Chapter 85: Shortage of Generators

Solar generators are especially important in situations where there is a lack of electricity supply.

Chen Guangli stared at Xia Xiaoman for a long time and said, "Sister, you are really bold. You even want to get a solar generator."

"Is the generator difficult to operate?" Xia Xiaoman asked.

"It's more than difficult. Almost all the generators in Floating City have been confiscated. If you are caught reselling generators, you will be sent to labor camp at any time."

Chen Guangli looked around and saw that no one was around. He lowered his voice and said, "I heard that someone hid a diesel generator during the flood. As soon as the generator was transported out, he was arrested by the higher-ups and is still doing forced labor in there."

"What about the generator he hid? Did you find it?"

Chen Guangli shook his head, "No, probably moved away by his accomplices."

Xia Xiaoman's heart tightened, could it be the generator that Xiao Zheyu brought back?

"If you really need a generator, you can ask on the black market. You might be able to find one."

"Where is the black market?" Xia Xiaoman asked.

"Over there at Jianing Plaza. If you want to go there, it's better to bring two more people with you, as it's a bit chaotic over there." Chen Guangli kindly reminded.

Xia Xiaoman thanked her and asked some more questions about the black market before she hurried home before the scorching sun.

…

As soon as I opened the door, Su Ran's excited voice rang out, "Sister Xiaoman, you're back. Why did you go out so early in the morning? Did you go to apply for a job?"

"No, I'm out doing other things." Xia Xiaoman changed the subject and asked, "Are you and Zhou Qiuyang going to apply for jobs?"

Su Ran nodded, "Well, when the sun goes down tonight, Brother Yang, Uncle Wen, Sister Yu'e and I will go to the rescue center to apply for a job."

"Sister, aren't you going? Indoor planting work is done indoors all day, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"I haven't thought about it yet. Are you and Zhou Qiuyang planning to apply for indoor planting jobs?" Xia Xiaoman asked.

"We wanted to apply for a job building a solar power station, but Brother Yang said that building a power station might be very hard work and he didn't recommend that Sister Yu'e and I go, fearing that we might get heat stroke."

Su Ran felt that Zhou Qiuyang was just worrying about nothing. The construction time of the power station was from 7 pm to 6 am the next day, and the entire process was done in the dark. As long as he was a little more careful, he would not get heatstroke.

Xia Xiaoman said, "From a long-term perspective, indoor planting is relatively better. After the power station is built, it won't need so many people to maintain it, so there may be layoffs."

"But indoor planting is a long-term project. And if the temperature continues to soar and the indoor temperature is not suitable for plant growth, the person in charge may find a way to install central air conditioning to maintain the indoor temperature. In contrast, the working environment of indoor planting will be more comfortable."

"Brother Yang said the same thing, but the salary for building a power station is higher..." Su Ran looked conflicted, not knowing which job to apply for.

Xia Xiaoman smiled and said, "You can apply for both. There are so many people in Fucheng, and there are only two projects that need to recruit people. If you only apply for one, you may not be accepted."

"Why not apply for both? Go for whichever one you're eligible for. If you get hired by both, you can figure out which one to go to later!"

"Oh, yes. I'll go tell Brother Yang." Su Ran said this and ran back to the house to discuss with Zhou Qiuyang.

On the other side, Xia Xiaoman returned home, fed and watered the chickens and rabbits at home, then took out a kayak filled with stream water from the space, took off his clothes and lay in it.

Only after the heat from her body had almost subsided did she put away the kayak and go back to bed to catch up on her sleep.

At around seven in the evening, the downstairs was already lined with people, all of whom wanted to get water early and go to the relief point to apply for a job.

Xia Xiaoman thought that he had to go to repair the car at 10 o'clock, so he picked up the bucket and went downstairs early to queue up for water.

There were a lot of people queuing up and the line was quite dense. After waiting in line for a while, the smell of sweat came from all directions.

Xia Xiaoman held her breath for a while but couldn't hold it back any longer, so she took out a battery-powered scented bead handheld fan from her bag and blew it towards her face.

"It smells so good!" The girl in the next team stared at the hand-held fan.

The girl's father followed her line of sight and saw Xia Xiaoman queuing alone. He smiled and said, "Little girl, can I borrow your fan? My daughter has a heart disease and the air here is too stuffy. I want to borrow your fan to ventilate."

Xia Xiaoman glanced at him and said nothing, pretending she heard nothing.

The girl's father wiped the sweat from his head awkwardly.

The old man standing behind Xia Xiaoman couldn't stand it anymore and pushed Xia Xiaoman's shoulder, "Hey, I'm talking to you, why don't you have any manners?"

Xia Xiaoman frowned and said coldly: "If you touch me again, I will break your hand!"

"Hey, little girl, how do you talk to your elders? I'm old enough to be your grandfather, right? Can you show some respect?"

Seeing that Xia Xiaoman ignored him, the old man said, "It's just a broken fan. He has a heart disease and I can't bear to lend it to him. It's not like he won't return it. You are really stingy."

The old man kept muttering to himself about Xia Xiaoman, without saying a single decent word.

The girl's father saw him performing a one-man show and said like a peacemaker, "Uncle, forget it. Young people nowadays are like this. She only has a fan, so it's normal that she doesn't want to lend it to him."

When Xia Xiaoman heard this, he opened his backpack and rummaged around, then took out a handheld fan, which he blew towards himself from left to right, and he turned around and gave those people a provocative look.

You want her to give up the fan with just a few words? What are you thinking?

Don't you want a fan? Then just watch and think!

The girl's eyes turned red with jealousy. She grabbed her father's arm and said aggrievedly, "Dad, I want a fan too!"

The girl's father was embarrassed. He couldn't just snatch it away from her because she didn't want to give it to him. "Nannan, be good. This fan is so small, and the wind power is not that strong. It's the same as not blowing at all. When Dad succeeds in his job application later, I'll go to the trading point and buy you a big fan."

"What's the point of buying a big fan when there's no electricity at home!"

The girl cried out of grievance. She was in poor health, and her parents had gotten her whatever she wanted since she was a child. Now she just wanted a small fan, but her father made excuses to shirk responsibility...

Seeing this, the old man was motivated to preach again, "Young people nowadays are really useless. They didn't even want to share one of the two fans with the patient. They are selfish and heartless!"

Xia Xiaoman: “…”

These people are so dramatic. She is cold-blooded and ruthless, so what? You have to hold it in even if you don't agree!