It had been over a month since the volcanic eruption. The larger ash particles had settled to the ground, and the air was visibly clearer.

Additionally, the outdoor temperature wasn’t as scorching as it had been during the peak heatwave, so people gradually started venturing outside again.

However, the air pollution problem wasn’t completely solved. Smaller volcanic ash particles still floated in the air.

Much like the PM2.5 particles that had caused so much discussion in previous years, these fine ash particles could remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long time, making them difficult to completely clear away.

It’s a well-known fact that the smaller the particle, the deeper it can penetrate the respiratory tract. Particles smaller than two micrometers can travel 100% of the way into the bronchioles and alveoli.

An expert on television spoke with a grave expression, "These volcanic ash particles are hard and insoluble in water. If they get into your eyes or are inhaled into your lungs, they can damage your corneas and lung tissue. Please take protective measures."

"Furthermore, when inhaled, this ash attacks the respiratory system and can trigger asthma, heart disease, lung conditions, and other respiratory illnesses. The danger is especially great for the elderly, children, and other sensitive individuals with heart conditions."

With the increase in outdoor activity, more and more people were developing respiratory infections from inhaling volcanic ash.

Many also developed symptoms of high, persistent fevers, leading to massive shortages of anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications.

Scalpers seized the opportunity to buy and resell medicine, jacking up the price of a single box of fever reducers to over ten thousand yuan.

’Thank goodness I stocked up on medicine before,’ Melody thought. ’Otherwise, it’d be impossible to buy any now.’

The expert on TV also urged people to avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary.

Although Melody’s family had installed an air purifier, it didn’t completely eliminate the ash problem.

Her grandmother had been coughing constantly lately, and the whole family was worried.

Even Melody herself felt a tickle in her throat from time to time.

After lunch, Melody returned to the Arcadian Space. The medicinal herbs she had planted in the fields had all been harvested and processed. She rummaged through the warehouse and found some vacuum-sealed red dates and lotus seeds she had stored earlier, preparing to make loquat paste.

Melody took an electronic scale from the kitchen and measured out two liang each of ophiopogon root, scrophularia root, fritillary bulb, and rehmannia root, and one liang of asparagus root.

She finely chopped the washed loquat leaves, removed the cores from the ophiopogon and asparagus roots, and placed all the prepared ingredients into the processing workshop’s brewing equipment.

She added water from the Arcadian Stream and let it simmer for an hour. The once-clear stream water turned a deep black.

Melody used cheesecloth to filter out the dregs, then poured the strained liquid back into the pot to simmer over low heat until it became thick and dense, clinging to a spoon without dripping.

After the liquid cooled, Melody added honey from the Arcadian Woods. Once she stirred it evenly, the loquat paste was ready.

Melody took a spoonful of the paste, letting it dissolve in her mouth before slowly swallowing. Soon, the discomfort in her throat began to fade.

Not only that, but the tightness in her chest, caused by her irregular sleep schedule in the perpetual darkness, also vanished. She now felt refreshed in both body and mind, and even her mood had improved significantly.

Melody filled jars with the finished loquat paste. She happily left the space and ran downstairs, bringing a jar to her grandmother, who was watching TV.

Melody said to her grandmother with a smile, "Grandma, this is some loquat paste I bought a while ago. It’s been in the storage room. I just tried some, and it seems to work really well. You’ve been coughing so much these past few days, you should try a little!"

Her grandmother’s throat was so sore she didn’t feel like eating anything, but seeing the expectant look in Melody’s eyes, she took a spoonful.

Unexpectedly, the moment the paste entered her mouth, she felt a wave of relief in her throat. Before long, the raw, painful feeling had subsided considerably.

Her grandmother quickly took another spoonful, and even the tightness in her chest eased significantly.

She picked up the jar in surprise and examined it. "What brand of loquat paste is this? It’s amazing! My chest feels so much better, and my throat doesn’t hurt as much."

But there was no label on the jar; it was just a plain, transparent glass bottle.

Melody explained vaguely, "I threw away the outer packaging to save space. There’s a lot more in the basement storage room. I’ll go get it all for you later!"

Her grandmother nodded repeatedly. "Okay! This stuff really works. Our whole family should take some. It doesn’t matter if we’re sick or not, we should take it as a preventative."

With that, her grandmother took the jar upstairs to find Miss Lowell and Grace Sutton, wanting them to try it too.

Melody planned to go back to the space and make more loquat paste to stock up on, but just as she returned to her room, she received a push notification on her phone.

The headline read: BREAKING! Six More Suicides by Jumping Downtown This Morning! All Six Pronounced Dead After Failed Rescue Attempts.

Melody frowned and clicked on the news. It was late May. Ever since the beginning of the month, there had been reports of suicides almost daily. To think that six people had jumped in just half a day...

It had been nearly two months since the eruption. The sun had been completely blotted out the entire time. This was Melody’s second time personally experiencing such a long, dark period, and it still felt incredibly difficult to endure.

Humans are, after all, diurnal creatures, active in the bright light of day. For thousands of years, we have worked at sunrise and rested at sunset. Living in a dark environment for so long, with a lack of sunlight and a resulting vitamin D deficiency, could easily trigger depression.

On top of that, it was a time of food shortages. Many people couldn’t afford food and could only survive on sand vine cakes.

With neither their bodies nor their minds fulfilled, more and more people were losing their sense of purpose. They couldn’t see any hope for the future. Their worldviews collapsed, and they chose to end their own lives.

Melody sighed, feeling helpless. In her past life, she wouldn’t have dared to read such news. Humans are empathetic by nature. Reading too much of this kind of news could easily infect you with a sense of despair.

Melody put her phone away and entered the space, deciding to distract herself by making more loquat paste.

*

That evening, Winnie and Colin Summers returned home. Their grandmother hurried to give them each a cup of a drink made with the loquat paste. "You two are always running around outside. Quick, drink some of this. It’s good for your respiratory system and your lungs!"

Winnie and Colin took the cups and drank them down, immediately feeling the pain in their throats lessen.

At the dinner table, Colin mentioned that in addition to sand vine cakes, everyone could now receive a weekly ration of sugar. The sugar was meant to lift people’s spirits and provide energy, hopefully reducing the number of suicides.

After dinner, Melody idly scrolled through her group chat:

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: Sugar really is a good thing. My two kids stopped crying and fussing after they had some."

"6-702 The Lover: Really? Too bad I’ve been cutting out sugar for years. I don’t eat it."

"2-1908 Coco: Cutting out sugar? What does that mean, you just don’t eat it?"

"6-702 The Lover: Yep. I think sugar is like a sweet poison; the harm to your body outweighs the benefits. And it doesn’t actually affect your mood that much, it mostly just gives you some calories."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: Calories are good, too. I’ve been feeling a bit cold these last few days... The temperature has dropped like a rock!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"6-702 The Lover: Speaking of which, does anyone have extra water? I can trade my sugar ration for it. I haven’t showered in a month."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: @6-702 The Lover I have some extra water. I can trade you a barrel. DM me."

"4-2009 Nina: Does anyone have cough medicine? I can trade water and sugar for it! I just went out for a little while yesterday, and I came back and started coughing nonstop. It feels like my lungs are stuffed with paper, and I can’t sleep at night."

"6-501 Suzy: Everyone should try to stay indoors. There are so many people with fevers and infections lately, and you can’t buy medicine anymore."

"..."

Melody finished reading through the group chat messages, then returned to the Arcadian Space to continue making loquat paste.

She decided to mass-produce the loquat paste and list it in her Arcadia Store.

She had a yacht to maintain and needed to earn money to buy fuel. You could still buy fuel on online shopping platforms, but the prices had soared to unbelievable levels. Her only choice was to save up as much money as possible.

Making the loquat paste was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it also contained a generous amount of honey. Melody set the price directly at 150,000 yuan per jar. In the product description, she added a note: buy five jars of loquat paste and get two free boxes of delicious loquats!