outside world.
The atmosphere in the residential building remained oppressive.
The sun outside was slowly rising, and the sunlight piercing through outer space was rapidly increasing the ground temperature. Even in the early morning, the temperature inside the house was gradually rising to 30 degrees Celsius.
Even so, everyone felt no stuffiness at this moment; instead, they all shivered.
Bang!
The windows were gradually closed, and the ventilation system started working.
The light in the room gradually dimmed.
But none of the people watching on television left.
The two hosts were still reading from their scripts.
The only consolation for them was that the following news might actually be good news?
At least it's not completely broken yet.
"Currently, the China Meteorological Administration has discovered a shaded area with a diameter of nearly 1,000 kilometers over San Francisco. In this area, the daily temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius, and the ultraviolet radiation index is close to normal levels."
"Meteorologists also discovered that this area is expanding rapidly. Subsequently, using meteorological satellites, we confirmed the existence of two more similar obscured areas over the Pacific Ocean..."
"In the future, it is possible that these shielded areas will continue to expand and eventually cover the entire globe."
According to experts, if this happens, there is a chance that the climate will return to normal levels for some time in the future, and there is also a small chance that a new atmospheric structure will form, so we will still have hope of living under the sun in the future.
The broadcast was long, and although most people couldn't understand the various meteorological data analyses presented, everyone could understand the final result.
Even if some people genuinely didn't understand, there were people on site who could provide analysis:
"In other words, our future development will be like this: first, the sheltered areas will gradually expand globally, and then most areas will return to normal."
"If we're lucky, a new, stable atmospheric structure will form during this phase, and we can live normally again, and the temperature won't drop any further."
"But if we're unlucky, atmospheric changes will become increasingly drastic, there will be less and less sunlight, and then the Earth's temperature will drop."
There are only two possible outcomes.
Zhou Tao, holding his child and his wife's hand, stood in the crowd, tiptoeing to listen to the building manager's on-site analysis.
"Thank God, please don't let it be the first scenario!"
Ancestors, your unfilial descendants are now...
We've already suffered enough; please, those of you down there, watch over us...
Immediately, many people began to pray anxiously.
Zhou Tao's wife tugged at her husband's sleeve, " A-Tao, shall we go back and pay respects to our ancestors?"
Zhou Tao thought about it and decided that it was good to have peace of mind.
"Then let's go back first, since we won't get a result anytime soon anyway."
Just as they were about to leave, the building manager suddenly remembered something and called everyone back.
"Several boxes of supplies arrived today. They're what the higher-ups said they'd distribute—one item per person. Each household should send a representative."
The higher-ups said to send it out?
Hearing this, everyone was a little puzzled.
It's not a holiday or festival, why would they suddenly send out something?
Strange as it was, everyone acted very quickly.
As soon as the building manager and a few young men pushed the boxes over, a long queue had already formed.
"What is that?" someone asked loudly.
"I don't know either. These just arrived. They said they'd distribute them after we finished watching the news," the building manager said, picking up the distribution instructions to read. "It says here, one for everyone. If someone has a provincial or municipal honor or other special honor, they'll get two. Don't say I misread it."
"What is this? One for each person? Clothes?"
"That doesn't seem likely. How could a box hold so many clothes? And the cold wouldn't arrive that quickly, would it?"
Amid the murmurs, the building manager passed the paper in his hand to the others, like an open-book exam, until everyone understood the rules and confirmed that the box was not sealed properly before opening the lock in front of everyone.
squeak!
The box was heavily protected, so opening it wasn't easy.
But even after opening it just a little bit, a familiar, fresh fragrance already wafted out.
Upon smelling this aroma, everyone's expression changed.
What does it taste like? Is it edible?
"This smell seems familiar, like I've only smelled it somewhere recently?"
"Isn't this... that... that smell?"
So what does it taste like?
"That's exactly the taste!"
So what does it taste like?
"It tastes like apples!"
Zhou Tao suddenly roared, startling the building manager so much that he stopped opening the box.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
The olfactory memories of others were awakened immediately.
I remembered the apples Zhou Tao brought back before.
That's something new!
Are there apples in this box?
"Hurry up and open it!"
The once straight line instantly became crooked, with many people stepping halfway out and craning their necks to look at the boxes that weren't fully opened yet, while their toes remained on the ground as proof of their queueing.
Although the apples haven't been seen yet, the aroma alone is enough to make many people's mouths water.
With a series of crackling sounds, the building manager sped up the opening of the box, and the fruity aroma emanating from inside grew stronger and stronger.
Finally, with a snap.
The first box was opened.
After lifting the top cover, inside were indeed apples wrapped in white mesh bags. The peels looked bright red and tempting, so plump they seemed to be oozing juice, and the aroma was incredibly enticing. Everyone present couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
With the apple right in front of them, no one even cared about the coming ice age.
"Line up, apples are being handed out!" The building manager shouted, immediately straightening the crooked line. Everyone began to state the number of their family members and then received the corresponding number of apples.
The first thing everyone did upon receiving the apple was to put it to their nose, take a deep, blissful breath, and then quickly carry it home to share with their family.
Zhou Tao waited quietly in the line, unlike the others who were still guessing the origin of the apple.
He had already guessed where these apples came from.
Looking at the apple he received, he felt the change even more keenly.
A change that most people haven't noticed is quietly taking place.
The Mutual Aid Society brought more than just apples to their time and space; Zhou Tao firmly believes there are other things involved, though he doesn't know them yet.
Holding three apples in his hand, Zhou Tao turned around, found his family, and said with a smile:
"Come on, these three apples are just right as offerings. Let's go back and pay our respects to our ancestors first, and then we can eat them."
The family of three walked back to their residential area from the canteen. Along the way, many people who had received apples were also worshipping their ancestral tablets, but without any incense or fire.
Many slow-witted people only just found out about Apple and rushed downstairs to queue.
Looking at these people and the apple in his hand, Zhou Tao had only one thought in his mind:
"The future should get better and better!"