24 Chapter 24
Freezing? You mean the water outside will freeze?!
Water freezing is not just a physical change in the form of water; the most crucial factor is the cause of the freezing. If all goes as expected, a large-scale temperature drop is imminent.
Tong Shu grew up in Z City, where winters rarely drop to below -5 degrees Celsius, and snow only falls once every few years; the water never freezes. Nini couldn't divination anything further, which made Tong Shu very uneasy, because there were simply too many uncertainties.
If it's just normal freezing, it won't have much of an impact on people. Although the temperature hasn't fluctuated with the seasons since the natural disaster, judging by the dates, winter should be approaching.
Tong Shu knew that this prophecy was not so simple. From the initial high temperature disaster to the subsequent flood, the disasters broke out very suddenly, catching people off guard each time. Tong Shu was unwilling to accept it, but she also knew that this cold weather would probably be like the previous two times, or even more sudden, faster, and more deadly!
While Wen Shaocheng was still unconscious, Tong Shu quickly gathered all family members and brought them to the island.
“Nini’s latest divination results indicate that the water will freeze, which means that a large-scale temperature drop is imminent,” Tong Shu said seriously.
Having already placed great trust in Nini's divination results after several previous readings, everyone's expressions turned serious upon hearing this, as they began to ponder its implications.
After a long pause, Tong Songming spoke up, saying, "I think if it's just a simple drop in temperature and freezing, it shouldn't appear in the prophecy."
Wang Jie nodded: "High temperatures and floods are both very extreme disasters. I personally think this temperature drop will be similar to the previous one."
"The lowest historical temperature in northern China has only reached minus forty degrees Celsius, and in recent years it has remained at around minus ten or twenty degrees Celsius. If this severe cold snap occurs, will it drop to minus seventy or eighty degrees Celsius, just like the high temperatures?"
Upon hearing the temperature, everyone involuntarily shivered.
"No...no way, wouldn't it freeze into an icicle in an instant? Hahaha..." Qin Xiaoxiao told a lame joke with a forced smile, and then felt even colder.
“The possibility is very high,” Tong Shu said. “We must prepare as soon as possible. Dad renovated the house before, and our house has already done the most basic insulation. Now we need to find a way to install another heating system.”
Tong Songming nodded, indicating that there was no problem.
"As for food, our family's daily diet is fine. My second aunt's husband can plant some chili peppers and ginger in the fields recently, and send some to the supply ships and the community when the time comes, which can be used for emergencies," Tong Shu said to Qin Jiaqiang.
Qin Jiaqiang nodded repeatedly, pondering what other crops also had the effect of dispelling cold, and planned to plant them all.
“Auntie’s period is going to be busy.” Tong Shu turned to Shu Li: “With the high temperatures and floods, many people are only focused on food reserves. A lot of warm clothes have been soaked in water. These things are of low value and become very heavy after absorbing water, so no one is willing to retrieve them. If the temperature drops any further, many people will probably freeze to death. Let’s make as many clothes as we can as possible. Others can come to the clothing store to help out when they have time.”
Everyone agreed, saying that although there was only so much they could do, anything is possible, and as long as they did what they believed in, that was enough.
Not knowing how long until the extreme cold disaster, the Tong Shu family, who had enjoyed a few months of leisure, once again found themselves busy.
Because various building materials are no longer available on the market, the Tong family hadn't considered this when they were collecting illustrations, so the idea of installing underfloor heating had to be abandoned. However, while cleaning out the appliance market, Tong Songming bought a lot of heating equipment such as radiators, oil-filled electric heaters, and baseboards. He installed them in every room and even turned on his own generator to ensure a 24/7 power supply.
Qin Jiaqiang has already planted crops such as chili peppers and ginger in the fields. He also exchanged some cotton seeds and planted them in the ground as well, because Shuli needs a lot of cotton to make cotton-padded coats, and their store doesn't have any. Fortunately, the cotton grows fast enough to keep up with the speed at which Shuli makes clothes, so it hasn't caused them too much trouble.
Shu Hua and Shu Ya made jars of chili sauce from the chilies Qin Jiaqiang harvested and neatly arranged them in baskets. They also boiled ginger, longan, and red dates into brown sugar ginger tea, filled it into thermos flasks, and put them all into the storage backpack that Tong Shu had previously emptied. This way, no matter how long the ginger tea was stored, it would still be piping hot when taken out.
Wang Jie and Qin Xiaoxiao were preparing an emergency medical kit, mainly containing frostbite ointment and glycerin.
The others took turns helping out in various places.
...
The Tong family's efforts to combat the cold were proceeding in an orderly manner.
Thinking about the faith point mission on the island, Tong Shu thought it over and decided to do something, at least to give the uninformed masses some preparation.
Tong Shu began to intentionally update the goods in the small warehouse.
"Oh my, they even sell chili sauce now!" a woman from the next building exclaimed excitedly. "How much is a bottle? I'll take two!"
She married into Z City from S Province. S Province is famous for its spicy food, but the food in Z City is mild. Before the natural disaster, her family had a lot of chili products. After the disaster, it was good enough to have something to eat. In the past few months, as order has gradually returned, she has missed the taste of the past. Unfortunately, now the fields are mostly planted with staple vegetables, and there is nowhere to buy them. She is really craving them.
Seeing that Tong Shu's shop was selling chili sauce, she was overjoyed and quickly took out her wallet to buy two bottles.
"Big sister, this chili sauce is homemade, 10 yuan a bottle." Tong Shu took the money and handed her two bottles.
"Wow! This smells amazing! It's so fragrant!" the older woman exclaimed happily. "Your business is really honest. This handmade chili sauce used to sell for over twenty yuan!"
“Winter is coming soon. When the weather gets cold, we’ll add some chili sauce to our meals to keep warm.” Tong Shu said casually, “Things are different now than before. We can only think of economical ways to get through the winter.”
"Ha! That's true!" The older sister did the math and realized that winter was indeed approaching. "It's still as hot as summer. I didn't realize that winter was almost here. But the heat wave only lasted a few months. Will it not get cold this year?"
"That's hard to say. The weather changes so quickly, it can happen in an instant," Tong Shu replied.
The older sister agreed, saying, "Then I need to hurry home and get my thick blankets and clothes ready. You never know what the weather will be like these days!" With that, she hurriedly grabbed the chili sauce and rushed back home.
Many people queuing nearby overheard their chatter, and some were already starting to worry: "Oh dear, my house was flooded a long time ago, and now I'm living in an empty house in Building 2. That unfinished house has nothing there! Where am I going to find warm clothes?"
"Yes! My family is the same. We thought that as long as we had a place to stay in this weather, it would be fine. But now we're thinking about how getting through the winter is really a problem. My door is still letting in the wind!"
...
"Xiao Tong, your family is very capable. I heard there are a lot of clothing factories in W City, right? Is there any way you can get some thick clothes and bedding? Next time you go shopping, help your uncle get a few items, and your uncle will give you a commission!" A middle-aged man took out a few bills from his pocket and was about to hand them to Tong Shu.
"Yes! Xiaotong, please buy a few items for my family too, I'll pay for them too!"
...
Tong Shu refused the money offered by the uncle and raised her voice, saying, "Everyone, don't worry. I'll go to W City tomorrow to take a look. The factory there is in better condition than here, so they should have some stock. I'll bring as much as I can for everyone, and we'll still sell it here."
The anxious crowd was calmed down and became less noisy. Some people, after buying their things, started planning to borrow some warm clothes from their original neighbors who were still living in their houses, and then buy more to return to Tong Shu's family once they received their new clothes.
Wang Jie, who works at the community clinic, often sees Zhu Cheng and casually mentions the upcoming winter during a midday chat.
Zhu Cheng has become very cautious because of the two natural disasters. He praised Wang Jie for his long-term vision and said that he would start the work of combating the cold immediately.
At Tong Shu's house, Tong Songming's renovation project, which was quite large and covered the entire house, inevitably attracted Wen Shaocheng's attention.
Wen Shaocheng is in very good physical condition. Thanks to Wang Jie's treatment, he has recovered from the danger he was in that day and can now sit up slightly from the bed.
"Uncle Tong, are you keeping your house warm?" Wen Shaocheng asked, watching Tong Songming's back as he worked hard to tighten the screws on the radiator.
"Yes, yes." Tong Songming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Winter is coming soon, so installing heating equipment will help us get through the winter."
Wen Shaocheng was somewhat skeptical: "Z City shouldn't be cold in winter."
"Well, this," Tong Songming replied, trying to maintain a normal tone. "The elderly in my family moved in this year. They're frail and can't handle the cold. Since we were going to install it anyway, it's not much trouble."
Wen Shaocheng was a man of principle; he immediately realized that Tong Songming wasn't telling the truth.
"Dad! Is it finished?! If it's finished, go help dig a cellar at the community center. Director Zhu said all men over 18 and under 60 should go!" Tong Shu poked her head out from the study and said to Tong Songming.
"Alright, all the screws are tightened now." Tong Songming felt like he had been granted a pardon. He put away the wrench, patted his knees, and turned to leave the study as if he were fleeing.
"What were you and Dad talking about? Are you feeling better?" Tong Shu asked as she walked in, pretending to be relaxed, and sat on Wang Jie's spring bed.
"Hmm." Wen Shaocheng answered the last question, then asked, "Is the community going to dig cellars?"
"Yes, it's because winter is coming, and Director Zhu is worried about the temperature changing drastically like in the summer heat, so he's making preparations in advance," Tong Shu casually shifted the blame.
Wen Shaocheng, however, had a keen eye for people. After spending some time with Zhu Cheng, he figured out Zhu Cheng's work style. He knew that although Zhu Cheng was good at handling emergencies, he wasn't the type to plan ahead. In addition, there were always many trivial matters in the community, so he probably wouldn't have the energy to think about these things.
Thinking back to the days before the flood a few months ago, Wen Shaocheng became even more certain of his guess.
Tong Shu must know something.
Is the cold coming next?
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