Chapter 11 Hail
A week after the hailstorm, the outdoor temperature dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius.
Spring City has never experienced such temperatures before, and the side effects are quite strong.
Every household's water pipes were frozen to some degree. To prevent cracking, people had to leave the taps running. Only those with ground-source heat pump systems were able to provide some protection from the freezing.
In fact, if the temperature is low, it is easy to solve the problem. But the hail that keeps falling and the hailstones are getting bigger and bigger has gradually thrown the whole society into chaos:
The vehicles were severely damaged, and the owners of Hexinyuan quickly drove their cars into the underground garage, regardless of whether there were parking spaces or collisions.
Many glass windows were also cracked and shattered by the large hailstones that flew down, and the cold wind rushed into the house violently. The residents went to the property management group to complain one by one, but there was no effective response.
People need to eat after all, but many residents are office workers, especially young people who order takeout. They don’t have much food stored at home and can only rely on deliverymen.
But most of the stores around here are closed. Even though there are a few restaurants, shops and pharmacies that are still open, the prices have increased by more than ten times.
The most outrageous thing is the delivery fee, which has risen to around 500 yuan and may continue to rise.
Despite such high delivery costs, some deliverymen wearing helmets still take risks and go to work.
But now the hailstones are getting bigger and bigger. If you pick up one, it can be as big as a dragon fruit. Even if you wear a helmet, it will be dangerous to be hit by it.
Others don’t want to waste so much money, so they just do some defense on their own and go out to buy supplies by bike or car.
However, after a week of continuous hailstorms, the ground had already reached a height of half a person, making it almost impossible to move and accidents occurred frequently.
The police, firefighters and ambulances were unable to arrive in time, so some people went to hospitals or community clinics on their own.
But the place was already overcrowded with people, there was no place to stand, and there was a shortage of medical staff, which led to widespread complaints.
Seeing that the hailstorm was becoming more serious, Chuncheng launched an emergency plan to prevent cold waves and issued a six-stop policy.
Except for government agencies and enterprises and institutions that ensure the operation of the city, all work, classes, transportation, flights, parks and businesses will be suspended.
In addition, the authorities have decided to conduct large-scale artificial hail suppression. They have also strictly prohibited businesses from arbitrarily raising prices or colluding to raise prices. The authorities will also soon deliver supplies to ensure the people's daily needs.
This news was broadcast nationwide, like a dazzling guiding star, illuminating the dark clouds in the sky and giving most people confidence, expectations and hope.
But despite this good news, the current chaotic situation will definitely continue for a while.
Tang Tian even felt that this was just the beginning - the beginning of the gradual alienation of human beings.
…
In order to prevent the water pipes in the house from freezing completely, they are kept open at all times, and they continue to store water in containers and then store them in warehouses.
I don't know exactly when the power went out, but the heating system in the house was still on, as were other electrical appliances.
Wei Mingxia had never experienced the apocalypse and was always worried, so she wanted to make some cooked food first and then store it in the warehouse. Tang Tian didn't want her to worry too much, so she went along with her plan.
It’s best to eat hot pot when it’s cold. Shrimp, cabbage, vermicelli, meat, and various frozen meatballs that you’ve stockpiled can be used to make several kinds of hot pots.
Smelling the faint aroma coming from the kitchen, Tang Tian started to try boxing after finishing lifting weights, and then continued to practice chopping and crossbow.
The large amount of exercise also made her sweat profusely.
Seeing this, Tang Yi naturally did not dare to relax. If they really had to go out in the future, it would be the two of them who would go most often, and they could not fall behind.
However, after taking a break from exercise, Tang Tian was wiping the sweat off his face when he heard another knock on the door.
Tang Tian turned on the surveillance video directly, and saw two or three strangers, both men and women.
But she understood that, not to mention these people, there would definitely be more strangers coming to her door in the future.
She thought for a moment, showed the surveillance footage to Tang Yi, and asked:
"Sister, look at these people, do you know any of them?"
She and Wei Mingxia didn't know anyone here at all, but the same couldn't be said for Tang Yi.
Tang Yi tilted her head and thought for a while, then pointed at one of them—the woman who was leading the group—and said:
"This seems to be the building manager of this building. I met her when I brought the renovation team here. She was the one who invited me to join the building group. The others... should be residents of other houses, right?"
Tang Tian curled her lips after hearing this.
If the building manager brings other residents directly to your door, it must be bad news!
Wei Mingxia sat beside him and asked:
"Should we not answer the door, or?"
Tang Tian thought that she should agree, after all, the building was not in complete chaos yet.
But her house only had one door, so she chose not to open it, but instead turned on the loudspeaker and asked.
Zhang Manxin and the others were stunned when they heard the voice, with a look of disbelief on their faces.
Aren’t these new family members so rude?
But thinking that he also had something to ask for, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.
Zhang Manxin forced a smile and said:
"Hello, I'm Zhang Manxin, the building manager. Several households in Building 15 had their windows broken by hail, and now our homes are covered in hail. We can't use any electrical appliances, and it's freezing! I contacted the property management, and they said they'd discuss squeezing in with the neighbors. Of course, I'll definitely pay the rent, and you name the price!"
The people behind him also nodded like chicks pecking at rice, fearing that they would be rejected again.
Hexinyuan has a total of 20 floors, with two households on each floor. About six households had their windows broken by hail.
The hail continued to fall and roll into the house, and the biting cold wind made it truly miserable.
Nowadays, not many people would think about the end of the world. In addition, the matter was presided over by the building manager who had been in office for many years. After a while, some people agreed to the request.
But there are also people who ask for exorbitant rents.
But Zhang Manxin didn't care about that, as long as the mission was completed.
She values her status as building manager the most. Rounding it off, she can be considered a member of the neighborhood committee. Naturally, she considers herself to be of a higher class than ordinary residents, and she always strives to be awarded the title of best building manager.
Right now there are only two families left with no place to live, but there are still three floors, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
1701 has only officially moved in a dozen days ago, so it must be less prestigious than other residents, but it will definitely work out.
Unexpectedly, a clear voice came from the loudspeaker:
"I have several people in my family and no space, so you should find someone else!"
Being rejected in such a direct tone made Zhang Man feel choked up, and she felt a little embarrassed in front of outsiders.
But according to her understanding, the person who bought the house at 1702 is a newlywed couple, who may have a family, so it may not be very convenient.
But what kind of attitude is this? In the corridor where the cold air kept rising from the bottom, Zhang Manxin grumbled a few words of displeasure, but ultimately did not dwell on it and took her men to knock on the door of room 1702 again.
Unexpectedly, 1702 did not answer the door at all, which made the former so angry that he turned around and left the 17th floor.
It's already this late, and they still don't know how to unite. Every one of them is so troublesome!
…
Seeing Zhang Manxin leave, Tang Yi and Wei Mingxia breathed a sigh of relief.
How could I possibly agree to let a stranger stay at this time? Even if I had the money, I couldn't!
It was almost time for dinner, and the family made a big pot of cabbage, pork and vermicelli stew, enough to fill everyone up.
Wei Mingxia also stored the other cooked foods in the warehouse, so they would still be hot and could be eaten immediately.
However, the latter is not satisfied with just making cooked meals, and is preparing to make a batch of simple breakfasts and drinks, which can also be eaten and drunk right away.
Scallion pancakes, steamed buns, rice balls, Wei Mingxia also took out a blender, which can be used to blend grains, soy milk, fruits and vegetables, etc., and she was busy in full swing.
Tang Tian and Tang Yi were sitting on the sofa in the living room, one tinkering with the system while the other was collecting all the intelligence and information they could find.
But as the latter watched, he saw some bad news.
Tang Tian looked over and found that the official artificial hail suppression had little effect. The speed of the hail falling was only slowed down for a while, and then it returned to normal.
After repeating this several times without any results, the public continued to ask questions, and the authorities were forced to come forward and explain the truth.
But the authorities did not give up completely. This setback could not defeat them, and they quickly generated other plans:
Various physical hail suppression measures should be implemented, and the progress of material transportation should be accelerated to ensure people's living needs first.
Tang Tian didn't take these mixed news seriously because they were almost the same as in her previous life.
After harvesting a batch of ingredients, she first made them all into spicy strips.
"Mom, sister, you should also try the delicacies produced by this system. You might even gain supernatural powers!"
Tang Tian said this and took out two portions of spicy strips and handed them to them.
Tang Yi and Wei Mingxia also figured out the system settings, so they took it with great interest and started eating right away.
"You know what, this thing is quite delicious."
In the eyes of Wei Mingxia's generation, spicy noodles are pure junk food. But cats have their own noodles, and humans have their own noodles, and these spicy noodles are extremely suitable.
Just after they finished eating, a system voice suddenly came from their minds:
"Ding. Member Wei Mingxia has obtained Warmth Level 1. Duration: 1 hour."
Tang Tian asked in surprise:
"Mom, can you feel anything special?"
Wei Mingxia's cheeks flushed. She wiped the sweat from her nose and replied:
"The temperature in our house was originally around 20 degrees Celsius, but now it feels like it's risen by 3 or 4 degrees. It's having some effect!"
With Wei Mingxia's personal experience, Tang Tian felt much more at ease.
If this can be unlocked at a higher level and for a longer time, I’m afraid even the heating equipment won’t be needed!
She had already squandered most of the gold coins she had earned from krypton gold last time, and only had about 1,000 gold coins left.
She decided not to spend it and save more money to buy a new device - a well.
The well will provide well water. Tang Tian is not sure how this will be used in food, but it is particularly useful to her family.
Well water can be drunk directly, and water can be taken directly from the system. Isn’t it equivalent to having an unlimited water source in disguise?
Thinking of this, she quickly made a batch of sesame cakes, paired them with other delicacies, and sold them in gourmet stores!
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