Chapter 95: Field Training – Brushing Past Each Other
Xiang Chuan sat at the tent entrance lost in thought. She looked at the staging area clearing facing the tent. More than thirty students came and went. In less than two days, they had trampled the grassland in this clearing until it was somewhat bare. The class president frowned at the sight.
“Will we trample this staging area until not a single blade of grass can grow?” The class president came to Xiang Chuan’s tent to mooch some fruit milk. She accidentally voiced this worry from her heart.
“Wild grass isn’t that delicate. Even if you trample this place into yellow soil now, it will be full of wild grass again by this time next year.” Xiang Chuan answered casually.
“Huh? Is that so?” The class president became interested. Just then, Fu Chengkai and Mandy, who had come looking for the class president, overheard and became interested too.
“I don’t remember the principles very clearly.” This was true. She only vaguely remembered high school geography knowledge now. For detailed theory, she’d have to open Geegle on the spot (which was impossible), otherwise she couldn’t explain it properly. “In terms of natural laws, this place is near a water source, and our fleet is basically subtropical or temperate climate… Anyway, it’s not the very hot kind. Under these two conditions, the grassland trampled bare by us has underground water nourishment, suitable temperature, plus grass roots buried in the soil. It probably won’t even take a year. By summer, it will have recovered to a lush green state.”
“I think I’ve seen this phenomenon in the space-time network’s history library. It was about the necessary conditions for plant growth or something…” Fu Chengkai frowned, constantly trying to recall the information he had skimmed over once before. But clearly, modern youth couldn’t achieve photographic memory. He finally gave up recalling and looked at Xiang Chuan admiringly. “I didn’t expect Classmate Xiang Chuan that you’re not only knowledgeable about ancient food production, but also interested in old records like ancient plant growth logs?”
“This isn’t some antique.” Xiang Chuan shook the ginger flower she was fiddling with in her hand. “Plant cultivation and growth are things closely related to survival for us modern people too. If plants can’t grow normally according to natural laws, the main ship’s nature reserve will suffer disaster, the ecosystem will collapse, and we will become the only beings on this main ship that can survive relying on modern technology.”
Xiang Chuan looked at the three. After hearing this, the class president frowned slightly and rested her chin on her hand, pondering something. The other two still had lingering blank looks on their faces. She sighed inwardly.
Modern people had grown accustomed to a way of life isolated from other ecosystems. Cities had no animals or insects. The only things occasionally seen were trees, grassland, and wildflowers in parks and along roadsides. The advancement of modern technology allowed communication between people to be realized anytime, anywhere—voice communication, video communication, even holographic projection. The loneliness of being far from home was eliminated, so people no longer projected that loneliness onto other animals and plants. Thus, they lost the habit of raising animals or cultivating flowers and grass. As a result, most modern people were very unfamiliar with the growth or common knowledge of animals and plants in nature reserves. They lacked basic common cognition about trees, flowers and grass, or even ubiquitous wild grass.
“And as our staple food… um… let’s call it staple food, the rice and wheat planting for raw materials of liquid food and solid food was also inextricably linked to research on this kind of environment in ancient times. Without researching these, people in ancient times would have starved to death long ago.” Xiang Chuan took a sip of fruit milk to moisten her throat. “Back then, there was no production escort ship so convenient to specifically study how to standardize farm and crop planting. If a natural disaster or war suddenly came, the fields would all be destroyed, and they’d have to start planting from scratch.”
“Ancient people were really hardworking.” Mandy sighed. “I wouldn’t dare imagine planting crops without being able to control temperature and humidity.”
“These were everyday life for ancient people.” Xiang Chuan twirled the flower in her hand. “Plants are more fragile than people. A gentle pull from us might break them. But plants have the strongest survival instinct in nature. Even if this place is burned to scorched earth by a big fire, as long as soil and water remain, they can continue surviving…”
“So, no problem however we mess with this grassland in the next five days, right?” The class president, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
“…………Yeah.” Xiang Chuan: So that’s what you’ve been worrying about?
Outside the camp, Ainuo was taking Ouyang Yating and Nancy for a walk in the nearby forest. Yesterday’s walk had been interrupted midway because of digging soil for ginger. Now the three all tacitly wanted to finish the unfinished walk route from yesterday.
“It’s been a while since the three of us walked together. When was the last time we gathered like this?” Nancy stretched lazily and looked languidly at the expressionless other two.
“Didn’t we just walk in the Junior High Department’s park at junior high graduation? And we gathered at the home party after graduation too. It’s only been a little over two months.” Ouyang Yating looked at her expressionlessly.
“Only two months? But it feels like half a year has passed… Whatever.” Nancy smiled as she sized up the two and laughed: “How about it? This less-than-a-week club life? Any special gains?”
“The club hasn’t officially started operating yet, so how to talk about impressions…” Ouyang Yating touched her chin. “…But there were quite a few surprises.” After all, she had never imagined digging soil for plant roots and stems herself. Thinking of this, Ouyang Yating couldn’t help but show a helpless wry smile.
But Nancy saw a bit of relaxed ease in this childhood friend’s smile, which made her laugh too. Then she suddenly remembered there was also the persecution target from the three-person group who had been silent since the start… cough, the gentlemanly one. She raised an eyebrow and asked: “What about you? Ainuo?”
“You’re better off going back to ask Liang Gong. How long have I just transferred in?” Ainuo frowned at her.
“No impressions of club activities, but surely some impressions of the club president or other members?” Nancy looked at him full of expectation. “Come on, tell us. After all, you’ve ‘confessed’ to others already, haven’t you?”
She specially emphasized the two words “confessed.”
Mentioning this black history, Ainuo’s cool expression couldn’t hold. His eye corner twitched nonstop as he looked at his mischief-loving childhood friend: “Can’t we not mention this?”
“You don’t want to talk? Fine, then I’ll go chat with Uncle Daolin and them~” Nancy walked ahead giggling, leaving the two behind.
Ouyang Yating looked at Ainuo: “This matter is probably going to become your lifelong handle.”
“…Say less.” Ainuo: Eyes already dead, do not disturb.
