Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 41: High Temperature, Snake Infestation 5

The hot weather was perfect for cool foods. Evelyn Ford took out a bag of pea starch, a bag of mung beans, and a bag of Job’s tears. She planned to make liangfen jelly and mung bean soup.

First, she prepared two small bowls, mixing an appropriate amount of starch and water in each at a 1:1 ratio to create a slurry. Then, using the same small bowl, she measured out five bowls of water and poured it into a pot to heat. When the water was about to boil, she slowly poured in the starch slurry, stirring at a steady pace. She continued until the mixture became transparent and thick, then turned off the heat and poured it into a prepared basin. It would need about four or five hours to cool completely. Once thoroughly chilled, the liangfen jelly would be set.

Evelyn Ford started preparing the toppings. She shredded some cucumber, then minced some scallions and cilantro. She cut the liangfen jelly into strips, drizzled it with chili oil and a cold-dish dressing, and finally topped it with the scallions, cilantro, and cucumber shreds.

The mung bean soup was even simpler to make. She washed the mung beans and steamed them for half an hour until they were soft. She then washed the Job’s tears and candied dates, placed them in a small bowl, and steamed them along with the mung beans. She diced some green plums, kumquats, and citrons, boiled them in a pot, and then poured the mixture into a serving bowl. Next, she took the steamed mung beans, Job’s tears, and candied dates from the steamer and added them to the bowl. With a sprinkle of osmanthus sugar, the mung bean soup was ready.

Mung bean soup could clear heat from the body, detoxify it, and improve one’s appetite. It was good to have more of it during hot weather.

Evelyn Ford hadn’t eaten rice in two days. The weather was so hot that she was slowly losing her appetite. The air conditioner was fixed now, and she turned it straight to seventeen degrees Celsius. Basking in the cool breeze while eating liangfen jelly and drinking mung bean soup, she almost forgot about the snakes lurking menacingly outside.

Most of the time, Evelyn Ford passed the hours by watching movies and TV shows or exercising. At night, just before bed, she would jot down all the little things from the day in her diary. Then, she’d randomly open a book to any page, read it, and fall asleep.

’I don’t know how long I’ll be hiding here.’ But Evelyn Ford believed that one day, she would leave. The world outside was just as dangerous, so she had to maintain a rational, clear mind and a healthy, agile body.

Of course, to survive in this cruel world, she also had to endure loneliness. Evelyn Ford was never afraid of being lonely; she just loathed the snakes trapping her outside and the unpredictable, ever-changing crises.

In the dead of night, Evelyn Ford couldn’t help but wonder, ’Is there anyone else out there?’ She hadn’t heard any noise from upstairs or downstairs for days. Officer Graham’s family, the Collins Family next door, Lauren Keller and her daughter Nana Doyle downstairs... ’Are they still alive?’

Evelyn Ford sometimes imagined herself as a modern-day Robinson Crusoe. If Robinson could survive on a deserted island for twenty-eight years, then she, with all her food and drink, probably wouldn’t lose to him.

Occasionally, Evelyn Ford would still pull open the curtains to let in some sun. But most of the time, various snakes were coiled up outside the window. The potted plants had grown a lot. Evelyn set up a table in front of the windowsill and placed the pots on it so the plants could absorb the sunlight.

After long-term exercise, Evelyn Ford had developed a nice six-pack. Fortunately, she still had curves where she should and hadn’t turned herself into some muscle-bound Barbie doll. After trimming her hair, she stood before the mirror and admired herself for a long time. Seeing that she was in pretty good spirits, she gave a satisfied snap of her fingers.

’The more you go through hardship and adversity, the more you have to affirm your own worth.’ Someone who has died once knows just how precious it is to be alive.

The first thing Evelyn Ford did every morning when she woke up was to give herself a pep talk.

After she started using the air conditioner, the generator began burning through fuel much faster. Even though she had plenty of engine oil and diesel in her space, Evelyn Ford still felt a pang of regret. She wished she had stockpiled saltpeter; otherwise, she could be making ice to cool down.

Running the air conditioner burned half a liter of fuel per hour. After using it for a few days, Evelyn Ford ultimately chose to switch to a fan. She would charge the storage batteries with the solar panels and then use the batteries to power the fan. This way, she could save both fuel and electricity.

Evelyn Ford rewired a new circuit in the room and installed light bulbs, so she no longer needed to use emergency lamps for lighting.

She washed a plate of fruit and piled snacks on the table. Evelyn Ford turned on the projector, put on her headphones, and began to eat while watching TV to de-stress and pass the time. The melodramatic family soap operas she would never have watched before the apocalypse had now become her spiritual sustenance. The everyday household drama, the conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, the push-and-pull love-hate sagas of domineering CEOs and Cinderellas... Evelyn Ford actually found it all surprisingly captivating.

Once the temperature exceeded thirty degrees Celsius, Evelyn Ford had to use a hydrating face mask every day, or her skin couldn’t take it. If she didn’t apply a thick layer of moisturizer, her face would quickly become tight and start to peel.

The same went for her body, especially her calves, where the peeling was severe.

The most dangerous time was during her period. Snakes have an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Although Evelyn Ford used essential balm to mask the odor, it still attracted many snakes to her windowsill. With the high temperatures, she felt her metabolism had become terrifying. She had to change her sanitary product almost every hour. Not only did her period last a full seven days, but the flow was also extremely heavy, forcing her to lie in bed for the entire week. She couldn’t get up and move around at all; the slightest movement caused blood to gush out.

After finally getting through the seven days, Evelyn Ford’s face was completely drained of color. Even her lips were white. She felt weak and unsteady when she walked, and she had lost over five pounds.

It took a full week of nourishing meals for Evelyn Ford to feel like she was back among the living.

One day, Evelyn Ford pulled back the curtains, intending to check the situation outside. After the snakes that had been watching her slithered away, she quickly opened the window and glanced out. The water level had already dropped to the sixth floor. Many cracks had appeared on the outer wall of the opposite building. This discovery startled her. The number of snakes in the water seemed to have increased. They were coiled together, letting out a HISSS. The sound was like the SCRAPE of a fingernail on sandpaper, enough to make one feel physically ill after just a few seconds.

There were still many snakes on the walls. In the high heat, their reaction speed had become even faster. Thirty-five degrees Celsius was the most comfortable temperature for them. The instant Evelyn Ford started to close the window, two brown cobras attacked her simultaneously. They lunged for her head and neck. In the nick of time, Evelyn slammed the window shut with all her speed. The head of one of the cobras was caught on the window ledge. As it spat its venom, Evelyn rolled two meters to the side, barely dodging it. With no time to catch her breath, she immediately took out her military knife and lopped off the snake head clamped on the windowsill.

Luckily, it was a young snake. Otherwise, Evelyn Ford wouldn’t have been able to win with speed and strength alone.

After cleaning up the mess, Evelyn Ford collapsed into a chair. Thinking about the cracks on the outer wall of the building opposite hers, she scratched her head, a strong sense of unease and frustration welling up inside her.

’The only good news is that the water level is constantly dropping. Once the flood subsides, if the temperature rises above forty degrees, the snakes will be the ones in crisis.’