Chen Xin didn’t stay long at Li Yulong’s place. After chatting with him a bit, he went to the planting greenhouse, picked a small basket of strawberries for Qin Lan, took two wine bricks, and then left with Qin Lan.
"Shall we go see Xiao Ding now?" Back in the car, Chen Xin asked Qin Lan, as she had just promised to help Li Yulong connect with Ding Ning. Chen Xin thought she might want to meet Ding Ning.
However, Qin Lan shook her head, washed the strawberries at the counter, placed them on the table, and after sitting down and popping one into her mouth, she said, "It’s not urgent. To be honest, the things sold by Xiao Long, like fresh fruit, jam, and wine, aren’t necessities for the SWAT team right now and fall under the category of luxury goods.
Even if I ask Ah Ning to help get the captain’s approval, the team wouldn’t buy these items in large quantities. So it’s not something urgent. We can see Ah Ning next time. For today, let’s just head back."
Hearing what Qin Lan said, Chen Xin didn’t mind and nodded to signal Han Ping to drive back.
As Han Ping drove back, Chen Xin looked at the strawberries Qin Lan was eating and suddenly burst into laughter, with a strange expression on his face.
Seeing Chen Xin’s expression, Qin Lan curiously asked, "What’s up? Did you think of something funny?"
"No, it’s just a bit ironic. Most people are struggling to have three meals a day, yet we can eat fresh fruit like before. It’s really..." Chen Xin couldn’t find a suitable adjective and just shook his head helplessly.
Before the disaster, although Chen Xin’s family wasn’t poor, they weren’t extremely wealthy either. He never thought he’d live a better life than most people someday.
"What do you mean by that? Even if you’re worried about the country and its people, you wouldn’t feel the need to lower your standard of living and share the hardships with others, right?" Qin Lan said while popping another strawberry into her mouth.
Chen Xin nodded, agreeing with Qin Lan, and explained, "I was thinking about the plantation plan I discussed with Xiao Long before. If possible, building a large-scale greenhouse plantation to produce a large amount of food and crops, that’s the way to improve others’ living situations."
"That’s true. You should be able to do it. How do you plan to start? On your own or in cooperation with the government?" Qin Lan looked at Chen Xin, feeling he had a lot on his mind today.
Chen Xin also noticed Qin Lan’s thoughts, smiled, and explained, "I haven’t yet reached the point of acting on impulse. I’ll draft a plan when we go back and then consider how to do it. However, I do have a rough idea now."
"Oh? Can you tell me about it?" Qin Lan suddenly became interested and wanted to hear Chen Xin’s detailed plan.
Chen Xin nodded, took a strawberry himself, and then said, "I plan to first complete the commission for the miniaturization of the Isotope Thermoelectric Battery, laying the groundwork for developing power armor and exoskeleton protective suits. Then, I’ll first complete the development of civilian-use exoskeleton protective suits, and after that, consider setting up a large greenhouse plantation."
"It’s just like you, a step-by-step plan." Qin Lan wasn’t surprised at all. Although Chen Xin sometimes had many ideas, he never tackled them all at once but instead had a plan and worked on things one at a time.
However, Qin Lan was still curious and asked, "I understand why you’d first develop the miniaturized battery, but why civilian exoskeleton protective suits before developing power armor? Does this have a connection to the large greenhouse plantation?"
To this question, Chen Xin gave a very definite answer: "Yes."
Seeing Chen Xin’s response, Qin Lan didn’t immediately ask him to explain. Instead, she thought it over and then said, "The main purpose of the exoskeleton protective suit is to resist harsh environments and low temperatures harmful to humans.
Referring to the ’Wandering Earth’ movie, it should also provide oxygen, ensuring that users can perform heavy physical labor in the current environment with less oxygen than before.
Plus, the exoskeleton itself is an assistive device that can enhance the user’s strength, allowing them to lift heavier objects and work more efficiently.
So you want to first develop the exoskeleton protective suit to enable people to operate freely outside and work, right? Are you planning to build the large greenhouse on the surface?"
"Yes, that’s correct." Chen Xin nodded and explained, "The underground space is limited. Most of it is used for living quarters now. For large-scale agricultural planting, there’s neither space nor is it cost-effective. Building large greenhouses on the surface, in comparison, would be more feasible in terms of area and cost."
"Moreover, according to predictions, in the next few years, the dust will settle, and sunlight will gradually return, reducing the need for supplemental lighting and saving operational costs. Building on the surface is indeed much better than underground." Qin Lan nodded with understanding, linking it to the information she recently got from Chen Xin.
"Yes, that’s how it is. Also, this matter needs to start as soon as possible because although the country’s grain reserves can last a few years, a future food shortage crisis is inevitable. Therefore, quickly resuming food production is vital for the country." Chen Xin was still worried about future food problems. Although he personally wasn’t troubled by it, for the country, it was very important.
"But how effective can greenhouses be?" Qin Lan understood Chen Xin’s concerns but wasn’t very confident about how much food greenhouses could produce to meet future needs.
Chen Xin earnestly replied, "Every life matters. Planting an extra grain of rice now could feed another person in the future, which is better than doing nothing."
At this point, Chen Xin seemed to realize his words might be somewhat idealistic, so he added to Qin Lan, "Besides, I’m only tackling the difficulties of large-scale greenhouse construction. The real push for surface-level large greenhouse plantations to solve the food issue still lies with the government. I’m just doing what I can."
"That’s already great. If everyone does what they can, it would be enough to change the world." Qin Lan smiled at Chen Xin and pinched his face.