Chapter 71: Extreme Heat 12
It took Chu Yian over three hours to walk from the suburbs to the city, and she felt like her legs were about to give out.
At 11:40 PM, they finally arrived in the city.
It was almost midnight, and the city’s streets were bustling with people.
They roamed through streets and alleys, seeking cool air and engaging in trade.
The daytime scenes of the city seemed to have been moved to the night, especially the shops with generators, whose roaring sounds accompanied their booming and endless business.
However, there was one place with more people than the shops—the utility poles.
The people’s longing for electricity was as great as their expectations for the electricians.
Above, one person repaired the transformer;
Below, a crowd of people supervised.
This put immense pressure on the experienced electrician, who didn’t dare to come down until the repair was complete. Even Chu Yian couldn’t help but glance over twice.
But soon, Lu Qingyuan led her to a nearby shop. He quickly bought two sets of men’s clothing, then hurried to a car rental shop.
Surprisingly, the car rental shop was open late at night.
There were a few scattered people inside, who seemed more like the owner’s relatives than customers. They sat in the dark rental shop, each fanning themselves, chatting in a cool spot.
“Business is tough. It’s too hot to go out during the day, so people only come out at night. Who would rent a car in this weather? Now, with no water or electricity, the rent hasn’t decreased a bit.
I don’t even dare to hire help anymore. Oh, it’s driving me crazy.”
It was clearly the owner complaining, “The weather forecast says this heat will last another week, but I wonder if it will really end in a week.”
“I don’t know when it will end, but another elderly person was carried out near our Residential Area this afternoon.”
“In Nanfu District, an electrician repairing a transformer also died from the heat.”
…In this high temperature, people dying from the heat was not uncommon at all.
Chu Yian listened to their conversation for a few moments and realized the situation in the city was much worse than she had imagined.
However, that was none of her business; she was just there to buy a car with Lu Qingyuan. He walked directly into the shop, passed by rows of cars, and without hesitation, chose one.
He swiped his card, took the keys, and left.
Chu Yian had been traveling all night, her legs aching and feet sore. The moment she sat in the car, she let out a long sigh of relief.
With air conditioning, sitting in the car was so comfortable!
In this environment, Chu Yian even dozed off for a short while. When she opened her eyes, they were already out of the city.
Lu Qingyuan drove the car to a gas station.
At this moment, the 24-hour gas station was doing better business than many shops. People were queuing in long lines, all there to buy fuel.
Diesel and gasoline.
Both were available.
They waited for a long time before it was their turn. Lu Qingyuan filled the car’s gasoline tank directly.
Zzz, zzzzz… a sound of electric current.
The dimly lit gas station suddenly brightened with its main lights.
“The power is back!”
“Electricity is on!”
Everyone looked at the reconnected power supply, and their first reaction was to call their families to inquire.
Chu Yian stood in the crowd and heard at least five people call to confirm that their homes had power. Everyone was overjoyed, eager to rush home and turn on the air conditioning.
Lu Qingyuan also suddenly received a call. Chu Yian didn’t know what the other person was saying, but she could hear his replies, “It’s fine.”
“The city has power.”
“I’m okay.”
As he spoke, his eyebrows began to furrow, “What?”
“Hmm, I understand.”
…Chu Yian didn’t know what he had discussed, only that the car, which was originally heading out of the city, suddenly turned around and drove back into the city. “Where did you buy the generator?”
“In Beipu District.”
Chu Yian gave directions, leading him directly to the generator shop. With the city’s power restored, the number of pedestrians on the streets instantly decreased. When they arrived, the generator shop was about to close.
“Boss, do you still have generators?”
“No more.”
With the power outages these past two days, there were many places that needed generators. The shop’s generators were mostly sold out; his business mainly focused on selling generator parts and repairs.
The weather was hot, and the power suddenly went out.
Some people were troubled, while others rejoiced.
Merchants selling generators and giant ice blocks saw a surge in orders, with no stock left on hand.
Lu Qingyuan looked at the boss, “Can you spare one generator if I pay five times the price?”
“This… I’ll arrange for a delivery tomorrow. When can you pick it up?” The boss couldn’t resist the temptation of money.
Lu Qingyuan upped the offer again, “Can you get it tonight? I’ll pay ten times the price, plus an extra ten percent for the delivery fee.”
The power of money was immense. That same night, a new diesel generator arrived. It perfectly demonstrated the saying, “Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.”
“Teacher Lu, why would you spend over ten thousand to buy a generator that’s actually worth just over a thousand?”
Isn’t that just being a complete sucker?
She didn’t understand.
“I just received news that the uncontrollable high temperatures will continue, so I need to stay at your house for a few more days.”
“Then stay!”
Chu Yian nodded.
They were all going through the game together, so of course, she was willing. Then she realized that the generator was bought for future use.
Lu Qingyuan acted quickly.
After buying the generator, he went straight to the bank.
At this time, no one was working at the bank, but the ATM glowed faintly. He went in and withdrew twenty thousand directly. It wasn’t that he only had twenty thousand in his card, but rather that the daily limit for each card at the ATM was twenty thousand.
Lu Qingyuan threw the withdrawn money directly into the car, then found an electronics store that hadn’t closed yet. He bought two electric fans, an electric pot, and an induction cooker.
They were busy until three or four in the morning.
This was the time when the early morning market at the wet market opened. After Lu Qingyuan finished his errands, Chu Yian got out of the car and picked up large bags of food and fruits, filling the car’s back seat.
When she returned, she happened to overhear Lu Qingyuan on the phone, vaguely catching the words “fire-retardant board.”
By the time Chu Yian got into the car, Lu Qingyuan had finished his call. Finally, their all-night shopping spree ended at 5 AM.
Back home, Chu Yian turned on the light, moved the sofa to the kitchen doorway, and cranked up the air conditioning in the kitchen. She quickly took a cold shower, changed into her pajamas, and collapsed onto the sofa, falling asleep instantly.
Lu Qingyuan passed by. He paused slightly in front of the sofa.
Chu Yian was curled up in the sofa, a small bundle, sleeping very obediently. Her pajamas seemed a bit too large, revealing a large expanse of skin on her shoulder from the neckline.
Lu Qingyuan leaned forward slightly, even able to smell the lingering scent of shower gel on her.
A moment later,
Lu Qingyuan straightened up and walked past her without looking away. A moment later, he took a thin blanket from the room and threw it over her.
Game Day 6, 8:00 AM
Chu Yian woke up after only three hours of sleep—woken up by the heat!
