Returning to hometown to farm: The apocalypse system arrived ten years earlier?

Chapter 387 Artificial Sun, Rebuilding Li Family Village
Li Xiang finally got home, so naturally he spent a lot of time with his family, especially his grandmother.

He personally cooked a large table of dishes, and the eight family members, including Jiang Cai'er, Li Xiang, Grandma, Jiang Jianguo and his wife, as well as their two sons and one daughter, had a reunion dinner.

Grandma Li Xiang is now 95 years old, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Jianguo are 65 and 64 years old respectively, Jiang Cai'er is 42 years old, and Li Xiang is nearly 50.

But in terms of appearance, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er show no signs of aging; they look like their sons in their early twenties. Their daughter, Li Xinyue, is almost eighteen and will soon be facing college entrance exams.

In fact, given the Li family's current status and position, it doesn't matter whether they take the exam or not; it's just a formality. The world's best university, City University of Science and Technology (CUST), has already extended an olive branch to her.

Li Xinyue inherited her mother's memory palace ability and will follow the path of a research-oriented superhuman in the future.

Looking at his grown-up children, who weren't very affectionate towards him and seemed somewhat distant, Li Xiang felt a pang of shame. He had been away with the seven girls for six or seven years, essentially missing their prime growing years.

What he didn't know was that the children admired him greatly, but when they looked at this "big brother" in front of them, they just couldn't bring themselves to call him "Dad."

I called out once, but calling out a second time felt really awkward.

Li Xinyue couldn't help but say, "How about I call you brother, Xiang-ge?"

Li Xiang glared at him, then scolded him sternly, "You have no manners!"

Jiang Cai'er couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why don't you use some magic to make yourself look older? I won't, after all, I'm a woman, and I love beauty."

Li Xinyue made a face and called out in a clear voice, "Sister Cai'er!"

Jiang Cai'er: "...You little brat...you have no manners..."

"Ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Grandma Li Xiang laughed so hard that snot and tears streamed down her face. She picked up a tissue and wiped her eyes as she said, "You are all young. It's good to be young. It's just that your grandparents and I are getting old."

The maternal grandparents that Li Xiang's grandmother mentioned were naturally Jiang Jianguo and his wife, the children's maternal grandparents. As for Li Xiang's maternal grandparents, well, they passed away last year. But Li Xiang was far away in space, and no one could notify him, so he was unable to attend the funeral. It's truly a pity.

After returning, Li Xiang had already taken the time to visit his maternal grandparents' graves to pay his respects.

The old saying, "While parents are alive, one should not travel far," is true. Although his parents passed away early, he still has many elders at home, so he shouldn't travel far.

He decided that he would not go out for the next few years because his grandmother was really old, and if something happened to her, he would miss seeing her one last time while he was not at home.

"I don't think I have many years left. Every day I live is one less day I have. All my peers in the village have passed away." Grandma sighed. She knew the spiritual potential of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and was happy for them because she knew they would live a long life.

The three little ones have already reached the Saint rank. Reaching the Saint rank grants a lifespan of several hundred years.

Li Xiang said, "Grandma, you will definitely live to be 150 years old."

Grandma Li Xiang laughed, "I know my own body. I'm already very content. Xiang'er, now that those space monsters are all gone, shouldn't we go back to the surface? I want to see our old house and yard."

“Okay, give me seven days. Cai’er and I will tidy up the old house and then we’ll go up there for a visit.” Li Xiang naturally wanted to fulfill the old man’s wish.

Although he is the ruler of a planet, his grandmother was actually on the verge of death many years ago. It was only thanks to him and Jiang Cai'er using elixirs that she lived to the age of ninety-five. Perhaps, she really doesn't have many years left, and she might just pass away one day.

Jiang Cai'er had also secretly told Li Xiang that there was another way: to upload her grandmother's consciousness and turn it into a digital life form, or to clone a bio-engineered human, so that her grandmother could live another life. Although the technology was not yet mature, it was worth trying.

However, when Grandma found out, she refused Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er's offer without even thinking about it.

At that time, the old man simply said, "I would be content to live to ninety-five and watch my great-grandchildren grow up. If you really use the method you mentioned, I will become a monster. I am tired, so please stop tormenting me. In the future, please don't make me take any more elixirs. Just let nature take its course and pass away naturally. I miss my parents, and I miss your grandparents and parents too."

Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er naturally respected the elder's opinion.

After finishing their meal, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er went to the surface and began to repair the original Li Family Village.

In fact, not only Grandma Li Xiang wanted to come up and see it, but Jiang Jianguo and his wife also wanted to, and other surviving villagers also wanted to see the old house. Some of the younger generations, especially those born after the apocalypse, had never even seen their ancestral home before, and they all wanted to come up and see it.

However, the surface is dark, frigid, and icy; without proper repairs, ordinary people would fall seriously ill upon arriving. The biting, knife-like wind alone is something most people cannot withstand.

After all these years, Lijia Village is now in ruins, many houses have collapsed, many plants and animals have died, the ecology has been severely damaged, and the oxygen level is low.

Li Xiang used his divine power to restore Li Family Village to its original state, just as he remembered it. Houses rose from the ground, streams flowed again, roads were rebuilt, and ponds were filled with water...

Jiang Cai'er then brought out the latest artificial mini-sun developed by "Tian Suan Energy Technology", which floated ten kilometers in the air and illuminated the surrounding area as if it were daytime.

Zhao Xueqing was also invited to help restore the vegetation in Lijia Village and the surrounding area.

Within a radius of 100 miles centered on Lijia Village, the oxygen gradually becomes richer and the temperature gradually rises.

Not only did various plants grow, but many animals were also transferred from the underground city: chickens, ducks, geese, fish, cats, dogs...

In seven days, Li Xiang, Jiang Cai'er, and Zhao Xueqing acted like creators, restoring the once dark and cold Old Li Family Village to its former glory before the apocalypse.

In particular, Li Xiang's courtyard was almost a perfect replica of the original.

The large red cowhide war drum was also put back in its original place. The original drum had become damaged over the years, so Li Xiang used the hide of a demon beast to make a new one. In the past, making a drum was a complicated process that took a long time, but now it only takes about ten minutes.

These ten minutes or so were spent with great care, refining the details to keep it as consistent as possible with the original.

Even the original chicken-blood stone forest, vegetable garden, persimmon tree, peach tree, wintersweet, cascading waterfall, etc., have been replicated exactly.

Not only Li Xiang's house, but the entire village, Jiang Cai'er's house, the former ancestral hall, and the mountain god temple on the hilltop in front of the village, every tree and blade of grass is almost the same as before the apocalypse.

Erhuang, Little Fox, and the others, hearing this, also ran up and returned to their old doghouse. The dog and the fox huddled together in the cramped shed, rubbing against each other, utterly blissful.

The rooster, the goose, the cat, and the hedgehogs have all returned.

Xiao Bai led his friends to the vegetable garden, took a bite of a newly formed cherry tomato, and squinted his eyes because it was so sour.

The pandas have also returned to the back mountain, leisurely eating tender bamboo shoots.

It was as if the apocalypse had never happened. Amidst the peaceful scene, the small alloy gate in the back of the mountain opened, and Li Xiang carried his grandmother, Jiang Cai'er and Jiang Jianguo, their two sons and daughter, as well as other people from Lijia Village, such as Li Yucheng and his wife, Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, Lei Jiaming, and other villagers from the surrounding area, all of whom came out of the alloy gate and returned to Lijia Village.

This small gate is rarely opened. The underground city has several other entrances and exits, including some giant alloy doors that are tens of meters high.

"Wow, so beautiful! Is this our old home?" Li Xinyue was eighteen years old, in the prime of her youth. She looked seven parts like Jiang Cai'er and three parts like Li Xiang. She was bouncy, lively, and mischievous.

The two sons were more composed.

After visiting Li Xiang's house and yard, everyone went outside and walked around the village, chatting and laughing. They walked back and forth several times.

Grandma Li Xiang is old and physically weak, so most of the time, Li Xiang carries her on his back.

Jiang Cai'er actually designed a smart wheelchair for the elderly, which can be controlled by voice, drive automatically, and go wherever it wants, but Li Xiang still wants to carry his grandmother on his back.

If you don't memorize it now, you won't have the chance to memorize it in a few years.

Li Xiang recounted the scene of how, during a heavy snowfall, his third grandmother's house collapsed, and he carried her back to his own home. Both his grandmother and Cai'er said it was a vivid memory, as if it happened just yesterday.

“Brother, let me sing you another old song,” Jiang Cai’er said.

Li Xinyue asked curiously, "Mom, you can sing? What songs do you sing?"

Li Xiang said, "Your mother had a first-rate singing voice when she was young, and she could also play various musical instruments. She was a true woman of talent."

Amidst everyone's anticipation, Jiang Cai'er performed a rendition of "Spring Snow in the Courtyard": "The pear blossoms in the courtyard have faded once again. Standing in the clear night, the moonlight spills onto the empty steps. In my dream, the sheng and xiao play old melodies. When I wake up, tears stain my rouge-stained face..."

This song is really old; it was a viral hit almost 25 years ago. Li Xinyue and her two brothers have never even heard of it.

"It sounds so good. I didn't know people liked this style in the past."

After Jiang Cai'er finished singing, Li Xinyue also sang a few songs, jumping around. However, the lyrics, musical style, singing method, and breath control were all completely different from her previous songs.

In particular, we are now in an era where both the extraordinary and the technological are flourishing. Li Xiang has released a breathing method that almost everyone knows a little bit about. Many songs incorporate breathing techniques into their singing style, and various new pronunciation techniques and singing styles are emerging one after another. Indeed, each generation is better than the last.

Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, Lei Jiaming, and the others also went back to their respective ancestral homes for a visit.

With an artificial mini-sun present and Li Xiang being the master of Earth, many people are indeed considering whether or not to move back to live here.

However, many people are unwilling to move because the underground city is warmer and more livable, and has complete supporting facilities, including shopping, medical care, education, leisure, entertainment, etc., and is full of high technology.

Back on the surface, there are desolate rural areas, while the underground city is the most developed city on the entire planet, with bright lights and bustling activity.

It's just that everyone has their own ideas and aspirations. Li Xiang doesn't insist on this kind of thing; actually, living underground is quite nice.

Lijia Village has regained its former glory. The video was posted online by some villagers, and netizens around the world were amazed, envious, and excited, strongly requesting that God Li support more artificial suns to help everyone rebuild their homes on the ground.

[Netizens from Central China Province]

"Li Shen's move is brilliant! Wheat can now be grown on the surface. When will we, the people of the old Yellow River channel, receive our artificial mini-suns? We beg for priority pilot testing!"

[Japanese netizens]

"The scene of the clear spring and bamboo pavilion in Lijia Village was so touching! And that war drum was so beautiful! We want to rebuild traditional hot spring baths in our volcanic hot spring area in Hokkaido, and we request technical support from Tiansuan Energy Group! PS: It would be even better if the cherry blossom festival could be restored (hands clasped together)"

[Netizens from Gaul Province]

"Vineyards on the ground! Vineyards on the ground! @Manager Li Xiang, the lavender fields and wineries in Provence need customized photosynthesis solutions! We are willing to exchange our century-old wine cellars for a quota of artificial mini-suns!"

[A netizen from Siberia]

"Watermelons have grown in permafrost?! These are three times larger than the ones our Academy of Sciences grew last year in a nuclear fusion greenhouse! The Ural Mountains have applied to become a demonstration base for aurora observation and agriculture!"

[Representative of Ganges State]

"The once fertile Ganges Plain has long since become wasteland. We request that Academician Zhao Xueqing's team be sent to guide the ecological restoration! We have prepared 300,000 laborers and 100,000 planting robots on standby!"

(After Li Xiang became the ruler of Earth and the global transportation network was restored, Kanna resigned from her job as the Earth Vein Conduit Officer and returned to her hometown. There, she gathered tens of millions of refugees and established Ganges State. Ganges State has six large underground cities and some smaller shelters. Because she was a long-time employee of Li Xiang and had made many contributions, the state was able to be successfully incorporated into Country C and its development has been booming, far surpassing other underground cities on the South Asian subcontinent.)
Alps

"I've seen the magnificent scenery of Lijia Village. It's so beautiful, it's like paradise! I strongly suggest building an interstellar ski resort on Jungfraujoch. With an artificial sun and Jiang Shen's quantum climate regulator, it could definitely create a 365-day winter wonderland!"

Sahara Energy Zone

"Turning the desert into an oasis is no longer a dream! We have successfully stabilized the sand using a honeycomb shield matrix and urgently need artificial mini-suns to build a super photovoltaic farm! We are willing to supply 90% of the electricity generated to Tiansuan Energy's West China Power Grid!"

Of course, outside of Country C, there are also many netizens who are just being sour grapes, after all, there are still nearly a hundred dungeons that have not been incorporated into Country C.

Many of the people in the underground city were poorly clothed and starving, and the city was plagued by crime and robbery. However, they insisted on self-reliance and were willing to live a hard life. Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er let them be; they were too weak and insignificant to be worth their time and energy.

[Free Cities Alliance (North America)]

"Several powerful, god-like figures worked tirelessly for days, only to create a model village. What kind of skill is that? Planetary rulers and god-kings, is that all they've got? Our 'free survival' underground city is the beacon of human civilization! We refuse to let AI control our lives! ... But speaking of which, can @Tiansuan Energy's Helium-3 quota be paid for with Bitcoin?"

One netizen commented: "You speak so rudely and disrespectfully to God Li. It's already magnanimous that he didn't send down a miracle to punish you. You still dream of exchanging precious helium-3 energy for something as worthless as Bitcoin? Isn't that just wishful thinking?"

"Exactly, times have changed. Let alone Bitcoin, even your old US dollar is worthless now. You don't even need to look at the exchange rate; tens of thousands of US dollars can only buy one dollar of 'calorie'. It's not even good enough to wipe your butt with."

[South Asian United City-States]

"The 100,000 planting robots that Ganges State is showing off are actually using engineers we lost! Does Country C dare to publicly disclose its patent pool for cold fusion technology? Oh, and by the way, could you please stop being so stingy, cutting off our undersea fiber optic cables every time? If you're talking about global interconnection, you should be able to afford to play that game, instead of cutting off our network so easily!"

[Antarctic Scientific Research Autonomous Territory]

"Our plan to use nuclear fuel cells to melt ice and extract water has been blocked by Country C's patent wall for three years! Our measured data is clearly more accurate than that of City 03... (Screenshot of laboratory log has been deleted) Can Goddess Jiang re-evaluate Joint Research Proposal No. 0927?"

(End of this chapter)