Chapter Sixty-Five: Good News from the Capital

With the intact ink stick, Jiang Huan exchanged it for over three thousand points, feeling that these traditional items actually held more exchange value than gold or silver. She casually found a spot and, refusing to believe in bad luck, opened five medium boxes herself.

A portable cooling machine—once activated, it could keep an area of thirty square meters between minus five and plus five degrees Celsius. Wasn’t this basically a mini-fridge? The temperature range wasn’t wide, but it seemed perfect for use in a warehouse outside her spatial storage.

Luck hadn’t deserted her yet. Jiang Huan looked expectantly at the second box.

A greenhouse planting tent, area ten square meters by eight—ah, this was good too!

Two sets of hydroponic cultivation kits—the combined area was nearly an acre. Not bad at all.

120 packs of ladies’ menthol-flavored cigarettes. Jiang Huan didn’t smoke, so this felt a bit useless.

Now it was down to the last one. Even Jiang Huan, who rarely acted childishly, clasped her hands together and silently wished for something big. Did she dare hope?

500 square meters of thermal insulation foam for buildings. Jiang Huan stared in disbelief at what she’d drawn.

Was this really something she could get?

The instructions said this foam could be mixed into paint or sprayed directly and then smoothed over. It provided insulation for buildings—keeping the inside warm when it was freezing outside, and when it was scorching hot, the interior would still remain at around twenty-five or twenty-six degrees at most.

Jiang Huan was overjoyed.

It seemed her luck was gradually turning for the better.

Looking at the cigarettes, Jiang Huan loaded them all into her vehicle and drove to the base to exchange them for six thousand contribution points.

Initially, she’d planned to stockpile some points for future use, but then a helpful staff member mentioned that the capital had developed cold-resistant crops, suitable for home cultivation. These could yield starchy crops in forty days and leafy vegetables in twenty; the base was preparing to release a small batch for trial.

Jiang Huan immediately exchanged for a small packet of seeds.

Looking at the mere handful of seeds, she realized they’d cost her a thousand contribution points.

Rarity drives value. She didn’t try to haggle, and after returning home, she set aside about ten seeds for Wu Gang’s group so they could try planting them as well.

After all, this wasn’t a unique treasure—she wouldn’t invite unnecessary envy.

Coincidentally, there was an unfinished unit on this floor, so she quickly cleared out an apartment on the eighteenth floor and set it up.

The bare room was filled with foam boxes and containers of various sizes, each carefully planted with one or two seeds.

Across the hall, she set up a full hydroponic system.

Jiang Huan took the insulation paint—there was so much of it that she coated all the walls and ceiling of the hydroponics room with thermal foam, then went up to the twentieth floor to do the same to those walls.

The foam was peculiar; it looked as soft and fluffy as a cloud, but when applied, it spread like water and blended seamlessly with the original wall color, leaving no trace of alteration.

After drinking a cup of hot milk and sitting for a while, Jiang Huan actually began to feel stiflingly warm.

So she took off her hat and scarf.

Still not cold.

She went ahead and took off her coat as well.

The environment was still comfortably warm.

If she were to remove the room’s original heating equipment, this foam would be enough to live on.

Delighted, Jiang Huan put away the remaining foam and opened the windows a little wider for ventilation—there, now she could feel it.

She put her coat back on and didn’t add as much firewood to the room’s stove.

In the afternoon, she and her brother had a simple meal. Suddenly, her communicator kept pinging with messages—turns out Wu Gang had gone to the base, bought some seeds with public funds, and was explaining their characteristics and exchange value to everyone.

The prospect of eating fresh vegetables made all the survivors in the community rejoice.

“These are cold-resistant, surviving temperatures as low as minus twenty degrees. As long as you keep them indoors and care for them properly, the problem of having no fresh greens to eat will soon be solved.”

“Yield may be an issue, but if everyone gets a small batch to grow themselves, it should meet basic needs. Prices may fluctuate in the future, but I took the liberty of buying some. Those who want them, please sign to collect a few seeds; those who don’t will have three points added to their accounts.” This was to prevent complaints about the collective contribution points being spent without approval.

“But we don’t have fertilizer—don’t you need fertilizer to grow crops?”

“Is it like keeping potted plants? Minus twenty degrees—my gosh, a plant that can grow in a fridge—is it even edible?”

“I don’t believe it. There’s not even a finished product. I don’t want any. Give me my contribution points back.”

Jiang Huan scrolled through the endless stream of questions and complaints and realized this was why, even though she controlled so many resources, she preferred to quietly help those truly in need at the right time, rather than stepping up to handle every survivor’s request or become a leader.

After all, it was often a thankless task.

The dozen or so households in Building Six had all come to consult Jiang Huan.

She only needed to say, “I already bought some with my own contribution points and have started growing them.” Not another word was needed. The whole group replied that they wanted some, and some even offered to trade extra supplies for more seeds.

Such cohesion made Wu Gang deeply envious.

Two hours later, Jiang Xi returned from studying in another building and came to ask his sister if he could grow some of the cold-resistant crops in his room as well.

“Aren’t you worried about the humidity? I’ve already planted some on the eighteenth floor. If you like, pick a few pots to grow, or we can take turns looking after them.”

Jiang Xi agreed to take turns.

Jiang Huan patiently taught him the cultivation tips she’d learned at the base: water starchy crops every two days, leafy greens once a day, with precise amounts. “Don’t use boiled water. If possible, mix in a little fertilizer, but this variety doesn’t require much.”

If any leaves showed issues, they had to be removed immediately. Any odd smells, strange mold, or fungal spots had to be cleaned off as well.

All in all, it wasn’t difficult.

“Oh, by the way, once they’re grown, it’s best to send them to the base for inspection, but that’s for when they’re mature. For now, let’s take turns watching over them every five days.”

Jiang Xi immediately took out some paper and quickly made a chart, marking the dates.

Jiang Huan saw that it was quite clear.

Jiang Xi wanted to start caring for the cold-resistant crops first, and Jiang Huan didn’t refuse.

Even if it was just for fun, as long as he had something to do, it was good.

She recalled that Jiang Xi had started attending classes with Professor Li recently, so she asked if he was adjusting well.

“I’m used to it. When I go downstairs, Brother Xiao Fang takes me to the building across the way. Teacher Gao also teaches classes. Now I have three teachers,” Jiang Xi replied happily, as if three people saying a few words under one roof meant he had three teachers.

As for Gao Qiang’s personal issues, as long as they didn’t affect Jiang Huan, they were his own business. She didn’t dismiss his expertise or teaching ability just because of his girlfriend, but simply changed the location of the classes.

This way, when she was out, there were two other professionals present for lessons, eliminating the risk of Gao Qiang’s misguided teaching or his girlfriend causing trouble.

Gao Qiang and his girlfriend’s departure hadn’t affected Building Six at all. The new resident, Old Zhan, was devoted to caring for his grandson, while Ah Quan, with his enthusiastic and restless nature, quickly found himself some work in Building Six and joined Jiang Huan’s welfare scheme, adapting remarkably well.