MTLNOVEL Chapter 408: They've Arrived
Shaking her head, no longer caring about Luo Song who kept looking back every few steps, she could already hear the anxious scratching and whining at the door. Hua Jin's mood improved involuntarily. She called to the big black and gray dogs inside the door, and then a soft, sweet voice sounded at the entrance.
"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, your treasure is back."
Then came the chaotic footsteps in the courtyard and the eager voice of her grandmother.
"It's Jin'er back, quick, quick, Yun Ao, open the door..."
"Grandma..."
"My dear heart, you've finally come back..."
"..."
Soon, Hua Jin was surrounded by her family, their voices carrying far away.
...
Meanwhile, the news of the extreme heat approaching was rapidly spreading in the state city thousands of miles away.
Catching the last opportunity before the actual arrival of the extreme heat, they stored as much water as possible, dug cellars, or returned to the mountains, even though it held unpleasant memories, but everything could be ignored for survival.
As the people of Guyan prepared for the upcoming extreme heat, enemy armies in the mountain range, forced to avoid the heat, had no idea what they were about to face. They silently hoped for a quick drop in temperature to launch an onslaught and capture as much territory under their feet as possible, seizing resources and, most importantly, food.
On the fifth day after Hua Jin returned to the valley, even the temperature in the valley noticeably rose again, no longer allowing long hours of labor in the valley as before.
The little animals on the mountain began to stir restlessly; even high fences couldn't keep out some small ones. The big black and big gray dogs, along with the village chief's loyal followers, almost every day brought a few wild chickens and rabbits, greatly improving the living conditions of their masters' households.
The extreme heat had truly arrived.
At the first moment of feeling the temperature change, Old Man Hua called all the people in the valley to a meeting, requiring each household to send someone to the grain drying yard.
Things that even the little animals could sense, how could humans not perceive? Everyone felt the temperature change, and sleeping in the wooden house at night for the past few nights was noticeably warmer. Before, it was still comfortable at night; some even moved to the ground floor given the two levels, while those with only one layer had no other choice but to endure.
Thus, when the village chief mentioned storing as much water as possible, no one in the valley opposed; they almost simultaneously sprang into action, storing boiled water as taught by the village chief.
In no time, the shop of Zheng Datian was booming. Whether it was clay pots or water jars, they were all sold out, and despite that, it still wasn't enough. Even the large barrels Hua Chengtian had prepared in advance were all given away and still insufficient, leading to the cutting down of many sturdy bamboos in the mountains to use as water storage tools.
In summary, although the valley didn't lack water now, every household stored quite a bit of water in cellars, saying that apart from grain, there was only water, and then places to rest.
On the third day after the meeting in Hua Valley, the temperature rose again; the fields truly couldn't hold people anymore, drying to the point of dizziness and blurred vision in less than an incense stick's time.
Despite this, it was still far better than the world outside. Hua Jin specifically took a thermometer to measure the temperature outside the valley every day.
On the fourth day after the meeting, the temperature rose four degrees to 47 degrees; the fifth day brought 52 degrees, the sixth day reached 55 degrees. At this temperature, a normal person could hardly stay outside. By the seventh day, while the inside of the valley was still bearable, outside reached 59 degrees. Under the scorching sun, even with thick-soled shoes, the soles of the feet were unbearably hot, making it impossible to stand for long.
Then, on the eighth day, it was 62 degrees; the ninth day, 65 degrees. Fortunately, on the ninth day, the temperature stabilized at 67 degrees and didn't continue rising, while the highest temperature in the valley reached 42 degrees, which, although hot, was bearable.
Outside the valley, it was like a giant steamer. Within a few days, the moisture from trees and plants rapidly evaporated, wilting them. Rivers and seas quickly fell, and the world, which had just revived, became desolate and barren, with all creatures seemingly vanished from the earth, even hard to find a bird or insect.
The people of Guyan, who had received news in advance and prepared, lived completely by night, except for the few who were unprepared or reckless. During the daytime, no one was outside.
During the day, they hid as much as possible in cellars, pits, or caves, and waited for sunset when the temperature dropped by about ten degrees. Although still intolerable, without the blazing sun overhead, a little movement was still possible.
Everyone cherished this brief period, taking water and searching for anything edible, be it leaves, bark, or roots, doing their utmost to bring them back as reserves. A year and a half of extreme cold scared those who survived; no one knew how long this extreme heat would last.
The newly harvested grains were cherished even more, too hot to eat, and they generally only ate to 60% fullness, which, though, was far better than during the extreme cold when there was no preparation whatsoever, and survival meant enduring hardship.
In general, as long as they didn't act recklessly, not going out during the daytime and hiding at night in cellars, underground, or much cooler caves, though tough, survival was possible.
Compared to Guyan people, those in other countries, without prior warning or preparation, lived much harder lives.
Although they also retreated to the mountains at the first opportunity and dug caves, due to a lack of preparation, especially water resources, they couldn't hold on for long, eventually forced out to search for water. Many didn't starve but died of thirst on the way, repeating the scene of bodies littered during the extreme cold.
Almost every few steps lay a corpse, with no time to decay as moisture in the body quickly evaporated. The dried corpses lay on the path of finding water with staring eyes and gaping mouths, dying with resentment.
In comparison, the situation in Beicang Country, located in the far north, was much better.
Due to its harsh geographical environment, the surrounding mountains were covered in ice and snow year-round. Growing up in such an environment, their cold endurance surpassed any other country, so in the extreme cold, few died from hunger or frail bodies.
Furthermore, this unique geographical environment meant that when the extreme heat arrived, the people of Beicang instinctively migrated to mountains where glaciers never melted, and although the heat caused the glaciers to melt, it also solved Beicang's water shortage problem. Though food was in severe short supply, compared to others, it was already vastly better.
The story, however, was very unfriendly to the Beicang Tartar army hiding in the Yun City mountains.
Originally only able to withstand the cold, the ten-thousand-strong Beicang Tartar army fell half to the ground under extreme heat, with the rest also weak-limbed from the heat. Despite immediately seeking refuge in the mountains, dispersing throughout the mountains, and seeking or digging caves, they still couldn't withstand the extreme high temperature.