Chapter 3: Renovating the House

Early the next morning, Meng Ran went out to buy groceries. She swept up all the radishes and tofu from several stalls and bought plenty of meat to take back.

With several large bags of food in her hands, her arms felt like they were being dragged down. Meng Ran managed to haul them to her car before tucking them into her ring. On the way, she stopped by the wholesale market to collect the rest of the supplies she had ordered the previous day.

She shuttled back and forth, and after a few trips, she had prepared nearly half a year’s worth of food. Finally, she picked out some vegetable seeds; she remembered that the small courtyard inside her space was quite empty apart from a few trees, and she thought she might be able to try planting them.

Exhausted, she returned home and called the Human Resources department.

"I’ve caught a bit of a cold and have a fever. Could I take a week off?"

Knowing that Meng Ran never took leave unless it was an emergency, HR agreed.

"Alright, get some good rest at home. A few people in the office have come down with the flu recently, so take care of your health."

Meng Ran felt a jolt at those words. The HR staff had always been decent to her, so she offered a reminder: "When the flu was at its worst before, we were locked down for a long time. You should prepare some extra supplies at home, just in case."

The employee replied with a vague hum of acknowledgment: "Got it."

The call ended. She didn't know if the other person had really taken her words to heart, but Meng Ran would not push it further. If this all turned out to be just a dream, it would be quite embarrassing.

Meng Ran looked at Niannian. "Have you had any dreams these past two days?"

Niannian shook her head, though her memory of that heavy snow remained vivid.

Meng Ran lay on the sofa and closed her eyes. *Forget it,* she thought. The money was already spent, and she could always earn it back. She had already experienced such bizarre events, so taking a few precautions didn't hurt; as long as she kept a few tens of thousands for daily expenses, it would be fine.

Everything depended on the 29th. Today was already the 23rd.

Meng Ran contacted a renovation company and gave them specific instructions.

The crew arrived on Monday. Meng Ran scheduled them to work while the neighbors were at their jobs, and she had given the residents next door a heads-up along with some gifts. Having accepted the gifts, the neighbors had few complaints.

The windows in Meng Ran's apartment were replaced with triple-paned glass, and she used sealant to fill the gaps to prevent drafts.

The front door was dismantled and reinstalled—a reinforced security door followed by an iron gate, secured with heavy chains. She installed a draft-proof door sweep at the bottom and hung thick curtains over the entrance.

The workmen also installed XPS insulation boards on the interior walls. After clearing the drainage gutters, they wrapped the exposed water pipes with electric heat tracing cables and foam insulation sleeves.

By the time all this was finished, it was already the 27th.

The neighbor living below was initially unhappy and confronted Meng Ran, but after she offered a sincere apology and some compensation, they said no more.

Meng Ran hadn't been idle these past few days; she spent time hoeing and planting in her space and running between the wholesale market and shopping malls. Aside from food, she had also bought fire extinguishers. With only about fifty thousand left, she stopped her purchases.

She took the items she had bought from the courier station, washed and dried them, and pulled several thick quilts from the closet to air out in the sun.

The wind was blowing outside today, but even so, the breeze remained heavy with heat.

Meng Ran opened the refrigerator, took out the radishes, tofu, and meat, and minced them all. She mixed them into a batter, added a pinch of salt for seasoning, and began deep-frying meatballs.

Meatballs would keep for a much longer time.

The fragrance wafted through the kitchen, and Niannian knew what Meng Ran was making.

Meng Ran fried a batch, filled a bowl for Niannian, and told her to wait in the living room. She filled several baskets in no time.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Meng Ran went over, checked the peephole to see who it was, and then opened the door.

It was Grandma Liu from next door.

Grandma Liu’s nose twitched. "Little Meng, what are you making in there? It smells so good."

Meng Ran smiled. Even with two doors and a curtain, the scent had still leaked out—Grandma Liu certainly had a sharp nose.

Grandma Liu had always been one to take advantage of others. Whenever someone on the floor made something delicious, she would pretend to be passing by to take a look, and people were usually too embarrassed not to offer her some. After a bit of polite chitchat, she would accept.

Not wanting to cause trouble at such a critical time, Meng Ran brought out a bowl of tofu meatballs.

"Niannian was pestering me for fried meatballs, so I made some. Here, Grandma Liu, you have a taste too."

Grandma Liu took the bowl, overjoyed. "Oh, I couldn't possibly! I'll bring the bowl back to you in a bit."

Between the feigned shyness and the promise to return the bowl, Meng Ran didn't bother to call her out.

"It's fine, you can keep the bowl."

Having gotten her way, Grandma Liu left without lingering.

The young couple living nearby arrived home just then and saw the scene, both of them curling their lips.

"Grandma Liu is still as greedy as ever."

Meng Ran heard their muttered comment as she stepped inside.

She locked the three bolts and added another layer of curtain to the door. That should keep the smell from drifting out and help with the insulation as well.

She fried the rest of the meatballs and used the remaining flour to make flatbreads, leaving the flour stored in her space untouched. As long as the bread didn't mold, even if it froze solid, it could help stave off hunger for a while.

Utilizing everything she could, Meng Ran didn't make too many flatbreads the first time, saving some to prepare other things later.

Looking at everything in her home, Meng Ran felt significantly more at ease.

By the 28th, the sky was overcast, as if it were about to rain.

The weather forecast on TV predicted light rain and a slight drop in temperature over the next two days.

Niannian was dozing on the sofa. "Mom, it's going to snow."

She looked at the calendar, her eyelids fluttering with exhaustion.

Meng Ran picked her up and tucked her into her own bed, placing the thick quilts at the foot of the bed. It all came down to tonight; if everything was peaceful by tomorrow, she would head to work as usual.

All her high-capacity power banks were fully charged, and she had bought plenty of flashlights along with a large supply of batteries.

Meng Ran stared at her phone, scrolling through videos for a while before checking the news and the weather forecast again.

The air conditioner was still humming, cooling the room. She pulled back the heavy curtains and looked out at the pitch-black sky, devoid of any light.

The stars and moon were smothered by dark clouds. A loud rumble echoed as if a bolt of lightning had torn a hole in the heavens.

At exactly midnight, snowflakes began to drift down from the sky in abundance. The real-time update on the weather forecast changed from a thunderstorm icon to light snow, and the temperature readout shifted from 23°C–37°C to 0°C–10°C.

The meteorological news app pinged with an update, releasing the latest forecast.

This sudden heavy snow caught everyone off guard.

The howling wind dissipated the stifling heat of the city. Meng Ran drew the curtains, turned off the air conditioning, and pulled up the thick quilt.

The snow had come after all.

Meng Ran couldn't describe her exact mood, but seeing Niannian’s peaceful sleeping face and the supplies she had stored, she closed her eyes and rested in peace.

The snow fell all night, and the news on her phone updated every few hours.

Meng Ran woke up at eight in the morning. She shivered and reached for the cotton pajamas nearby to put on.

She got up and pulled back the curtains to find the world outside was already a sheet of pure white.