It's ridiculous to be rational.
Jiang Zhi didn't adjust the frequency again, but instead flashed into the space, where there were still solar power generation devices that hadn't been installed yet.
She bought fifty sets of solar cells in one go. In recent years, the domestic photovoltaic industry has developed rapidly, and its heat resistance has greatly improved.
Jiang Zhi bought only the best products, spending a lot of money to purchase 300 square meters of solar panels. It is said that these panels can generate electricity normally at a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. However, they struggle above 50 degrees Celsius.
She also installed 30 square meters of solar panels on the corrugated steel roof of her villa, which, given the current level of sunlight, is enough to generate electricity for daily cooking and lighting.
The bathroom also has solar water heaters installed; she installed three in the space, so she'll have hot water available even in extremely cold weather.
The villa's solar water heater reaches 99 degrees Celsius every day, which Jiang Zhi can't use up. Every night, she puts all the water into an empty storage tank she bought, moves it into her space, and then puts water into the water heater.
This will provide her with a continuous supply of hot water, and it will be boiled to a rolling boil.
Jiang Zhi also installed a solar cooker on the roof; it's the kind that focuses sunlight and can boil water. She puts a pot on it to stew meat every day.
Until mid-June, Jiang Zhi only dared to brew herbal tea on the roof.
The temperature rose by two degrees, breaking the 45-degree mark.
The owners' group is full of wealthy ladies, business owners, and so on. Most of the wealthy ladies are quite eloquent.
She complains every day that her family's supplies are gone, her nanny has run away, and she has to do everything herself.
We're out of meat. Hopefully, someone in the neighborhood who has meat can share some.
Jiang Zhi quickly carried the pot from the top floor to the kitchen, closed the window, and turned on the range hood.
"Oh, Mrs. Xu, how is your child attending classes? My child's school has announced online classes. How efficient can online classes be? We've paid so much tuition, and the school can't even afford an air conditioner."
"Mrs. Liu, my baby went home yesterday to attend online classes. I heard that a teacher at the school got heatstroke and is bedridden. There's nothing we can do about it."
"I don't know what kind of world this is. I've only ever heard of snow falling in June, but I've never heard of people being burned to death in June due to high temperatures."
"Oh my, it's just a rumor. They say the temperature will rise to 50 degrees Celsius. 50 degrees Celsius, my God! How can anyone survive that?"
"I run the air conditioner every day, and two of them have already burned out. When I bought new ones, I found that the price had increased more than three times."
"Let alone air conditioners, even essential items like meat, vegetables, and rice have gone up in price. It's because of the drought; there hasn't been any rain since the beginning of spring, so everything is more expensive now."
“I called the rice mill, and they said they don’t deliver to our door; we have to pick it up ourselves. My husband is planning to go buy rice and cooking oil. Does anyone want to go with him? This awful weather makes me afraid to even go out for a beauty treatment or shopping, for fear of dying from the heat on the way.”
"My house! Wait for me!"
"Me too!"
"Can you get any vegetables?"
"Let's go to the farmers' market."
Jiang Zhi also joined the shopping group. She didn't drive an SUV; she drove her dad's old, beat-up car.
In this weather and in this world, driving a luxury car is just asking for retaliation from those who hate the rich.
Jiang Zhi followed the group to the rice mill, only to find an unexpectedly long queue. Even the wealthiest people had to wait in line, which was enough to make the rich complain.
Jiang Zhi wasn't worried; she was just putting on an act and didn't actually need the rice.
But if she stays indoors all the time and doesn't go out, it will arouse suspicion.
Finally, the others saw Jiang Zhi load two 50-pound bags of rice onto the truck, and also buy two cans of oil and some seasonings.
However, this rice is really expensive. It used to cost 3.5 yuan per jin, but now it costs 5 yuan per jin.
The oil is even more outrageous; a barrel of oil that used to cost 120 yuan now costs 280 yuan.
Other seasonings have also seen price increases to varying degrees.
This shows how significant the drought's impact is, and it seems some people are secretly driving up prices.
Those who wanted to go to the market went there as a group. Jiang Zhi bought some vegetables that could be stored for a long time, such as radishes and potatoes. Seeing that no one was buying preserved eggs, she bought two hundred of them.
As for eggs, the chickens in her space will lay them; she only stockpiled one ton.
Fruit is very expensive now. Bananas that used to cost five yuan a pound now cost eight yuan a pound, and strawberries are selling for a sky-high price of two hundred yuan for ten of them, and that's just for ordinary strawberries.
These are not expensive for Jiang Zhi at all, but they would be a burden for salaried workers.
In hot weather, it is not easy to store various plant species. Many plants stop growing in the ground because of the heat, and they look very unappealing.
This time, Jiang Zhi realized that prices had become chaotic.
"You fucking cut in line!" Anyone could hear the anger in that voice.
"So what if I cut in line? You're going to hit me?"
"I'll hit you! You think you're so tough, cutting in line when you're late? You're just asking for trouble!"
The fist slammed down, and blood splattered everywhere.
Neither side was to be trifled with, and they quickly became locked in a fierce battle.
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting!"
Everyone around avoided the area, with only a few people trying to break up the fight.
The weather was sweltering, and everyone was feeling irritable and easily angered; the slightest spark could set them off.
On the way back, everyone looked grave. The business owners working from home were deep in thought; if things continued like this, their businesses would inevitably go bankrupt sooner or later, because the soaring prices had completely exceeded what wages could afford.
So many people are burdened with mortgages and other debts.
This makes progress extremely difficult.
These were not issues Jiang Zhi needed to consider; she continued to eat, drink, and hoard as usual.
On June 20th, the outdoor air temperature exceeded 48 degrees Celsius, and the ground temperature surpassed 50 degrees Celsius. That evening, Jiang Zhi removed the solar panels from the villa and stored them inside.
The solar batteries she bought are fully charged and the electricity saved is enough to last for four months.
New electrical energy is constantly being generated in the space.
On this same day, the neighborhood experienced its first power outage.
Their neighborhood experienced a power outage, while the outside world had already experienced power outages countless times due to nationwide power restrictions.
The company's air conditioning temperature must not be lower than 28 degrees Celsius. To save electricity, many employees are working from home. Neon lights are prohibited at night in the commercial and financial district, and various light shows have been postponed.
Power supply will be limited to certain areas in urban areas and to certain urban districts in rural areas.
Electricity is supplied daily from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and 8:00 PM to 1:00 PM.
Even so, the power system still couldn't withstand it.
A major reason for this is that electrical equipment is not resistant to high temperatures.
Especially in the north, power equipment is designed for low temperatures, but now that the temperature is approaching 50 degrees Celsius, the equipment cannot withstand it at all.
Another issue is the aging of the equipment's wiring.
The situation is dire, even more suffocating than the plague of centuries ago.
"Oh my god, the power is out again. I'd rather freeze to death than die from the heat. I'm really dying from the heat right now."
"You don't need the water heater at all when taking a shower; the water is scalding hot."
"Help me, help my mother! My mother just fainted. I called the hospital, but the line is always busy."
"Are you a child? Quickly go and ask the neighbors."
"My neighbor passed away yesterday, sob sob sob."
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