98: Pre-war preparations

Not only that, high temperatures also have a significant impact on plant growth.

Zhao Hangjun pushed up his glasses, his expression solemn, and continued his explanation: "Soil moisture evaporates rapidly under high temperatures, and crops might wither and die due to water shortage. For animals, it's also easy for heat stress reactions to occur, which can be life-threatening in severe cases."

Zhao Hangjun's explanation made the atmosphere in the livestream room increasingly tense, and viewers expressed their concerns one after another in the barrage comments.

Lu Fan scratched his head and said with a helpless face, "The heavens really know how to pick a time. It just had to happen right when we started farming. Isn't this intentionally making things difficult for us?"

An Lan appeared exceptionally calm instead, softly comforting him: "It's fine. We have the spring, so we don't need to worry about water. We just need to take proper protective measures. When the car reaches the mountain, there will be a path; we'll definitely get through this."

Saying that, Lu Fan got up and walked toward the kitchen to prepare lunch.

As he walked, he muttered to himself, "In such hot weather, I have to make something refreshing, otherwise I won't be able to eat at all. Man is iron and food is steel; no matter how hot it is, one must eat well."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a new world, and he shouted excitedly, "An Lan, how about I make you a blueberry smoothie? I guarantee it'll make you feel cool to the core, lift your spirits, and instantly drive away this heat."

An Lan's eyes also lit up, her face brimming with an expectant smile: "Okay, okay! I haven't had a smoothie in so long. Just thinking about it makes me feel cooler."

Lu Fan quickly got to work. He first took a clean block of ice from the storage room.

The ice block sparkled with a crystalline light under the sun, looking like a precious crystal.

He placed the ice block into a stone mortar and picked up the pestle to start crushing it.

His ice-crushing movements were quite rhythmic. The ice clinked and clattered in the stone mortar as he pounded it, sounding like a unique percussion piece being played.

Watching from the side, An Lan couldn't help but laugh: "With that posture of yours, someone who didn't know better would think you were practicing some legendary divine art. Maybe in the next second, you'll unleash a set of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms."

Lu Fan chuckled and joked, "This is the secret training manual for the Ice Palm, which has been lost in the martial arts world for a long time. Zhang Wuji was crippled by this very technique. Once I master it, even this high temperature will have to fear me."

After the ice was crushed, Lu Fan took the preserved blueberries out of the storage room.

Each of these blueberries was plump and glowing purple, like precious gems, emitting an enticing fruity fragrance.

He put the blueberries into the stone mortar and mixed them with the crushed ice, muttering to himself as he stirred, "These blueberries and the smoothie are simply a perfect match. Sweet and sour, plus this icy texture—wow, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Once it's done, it'll definitely be a delicacy of the human world."

Before long, a delicious blueberry smoothie was ready.

Lu Fan carefully served the smoothie in a wooden bowl, inserted a homemade wooden spoon, and even specially arranged it to look nice. Then he handed it to An Lan, bowing slightly like a gentleman, and said, "Distinguished guest, please enjoy. I hope this smoothie can dispel the summer heat for you."

An Lan took the smoothie and took a small taste. Her eyes instantly narrowed into slits, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face: "Wow, it's so delicious! Lu Fan, you really are a genius. I didn't expect to be able to eat such a delicious smoothie here in the wilderness."

Lu Fan raised his eyebrows proudly, the corners of his mouth curling up into a confident smile: "Of course. Look who I am. I'm a hidden master of gourmet food; nothing can stump me."

The two sat on bamboo chairs, eating the smoothie while discussing ways to cope with the high-temperature weather.

The bamboo chairs swayed gently with their movements.

"I think we need to fill every container we have with water, just in case. Water is the source of life; it can save lives at critical moments," Lu Fan said, his eyes revealing determination.

An Lan nodded in agreement and then added, "Right, we also need to prepare a shady spot for Da Hei and the others and leave out plenty of water. Animals can't stand this hot weather either; we have to take good care of them."

The two of them went back and forth, considering every detail, from food reserves to protective gear, and then to the placement of the animals—not missing a single aspect.

In the livestream room, the viewers' barrage comments rolled continuously like snowflakes.

"Ahhh, this blueberry smoothie looks so tempting. I want to eat it too. I feel like I can sense that coolness even through the screen."

"You two really know how to enjoy yourselves. This high temperature was worrying me to death, and here you are eating smoothies. But seeing you so calm makes me feel a bit more at ease."

"What's there to fear? With Brother Lu around, there are no accidents. Brother Lu and Sister Lan will definitely come up with a way to handle it. I have confidence in them."

After finishing the smoothie, Lu Fan and An Lan immediately sprang into action.

They found a well-ventilated corner next to the Shelter that the sun couldn't reach. There were several large trees there with lush foliage, acting like giant sun umbrellas.

They built a simple cooling shed using bamboo and leaves, preparing a place for Da Hei and the other small animals to escape the heat.

Da Hei seemed to sense his master's care, wagging his tail and happily circling around inside the shed, occasionally running over to rub against Lu Fan's and An Lan's legs.

After everything was arranged, Lu Fan stood in front of the Shelter with his hands on his hips, his gaze firm, and said thoughtfully:

"I need to go to the crevice I discovered earlier to collect more saltpeter for storage. This saltpeter has many uses. When the time comes, I'll make more ice. With ice, we can not only lower the temperature but also preserve food."

An Lan nodded in support and said, "Let's go together. More people means more strength, and two people can look out for each other."

Lu Fan patted Big Horn's neck and said with a smile, "Big Horn, oh Big Horn, we're counting on your strength today. Let's go move some 'treasures.' You're our capable assistant, so don't let us down."

Big Horn seemed to understand his words, tossed its head, and let out a low cry as if responding to him, or perhaps as if psyching itself up.

After walking for over an hour, they finally arrived at their destination.

Lu Fan led Big Horn to the crevice. He could even feel traces of coolness gushing out from within, as if it were a breeze blowing from another cool world.

"An Lan, I'll go down first. You stay up here to assist me. If anything happens, just shout for me."

As Lu Fan spoke, he tightened the rope around himself, preparing to descend into the crevice.

After finishing his sentence, Lu Fan skillfully slipped into the crevice.

The further down he went, the wider the gap became, eventually forming an underground cavern.

It was dark and damp inside, permeated with a mysterious aura.

He slowly walked to a relatively wide area. The saltpeter here seemed abundant, shimmering with a white light in the faint illumination.

Lu Fan rubbed his hands excitedly, a gleam of joy flashing in his eyes as he said, "So much saltpeter! This is simply a treasure trove. I have to dig a bit more this time. With this saltpeter, we have a secret weapon against the high temperatures."

He picked up his tools and began to carefully collect the saltpeter.

Every once in a while, An Lan would shout from above to confirm Lu Fan's safety: "Lu Fan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, everything's normal!" Lu Fan responded loudly every time.

The soil here was mostly sand and stone, and the saltpeter was wedged inside, making it relatively easy to extract.

After some hard work, Lu Fan filled two large baskets with saltpeter.

Lu Fan climbed up skillfully and then laboriously hauled the two baskets up.

Just then, the Wilderness Survival Announcement sounded in the sky:

[Wilderness Survival Announcement]

[Huaguo Player Lu Fan triggered ten thousand times rebate]

[saltpeter 54 * 10,000]

Hearing this news, both were surprised and delighted.

Lu Fan jumped up excitedly: "Great! With this much saltpeter, it's enough to last us a long time."

An Lan also showed a happy smile: "This luck is just too good. It looks like we really are prepared for anything this time."

Then An Lan spoke up: "I'll go look around the area for any plants that can clear heat and reduce internal fire to bring back for tea. Drinking some herbal tea can both quench thirst and reduce heat."

Afterward, Lu Fan led Big Horn and followed her. They shuttled through the mountain forest, their eyes like searchlights, carefully scouting for useful plants.

They didn't miss a single leaf or flower.

[Discovered honeysuckle]

"Is that honeysuckle over there?" Lu Fan pretended to casually remind An Lan, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly with a hint of smugness.

"You have great eyesight. This honeysuckle is growing so lushly; it'll definitely make a large pot of delicious herbal tea. With it, we'll be much more comfortable in the high-temperature weather." An Lan happily began picking it, her movements skilled and quick.

During the picking process, An Lan also encountered some other herbs. Relying on her knowledge and experience, she distinguished which ones could be used in high-temperature weather.

"This is Mint. It smells refreshing. Let's pick some of this too. Mint tea is cool and relieves heat—perfect for summer," she said as she placed the Mint into the bamboo basket.

Unknowingly, the sun gradually sank toward the west, and the horizon was tinged with orange-red sunset clouds, like a beautiful painting.

Lu Fan and An Lan both returned to the Shelter with a full harvest.

The two looked at each other's achievements, satisfied smiles appearing on their faces.

The bamboo basket was filled with various herbs, and the larger baskets were piled high with saltpeter. These were their "weapons" against the heat.

"Today was truly a bountiful harvest. With this saltpeter and these herbs, our confidence in facing the heat is even greater," Lu Fan said with a smile, his face radiating pride.

An Lan nodded in agreement: "Yes, as long as we work together, we can definitely get through this difficulty. No matter what hardships we encounter, we can overcome them together."

Of course, just doing this much preparation was not enough.

They weren't sure what startling level the temperature of the extreme high-temperature weather would reach.

If it became so hot that they couldn't go outside, they also needed to prepare some food just in case.

During their break, Lu Fan decided to weave two hats to block the sun.

He first picked up his dagger and skillfully shaved a pile of bamboo strips, each shaved to an even thickness.

Then he removed all the burrs from those bamboo strips, his movements meticulous and serious.

His fingers moved nimbly between the bamboo strips, like he was playing a beautiful piece of music.

Next, he wove them together by overlapping them.

As long as one found the pattern, this thing wasn't hard to pick up.

As Lu Fan wove, he recalled the scenes of watching his grandfather weave bamboo baskets as a child. Those warm memories made his movements even more proficient.

Before long, an exquisite bamboo hat took shape.

Lu Fan put it on his head and said to An Lan with a smile, "How's that? My craftsmanship isn't bad, right?"

An Lan smiled and nodded: "It looks good. You really are clever and skillful."

"Hehe, have you ever heard the saying 'Among the Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan, Straw hats are used as pot lids'? I've been wearing these since I was a kid."