Chapter 107: Cognitive Reshaping?

She did not consume the ice they had collectively stockpiled, yet even so, the ice was depleting at an alarming rate. Setting aside how much had been used after transport, the extreme heat outside was increasingly affecting the stash stored below. The floor was damp, and it was clear the ice wouldn't last another two days. Jiang Huan decided to have everyone take their share back; at least they could enjoy a day or two of relief rather than letting it all melt to waste.

After the daytime temperature exceeded seventy degrees Celsius, it stopped rising rapidly. At night, the group piled several layers of mud walls at the cave entrance and the exit, building them higher than the openings. This heavy shielding gave everyone in the air-raid shelter a chance to catch their breath.

Every day, several buckets of cooling drinks were consumed. As the stocks of medicinal herbs also began to dwindle rapidly, several elderly men started to forgo food and water, wanting to save the supplies for the younger generation. Old Man Xie was one of them; he kept his lips tightly sealed when Xie Congzhou took him to see Doctor Wang.

Jiang Huan knew this couldn't go on. She stepped forward and announced that she would contribute her personal stockpile to the communal stores, urging everyone not to lose hope, as they at least still had water. She proposed a new plan: the backup pit near the water source had a lower temperature. At night, those suffering most from heatstroke would be moved there, and Grandma Wang and her son would go along to help.

The air-raid shelter soon held one-third fewer people. Jiang Huan gave up the room below and moved back to the room just over ten meters inside the entrance. After much coming and going, she found herself back in the two rooms with doors that had been assigned to her at the start.

The upper level was left with only the duty doctor, one room serving as a temporary ward, and Jiang Huan and her younger brother. Jiang Huan hung thermal insulation mats by the door and moved out the air cooler and ice she had kept in her space. It took Jiang Xi a good while to recover his strength. Feeling sorry for him, Jiang Huan let him stay in the recuperation pod for a while. Once he emerged, she had him put on a thermal-regulating suit.

Of course, Jiang Huan had one too. Initially, she only had one, but after a successful venture and winning two more, she had enough. With the thermal suits and the air cooler, their mental state remained relatively stable.

That night, Xie Congzhou said he needed to go out. "I can obtain medicinal herbs, but you must help me cover for it. If you're willing, come with me."

Jiang Huan's eyes widened slightly. Was he really going to lay his secret even further bare before her? Xie Congzhou's trust in her was overwhelming—so strong that it left her shaken. But this was not the time to dwell on that; everyone was waiting for new supplies.

She nodded, accepting his invitation. After instructing her brother not to wander off, Jiang Huan packed a bag, put on a hat and a sun-protection shirt, and set out into the moonlight with Xie Congzhou.

It was one in the morning, yet the temperature hovered around forty-five degrees. Had it not been for the thermal suit, Jiang Huan felt she would have surely collapsed during such a walk. Looking at Xie Congzhou, who had also taken sun-protection measures, her confusion deepened. She had previously guessed he might be a transmigrator with wood-element abilities, or perhaps a person with superhuman physique from some laboratory. After walking for so long, he was only slightly perspiring and hadn't uttered a single word about the heat. How else could one explain such a physique?

He led her along a side path, and after turning for quite a while, they arrived at a—wait, wasn't this a cemetery?

"Apologies," he said. "The dead must make way for the living." He inspected the soil quality and, through some method she didn't understand, assembled a hoe. So, he had been carrying the disassembled parts of a hoe down the mountain the whole time?

"The top seven or eight decimeters of soil are useless. We have to dig deeper," he said, and began working. The strength he displayed seemed inexhaustible. Jiang Huan also pulled a folding military shovel from her pack to help. Xie Congzhou glanced at her, and she felt that look was as if to say, "I yield." Well, fair enough—he carried a hoe, she carried a shovel; neither had room to judge the other.

They dug for over two hours. When Xie Congzhou said it was ready, Jiang Huan dropped her shovel and sat down hard. After such continuous manual labor, even with her decent constitution, she was utterly exhausted, her arms feeling as if they no longer belonged to her. Watching Xie Congzhou carve steps into the large pit, Jiang Huan couldn't help but reflect: was there really such a divide in physical strength between men and women?

Just as she pulled out a bottle of water to drink, Xie Congzhou placed his hands on the ground, just as he had when checking the soil. He reached out his other hand toward her. Jiang Huan handed him the water, but he paused. "Help me bring over that paper package."

Jiang Huan complied, handing him the package from nearby. Xie Congzhou took it, scattered its contents, and then, something happened that shattered everything Jiang Huan had known for over twenty years.

On the previously barren ground, numerous tiny sprouts emerged. They were less than a centimeter tall, adorably delicate. Yet, in less than a breath, they surged upward. As they stacked higher and higher, reaching past Jiang Huan's ankles, Xie Congzhou struck the earth with his palm again. The sprouts shot up twofold, growing from five or six centimeters to nearly twenty, with some individual plants reaching the height of her knees.

She didn't dare move, fearing she might trample and destroy these green shoots. When Xie Congzhou leaned back to rest, drained of energy, Jiang Huan stood frozen. Xie Congzhou squeezed out through his teeth, "Harvest them."

Jiang Huan took out a small spoon as a tool and immediately began to work. By the time the plants in the pit were harvested, Xie Congzhou had recovered enough to force the growth of another batch of the same size.

As the horizon began to brighten, they headed back down the mountain, Xie Congzhou carrying the bulk of the load and Jiang Huan carrying the rest. But the temperature was rising again; by the time they reached the mountainside, it had already hit fifty-five degrees. Xie Congzhou swayed and leaned against a tree trunk, showing signs of exhaustion.

Jiang Huan, despite being exhausted from carrying dozens of pounds of herbs, rushed over immediately. Supporting him, she fed him water and shoved two energy bars into his hand. She had always been one to repay both grudges and kindness. Not only had Xie Congzhou saved her when the ground cracked at the base entrance, but he had also provided her with much help since then. Now, to ensure everyone's safety, he had labored to grow these herbs and had chosen to place absolute trust in her. Jiang Huan would not let such a person's efforts go in vain.

She leaned in close. "Xie Congzhou, I acknowledge you as a friend."

Xie Congzhou tugged at the corner of his mouth, gritted his teeth, and shouldered the two hundred pounds of herbs once more. By the time they reached the cave entrance, Jiang Huan's exposed skin was flushed red despite her thermal suit, and Xie Congzhou, despite his superior physique, stumbled and nearly collapsed face-first.

"They're back! Quickly, go help!" Jiang Huan immediately handed the herbs she was carrying to someone else, helped Xie Congzhou shed his heavy burden, and supported him into the backup ward.