Jing Shu proposed, her voice steady in the workshop air, "I want to add a natural gas system. We will mount compressed natural gas tanks on the exterior side rack, then pipe the gas into the RV so we can cook directly with it, the flames blue and steady under the pots."
"Approved," Chu Zhuohua said, his nod quick.
The RV's bathroom already used a dry-wet split. The shower and the toilet were separate, tiles gleaming under the lights. It had an automatic thermostatic mixer, a 40-liter water heater, and an extra-large 950-liter clean-water tank, the plastic solid and full. Inside were a sink, a ceramic electric suction toilet, and an electric sewage valve, the mechanisms humming softly when tested.
"I want to add an ultrafiltration system," Jing Shu continued, tracing the plans with her finger. "And I want a small instant hot-water unit next to the thermostatic mixer. Run its lines under both double beds so the rooms stay warm, the heat radiating up through the mattresses. Bath water and the beds share the system. I want hot water available twenty-four seven."
When the RV was truly needed, it would be during migration. By then, because Earth had gone so long without sunlight, temperatures would have dropped to the extreme, the air biting even inside.
Even with dual air-conditioning, Jing Shu still wanted this upgrade to keep the RV warm inside, the warmth steady against the cold outside.
Chu Zhuohua's eyes finally narrowed, the corners crinkling. "You're thinking too far ahead."
Ahem.
"Everyone in my family has cold legs and hates the cold," Jing Shu said, her tone light.
With no sun, Earth would only get colder, even if it had started with freakish heat. It was the apocalypse. Even scientists did not know how long humans could endure an ever-freezing world without sunlight.
The first-deck refit ended there. They climbed the stairs to the second-deck terrace, the metal steps ringing under their feet. The staircase itself was an Armadillo five-step automatic aluminum ladder, folding smooth with a button press.
The front of the second deck was open air, the wind brushing across, and the rear section held solar panels, their surfaces dark and expansive.
The terrace used a hydraulic pop-up roof, the mechanism whirring as it lifted. Once raised, it became an open flybridge lounge like on a yacht, with a powered lift table in the center, the surface rising steady. Seating a dozen people would be no problem, the benches wide and cushioned.
"I've got a batch of light gauge steel," Jing Shu said, gesturing to the stacks nearby. "I want to turn the second-deck terrace into an enclosed lift-up room and add a space capsule. I'm already working on the capsule."
No one knew why Wu You'ai's tastes were unlike anyone else's. She loved sleeping in a space capsule, saying the enclosed, narrow space felt safe, the pod curving close around. Lately, she had been shopping for capsule gadgets for her own nook, the small lights and shelves fitting just right.
Chu Zhuohua wagged an index finger, the motion playful. "What a coincidence. I happen to have a retired space capsule. It has far-infrared functions too, so you can sweat-steam now and then, the heat building gentle inside."
Jing Shu: "…"
"Do you want the second deck purely for living, or other functions as well?" Chu Zhuohua asked, leaning over the railing.
"Multi-purpose," Jing Shu said. "If we have to flee later, we need to bring the chickens and ducks. Also, expand me a glasshouse up there, with lots of LED light strips, the glow bright and even."
Studying the plans and the RV, the papers rustling in his hands, Chu Zhuohua said, "I suggest removing these solar panels. With no sunlight, they are dead weight, the frames heavy on the roof. Forget the pop-up. I will convert the rear half into a sealed poultry area and the front half into a living space. That makes the RV truly double-decker," he added, pointing to the lines. "It might affect driving feel, the height shifting the balance, but while this isn't the most expensive model, its load capacity is definitely among the strongest."
Jing Shu nodded, her head tilting as she visualized it. "That works. I still want room on the roof to place the UBC bacterial solar system when I bring it over. As for resource allocation in the coach, here's my plan: electricity from the UBC bacterial solar, cooking and hot water on natural gas, and the drivetrain gets an extra battery pack for ordinary travel, turning it into a gas-electric hybrid. I know that will affect power. It's fine. Fuel is hard to find right now."
"This rig is huge. A regular battery won't cut it, and even a good one will be underpowered," Chu Zhuohua said, tapping the chassis. "You'll need several packs. Many materials are scarce now, hard to source."
When Jing Shu mentioned that Chen Nan had a conversion shop that stocked materials by the bundle, the crates piled high, Chu Zhuohua's eyes lit up, sharp and eager. "Jing Shu, do those shop materials look like the parts for my next conversion project?"
"They do. They really do," Jing Shu said, matching his grin.
His payment terms were simple: for his next vehicle, Jing Shu would supply the conversion materials. Technical talent deserved good treatment anyway. Besides, surely Chu Zhuohua would not build something as massive as this RV for himself. The fee was reasonable.
But she always underestimated minds that lived in a different dimension. She never imagined what kind of vehicle he had in mind.
Never probe a biologist's thought process. That was the lesson she learned.
With his enthusiasm rekindled, Chu Zhuohua repaired the family's energy car that very day, tools clinking in the garage. Tomorrow he planned to drive everything to the conversion shop. Although the Jing family found it odd that a biology professor could fix cars, the engine purring smooth afterward, they still treated him to a meal, the table set warm.
He was more courteous than expected. He did not dissect Jing Shu's horned frog, and he did not examine Xiao Dou's backside. He chewed elegantly and said, the food steaming on his plate, "According to biological principles, chewing twenty-eight times before swallowing aids digestion and increases satiety, which helps with weight control and maintaining a perfect figure."
"Knowledge is power," Grandpa Jing said, giving a thumbs-up, his hand raised firm.
Even so, Chu Zhuohua's gaze drifted toward Grandpa Jing's mouth, obviously itching to investigate, his eyes lingering on the teeth. Wu You'ai stomped hard on Chu Zhuohua's foot under the table, the impact solid. He winced, his face tightening.
"Mentor, here, have some milk," Wu You'ai said, sliding the glass over.
"N-no, I'm fine."
"Young man, drink a cup," Grandpa Jing urged, pushing it closer. "Milk is rare nowadays." The family already planned to rely on him for the RV refit. He was also Wu You'ai's mentor and had treated Wu You'ai well.
Stiff as a board, Chu Zhuohua finally sipped it, the liquid cool on his lips. Within moments, his face turned purple, the color rising fast. "I just remembered I left clothes simmering in a pot at home. I… I have to go."
He fled clutching his mouth, chair scraping back. A while later, the hum of an engine faded into the distance.
The family stared at one another, chopsticks paused mid-air. "Did your mentor say he has clothes simmering in a pot?"
"What my mentor meant," Wu You'ai said, "is that there's something simmering in the pot, and his clothes are still outside and need to be brought in. So he left."
Jing Shu leaned closer and whispered to Wu You'ai, her breath warm, "Your mentor seems like he can't drink milk."
"He's lactose intolerant," Wu You'ai said.
"…Then why did you give him milk?"
"I thought he wanted to try a new challenge."
…
Jing Shu felt cursed, as if bound by a spell that demanded she be woken at four every morning, the darkness still thick outside. It was wrong. Otherwise why was it so punctual every day? Was this the wheel of fate?
Today's wake-up call was to have her go to the government to answer a question about clearing red nematodes.
Yawning, her mouth wide in the cold air, Zhou Bapi drove Jing Shu through the night to the government offices, the headlights cutting the dark. She truly had no idea what had happened until a staffer explained.
It was Xiao Xiao from the Medicinal Herb Association, suspected of falsely claiming a bounty reward. But what did that have to do with her—wait.