At 2 p.m. that day, Xu Lai went to the windowsill again to test the temperature during the hottest time of the day.
The temperature reached a staggering 53 degrees Celsius.
With temperatures reaching 53 degrees Celsius, the government continuously issued red alerts for high temperatures to the public via text messages, radio, and online news.
In particular, the government has also made adjustments to the working hours of those who go out to work, requiring them to go to work when the sun is about to set and leave work before the sun comes up at night.
Generally speaking, the people stayed up at night and went out during the day.
Even so, people who had never experienced such high temperatures before found their bodies very uncomfortable with the sudden increase in temperature.
In the past, even if the temperature was high, one could hide in an air-conditioned room, but now the power supply system is extremely insufficient.
The electricity is only available during the hottest hours of the day, which doesn't solve much of the problem.
Under extreme heat conditions, excessive sweating can lead to dehydration, which can result in serious health problems such as heatstroke or even heat exhaustion.
Dehydration or heatstroke is somewhat better; even with rehydration, cooling, or medical treatment, one can be saved.
People who get heatstroke experience a sudden rise in body temperature, burning skin, and in severe cases, convulsions or even organ failure leading to coma.
"Back in the summer, there was a common analogy used on construction sites to describe severe heatstroke: it's like boiling human organs in hot water. If you want to save a severely heatstroke patient, you'd have to restore the boiled organs to their original state before they were boiled!"
When asked about the terrifying extent of heatstroke, Xu Haiguo recounted a joke his fellow workers on the construction site often made.
This heatwave, exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, only lasted a few days. Not to mention the entire City C, within the Jinxiu residential area of Xulai alone, many people died from the heat every day.
Of course, the majority of those who died from the heat were elderly people with weak constitutions, followed by children who were already in poor health.
For example, right now downstairs, in the building in front of Xu Lai and the others, there's a boy who has a congenital heart condition, and the heat has caused his heart to beat faster.
Ultimately, his heart couldn't withstand such a heavy burden, and he died before he could catch his breath.
"My son, why didn't you hold on a little longer? We're about to take you to the hospital..."
Xu Lai and her family leaned out the window, looking out at the entrance of Unit 1 of Building 2, where two middle-aged people were crying and carrying their child on their backs, trying to rush to the hospital.
But as soon as they went downstairs, the child died on his father's back.
The boy's mother lay on top of him, crying so hard she almost fainted.
The high temperatures also increased the risk of cardiovascular disease; in just a few days, several middle-aged residents in one of their buildings suffered strokes.
Some people with poor physical condition even suffered a cerebral hemorrhage overnight and died on the spot because they could not be rescued in time.
The city hospital was suddenly overflowing with patients.
The medical staff are simply too busy.
Xiao Rui, who works at the hospital, has been so busy that he hasn't been home for several days, and sometimes he doesn't sleep for a whole day and night.
Grandpa Xiao and Li Qingya were extremely anxious at home, worried that Xiao Rui's body couldn't take the continuous work.
Finally, Li Qingya simply went to the Xu family's house to borrow an electric tricycle.
"I cooked some food at home and took it to Xiaorui at the hospital!"
Li Qingya had never ridden an electric tricycle before, and in the end, feeling quite embarrassed, she asked Xu Lai to take her to the People's Hospital where Xiao Rui worked.
“Okay, I have nothing to do at home anyway!” Xu Lai agreed without hesitation.
She hadn't gone out much lately and wanted to see what the weather was like outside in this heat.
It was around 5 p.m., and the sun was still shining brightly in the western sky.
Before leaving, Xu Lai checked the thermometer in the living room; it showed a high temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.
At this time, in places where there are no buildings to block the light, the temperature is probably no lower than fifty degrees Celsius.
Xu Lai picked up her light blue air-conditioned coat and put it on, then put on a sun hat with a face mask.
After thanking Xu Lai, Li Qingya went home, wrapped herself up tightly, picked up her thermos, and went out to meet up with Xu Lai.
Sure enough, even with all the sun protection measures in place, the two still felt a heat wave that was even hotter than indoors as soon as they stepped outside.
As I drove my electric tricycle along the asphalt road, a strong smell of asphalt hit me.
The old man, whose tree had barely survived the torrential rain and floods by the roadside, was also scorched by the blazing sun and lost all his energy.
Although the outside temperature is high, you can still see people going out to make a living from time to time on the road.
Although Xu Lai was wearing an air-conditioned suit, the outside temperature was so high that sweat was still dripping down her body as if it were free.
Fortunately, the electric tricycle created a breeze as it moved along, which prevented the two from feeling too stuffy.
"Lai Lai, quickly drink some water to rehydrate!"
Seeing Xu Lai constantly wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, Li Qingya quickly took a bottle of mineral water from a bag, opened the cap, and handed it to her.
After drinking half a bottle of water, Xu Lai finally felt much better, as the tightness in her chest eased considerably.
The Municipal People's Hospital is not far from Jinxiu Haoting. Xu Lai drove for less than 20 minutes to reach the hospital entrance.
Xu Lai saw armed soldiers guarding the gatehouse at the hospital entrance, so he decided to park his electric tricycle inside the hospital.
"What are you doing?"
When Xu Lai and Li Qingya tried to drive their electric tricycle into the hospital, they were stopped by the guards at the entrance.
Seeing the serious look on the guard's face, Li Qingya quickly got out of the car and explained, "My husband is Xiao Rui, a surgeon at this hospital. He hasn't been home for several days, so I came here specifically to check on him!"
The soldier standing next to the guardhouse heard Li Qingya's words and quickly went into the guardhouse to open the computer and check.
After coming out, his serious face showed a hint of respect, and he nodded to Li Qingya and Xu Lai, saying, "Go in!"
"Here, let's put on our masks!"
After parking his electric tricycle in a parking space inside the hospital's main gate, Xu Lai took out two medical masks from his backpack and handed one to Li Qingya.
Hospitals are crowded with patients and germs, so it's best to be cautious when visiting a hospital at this time.
Xu Lai originally wanted to wait for Li Qingya outside, but it was too hot outside, so she had no choice but to follow Li Qingya inside after watching her enter the clinic.
"Hospitals are really different; they still have air conditioning at this hour!"
As soon as Xu Lai entered the outpatient department lobby, she felt that although the temperature inside was much higher than the temperature in her air-conditioned room at home, it was still much cooler than the outside.
The hospital has such a large space and even has air conditioning and other equipment; it seems the government has put a lot of effort into it.
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