After giving Cheng Xu and Liu Yunyan coal and heating talismans in return, Xi Xi wrapped herself in a down blanket and huddled in the driver's seat.
The temperature gauge on the central control screen had unknowingly dropped to minus fifty-two degrees Celsius, and the snow on the roof was being whipped around by the strong wind with a whistling sound.
Chu Zhiqin walked down from the second floor after turning around, and gave Xi Xi an OK sign – everything was normal.
This time, the interior of the RV was noticeably more comfortable. In addition to Xi Xi and Chu Zhiqin, who had experienced it firsthand, even Xi Zhongcang, who had not experienced the blizzard last week, couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.
"This is amazing!" He exclaimed, his weathered face suddenly filled with wonder, like a child discovering a new toy, as he rubbed the heated car wall with one hand.
Soon, Xi Xi received a private message from Cheng Xu expressing his deepest gratitude. Liu Yunyan's situation was even more dramatic; she was so cold during the live video call that she burst into tears, and it was only her older sister, Liu Enxi, who stopped the farce.
Meanwhile, Xi Xi's eyelashes were not frosted, and there wasn't even a trace of mist in her breath—the modified RV's carbon fiber cabin walls were radiating intense heat, and even Aura, nestled by the control panel, was so comfortable that she exposed her belly.
"Quack! Quack quack!" A raspy voice suddenly came from under the passenger seat. The little white duck pecked at her boots with its beak.
After its feathers became smelly from being baked by the car's interior walls last time, the little white duck learned its lesson. Instead of hanging out with Aura again, it cleverly rubbed against the grille of the heater vent, its fluffy down becoming warm and cozy.
Xi Xi smiled and tossed a popcorn from the snack bag in her hand, watching the little white duck chase the rolling food and crash into the temperature-controlled water dispenser, but the tiny water droplets that splashed up were evaporated by the heat emanating from the car wall before they even hit the ground.
As night deepened, ten-meter-long icicles fell from the bridge cables, shattering into diamond-like fragments on the road. However, Xi Xi's RV only trembled slightly.
The honeycomb pattern on the surface of the low-pressure snow tires gripped the ice firmly, and so far, the adjustable track kit hasn't even been activated.
Xi Xi glanced at the monitor screen and saw a beat-up pickup truck belonging to someone nearby swerving and skidding. The metal bucket tied to the roof of the truck crashed onto the ice with a bang, and the spilled diesel fuel instantly froze into a yellowish-brown icefall.
"Sigh..." Xi Zhongcang also saw this tragic situation, and while sighing, he couldn't help but feel deeply fortunate.
He had no idea what would have happened to him if he hadn't unexpectedly run into his wife and daughter during this server merge; he only felt a wave of fear wash over him.
Chu Zhiqin walked to the charging station again to check the power usage.
Thanks to the battery insulation compartment, the power loss situation has been significantly improved, and so far there is still 65% remaining!
According to the product description, this device encases the charging station in a double layer of aerogel, allowing it to maintain power supply even at temperatures as low as 70 degrees Celsius.
To test the power consumption, Xi Xi pressed the switch on the coffee machine and mentally calculated the power consumption figures on the LCD screen—although it consumed 20% more power than usual, it was still within an acceptable range.
Chu Zhiqin, who was standing to the side, finally felt relieved. She repeatedly reminded the central control screen to make sure to make a sound reminder when the battery level was below 50%.
"Fifty percent? Isn't that too early?" Xi Xi looked at her mother with some suspicion. She seriously suspected that her mother was the kind of person who had an obsessive-compulsive disorder and had to plug in her phone to charge it whenever the battery level dropped below 50%.
"That makes me feel more at ease!" Chu Zhiqin waved her hand dismissively. She was clearly not the same kind of person as Xi Xi, who only rushed to find a charger after seeing the "power off in 30 seconds" message on her phone.
"Why don't we turn off all the power-consuming appliances upstairs and just make do on the sofa downstairs tonight?" Xi Zhongcang suggested after thinking for a moment. "This sofa is quite big; we should be able to squeeze in."
Having to keep getting up at night to charge the device while sleeping doesn't seem like a good solution.
Xi Xi pondered for a moment, nodded in agreement, then went into the washroom, removed the blue talisman, and placed the washroom in the stairwell between the first and second floors.
In this way, the first and second floors can be well isolated, greatly saving on electricity and heating costs.
"Daughter, have we activated the anticoagulation components yet?" Xi Zhongcang, who had been watching the public chat closely, suddenly reminded her.
According to the public, many vehicles that were hit by the blizzard were being repaired on the roadside. Some people who did not understand the principles actually used spray guns to directly burn the frozen fuel tanks, and the flames that shot up almost ignited the entire vehicle!
"Use hot salt water!" Mr. Xi, a kind-hearted father, couldn't help but remind him in the public chat.
The chat was in chaos, with some people who hadn't even entered the frigid zone yet just watching the spectacle, and others who were too lost to follow the conversation and desperately seeking help.
"Please, is there any coal left? I'm freezing to death... My child is only 8 years old! Please, brothers and sisters!"
"Oh my god, you guys are not much different from people who put out gasoline fires with water..."
Where can I find hot salt water, bro?
"Emergency help needed! We need all kinds of thick clothing, including cotton-padded coats and down jackets!"
"Have you graduated from compulsory education yet? Seawater is just salt water!"
"Where can we retrieve seawater in this situation?"
"You already have a spray gun, what's a little bit of salt water?"
"I'm speechless..."
"Damn it, I've turned off the engine too."
"I was terrified. I'm too scared to drive now. The tires slipped and I almost fell off the bridge."
...
Xi Zhongcang shook his head, sighed, and closed the public chat.
"Don't worry, Dad..." Xi Xi handed her father a steaming cup of coffee. "I've turned everything on. The central control screen will also remind you if you forget to turn it on, so don't worry."
A short while later, the heating system suddenly increased its power, and the aroma of food wafted from the air outlets.
Chu Zhiqin was using the residual heat to warm the emergency soup she had prepared earlier, and she also opened three boxes of instant rice—a bowl of curry beef rice, a bowl of mushroom and tripe rice, and a bowl of spicy claypot rice.
"Let's eat side by side and try all the different flavors!"
That evening, after the three of them had eaten and drunk their fill, they lay back on the sofa covered with quilts.
Xi Xi and Chu Zhiqin were exhausted from a busy day, so they went to bed early. Xi Zhongcang, who was unable to walk properly, only took on mental tasks and was in good spirits, so he decided to keep watch with Aura.
“Anyway, given my current condition, I won’t expend much energy during the day, so it’s okay if I’m not fully recovered by tomorrow,” Xi Zhongcang carefully covered Xi Xi with the blanket and patted Chu Zhiqin’s hand. “You two can sleep peacefully. I’ll keep an eye on things if anything happens!”
With her father's words, Xi Xi slept quite soundly that night, and didn't even wake up when the temperature dropped again in the early morning.
As the first rays of dawn pierced the icy fog, the thermometer rose to minus forty-seven degrees Celsius.
Aura snuggled into Xi Xi's arms and started purring, while the little white duck also nestled into the cotton quilt that Chu Zhiqin had laid out on the ground.
Xi Xi nudged Aura, sat up, looked at her father who hadn't slept all night, then pulled back the covers and went into the driver's seat.
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