I can upgrade the shelter

The total amount of vegetables that Chen Xin’s greenhouse can currently harvest in a month has exceeded two thousand pounds.

Apart from cabbage and lettuce, there are also carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and for the people of Xiang Province, the indispensable chili peppers.

The cucumbers, tomatoes, and chili peppers were planted by Mo Qingyan last month and haven’t borne fruit yet. If these crops do bear fruit, the total vegetable output here would rise to a new level.

Up to now, Chen Xin’s six-layer hydroponic planting trays in the greenhouse have two layers of upland rice, one layer each of cabbage, lettuce, and chili peppers, half a layer of carrots, and a quarter layer each of cucumber and tomatoes.

Among them, cabbage and lettuce can be harvested once a month, which is the main vegetable output here and the bulk of what Chen Xin exchanges for supplies from the special police team each month.

As for the carrots, chili peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes, they are harvested every few months. Although most of these are also exchanged for supplies by Chen Xin, more are stored for personal consumption.

Moreover, other vegetables and fruits are sporadically planted in the corners of the greenhouse, as well as the herbs that Chen Xin promised to plant for Hong Rui. However, these only occupy a small area in the greenhouse, with yields negligible, just enough for the people in the shelter to have a taste and change their palate.

Nevertheless, even with more than two thousand pounds of total vegetable output a month, and Chen Xin having expanded the total trade volume with the special police team, exchanging most of the monthly output for living supplies, the leftover amount is still quite overwhelming.

While several hundred pounds of vegetables can be thrown into the warehouse, stored directly as frozen due to current low temperatures without issue, Chen Xin’s warehouse needs to store other items and can’t hold many vegetables. When rice and carrots are ready to be harvested simultaneously, the warehouse will inevitably be overloaded.

Therefore, turning fresh vegetables into dehydrated vegetables has become necessary.

Dehydrated vegetables are not the same as traditional dried vegetables; both the processing methods and nutritional value differ significantly.

Traditional dried vegetables are dried under the sun for an extended period to remove water. Due to the long drying time, the vegetables not only lose coloration and moisture, but also a lot of nutrients are lost, and their texture is damaged. Even if soaked in water, they won’t recover, and the taste is quite poor.

Typically, sun-dried vegetables are not eaten directly but used to make pickles, salted vegetables, or fermented products, which are convenient for storage and enhance flavor.

In usual circumstances, these pickled dried vegetables are, of course, appetizing side dishes that enrich the flavors, enhance taste, and cut through greasiness.

But in a food shortage situation, consuming pickled vegetables long-term would undoubtedly lead to malnutrition and many other health problems, which is quite detrimental in this frigid post-apocalyptic environment.

In contrast, dehydrated vegetables are different, as they use artificial means to remove moisture in a short time, greatly preserving both nutrition and texture, and can restore their original state when placed in water. Thus, they are convenient for storage and consumption, making them an excellent way to store vegetables in a post-apocalyptic setting.

The method to make dehydrated vegetables isn’t difficult. After helping Mo Qingyan store the vegetables to be delivered to the special police team in the warehouse, Chen Xin began preparing to make dehydrated vegetables.

"Are you planning to chop these vegetables?" Mo Qingyan asked curiously as she watched Chen Xin carry the fresh vegetables into the kitchen.

Chen Xin nodded, taking the vegetables out of the plastic boxes, placing them in the sink, turning on the tap to wash them, while replying to Mo Qingyan, "Cutting them into strips is easier to store; whole stalks are not easy to drain or dry."

"Then let me help. How should I cut them?" Mo Qingyan was eager to assist upon hearing this from Chen Xin.

"Just cut them into long strips, right?" Chen Xin raised his head in surprise to look at Mo Qingyan and asked with some confusion, "I remember you should have done this before, haven’t you? Why do you seem like you don’t know how?"

As a wilderness survival enthusiast, Mo Qingyan certainly knows how to make this kind of emergency reserve like dehydrated vegetables, but she seemed like she didn’t know how.

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Facing Chen Xin’s question, Mo Qingyan stiffly replied, "I’m just worried that your method might be different from what I know! You’re a mid-tier chef, who knows if you’ll want to add some seasoning or something."

"Uh..." Faced with Mo Qingyan’s obvious tsundere remark, Chen Xin could only rub his brow and say, "This is just making dehydrated vegetables, not dried fruit or veggies. Why should I add seasoning? But you did remind me, next month I can make some adjustments, plant fewer cabbages and lettuces, plant sweet potatoes and other crops, and make some dried fruit and veggies to eat then."

"...Alright, suit yourself." Mo Qingyan glanced at Chen Xin, heard him say this, and couldn’t argue further.

Seeing Mo Qingyan had nothing more to say, Chen Xin focused back on processing the vegetables in front of him, placing some in the sink to wash clean and breaking them into pieces before saying to Mo Qingyan, "These veggies I’ve washed, cut them into strips. The cutting board and knife are over there. Be careful not to cut your hand."

"Got it. Do I look like someone who’d cut themselves while chopping veggies?" Mo Qingyan retorted to Chen Xin and then walked to the stove, took up the cutting board and knife, placed Chen Xin’s washed vegetables on the board, and started chopping.

While chopping the veggies, Mo Qingyan suddenly asked Chen Xin, "By the way, are you and Alan planning to reconcile?"

"What’s with the question out of the blue?" Chen Xin was somewhat surprised. Mo Qingyan’s question was certainly unexpected.

"Hmm? Isn’t that so? You two are sharing a bed. If you say you don’t want to be with Alan, then you’re a scumbag." Mo Qingyan’s attitude was very direct, and her words were blunt.

"Well, that... it depends on Alan’s feelings. You know the situation back then. Whether she wants to be with me, I really can’t say." Chen Xin replied evasively.

This answer didn’t satisfy Mo Qingyan, who, rather displeased, shouted at Chen Xin, "What do you mean you can’t say? Alan’s already sharing a bed with you, and you say it depends on her feelings? What more do you need from a girl to know she wants to be with you? Does Alan need to directly say ’let’s be together’ for you to get it?"

"Uh... alright, alright, I know, I’ll have a good talk about this with Alan." Chen Xin awkwardly nodded, but as he continued washing vegetables, he muttered under his breath, "Then what does it mean when you’re staying at my place?"