Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 259 Hope in the Darkness
The darkness seemed to linger, and in just three or four months, it severely impacted people's mood and confidence.

Humans lived humbly and gradually grew accustomed to this gray world.

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month should be the hottest time of the year, but people on the street are wearing sweaters and cotton-padded trousers to keep warm.

At six in the morning, it was still as dark as ever outside.

Si Jiuba couldn't help but think back to past summers. How did he spend the Dragon Boat Festival last year?

I've forgotten how I spent the days, but I'm sure the sun came out around six o'clock, and the doorway was packed with people buying newspapers. It felt like I was going to die from the heat every day.

Looking back on my past work days, even though it was only a few months, it feels like a long time has passed.

Back then, we could buy whatever chicken, duck, fish, or meat we wanted, and fruits and vegetables were a daily necessity. We went to get off work and came home comfortably every day, one day after another.

Si Jiuba changed into tattered clothes and walked out of the house with a white mask covering his face.

Streetlights have been installed in Luoyang, with a very tall streetlight every hundred meters.

Early in the morning, children were already playing under the streetlights.

This is the capital city, the territory of King Wu.

Luoyang has enough grain to last for ten years, so it doesn't matter if they don't farm for two years.

The people of the Mountain Farming Kingdom seem to have adapted to this harsh environment.

Looking at the children who had secretly come out to play, Si Jiuba felt a mix of emotions.

King Wu once said that the dust outside was harmful to the body.

But the children have been cooped up indoors for too long and need to come out and play.

Even if the outside world is terrible, both adults and children need to go out and explore.

Walking on the streets of Luoyang, you feel like you're walking on volcanic ash that can never be swept away.

Upon arriving at the palace gates, everyone lined up to undergo inspection before entering the palace.

After entering the palace, we went to eat first. Those who worked for the palace were provided with three meals a day, which saved us the trouble of cooking at home and we didn't have to eat at the team's place.

In the canteen, Si Jiuba ate stewed potatoes, mutton, and radishes while listening to the chatter of the people nearby, learning about the events of the past few days.

I don't know when it started, but 498 also enjoys participating in and listening to these kinds of casual chats.

"Yesterday there was acid rain, and many crops in the fields died. Birds outside the city were frozen or poisoned to death everywhere."

"King Wu kept a house full of bees and kept all the birds from the rare animal park in the house, saying that he would have the birds come to eat insects after the area was restored."

"I remember killing the elephant on the first day, and a few days later we killed the tigers and lions in the zoo. Luckily we killed them quickly, otherwise how much food would we have to eat in the last four or five months!"

"Now a lot of cattle, sheep and horses have been killed, the old and the weak have all been killed, and people are the priority."

"We kept the breeding horses, sheep, and cattle; we kept all the ones for breeding."

"It's all bare outside now, and I don't know when winter will be over."

"It's been a long time since I've had a drink."

"We're lucky to get any meat, why would we need alcohol?"

"Drinking helps me fall asleep faster. These days, I can't sleep without a drink."

498 also wants to drink.

Alcohol can help you sleep and reduce your worries.

In these dark and hopeless days, only work and alcohol can make people forget their troubles.

Most people in Luoyang need to work twelve hours a day, from eight in the morning to nine at night, basically spending the whole day outside.

There are also times when they take leave, three days off per month.

During your vacation, you can visit the Vientiane Shrine in the Imperial Palace to pray to Buddha, or you can stay home for a day, or visit relatives.

We still have to eat at the communal canteen.

Porridge, steamed buns made from mixed grains, and various stews made from potatoes stored from last year—those mushy foods gradually became the mainstream.

Eggs and vegetables became scarce, and became even scarcer as the number of chickens and ducks dwindled.

Electric lights were on at the entrance of the palace.

Under King Wu's command, electric lights were installed throughout the Shan Nong Kingdom, and factories began producing clocks and light bulbs.

Silkworms froze and starved to death, sheep numbers decreased, and raw materials for clothing became scarce. Knowing in advance that this was bound to happen, each household began to prepare and stopped discarding clothes.

When Si Jiuba arrived at his workplace, he found that there were more than a dozen people there.

The workers were all masked. Not only were they masked, but they also wore cloth hats to prevent dust from getting into their hair.

I hadn't washed my hair in a long time, but luckily it was dark and dusty, so I wasn't ashamed to wear a hat.

No instructions were needed for the work; Sijiuba had been doing the manure-carrying work for a long time, and he would lift the manure buckets onto the cart as soon as someone brought them out.

The manure is composted to provide the best nutrition for the few crops that survive.

The public toilets here reeked of a foul stench; even the public toilets used by the palace maids still had a pungent and eye-watering smell.

After working for more than half an hour, watching the cars leave one by one, Si Jiuba suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Why is it so quiet today?

Although I don't usually talk—this kind of job isn't suitable for talking—there are always people standing and chatting from a distance.

But not today.

After thinking about it for a moment, when the people in front loaded the tools onto the vehicle to go to the next place, Si Jiuba and the others followed along.

The daily task for everyone was to clean the twenty public toilets in the palace.

After finishing eight meals in the morning, it was almost lunchtime.

"Wash your hands, it's time to eat."

Someone in front of 498 shouted.

Only after hearing the other person's voice did 498 realize that there was an extra man in the group that was all women.

"Your Majesty?!"

498 was so surprised he fell silent.

Upon hearing Si Jiu Ba's voice, Bei Ji Wu asked curiously, "Aren't you a palace maid?"

Because they were all masked, wearing hats and clothes that covered their entire bodies, it was difficult for them to recognize each other.

Si Jiuba quickly replied, "I am Si Jiuba!"

Upon hearing this, Beiji Wu laughed and said, "I am Beiji Wu. Go wash your hands and have lunch. You can rest at noon as usual, and work normally in the afternoon. I'll work here all day today."

"Yes!" 498 quickly agreed.

Beijiwu walked outside to his own place to eat.

Si Jiuba breathed a sigh of relief and said to the people nearby, "Why would His Majesty be working here?"

The palace maid next to him replied, "His Majesty said that in these difficult times, no job is too noble or lowly. All jobs are for the purpose of keeping the city running. We came here to do a day's work in order to dispel some discontent. When His Majesty was farming in the village, he also carried manure to the fields to fertilize. If His Majesty can do such a thing, then of course everyone else should do it too."

498 immediately nodded, "Your Majesty is so kind!"

Everyone thought so too.

Originally lowly night soil carriers, after King Wu worked alongside them for half a day, he felt his back straighten up.

King Wu never said that everyone is equal, or that there is no distinction between noble and lowly jobs. He himself would do a day of lowly work, and he always had his women do ordinary jobs such as selling newspapers and vegetables.

Regardless of how later generations evaluate him, at least in the capital, King Wu truly shared weal and woe with everyone, leading them through difficulties together.

Even when Beiji Wu returned to his own room for a meal, he ate only ordinary chicken rice and vegetable soup. This was quite meager for an emperor, and Beiji Wu knew very well that the better he ate, the better everyone else would follow suit.

At the very least, the imperial kitchen would have a great deal of meat dishes to prepare, and the eunuchs, palace maids, and concubines would also have special meals prepared for them.

While eating, Beijiwu handled various matters.

"Greenhouse Construction Returns to Agriculture: Traditional Methods and Composting to Generate Heat"

"Greenhouse Farmers Offer Advice and Wisdom: Hot Spring Seedling Cultivation for Vegetables"

"Greenhouse Construction Plan for Plain Provinces: Raising Chickens in Cages for Eggs"

……

After six months of investigation, including sending steamships to the Americas for surveying, it has been determined that the Americas are also unsafe, shrouded in darkness, and have an unusually cold climate.

The cause of the simultaneous eruptions of volcanoes around the world is currently unknown, but a global temperature drop is a fact.

Japan was the hardest hit by the disaster; it's estimated that there are very few survivors there.

Then there were the volcanic areas near Europe, where people were melted by the volcanoes.

Volcanic ash continued to rise, obscuring the sky.

Temperatures in Siberia have dropped by more than 40 degrees Celsius, and in Luoyang, they have dropped by more than 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, turning what was originally an unbearably hot summer into a cold winter.

Winter will get even colder!

Electricity, heating, food, and heat replenishment are all issues that Arctic warfare must address.

In order to rebuild quickly after the disaster, Arctic Army needs to consider many, many things.

Every day, Beijiwu is responsible for writing two pages of the newspaper.

[No job is inherently noble or lowly; a day in the life of King Wu as a night soil collector]

The efforts of every railway worker in the emergency transport efforts ensured that their families and fellow countrymen could enjoy seafood from the south, bringing hope to humanity.

Potatoes are plentiful; potatoes and fish are staple foods during the cold winter.

Greenhouses: a solution for the problems of grain and livestock, grain and meat – a culmination of the wisdom of mountain farmers.

Knowing how to eat well and how to farm are definitely the things that mountain farmers are best at.

Under the leadership of a central emperor, the entire Shan Nong Kingdom worked together with one heart and one mind, contributing their efforts to iron smelting, coal mining, railway construction, aquaculture, planting, and fishing at sea.

Beijiwu was not flustered, nor was he worried about losing his position or about his subordinates rebelling.

When problems arise, we address them. Arctic Martial Arts' focus has always been on helping more people survive and addressing climate issues, not political ones.

There are no political problems!
This is the source of King Wu's confidence, and also the true value of being the sole master of the Shan Nong Kingdom.

Overthrowing King Wu was tantamount to overthrowing the entire Shan Nong tribe.

The mountain farmers may indeed surrender, but the spirit and will represented by the entire group will inevitably wither away.

Arctic Martial Arts has not let anyone down.

Female official Cui Qing walked over quickly while Beijiwu was having dinner.

"Your Majesty, the fleet that went to Oceania has returned. Your Majesty's prediction was correct; you can indeed see the sun there! It's just as cold as before."

Cui Qing's face lit up with joy. With sunshine, she could raise cattle and sheep, and grow vegetables!

With a continuous supply of food, the mountain farmers will surely be able to carve out a new world with their wisdom!
Throughout the entire Mountain Farmer Kingdom, there is not a single person born as a Mountain Farmer, so both men and women have great faith in the Mountain Farmers!

Beijiwu is a mountain farmer, the most authentic mountain farmer!

"Order the 9th to 180,000th teams to prepare for immigration to Oceania for farming, with 100,000 people going first!"

"Order Dongdao Port to intensify the construction of steamships, and command Anzhou merchants to go to Australia to establish markets first. Those who succeed will be rewarded!"

"Those who have devoted themselves to the development of Oceania will be given priority for citizenship!"

Cui Qing smiled and replied, "As you command!"

After Cui Qing twisted her waist to write the imperial edict, Bei Jiwu quickly finished his meal and prepared to get to work.

The volcanoes that erupted this time are all in the Northern Hemisphere and near the equator. The main direction of the volcanic ash cloud will be eastward, across the North American continent, then across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and Asia, eventually completing a global circulation.

Oceania is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Volcanic ash erupted from the north has to travel around most of the Northern Hemisphere before crossing the equator to reach the Southern Hemisphere, by which time its concentration has been greatly reduced.

Therefore, the visible volcanic ash layer that directly settles in Oceania would be very thin, possibly even negligible, and insufficient to cause direct and devastating impact on ground structures and agriculture.

This year, the Huanghuai Province actually had no harvest at all; the crops were all buried by dust.

There were no new potatoes, but there were plenty of fish. With the improvement of fishing technology on steamships, the abundant marine resources of that era became a life-saving food source.

Seafood was transported by train, and since it's winter now, storage was much easier.

The food we eat now is all from reserves. Eating seafood all the time will kill people. Arctic Wu must find a region that can produce food.

***
After finishing a day of cleaning the toilets, Beijiwu said goodbye to Sijiuba and the others, and went back to take a shower and go to sleep.

Because of the cold weather, the sky was filled with volcanic ash, and clean water became scarce.

From breathing to drinking water, we ingest large amounts of toxic substances.

Arctic Martial Arts didn't mention this.

Speaking out would only cause panic; there's currently no way to resolve this situation.

Fortunately, Luoyang had a large reserve of cotton-padded clothes and wool to keep warm, as well as enough food to feed a million people for a year.

Every household has always had the habit of storing food.

People without food are better off if they have jobs, as they can eat the government's food.

If you don't have a job and don't know how to store food, it's difficult to buy food even if you have money now.

Such a huge disaster will surely kill many, many people.

Even if they manage to survive this disaster, this generation is essentially finished.

At least there is a next generation.

Arctic warriors have children, and most people in this era also have children.

Thanks to the Arctic military's plundering, almost every Shan Nong person has a child.

For the sake of their descendants, these people are willing to obey the orders of the Arctic Army, even dangerous missions that require them to leave their homes.

The outside world becomes pitch black at night, with temperatures dropping rapidly to below minus ten degrees Celsius.

While King Wu slept in the Arctic, railway workers continued to lay transport tracks for him and his family.

With each additional section of railway, the wives and children of these people have a greater chance of survival.

Everyone believed in King Wu, and that King Wu had a way to lead everyone out of the darkness!

Three or four days later, while everyone was still groping in the dark in sub-zero temperatures of minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius, using light bulbs and campfires for illumination, a person wearing thick cotton-padded clothes ran towards them from a distance.

The man's hat and hair were covered in ice crystals, yet he enthusiastically waved the newspaper he had taken from his pocket.

"King Wu has found a place with light! There is a place in the southern Oceania where wheat and vegetables can be grown and cattle and sheep can be raised!!"

The group quickly gathered together and read the newspaper under the rather glaring light.

Tens of millions of people in the Mountain Farming Kingdom repeatedly read this good news, and many people in production teams cheered with joy because of it.

The women in every household smiled and comforted the naughty children.

"Once the mountain farmers go there to farm and raise cattle and sheep, we'll have meat to eat!"

(End of this chapter)