I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 89 - 88 Sudden Distraction

"You actually know how to make this out of ingredients! That’s amazing!" Mo Qingyan sincerely admired as she looked at the oxygen generator Chen Xin had unloaded from the car.

Earlier, when Chen Xin mentioned the need to pay attention to oxygen issues, Mo Qingyan also learned from Chen Xin how to make a simple oxygen generator by themselves. She even planned to make one with her sister, Mo Qingxin, but they soon realized that it wasn’t something that could be easily put together.

Faced with the oxygen generator Chen Xin took out, besides admiring his hands-on ability, Mo Qingyan also felt quite touched.

So she half-jokingly said to Chen Xin, "Ah Xin, how should I exchange something like this with you? If I barter with booze, wouldn’t you empty my wine cellar? Or should Qingxin and I just give you some fun time?"

Hearing Mo Qingyan say this, Chen Xin hadn’t responded yet, but Mo Qingxin’s face immediately turned red.

Although in the past, jokes like that between Chen Xin and Mo Qingyan wouldn’t be minded, saying it directly still made Mo Qingxin feel very shy and awkward.

"Nah, let’s forget the fun time; I don’t have that thought now." Chen Xin shook his head, declining Mo Qingyan’s proposal, "Just give me two bottles from your collection, two crates of booze, and two crates of canned food. As for wanting some fun time, wouldn’t it be better for you two to move into my place?"

Even though having something happen between him and Mo Qingyan wouldn’t affect their relationship, Chen Xin still wanted to stick to his principles.

"Damn, didn’t see that coming! You’re actually thinking of hiding beauties in your house?" Mo Qingyan, hearing Chen Xin’s rejection, didn’t quite know if she felt relieved or regretful but quickly and exaggeratedly teased Chen Xin, thus ending the topic.

Chen Xin didn’t continue with the conversation, instead helped Mo Qingyan set up the oxygen generator. After filling it with water, he said to her, "The operation of the oxygen generator requires continuous power. Without light, the algae inside won’t photosynthesize, so make sure it stays powered. Longniang, you have backup power here, right?"

"Yes, I designed a battery group when setting up the shelter. Fully charged, it lasts three days, and I also have a generator here." Mo Qingyan nodded, indicating that the power was no issue.

Hearing Mo Qingyan say this, Chen Xin nodded reassuringly. While pouring water into the oxygen generator, he said, "The water in the oxygen generator doesn’t need frequent changing, but remember to clean the algae that settle at the bottom to prevent clogging the spray nozzles at the base."

Listening to Chen Xin’s instructions on using the oxygen generator, Mo Qingyan nodded and had Mo Qingxin take careful notes.

While recording the points Chen Xin mentioned, Mo Qingxin asked with concern, "Ah Xin, I’ve noted everything you said, but where are we supposed to get algae now? Given the current situation outside, aren’t all the algae dead?"

"Algae aren’t that easy to completely die off; there should be some surviving." Chen Xin had naturally prepared for this, smiling at Mo Qingxin before taking out a bottle of green liquid from his car, "But you don’t need to go and find them; I’ve prepared this for you. It’s water from my oxygen generator, rich in algae, which will reproduce in yours once poured in."

"Self-reproducing? Doesn’t it need anything else?" Mo Qingxin curiously asked as she watched Chen Xin pour the green liquid into the tank of the oxygen generator.

"Under normal conditions, you should add nutrients to promote algae reproduction, but given the circumstances, we’ll have to make do," Chen Xin shook his head helplessly but also explained, "Even when just left alone, over time, the water becomes nutrient-rich and naturally produces algae, so you don’t need to worry about the algae proliferation."

"If the algae inside really aren’t growing well, Longniang, just go find A-Lan or Xiao Ding. I heard them mention that the official shelters use the same kind of algae-based oxygen generators and should have nutrient salts for algae. You can just get some from them."

Qin Lan indeed mentioned this matter when she delivered goods earlier. Since he was also using an algae-based oxygen generator, Chen Xin had naturally taken note of it.

Hearing Chen Xin say this, Mo Qingyan quickly nodded and said, "I got it. I’ll ask A-Ning later."

After connecting the power and getting the oxygen generator running, Chen Xin finally felt satisfied, clapped his hands, and said to Mo Qingyan, "Alright, in a day or two, it should turn green, and oxygen will be generated."

Though he said this, Chen Xin actually wasn’t sure if enough algae would form within a day or two.

After all, his oxygen generator was directly upgraded by the system, with the algae rapidly reproducing after the upgrade, turning the water dark green in just one day, far exceeding the normal algae reproduction rate.

However, algae are really easy to grow. If you leave a puddle untouched, it turns green in just a few days, so Chen Xin wasn’t worried about the oxygen generator at Mo Qingyan’s place functioning properly.

Seeing that Chen Xin had installed the oxygen generator, Mo Qingyan proactively said to him, "Thank you for your hard work, Ah Xin. Why don’t you stay for lunch before heading back!"

"Huh...? Oh! Okay!" For some reason, Chen Xin was momentarily stunned, and it wasn’t until Mo Qingyan called out that he came to his senses and accepted her invitation to stay for lunch.

Although Chen Xin agreed, he seemed somewhat absent-minded while waiting for Mo Qingyan to cook, as if lost in thought.

Noticing Chen Xin’s state, neither Mo Qingyan nor Mo Qingxin said much, merely asked with concern, and, seeing there wasn’t an issue with Chen Xin, didn’t dwell on it.

For lunch, Mo Qingyan brought out the emergency food stored before the disaster — three portions of self-heating food, a can of pork, and the cabbage exchanged from Chen Xin.

It’s undeniable that such items, which can be stored for years or even decades, are incredibly useful in the current environment.

Compared to storing rice, frozen meat, or dehydrated vegetables, emergency food not only lasts longer but also saves on fuel and water.

Since the emergency food nowadays is self-heating, just a sip of water can heat it up by itself, making it more convenient and reliable in a post-apocalyptic setting than raw ingredients like rice, which need water to cook.

As for raw ingredients like rice and frozen meat, they must be cooked before consumption, requiring precious drinking water and fuel, and their storage heavily depends on conditions.

Rice is slightly easier to handle, but meat like frozen meat needs to be kept in a low-temperature environment for longer storage, unlike emergency food that can be stored almost anywhere with better longevity.

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