Chapter 30

In fact, many people have been stockpiling since the temperature started to rise. It is already October, and the temperature is still high. In many areas, there has been no rain for several months, which makes people who have just emerged from the epidemic alert again.

The situation in their country is relatively good. The government has tried hard to divert most people's attention to resuming work, and has even introduced a number of convenient measures for the resumption of work in various regions. The hot trend of resuming work has dispelled some people's concerns about the high temperature. Therefore, when the temperature rises, other countries are in turmoil again, but their side is relatively peaceful.

Until the excessively high temperature caused too many people to die from heatstroke, in this era of developed self-media, even if the Internet is being cleared very quickly, all the news cannot be concealed strictly. People only then realized that this might be another life-threatening crisis, so no one needed to remind them to buy as much of the most basic rice, flour, grain and oil as possible. The previous epidemic lockdown was too sudden and we had no experience. Now we have the experience of not being able to go out, and many long-lasting foods, such as some frozen products, fast food products, and canned instant noodles, are almost sold out as soon as they are put on the shelves.

Older people are rushing to buy things in supermarkets, while younger people are placing orders online. Even though the prices of many things have increased a lot, they are still being sold to the point where purchase limits are imposed.

At this time, there are still people who think that the temperature can't get any higher, and that all the crisis and doomsday information on the Internet are just alarmist, and even suspect that this is a means for the government to promote consumption. Just looking at the consumption data of each province and city in just a few days, it can be seen that they have skyrocketed, so they hold the attitude of being sober while everyone else is drunk and refuse to engage in stupid hoarding behavior.

Ever since they had to queue up to enter the supermarket, Qin Huai and Mu Nan seldom went shopping. They would continue to buy what they could find online, and forget about what they couldn't find. After dinner every night, they would take a walk around the community together, helping them digest their food while adjusting to the temperature outside. However, they were also very careful when they went out, and they basically carried a small fan and cooling spray with them, in case they got heatstroke while trying to adjust to the temperature outside. That would be a waste.

However, he didn't know if it was because of the daily running exercise and learning Sanda with Qin Huai, but he felt that his body was much better in this life. At least he could walk outside with Qin Huai for a few hours now, and at most he would sweat profusely. It was about the same time in his previous life. He would also go out to buy things, but at that time he almost fainted from the heat as soon as he went out, and it took him a long time to adapt.

Just as they were walking around the river, a group of people gathered on the opposite side of the road, and the surrounding merchants were holding basins of water and sprinkling them on the faces of the people lying on the ground. The ambulance had just arrived at this time, so Mu Nan and Qin Huai stopped and watched from a distance until the ambulance pushed the person lying on the ground into the car.

"You look like a white-collar worker who just got off work. What's the temperature reported today?"

Qin Huai took out his phone and took a look: "Forty-four degrees."

Mu Nan pouted in disdain: "I think it's at least fifty degrees. Look at the air now, the heat waves are coming in waves, and it's still late at night. In the past, during the hottest time of summer, you could only see this kind of heat waves under the sun, and the surface temperature was not low at that time."

Qin Huai smiled and said, "If it's really that high, the higher-ups probably won't dare report it. They have to suppress it a little bit, otherwise there will be more people buying things crazily and more panic."

Mu Nan opened the waist bag hanging on his waist, took out the cooling spray inside and sprayed it on Qin Huai, and asked him to fan himself with a small electric fan: "Cool down, let's go, let's go home, it's so hot that few stores are open."

On the way back, Mu Nan saw the message from the doctor Xu he had added before, and said to Qin Huai: "Brother, that doctor Xu asked us if we need to buy sunshade cloth. He said that he has a dog owner who is engaged in this. It is said that this kind of cloth is thickened to block heat and heat, and it also has some special chemical coating to block ultraviolet rays. It is a little expensive, more than 200 yuan per meter. If you want it, you can buy it with him."

This kind of heat-insulating material is in short supply now, because the sun outside is too fierce, and ordinary curtains can no longer block the sun's rays and high temperatures. Even with light-proof curtains, at the hottest time of noon, when the air conditioner is on at home, one can obviously feel that the temperature is difficult to lower. Therefore, many people have bought thick cloth that can block light, trying to cover their homes tightly during the day. Otherwise, the air conditioner becomes a decoration, and one can still sweat from the heat when it is turned on.

Qin Huai took Mu Nan's phone and looked at the pattern sent by Doctor Xu. The membrane cloth looked really thick, unlike the thin sunshade cloth that was only light-proof. It was not easy to get such cloth at this time. "You tell him yes, we will buy some too. Many people have already installed sunshades outside their windows, so we can start installing them too."

Mu Nan sent a message back to Dr. Xu, and soon Dr. Xu created a group and invited Yu Zibai in. It turned out that Dr. Xu had also asked Yu Zibai that since they lived close to each other, it would be convenient to bring them back at once if they bought the items together.

At first, Yu Zibai planned to buy this kind of sunshade cloth to put outside, but Jian Chu thought it was unnecessary to buy it because the price of these cloths was very high at that time. The kind that could block the temperature was sold for thousands of yuan per meter. He thought that at most he could buy more cloth with stronger sunshade to seal the windows. But the thin cloth that could only block the light could not block the high temperature at all. The house they rented had an old air conditioner. Because the temperature was too high, the air conditioner was not powerful enough and could not work at all. On such a hot day, it would be fatal without air conditioning.

So some time ago, Jian Chu paid for a new air conditioner, a large cabinet, and planned to put it in the living room. Then he moved the bed to the living room, and they would not live in the room anymore. They would sleep in the living room together. After all, the room was directly next to the window. Although the space was small, the insulation was poor. The living room also had a balcony, which was a little far from the direct sunlight outside. Once the balcony door was closed, a layer of light-blocking cloth was put on it, and the insulation effect was much better than that of the room. But no matter how much cloth was put on the living room window, it could not block the heat of the sun that was exposed every day. Just when Dr. Xu asked them, Yu Zibai decided to buy it. Moreover, since they lived in the living room, they only needed to block the window of the balcony, and they would not care about the room for the time being, so it would not take many meters, and it would not cost much.

Dr. Xu was very quick to respond, probably because his house was too exposed to the sun. Even though he was not at home during the day because of work, the residual heat from the sun was even hotter than a sauna. So as soon as he was sure that both families wanted the dog, he contacted the dog's parents.

Qin Huai and his friends wanted a bit more, so they bought 30 meters directly. After all, there was another house with chickens and vegetables on the other side, which also needed to be covered. Yu Zibai and his friends only planned to cover the door of a balcony, so they didn't want much, so they only bought 5 meters. Doctor Xu wanted to cover as many windows as possible in the house, so he bought a lot, 20 meters, so the two of them shared the transportation fee and didn't let Yu Zibai pay. After all, they only bought that little, and it was too disadvantageous to share the transportation fee. Qin Huai and Doctor Xu were not the kind of people who liked to take advantage of others.

Yu Zibai was embarrassed by their politeness. Seeing that they were really insistent, he simply helped out. After all, these fabrics also needed help to carry them upstairs. Even if there was an elevator, it was still a bit laborious in such hot weather. When he was carrying the membrane into the elevator, several people asked where he bought it. Now it was sold out and he couldn't find a place to buy it even if he had money.

Dr. Xu was well prepared and sent the pet owner's store business card to the person who inquired. As for the price sold to other people, that was not his business.

After finally carrying all the cloths upstairs, they were exhausted. Mu Nan had been waiting at the elevator entrance early, and as soon as he saw them, he sprayed them with cooling spray, fearing that they would get overheated.

Doctor Xu smiled and looked at him: "This is good. It is very useful for emergency treatment and fever reduction."

Mu Nan said with some regret: "I bought too little at the beginning, and when I wanted to buy again, they had sold out." This was of course impossible. Having experienced high temperatures, he bought the most cooling things of this kind. Using one bottle a day would be enough for him to consume for several years, but he still had to say that.

Doctor Xu said, "I haven't thought of this stuff before. I'll ask my classmates if they have any channels to get some. If they do, I'll tell you. If necessary, we can buy it together."

Mu Nan naturally agreed. Qin Huai still had money, so it would be a waste not to spend it.

Yu Zibai helped the two families move the fabrics in first. Qin Huai's family was more convenient, so they only needed to move them inside the security door, while Dr. Xu's family had to drag the fabrics into the house. After they were finally done, he said, "Just let me know if you need help with the installation. I'm always available at home."

Qin Huai smiled and said, "Okay, I'll call you when I need help. You've worked hard today."

The problem at Yu Zibai's house was easy to solve. The balcony in their house was not enclosed. All they had to do was stand on the balcony and nail the film to the wall of the balcony door to cover it. Qin Huai's house was all enclosed, so if they wanted to install these things outside the windows, they would need to hire workers to install them on the exterior wall upstairs in their house.

Qin Huai had already made arrangements with the two families upstairs, and they were very easy to talk to. Qin Huai also said that after finishing the decoration of their house, if there was any remaining cloth, he would divide it equally between the two families upstairs. He was in a hurry to buy more, so there would definitely be some left. It was too difficult to buy sunshades now, and they could get some sunshades just by doing a favor for others, even if it could only cover one window, they would still make a profit, so they were naturally willing to do it.

Qin Huai acted quickly and hired two workers to install it the next day. Because it was installed directly from the upper floor, he only needed to nail a few nails on the outer wall to hang the membrane cloth. He didn't even need to enter their house, which saved a lot of trouble. It took most of the night to finally cover the outer windows on both sides. There were still four or five meters of cloth left, which he left upstairs and let the two families divide it equally.

After finally blocking the windows outside, Mu Nan lay comfortably on the bed and looked at their masterpiece. Their house was actually fine. They had already pasted a heat-insulating film and installed a layer of heat-insulating curtains inside the windows. In addition, when Mu Nan replaced the windows before, he specially replaced them with very thick curtains that could block the sun. These three layers of blocking could at least block half of the outside temperature. Now, with the addition of a thick film, even if the air conditioner is not turned on, the temperature inside the house can be at least ten degrees lower than outside with such sunshade.

The air conditioner that he had bought at a high price before also demonstrated its superior performance at this time. As long as there is enough electricity, the air conditioner will have enough horsepower. However, they still set the temperature to 24 or 25 degrees. Although the low temperature of 18 or 19 degrees will make people feel comfortable in such hot weather, if the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is too large, it will not be good for people.

Even though the temperature inside the house is not set too low, there is still a big difference from the outdoor temperature. So every day before Qin Huai and Mu Nan go in and out, they will stand at the door and open it for a while to allow their bodies to adapt.

The air conditioner in Qinhuai's house was replaced a few years ago, and it's a bit old now, but there's no problem using it. Because they grow vegetables and raise chickens, they always keep the lowest temperature. But the chickens in the house were a little bit listless some time ago, maybe because the temperature was a bit too high, and they didn't eat the food very actively. But later, the film was covered outside, and they soon became energetic again. But last time, Qinhuai said that they only needed to keep one rooster, so they discussed when to kill another chicken.

I had originally planned to kill him within the next two days, but my plan was interrupted by an accident.

As the high temperatures continue, many people have begun to change their daily routines to adapt to the current environment without the need for government advocacy. Many shopping malls and stores have also changed their business hours, closing during the day and opening at night. Except for a small number of people who cannot reverse day and night due to work reasons, most people have gradually adapted to the rhythm of night activities.

When Qin Huai and Mu Nan were taking a walk in the evening, they saw more and more shops opening, and there were also many street vendors. Even an old beef brisket hotpot shop that had not been open since the epidemic opened its doors. That shop was also where Qin Huai and Mu Nan had eaten since they were young, but Qin Huai had never eaten there again after he went abroad. Mu Nan, on the other hand, would come down to buy a beef brisket hotpot when she didn't want to order takeout occasionally.

Seeing that the store was open, Mu Nan dragged Qin Huai to eat there: "Try it and see if it still tastes the same as before?"

Qin Huai took a bite and felt it carefully: "It seems a little different."

Mu Nan smiled and said, "You have a really good tongue. The boss of this restaurant has actually changed. Now it's run by the former boss's son, but the marinade and chili peppers were prepared by the former boss himself, so although the taste is a little different, it's not that different. I was thinking before that it would be great if I could ask the boss to buy some of their chili oil. I like their chili peppers."

Qin Huai said: "Then let's go down and ask them if they want to sell it."

Mu Nan shook his head: "I asked, and they said that if I like it, I can take a bowl away, after all, I am an old customer, but they are not willing to sell it. Their attitude is very firm, and they are not happy with it no matter how much money they pay. So I let it go."

Mu Nan took a sip of soup and put a piece of beef brisket into his mouth. However, after biting it for a while, he frowned slightly: "Does this beef taste a bit weird? A bit sour?"

Qin Huai took a bite of the food in his bowl and found it not sour. He then tasted the food in Mu Nan's bowl and found it was OK. He did not taste anything strange. "Forget it, don't eat it. It's so hot now. Some food is easy to spoil."

Mu Nan thought about it and decided that it would be better to be cautious: "Forget it, let's go home and eat pork chop noodles. It's the one at the entrance of the alley. Remember, we used to eat there when we were kids?"

Qin Huai naturally remembered it, but thinking that the store didn't seem to be open now, he looked at Mu Nan and asked, "Did you buy it in advance?"

Mu Nan nodded with a little pride: "That's right, I was afraid that if you come back in the future, the store will no longer exist and you won't have anything to eat, so I bought a lot in advance."

That pork chop noodle is Qin Huai's favorite. In the past, when he had to go to evening self-study in high school, he would go buy that pork chop noodle for Qin Huai and send it to Qin Huai's school. Probably because Qin Huai liked it, he also liked it. In the past life, Mu Nan couldn't help thinking about how nice it would be if he could go back to the time when he and Qin Huai ate pork chop noodle together. Of course, he couldn't go back, but he could buy Qin Huai's favorite things in advance and save them.

After leaving the store, Mu Nan took Qin Huai for a detour and walked back home, intending to go wholesale some water. There was a place downstairs that specialized in wholesale mineral water beverages. At this time, there were many people buying water in boxes, and there was nothing abnormal about them buying a little more. After all, they were stockpiling goods, and they could just accumulate them little by little for their families.

But halfway through the journey, Mu Nan suddenly covered his stomach and said to Qin Huai, "Brother, my stomach feels a little uncomfortable, and I feel a little nauseous and want to vomit."

Qin Huai's heart tightened instantly, and he quickly helped him sit down on the flower bed nearby. He sprayed him with cooling spray several times to cool him down, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cold wipe, and then applied it to the back of his neck. He asked nervously, "Besides the stomach discomfort and nausea, do you feel any other discomfort? Are you dizzy? Do you feel chest tightness? Do you have a stomachache?"

Mu Nan only felt that his heart was beating so fast. The rapid heartbeat, coupled with the suffocating heat, naturally made him feel dizzy. His stomach didn't hurt, but he felt nauseous. Before he could say anything, his stomach suddenly churned violently, and he vomited as he tilted his head. He had barely eaten two bites of the food just now, but he vomited it all up in one go.

Qin Huai half-hugged him with one hand and made a phone call with the other hand tremblingly. It took a long time to get through to the emergency number. After he finally calmly told him their geographical location, he was already covered in cold sweat.

Mu Nan vomited once, but the nausea didn't ease at all. He leaned on Qin Huai's body and felt dizzy. It must be the bowl of noodles just now. The meat was sour. He felt Qin Huai's hand shaking while holding him. He wanted to comfort him, but he was too dizzy to speak.

Qin Huai guessed that it might be a problem with the bowl of noodles, but he still kept cooling down Mu Nan. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he didn't know whether it was his heartbeat that was too fast or Mu Nan's heartbeat that was too fast.

When Mu Nan vomited for the second time, he finally heard the sound of an ambulance. This was Mu Nan's first time riding in an ambulance. Although he had heat stroke once in his previous life, the bus driver drove directly to the hospital. Unexpectedly, he would ride in an ambulance again in his second life. As soon as he got on the bus, he felt the medical staff on the bus tying a bunch of things to him. There was also the sound of instruments beeping beside him, and the medical staff were asking about Qin Huai's condition.

Qin Huai's voice was calm: "I ate some food that might not be very clean before, and I felt dizzy and nauseous. I vomited twice and my stomach was uncomfortable, but I didn't have any cramps and I have no history of drug allergies."

Although his voice sounded calm, Qin Huai's palms were covered with cold sweat as he held Mu Nan's hand.

The medical staff in the ambulance saw that Qin Huai's face was paler than the patient's. They had seen too many family members who were overly worried, so they comforted him, "It's okay. His blood pressure is a little low, and his temperature is a little high, but it's still within the normal range. As long as he doesn't have heatstroke, there will probably be no big problem."

That being said, but looking at Mu Nan lying on the emergency bed, how could he not be worried.

It was not until Mu Nan was pushed into the emergency room that Qin Huai sat down on the ground, feeling a little exhausted. There was no other place to sit except on the ground. The entire hospital was overcrowded. If it weren't for the need to leave a space for a bed or emergency bed to pass through, the aisle might be full of people.

After a long time, Mu Nan was finally pushed out. Qin Huai hurried over. The nurse next to him said, "It's not a big deal. It's food poisoning. After these bottles of water are injected, go get some medicine and you can go home to recuperate. Don't go out for a few days. It's easier to get heatstroke when you are weak. Remember to prevent high temperatures and eat a lighter diet. Here are the bills and medicines. Family members, go pay the bills and get the medicines first."

Qin Huai took the list and thanked the nurse until he pushed Mu Nan's bed to a corner of an observation room. After the nurse left, he gently stroked Mu Nan's pale face.

Mu Nan opened his eyes and looked at him. He didn't drink any water after vomiting. His voice was a little hoarse: "Brother..."

Qin Huai looked at him distressedly: "Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

Mu Nan said: "Much better, I don't feel uncomfortable anymore."

Qin Huai then said, "Then close your eyes and get some sleep. I'll go pay for the medicine and come back soon."

Hearing Mu Nan's "hmm", Qin Huai checked the syringe and bottle for him, and confirmed that he couldn't finish it all at once, so he went to pay for the medicine. However, whether it was paying or getting the medicine, there was a long queue. While he was waiting in line, a burst of crying suddenly came from the emergency room next to him. A woman in her thirties, kneeling on the ground in a mess, grabbed the doctor and begged: "Please, please don't give up, my baby is only seven years old, he was supposed to go to elementary school this year, please give him a little more rescue, no matter how much it costs, please, save him, save my child!"

Someone on the side sighed and lamented that when the child was brought in, his face was pale and it looked like he could not be saved. Such a young child should not go out, as heatstroke can be fatal.

While he was still crying and begging, a middle-aged man on the bed in the observation room suddenly started vomiting blood, and several doctors rushed forward and began to give him first aid.

Several more ambulances arrived at the gate, pushing patients to the emergency room while shouting "Make way". They quickly handed over the patients and pushed emergency beds to the gate. The ambulances left soon, probably in a hurry to save the next person.

Everyone was busy, and the whole hospital was filled with cries of pain. Some were shouting the names of unconscious patients, while others were anxiously calling for doctors and nurses to come and save their lives. Those in white coats, whether old or young, were almost running around among the patients, and they really didn't even have time to breathe.

Some people were crying worriedly at the door of the emergency room, some were sleeping tiredly against the wall in the observation room, some people simply spread a thin sheet and lay on the ground to get injections because there were no beds, and many people who suffered from heatstroke were rushed to the emergency room upstairs after simple first aid.

Patients' families are no longer allowed to use the direct elevators throughout the hospital. All elevators must ensure smooth operation to transport patients who need emergency treatment up and down the stairs.

During the ten minutes or so that Qin Huai was waiting in line to pay the fee, there were people who needed emergency treatment almost every minute. Some were pushed in, some were carried in, and some were carried in by three or two people. It was obvious that they had suffered from heatstroke. The doctors and nurses had already developed an assembly line. Those who had suffered from heatstroke were first cooled down urgently. Those who were in good condition were pushed to the infusion room, and those who were in a worse condition were sent to the emergency room upstairs. They basically would not stay in the emergency room for a long time, because the emergency room would soon be sent to the next patient who needed emergency treatment.