The cold-processed compressed biscuits were a temporary source of vitamin C, which could solve Tang Yue's urgent need, but it was not a long-term solution. The real sustainable source of vitamin C was still fresh fruits and vegetables.
Mai Dong patted her chest and assured Tang Yue. She swore that the tomato seeds on Kunlun Station were definitely excellent varieties. They had short growth cycles, high disease resistance, rich nutrition, and could be reproduced continuously. The survival rate of the seeds was extremely high.
Tang Yue silently glanced at her chest and expressed doubts … He didn't know if Mai Dong's assurance was as negligible as her chest size.
After drinking the extracted vitamin C solution, Tang Yue felt that his physical condition was slightly better, and his whole body was full of strength. He tried to move his hands and feet, and with a loud shout, he chopped the table with his hand … The next second, he covered his hand and rolled on the ground in pain, "Ouch, why did I really hit it? It hurts so much …"
In fact, Tang Yue also knew that this was most likely the placebo effect. Even if he supplemented with enough vitamin C, the effect would not be apparent so quickly. He still had to drink the vitamin solution continuously for a week before his physical condition could improve.
Today's breakfast was naturally the biscuits that had been ruined yesterday. After a night of sitting, the large lump of yellowish-brown paste had already dried up. It had hardened into irregular lumps, and there were still five clear fingerprints on them. Tang Yue frowned as he sat in front of the table for twenty minutes, unsure of what to eat.
"Tang Yue, are you cold?"
"I'm cold, I'm so cold." Tang Yue shivered, "Why don't you hug me?
We can hug each other to keep warm. It's said that girls have a higher body temperature than men. "
"Then I'll just let you die from the cold."
"You're so cruel." Tang Yue curled his lips and wrapped his clothes tightly around himself.
"Will you continue to plant tomatoes today?" Mai Dong asked, "How are the seeds that were sprouted last time?"
"They're still there. I've protected them very well. All the seeds have been exposed."
Tang Yue returned to the passenger cabin and took out the cassette from the sleeping bag. It was a small greenhouse. The ten seeds that were sprouted last time were lying quietly on gauze in the greenhouse. On the night that the OGS temperature control system failed, Tang Yue had protected the seeds.
Tang Yue made some simple improvements to the cassette. He installed a small light bulb inside and then connected wires and batteries. He used common materials that could be found everywhere in Kunlun Station. The light bulb provided light and warmth for the seeds. Tang Yue also used a dropper to add water to the gauze every day to keep it moist.
Tang Yue poured out the seeds from the box. Thanks to his careful care over the past few days, the seedlings were still alive.
"Since the seeds are fine, let's take a look at the fertilizer."
Tang Yue nodded and put the jar full of fertilizer on the table. After a long time of fermentation, the feces brothers finally transformed. As soon as the lid was opened, a rich smell of life rushed out. As Tang Yue was too close, he lost his sense of smell the moment the lid was opened.
He was dizzy and stumbled back. He put on three layers of masks and then put the helmet on his head.
The fertilizer in the jar was brownish black. Tang Yue found a stick and stirred it vigorously. It was obvious that the fermentation effect was quite good. Although they were on Mars, the microbes in the feces were still very strong. Mai Dong took a look and said that it looked like a jar of big sauce … This girl's bad habit of using food as a metaphor could not be changed.
"Remember to measure the pH of the soil," Mai Dong reminded him.
Tang Yue took out a pH test paper and roughly measured the pH of the soil.
"Hmm … It's about 7.2, neutral."
“OK！
This value is just right. You can plant the seeds now. Remember to bury the radicles in the soil. "
Mai Dong said, "But I suggest that you heat the soil before planting. The most suitable soil temperature for tomato root growth is about 20 degrees Celsius. Increasing the temperature can promote root growth."
Tang Yue dragged out the iron frame and electric heater, put them in the sink, and then poured half of the water into it. He wanted to heat the fertilizer jar in the water bath.
Tang Yue vaguely remembered that his chemistry teacher in high school had repeatedly emphasized that the sink should not be heated. Tang Yue's current operation seriously violated the laboratory's safety rules, but Tang Yue was too lazy to care about the rules. Unless his chemistry teacher appeared outside Kunlun Station at this moment, no one could stop him from directly heating the glass sink.
To be honest, at this point, Tang Yue had the courage to play with life. If there was a microwave in Kunlun Station, he would even try to microwave two grapes.
It was impossible to precisely heat the soil in the jar to 20 ° C with Kunlun Station's conditions. This was because soil wasn't a good conductor of heat. It was possible to cook the feces on the outside of the jar, but the feces on the inside would still be at a low temperature.
So Tang Yue used a short but repeated heating method. He stared at the thermometer and let the fertilizer jar slowly and evenly heat up.
When the liquid column of the thermometer stabilized at 30 degrees Celsius, Tang Yue took the fertilizer jar out of the water bath and put it aside to dry. Then he threw the second fertilizer jar into the sink to heat it up.
"When tomatoes are growing, it's best to maintain the ambient temperature around 25 degrees Celsius. Also, pay attention to the light. When tomatoes are growing, the appropriate light intensity is 30000 to 50000 lx."
"Lux?"
"The unit of illumination of light. The illumination of one lumen of light evenly distributed over an area of one square meter is one lux."
Mai Dong gave the standard answer. "When we're outside, the sunlight we see on a sunny day is 50,000 lux."
Tang Yue understood. He stared at the fertilizer jar and the thermometer in the water bath. "In other words, it's best if I provide the tomatoes with the same amount of illumination as normal sunlight on Earth?"
"Yes, and pay attention to the time of the illumination. You should provide the tomatoes with at least eleven hours of illumination a day. That way, they can grow faster."
Tang Yue scratched his head. "These things are so delicate. They're harder to serve than a man like me."
"You have to remember that in front of you are the most complex, fragile, and magical life structure in the world. They are the result of hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Before, there were plants everywhere on Earth, so you don't think there's anything special about tomatoes."
Mai Dong said, "But on Mars, look out the window, look at the endless wasteland, look at the cold and endless space … 99% of the composition of this world is inorganic. Don't you think that life is a rare miracle?"
"I don't just think that life is a miracle. I now think that shit is a miracle."
Tang Yue sat on a chair as he stared at the fertilizer container in the water bath in a daze. "I used to think that shit was something disgusting … It's really unreasonable. What was I thinking back then?
Why did I hate such a cute thing?
This is a precious source of life. "
Mai Dong was stunned.
"To be honest, if we can go back to Earth, I'd be willing to be a dung digger."
Tang Yue said in all seriousness as he wagged his finger. In his reverie, his tone was filled with envy. "Think about it. An inexhaustible supply of shit … What a beautiful world that would be."
(Author's Note: Heating two grapes close to each other in a microwave oven will cause a large amount of energy to concentrate, and the temperature will rise sharply. This will generate plasma and cause a fire. This is very dangerous. Do not try it!)