Greenhouse

The Uzumaki's recovery was downright astonishing. Just one week after giving birth, Kumi Uzumaki had already recovered completely.

Looking at Kumi Uzumaki, she had gained the allure of a mature woman.

Luckily, Lu Zeming was only seven years old. Otherwise, who knew what she might have done to his peace of mind?

"Actually, you could finish your postpartum rest before coming back to work. And will Karin really be all right without you looking after her?"

"I've found a wet nurse, so she'll be fine. I finally don't have to carry around that huge belly anymore. It feels wonderful, and even my head seems much clearer. Besides, the village is short-handed. I can't hold you back."

As she spoke, Kumi Uzumaki settled behind the desk with practiced ease and began leafing through the recent account books.

The more she read, the deeper her frown grew.

"We can't go on like this. Food is already scarce. If we keep letting refugees in, our supplies will collapse in twenty days, never mind fifty."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Could we stop taking in refugees for now?"

Lu Zeming did not answer directly. He simply said, "Come with me," and headed out of the village.

When they reached the outskirts, they found the road into the village packed with refugees waiting to enter.

The sky was gray in late November. Leaves had fallen, plants had withered, and frost already formed in the mornings and evenings. Yet most of the refugees wore only thin clothes. Some were barefoot, their shoulders hunched against the cold as they gazed hopefully toward the village entrance.

Lu Zeming said nothing. He simply led Kumi Uzumaki along the line of refugees.

Before long, something happened up ahead.

A child standing in line suddenly collapsed.

His mother threw herself down beside him, cradling him and trying to comfort him.

"Hold on a little longer. Just a little longer. We'll be in the village soon. There's food there, and a place to stay. Trust me, sweetheart. We just have to hang on."

The boy's eyes were unfocused, his breathing faint. But when he saw his mother's tears, he forced himself to raise a hand and wipe them away.

"Mom, I'm okay. I'm just really sleepy. It's okay. I only want to sleep for a bit."

At those words, his mother's tears poured down.

"Don't sleep! Your father fell asleep and never woke up. Don't leave me too. You're all I have!"

The boy's eyelids grew heavier. Just as they were about to close, his mother struggled to her feet, scooped him up, and rushed out of line toward the village entrance.

They were still some distance from the village. The administrators had warned that anyone who cut in line would lose the right to enter, which was why the refugees had formed a queue that stretched beyond sight.

By leaving the line with her child, the mother risked being turned away. But he was dying. Nothing else mattered to her now.

She had clearly overestimated her strength. If her child had been starved to this point, how could she be faring much better?

Her arms trembled around him, and her thin legs felt as heavy as lead.

Tears blurred her vision, but she did not stop to wipe them away. She was fighting with everything she had for her child.

Lu Zeming sighed, stepped forward, and took out half a steamed bun, still warm from his body.

"Here. Eat."

The mother froze, then dropped to her knees with a thud, thanking him over and over.

But when she brought the bun to her child's lips, he did not even have the strength to open his mouth.

"There's food now. Come on, sweetheart, eat. Please, open your mouth. Don't scare me..."

Tears streamed down her face. Her trembling hands tried to push the bun into his mouth, but she was afraid he would choke. Panic had left her at a loss.

Lu Zeming stopped her. "Let me."

Lu Zeming placed one hand on the child's chest, using Spiritual Power to protect the child's fading life. With a point of his other hand, he sent the half bun into the air, where it mixed with water vapor into a liquid that slowly flowed into the boy's mouth.

After a while, color visibly returned to the boy's pale face.

"Thank you! Thank you, kind sir!"

The mother knelt on the ground and repeatedly kowtowed to Lu Zeming in gratitude.

Lu Zeming helped her up. "Take good care of the child," he said, then continued on.

Kumi Uzumaki seemed to understand. She lowered her head in shame and followed him.

Farther on, they encountered a married couple. The wife was gravely ill, but her husband had never given up on her and kept her safely behind him.

They also met an old man leading his grandson, and a mute woman holding a small child's hand in her left and her lame husband's in her right...

Lu Zeming stopped and looked at the line.

"As an administrator, you can look at the figures, but you can't look only at the figures. If we stop taking in refugees, many people will die."

Kumi Uzumaki stood with her head bowed, like a child who had done something wrong.

"I was wrong."

Lu Zeming turned to Kumi Uzumaki and flashed her a bright smile.

"These difficulties are temporary. If we get through them, we'll gain something we never expected."

Seeing Lu Zeming's smile, Kumi Uzumaki felt a sudden confidence that they could overcome their difficulties.

"I was shortsighted. The village workshops are short-handed, after all. I'll arrange work for the refugees as soon as they enter. I'll also set up a porridge station here. I won't let anyone starve to death on the road into the village!"

Lu Zeming nodded in satisfaction.

A mischievous gleam flashed in Kumi Uzumaki's eyes. She leaned close to Lu Zeming and asked, "You've already thought of a solution, haven't you?"

Lu Zeming thought, Oh, shit. She was too close—close enough for him to feel her breath and make out every eyelash.

Blushing, Lu Zeming took half a step back.

"Ahem. I know a way to keep plants growing normally even in winter."

"What way?"

"Greenhouse!"

With that, Lu Zeming fled back to the village, his face red.

Kumi Uzumaki could not help laughing at the sight of Lu Zeming running away in embarrassment.

"I'm old enough to be your mother. What are you so shy about?"

Back in his office, Lu Zeming drew a Greenhouse from memory, based on what he had known in his previous life.

Then he asked Kumi Uzumaki to summon the heads of every department.

Before long, the cramped office was packed. Lu Zeming spread his freshly drawn plans across the desk.

"Everyone, I called you here today because I want you to build this."

As a construction expert, Nakanuma Takuma leaned over the plans and studied them for a long time, but still could not make sense of them.

"Village chief, is this... a house? But it only has one wall and a frame. What goes over the top?"

Lu Zeming pointed to the plans. "Glass, oiled paper, or waxed cloth. In theory, any material that lets light through and holds in heat will do. Bamboo or wood forms the frame, and the north wall blocks the wind. The whole structure faces south, so sunlight can still get in. Seal it on all sides, leave just one small door, and cover it with straw mats at night to keep it warm. Then we can grow vegetables in the ground all year round!"

At the mention of growing vegetables, Matsumoto Seizo, the head of the agriculture department, sprang to life. The old man's voice rose several notches.

"Grow vegetables? You're saying this house is for growing vegetables? All year round?"

Lu Zeming nodded with a smile. "That's right. Many factors affect plant growth, but the three most important are temperature, moisture, and light. A greenhouse separates the plants from the outside environment and creates a small, warm space. Glass and oiled paper let light through, so they won't interfere with photosynthesis. Once we've solved the problems of temperature and light, will moisture be much of a problem?"

Matsumoto Seizo grew more excited as he listened, but he did not understand the part about Photosynthesis.

"Village chief, what does Photosynthesis mean?"

"Ahem, I'll explain that later. First, we need to deal with the problem at hand." Lu Zeming turned to Nakanuma Takuma. "Mr. Nakanuma, can you lead a team to build a Greenhouse like this?"

Nakanuma Takuma studied the plans, his finger unconsciously tracing the curved lines.

As a construction expert, he could see at a glance that the curve would spread the weight of accumulated snow as widely as possible. Once covered with oiled paper, the frame would form an enclosed space, and the temperature inside would naturally rise.

"We can finish the first greenhouse in two days. If you want to build them on a large scale, it'll depend on whether the materials can keep up!"