On the other side.
The convoy that Wandering Spacetime has returned via the Spacetime Tunnel, and Tan Mingda and the old woman's attitudes have noticeably changed. Xxs-②
The fact of the Spacetime Tunnel is right in front of them; they have no choice but to believe it.
Therefore, after the convoy returned, Tan Mingda made a decisive decision without hesitation and took the initiative to invite Zhang Tianyuan back to the administration building for a detailed discussion.
Zhang Tianyuan naturally accepted the invitation and went.
Tan Mingda abandoned the special car he had come in and instead rode in Zhang Tianyuan's command vehicle, which led the way back.
As we drove through the city, it was gradually getting dark.
Tan Mingda took the initiative to explain to Zhang Tianyuan the current operating mechanism in their country.
"From 15 years ago until now, we have been using a rationing system, where each person receives a fixed amount of supplies. The free market accounts for a very small percentage, and in fact, not many goods have been produced to date..."
Zhang Tianyuan listened carefully, comparing the situation with what he had just seen in the agricultural building.
According to Tan Mingda, most of the population in this timeline was rescued during the apocalypse.
In particular, important institutions, which were the focus of the rescue efforts, suffered minimal losses, even personnel in aerospace, military, and other scientific and technological sectors.
However, it turned out that these rescued talents were of little use in such a special time as the apocalypse.
After all, other countries have already given up on themselves.
The possibility of a military competition and conflict is zero.
Various radars and other military equipment were even shut down and ceased operation.
This is why Zhang Tianyuan's reconnaissance plane was able to fly safely in the sky a month ago.
Otherwise, given the normal level of development fifteen years ago, they would probably have been discovered as soon as they appeared.
Given this major historical trend, Tan Mingda and his team had no choice but to vigorously develop biochemical technology, especially its agricultural applications.
However, growing plants inside a building is no easy task.
Despite several updates and iterations of various agricultural technologies, resulting in increased yields and reduced cultivation difficulty, the produced grain is still insufficient.
After all, given the environment inside the building, space is a natural and insurmountable constraint.
Even if all space is utilized to the fullest extent, it is impossible for a building alone to produce sufficient output.
Enough food to feed over a billion people.
So over the past fifteen years, they have been able to continuously increase the number of agricultural buildings and the staff within them, using nanny-like services to preserve every ear of rice and every vegetable as much as possible.
Those people Zhang Tianyuan had seen during the day, tending to vegetables in the agricultural building, were probably renowned scholars or military experts a decade or so ago.
But in this special time, all these people have no choice but to enter the agricultural building and work to provide food for the entire nation.
It was heartbreaking, but also unavoidable.
In addition to these, Tan Mingda has been continuously improving the distribution system over the past ten years.
"What we are entitled to, we will receive; what we are not entitled to, we will not receive. Fairness is the defining characteristic of our time."
Upon arriving at the administration building, Tan Mingda said this with a mix of pride and emotion.
"That's why, although we haven't been wealthy over the past ten years or so, and many of us haven't even had enough to eat, I dare say that we haven't experienced a famine or anyone has starved to death!"
"I'd rather everyone go hungry than let anyone starve to death. That's the thing I'm most proud of in my life..."
The car slowly came to a stop on the road.
Zhang Tianyuan helped the emaciated Tan Mingda out of the car. The sun had completely set, the earth was pitch black, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.
By this time, the surrounding buildings had dimly lit up, and people dressed in simple, thick clothes were walking out in a line, some going to work, some going to school.
The streetlights flickered on, and the street suddenly came alive. Although it was night, it felt vibrant and energetic, as if the sun had just risen.
Amid the surging crowd, many people noticed Zhang Tianyuan and Tan Mingda's convoy, but most simply gave it a silent salute and left, at most glancing a couple more times at the heavy command vehicle that seemed to Wandering Spacetime.
Watching the long sea of people walk through the streets, Zhang Tianyuan found it hard to imagine how those buildings could possibly provide food for over a billion people.
Sometimes, governing a country is so difficult that just figuring out where the food will come from is enough to drive most people to despair.
Even in the face of the apocalypse, it can still ensure the survival of over a billion people.
Zhang Tianyuan
I deeply felt the tenacity in the bones of Elder Tan, who was standing next to me; he had already achieved the best that could be done in this era.
The two entered the office, followed by an old woman.
A quick glance around revealed an elderly man in a wheelchair, wearing glasses, intently reading a report.
Tan Mingda took the initiative to introduce, "This is Old Liang, Liang Zhengping, our old partner."
"Hello, Mr. Liang." Zhang Tianyuan greeted him proactively.
"This is... President Zhang?" Old Liang put down the report, and before the old woman could go over and push him, he pushed his wheelchair out himself and quickly came to the front of the group.
"It seems your meeting went very smoothly?" Old Liang chuckled and took the initiative to shake hands with Zhang Tianyuan.
" Old Liang, since you guessed it, you'd better treat my distinguished guest well!" Xxs-2
Tan Mingda laughed and, while Old Liang was keeping Zhang Tianyuan occupied with conversation, he found a few chairs in the messy office, arranged them in a circle, and had everyone sit down.
" President Zhang, please forgive us. The conditions here are simple, and usually only the three of us stay here."
The old woman took a thermos from the corner and poured a cup of hot water for everyone. Then, somewhat apologetically, she said, "We don't have any tea or drinks; we only have plain water. But we do have a small piece of brown sugar..."
This was the first time Zhang Tianyuan had ever seen an office so simply furnished.
Even Sun Deyi, who Wandering Spacetime, and Tong Wenshi, who once stayed on the grassland watching the sheep bark, were not "miserable" to this extent.
He quickly declined the old woman's offer to put a piece of brown sugar in his cup.
Then he took the initiative to talk about his plans.
"I now have a basic understanding of the specifics of this spacetime."
"Food is your biggest shortage right now..."
Zhang Tianyuan had roughly figured out Tan Mingda and his team's thinking.
No matter how big the world is, eating is the most important thing.
Therefore, what they lack most is definitely a variety of edible foods.
Tan Mingda and the other two nodded decisively in agreement.
Even though Old Liang, who was in a wheelchair, wasn't fully aware of the situation.
After considering for a moment, Zhang Tianyuan tentatively asked, " The Mutual Aid Society also has a Parallel Spacetime Economic and Trade Organization under its umbrella. What competitive industries do you still have?"