I live in the Martian wilderness!

[Sol 8, 08:00]

Gu Yu held a glass of freshly filtered warm water and stood in front of the holographic porthole of the shelter, looking out at the eternally unchanging red wasteland.

Like a loyal sentinel, the Zhurong stood quietly not far away, connected to the Tianshuo's energy umbilical cable, its antenna pointing straight to the sky.

They still listen tirelessly to the heavenly sounds that may appear at any moment from 400 million kilometers away.

"Xuan, when will today's window of opportunity arrive?" Gu Yu took a sip of water, a question he asked every morning.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I still can't calculate the exact time." Xuanjian's answer was as honest as ever.

"Tianwen-1's tumbling motion is a non-periodic chaotic movement. All we can do is wait."

"Alright." Gu Yu nodded, beginning to get used to the agonizing wait. "Maintain 24/7 monitoring of the Zhu Rong. Wake me up immediately if there's any signal."

"So, what shall we do today?" He looked around the small, fully-equipped home. The well had been dug, so the water problem was solved.

"The plan for the Shennong Project has been formulated, and during the time he is waiting for Earth's reply, he seems to have a rare period of free time."

"Captain, according to your personal memo reminder," Xuanjian's voice rang out at just the right moment, "you have a personal matter that has not yet been dealt with."

Gu Yu slapped his forehead and laughed, "Oh? I had forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it."

In the past two days, he has devoted all his attention to digging the well and developing a self-rescue plan, almost forgetting about the "personal matter" that had traveled 60 million kilometers.

"Let's go take a look." Just thinking about Qin Nuannuan's mysterious tone in the recording filled Gu Yu with anticipation.

He put on a light cabin activity suit and opened the round hatch leading to cargo hold number two.

Inside this huge, warehouse-like module, the temperature is kept constant at 4°C and the air is dry.

Rows of neat metal shelves were stacked with various supplies that supported his hope of survival for the next few years.

"Xuan, tell me the exact location of that box."

"QN-1024".

A soft blue laser beam shone down from the ceiling, precisely illuminating the deepest corner of the cargo hold.

Behind several boxes of spare nutritional paste and a box of repair tools, there was a distinctive military green sealed spare box.

He crouched down and gently brushed away the thin layer of frost from the surface of the box. The box wasn't locked; it only had a simple mechanical clasp.

He took a deep breath, his heart filled with the tension and anticipation of "opening a blind box".

"Click".

As the latch was pried open, the lid of the sealed box slowly popped open.

There was no high-tech equipment as one might imagine, nor luxurious food.

Inside the box was a crystal-clear square glass ecosphere filled with transparent gel.

Several pipes and sensors are connected to the metal base of the bottle, and a miniature LED display is flashing green light at a very low frequency, indicating that the internal environment is normal.

And in the very center of that gel, a flower lay quietly.

A perfectly preserved Yunnan dark red rose, at the peak of its bloom, with petals layered like velvet.

Its color is a deep red that is almost black, reflecting a mysterious and noble luster under the cool white lights of the cargo hold.

Tiny dewdrops clung to the edges of each petal, as if they had just been picked from the garden in the early morning.

Gu Yu was stunned.

He reached out his hand, then stopped in mid-air, almost too afraid to touch the eco-bottle.

He had considered countless possibilities, but this was the one he had never thought of.

On this red planet that symbolizes death, he unexpectedly saw a flower from Earth that symbolizes life.

But it's not entirely a flower; it's more like Earth's first colorful love letter to Mars.

"Xuan..." His voice was hoarse, "This...this is...is it still alive?"

"Scanning, Captain." Xuanjian's scanning beam swept over the exquisite terrarium. "The object is a 'Yunnan Ink Red' species. Vital signs: Deep dormancy."

"This is not a simple gel block. It is a 'miniature plant dormancy system'."

Xuanjian retrieved the detailed parameters of the equipment:

"This dark red rose was quickly put into this system 12 hours after it reached its peak bloom."

"The plants are fixed in 'agarose nutrient gel,' which not only provides basic water and inorganic salts but also contains plant hormones that inhibit growth."

"At the same time, the bottle was filled with an inert gas, mainly nitrogen, and a trace amount of ethylene was mixed in as a metabolic inhibitor."

"Then, by using a low temperature of 4°C, its metabolic rate is reduced to less than 0.01% of its normal level."

"Simply put, it is in a deep sleep that will last for several years."

"But it can be awakened as long as we break this dormant environment—for example, by raising the temperature, rinsing off the gel, providing light and carbon dioxide."

"Captain, Yunnan black chrysanthemum is not merely an ornamental plant. It has been used for food in China for over half a century."

On the screen, Xuanjian pulled up a precious video clip from the early 21st century—a rose field in Bajie Town, Anning City, Yunnan Province, China.

In the video, thousands of acres of crimson roses are in full bloom under the sun, and local farmers are picking the petals to make the most famous traditional delicacy – flower cakes.

According to the records of "Chinese Edible Flowers" and "Compendium of Materia Medica Supplement", this variety was introduced to Yunnan, China from France in the 1960s.

"Later, due to its thick petals and rich aroma, it was developed as an ingredient by local residents."

"Its petals are rich in anthocyanins, citronellol, vitamin C and various trace elements, and can be processed into rose jam, rose tea, rose vinegar... making it a high-value food ingredient."

"Introducing this plant into your recipes can not only greatly reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies, but also provide flavor diversity that spirulina cannot offer."

But Xuanjian's report continued to delve deeper, revealing the most astonishing layer.

"Scanning of the rootstock has confirmed that the plant is not a cut flower. Its roots contain multiple active dormant buds and a complete rhizosphere microbial community."

Conclusion: This plant is a "mother plant" with complete asexual reproduction capabilities.

"As long as you can provide a suitable tissue culture environment, you can grow your own 'rose field' on Mars."

"Xuan," he forcibly suppressed his excitement, "don't be too happy yet. From a single mother plant to a flower field, there's an entire field of bioengineering in between. Conduct a feasibility assessment immediately."

"It's already done, Captain." Xuanjian's reply was faster than expected. "Based on your existing resources, I have generated the optimal 'Rose Garden Project' for you."

On the screen, a clear timeline is constructed, alongside a detailed list of resources.