Moose are the largest species of deer in the world. They typically give birth to a single calf; having twins is extremely rare.

To everyone’s delight, they discovered that one of the two calves was covered in white fur—an incredibly rare white moose.

Jiang Linhai asked excitedly, "Sisi, is this a genetic mutation? An albino?"

Jiang Si shook her head. "Some moose are naturally white. They’re just very rare."

Shen Baoying stared at the mother moose. "She had two calves. I wonder if she’ll have enough milk."

Jiang Si said, "We just need to give her some extra nutrients, and her milk will come in. Don’t worry too much. From the looks of it, both calves are quite healthy."

Niu Niu asked, "Sister, how long will it take for the baby moose to grow up? Will they stay and live with us, like Big Black and Little Black?"

The newborn calves were so cute, and they still had their mother. Niu Niu was afraid everyone might decide to butcher them for meat.

Jiang Si sensed Niu Niu’s quiet concern and smiled. "Moose calves grow very quickly. They can survive on their own by the time they’re about a year old. They’ll stay here with us, just like Big Black and Little Black, and help us build a wonderful home."

Niu Niu’s eyes lit up, and she was overjoyed for the mother moose and her calves.

Lu Zhifeng, however, said, "I wonder how easy the mother will be to tame."

Jiang Si said, "Moose are simple-minded. As long as they have food to eat, a warm place to stay, and no threats to their lives, they can be managed."

Jiang Si said it so casually, as if she had personally tamed moose before.

A strange look flickered in Lu Zhifeng’s eyes, but he chalked it up to Jiang Si simply being very knowledgeable.

Jiang Linhai’s face was filled with excitement. "A moose could plow a field, right?"

Jiang Si smiled. "They should be able to."

Zhang Qingfang and Jiang Linhai grinned identically. "That’s wonderful. In a couple of days, let’s build a greenhouse and try planting some radishes."

Jiang Linhai thumped his chest. "The temperature has obviously warmed up a lot these past two days. If there’s no wind or snow during the daytime, we can start building the greenhouse tomorrow."

"If we all work together, we can get a greenhouse built in a week."

"We can build the greenhouse and work on repairing the house at the same time. We can make use of all that lumber nearby." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Everyone was in high spirits, as if the gloom of the apocalypse had vanished along with their worries.

Jiang Si said, "Alright, let’s see how it is tomorrow."

Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces, she couldn’t help but hope. ’I wish the apocalypse would just end like this.’

True to their word, the first thing Jiang Linhai did the next morning was check the outdoor temperature. Then, he called Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Chengwu to go survey a spot for the foundation.

Hot Spring Bay used to be a tourist destination, so it had many small plazas and parks.

It was quite easy for Jiang Linhai to find a flat piece of ground.

In the end, he settled on a small park. He designated the base of its plaza as the foundation for a house and the surrounding flowerbeds as the foundation for the greenhouse.

But the small park was buried under a thick blanket of snow.

The bottom layer of snow was like a solid glacier. Clearing it would take considerable time and effort.

Fortunately, they had an ice-breaking vehicle and a transport truck.

After several days of intense work, the three men finally cleared the area for the greenhouse, revealing the dark soil underneath.

Zhang Qingfang stepped onto the soil, which was frozen as hard as rock. She was a little worried. "Will it really be self-heating?"

Jiang Si laughed. "It probably can. If not, once it’s built, we can always use it to store firewood."

Jiang Chengwu said, "Once the temperature rises, the ice in the soil will melt. Tilling it won’t be a problem then."

Zhang Qingfang was relieved and added happily, "The radish seedlings are growing so well. The hydroponic ones are already as big as two fingers. I’m thinking of transplanting some into the snow outside to see if they’ll keep growing."

"The temperature has been rising, right? During the day, it’s almost as warm as it is by the edge of the hot spring. I bet that even without a greenhouse, these radishes have a good chance of surviving."

Jiang Si nodded. "Where do you want to plant them, Grandma?"

Zhang Qingfang pointed to the patch of cleared ground beside them. "Right here is fine. It’s just that the soil is too hard, so we’ll have to put some fertilizer in with them."

Shen Baoying said, "Yes, I was worried we wouldn’t have enough manure before. But now we’re raising dozens of chickens and ducks, plus three moose, and we have that stockpile of nutrient soil. It’s definitely enough."

Jiang Si said, "Then I’ll go get a hoe and dig a few holes right now."

Qin Shen said, "I’ll go. You wait here."

It was just fetching a hoe, but Qin Shen was so eager to help.

Shen Baoying and Zhang Qingfang exchanged a look, inwardly pleased. Their opinion of Qin Shen rose even higher.

Jiang Si had grown somewhat accustomed to Qin Shen’s attentiveness over the past few days, so she just gave a calm, "Okay."

By the time he returned with the hoe, Jiang Si didn’t even get a chance to use it. With a few heavy THUNKS, Qin Shen had dug the holes just as Zhang Qingfang wanted.

Zhang Qingfang was grinning from ear to ear. "When Sisi’s grandpa was young, he was just as capable as you are."

Jiang Si glanced over at Jiang Chengwu, who was busy working on the foundation, and teased, "Grandpa is still plenty capable now."

Zhang Qingfang laughed heartily. "We’re old, we’re old. It’s enough for us not to be a burden on you kids."

Jiang Si shook her head. "What burden? Having the whole family together is the greatest blessing of all."

The radish seedlings were planted in the soil, but before they had even left the spot, the leaves had already frozen solid.

Zhang Qingfang frowned. "The frost is too harsh. It looks like this won’t work."

Jiang Si said, "Not necessarily. Let’s check on them tomorrow. Who knows, they might just come back from the dead."

Zhang Qingfang nodded. "Alright, let’s leave them for now. Let’s go see if your dad needs any help."

"Okay."

When Jiang Si and Zhang Qingfang walked over, Qin Shen had already jumped into the foundation pit and was helping Jiang Linhai build the framework, looking quite competent.

When Jiang Linhai saw Jiang Si approaching, he praised Qin Shen as if he were his own star apprentice. "Qin Shen is such a fast learner! I wasn’t this quick on the uptake even when I was his age."

Shen Baoying laughed. "He’s smart enough to study medicine. How can you compare your brick-laying hands to his?"

Jiang Si glanced at Qin Shen. "Is there anything we can help with?"

Jiang Linhai shook his head. "We’re about to pour the concrete. You all should go back to the ice house and rest. It’s still cold out here, don’t catch a chill."

Jiang Si asked, "Will the concrete work? Won’t it just freeze?"

Jiang Linhai had never tried to work with concrete in weather this cold either.

"We’ll try it first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll figure something else out."

"Okay, we’ll go start dinner then. We’ll come get you when it’s ready."

Back in the ice house, the two transplanted wintersweet bushes had survived.

Their buds were in full bloom, and a rich fragrance filled the air.

Niu Niu leaned in to take a few deep whiffs and immediately felt a little dizzy.

Jiang Si laughed. "Don’t inhale too much. The scent has a narcotic effect."

Niu Niu nodded obediently. She picked up a small fallen bud, placed it in her palm, and would occasionally take it out for a quick sniff.

Shen Baoying stared at the wintersweet blossoms, then suddenly asked, "Should we make wintersweet pastries?"