Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Seed Bank
Waking up in Qin Shen’s arms again, Jiang Si was already getting a little used to it. Their eyes met, and she calmly greeted him, "Good morning."
Qin Shen’s deep voice was a little hoarse. "Good morning."
Jiang Si sat up. Her gaze fell on his slightly loosened collar before she hurriedly looked away. "Last night... I fell asleep. I’ll head back now..."
Qin Shen sat up, his eyes holding a hint of morning grogginess. He reached out and pulled Jiang Si into his arms. In an instant, they were intimately close once again.
Even with some experience, she couldn’t handle Qin Shen’s sudden closeness.
Jiang Si felt a jolt as if she’d been electrocuted. She froze, at a bit of a loss.
In truth, she felt they were moving a little too fast.
But she had been the one to proactively seek out Qin Shen last night, which was practically an invitation to advance their current relationship.
’But as for *that*... I’m definitely not mentally prepared!’
Jiang Si gently tried to push Qin Shen away. "I... We should go get breakfast!"
As if seeing right through her guilty and clumsy excuse, Qin Shen’s lips curled into a smile. He said deliberately, "I’m not that hungry."
The air was practically bubbling with pink hearts.
Qin Shen leaned closer and closer. His thin lips were pale, looking soft and so very kissable.
Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was hesitating, Qin Shen suddenly let her go. "I’ve prepared toiletries for you in the bathroom, and there are clothes in the closet. I hope they’re to your liking."
Jiang Si froze, her face flushing red. She felt a little exasperated, as if he’d done it on purpose.
Unable to bring herself to dwell on such things, Jiang Si was about to stand up when Qin Shen pulled her into his arms again and gave her a light, fleeting kiss on the cheek.
It happened so fast, Jiang Si was caught completely by surprise.
A sly look, one that didn’t match his usual steady demeanor, appeared on Qin Shen’s face. "Sorry, I couldn’t help myself."
If anyone else had tried to take such liberties, Jiang Si would have had them castrated.
Jiang Si’s face grew hot. She shot him a look, feigning calmness, and quickly darted into the bathroom.
Splashing water on her face, Jiang Si managed to hide the blush from her burgeoning feelings.
When she was ready to change, she realized the closet was outside.
KNOCK KNOCK—
A knock came from the bathroom door. Qin Shen’s voice followed, "I’ve left the clothes for you by the door. See if they fit."
’He knows perfectly well I have my space and can get my own clothes anytime.’
’He’s certainly good at making a show of it.’
Jiang Si’s lips curved into a small smile. She reached out and brought the clothes inside. There were two sets of sharp, practical casual wear.
It was just her style.
She took a sniff. They smelled of rose-scented laundry detergent.
He had been thoughtful.
Jiang Si chose an outfit, put it on, and came out of the bathroom. She saw him look up at her. She kept her expression calm, but inwardly she was a little shy.
Her age and experience meant that even though she liked Qin Shen, she couldn’t bring herself to act cute and flirtatious like a young girl.
Qin Shen was more poised than her, praising, "It looks great."
Coming from his devastatingly handsome face, no one would doubt the sincerity of those three simple words.
That night, it seemed their relationship had imperceptibly taken another step forward.
Back in her room, Jiang Si’s face burned whenever she thought about him preparing toiletries and clothes for her. It was as if he was ready for them to live together at a moment’s notice.
She found her gaze unintentionally drifting several times to the two boxes of "little umbrellas" Shen Baoying had given her.
After two days of rest, Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Linhai had fully recovered. They put on oxygen tanks and went back to the Wintersweet Forest.
They planned to dig up a few stalks to plant near their ice house.
As long as one didn’t inhale a large amount of the fragrance, it was harmless.
Bringing a stalk or two back would serve as landscaping.
It would add a splash of color to the vast expanse of white snow, which would lift everyone’s spirits and give their eyes a rest from the glare.
Having learned their lesson, Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Linhai didn’t dare go too deep into the Wintersweet Forest. They stayed near the edge, picked two particularly healthy-looking stalks, and started digging.
The digging went smoothly at first, but after a while, their shovels hit something unusually hard.
Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Linhai exchanged a look, moved the wintersweet plants aside, and continued to dig.
They dug for a good half an hour, eventually exposing an entire high-tech door that looked like it was made of black iron.
A door brimming with a sense of high technology, right here in the ground. Could this place have been a science museum or a children’s amusement park before?
Neither Lu Zhifeng nor Jiang Linhai could figure out how to open the door. It was just too high-tech for them to understand.
They were also afraid that if they opened it carelessly, some kind of miasma or monsters might come pouring out.
They took a picture with a camera, carried the wintersweet back, and immediately told everyone what they had found.
Jiang Si looked at the photo, her brow instantly furrowing. Her intuition told her this was definitely not the entrance to some amusement park or science museum.
Shen Baoying guessed, "Maybe it’s an underground shelter, or maybe a warehouse."
Jiang Chengwu said, "Europeans love red wine. Could this be a wine cellar?"
Shen Baoying’s eyes lit up. "A grain silo is also possible!"
Jiang Si said, "Let’s check the surrounding area first. We shouldn’t try to open the door rashly."
"Okay."
The whole group arrived at the Wintersweet Forest. Seeing such a large patch of wintersweet, Shen Baoying took a deep sniff. She only smelled a rich floral fragrance; what was so scary about it?
The next second, Jiang Linhai shoved an oxygen mask onto her face. "Wear it properly. Don’t let your guard down."
"Oh."
Shen Baoying obediently put it on, and Niu Niu couldn’t help but smile.
’If my mom were still alive,’ she thought, ’would Dad and Mom be as happy as Aunt Shen and Uncle Jiang?’
Jiang Si and the others scouted the area. Aside from some ruined architectural debris, they couldn’t tell what this place used to be.
Suddenly, Qin Shen found a metal box buried in a snowdrift over a meter deep. Everyone gathered around as Jiang Si took it and carefully opened it.
Inside was a can of unknown seeds.
There was a label on it with an English name.
Jiang Si didn’t recognize it, but Qin Shen translated, "Sudangrass. It’s a type of green fodder."
In a box that looked quite valuable, there was nothing but a can of Sudangrass seeds.
Jiang Si saw a "36th Generation" mark on the label and guessed that these were either high-quality seeds developed through continuous cultivation, or seeds used in scientific research, which would explain why they were stored so carefully.
Following Qin Shen’s lead, everyone began to dig deep in that spot, unearthing more and more boxed-up seeds.
Jiang Si took out the map of Hot Spring Bay to study it. According to the map, this area was the site of an agricultural research institute.
That meant the door could lead to a seed bank.
Seed banks are built underground to ensure the room temperature doesn’t exceed twenty degrees Celsius. Besides regular grain seeds, they also house many genetically valuable seeds worth researching and preserving.
Jiang Si pointed at the door. "This might be a seed bank, but I’m not sure."
Large-scale seed banks usually have specific signs or markings.
Unless this was an inconspicuous, smaller seed bank, mainly for storing local seed research.
Seeds are the origin of life, the hope of humanity. Every country preserves seeds, spending immense time, effort, and resources to constantly update their collections.
If this really was a seed bank, it would play a huge role in restoring the natural world after the extreme cold passes.
