On September 15, the first day of the apocalypse erupted.
In the morning, Jhiang Yuan was awakened by the heat; it was only 7 A.M., and the temperature had already reached 39°C.
She quickly turned on the air conditioning, took a bath with Xiao Nuan, and changed into clean and comfortable pajamas, finally feeling some relief.
Everyone on social media was complaining that the highest temperature today would reach 45°C; poor workers still had to go to their jobs.
Jhiang Xingzhi braved the high temperatures to buy breakfast downstairs—fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, soy milk, sesame buns, steamed buns, vegetable sandwiches, and egg pancakes; it was quite a lot to carry.
If they couldn't finish it all, they'd store it in the refrigerator; it was always good to buy a bit extra.
Jhiang Yuan suddenly became curious about what Xia Chaoyang was doing at home in such high temperatures.
She opened the surveillance footage on her hand, and the family was actually quarreling; after watching for a while, she finally understood that Bai Mengmeng had added too much chili pepper to the food.
She scoffed: Just a former girlfriend, nothing more!
In the following days, life became boring; during the day, besides playing with Xiao Nuan, she read some medical books.
Though completely a layman, she still wanted to learn something.
Of course, she didn't neglect physical training; at the very least, the treadmill was in use every day.
On the seventh day of the apocalypse, the temperature had reached 48°C.
Transformers were exploding from time to time, causing power outages at home; the WeChat groups and various video platforms were filled with complaints and sighs.
Jhiang Yuan spread a cool mat in the living room, turned on both fans, and placed a bowl of ice in front of each fan, enjoying the breezy chill.
Eating watermelon and browsing videos felt truly great.
Many people began not to return home at night; instead, they set up tents by the Chan River or Ba River, enjoying beer and barbecues, and delightfully updating their social media.
Many people in the neighborhood were also sleeping on mats downstairs; the whole little square was filled, buzzing with excitement, somewhat like boiling dumplings in a bustling market.
Every night, Jhiang Yuan would go out with her parents to buy some fresh fruits and necessary daily goods.
On the tenth day of the apocalypse, the temperature even reached 50°C, and power outages had become the norm; sporadically, videos of people dying from the heat surfaced, shifting from initial shock to current indifference.
All workplaces in West City started working from home, and students began online classes, but without electricity, it all turned into a joke.
She remembered that in her previous life, it was not until October 1 that it reached 50°C; she wondered why it had arrived earlier this time—could it be because of her rebirth, so many things were different?
In the homeowners' group chat, people were joining together to buy generators; watching the number of people rise was indeed high; in just ten minutes, there were already over thirty people.
Buy them, buy them; with more people buying, she too could blatantly use her own.
Probably because of the extreme heat, everyone acted quickly, and by evening, a large number of generators had been delivered.
Jhiang Yuan also relievedly turned on the air conditioning; the cool air wafted through, destined to be a comfortably cool night.
"Oh no!"
Jhiang Yuan suddenly sat up from the bed, startling Xiao Nuan slightly; she quickly patted her until she was calm and asleep again, then went to knock on her parents' bedroom door.
"Do you think we forgot to buy oil?"
Her mom was somewhat skeptical; wasn't there a lot of oil in the attic?
"Mom, it's diesel and gasoline, for the generators."
Upon hearing this, Jhiang Xingzhi also became anxious; after all, without fuel, those big machines were just for show.
"There's a private gas station in the village on the west side of the neighborhood; let's check it out tomorrow."
"Let's go now!" Dad decided on the spot. After all, it was only 10 P.M., and there were plenty of people still awake downstairs; going out was not a problem.
Jhiang Yuan tried to dress modestly, although it wasn't far, they still drove.
This side was previously where Xia Chaoyang took me, the private gas station naturally charged less, and saving even a little was worth it. She hadn't expected she'd actually need to use it now.
When the owner heard it was for a generator, he suddenly became interested.
At a regular gas station, it was hard to buy oil to take away, and with the weather so hot, even though it would cost more, she wouldn't refuse.
Having done business for so many years, Jhiang Yuan saw right through his intentions. She didn't bargain; as long as he was selling, she would buy.
As hoped, she bought twenty barrels of diesel and twenty barrels of gasoline. They left via the underground parking, so they didn't alert anyone else.
With most other things taken care of, she started browsing novels and movies again these past days. She feared missing something and, while she still could go out, hurried to get things sorted.
Not only had working and schooling shifted to be from home, but even malls and shops had changed to operating at night.
Everyone's daily routines changed as well, making it normal to stay indoors during the day and venture out at night.
The new transformer seemed to work well—it had been three days without a power outage.
Their residential area was quite good. Some older districts weren't as lucky due to aging electrical systems that even caused fires.
While scrolling through the news, Qin Yue sighed and kept urging to call Jiang Yuan to say thanks.
With everyone at home, the internet was bustling, and several outdoor streamers came to ride the wave of popularity.
Things like cooking eggs on the road or who would venture out in such high temperatures, and so on.
You could say the topics were diverse, and indeed, the viewership was really good, but it was also really dangerous.
Still broadcasting live, the host fainted from the heat several times, followed closely by an ambulance. On waking up, his first words were actually asking his family for a bit of free love.
Really, talk about dedication!
In the evening, they would all go out.
Though there was no sun, Jhiang Yuan still applied sunscreen; the weather wouldn't last long this year, but that didn't guarantee it wouldn't repeat. They had to get used to this, and Xiao Nuan was no exception.
Because she knew well that she couldn't protect Xiao Nuan forever. If her daughter could fend for herself, she would rather lose her now than later.
The evening was much cooler, around thirty degrees, and it was lively outside. Jhiang Yuan drove to the nearest, largest shopping plaza for dinner and some shopping.
No one expected to run into Xia Chaoyang and his family there.
"Sister Yuan, what a coincidence, I didn't expect to see you here."
Jhiang Yuan looked up at Bai Mengmeng, "Really unfortunate, to bump into you even during a meal."
"Sister Yuan, don't be mad. Xia Chaoyang and I were just passing by and stopped to eat. If you don't like it, we can leave now."
Would you please leave? Both parents were quite clear about the relationship between these two.
Holding back his frustration, Jhiang Xingzhi stepped up and punched Xia Chaoyang.
True to the hand that twisted screws, he knocked him down to the ground in one hit.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Don't call me 'dad.' I can't stand it. I'm telling you, keep away from Yuanyuan and Xiao Nuan, or I'll hit you every time I see you."
"Dad, Xiao Nuan is my daughter, I have the right to see her."
"What right do you have? From the moment you got mixed up with this vixen, you've had nothing to do with Xiao Nuan. Not now, not ever."
Enraged, Qin Yue pointed at Xia Chaoyang and burst out scolding.