Chapter 52 - 52

Chapter 52 The Arrival of Extreme Cold 1Su Xiaoyu was eating hot pot with mutton around the stove. The large bowl contained sliced ​​mutton, which was then placed into the boiling broth and ready to eat in less than two minutes.A dipping sauce made with sesame paste and chili oil is an absolute perfect match.After several days of preparation, the windows have been sealed, insulation has been installed on the walls, and most importantly, a stove has been installed in the living room so that everyone can stay in the room when it's cold.The sun has been shining for shorter and shorter periods lately, but luckily they managed to get their hands on a diesel generator to charge their portable power bank.This way, you can charge the tablet, watch TV and variety shows together, and chat about all sorts of topics.They ate the sheep in exchange for 10 catties of flour. Now, money is no longer useful, and they have regressed to the barter system.Su Xiaoyu decided against eating mutton, so she ladled out some mutton soup. The soup was well-seasoned and had no gamey smell at all; a sip warmed her stomach."This sheep was a worthwhile trade."Liu Hai laughed, "That's right, I also think it's a pretty good deal, but 10 jin of flour is really a bit too much."Food is so precious right now, everyone wants to exchange for more to get through this winter.During the day, when they went out to look for supplies, they encountered a group of people at a crossroads. Everyone laid out what they wanted to put on the ground.Sanitary napkins, toilet paper, all kinds of medicine, clothes and props, shoes and socks—I grew quite a lot of them.Two men led a sheep that weighed about 30 jin (15 catties) and wasn't particularly fat. They immediately took a liking to it and after some haggling, they traded 10 jin (5 catties) of flour for the sheep.After bringing them back, we slaughtered them with tools, kept the bones to make mutton soup, and froze all the meat. Then we sliced ​​the mutton and kept it for hot pot. With about 10 people together, the amount of meat consumed each day was very large.I'll eat as much as I can now, and I plan to just stay in bed and eat compressed dry rations when it gets cold, and drink water when I'm thirsty.Reducing activity in this way can also help you resist the cold.Thinking about the storage in her spatial dimension, Su Xiaoyu felt increasingly fortunate to have stockpiled so much food and meat. It was enough to feed everyone for several lifetimes; the only downside was the inconvenience of taking it all out.Lin Xiuxiu envied everyone who could go out; she hadn't left the building in a long time, so she said to them,"When we go downstairs tomorrow, can I come with you? You guys go out every day while I stay home, doing nothing but cooking, cleaning, and washing and folding your clothes. It's so boring and stifling!"Jin Jun saw this as an opportunity, so he quickly said to Lin Xiuxiu, "If it's not too cold tomorrow, I'll take you out. We can just walk around downstairs, nothing too far, okay?"Lin Xiuxiu: "Okay, of course I'm fine with this. I didn't want to go to crowded places either. It's just a bit stuffy staying indoors all day."There's nothing else to do besides watching TV dramas.Su Xiaoyu originally wanted to stop Lin Xiuxiufrom going out, but things outside have suddenly become chaotic.It's just a facade of peace; nobody knows if someone will stab them in the back.However, Jin Jun is quite skilled, so with him by my side, we should be fine.The indoor thermometer showed a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius, which was even with the stove burning; the outside temperature was probably below -10 degrees Celsius.So there's not much time left to go out; you never know when you might not be able to leave the house at all.After dinner.Su Xiaoyu and Lin Xiuxiu felt a gust of cold wind as they came downstairs, so they quickly pulled up their down jacket collars and hurried back home.It feels like a different temperature from upstairs; it's a bit cold inside since there's no stove burning.Lin Xiuxiu didn't dare take off her down jacket. Instead, she quickly went to the kitchen to boil water. After the water boiled, she filled two hot water bottles, keeping one for herself and giving the other to Su Xiaoyu.Girls need to take better care of themselves when it gets colder. The thought of getting my period in a few days made me feel terrible.She then crawled into bed, took off her down jacket, and wore her thickest flannel pajamas underneath, along with thick cotton socks.Su Xiaoyu, holding a hand warmer, said, "It's too cold in our room. Maybe we should light the stove tomorrow!""I think it's okay, but it uses a lot of coal." Lin Xiuxiu lay down with a hot water bottle in her arms, then took out her tablet and looked for her favorite variety show.There are only a few good shows, so you can only watch them repeatedly.Su Xiaoyu saw a variety show featuring Su Yanand several other people on her tablet, something she hadn't noticed when she downloaded it."Don't watch this show anymore.""What's wrong, Xiaoyu?" Lin Xiuxiu paused the program as she spoke.Su Xiaoyu: "The man on the far left is my second uncle's son, Su Yan.""Ah! I really didn't notice that." Lin Xiuxiu held the tablet up to her eyes and looked at it carefully. It really was Su Yan. She promptly turned off the program and switched to another one."Then let's not watch him, let's watch my idol's movie instead.""Who is your male idol?" Su Xiaoyu saw that it was another male variety show.It's nothing more than participating in a challenge together, nothing special. Men sell their faces just like women."Fu You!" Then, pointing, "It's this guy in the black clothes, isn't he handsome!"Su Xiaoyu glanced at him; he appeared to be a tall, muscular man with a passable face."It's alright! Not as good-looking as Brother Xiao!"Lin Xiuxiu sighed, "That's definitely not the case. If our Brother Xiao were in the entertainment industry, everyone would be drooling over him! It's a pity he became a lawyer. It's such a waste that someone as talented as him doesn't go into the entertainment industry."But now that a natural disaster has struck, nothing else matters; being able to eat is the only thing that matters.Su Xiaoyu laughed, "You little foodie, all you can think about now is food.""You still dare to talk back to me!" Lin Xiuxiuretorted, reaching out to touch the ticklish spot on Su Xiaoyu's body, specifically a piece of flesh on her waist.Su Xiaoyu laughed heartily when her ticklish spot was touched, and in order to avoid being tickled, she could only raise her hands in surrender."Okay, I was wrong, I was wrong, I meant me, alright!""That's more like it. I'm going out for a walk tomorrow, why don't you come with me?" Lin Xiuxiu felt a little hungry, so she opened the drawer next to her and took out a bag of potato chips.I tore open the packaging and started crunching away. At this moment, I wouldn't trade any amount of money for potato chips."What does your date have to do with me?" Su Xiaoyu grabbed the bag and started eating potato chips as well.Lin Xiuxiu: "Why can't I bring you? You're my best friend. Besides, he and I are just going out for a stroll, and you coming along won't make a difference!"Su Xiaoyu didn't understand relationships between men and women before, but after watching so many TV dramas, she understands now. She knows how awkward it would be if there was a third wheel on their date; she shook her head like a rattle-drum."No way, I'm not going to join in the fun. This is the first time you two have gone out alone, and I'm not going to be so rude as to be a third wheel."