Chapter 212 - 129: Harvest

Chapter 212: Chapter 129: Harvest

Xu Mo made his way to the general goods market in the outer city. This place was more dilapidated and chaotic than the streets of the Inner City, but it was also more down-to-earth, and you could always find some strange and unusual things. Xu Mo spent a few Contribution Points to get an old mercury thermometer from an old man’s stall.

The thermometer’s glass tube was a bit cloudy, but the markings were still clear.

Back at his place, Xu Mo hung the thermometer under a cool, ventilated eave near the market. He waited a few minutes, then took it down to have a look.

The red column of liquid had stopped steadily at the 36°C mark.

’Thirty-six degrees?’ Xu Mo raised an eyebrow. ’This temperature might not have been considered extreme during the height of summer in the golden age. But summer has only just begun; we’re far from the hottest part of the season. At this rate, the temperature has plenty of room to climb. Breaking forty degrees probably won’t be hard at all.’

The post-apocalyptic climate was already abnormal, with frequent extreme weather. Many people still had fresh memories of last winter’s bitter cold. It seemed this year’s scorching summer would not "disappoint" either.

Just as Xu Mo was holding the thermometer, wondering if he needed to prepare some way to cool down, his gaze was drawn to a sight in a residential area near the market.

In the open spaces in front of many of the homes, freshly dug earth was piled high, forming mounds of various sizes.

Some of the piles were small, as if the work had just begun. Others had already grown into small hills, with people nearby continuously using baskets or small carts to haul more earth out from inside their homes or yards to dump on top.

’What are they digging? Foundations? Buried treasure?’ Xu Mo wondered. ’Judging by the scale and how widespread this is, it doesn’t seem like just a few people are doing it.’

He walked closer to a family that was hauling out dirt. The man of the house was in his thirties, shirtless, his skin tanned dark. He was currently struggling to dump a basket of earth onto the pile outside his door, and it landed with a dull thud.

"Hey there," Xu Mo called out politely. "Keeping busy? What’s all the digging for?"

The man straightened up, wiping the sweat from his face and panting heavily. He was surprisingly talkative. "Heh, a cellar! What else would I be digging?"

"A cellar?" Xu Mo glanced at the low, single-story house behind the man.

"Yeah!" The man used the ragged towel hanging from his neck to wipe off more sweat. "This damn weather gets crazier every year! The winters are cold enough to freeze your jaw off, and the summers are hot enough to cook you alive. We don’t have any AC, so what are you gonna do? You have to come up with a solution yourself!"

He pointed to the ground. "The old ways are the best! It’s cool down there! Dig a few meters deep, and it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Hiding inside during the summer is ten times more effective than sitting up here fanning yourself! In winter, you can store vegetables that won’t freeze, or even use it as a shelter. Anything’s better than freezing up here!"

An old man nearby, who was also clearing a dirt pile in front of his home, chimed in. "That’s right, that’s right. My son works in logistics, and he says the research institute is even recommending it. They’re calling it ’passive cooling’—no electricity needed, just a bit of elbow grease. We common folk don’t have much, but we’ve got plenty of strength. So dig! Dig yourself a comfortable den!"

The man chuckled. "Plus, the dirt you dig up doesn’t go to waste. Mix it with a little water and chopped straw to make adobe bricks. Once they’re dry, you can build walls or patch up the house. They’re sturdy and provide good insulation. It solves several problems at once!"

It dawned on Xu Mo. The common folk of Jiang City, faced with limited resources and frequent extreme weather, were spontaneously employing the most primitive yet practical survival wisdom. They were using the immense thermal inertia of the soil to create a subterranean space with a relatively constant temperature, a defense against the drastic temperature swings on the surface.

The method seemed laughably low-tech, but in a post-apocalyptic world where electricity was a strategic resource not available to all, it was an extremely cost-effective solution.

Watching the busy figures, the piles of dirt growing ever higher, and hearing the faint digging sounds that seemed to emanate from deep underground, Xu Mo became lost in thought.

’Technological regression sometimes forces a return to a more fundamental way of life, one that relies more on the laws of nature,’ he mused.

Tucking the thermometer—still reading 36°C—into his pocket, Xu Mo turned and left.

’Maybe I should consider doing some digging in a corner of my own little yard?’