Chapter 149: Man and Nature
To be precise, this didn’t look like a well in a farmhouse yard. Instead, it resembled a carefully crafted ornamental object—something you could admire but not use.
After all, the semi-transparent green bricks used to cover the well were incredibly beautiful under the sunlight!
“This one,” the person in charge said proudly, “this is a new type of plant brick that just came on the market. It’s made from a cactus from the South Island—maybe you’ve heard of it?”
Huai Yu hadn’t heard of it, but that didn’t stop her from eagerly looking at the speaker with wide eyes, awaiting further explanation.
“The cacti on the South Island mutated and took over an entire city, and they’re huge. After we finally captured them, we found their flesh to be very unique…”
“After several rounds of research by the scientific institute, we discovered that the flesh could be cut into shapes and used as building materials… and it has no pollution. It grows quickly and reproduces rapidly…”
“Wow—” Huai Yu was both surprised and amazed. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch the semi-transparent green bricks, finding them soft and gel-like to the touch.
“What a nice texture!”
She then leaned over to look into the well. Unfortunately, the water in the well was still murky, about one-third full. It would probably take a few more days for it to be usable.
“Yes!” the person in charge agreed, clapping the well’s edge. “It needs to be exposed to the sun. Once the sunlight hits it, it will solidify quickly, just like regular bricks—but with greater strength. And the bricks don’t need to be bonded together; they will form a solid whole.”
Huai Yu was thrilled, “Can mutated plants really be used like this?”
“Of course!” The person in charge looked at her in surprise. “In our country, we first look at whether something is edible, then if it’s tasty, and finally, if it’s useful… Research in this area has made much more progress here than abroad!”
Huai Yu subconsciously thought of Kuang Biao—yes, they even ate poisonous bamboo shoots!
The person in charge, now excited to continue explaining, went on, “For example, the uniform worn by the defense troops uses snow sand reflective material, which is made from mutated cotton.”
“In southern Jiangxi, there’s a mutated orange that can release strong electrical currents…”
“However, due to production limitations, many things haven’t been widely available for civilian use.”
“But now, all across the country, things are slowly recovering. In a few years, if you build a house again, maybe you’ll be able to buy these new materials.”
At this point, the person in charge looked toward the yard. “By the way, are you going to see Zhou Qian today? If so, let him know that we’re pulling an electric line from the camp to his house. But how to allocate the electricity for his appliances, we can discuss that after he moves in.”
Electric line?! Huai Yu’s eyes widened, “You’re running an electric line from District 69 to District 39?”
She was filled with a sudden desire for it! But considering that this might be something Zhou Qian risked his life to get, she couldn’t bring herself to make any requests. Instead, she asked, “What about the electricity bill…?”
Wasn’t the electricity expensive now?
The person in charge sighed, “It’s unavoidable. There’s a nationwide shortage of electricity. Here, we’ll install a separate meter. One kilowatt-hour will cost fifteen cents. That’s why I said we should wait until he moves in to decide whether to use electrical appliances.”
“Anyway, we’ll get the line ready for him. Given the way the country is developing, the electricity prices should stabilize in a year or two.”
Fifteen cents per kilowatt-hour?!
Huai Yu felt like her wallet had been stabbed. She had heard that electricity was expensive, but this price was shocking!
If she just turned on a desk lamp, it would cost at least ten or twenty cents a day! And right now, office workers in the cities barely made a hundred cents a month!
No wonder industrial development had stalled—who could afford this?
She immediately lost all interest in that electric line and just muttered, “In that case, it’s better to buy a diesel generator and generate the electricity ourselves.”
“Hmm.” The person in charge didn’t argue but quietly added, “That’s definitely more cost-effective. But diesel is sold on a quota system by the government, and the purchase limit is determined by the initial contribution value.”
“Huai Yu, your initial contribution value shouldn’t be low, right?”
Huai Yu: …
The reason she chose the Rose Corridor’s Area 1 was not because she disliked the villas in the city, was it?
Her heart sank.
Full of resentment over the high electricity price and overwhelmed by all the knowledge about mutated plants, Huai Yu went to the hospital to deliver food to Zhou Qian, still animatedly gesturing as she spoke.
Zhou Qian, spooning a delicious serving of steamed locust flowers, couldn’t help but ask, “I’ve practically searched the entire area around the Rose Corridor. Where did you get these black locust flowers?”
Huai Yu’s excitement immediately came to a halt. She then said confidently, “I found a way to get them.”
Zhou Qian nodded. “They’re delicious—by the way, besides that well, did my house use any other new materials?”
“You like plant materials that much?”
Huai Yu paused, then shook her head. “I haven’t asked about other materials yet.”
“I like plants! They’ve mutated a lot, but if they weren’t useful, humans would have eradicated them.”
“But mutations aren’t something plants choose. Some mutated plants have really good temperaments.”
Like the big pine tree on the mountain that gave her pine cones and let her collect pollen.
And the chattering Kuang Biao.
And the Rose Corridor too!
Though the Rose Corridor now sheltered the people of Flower City, she couldn’t help but wonder if, in the future, when there are no more conflicts with the wilderness, people might greedily try to eliminate this new threat as well?
Some things, she didn’t not understand—she just didn’t dare to think about them.
But if mutated plants could be used, peaceful coexistence in the future seemed very possible!
So, in response to Zhou Qian’s question, Huai Yu could only think of four words—”Man and nature.”
Zhou Qian paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. Even the scar on his face seemed to twitch with the smile.
“Right!”
“Peaceful coexistence, huh!”
He looked at Huai Yu with a complicated gaze. “I didn’t expect your little brain to think so deeply.”
“I used to wonder, when the threat from mutated plants and animals disappears, will people turn their attention to the superpowered ones…”
Lin Xuefeng had said something similar before, but at the time, his tone had been rather negative. He had just casually shared his thoughts, saying that the gradual disappearance of superpowers was a good thing…
Now, hearing something similar from Zhou Qian, Huai Yu couldn’t help but feel happy again. “That’s right! I’ve told you, I’m in my twenties now, so I must be very smart.”
Zhou Qian didn’t agree, “Forget it. You should spend more time thinking about your ex-boyfriend.”
“Being love-struck doesn’t count as being smart.”
Huai Yu: …
Damn! That jerk! Now she couldn’t brag about her intelligence!
