The problem with high temperatures is a natural climate issue that cannot currently be resolved by human effort. The best that can be done is to ensure that the power supply is operating smoothly in every city. Recently, a neighborhood in another province experienced a power outage in the middle of the night. It was an old neighborhood, with seven-story buildings and no elevators. After the power was finally restored the next day, two elderly residents who had died alone had already started to decompose. The community quickly checked on other households with elderly residents. Some wealthier families who were willing to invest in their own well-being had already prepared by insulating their homes. As a result, even though the power was out, the interior didn't heat up too quickly, so they were okay. In one household, when the community arrived, the person was already on the verge of death. By the time they forced the door open and took the person to the hospital, the elderly individual was nearly gone.
In just one night without power, three people died. This was just a microcosm of one community. Looking at the country as a whole, the number of people dying from the heat each day is so high that the authorities dare not report the figures. The current focus is on ensuring power supply as much as possible. However, during the day, the heat makes it impossible to go outside, and many jobs, even those that take place around the clock, are not running smoothly. Moreover, with such hot weather, every household's air conditioning cannot be turned off, causing a surge in electricity consumption. If the authorities did not prioritize power supply despite the pressure, the situation would have collapsed long ago.
But with this situation persisting, collapse is only a matter of time. To alleviate the pressure on electricity use, the city of Mu Nan started implementing phased power outages. Naturally, power could not be cut during the day; it was too hot, with temperatures nearing fifty degrees Celsius. People could barely tolerate a power outage at forty degrees; with temperatures approaching fifty, more people would likely die if power was cut. So, the community began to survey which time slots residents were willing to endure power outages. Of course, this survey could not be considered a final decision but was meant to report residents' preferences for the authorities to decide on outage schedules.
In the previous life, Mu Nan's neighborhood had power outages from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. It was expected that the same time slot would be chosen in this life. In the previous life, Mu Nan's home was sealed tightly because he hadn't prepared anything in advance. When he eventually tried to prepare for cooling off, not only were the prices high, but the items were hard to find. Fortunately, the power outages occurred in the early hours of the morning. Although it was close to dawn and it would be somewhat hot, as long as the doors and windows were tightly closed, the interior temperature wouldn't become excessively unbearable. In the previous life, Mu Nan survived the power outage with just a USB fan and a power bank.
This time, they were well-prepared. The generator was not even needed. They only had to fully charge the prepared batteries. Each battery could maintain the power consumption of one air conditioning fan for about ten hours. Combined with the insulation in the house and the residual cool air from the air conditioning, the power outage this time had almost no impact on Mu Nan.
Besides the power outage issue, the air conditioning problem was also severe. Some families might have bought new air conditioners this year, with the latest equipment, so they could withstand the high temperatures better. Installing a sunshade over the outdoor unit to avoid direct exposure to the scorching sun was somewhat helpful. However, many air conditioners that had been in use for a few years could not handle such high temperatures. It was fortunate if they just stopped working; some old air conditioners couldn't withstand the heat and exploded directly.
Those explosions and fires in low-rise buildings are easier to handle, but explosions and fires in high-rise buildings can be disastrous. When these incidents occur, if the firefighting response is not timely, entire floors or even most of a building can be burned.
Since the high temperatures began, explosions due to overheating and building fires have occurred almost daily. For instance, in Mu Nan's area, there was an explosion of an air conditioner on a mid-level floor during the hottest part of the day, which caused a fire that burned down an entire building.
Nowadays, many people install coverings outside their windows to block out the sun. Some choose fire-resistant materials for safety, while others use any fabric that blocks sunlight, which can catch fire easily from even a small spark.
As a result, when an air conditioner explodes and sparks fly, they can ignite the sunshade fabric on floors above and below.
With most people sleeping during the day due to reversed schedules, they may not immediately realize that their building is on fire despite the explosion. Only those living close to the explosion become alert and try to check. Upon seeing their window on fire, they attempt to extinguish it, but it's challenging to put out a fire that has spread throughout the building. They quickly gather their belongings and flee.
Some more responsible individuals might knock on doors of neighbors on the same floor to warn them, but it's impossible to notify every single household. Ultimately, nearly half of the residents in a building may not evacuate in time. By the time they realize there is a fire, those on lower floors might still manage to escape, but those on higher floors, cut off by the fire, cannot descend.
Those who make it outside face other challenges: the intense heat and the emotional shock of seeing their homes burning lead to several more people collapsing.
Amidst the chaos of rescuing people, battling fires, and providing first aid for heat exhaustion, the midday heat severely limits movement. The lack of an organized leader to manage the situation exacerbates the disorder. The most terrifying scenario occurs when the power cannot be cut off in time, causing more air conditioning units to explode. By the time rescue teams and community leaders arrive, the situation is often beyond control.
During that fire, Mu Nan could see the smoke and flames from his balcony. Feeling the proximity, he was worried, "Will it spread over here?"
Qin Huai patted his shoulder, advising him not to lift the curtain to look. Even with curtains and glass, the midday sun can cause sunburn. He reassured Mu Nan, "It won't reach us; there are several buildings in between. The fire won't spread here, but fires at this time of day severely impact rescue operations."
After the incident, Mu Nan remembered that such a significant event had also occurred in his previous life, although he did not recall the exact time. That fire caused many deaths, leading to a period where the community tightly enforced safety measures. Even though temperatures were high and life was tough for everyone, they cooperated fully with the community to ensure safety, learning from past tragedies.
In online groups, real-time updates of the fire were shared, with video clips of several minutes each, making many people anxious. Those trapped on higher floors, beyond the reach of fire trucks' ladders, had to wait for firefighters to rescue them. However, with the constant barrage of emergency situations, even with all available rescue personnel deployed, there was still a shortage of help.
The fire lasted an entire day and night, resulting in one firefighter's death and fifty-seven civilian casualties. Additionally, forty to fifty people were severely injured and hospitalized. Among the deceased, a large portion succumbed to heat or smoke inhalation, with few actually burned alive. Some elderly individuals with mobility issues couldn't even escape their homes.
In the past, such severe fire-related casualties would have been nationally broadcasted and might even have made international news. Now, such disasters only make local news, focusing not on the lost lives but on the dangers posed by high temperatures, air conditioning units, and outdoor coverings.
With such frequent natural and man-made disasters, people have become numb to the tragedies. Besides carefully checking outdoor coverings, hoping their air conditioners hold up, and worrying about rising prices and strained budgets, most people no longer have the energy to sympathize with others' misfortunes. After all, no one knows if they will be the next to suffer.
Discussions about the end of the world have ceased. If their current life cannot be considered apocalyptic, what could be? Months ago, during the pandemic, people still held hope and believed they would overcome the virus through collective effort.
However, facing the current natural disasters, they feel a sense of hopelessness about the future. Many pray that the extreme heat will vanish as suddenly as the previous smog did, but despite the many prayers, the heat remains.
Domestic news now rarely features international reports, as they have been censored. Only small forums occasionally share messages from friends and relatives abroad, but these are quickly deleted.
Mu Nan saw images in a group chat showing a small country that was once a coastal tourist haven now deserted, with the sea receding and exposing heaps of trash on the sand. Other images depicted cities abroad where once-drinkable water fountains were now dry. There were also reports of large-scale riots triggered by just a few boxes of water.
Similarly, when conditions abroad worsen, students studying overseas or those who initially went on vacations to polar ice caps, as well as those who have given up their citizenship but are now facing turmoil, begin to voice their desire to return home online, hoping their country will bring them back.
This time, people suffering from the extreme heat have little sympathy for those who are abroad, regardless of the reason. Online, there is almost a unanimous refusal to aid those seeking evacuation from overseas. During the pandemic, a lot of resources were used for repatriation, and no one expected such a toxic smog disaster to occur. So whether you were studying or traveling abroad, being trapped overseas wasn't seen as blameworthy.
However, now, with the heat just having intensified domestically, many feel that if you had the means to go abroad, you should now manage to come back on your own. If you can't return, they think it's your own fault.
Despite the strong online opinions, many still instinctively believe the country would intervene to rescue its citizens. Historically, the government has always acted promptly in such situations. Yet, unexpectedly, this time there has been no action. Regardless of how loud the statements from overseas Chinese communities are, domestic internet is heavily censored, and there are no visible actions or responses.
Rational people start to analyze that it's not that the government doesn't want to help, but rather that it lacks the means. Since the persistent high temperatures began, not only have domestic flights been suspended after three planes were destroyed, but maritime routes are also blocked due to a ship disaster. The sea area remains contaminated with heavy oil, and the bodies of those who died in the maritime accident have not yet been recovered. Such natural disasters cannot be resisted merely by government efforts, and taking risks in the face of known dangers is unwise.
Mu Nan feels that the government truly lacks the resources for rescue operations right now. Instead, they are stockpiling supplies, building future refuge bases, and consolidating resources while there is still order. There might be many measures he, as a common citizen, doesn't know about. As for those who went abroad for any reason after the pandemic, there's no time to deal with them now.
Such decisions concerning national policy are beyond their control. Although the situation is not far from their lives, their own daily existence is of primary importance.
Last time, Qin Huai had intended to kill a rooster, but Mu Nan's accidental food poisoning interrupted that. Although chicken soup is meant to nourish the body, it is not suitable for someone with stomach issues like Mu Nan. Chicken soup is too greasy and could potentially worsen his condition. Nonetheless, the rooster could not continue to be kept; the meat was getting tougher, and the uncastrated rooster was not growing much meat. In the heat, its fat was visibly diminishing. Thus, Qin Huai decided to slaughter it sooner rather than later.
This time, Qin Huai handled the rooster himself. He twisted its head, pulled out the feathers, made a cut to let it bleed, and then scalded the feathers with hot water. Mu Nan wasn't idle; most feathers came off easily with the hot water, but some, like those on the wings, had to be plucked with tweezers. He sat on a small stool, finishing up as Qin Huai worked on the bird.
"How about making this rooster into beer-braised chicken? Can you add a couple more chilies? We can keep it in the space and eat it in the winter."
Qin Huai, while dealing with the chicken's internal organs, replied without looking up, "Don't even think about it. Winter is no excuse to indulge in spicy food."
Mu Nan clicked his tongue in disdain; Qin Huai truly lived up to his reputation.
When Qin Huai finished with the chicken's internal organs, he noticed the silence and turned to see Mu Nan at the kitchen door, carefully plucking difficult feathers from the chicken's skin. His focused and meticulous effort resembled his childhood craft projects, and Qin Huai couldn't help but smile.
Once the chicken was finally clean, Mu Nan let out a sigh of relief and stretched his legs. "Oh, my long legs have nowhere to go."
Qin Huai, being his usual self, replied, "A person who is 1.75 meters tall has long legs?"
Height is a sensitive topic, and Mu Nan immediately retorted, "I'm clearly 1.78 meters tall! Did you eat those three centimeters?" Even with shoes, he could almost reach 1.80 meters. His height wasn't short and was quite impressive among Southerners.
Qin Huai, not bothering to argue with someone shorter than him, turned to take out the chicken gizzards from the fridge, which had thawed, to stir-fry them with the freshly prepared internal organs.
Mu Nan had always enjoyed eating organ meats, though he found outside preparations unsanitary. Cleaning organs is a meticulous task, and vendors don't have time for detailed cleaning. Therefore, Qin Huai rarely allowed him to eat them. However, knowing that Mu Nan rarely got to enjoy them, Qin Huai decided to add extra chili, despite telling him to take care of his stomach. It was a bit of a contradiction: wanting to do what's best for him while also indulging him.
At around six or seven in the evening, traditionally dinner time but now just the first meal after waking up, Mu Nan heard noise in the corridor. He went out to check, peeking through the peephole of the security door rather than opening it directly.
He saw the corridor filled with various household items. A young man was sitting on a chair with a fan, playing on his phone. As the elevator door opened, a couple was carrying out large and small bags, assisted by what seemed to be their elderly parents. The young man's grandmother told him to stay put, fan himself, and eat from the bag if he got hungry.
This seemed to be their usual way of living; the young man accepted his grandmother's instruction and continued playing on his phone.
Mu Nan took a quick look and returned inside. Even though the air conditioner was blowing cold air, standing by the door for a moment was still quite warm.
In the kitchen, Mu Nan watched as Qin Huai finished stir-frying a vibrant green spinach and plating it. His expression was mixed; he had accumulated a lot of vegetables in the space, and as some people say, adults don't pick their food because they buy what they like. Most of the vegetables he accumulated were for himself, and some for Qin Huai, but this spinach was not on his preferred list. Yet, Qin Huai managed to buy a lot of spinach despite the many expensive vegetable options available. He always made Mu Nan eat half a plate, which was a bit of a struggle.
Hearing the sigh, Qin Huai knew exactly what kind of expression Mu Nan was making without needing to look back. He chuckled, "It's just a small plate, only three or five pieces. You could gulp it down with your eyes closed in one go."
Mu Nan replied, "Your 'one go' is harder for me than swallowing medicine." Everyone has a few dishes that are hard to swallow even with eyes closed and pinched nose. Although he could manage to eat them now with some effort, especially after experiencing an apocalypse, it didn't change his dislike for them.
Qin Huai didn't argue about the food. After all, Mu Nan would end up eating it eventually. Perhaps due to the awareness of potential future food shortages, he was currently very frugal with food, but the struggle before eating was inevitable. So, he changed the topic to distract Mu Nan: "What's happening outside? I hear people moving things."
Mu Nan explained, "It seems like that family is back. They haven't been around for years. I thought they had sold the house. They're the family that used to argue and even fight every year during the New Year."
In their neighborhood, each building was divided into two sides, separated by a courtyard. Each floor had five households, ten in total, though the two sides couldn't communicate directly. Their homes faced each other across the courtyard. On the other side were three households: two were tenants, Yu Zibai and Dr. Xu, and the innermost one belonged to their parents' generation. That family moved away when Mu Nan was in elementary school, and he hadn't noticed if anyone else moved in afterward.
As soon as Qin Huai heard the description, he knew which family Mu Nan meant. They were still young at that time, and Mu Nan's father had to call the head of that household "uncle." He remembered that the family's surname was Zhang, but he didn't like them.
He was two years older than Mu Nan and had memories from when Mu Nan was three. Zhang's son had just gotten married, and it was customary in their area for a clever and cute boy to sleep on the wedding bed to ensure the newlyweds would conceive a child in the coming year. Zhang's family only had daughters, and the boys of appropriate age were too old. Mu Nan, who was charming and sweet, was chosen for this role, since they lived nearby.
At that time, Mu Nan was too young to understand, and although he was easily entertained, when it was bedtime, he wanted to be with Qin Huai, whom he was used to sleeping with. He was only about five years old, which was the right age, but the Zhang family seemed reluctant because he had no parents and was seen as unlucky. When Mu Nan cried and made a fuss, they sent him home and closed the door, not letting him see them.
At that time, Mu Nan's father was already somewhat reluctant. Their precious son was always indulged, and being forced to perform this custom made him uncomfortable. However, since he had agreed and it was for a wedding, he thought it better to endure the discomfort rather than disrupt the celebration. So he put up with it.
The next day, when Mu Nan saw his father, he clung to him, swollen-eyed and refusing to let go. While the wedding festivities continued, Mu Nan's family had to deal with his fever from crying so hard.
Mu Nan mentioned that the Zhang family argued and even fought during every New Year, which had its reasons. The Zhang family wanted a grandson, but in the first year, there were no signs of pregnancy, nor in the second. By the second year, the elders began pressing for a child, and the situation worsened with each passing year.
Zhang's grandmother used to lure Mu Nan with snacks to keep him at her home, likely a superstitious tactic. Since Mu Nan's family strictly controlled his intake of sweets, candies and chocolates were rare and thus cherished. He often suffered from toothaches from eating too many sweets at Zhang's house, leading to crying and fevers.
Initially, Mu Nan's father, trying to maintain neighborly relations, politely complained a few times. However, it didn't help, and he found himself compelled to act. When Mu Nan played in the neighborhood and Zhang's grandmother tried to coax him over, he would immediately intervene, taking Mu Nan home and preventing any chance for Zhang's family.
That's why he disliked the Zhang family, and it seemed the feeling was mutual.