135: Jiang Fei: Our family has the conditions!

Jiang Fei looked down and saw that the sole of her shoe had melted and was sticking to the ground, stringing up.

Recently, she had been working with the Rescue Team, so she hadn't worn sneakers, opting instead for plastic sandals, which were comfortable and breathable.

But she had forgotten that plastic would melt if left outside for too long.

Taking out a new pair of shoes and changing into them, Jiang Fei drove the truck to the Ping An Branch.

It wasn't mealtime yet, so Su Liuyuan, Zhou Wanqing, and Jiang Xiaoshi were at the Ping An Supermarket.

Jiang Fei asked them to close the Supermarket early, move the 10 boxes from the truck into the first floor of the branch, and then called Jiang Zhengkang and the others over.

"Starting tomorrow, we're closing for a holiday. Everyone doesn't need to come to work anymore."

"Uncle, you, Han Yang, and Xiao Shi will live on the second floor of the branch. If you want to open for business, open; if you don't, just stay upstairs."

"We don't know when the extreme heat will end. If you run out of supplies, you can use what's in the Supermarket."

"The supplies in these boxes are your salaries, two boxes per person: one box of food and fruit, and one box of daily necessities and cooling items, excluding Yao Jin and Niu Er."

Yao Jin was displeased: "Why don't I get any?"

"Niu Er and I did all the cleaning for both Supermarkets. The only reason it's so clean is because of us!"

Jiang Fei stabbed at Yao Jin's heart: "Your dad said there's no need to pay you. You two are free labor."

Yao Jin: "..."

Was he really his dad's biological son?!

Working for free, Yao Jin left for the day with Niu Er, fuming.

Zhou Wanqing asked Jiang Fei: "Boss, are we still cooking tonight?"

"Let's have hotpot."

It was rare for all the teammates to be together, so Jiang Fei went to the freezer to get meat.

Su Liuyuan and Ling Zhaorui went upstairs to set up tables and prepare the hotpot, bowls, and chopsticks.

Xiao Chuxia, Zhou Wanqing, and the others were responsible for washing and plating the vegetables.

"You cut the meat, I'll go pick up Grandma Xu." Jiang Fei handed the meat to Lu Yu, switched to Su Liuyuan's MPV, and drove back to the Mingshang Apartment Complex.

With the key to 5-201, Jiang Fei opened the door and entered.

Old Mrs. Xu was sitting on the sofa, eating a packet of instant biscuits.

Seeing Jiang Fei, Old Mrs. Xu immediately smiled: "Little Jiang, how did you get in?"

"Qian Yao gave me the key. He hasn't had time to come back recently. I plan to pick you up to live at my place. It just so happens that we're having hotpot at the Supermarket tonight, so let's go eat together."

Afraid of bothering Jiang Fei, Old Mrs. Xu waved her hand and said: "No need, I'm fine at home by myself."

"Look, the cucumbers I planted on my balcony are almost ready, and I still have several boxes of food and several large barrels of water in the kitchen, so I'm not short on food or drink."

"I have two more rooms on the second floor of Building 2. If Grandma isn't used to living with me, she can go there." Jiang Fei feigned anger:

"Grandma, if you don't agree, I'll never talk to you again."

"Hey, you little girl, using my own words against me."

Unable to resist Jiang Fei, Old Mrs. Xu had no choice but to agree.

Jiang Fei helped Old Mrs. Xu pack her luggage.

She had food and water, so just taking changes of clothes was enough.

Helping Old Mrs. Xu into the car, Jiang Fei put the luggage in the back seat and returned to the Ping An Branch.

Lu Yu and the others had already prepared the hotpot ingredients and soup bases.

Two electric hotpots, one spicy and one mushroom soup.

On the table were dried bean curd skin, dried dragon's beard vegetables, special cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, dried daylilies, green shrimp, sliced pork, rolled lamb, and various kinds of edible fungi.

Zhou Wanqing had also prepared two dipping sauces: spicy and three-delicacy.

"Grandma Xu! I Miss you so much!" Xiao Chuxia affectionately linked arms with Old Mrs. Xu and pulled her to sit down.

"Xiao Yatou has gotten thinner, and Zhao Rui has gotten tanner." Old Mrs. Xu looked at the two children with concern.

Su Liuyuan couldn't help but lean forward: "Grandma, what about me?"

"Still as handsome as the first time I saw you."

"I just love listening to Grandma talk!" Su Liuyuan smiled, revealing his big white teeth, and introduced Zhou Wanqing and the others to Old Mrs. Xu.

Jiang Xiaoshi was sweet-talker, making Old Mrs. Xu laugh endlessly, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

After eating hotpot, Jiang Fei gave the key to the Ping An Supermarket door to Jiang Zhengkang, and everyone drove back to Mingshang to tidy up 203.

Jiang Fei asked Lu Yu and the two other boys for help, moving a generator, an all-in-one air conditioner, a small freezer, diesel, water barrels, a four-piece bedding set, and other supplies from 302.

Lu Yu connected the wires, while Su Liuyuan and Xiao Chuxia cleaned.

When it was mostly tidied up, Jiang Fei went to 5-201 to move the vegetables Grandma Xu had planted.

She then went back upstairs and moved 2 boxes of milk, 2 boxes of drinking water, 2 boxes of fruits and vegetables, 1 large bag of dried fruits and roasted nuts, and a large bag of fresh beef.

Old Mrs. Xu couldn't help but laugh: "Little Jiang, are you trying to make Grandma eat herself to death?"

Jiang Fei: "I still have a lot at home, Grandma. Please eat as much as you like, don't be shy."

Our family has the means!

To prevent Old Mrs. Xu from worrying too much about Xu Qianyao, who was working outside, Jiang Fei took out a new walkie-talkie.

"Grandma, this is a walkie-talkie. You can contact Qian Yao with it and know that he's safe." Jiang Fei taught Old Mrs. Xu how to use it.

After tidying up 203, Jiang Fei and the others went back to their respective homes to rest.

The temperature began to rise by 1℃ each day, and in less than a week, it had already reached 60℃.

The heat-insulating film on the windows and the heat-insulating panels installed outside blocked most of the ultraviolet rays and heat, but without air conditioning, the room was unbearable.

Jiang Fei had once turned off the air conditioner, and the room quickly became stuffy like a steamer.

The corridor was even hotter, the thick air seemed to block the nose and mouth, threatening to suffocate a person.

It was hard to imagine how survivors who only had a cooling unit would endure this high temperature.

The water supply also decreased from the original 45 minutes to 15 minutes.

And there was no specific time; one had to keep the faucet open and wait for the water to come.

The water flow was also extremely small; it would take about half an hour to fill a washbasin.

It was barely enough to drink, but cooking and washing were out of the question.

The only relief was that the Safety Shelter's fire prevention measures were very good, and no fires had occurred anywhere.

Unable to go out, Jiang Fei became a workhorse.

Except for eating lunch with everyone every day, she spent the rest of her time farming in the Supermarket.

The rice was ripe, and Jiang Fei harvested it with agricultural machinery, placing it on an empty space nearby to dry.

Then she went to harvest the fruits and vegetables from the plantation and orchard, and planted new ones.

After finishing both gardens, the rice was also dry.

Jiang Fei manually separated the grains, then used a rice mill to remove the husks, harvesting 800 jin of rice.

She couldn't wait to cook a pot of rice and eat it.

The rice from the Supermarket emitted a rich aroma, with a soft and moderately chewy texture, allowing one to feel the elasticity of the grains, and a faint sweetness.

After successfully planting rice for the first time, Jiang Fei expanded the rice paddies to two mu and set aside another mu of land to plant wheat.

After finishing all her work, Jiang Fei was so tired she didn't want to move.

However, the medicinal herbs she had planted earlier had grown new shoots.

She would harvest them when she had time; anyway, with the extreme heat, she couldn't deliver goods now.

Jiang Fei exited the Supermarket. It was already eight in the evening. As soon as she collapsed onto the sofa, she heard a knock at the door.

"Miss, are you resting?"

Recognizing Xiao Chuxia's voice, Jiang Fei, despite not wanting to move, went to open the door.

Xiao Chuxia: "The New Year is coming soon. Su Liuyuan found red paper, a brush, and ink, and asked Grandma Xu to write Spring Couplets. Everyone is in 203. Do you want to join the fun?"

Jiang Fei was startled, only then remembering that the New Year was in two days.