Mai Dong could understand Tang Yue's feelings. She had already forgotten what it was like to eat and drink whatever she wanted on Earth. Now that she was in the Joint Space Station, her daily food and water consumption were strictly limited.
Recently, when Mai Dong was sleeping, she dreamed of eating the most — fried chicken, ham, shrimp, and crucian carp. However, all the food that entered her mouth tasted as bland and tasteless as wax.
Mai Dong woke up from her dream and realized that she had forgotten what food tasted like.
Tang Yue dealt with feces all day in Kunlun Station, so he naturally cherished the pitiful amount of fertilizer in the jar. At the same time, he missed the inexhaustible feces in the septic tanks on Earth.
He wanted a pool of feces!
He wanted to jump in and swim!
Tang Yue finished heating the fertilizer and poured it all into the water tank. He and Old Cat had prepared enough soil to fill two water tanks. This was the hotbed for tomato seeds to grow.
"Should I plant the seeds now?" Tang Yue turned to ask Mai Dong for her opinion.
"Yes." The girl nodded. "Plant them."
Tang Yue took a deep breath and prayed in his heart for the blessings of Bodhisattva Namo Big Ivan. He used tweezers to carefully plant the ten exposed tomato seeds into the soil. His movements were as gentle as if he was carrying a child.
"What should we do next?"
"Next …" Mai Dong paused. "It's just waiting and praying!"
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In order to ensure the normal growth of the tomatoes, Tang Yue had to ensure that the plants were kept at an ambient temperature of 25 degrees. He originally planned to use Kunlun Station's temperature control system, but now that Old Cat was gone, the temperature control system could not be repaired. Therefore, Tang Yue could only do it himself. He used his own methods to keep the tender seedlings warm.
Tang Yue cleared a spot in the Hab's floorboard and dragged out the manual antenna he had used three months ago. He erected it on the floorboard, and with the parabolic antenna undeployed, the antenna was an upright metal pole. It was best used as a support.
Next was the RTG. With the temperature control system failing, the isotope thermoelectric generator could be said to be Tang Yue's last hope. He erected the RTG next to the antenna pole.
"Tang Yue, are you going to put the isotope thermoelectric generator in Kunlun Station for a long time?" Mai Dong was a little worried. "This … I remember this thing is radioactive, right?"
Tang Yue nodded and patted the half-meter tall cylinder next to him. "Yes, its energy source is plutonium-238. It's extremely radioactive."
"Is it okay?"
Tang Yue smiled. "Don't worry, it radiates alpha particles. It can't break through the protective layer. People on Earth use this thing as a pacemaker and put it in their bodies."
Tang Yue placed the water trough with the tomatoes next to the thermoelectric generator. Then, he used a large plastic sheet to cover it, forming a tent that enveloped the water trough and the RTG. Then, he used all sorts of items to press down on the edges of the plastic sheet … The greenhouse looked very simple, but that was all Tang Yue could do.
"Can this ensure the temperature?" Mai Dong asked.
"Not yet." Tang Yue clapped his hands and turned around to put on the Bright Light Armour. "There's still a lot of work to do."
"For example?"
"Light."
Tang Yue picked up the toolbox, opened the hatch of the airlock, left Kunlun Station, and opened the door of the garage.
There was a row of high-pressure sodium lamps on the roof of the garage for illumination. They were usually turned off because they consumed too much power. However, this kind of high-brightness bulb was the best light source for photosynthesis. Tang Yue first turned off the power switch of the entire garage, then stuffed the entire set of tools into the bag in front of his chest. He slowly climbed up the maintenance ladder on the wall and reached for the light bulb above his head.
"Tang Yue, are you in the garage?" Mai Dong's voice came from the earpiece.
"Yes."
Tang Yue raised his head and slowly exhaled. He tried to reach out his hand and gently pinched the light bulb. "I'm removing the light bulb in the garage."
The high-pressure sodium lamp was a long cylindrical light bulb. The outer layer was made of high-hardness quartz glass. It was extremely hard, but the material was very brittle, so Tang Yue was very careful. He wore thick gloves, so he often didn't know how to control his strength.
Tang Yue unscrewed the light bulbs one by one and stuffed them into his chest pocket. He then slowly climbed down and put the light bulbs into the toolbox.
Just the light bulbs weren't enough. The high-pressure sodium lamp couldn't be used directly in Kunlun Station. Tang Yue still had to remove the supporting lamp base, cables, and ballast. This was a huge project, so Tang Yue brought scissors, hammers, and pliers. All kinds of screwdrivers and wrenches hung on his body. The Bright Light Armour had been upgraded to a home demolisher set.
"Can you do it alone?"
"I have to do it even if I can't."
Tang Yue was panting. He had just removed two screws that were tightly screwed, and a section of the cable that was fixed to the roof was hanging down.
"Do your best, Tang Yue!
I'll support you in spirit! "
"Can't you give me any substantial help?" Tang Yue rolled his eyes. "Damn it … Why is this screw dead?"
"The problem is … How can I give you any substantial help?
I'm in the space station, so I can't give you any help. "
"How about this? How about you sing me a song?"
Tang Yue gritted his teeth and used all his strength to pull out the screws that were stuck. Then, he grabbed the ladder and gasped for breath. He was sweating profusely. "What song can you sing?"
"Hmm …"
The channel fell into silence. Clearly, Mai Dong was deep in thought.
"How about 'Your Mom Is Shining in the Sky'?"
"What the hell is this song?" Tang Yue frowned.
"Don't you know?
This was the most popular song before Earth disappeared. It's the new album by the post-modernist rebellious EDM master. There's also songs like 'My Grandpa Is Building a Nuclear Bomb in the Basement,' and 'The High School Class Teacher's Gatling Gun,' "Mai Dong explained." The young people around me all like it. "
"You … You like this style too?"
Tang Yue's mouth twitched. He really couldn't imagine a weak and quiet girl like Mai Dong listening to some non-mainstream singer's "My Grandpa Is Building a Nuclear Bomb in the Basement!"
"I don't like it. I like pure music and piano music." Mai Dong shook her head. "I thought you liked it."
"I don't like it either."
Tang Yue quickly shook his head. "I like the old songs from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the mainland before the music industry was in a mess. Do you know the duet 'Tomorrow Will Be Better'?"
Mai Dong thought for a moment and hummed a few syllables. "Is that it?"
"Yes, yes, yes!
That's it. Gently awaken the sleeping soul, slowly open your eyes … That's it. "Tang Yue also hummed a few syllables." Can you sing a song?
I haven't heard anyone sing in a long time. "
Mai Dong nodded. "I'll look for an accompaniment."
Slow and melodious music sounded in Tang Yue's earphones. This was a prelude that Tang Yue was very familiar with. Every rhythm seemed to step on his heartbeat, and some long-lost feelings seemed to return to Tang Yue's heart. Then, the girl's soft voice sounded.
"Gently awaken the sleeping soul, slowly open your eyes, look at the busy world, whether it's still spinning alone."
Mai Dong was not familiar with this song, so she could only bite the bullet and sing along with the music. So, her first line was out of tune. "The spring breeze does not understand the amorous feelings, blowing the young man's heart …"
Tang Yue leaned against the ladder to rest. Wearing the Bright Light Armour was not suitable for physical labor. He turned his head to look outside the garage door, at the desert.
He still remembered that the Old Cat had walked in that direction, but until today, its figure had not appeared.
"The sunrise awakens the early morning, the radiance of the earth is reborn."
Mai Dong was still trying her best to sing along with the accompaniment. Even though her tune was already off the Kuiper belt, she still wanted to continue singing the song.
This girl was really a gentle person. Tang Yue grinned. He wanted to laugh but could not. He could only put the wrench into the bag and sing along with her.
"Let the sound of the gentle breeze compose the movement of life …"