The neighborhood group chat was flooded with complaints:
"4-1209 Slacking Off: Are you kidding me? A power outage now? Iâm going to die from the heat without AC!"
"6-2702 Holly: What are we going to do? My baby wonât stop crying from the heat."
"2-1408 Bella Grant: My kidâs school was canceled because of the high temperature, so now the elderly and children are all at home. How are they supposed to handle this heat without air conditioning? @Property Management, whatâs going on?"
"2-1908 Coco: The last power outage was because of the tornado. Whatâs the reason this time? Donât tell me the power equipment got fried by the sun."
"4-2009 Nina: Didnât our complexâs power equipment just get inspected and repaired after the tornado? Itâs all new stuff, how could it break? Did the property management embezzle the funds?"
"Property Management: @All Residents, per a government notice, the weather is extremely hot. Droughts and water shortages are occurring in various regions, making hydropower generation difficult. Meanwhile, residential electricity consumption has skyrocketed, creating a major power shortage. Starting today, all residential areas in Anworth will have a rationed power supply. Power will be supplied daily from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Please plan your electricity usage accordingly and charge your devices in time."
"4-1209 Slacking Off: No!!! The ice cream bars I just put in the freezer are going to melt!!!"
"6-702 The Lover: No way, so no power at night either?"
"5-2602 SoloByNorthWindow: There are elderly people at my home; they canât take it without AC. Can we turn on the complexâs backup generator? @Property Management."
"Property Management: @5-2002 SoloByNorthWindow, we apologize, resident, but the government has implemented controls on gasoline and diesel. Each residential complex is given a fixed quota. The complexâs backup power system can only supply enough electricity to ensure the elevators and fire safety systems are operational."
"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: My kids canât stand the heat. Iâm thinking of taking them to the mall; at least they have free AC there. Does any neighbor want to go together? Taxis are really expensive right now, we could share a ride!"
"..."
Melody Summers knew that the current power rationing in residential areas was to ensure electricity for industrial production, especially for food processing plants.
The government must have foreseen something, so they were giving factories a few weeks to ramp up production and stockpile enough supplies for the difficult times ahead.
With the sudden power rationing, Melody Summers was a little worried about Winnie Summers and decided to go check on her at Crystal Mart.
*
Robert Lancaster had been on edge for the past few days. Back in mid-April, he had been happy that summer arrived early, thinking the peak tourist season might start sooner.
But now, it was just too hot!
Several of the countryâs famous summer resorts had reached forty to fifty degrees Celsius, which was simply unimaginable. Who would go on vacation to a place that hot? The attractions were deserted, and most scenic areas had shut down completely.
In the last couple of days, the bank had been demanding payment, but he couldnât recoup the project funds. The Sutton Familyâs attitude was ambiguous; they had talked about injecting capital, but had yet to make a move.
Out of options, Robert Lancaster had no choice but to start borrowing from loan sharks, at least to pay off the interest owed to the bank.
Just then, the villaâs central air conditioning suddenly stopped working.
"Why is the power out!" Robert Lancaster slammed his hand on the table, his voice full of anger.
"Oh, donât worry. Iâll have the maid switch to the generator right now," Elaine Hughes quickly soothed him.
Just then, the maid, Miss Warren, came over and said, "Madam, the generator is out of gasoline."
Robert Lancaster froze, then a wave of regret washed over him. He suddenly remembered someone had warned him a while ago that power was tight. To guarantee electricity for the factories, the government was going to start rationing power to residential areas soon.
The wealthy circles had gotten the news in advance and were all hoarding power generators and fuel like gasoline and diesel. For a time, prices skyrocketed, and the demand for fuel far outstripped the supply.
He had been so busy with the company these past few days that he had completely forgotten about it.
Robert Lancaster frowned and called his assistant, telling him to purchase gasoline and diesel. However, he was told that the state had now implemented controls on fuel. Not only was gasoline hard to buy, but even diesel, which used to be readily available, was no longer sold easily. The black market still had some stock from private trades, but the price had already soared to about twenty times what it used to be.
Robert Lancaster slammed the table in frustration. The household expenses had been ballooning these past few days. He had glanced at the familyâs April bill earlier. The month wasnât even over, yet the cumulative spending was already approaching half of last yearâs total expenses.
"Youâre home all day, every day. How could you spend so much money? The company is tight on funds right now, donât you know how to save me some money?" Robert Lancaster said to Elaine Hughes, his voice full of dissatisfaction.
Elaine Hughes felt wronged. She argued back, "Donât take it out on me again. Have you even looked at how much the prices of fruits and vegetables have gone up? A family has to eat. The other day, the luxury boutiques sent over this seasonâs new arrivals, and I didnât dare keep a single thing. To save money, Iâve canceled several of my club memberships. How can you say that to me?"
After speaking, Elaine Hughes began to sob quietly.
Robert Lancaster could only sigh and console her. "The companyâs having cash flow problems lately. I know itâs been hard on you. Things will get better once the temperature drops in a few days and the tourism industry recovers."
After a momentâs thought, he added, "Letâs tighten our spending for a while. Donât buy anything unnecessary. Fruits and vegetables are expensive, so be more frugal. Just enough to eat each day is fine. Donât be wasteful."
Hearing this, Elaine Hughes could only nod with tears in her eyes. Robert Lancaster was the one who earned the money in this family; she had very little say in front of him.
*
The moment Melody Summers stepped outside, a wave of heat hit her. Holding a sun umbrella and a handheld fan, she walked toward Crystal Mart, fanning herself the entire way. By the time she reached the supermarket entrance, her back was completely soaked in sweat, the fabric clinging to her skin. She deeply regretted her decision to go out after three in the afternoon.
Crystal Mart was packed with people. A few were renting shared power banks near the checkout counter.
Other residents were squatting quietly by the shelves, discreetly enjoying the free air conditioning.
The freezers were empty of ice cream bars and cold drinks. The price of ice cream had multiplied several times, but every new shipment was still snatched up instantly. Crystal Lynch was stocking a new batch of mineral water in a freezer to chill.
Seeing Melody, Winnie Summers quickly grabbed a bottle of water for her. "Why did you come all the way over here at this time? The sun is brutal right now."
Melody wiped her face and shook her head. "Iâm fine. I was a little worried about you guys, so I came to check."
"We turned on the generator as soon as the power went out, so the AC is running. Iâll head back in the evening when itâs cooler. Donât keep running over here every day. Be careful you donât get heatstroke," Winnie Summers said with a frown.
An older man who was enjoying the AC looked up and said, "You really canât afford to get heatstroke now. The hospitals are packed with people who have it."
An older woman next to him added, "Thatâs right, itâs been too hot these last few days. Many of the residential buildings damaged in the tornado still havenât been repaired. But the construction crews donât dare to work now because itâs too hot. Too many people couldnât handle the high temperatures and got heatstroke, so now they can only rest during the day and work at night."
"Then what about the people in those damaged complexes? Itâs so hot outside, how can they stand it out there?" Crystal Lynch asked.