Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 171 Sharp Temperature Drop

Time slipped away unnoticed. Her back became stiff and sore from maintaining the same posture for so long, and her fingers became numb from repeatedly kneading. But she overcame these discomforts and focused intently on the work at hand.

After she finished making the last dumpling, she washed her flour-covered hands in the basin, picked up her phone, and glanced at the time. The number on the screen made her slightly surprised: a full four hours had passed! It was already eight o'clock in the evening!

It was already pitch black outside the window, and the indoor temperature was even lower than in the afternoon, with a noticeable chill. She stretched her stiff neck and shoulders, put some of the raw dumplings directly into her space in batches, and decided to steam the rest immediately.

Xu Xiaoyan filled the large iron pot with water, placed multiple layers of steamers on it, and after the water boiled, she put the dumplings into the steamers in batches. Steam rose again, carrying the aroma of noodles and meat filling. She stood by the stove, controlling the heat. The steamed dumplings became more translucent, and the color of the filling could be faintly seen, giving them a unique flavor.

After all the steamed dumplings had become hot and cooked food, she kept the portion for tonight and put them all into her space. By the time she finished, it was already 9:30 p.m.

There was only half an hour left before the official warning of the "precipitous drop in temperature" began at 10 p.m.

Xu Xiaoyan walked to the newly installed smokeless coal stove, solemnly checked again whether the stove door was closed tightly and whether the seal was intact, and carefully inspected each interface of the flue pipe. She felt around with her hand to confirm that there was no smoke leakage.

She opened the stove door and added a few more pieces of hardwood that burned well. The wood quickly ignited into a steady flame on the embers, and the orange-red light shone through the small observation window, bringing a reassuring warmth and brightness. The heat from the fire began to slowly dispel the chill that had gathered in the center of the room.

Xu Xiaoyan walked to the rattan recliner covered with a thick quilt, curled up and lay down, wrapping herself up tightly with another quilt. The room was extremely quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the stove fire and the sound of her chewing dumplings.

Before ten o'clock, Xu Xiaoyan felt a chill that seemed to have a physical presence, penetrating every tiny crack in the walls, doors and windows, and rudely invading the room!

Her exposed cheeks and nose felt as if they were being pierced by countless fine, sharp ice needles, sending a sharp, numbing pain through her! Breathing became difficult; the air she inhaled was so cold it stung her throat and lungs. The warmth from the stove fire seemed so weak in the face of this sudden drop in temperature!

She abruptly rose from the wicker chair and rushed to the window. At a speed visible to the naked eye, a thick, fluffy, and crystal-clear layer of white frost condensed on the windowpane! The frost flowers spread and thickened rapidly, quickly isolating and blurring the outside light, leaving only twisted and eerie white patterns on the glass.

She immediately withdrew her hand, quickly picked up her phone from the stool beside her. Her fingers were stiff and unresponsive due to the cold, so she rubbed them vigorously, turned on the screen, and opened the real-time temperature display function on the forum again.

The screen refreshed, and a number popped up, a glaring scarlet: [Current outdoor temperature: -16℃]

And in those brief ten seconds she watched with bated breath, the number seemed to dip slightly, almost imperceptibly! -17℃! The temperature drop had only just begun! Its intensity far exceeded anyone's expectations!

It was indeed a precipitous drop! Xu Xiaoyan felt as if her wrists and fingers, which were exposed outside her sleeves, were about to freeze and lose all feeling in that instant! A sharp, needle-like pain and numbness shot through her fingertips.

She quickly stuffed her phone back into the inside pocket of her military coat, rubbed her hands together vigorously and rapidly, and breathed out thick white steam into her palms. But the faint, warm steam was instantly swallowed up and dissipated by the icy air around her as soon as it left her lips, leaving her with almost no warmth.

She couldn't wait any longer! She had to hurry and heat the kang (a heated brick bed)! Xu Xiaoyan grabbed a handful of easily ignitable dry yellow leaves and pine needles from the firewood pile, rolled them up tightly, and then took out a lighter, bringing the flame close to the edge of the ball of dry leaves.

At first, the flame was weak, flickering in the cold stove and the rushing cold wind, as if it would go out at any moment. The withered leaves were only blackened at the edges, emitting a faint blue smoke. She carefully protected the flame of the lighter with her hand and gathered the withered leaves more tightly.

The orange flames finally ignited more dry leaves and pine needles, and the fire suddenly lit up the dark stove, making a soft and cheerful rustling sound, dispelling the darkness and chill near the stove.

She quickly grabbed a few thin, completely dry pieces of firewood, no thicker than a finger, and carefully placed them over the blazing fire of dry leaves. The firewood quickly ignited, making a louder crackling sound. Once the flames stabilized, she selected several larger pieces of wood from the pile and placed them over the blazing firewood, forming a stable "well" or cross structure to ensure sufficient airflow for the flames.

The orange-red flames burned steadily in the stove, illuminating the entire stove opening in a bright red glow. The scorching heat swept over her, dispelling the chill that clung to Xu Xiaoyan as she squatted in front of the stove. She gently closed the iron stove door, leaving only a narrow crack to observe the fire and adjust the air.

Xu Xiaoyan got up and quickly walked to the rattan recliner, picked up the thick cotton quilt and soft pillow that she had previously laid on it to keep warm, and spread them on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The firewood in the kang (heated brick bed) has a limited burning time. Even if it burns fully, it can only provide heat for a few hours at most. Once the firewood burns out and is left unattended, the temperature of the kang will gradually drop, and the room temperature will also drop sharply. If a person is asleep, the low temperature will make their consciousness blurred and drowsy, and they may fall into a sweet dream without waking up. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the continuous supply of heat.

She opened her phone's alarm settings and set the alarm interval to three hours to ensure she could check the fire in the stove in time and add new fuel if necessary.

After completing these preparations, she took off her heavy winter clothes, quickly lifted the already warm quilt, and crawled inside. Her body was instantly enveloped in warmth, and she sighed comfortably, tucking the quilt tightly around herself.

After days of intense preparations and the ordeal of dealing with the sudden cold, both her mind and body were at their limits. Enveloped in warmth, her tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and she quickly fell asleep.

……

I don't know how much time had passed when my phone suddenly rang! The preset alarm sounded particularly jarring in the quiet room.