Chapter 181: Chapter 181
Jing Shu took photos of both the inside and outside of the RV and measured the dimensions with a ruler, recording the data for future modifications and any ideas she might have.
After filtering off the red earthworms from their bodies in the saltwater pool, Jing Shu and Mr. Jing entered the warm villa to take a bath. Jing Shu put on a cotton jacket and drank a hot brown sugar wolfberry ginger soup, which made her feel revived.
She couldn’t imagine how people outside survived the harsh weather, nor could she bear to think about how she struggled to survive in her previous life.
The luggage brought back was placed in the courtyard, where the fat chicken cleaned up areas with red earthworms. It’s worth mentioning that the fat chicken’s intelligence had increased a bit. Ever since red earthworms had first crawled on it, scaring it so much it wet itself, the fat chicken had learned a lesson. After observing Jing Shu enter the salt pool and emerge free of red earthworms, it began to soak itself in the pool whenever it became entangled by them.
Grandma Jing and Mrs. Jing were sorting through the water-soaked luggage, cursing as they salvaged some of the damaged dishes and pots. Most were still usable and just needed cleaning; water wasn’t an issue now, thanks to the super filter in Jingshu’s house. While other households had faucets gushing with red earthworm-contaminated water, Jingshu’s house produced only filtered Pure Water. The filter system just needed frequent cleaning. Right after taking a bath, Mr. Jing put on a raincoat to clean out red earthworms from the outlets, or they would get clogged.
Jing Shu remembered that during the first year, the vegetable yield was low due to the water shortage. The second year, it was because of red earthworm Insect eggs that mass vegetable production was not possible; fortunately, that year had ample rainwater, allowing people to eat various types of Mushrooms—COUGH, COUGH—even those crawling with Insect eggs were considered vegetables. It really was one of the better years for food during the apocalypse. In comparison to later years’ rotten food and corpse-eating worms, red earthworms’ only fault was that they were tough to chew and prone to get stuck between teeth or in the throat. From Jing Shu’s experience, having lived through the apocalypse for ten years and considering food rankings, she believed the maggots from the first year were the tastiest and richest in protein, followed by red earthworms, which had little flavor but were filling. Their biggest advantage was their sheer availability; they could be eaten at any time.
So, anyone who could grow garlic shoots and onions during that year would make their neighbors green with envy.
While the government was arranging housing for millions of people, they also considered taking advantage of the abundant water to plant crops. At noon, Mrs. Jing received a notice. Just as everyone thought they could finally grow some crops, the red earthworms revealed their more complicated nature.
Rainwater not filtered of red earthworms was unviable for growing crops! The source of this content ɪs Nove1Fire.net
Red earthworms were also pests, consuming everything with their mouthparts. Before maturing, they constantly absorbed all surrounding nutrients; once mature, they were perpetually mating. In her previous life, Jing Shu had learned from the news that red earthworms actually evolved from microorganisms, similar to tiny bacteria or trace elements. Hence, their Insect eggs were also a form of bacteria or microorganism, absorbing all vital elements nearby.
Thus, when the government and people worldwide were filled with hope for replanting, the apocalypse severely dashed their hopes again. Lack of sunlight could be replaced by simulated sunlight for photosynthesis. But when the government began replanting crops, they discovered that many seeds never germinated, and even if they did, the sprouts were quickly eaten. Later, minuscule Insect eggs were discovered on these failed crops, which soon grew into red earthworms.
People who planned to plant crops at home also recognized this issue. During that time, they would use cotton, gauze, and various other methods to try and filter out the red earthworms from water. But it still had no effect, because these methods simply couldn’t filter out the red earthworm’s Insect eggs. The Insect eggs were extremely tiny bacteria, invisible to the naked eye.
At this point, more advanced filters were needed; only those capable of blocking microorganisms could filter out the red earthworm. In Wu City, such filters were scarce, and many had been submerged in the city center. Later, the government managed to collect some, providing emergency relief. Thus, ultrafiltration filters became key to determining how many vegetables would be available for the next year.
Mushrooms were different; they were the only type of vegetable that could grow large before being completely consumed by the red earthworms. With sufficient water, a new batch could grow in just two to three days, by which time the red earthworms had just grown large enough to be visible to the naked eye, although their appearance was not very appealing. This year, basically all the Mushrooms grown were covered with dense clusters of red earthworm’s Insect eggs, and some rapidly developing red earthworms were crawling on them.
The government waved its hand, "Fine, you used to complain about lacking meat and vegetables, but now you have both—perfect! From now on, this will be your food!"
By the way, highly concentrated salt water could also kill red earthworm Insect eggs. The concentration of seawater was insufficient, and the cost of high-concentration salt water was comparatively high, making it unsuitable for mass production.
Apart from filters and highly concentrated salt water, only Huaxia had rediscovered an ancient method. It couldn’t achieve absolute filtration but could filter to a degree that allowed some misshapen garlic sprouts to grow. This method didn’t require high technology; every household could create this type of filter. Jing Shu planned to method with Mrs. Jing after her mother realized that red earthworms made growing crops impossible, thus setting Mrs. Jing up for early success.
Of course, she couldn’t be prophetic now.
So, because filtered water was scarce, vegetables and crops still became ’special supply’ this year, available only to a few. If Jing Shu hadn’t installed a super filter in advance, her family might also have had no harvest this year, and it would have been even more difficult to explain the origin of the crops from the Magic Cube Space.
Wu You’ai had said he would come back at noon, but by the time Jing Shu’s family had finished lunch, the Red Mountain Ecological Garden had only just started sending people back from the Banana District.
Jing Shu thought for a moment and decided she still had to drag Shangguan Jun’s body back. The first group of residents might move into the Banana District today. It wouldn’t be good to scare them, have them call the police, and stir up trouble.
Unfortunately, Yang Yang and Wang Dazhao still hadn’t made contact. They might have lost their phones, Jing Shu thought.
As the largest and most luxurious district in the Development Zone, this big pie was about to be divided, and many people couldn’t help but start getting restless. The interests of the original residents were bound to be harmed, and the visiting specialist was about to be reassigned.
Jing Shu felt that as long as no one infringed on her family’s interests, any outcome would be acceptable. But if anyone dares to cross the line... BAH! She had just jinxed herself, as someone immediately came looking for trouble.