Life went on like this, with 50 buildings receiving about 10 liters of water every day. 

Jiang Ning specifically tested it with a pH strip and found the pH to be normal. 

The water had a slight taste, likely because it was groundwater drawn and filtered by the authorities before being distributed to residents. 

This time it’s Zhang Chao and Lu Yu’s turn to fetch the water. They chatted a bit while delivering it to the door. 

The water was delivered by water trucks and distributed from the municipal square, with quite a few people collecting it daily. 

The community distributed the water based on household units, and since both households had men who could carry the water, they naturally received more per person than others. 

After the two left, Jiang Ning discovered that the amount of water allotted to their household had doubled. 

It was impossible for them to have received extra by mistake; it was likely that the two men thought their family of three plus a dog would consume more, so they secretly allocated an extra share. 

The weather alternated between sunny and rainy. Having learned from the previous two lessons, many survivors became cautious and did not dare to go out without official notification. 

Even if they had to go out, they either covered their heads with plastic or wooden boards or made a makeshift umbrella. 

When the weather cleared up a bit, the community received a notice that relevant departments would come to disinfect and asked all households to close their doors and windows tightly. 

What was called disinfection was actually degradation. 

After eight years of research, the Yuecheng Agricultural Research Institute finally developed a quick and effective method to reduce soil acidification, and the formula was shared with officials in various cities to help reduce acid rain pollution in the soil. 

Land is the foundation of survival, so cities did not dare to slack off and immediately organized manpower to implement the method. 

The gray-white granules, which look similar to compound fertilizers, are spread on the land by hand. 

These granules reacted with the acid in the soil, emitting a pungent and unpleasant odor that made people nauseous after prolonged exposure. 

In the middle of the night, a sudden storm hit, with rain pattering against the walls. 

Jiang Ning turn on her flashlight and observed the changes in the outer walls. 

Fortunately, there had been no wind in the past few days; otherwise, the outer walls would not have withstood the repeated erosion. 

Building 50 was fine, but that didn’t mean other buildings were. Someone in the community got burned. 

Sleeping groggily in the middle of the night, something suddenly dripped onto their face, waking them up in excruciating pain. 

After the repeated washing by acid rain, the cement slab on their roof had been corroded through. 

The person’s face got burned in several places. Which caused them to howl in pain. 

They quickly washed it with water and moved from the second floor to the first floor overnight and temporarily squeezed in with another family. 

The corrosion of the roofs didn’t just happen to one house but happened one after another. 

The acid rain dripped onto the second floor and, without being promptly drained outside, it continued to corrode the floor. 

Living in constant anxiety, some people with weak hearts simply moved to the basement early. 

Due to the lack of materials for decoration, the basement was barely covered with wooden boards to block the surrounding mud. It was dark and damp, with no light available. 

They endured it and were barely surviving. 

At first, the first floor could still accommodate people, but as the ceiling got corroded through again, the basement became densely packed, with hardly any room to stretch their legs. 

If someone farted, the smell would be quite wonderful. 

The issues were not limited to them; Building 50 had problems too. 

After several months of acid rain and repeated wind attacks, the glass greenhouse on the roof was in a fragile condition. 

The glass itself was fine, but the connecting parts and supports couldn’t hold up anymore. 

This was a major project and not something that could be fixed with a couple of screws. 

Jiang Ning frowned, then took out the glass from the space and layered it on the roof in a staggered manner, stacking three layers. 

Acid rain would penetrate, but with three layers of glass protecting the cement slab, it should last for about half a year. 

The next day after laying the glass, they were sleeping soundly at night when suddenly they heard the sound of heavy objects breaking and falling. 

Due to the connecting parts breaking, the glass greenhouse completely collapsed, with glass pieces falling from the roof. 

Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen quickly got up and rushed to check the backyard. 

Fortunately, the structure of the backyard greenhouse was different from the one on the second floor; the connected parts were not exposed, so it was still very safe. 

While the greenhouse was fine, two rabbits died from fright. 

A few days later, Qin Chuan’s greenhouse also collapsed. 

Luckily, he was quick enough to move the vegetables planted on the rooftop to the backyard in time. 

Greenhouses in the community collapsed one after another. 

The last two buildings, which had glass installed beforehand, were fine. However, those that followed suit spent a huge amount of money on glass installation, only to have them all shattered into shards. Those with low psychological tolerance cried on the spot. 

“What’s the point of living? It’s too hard, really too hard.” 

However, some naturally optimistic people said, “Why cry? It protected us for several months, so think of it as money well spent. Those without greenhouses lasted several months too, and our houses can continue to hold on!” 

In the morning, Jiang Ning went upstairs to check the rooftop first thing. 

While having breakfast, Jiang Ning asked, “Should we dig a basement?” 

Huo Yishen thought for a moment, “The acid rain should end soon, so there’s no point in digging. If it worsens, we can stay in the car.” 

Jiang Ning had no objections, knowing that their vehicle could withstand even TNT blasts. They could just cover the car with acid-resistant fabric if necessary. 

As the acid rain continued, Jiang Ning tested it with pH strips every few days. 

The acidity was gradually decreasing, and the corrosiveness wasn’t as severe as it initially was. 

Out of curiosity, she dug up some soil from outside. 

After several rounds of official degradation treatment, the soil’s acid pollution was indeed reducing. 

One day, when the acid rain stops, the soil might revive with about a year of effort. 

However, Jiang Ning wasn’t happy; she felt her heart growing heavier. 

In Huo Yishen’s memory, there was a period of calm after the acid rain, followed by a sudden tectonic plate collision… 

This calm was the calm before the storm. 

What came next, Huo Yishen didn’t know. 

Jiang Ning felt uneasy. If all disasters were happening earlier, would the tectonic plate collision also erupt sooner? 

Worrying was useless. They had prepared everything they could over the past few years, and survival would depend on their fate. 

The weather was sunny for a few days, then it started drizzling again, but the acidity kept decreasing. 

To prevent survivors from becoming too depressed, the authorities promptly announced the good news, which indeed lifted many spirits. 

People felt they could make it through. 

Over the next two months, there were several more rainfalls, but they were brief, followed by half a month of sunshine with long-awaited blue skies and white clouds. 

After a few more rains with normal pH levels, the authorities officially declared the end of the acid rain. 

Many emaciated people emerged from their basements, basking in the sunlight, either crying or laughing… 

The land, washed by acid rain, was barren, but the authorities continued the degradation projects, hoping to revive the homeland soon. 

Many survivors took out the soil they had stored before and started planting crops again, placing broken boxes on the rooftops to receive sunlight. 

The surface water was polluted, and the wells in the community could not be used. With the acid rain having ended, Rong Sanshao disbanded the water-collecting team, and each family would take care of their own business in the future. 

To maintain appearances, Huo Yishen drove out to fetch water every few days.