Natural Disaster: Back to the End of the World

Part 50

With an extra person in the house, Yao Ziqing had to add the spiritual essence to the milk he prepared every day. Since there was only one drop of this precious essence per day, he wasn't generous enough to dilute it for others to drink.

Lu Xueyi was just joking about it; he was planning to return home in the evening. The problem was that the house had no electricity, no solar power, and no water heater. Bathing required boiling water with firewood, which was a bit troublesome.

He was glad Yao Ziqing had prepared so many portable chargers. Although he couldn't use the computer, charging the phone wasn't an issue.

Seeing some news online that wasn't reported on TV and posts that were quickly locked or deleted, Lu Xueyi began to sense the seriousness of the situation.

He handed his father his phone with these messages, feeling worried: "Does Grandpa know something that made him send us back to the countryside? It's hard to ask over the phone, but I think he must know something. Dad, do you think the end of the world is coming?"

Lei Taosheng looked at his wife, who also showed worry in her eyes, and comforted her by holding her hand: "Don't worry. Even if it's the end of the world, we still have a piece of land. We won't starve, no matter what happens, as long as we're together!"

Lu Xueyi felt he had made the situation sound too grim, so he quickly changed the subject: "Don't worry, Mom and Dad. With me around, even if it's the end of the world, I'll make sure you have enough to eat and drink. In troubled times, heroes emerge. Maybe years from now, I'll be the hero. Then your son will be a historical figure!"

Lei Ying gave him a disdainful look: "With your skinny arms and legs and no sense at all, you should learn to farm before making such big claims!"

"Alright! Tomorrow, I'll go find Lei Li. He's a professional!"

Meanwhile, Lei Li's professional skills were being put to use as he organized some stored goods in the warehouse under Si'er's direction. In rural areas, almost every household has a warehouse, sometimes more than one, used to store harvested grains or homemade foods like roasted peanuts or sweet potato chips, which can be kept for a long time if sealed properly.

On rainy days, nothing could be done, so Yao Ziqing decided to check what was in the food storage. Every year, they find some items that have gone moldy or gotten infested with insects because they were forgotten. He hadn't minded before, but now he felt a pang of regret at the wasted food.

Yao Ziqing pulled out a black snake skin bag, about knee-high and a bit heavy. As he untied the rope, he asked his elder brother, "What's this?"

Lei Li looked at the black bag and suddenly remembered. It was from before the New Year when he went to town. A classmate who ran a shop selling peanut and mung bean powder had given him a bag, saying it was something very good.

"Let me see. This looks like it's called kudzu powder. I don't think we've used it since we brought it back. I'm not sure how to use it. Has it gone bad?"

Yao Ziqing opened it, and it looked similar to flour, with no strange smell: "It doesn't seem to be bad. What can we do with this? Make steamed buns or noodles?"

"Of course not. If it could be used like that, we'd have used it already. It's said to have medicinal value and is very good for the health of the elderly and children. Since you had stomach issues and were often sick when you were young, he remembered and gave us this big bag, saying it would be great for you or Grandma."

Yao Ziqing said, "Oh. My health is good now, so I might not need it." He asked, "So how do we eat this? It can't just be mixed with water, can it? What's the difference from flour?"