Watching the news on TV, I saw reports of people dying in some area due to high temperatures, or of farmland fires caused by unharvested crops, resulting in losses for several families.

Looking at the weather news again, Lu Yuan saw this message.

"According to the meteorological bureau, affected by the high temperature and tropical storm in the coastal areas, the coastal areas will experience heavy rain in the coming days. However, inland cities may not be able to enjoy this heavy rain, but there will be some gusts of wind."

Then, comments began to appear.

"Great! My home is in Jiangsu Province, so I should be able to collect some rainwater. I'm going to collect a lot of water this time! I'll also take a bath while I'm at it!"

"I'm so envious! I'm from Henan province, and I probably won't even get a drop of moisture there. Sigh! Could any brother help me send some over?"

"Rainwater pre-order, I'm from Lian City, plenty of rainwater, self-pickup only, no delivery! Pre-order hotline ***"

...

Looking at the comments section, Lu Yuan smiled. Although the tropical storm had winds as high as level 10 at its center, the amount of rain it brought was extremely limited. As for those who wanted to collect water, they should probably think about how to protect their own containers first!

However, the city where Lu Yuan is located, Qingshui, belongs to Yunnan Province. Lu Yuan had several considerations for choosing this place. First, the main Yangtze River flows through it, so the water resources are abundant. Although the temperature is high now, the groundwater is plentiful. Second, it is not located in an earthquake zone. In the next few years, when the apocalypse will be hit by an earthquake, this place will be a better place to take refuge.

Lu Yuan still goes to fetch water on time every day. The water in the two 100-ton water tanks at home has not been used yet. The water in the water tank next to the roof is still half full after recycling. His grandparents usually use water very sparingly. Perhaps it is because they suffered when they were young, so they do not need Lu Yuan to remind them to save water.

That morning, Lu Yuan heard a loudspeaker broadcasting near the village entrance.

As soon as I stepped out of my house, I saw a police car parked nearby.

"Residents of Zone 3, please note that due to the typhoon, the province will experience strong winds in the coming days. To prevent fires caused by the high temperatures and strong winds, the district government has organized villagers to voluntarily harvest the dead crops in the fields to avoid further damage from fires!"

Several police officers knocked on the doors of residents one by one, distributing sickles and other tools and ordering them to harvest the crops in the fields.

However, it doesn't seem to have much appeal. After all, in the sweltering heat, let alone working, even just standing under the shade of a tree would cause people to sweat profusely, so no one was willing to go.

Finally, the police officers realized that this appeal wasn't very effective, so they had no choice but to resort to their trump card.

Each household must send at least one person to the fields to harvest. Anyone who does not go to the fields will have their water allowance halved in the future.

The implementation of this method immediately caused widespread resentment among all the residents, and no one dared to openly refuse to go anymore.

Lu Yuan was out on behalf of his family to do chores because his father was busy with renovations and shopping at Du Heng's place, his grandparents weren't very mobile, and his mother had to cook and do laundry at home.

The people in the fields were wearily cutting the various crops that had already dried up. Since there was no one managing or dividing the land into plots, and no one supervising, some people started to have crooked ideas.

Although they worked alongside everyone else, they ended up with the same patch of land after all that effort. Clearly, they were just swinging their sickles without cutting any weeds. But with only a few police officers in such a large area, they couldn't manage it all and could only let it go.

Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore.

"Wang Laowu! Are you giving birth over there? You've only cut a handful of grass in half a day. If you don't want to work, go home!" An older woman pointed at a middle-aged man wearing sun protection clothing and scolded him.

The other party didn't seem to be a pushover either, and immediately retorted, "Ge Chunxia! I'll do as much as I want! What's it to you! Nobody else has said anything, you're just being nosy!"

Hearing what Wang Laowu said, the other people who were diligently harvesting also objected.

"Wang Laowu, don't think you're superior just because your family used to own a factory. Everyone is equal now. If you're not going to work, get out! We don't tolerate idlers here!"

"That's right! Wearing a full sun protection suit, do you really think you're here on vacation? Don't give me that. We'll all go straight to the police station, explain the situation, and kick all these lazy bums out!"

Public sentiment was outraged, and people like Wang Laowu who tried to be clever were criticized.

The police officers heard the argument and quickly followed.

After some questioning, everyone agreed that each person would be responsible for a specific area, and those who failed to complete their task would have their water usage halved in the future.

When Lu Yuan saw that Wang Laowu had been assigned to a job near his home, he was immediately unhappy. This guy had a shifty look on his face and was obviously a shrewd person. There was no way he would work properly.

So Lu Yuan walked over to the officer and said, "Officer, I'll take over his area."

When Wang Laowu heard that someone wanted to take his place, he immediately became unhappy.

"Why should I? What's the difference between these divisions? I don't agree to the change! I want that place over there."

The police officer glanced at Lu Yuan and immediately recognized him.

"Alright, Wang Laowu, you go to his place. I'll go with you in a bit. If you dare to cheat or try to shirk your responsibilities, I'll cut off your water supply!"

Lu Yuan glanced at Lu Yuan gratefully.

Only then did Wang Laowu leave indignantly, though a hint of anger flashed in his eyes as he looked at Lu Yuan.

With the area divided, Lu Yuan wielded his sickle, piling up stacks of withered grass and immature crops.

After eating the golden fruit, Lu Yuan's stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people, and he finished everything in no time, while the others remained squatting in the ground, busy with their tasks.

The scorching sun beat down on his back, making it feel hot. After finishing, Lu Yuan squatted down to rest against the wall of his house.

The police officers were also getting impatient. After seeing that the previous groups had finished, they stopped bothering with them, since they would have to come back the next day.

Seeing the police officers leave, many people who hadn't finished their work fled back home, completely disregarding the unharvested crops in the fields.

People gradually adapted to the environment of the midnight sun, and their daily routines gradually returned to normal. By around 7 p.m., only some unfinished fields and some straw piles that had not been bundled up remained in the fields.

In his sleep, Lu Yuan heard a whooshing sound outside. When he opened his eyes, he saw the coconut trees outside the window swaying in the wind.

The wind is picking up.

It seemed like it had been a long time since we'd felt the wind, and many people went outside to experience the long-awaited breeze. Although the wind brought with it heat and dust, no one seemed to care much.

Suddenly someone wrinkled their nose, then pointed to a family not far away and shouted, "Fire!"