Chapter 8 Hail

For this year's New Year's Eve dinner, Tang Tian originally wanted to book a table at a restaurant, but Wei Mingxia didn't want to spend extra money, so she and Tang Yi were busy in the kitchen all day.

She had also known about Jiang Yao's situation before, and her face was as dark as if it was covered with soot. But when the former saw that Tang Yi's attack was unbreakable, she actually came to find Wei Mingxia, and was directly scolded back.

Being punished by an elder was more serious than being punished by a peer. Jiang Yao did not harass the Tang family again afterwards, but Tang Tian felt that he would not give up easily.

But what does this have to do with them? If she remembered correctly, the natural disaster would quietly arrive in the early hours of tonight.

Thinking of this, Tang Tian turned on the TV while playing tug-of-war with Tan Tan.

As she expected, the main station was broadcasting the news at that moment, and the anchor's expression looked very serious:

"...According to monitoring, a gradually expanding extremely low cold air mass is moving southward, which may cause extreme low temperatures in mid-latitude areas. Citizens are advised to take cooling measures..."

Tang Tian turned up the volume, and Wei Mingxia and Tang Yi, who heard the news, also frowned.

Although I believed the former's words before, I still felt that it was a bit unrealistic and empty.

Now that they have witnessed this urgent news that they had never seen before, they have a better understanding of the end of the world.

"Tiantian, if extreme low temperatures really come, will there be a blizzard?"

China had experienced snowstorms before; even Spring City was blanketed in white. This snowstorm, perhaps called the apocalypse, was probably even worse than she had imagined.

Tang Tian nodded seriously:

"Yes, Mom. If I remember correctly, it wasn't just snow. First it started with hail, then freezing rain, and then it was a blizzard. The snow was piled up to at least dozens of meters deep. Our old house is on the sixth floor, so we would definitely be buried."

There are many old residential communities in Chuncheng that are decades old. Most of them are occupied by elderly people or tenants who are looking for cheap rent, but the buildings are rarely higher than 8 floors.

In the end, the survivors living in the old houses had to leave their houses and seek other shelter because they were about to be buried by the snow.

There was a moment of silence in the room, and for a moment the only sound was the TV news.

Tang Yi looked at her phone and saw that the polar vortex was also being discussed on social media platforms and had even become a hot topic.

However, many people who are busy making a living and young people who put entertainment first do not care too much.

Wei Mingxia sighed, untied her apron and wiped her hands:

"Forget it, let's eat first!"

Salt and pepper spare ribs, steamed sea bass, braised pork trotters, lemon chicken wings, dry pot cauliflower, braised beef, fruit platter... one after another delicious dishes were served on the table.

Seeing such a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, Tang Tian finally relaxed in the rich aroma and couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

News is news, but there is still the festive Spring Festival Gala program to celebrate the New Year.

Amidst the cheerful dance music, Tang Tian rubbed her stomach after a big meal.

Thinking back to past lives, there were countless people who developed stomach problems from starvation, or even died of starvation. In the end, even the unbearable feeling of hunger gradually became accustomed to it.

In the past, people in famines could eat grass, soil, and tree bark. But after the natural disaster, the vegetation was severely destroyed, and humans could not even eat these. Everyone was starving, and no one could live to a full stomach.

However, she believed that as long as they had the gourmet food system, they would never starve in the end times!

She also asked Tang Yi and Wei Mingxia to put an electric blanket on the bed in advance. The temperature at night was around 20 degrees Celsius, so there was no need for heating equipment.

But tonight was destined to be special, so she decided to sleep in the more spacious living room, and if anything happened, she would immediately inform her mother and sister.

Wei Mingxia was a little worried at first, but seeing that Tang Tian had made up her mind, she had no choice but to agree.

…

As night fell, the moon in the sky was obscured by clouds, and Hexin Garden gradually became silent.

Tang Tian lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling in the dark.

Tantan curled up in the cartoon-like cotton bed she had bought for the nightclub and was sleeping soundly. Dogs of this age, like humans, sleep a lot every day.

In the new house in my previous life, there were only three beds, and the back beds were also occupied by other people.

So in the end they could only sleep on the cold and hard ground, barely covering themselves with a sheet, and the coldness bit them to the bone.

Just this soft sofa can make Tang Tian fall asleep as soon as she touches the pillow.

She closed her eyes and rested for a while, and sure enough, not long after, she heard a sudden strange sound.

Bang, bang, bang...

Tang Tian jumped up. Although the house was made of cold-proof materials, she could still feel a hint of coldness.

The wall-mounted thermometer installed in advance showed that the indoor temperature was only 8 degrees Celsius.

The extreme cold has finally arrived and is in its early stages!

Tantan also woke up and made a few sharp and childish cries, but calmed down after his fur was stroked.

Tang Tian immediately went to the room to wake up Tang Yi and Wei Mingxia, but the two of them were already not sleeping well because they were worried about something, so they woke up quickly.

They turned on the electric blanket, put on the thick clothes they had prepared in advance, and walked out of the room worriedly.

There were dense noises coming from the windows and balconies, as if something was hitting them directly.

I opened the sliding door a little, and a colder wind blew in my face, and a few objects fell into the room.

Tang Tian picked it up and took a look. It was a hailstone the size of an egg.

It may look small, but if it falls from a high altitude, it can become a weapon that can take a life in an instant.

Not to mention that Tang Tian knew that even bigger hail would fall later.

Not only does the outside become the freezer of a refrigerator, but it is also impossible to go out. If you are not careful, your head might get smashed and a big hole in it.

But Tang Tian changed his mind and thought - things that appear in extreme cold are actually needed in extreme heat.

Extreme cold requires warmth, while extreme heat requires cooling. She also has a system warehouse. If she collects these hailstones and snow, can't she use them in extreme heat?

After the ice maker arrived, Tang Tian quickly started making ice in order to collect more ice cubes for use when it is extremely hot. She is still working on it today.

Thinking of this, Tang Tian decided to do it.

The balcony is a small protruding piece of land, surrounded by railings. The awning above is reinforced, so the hailstones can fall into the balcony. All you have to do is collect the accumulated hailstones every once in a while.

"Mom, sister, are you cold? How about a cup of hot tea first?"

Tang Tian had stockpiled a lot of tea leaves, so she could easily make tea with just a fingertip. A few days ago, she even boiled a lot of hot water and stored it in the system, so it was still warm when she took it out.

Wei Mingxia frowned and looked out the window, then just shook her head:

"Forget it. It'll be daybreak in a few hours. Let's get some sleep once the bed warms up. We need to be alert. Tiantian, you should go back to your room then, okay?"

About half an hour later, the indoor temperature dropped to 5 degrees Celsius, which means the outdoor temperature must have dropped below zero.

Even with the electric blanket turned up to full power, the bed was still quite warm. Mother and daughter said goodnight to each other and fell asleep again amid the dull thud of hailstones.

…

Bang, bang, bang—

Shen Boyun noticed the movement and opened his eyes instantly.

As a member of the anti-theft team of the South District Police Station, he has always possessed the keenness of a cheetah, so he immediately noticed a lingering chill on his body.

The current night temperature is just right, so you don't need to turn on the air conditioner, but you don't need to cover yourself with too much.

Shen Boyun shook his shoulders, but the noise from the window of the room continued, so he went there first.

There was only a crack, and with two more bangs, two balls fell to the floor at their feet.

He squatted down, picked it up and looked at it, then was surprised.

It turned out to be an ice cube about the size of a palm!

The intense coldness stimulated his fingertips, and Shen Boyun realized that it should be hail.

But this is even more strange. Hail rarely falls in Chuncheng, and it mostly occurs in spring and summer, and is rare in winter.

But the Shen family actually saw the news. Could it be related to the strange temperatures in the second half of the year and the polar vortex?

Shen Boyun closed the door and immediately left the bedroom, went to the other two rooms and knocked on the doors, waking up his family members - his mother Yan Chunhua and sister Shen Yaoyue.

The extreme cold that descended in the middle of the night, with a temperature difference of more than 30 degrees Celsius compared to the daytime, meant that even if one didn't freeze to death, one would at least become seriously ill if no one warned them. This would also increase the difficulty of surviving subsequent natural disasters by several levels.

Fortunately, the latter also felt the cold after being woken up, and hurried out and asked:

"What happened?"

Shen Boyun said seriously:

"Mom, A-Yao, it's hailing outside and the temperature has dropped a lot. Hurry and turn on the air conditioner in the bedroom!"

There is no central heating in the south, so people can only rely on small heating equipment, the most common of which is air conditioning.

Before he could say a few more words, Shen Boyun heard his cell phone ringing and hurried to answer it.

But the news coming from the other side made him frown more and more.

After hanging up, he found some thick clothes to put on and said to the mother and daughter:

"Mom, something happened at the station, I have to leave first. You and A Yao should reinforce the windows at home to prevent them from breaking!"

Yan Chunhua stammered, but ultimately said nothing.

She didn't know why the temperature outside suddenly dropped and hail fell, nor did she know what emergency had happened in the police station. She only knew that her son was going to take another risk.

Her husband, the siblings' father, was also a pickpocket police officer.

However, during an arrest, he was suddenly attacked by a hidden team. After being stabbed dozens of times, his police uniform was stained with blood and he unfortunately died.

At the time, Shen Boyun was already in the police academy, and Shen Yaoyue was just starting college. Despite such a tragic event, life had to go on, and Shen Boyun successfully inherited his father's police rank and continued his work in the anti-theft field.

Although she didn't say it, Yan Chunhua was still very worried, but she could only support her silently.

Shen Yaoyue thought about it, and suddenly an idea came to her mind:

"Brother, we don't have a car at home, and it's hailing outside. What if we get hit? I remember there's a helmet left at home. Put it on before you go!"

"Okay, you and Mom stay home and reinforce the doors and windows. Don't go out unless you have news. My intuition tells me... this hailstorm can't be considered an ordinary hailstorm."

Shen Boyun agreed immediately and left home after getting dressed.

The banging sounds continued, and in the darkness of the early morning, they couldn't see his departure. Yan Chunhua and Shen Yaoyue had no choice but to obey his words.

I could only see more and more windows lit up in the buildings across the street. It looked like even more people would suffer from insomnia that night.