Although Auntie Wei had lost her son, she still had a twenty-three-year-old grandson named Wei Jiankang.
Wei Jiankang's biological mother had run off with another man after giving birth to him.
It was his grandmother who had raised him, cleaning up after him every step of the way.
Unfortunately, Wei Jiankang had been born prematurely and had an intellectual disability from birth. Even now, he only had the intelligence of a five-year-old child.
Before the extreme heat, she had constantly worried that Wei Jiankang would never find a wife in his condition.
Now that the world had fallen into chaos, she was determined to get her eldest grandson a wife to carry on the family line.
Peng Lianlian was the best choice!
Auntie Wei was very strong. She hauled Peng Lianlian inside and shut the door.
She dragged her all the way into the bedroom and shoved her hard onto the bed. Then the broad-waisted, big-bottomed Auntie Wei planted herself on top of Peng Lianlian and began slapping her across the face with alternating hands.
Peng Lianlian struggled desperately but could not move at all. Only after beating her until both cheeks were bright red and her face was smeared with tears and snot did Auntie Wei stop, panting as she sat on top of her to rest.
Once she had rested enough, she pulled two nylon ropes from behind her waist and bound Peng Lianlian's hands behind her back and tied her feet.
She made sure Peng Lianlian could neither undo the ropes nor move.
Auntie Wei scoured the entire apartment for food and drinks, packed everything up, and gathered it all in one place.
When she saw the rat poison on the coffee table, fury blazed through her. She ran back into the bedroom and gave Peng Lianlian another savage beating.
She cursed as she hit her.
"You little bitch, you actually want to die? Just try it! You think you can die and be done with everything, leaving the rest of us alive to suffer? In your dreams!"
"You have to stay alive and atone! Atone for your husband! Hmph! You filthy whore, you're getting off easy. A used-up slut like you, ruined by other men-it's your honor to stay alive and bear my eldest grandson's children!"
"If you know what's good for you and give my eldest grandson a child, I'll naturally make life a little easier for you!"
As she cursed, Auntie Wei patted Peng Lianlian's belly and sneered. "You'd better pray that womb of yours can deliver!"
With just a few words, Auntie Wei decided Peng Lianlian's fate.
After stripping the apartment bare, she made several trips back and forth before finally moving Peng Lianlian and all the supplies up to the sixteenth floor.
Panting, she locked the tightly bound Peng Lianlian in Wei Jiankang's room before finally letting out a breath of relief.
There was no chance she would untie Peng Lianlian, partly for fear she would kill herself and partly for fear she would hurt Wei Jiankang.
Once she had rested, she would personally watch Peng Lianlian initiate her grandson Wei Jiankang into sex.
She would have to be there every time from now on. Otherwise, with Wei Jiankang's intellectual disability, what if that bitch tricked him?
Peng Lianlian had nearly cried herself dry. Unable to escape or even die, she had become a little bird trapped in a cage, entirely at others' mercy.
Exhausted from crying and with no tears left, Peng Lianlian lay on the bed with a numb expression, letting Auntie Wei do whatever she wanted. She had completely lost the will to resist.
Jiang Ci's family had no idea that so many more sordid things had happened in their building.
By her reckoning, Wu Ya should have finished her abortion procedure by now, so she took out her walkie-talkie and contacted her.
Wu Ya answered quickly, her voice still very weak. "Xiao Ci, I've finished the procedure and come home."
"Where's Jiang Chengrong?"
"He's in the kitchen making soup for me."
"All right. Get some rest. I'll come over to see you tonight."
After ending the call, Jiang Ci prepared a cured black-boned chicken and two large tins of milk powder.
Si Beichen had bought the cured black-boned chicken at the government supermarket, while she took the two tins of milk powder from her space.
That evening, she went with Si Beichen to apartment 302 in Building 1 to visit Wu Ya.
She had originally intended to go alone, but Si Beichen had worried and insisted on coming as her bodyguard. She had not refused.
Jiang Chengrong opened the door. Her class monitor, who had been so refined and upright before the extreme heat, was now wearing a women's apron and holding a spoon, in the middle of steaming egg custard in the kitchen.
Si Beichen handed him the cured black-boned chicken and the two tins of milk powder, but he tried to decline, embarrassed to accept them.
Jiang Ci firmly shoved the gifts into his arms, pushed past him, and went into the bedroom to find Wu Ya.
Both the cured black-boned chicken and the milk powder were good for restoring one's health, and with supplies scarce, they were even harder to come by.
Jiang Chengrong and Wu Ya were so touched that they did not know what to say.
"Just focus on getting better. If you get anything good in the future, remember me. That's all there is to it."
"Who else would we think of? Neither of us has any other friends, and our hometowns are far away. We can't go back now, either. You're the only good friend we have in this city."
Jiang Ci attended school locally, while Wu Ya's and Jiang Chengrong's families both lived in the north. The extreme heat had arrived not long after they returned for the start of the semester.
After the internet went down, they had lost contact with their families. It was so lethally hot during the day that they did not dare go outside, and at night, robbers were everywhere, so they did not dare venture far. Neither of them had any family nearby, and Jiang Ci was their closest friend in the city.
Although Wu Ya was physically weak, she was doing quite well overall. Jiang Chengrong had also specifically taken a few days off to care for her attentively.
Jiang Ci felt much more reassured.
After Jiang Chengrong's leave ended and he returned to work, Jiang Ci still visited Wu Ya often.
Wu Ya recovered well and was soon full of energy again.
December was also drawing to a close.
On New Year's Day, Jiang Ci prepared a whole table of delicious dishes to celebrate.
Bullfrog and fish, fruit and vegetable salad, stir-fried napa cabbage with vinegar, roast chicken, corn and pork rib soup, lemon shrimp, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
In truth, she had only made the fruit and vegetable salad and the scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Everything else had come ready-made from her space...
She also took out a large bottle of chilled Sprite and poured everyone a glass, then brought out the camera she had not used in ages.
With a click, she captured their first New Year's Day since the extreme heat began.
There were photos of the family clinking glasses, individual portraits of everyone, and group photos of all four of them.
Halfway through the meal, the walkie-talkie sounded.
"Xiao Ci, happy New Year." It was Wu Ya and Jiang Chengrong.
"Happy New Year to you and our class monitor, too!"
"Say hello to Uncle and Auntie for me."
Jiang Ci held the walkie-talkie in front of Dad Si and Mom Wen. They understood immediately and spoke into it. "Thank you, Xiao Ya. Happy New Year to you both, too."
After exchanging greetings, Wu Ya continued, "Xiao Ci, Jiang Chengrong heard a rumor that the government departments have collapsed. They probably won't be delivering water to the communities anymore."
"Water will become a major problem, too. Before, there wasn't much, but at least we had enough to drink if we rationed it. What are we going to do now?"
Jiang Ci said nothing, unsure what to say for a moment.
Wu Ya also knew she was getting a little anxious. Without waiting for Jiang Ci's answer, she continued, "Xiao Ci, just keep it in mind. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's celebrate New Year's Day first."
"All right. You two, too."