Everyone else was avoiding air conditioning, so Lan Jin naturally wouldn't make herself the exception. When she and her child were outside, she used a portable cooling fan. It worked like a regular electric fan but could hold ice. Once the ice was added, the breeze it produced had a faint coolness to it.
Since the power hadn't gone out again, she made full use of her refrigerator. There wasn't much food left that needed chilling anyway, so she filled the freezer with blocks of ice. If she ran out, she could make more. And if she had too much, she could store them in her personal space. They'd always come in handy someday.
As for containers to freeze the water in, there was no need to be picky. Wasn't cleanliness a priority before? Every food container had been washed thoroughly before being thrown away.
But once something was clean, who would really be willing to throw it out? Lan Jin wasn't any different. After cleaning them all, she stored the containers in her space. Now they were perfect for making ice, easy to stack and store.
Still, the outside temperature never matched the comfort of her space. Once she and Qiao Qiao got tired of staying outside, they'd switch to being indoors. Back and forth, keeping things balanced.
But heat wasn't the only issue. The real problem outside was the bugs. The mosquitoes were everywhere, swarming worse than ever.
Right after the flood receded, only the lower floors had a mosquito problem. But now, who knew if the bugs had mutated to fly higher or learned to take the elevator, because even the upper floors were infested. At night, if you wanted a good night's sleep, hanging a mosquito net was the only option.
And the green-headed flies… they were downright disgusting.
Speaking of mosquito nets, when Lan Jin had been preparing supplies, she hadn't thought to buy any. But during the later zero-yuan purchases, she had collected quite a few and stashed them away. Now, they were proving to be extremely useful, and she didn't have to worry about her family sleeping poorly anymore.
Lan Jin wanted to look out for Huang Jinghe. When she found out he didn't have a mosquito net, she gave him one generously. She even framed it casually, saying, "I bought this before but never used it. You go ahead and take it. My daughter and I already have ours. This one's just an extra."
She said it to make Huang Jinghe feel less burdened, but to her surprise, he immediately turned around and gave her a whole box of instant noodles in return.
Yes. A full box. Not a pack. Not a single bag.
At minimum, that box must've held over thirty bags. Huang Jinghe didn't hesitate at all. No matter how close people were, sometimes you had to return a favor if you wanted things to last.
Whatever Huang Jinghe was thinking, Lan Jin's opinion of him improved once again. But she had only intended to give the mosquito net for free. Accepting a whole box of noodles felt excessive, especially since she wanted to keep up a friendly relationship with him in the future. So, they had a long back-and-forth at the door, and in the end, she agreed to accept just one multi-pack of five bags. That made it feel more balanced.
They both felt the other was getting the short end of the stick, but regardless, once he had a mosquito net, Huang Jinghe could finally get a good night's sleep.
Later, Lan Jin asked Huang Jinghe if he planned to leave the complex. He said, "My parents told me not to leave, just stay here for now. I don't know why, but I have a feeling something else is coming. Besides, I don't have anywhere else to go except my parents' place, and they're way too busy to look after me. The roads still haven't reopened anyway, so they told me to stay put."
Then Huang Jinghe added, "My parents said I should really thank Sister Lan."
He hesitated for a second, then lowered his voice. "Also, my parents said the bank is going to open for a short time soon. They told me to withdraw all the cash in my account and use it to buy supplies. Sister Lan, if you trust my parents, then maybe don't move out just yet. Let's go together when it's time to buy things."
Lan Jin replied, "This is my own apartment. Where would I move to? I only asked because I was worried about you being here alone. But if your parents made that arrangement, then let's stick with that." After a pause, she added, "Honestly, I'm relieved you're staying. I just moved in and don't know anyone else here. If we can watch each other's backs, that'd be great. If you ever need anything, call me. I'll go with you."
"Mm, okay, Sister Lan."
Lan Jin was already aware of what Huang Jinghe had just told her. The bank really would be opening for a few days. But the news hadn't been widely spread. It had gone through official channels quietly. There was a daily limit for withdrawals too. On the first two days, each person could take out up to 100,000 yuan. Starting on the third day, the limit dropped to 50,000 per day. After a week, the bank would close again, and it wouldn't reopen.
All the cash people took out had to be spent at designated supply points. In the brutal summer heat, long lines stretched everywhere as people scrambled to restock their homes.
Nobody knew if more disasters were coming. But people are like that: if someone's buying, everyone else joins in. As long as something looked popular, no one wanted to miss out.
And with no one back to work yet, everyone was stuck at home with nothing better to do. Why not jump into the crowd?
One week later.
There was still no progress in Ren Xing's case. Even though the electricity had returned, the street surveillance cameras weren't functioning properly. It wasn't just a power issue. The devices had been underwater for so long that damage was expected. On top of that, they'd been thrown around by strong winds before, many of them hitting the ground hard. Most were broken beyond repair.
Restoring the entire monitoring system would be incredibly difficult, maybe even impossible in the short term.
But as for the bank opening that Huang Jinghe had mentioned—he was right. It opened.
It happened quietly, just like in Lan Jin's past life. No public announcements. Each location stayed quiet. If someone happened to be nearby, they'd go in and withdraw money. Since it was just a trial run, there were no withdrawal limits at first.
To make sure their son didn't miss out, Huang Jinghe's parents called him right on time, urging him to go downstairs quickly. Naturally, he invited Lan Jin to come along. They didn't go to the same bank, but the operating hours were roughly the same. So Lan Jin, with her daughter and Nana the dog, finally stepped outside for the first time in months.
Both Qiao Qiao and Nana were thrilled. Especially Nana. Ever since Lan Jin had bought him, he hadn't seen the outside world at all. It was all so new and exciting.
Fortunately, Lan Jin had clipped a leash onto him. Otherwise, with how hyper he was—and considering he was nearly five months old now—he would have looked truly intimidating from afar.