Chaрtеr 17: Wаtеr аnd Electriсitу Rationing
In suсh scorсhing hеаt, роliсe оffiсеrs arе human tоo. Thеу’re рrobаblу аll working frоm hоme. Whо wоuld risk hеаtstrоkе, dеhydrаtion, оr еven death by gоing out in fiftу-degrее Сеlsius weathеr to handlе а thеft сasе?
If yоu don’t havе thе аbilitу tо prоtect yоur оwn bеlоngings, уou can оnlу аcсeрt your lоssеs whеn thеy’re stоlеn.
Threе days lаtеr, thе рowеr сompany finally reрairеd thе linеs аnd rеstorеd electriсity.
Нowеver, thе government issued water and electricity rationing orders.
Water and electricity were now provided only from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily—eight hours in total.
A wave of buying solar panels and storage batteries swept across the entire city.
Factories were unable to produce new storage batteries and solar panels, so existing inventory was cleared out extremely quickly.
Eventually, prices were driven up to astronomical levels, and connections were needed just to buy them.
Everyone could sense the crisis.
With solar panels and storage batteries, shops gradually began reopening at night.
Street vendors had all but disappeared; only supermarkets of all sizes and pharmacies remained open for business.
Jiang Ci also went out in the evening to stroll around a supermarket, buying some loose-packaged snacks. Oil, rice, and flour had long been snatched up.
Elderly people who hadn’t managed to grab any supplies crowded around the supermarket owner, asking when new stock would arrive.
The owner said he didn’t know when there would be more goods. Food supplies were extremely tight, and it was nearly impossible to restock.
They were just clearing out their remaining inventory before closing for good. The weather was too hot, and goods couldn’t withstand storage for long.
Especially on the first floor, where countless rats and cockroaches had appeared from who-knows-where, making it impossible to keep things safe.
Rice and flour left out would quickly become infested with bugs.
Those who hadn’t managed to secure food supplies grumbled loudly. Upon hearing the owner say he didn’t know when new stock would arrive, chaos erupted in the supermarket.
Even those who had grabbed food couldn’t get it out—their items were snatched right out of their hands before they could even pay.
Jiang Ci barely managed to squeeze her way out of the supermarket, only to have the small pack of cookies she’d just weighed snatched away by an unknown person.
But she didn’t really care about that little loss anyway.
This was just the beginning. These people would only grow more desperate in the future.
After some thought, Jiang Ci decided to go check on Xianglan Xiaozhu.
Just as she reached the basement level to get her mini car, she spotted two men lurking suspiciously in the parking lot.
Jiang Ci calmly walked to her car, started it, and checked that the fuel was still there. Ignoring the two men, she drove straight out.
The two men watched her drive away with pained expressions. After making sure no one else was around, they huddled together and whispered for a while.
Zhang Qiang and Zhang Shuai were biological brothers who lived on the seventh floor of this building.
They had been scouting the parking lot for several days but hadn’t seen anyone drive out.
In such extreme heat, everyone stayed indoors, only venturing downstairs at most during the night for a bit of activity.
This was the first time in days that someone had actually driven away.
To avoid complications and prevent another situation like Jiang Ci driving off with her car, they decided to act without delay and steal fuel that very night.
A while ago, they had snatched a gasoline generator from the ninth floor, which required gasoline to operate. With their household fuel running low, they had set their sights on the residential garage.
After all, these car owners weren’t using their vehicles now anyway. Leaving fuel in the cars was just a waste—better to let them, the brothers, make use of it.Jiang Ci neither cared about nor knew about these matters. As long as no one stole from her, she wouldn’t bother meddling in others’ affairs.
Xianglan Villa consisted of only 30 villas, all occupied by wealthy and influential officials or dignitaries.
The security system in the entire villa area was still quite comprehensive.
However, after the extreme heat arrived, many security personnel resigned and returned home, so things were no longer what they used to be.
Still, a few wealthy households retained their housekeepers and bodyguards.
Si Dad, the former mayor, had already retired and was living a leisurely life in retirement, so there were no housekeepers or bodyguards at home.
When Jiang Ci arrived, Si Beichen was playing cards with his parents.
Si Beichen had installed solar panels on the balcony of the third floor, so even during the power outage, there was enough electricity at home.
Jiang Ci was reluctantly drawn into the card game.
They were playing “Bluff,” and the best player was Si Jianhua. None of the other three could out-bluff him—truly worthy of a former mayor.
The second-best player was Jiang Ci. Wen Qianyue looked at her with surprise, never expecting that her well-behaved and outstanding daughter could bluff so skillfully. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.
This was mainly thanks to her good friend Wu Ya.
Wu Ya loved playing “Bluff” and often dragged her boyfriend Jiang Chengrong and Jiang Ci along to play.
After playing so many times, Jiang Ci had picked up some tricks of her own.
This round was won by Si Jianhua again. He looked smugly at Si Beichen and teased, “All’s fair in war.”
Then, turning to Jiang Ci, who often won, he praised generously, “You’re really something, kid. Reminds me of my younger days.”
Si Beichen let out a small, dismissive “tch.” Seeing his unconvinced expression, Jiang Ci couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Si Beichen stared at her expressionlessly, making Jiang Ci inexplicably uneasy, and her laughter abruptly stopped.
Si Jianhua scolded disapprovingly, “You brat, don’t you dare bully your sister.”
Jiang Ci cleared her throat and asked, “Have you checked the food stored in the basement? I’ve heard that cockroaches and mice have been particularly rampant lately. Pest control in the basement must be done properly.”
Si Beichen replied seriously, “I check every day. There are indeed many more cockroaches and mice, but fortunately, we caught it early and cleaned them up in time. Still, in the long run, the food won’t last.”
Wen Qianyue suggested, “How about we move all the food upstairs?”
Si Beichen shook his head. “Even if we move it upstairs, there will still be mice and cockroaches. The sudden increase in these pests is likely related to the weather. They adapt faster than humans and reproduce quickly, making it hard to eliminate them completely.”
“Ah, humans have done too much damage to the environment. Global warming—this is the consequence.”
Si Jianhua tossed his cards aside, stood up with his hands behind his back, and said, “Enough playing.”
Si Jianhua and Wen Qianyue went back to their rooms to rest.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ci said to Si Beichen, “If you trust me, let me take care of all the food at home. I know a good place to store it—very safe.”
Si Beichen asked curiously, “What place?”
Jiang Ci looked at him without answering.
Seeing that she didn’t want to say, Si Beichen didn’t press further. He had only asked casually, and whether he knew or not didn’t matter.
It was just that food was extremely important now, and if discovered by others, it could easily lead to danger.So he asked seriously, “Will this bring you any danger or trouble?”
Jiang Ci breathed a sigh of relief and affirmed, “There will absolutely be no danger, and it’s not troublesome at all. I deliver a certain amount of food every week.”
Si Beichen ultimately agreed. Knowing she didn’t want him to find out where it was, he simply loaded everything into the car and let Jiang Ci drive away.
Under the cover of night, Jiang Ci made several trips back and forth to transport everything.
She hadn’t expected Si Beichen to prepare so much food—and all of it substantial goods: premium rice, flour, cured meat, and canned goods.