Chi Yuxiu felt that her back pain was relieved a lot and she could walk independently without help. Pei Yan was very happy and once sent something to Qiao Qingqing's home after returning from a trip.
"What is this?" Qiao Songzhi took it and asked curiously.
Pei Yan smiled and said, "It's sweet potatoes. They are newly grown high temperature resistant sweet potatoes. They look a little different and taste different from the previous ones, but they are very filling. You can try it. It's best to cut them into pieces and cook them in soup. Don't steam them, and don't roast them. If you roast them, you will regret wasting food."
Qiao Songzhi was surprised: "It's only been a short time, and a new type of sweet potato that can withstand high temperatures has been developed? This is amazing!"
Qiao Qingqing took out a piece of sweet potato from the bag. This sweet potato did not look like a sweet potato. Its skin was brown and black, and it looked like it had many roots and stems. She scratched the skin with her fingernails, revealing the light brown inside.
"It's been more than half a year since the temperature was raised. It's not too late, but it hasn't been put into mass production yet. Moreover, the growth cycle of this new type of sweet potato is different from the traditional one. It can complete a cycle in two or three months under high temperature conditions." Pei Yan looked at his watch, "I have to go home. Remember what I said, don't bake it. Oh, and don't let anyone else see it."
Qiao Songzhi nodded quickly: "Don't worry!"
After entering the room, Qiao Songzhi asked Qiao Qingqing: "What do you think Mr. Pei does for a living? Or does he have some background? How could he get such good things?"
"It's just the two possibilities you mentioned. We'll know later anyway." Qiao Qingqing put the sweet potatoes back into the bag. There were two in total. They were very big and estimated to weigh three or four pounds each.
"It looks like a small watermelon. The experts are amazing. This sweet potato is growing so well."
"Cut half of it for lunch and try it first," said Qiao Qingqing.
Qiao Songzhi collected the sweet potatoes. Although the family had ample supplies, Qiao Songzhi knew that the current situation was not good and many people did not have enough food every day, so she was determined not to waste them. She carefully scrubbed the skin of the sweet potatoes with a brush, washed off the dirt, and did not even cut off the stems, because the stems could still fill the stomach after being stewed.
She used a kitchen knife to cut the sweet potatoes into pieces, put them into the pot and boiled them. She turned around and asked Qiao Qingqing: "Can you cook it the same way as the sweet potato soup we made before?"
Qiao Qingqing was folding clothes in the room and responded with an "OK" when she heard this.
After cooking, Qiao Songzhi added white sugar to make a pot of sweet potato soup. In addition to the sweet potato soup, there was also a tray of buns for lunch, including brown sugar buns and cabbage vegetarian buns steamed by Qiao Qingqing.
Qiao Songzhi brought out three bowls of sweet soup and called Shao Shengfei, who was playing with a jigsaw puzzle in the living room, to come and eat. Shao Shengfei responded, happily ran to the room, took off his shoes, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
"Mother Qiao, what is this? It's so dark."
"This is sweet potato. It's a little hot, so be careful when you drink it."
"Hmm!" Shao Shengfei picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful and blew gently.
"The longer this soup is cooked, the darker it gets... not really black, but a very dark brown. However, the soup tastes OK, and is similar to the sweet potato taste I had before. The only difference is that this sweet potato is a bit dry, and it's not very soft even after being cooked for so long. Next time I'll use a pressure cooker to cook it and see if it can be softer."
Qiao Qingqing drank the soup first and then ate the sweet potato. It was indeed a little prickly in the mouth: "The texture is a little softer than the dregs of sugarcane."
Qiao Songzhi was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "That's the feeling! Oh, I just can't put it into words! I just feel that it has a lot of chewy texture and is a bit too old."
"Look, Mommy Qiao!" Shao Shengfei pulled out a thin sweet potato tendon from his teeth.
Qiao Songzhi took a towel to wipe his hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"It's too difficult to grow food in this hot weather. It's a great honor to grow anything. As long as we can fill our stomachs, the taste is not a problem." Qiao Qingqing coaxed Shao Shengfei not to waste food, "Can we finish it together?"
They finished the last pot of sweet potato soup.
"It's not very tasty, but it's quite filling. I can't even finish the buns." Qiao Songzhi sighed, "It would be great if we could produce more in the future. No matter how much supplies Yeshan has, they will be eaten up one day. We still have to keep growing."
"Well, I'll give the remaining one to Sheng An and the others when they come back."
"I'll use a pressure cooker when the time comes, or I'll just cook sweet potato porridge and see if it tastes better."
Qiao Qingqing smiled and nodded, putting away the leftover buns.
Later, Chi Yuxiu came again for acupuncture. Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Chi Yuxiu took the initiative to chat with Qiao Qingqing for the first time. Only then did she know that Pei Yan worked at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
"The work is very intensive and he is very tired. He also has to take care of me. Fortunately, I feel much better now. I don't have to lie at home all day. I can even go up and down the stairs by myself. I told him to focus on his work..."
Qiao Qingqing has a good impression of the experts and professors. She had a bad life in her previous life, but that was due to the limitations of her living environment. Living outside the survivor base was so chaotic, there was nothing she could do. But in general, the survivor base was moving forward. When the temperature was high, the base researched heat-resistant crops. During the two years of eternal night, when there was no sunshine, the base researched new crop varieties and never compromised with natural disasters.
She had eaten new potatoes and sweet potatoes grown without sunlight, and had also grown some herself. Almost every survivor on the periphery had a small plot of land, perhaps as big as a foam box or a washbasin. They squeezed out a space in their small homes to plant their own hopes...
"Mr. Pei and his colleagues are great." Qiao Qingqing said sincerely.
Chi Yuxiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled shyly: "This is the first time I have heard such a grand evaluation. I am very happy for my husband and his colleagues."
A week later, Sweet Potato Heat-Resistant No. 1 was officially launched, and each household in Qiao Qingqing's group received a piece of sweet potato in the latest relief supplies.
It received widespread negative reviews for its taste, but was highly praised for its satiety.
The disaster lasted for more than three years, and the survivors not only suffered physically and mentally, but also had a good taste. As long as they could fill their stomachs, they could eat anything, no matter how bad it tasted - the sweet potato heat-resistant No. 1 tasted good, at least the sweet soup was delicious.
"Can we grow this kind of sweet potato ourselves?" Qiao Songzhi asked Qiao Qingqing for her opinion.
"Mom, I asked when I received the supplies. We can't plant now. We can't grow any crops. If we want to plant our own crops, we'll have to wait until the more stable No. 2 and No. 3 come out."
Qiao Songzhi was a little disappointed: "Okay."
At the construction site, Shao Shengan had sweet potato soup for breakfast. He drank the sweet potato soup and looked towards the town. After work yesterday, he went to Qiuye Village to visit his parents. It took him an hour to go back and forth. Unfortunately, he couldn't go back to town to visit Qingqing because he didn't have enough time.
Has Qingqing also eaten the sweet potato heat-resistant No. 1?
"Captain..." After breakfast, Shao Shengan went to the captain to discuss whether he could get some sweet potatoes.
"I want to take it home for my family to try when I have a day off."
The captain glanced at him and said, "You must have some at home."
Shao Shengan smiled: "I still want to bring it, please help me."
"Okay, I'll ask the logistics department for you. Just work hard. I'm counting on you."
On the way back to the tent to rest, Shao Shengan saw Lin Mingyong. Lin Mingyong obviously saw him too, pursed his lips and frowned. He didn't think of saying hello, just glanced past and continued walking forward, but Lin Mingyong called him.
"Xiao Shao, wait a minute!"
Xiao Shao?
Shao Shengan sneered in his heart, thinking that he must have forgotten his own name.
He pretended not to hear and continued walking. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lin Mingyong quickly following him and soon blocking his way.
"I called you, didn't you hear me?"
"Mr. Lin, what do you want to talk to me about?"
These three words made Lin Mingyong frown even more. His daughter was ill-mannered, so how could even his son-in-law be so rude!
Seeing the dissatisfaction in Lin Mingyong's eyes, Shao Shengan remained unmoved. No one could remain indifferent after knowing the so-called father-in-law's plot against his wife. When he saw Lin Mingyong, he wanted to slap him in the face.
After glancing around, Shao Shengan's fists loosened and clenched again.
"Xiao Shao, I don't know what kind of misunderstanding Qingqing has about me. As a father, I can only tolerate my daughter. I thought you also received higher education and could make your own judgment more objectively. I didn't expect you--"
"Mr. Lin, if you are stopping me just to accuse my wife in front of me, I don't have the time to listen to your nonsense. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't disturb my rest. I have to go to work in the evening."
Lin Mingyong was also an angry person. He called out to Shao Shengan because he recognized him as his son-in-law and wanted to have a chat. Leaving his hometown and coming here, he had to start all over again. His daughter and son were still young and could not be relied on. When he saw his eldest son-in-law, he had some ideas in his mind and greeted him.
Unexpectedly...
"Then go ahead!" Lin Mingyong is also a successful boss. Although his career is almost gone now, his pride is still there. If others don't want to pay attention to him, he won't bother to curry favor with them!
Shao Shengan turned and left.
When he returned to his team, his companion asked him, "Do you know that person? I heard that the person wearing the armband is in charge of logistics. If you have connections, can you help pass on a message to us to get more food?"
Shao Shengan shook his head with a serious face: "I don't know him."
"That's not right. From the way you two were talking just now, it didn't seem like you didn't know each other."
"I really don't know him. Go to bed quickly. The sun is rising."
After lying down, Shao Shengan couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He decided to find an opportunity to put a sack on Lin Mingyong and beat him up.
After making this decision, he finally felt sleepy, yawned and began to fall asleep.
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