Power outage is bound to happen.
Not only would there be power outages, but also water shortages.
Su Nian remembered that in her previous life, power and water rationing had started in mid-September.
Throughout the day, electricity was only available for four hours during the hottest midday hours.
Water supply was limited to two hours each in the early morning and evening.
Even in their relatively upscale community, where the lines were newly replaced, there were still issues.
Countless incidents occurred in older communities where lines caught fire or transformers exploded.
There were also casualties due to fires caused by overheated weather and aging lines.
However, Su Nian chose not to mention these issues.
She believed that speaking or not speaking wouldn't change anything; solving the problem with the lines wasn't something she could do with just a few words.
She only hoped that those in authority would pay attention to the issue sooner and take proactive measures.
After the school closed, students were the happiest.
They could eat, drink, and play at home every day without any pressure.
The only downside was the daytime heat, preventing them from going out to play.
As they couldn't go out during the day, the community became lively after dark.
The laughter and screams of children echoed, audible even to Su Nian living on the 18th floor.
Su Nian didn't find it annoying; instead, she hoped such sounds would continue.
Because it meant that the apocalypse hadn't arrived yet, and although people's lives were somewhat affected, at least there was still order.
But Su Nian also knew that this situation probably wouldn't last long.
With a deep sigh, Su Nian drove to the mall.
The mall was crowded; after all, it was air-conditioned and free, why not take advantage of it?
Su Nian strolled slowly with her shopping cart. She didn't go to the staple food area but headed straight to the snacks section, sweeping her favorite snacks, nuts, and dried fruits into the cart.
These items couldn't fill one's stomach, and Su Nian buying a bit more wasn't considered hoarding others' survival resources excessively.
Only when her cart was full did Su Nian head to the checkout counter.
The freezer was placed nearby, filled with a variety of ice creams. Su Nian picked two flavors she liked and paid together.
As Su Nian pushed her cart out, she overheard a middle-aged woman commenting on her.
"These young girls nowadays, as thin as a stick, don't eat properly and just snack all day! How can their bodies bear it in the long run?"
Hearing this, Su Nian just smiled.
She wouldn't bother telling the woman that despite her thin arms, her strength was not to be underestimated.
Days passed, and the weather got hotter.
Nowadays, every household had large windows that provided no insulation at all.
During the day, it was scorching hot, making it difficult to sleep.
Soon, people started installing heat-insulating curtains outside their windows.
Su Nian had long prepared her heat-insulating curtains but didn't want to stick out.
After seeing several houses in the community installing them, Su Nian also installed hers.
At the same time, she also installed solar panels.
If she remembered correctly, power rationing would start in a few days.
Installing the solar panels in advance would prevent any surprises.
Although Su Ning was adapting to the outside temperature every day, she never thought of subjecting herself to the heat all day long.
That would be inviting trouble.
She bought so many supplies to ensure a better life in the apocalypse, not to suffer with the resources in hand.
A few days after Su Nian installed the solar panels, their community experienced a power outage.
Before this, neighboring communities had already experienced blackouts.
Su Nian even saw someone in the community chat expressing their gratitude for it.
Just two days later, it was their community's turn.
The power went out at noon when the outside temperature had already reached 60 degrees Celsius.
Even with thick heat-insulating curtains, the house felt like a steamer after just over ten minutes of power outage.
Su Nian connected the solar panels, ran an extension cord to the bedroom, and took out a portable air cooler from storage.
The air cooler had a compartment for ice cubes at the back. After putting in some ice cubes and plugging it in, it blew out a refreshing breeze.
One air cooler couldn't cool much, so Su Nian took out two more and placed them in different directions to blow onto the bed.
Sitting on the bed with a cool mat underneath, Su Nian felt much cooler.
Beside the bed was a movable table with an iPad playing TV shows.
Su Nian took out half a chilled watermelon and ate it spoon by spoon.
The watermelon was picked from a farm, fresh and sweet.
Su Nian had thousands of such watermelons in her storage.
Taking another spoonful of watermelon, Su Nian squinted happily.
In her previous life, her apartment was as hot as a steamer at this time.
Even wearing minimal clothing and lying on a cool mat while constantly fanning herself, she still felt dizzyingly hot.
Compared to her previous life, this was simply heavenly.
Su Nian had bought many iPads, each filled with various variety shows, TV dramas, novels, music, and movies.
In addition, several iPads were filled with single-player games to pass the time.
She had also bought many physical books, including biographies, novels, and various professional knowledge books.
Su Nian didn't care if she could read them all; she bought them first and would figure it out later.
After eating for a while, Su Nian opened the community group chat again.
The messages in the group were exploding, almost every one of them mentioning the heat.
Reading these messages, Su Nian remained silent.
She had limited abilities and couldn't help others. All she could do was try her best to survive.
The power outage lasted until 8 p.m., coinciding with the announcement of scheduled power supply.
Many people complained, but it was futile.
Those who were resourceful had already begun finding ways to contact others to buy generators or solar panels.
After the scheduled power supply, those who could have worked from home could no longer do so.
Without work, there was naturally no income.
Those with savings could rely on them for a while, but there were still some who lived paycheck to paycheck, now finding themselves in a tight spot.
With no income but increased expenses due to the rising prices of goods amid the worsening weather and escalating doomsday rumors, life became harder.
Previously, Su Nian could buy a cart of snacks at the supermarket for just over a thousand yuan.
Now it cost her over two thousand yuan.
And that was just for snacks. The prices of staple foods, groceries, fruits and vegetables, ice cream, and cold drinks had all doubled or tripled.