Die on Mars

Cold-processed compressed biscuits are a temporary source of vitamin C, which can solve Tang Yue's urgent need, but after all, it is not a long-term solution. The truly sustainable source of vitamins must be fresh fruits and vegetables.

Ophiopogon japonicus assured Tang Yue, swearing that the tomato seeds at the Kunlun Station were definitely excellent varieties with short growth cycles, strong disease resistance, rich nutrition, sustainable reproduction, and extremely high seed survival rates.

Tang Yue silently glanced at her breasts and expressed doubts about it... He didn't know whether Maidong's conclusive guarantee was as negligible as her bust 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, shouted and slashed on the table with his knife... The next second he covered his hands. He was rolling on the ground in pain, "Oh, mom, why did it hit me so hard? It hurts me to death -".

In fact, Tang Yue also knew that this was mostly a placebo effect. Even if he supplemented enough vitamin C, the effect would not be apparent so quickly. He would have to drink vitamin solution for another week before his physical condition could improve.

Today's breakfast is naturally the biscuits that were spoiled yesterday. After a night of playing, the large lump of khaki paste has dried and formed into irregular hard lumps. There are still five clear fingerprints on it. Tang Yue Frowning, I sat at the table for twenty minutes, not knowing what to say.

"Tang Yue, are you cold?"

"It's cold, it's killing me." Tang Yue shivered, "Why don't you come and give me a hug? We can hug each other to keep warm. It is said that girls have a higher body temperature than men."

"Then it's better to freeze you to death."

"How cruel." Tang Yue curled his lips and wrapped his clothes tightly.

"Are we going to continue planting tomatoes today?" Ophiopogon japonicus asked, "How are the seeds that were germinated last time?"

"They are still there. I have protected them very well. All the seeds have been exposed." Tang Yue returned to the crew cabin and took out the tape box from his sleeping bag. It was a small greenhouse. Last time The ten germinated seeds lay quietly on the gauze in the greenhouse. On the night when the temperature control system of the OGS cabinet failed, Tang Yue protected the seeds.

Tang Yue made a simple improvement to the tape box, installed a small light bulb inside, and then connected the wires and batteries. They used common materials that can be found everywhere in Kunlun Station. The light bulb provides light and temperature 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 for so many days, the seedlings were still alive.

"Since there is nothing wrong with the seeds, let's look at the fertilizer."

Tang Yue nodded and put the jar filled with fertilizer on the table. After a long period of fermentation, the poop brothers finally transformed. As soon as he opened the lid, a mellow and rich breath of life hit his face. Tang Yue because If you get too close, you will lose your sense of smell the moment you open the lid.

Dizzy, he stumbled back, put on a three-layer mask, and put the helmet over his head.

The fertilizer in the jar turned brown and black. Tang Yue found a stick and stirred it vigorously. It was obvious that the fermentation effect was quite good. Although on Mars, the microorganisms in the stool were still strong. Ophiopogon japonicus took a look and said it looked like a Jar of miso... This girl can't get rid of her bad habit of comparing food to food.

"Remember to test the pH of the soil." Ophiopogon japonicus reminded.

Tang Yue took out a piece of pH test paper and roughly measured the pH value of the soil.

"Hmm... It's about 7.2, which is neutral."

"OK! This value is just right. You can plant the seeds. Remember to bury the radicles downward in the soil." Ophiopogon japonicus said, "But I suggest you heat the soil before planting. The tomato roots will grow best. The appropriate soil temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius, and increasing the temperature can promote the growth of the root system."

Tang Yue dragged out the iron frame and electric heater, put it in the sink, and then poured half of the water in. He wanted to heat the fertilizer jar in a water bath.

Tang Yue still vaguely remembers that his chemistry teacher in middle school repeatedly emphasized that the water tank cannot be heated. Tang Yue's current operation method seriously violates the laboratory safety regulations, but Tang Yue is too lazy to pay attention to any rules, unless the chemistry teacher and his old man are right now. Appear outside the Kunlun Station, otherwise no one can stop him from directly burning the glass tank.

To be honest, at this point, Tang Yue is quite adventurous in his game of life. If there is a microwave oven in Kunlun Station, he would even like to try roasting two grapes in a microwave oven①.

It is impossible to accurately heat the soil in the jar to 20 degrees Celsius based on the conditions in Kunlun Station, because the soil is not a good conductor of heat. You may boil the stool on the outside of the jar, while the stool on the inside is still In low temperature. So Tang Yue used short but multiple heating methods, stared at the thermometer, and let the fertilizer tank heat up slowly and evenly.

When the liquid column of the thermometer stabilized at 30 degrees Celsius, Tang Yue took the fertilizer jar out of the water bath, set it aside to dry, and then threw the second fertilizer jar into the sink to heat.

"When tomatoes are growing, it is best to keep the ambient temperature at around 25 degrees Celsius. In addition, you must also pay attention to the light. The suitable light intensity for tomato growth is 30,000 to 50,000LX."

"Lux?"

"The illumination unit of light, the illumination of 1 lumen of luminous flux evenly distributed over an area of ​​one square meter, is one lux." Ophiopogon japonicus gave a standard answer, "We usually see the sunlight outdoors on a sunny day, and the illumination is five Vanlux.”

Tang Yue understood. He stared at the fertilizer jar and thermometer being heated in the water bath. "In other words, I'd better provide tomatoes with normal sunlight brightness on earth?"

"Yes, and you should also pay attention to the light time. Tomatoes should be provided with at least eleven hours of light a day, so that they can grow faster."

Tang Yue scratched his head, "These things are so delicate. They are harder to take care of than a grown man like me."

"You have to remember that what you have in front of you is 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 the earth, so you don't think there is anything wrong with tomatoes. Strange." Maidong said, "But on Mars, if you look out the window, look at the endless wasteland, look at the cold and endless space... Ninety-nine percent of this world is made of inorganic matter, don't you think so? Don’t you think life is an extremely rare miracle?”

"Not only do I think life is a miracle, but now I think poop is a miracle." Tang Yue sat on a chair, looking at the fertilizer jar in the water bath with his eyes. "I used to think poop was a disgusting thing... It’s really unreasonable. What was going on in my mind at that time? Why would I hate such a cute thing? This is the precious source of life.”

Maidong was startled.

"To be honest, if we could return to Earth, I would be willing to work as a manure digger." Tang Yue was serious, waving his fingers, and his tone was full of envy in his reverie, "Think about it, you can't take it. Inexhaustible shit... What a wonderful world that is."

(①Author's note: Heating two grapes close to each other in a microwave oven will cause a large amount of energy to be concentrated and the temperature to rise sharply, thereby generating plasma and causing a fire. This is a very dangerous behavior, do not try it!)