"Well, then let's forget about him," Jing Mo's tone was casual.
Su Nian didn't pay much attention either, her gaze shifting to the square table.
Just like yesterday, Jing Mo had prepared quite a bit of ingredients again.
"Let's have braised pork today!" Jing Mo's eyes sparkled. "I read on the recipe that braised pork stewed with potatoes is especially delicious, especially with rice."
Su Nian nodded, "The book is right!"
Braised pork with potatoes, along with thick gravy, was simply divine with rice.
In addition to this, Jing Mo also set up a self-heating hot pot.
It was a tripe hot pot, with vegetables like wood ear mushrooms and lotus root slices besides tripe.
Two dishes were placed on the table, a balance of meat and vegetables.
The iron bucket was placed in the living room. When the two finished eating and came out, not only had the firewood burned out, even the remaining ashes had cooled completely.
It was all because the temperature was too low.
For a moment, it was hard to say whether this low temperature was good or bad.
The two didn't dwell on this matter too much and quickly brought over the chopped potatoes and sweet potatoes, respectively, wrapping them in ashes.
After wrapping them up, the potatoes and sweet potatoes were placed in a warm place, waiting for them to sprout.
Carrying her own potatoes and sweet potatoes, Su Nian returned home. Passing by the stairwell, she glanced downstairs.
The staircase was empty, devoid of anyone.
It was probably due to the variety of vegetables or maybe the temperature was just right.
After a day, when Su Nian went to see those potatoes and sweet potatoes again, she could see tender little green sprouts emerging.
Even though Su Nian had plenty of green leafy vegetables in her space, seeing these tender green sprouts still brought a smile to her face.
Having seen the snowy landscape for too long, anyone would appreciate such fresh greenery.
After all, it represented hope.
From that day on, Su Nian checked on those potatoes and sweet potatoes every day.
Five days later, the tender shoots grew into delicate leaves and were ready to be transplanted.
Jing Mo brought back a total of four pots of nutrient solution and gave Su Nian two.
Su Nian poured water into the logistics box, then mixed the nutrient solution according to the proportions and poured it in.
Only then did she carefully place the seedlings of potatoes and sweet potatoes into it.
Six boxes were arranged by Su Nian against the wall. She was already imagining how lush they would grow.
Because there was something to do every day, Su Nian hardly went out except occasionally to teach Jing Mo how to cook.
As time passed, the potatoes and sweet potatoes grew rapidly.
At this point, Su Nian truly understood what a new variety meant.
Judging by this growth rate, Su Nian felt that the potatoes should be ripe for harvest in about a month.
Compared to the growth rate before the apocalypse, it was indeed much faster.
After harvesting her potatoes, Su Nian heard news from Jing Mo.
The price of potatoes and sweet potatoes in the base's supermarket was originally relatively high because the quantity produced was not yet sufficient.
But after a while, the price dropped, and they were promoted throughout the base.
Now, anyone with some conditions in the base was planting sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes could be cooked directly, stir-fried, or processed into potato flour or sweet potato vermicelli.
Even sweet potatoes could be ground into flour to make sweet potato noodles.
With so many ways to eat them, there was no need to worry about getting tired of them.
"The money for sweet potatoes and potatoes is already very cheap. You can buy a pound for just one contribution point," Jing Mo said, deliberately showing a helpless smile. "Originally, I thought I could sell them to the base after planting, but now if I sell them, I probably won't even break even. It's better to keep them for ourselves."
Hearing Jing Mo's words, Su Nian couldn't help but recall the dream she had.
In her dream, she became a planting tycoon.
But reality proved that dreams and reality were indeed opposite.
Su Nian hadn't planned to sell them anyway, so there was no disappointment.
"Then let's keep them for ourselves. I'll make dried sweet potatoes, which can be eaten as snacks."
Su Nian could see that Jing Mo was quite fond of snacks.
But he should also be quite disciplined, exercising every day.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed slim despite eating and drinking well for over a month.
"Then teach me, and I'll do it with you."
Su Nian had realized Jing Mo's diligence during this month.
As long as she taught him something, when Jing Mo did it for the second time, he didn't need her to speak at all.
Not only was the process flawless, but even the taste was better than the previous time.
Making dried sweet potatoes wasn't difficult.
Clean the sweet potatoes, put them in a pot, and boil them for at least two to three hours.
After boiling, don't take them out, cover the pot and let them cool naturally.
When the sweet potatoes were completely cool, take them out and cut them into finger-thick strips.
They could be air-dried or baked in an oven.
Air-drying was out of the question now since there was hardly any sun.
Both Su Nian and Jing Mo had ovens. They each baked their own, but in the end, they swapped and found that there wasn't much difference in taste.
Jing Mo took a bite of the dried sweet potato and raised his eyebrows at Su Nian. "You've been home for over a month, do you want to go out for a walk?"
Su Nian considered herself someone who could stay at home very well. She hadn't been downstairs for over a month and didn't feel bored at all.
Just before Su Nian could refuse, she heard Jing Mo say again, "Didn't you like that assault rifle before? I can teach you how to use it."
Hearing this, Su Nian swallowed the refusal that was already on her lips. "Okay, when do we go?"
"It's a bit late today, let's go early tomorrow morning!"
"Okay!"
---
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Su Nian dressed neatly, slung her half-height backpack, and walked out the door.
Just as she opened the door, she saw Jing Mo walking out from the opposite door.
Both of them smiled at each other and walked downstairs together.
They arrived at the first floor, just about to walk out of the unit door when they heard the sound of the door opening.
At the same time, a man's voice came.
"Are you... Su Nian?"
Hearing this, Su Nian immediately turned to look in the direction of the voice.
"Who are you?"
Apart from Jing Mo, Su Nian had not exchanged names with anyone else in this building.
Now, hearing her name being called by someone else, Su Nian felt not only surprised but also cautious.
"Are you really Su Nian?"
The boy said excitedly, taking a few steps forward. "I'm Wu Kangjian!"
Wu Kangjian?
Su Nian frowned, not remembering who this person was.
"We were high school classmates!
We were in the same class in the third year of high school, I sat in the third-to-last row.
Oh right, our class teacher back then was also named Wu, and classmates called him Old Wu. They joked that I was Little Wu, do you remember?"