Chapter 14

“Confirm the condition of the two-box car you rented within the next hour to receive 5% progress toward Raft Level 2 (Current Raft Level 2 progress: 50%).”

Fortunately, it was just within the community, so it didn’t count as fully going outside.

Taking advantage of the lighter rain, she put on her warm fleece jacket and shark pants, along with a raincoat and rain boots, and headed downstairs.

The car she rented was also parked outdoors. The community had poor property management, and many cars were parked haphazardly. She’d only rented the car for a week and hadn’t had time to rent a parking spot, so it usually parked beside the driveway downstairs.

She couldn’t see it from the south window, but as soon as she stepped outside and looked down from the northern corridor, it was visible.

Yesterday, she had moved her car to a different spot while doing a progress task, so from upstairs, she couldn’t check the car’s condition. After the large hailstorm yesterday, she had seen various pictures and videos online, and she didn’t think her car would escape unscathed.

Sure enough, the left side of the car’s rearview mirror was knocked askew, the hood had several dented spots with paint chipped off, and the windshield was the worst—cracked with a huge spiderweb-like fracture.

Since she had just applied window film to the car, the glass hadn’t fallen off yet, but the crack resembled a spider’s web, stretching across half of the windshield, making it look fragile and ready to shatter at any moment.

When she first rented the car, she had turned off the car’s dashcam to make it easier to store goods, so she couldn’t retrieve the footage of the hailstorm like other residents might do.

In fact, there was space in her bracelet’s storage to take the car in, but she opted not to collect the car’s interior supplies with the single-layer film as cover. She didn’t have the courage to turn a car into a “raft” in today’s world.

Besides, with the heavy rain forecasted over the next two days, she had a feeling that the flooded areas in Suicheng would rapidly expand, and soon, the community and streets would be flooded, making it impossible to drive the car anyway.

She considered parking her car in a higher-level garage, but most nearby supermarkets had been built years ago with underground parking, and it was rare to find one with upper-level garages.

After thinking it through, she decided to give up on that idea.

The outdoor temperature was still around 10°C, and the humidity in the air made it feel especially cold when the wind blew.

Many people were outside in the community, most of them checking on their cars, both regular and electric.

The thunderstorm had caught many off guard, and some people had hurried home, not properly parking their electric bikes. Now, they found their vehicles damaged—especially the electric bikes, with broken dashboards.

Debris, broken glass, and building remnants made the entire community look chaotic. Many windows in other buildings had been shattered, including the one she lived in. The windows on the south side were in terrible condition, while the north side, with its open-air corridors, didn’t look as tragic.

As she rounded the corner, she noticed a cat lying motionless on the ground.

It seemed to be a stray that had been hit by the hailstorm and died.

She instinctively thought of the tabby cat on the fourth floor that liked to wander outside. She hadn’t paid attention when she went downstairs earlier and wasn’t sure if the owners had kept an eye on the cat. If that cat had snuck outside during this weather, it would truly be foolish beyond measure.

She pulled the hood of her raincoat tighter, lowered her head, and carefully avoided the glass shards on the ground, quickly walking around the building. From a distance, she saw a group of people blocking the stairwell in the middle of the building.

The crowd was noisy, seemingly arguing.

The building didn’t have distinct units, and it was quite long, with over a dozen households across five floors, totaling around 60 or 70 families. Shu Fu had only moved in two months ago, so she didn’t know all the residents, just a few familiar ones.

For example, the households on the same side of the corridor on the fifth floor, the family with the cat on the fourth floor, the family of four on the third floor with the grandmother, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, the family on the second floor whose cooking always smelled great, and the family on the first floor directly below the second.

At this moment, the argument was between the second and first-floor families.

She remembered them because she had often passed by on her way to and from work, and they had argued several times before. But back then, most of the time, it was shouting from a distance. From what other neighbors had said, their arguments weren’t about anything serious.

It all started when the second-floor family often stayed up late, making loud noises like dragging chairs or dropping heavy objects, shaking the ceiling and waking the elderly people downstairs. The elderly person on the first floor would be startled, feeling it was hard on the heart.

After the first-floor family reacted, the second-floor family improved for a few days, but soon they resumed their loud activities. The first floor began criticizing them, gossiping about the second-floor couple—a man and a woman, living together unmarried and without proper manners, their lifestyle messy, not respecting elders, and so on.

Hearing this, the second-floor family found it amusing and not only didn’t quiet down, but even started throwing trash out of the southern window.

The southern side was the balcony, where some people liked to hang clothes and bedding, especially on the first floor, where there was only a garage underneath, and the light was poor. They needed to hang things outside to get more sunlight.

“It’s fine to throw some tissue scraps and other dry garbage, but occasionally, the leftover tea leaves and coffee grounds are thrown outside as well, and now the things drying on the first-floor balcony have been affected.

The first-floor tenants went to the second-floor to make a fuss, and they argued, but nothing came of it because, after all, it’s not a big deal. Even if they called the police, no one would care, and the property management in the community is terrible. The security guards came twice, and then they didn’t want to get involved anymore.

The reason for the argument today is that the glass of the second-floor south-facing room and balcony was shattered, while the first-floor one was perfectly intact. The people on the first floor went to the corridor, gloating and saying that the second-floor residents got what they deserved.

The second-floor tenants were already in a bad mood, and when they heard this while going downstairs, the young man from the second floor got angry. He picked up a broken brick and threw it toward the south, slamming the window of the first-floor balcony with a loud bang.

Now things were really heating up—one had a big mouth, the other had quick hands, and it was like a rooster fight between the two families.

Perhaps because they had just experienced a natural disaster, everyone’s emotions were unstable, and soon, the two families started pushing each other.

Some familiar neighbors from the second and first floors gathered around, and the rain was light at this point. Other people who came out weren’t as prepared as Shu Fu, who wore a raincoat and rain boots. Only a few were holding umbrellas. Some tried to stop the fight, while others enjoyed the show, blocking the entrance and exit of the stairwell.

Shu Fu didn’t want to get involved or watch. She tried a few times to squeeze through the crowd but couldn’t. However, someone trying to break up the fight was shoved by both angry families and fell out of the crowd.

The person was tall, and when he fell suddenly, those around him with umbrellas didn’t react quickly enough to catch him. He leaned backward and ended up caught in the bushes beside Shu Fu.

She instinctively looked over and recognized his face: “It’s you?”

She had seen him once before and had a strong impression because, during a progress bar task, she had given him a 50 yuan red envelope.

Later, when thinking about task progress, she had wondered if his safety was an issue. Now, seeing that he was alive and well, she felt inexplicably relieved.

“Bro!” A young boy, about 13 or 14 years old, walked over from the crowd and hurriedly tried to pull him up. “Are you okay?” Normally, it would be fine, but now the ground and the bushes were covered in construction debris and broken glass. He was afraid his brother might get cut.

The bushes had been damaged by the hail and heavy rain, and broken branches seemed to have snagged the young man’s clothes. The boy couldn’t pull him up right away, and the young man stretched out his hand to lean on the bushes for support. Shu Fu quickly grabbed his elbow and helped the boy pull him up.

“Be careful, there’s broken glass below,” Shu Fu gestured.

Both the young man and his brother turned to look. The bush he was leaning on was not only surrounded by broken glass but also sharp metal pieces. If he had pushed off there, he might have been cut.

“Thank you,” the young man looked at Shu Fu again, sincerely thanking her. He had clearly recognized her by now.

“You live here too?”

“Mm.” The young man nodded, looking like someone who didn’t say much.

His brother, however, was the complete opposite, talking non-stop: “Sister, we live in the building across. It’s the fourth floor over there,” he pointed to the south side of the building. “We heard the sound of glass breaking and the arguing, so we came out. My brother loves to get involved in other people’s business. The house is still a mess…”

“The window broke?” Shu Fu immediately understood when he mentioned the fourth floor. The other building was older than hers, and the layout was a traditional unit with windows on both the north and south sides, so the situation there was probably worse than in her building.

He nodded again. “I wasn’t meddling. I was actually planning to go outside to find a window repair shop, but I know with the situation now, most of the repairmen won’t be available. I know how to do a bit of everything, so I’ve measured the window size. If no one can come, I plan to buy a few pieces of glass and fix it myself.”

Shu Fu exchanged a few words with him and learned that his surname was Lu. The young man’s name was Lu Zheng, and his younger brother was Lu Ce. They weren’t locals and had no parents. They lived together in a rundown, old apartment. Lu Ce was in junior high, Lu Zheng was in university, and they worked delivering food on the side to support their family and save money for tuition.

Most of these details were shared by the talkative Lu Ce.

Seeing that the crowd was still blocking the stairs and the argument would take a while to die down, Shu Fu decided to walk to the other side of the building and go up through the external stairwell.

Before leaving, she paused and said to Lu Zheng, “Don’t just buy glass; you can also get some steel plates or wooden boards. In special situations, you don’t need to worry about how they look.”

Tempered laminated glass needs to be custom-made. Ordinary glass might break again under extreme weather. In emergency situations, you can secure the windows with nails like during a typhoon.

Lu Zheng was clearly someone who listened to advice. He looked at her seriously with clear, gentle eyes and nodded. “You’re right. Thank you for the reminder.”

“The new notice from the meteorological bureau is out—orange rainstorm warning. You might want to buy extra drinking water.”

“New notice?” Lu Ce was surprised. “We didn’t know about that.”

Shu Fu gestured toward her phone, and Lu Ce quickly pulled it out to check. Lu Zheng thanked Shu Fu again and told her if she needed any help, to just call. He left his number for delivery platforms.

Shu Fu could only call him through the delivery platform, but he would need to call her through the app. After thinking for a moment, she took out her phone and added him on WeChat.

As she turned to leave, she faintly heard Lu Ce’s curious voice behind her, asking about the food delivery number. Lu Zheng seemed to say something, and then Shu Fu heard Lu Ce’s soft exclamation, “So it’s that sister…” The rest of his words were muffled, as though Lu Zheng had covered his mouth to silence him.”

As Shu Fu walked to the external staircase at the other end of the building, just as she stepped onto the first step, the bracelet on her wrist gently vibrated.

[Task completion: Confirm the condition of two boxcars within one hour. Progress: 5% for Level 2 Raft; additional 5% progress bar bonus; 2 chances to spin the wheel. (Current progress for Raft Level 2: 60%)]

In addition to the extra bonus, she had two chances to spin the wheel this time.

Shu Fu felt as though she had gained some insight into the rules again.

---

After noon, the rain grew heavier again. Looking out from her balcony window, the once-bustling community, full of people discussing and coming and going, was now quiet, with everyone retreating into their homes. The community, once loud, had returned to a peaceful and empty state, with only the occasional car or electric bike braving the heavy rain, returning home from the hospital or the supermarket.

As for the other residents in the community, Shu Fu guessed they were probably doing the same as her—standing indoors, watching the rain pouring down outside.

The others didn’t know that the disaster had already arrived. Now, Suicheng Airport was closed, and all train and bus services had been suspended. But as long as there was an opportunity, they could still leave the city and seek refuge elsewhere.

She, however, knew the end had come, but she couldn’t leave the city.

She wasn’t sure who had it worse.

---

In this weather, a portion of food delivery services had certainly stopped, and even if there were riders still out working in the storm, their delivery speeds were slow.

Shu Fu knew she would have to cook her own meals from now on, as the take-out and ready-to-eat food she had stored in her bracelet’s space would last her. She only needed to plan her meals wisely.

In the morning, she had only eaten some toast and milk, so she planned to make something more substantial for lunch, as she had plenty of time since she couldn’t go anywhere.

She opened her tablet and chose a heartwarming and funny slow variety show she had downloaded, setting it up on the kitchen tablet holder to play from the first episode. Then she opened her phone, browsed through the recipes she had saved, and began cooking.

She made herself a simple baked chicken, mushroom, potato, and cheese rice dish. The chicken was chicken breast, which she had taken out of the freezer to thaw not long after waking up.

She diced the chicken breast and marinated it with black pepper and sea salt. Then she diced the mushrooms and potatoes and briefly blanched them in boiling water, while she retrieved a box of rice from her take-out stash.

Next, she stir-fried the rice, chicken, mushrooms, and potatoes together, added the seasoning, and finally transferred the portion she planned to eat into a baking dish, topping it with mozzarella cheese before putting it in the oven to bake for ten minutes.

In the spirit of saving time and effort, she made a large batch of fried rice. The leftovers went into a covered pot, which she stored in the bracelet’s space. Next time, she could add cheese for baking, or just eat it without cheese.

She didn’t cook any vegetables, but took a portion of seaweed salad from her pre-made take-out stock. With the meat, vegetables, and starch, it was a fairly nutritious meal.

As she sat at the small bar counter and began eating, the heavy rain outside turned into a torrential downpour, even more intense than before.

Around 3 or 4 PM, her phone received another heavy rain warning. Aside from Suicheng, the entire southeastern region of Huaguo, from the coast to here, covering about five or six provinces, was under heavy rainfall.

Other areas of Huaguo were also experiencing varying degrees of rainfall.

---

By nearly 5 PM, the sky darkened. She looked down from her balcony. The area, once scattered with glass shards and plant debris from buildings, was now submerged. The rainwater had quickly flooded the ground, and the trees, battered by the strong wind and heavy rain, leaned crookedly.

The rain poured down, rushing through the entire city. Real-time updates from netizens flooded online: areas of water accumulation were spreading rapidly; cars parked on the road had half of their tires submerged; windows had yet to be repaired and had to be sealed with door panels…

The internet connection was poor, but some of the posts included updates about Suicheng, along with plenty of videos and pictures.

---

— The ER is packed, I haven’t slept all night, and I just fell asleep while eating. It’s leaking at home too, but luckily no one got hurt. I’m worried and want to go home. [Picture]

— Is the person upstairs a doctor or nurse? Although medical personnel are really not having it easy! Hang in there!

— I’m also at the hospital. I was planning to go home after picking up my meds, but in just a little while, the water outside the hospital has risen to my calves! Oh my god! [Video]

…

— Help! My car stalled under the bridge! I thought I could drive through! The water has already reached the windows! [Video]

— Are you playing around upstairs? We’ve been warned about heavy rain, but you’re still driving under the bridge? What are you even posting online? Hurry up and call for help!

— At this point, it’s too late to ask for help! The water under the bridge is rising fast, abandon the car and run! Don’t worry about the car! You can’t drive it out anymore! If you wait any longer, you won’t be able to escape!

…

— I thought it’d be less crowded in the supermarket this afternoon because of the rain, and I could take time off and head back to the dorm. But customers just kept coming, some came by car, some walked with raincoats, and we couldn’t keep up with restocking. The supermarket is still crowded, and my shift is over, but with this heavy rain, I’m unsure whether to walk home. [Pictures]

The comments below the supermarket post were advising people not to go back, as the supermarket had plenty of supplies. Aside from the inconvenience of not being able to bathe or sleep, there was everything one could need, and it was definitely safer to stay in the supermarket.

However, most supermarkets in Suicheng are located on lower floors or even basements, with few being in high-rise buildings. As such, some were advising people to use the staff discount to buy supplies and hurry back to their dorms, or catch a ride home if they could find one. After all, low floors are prone to flooding, and it’s not very safe.

— Oh my god! A huge billboard just fell off the shop across from us, and a car happened to pass by. Both the car and the people were hit. It looks like someone is trapped under the car! [Video]

— Ah, I’m nearby! I’ve already called for help, but I don’t know how long it will take for someone to arrive! [Video]

— My shop is on Puzhou Road, and this area was flooded this morning. Now, there’s a river running along the road, and several sewers are backing up! [Video] A pedestrian was almost swept away by the water! Luckily, a delivery rider saved them!

— The video upstairs is so scary! Did your shop flood too?

— Kudos to this delivery rider! But seriously, who’s still ordering takeout in this weather?!

— I placed an order! The delivery fee went up to 20 yuan before anyone accepted it. This morning I ordered delivery for my grandparents, and my grandpa filmed the rider coming into the community—really trekking through the storm…

— I also placed an order, but the delivery fee went up to 30 yuan before anyone accepted…

— Me too…

— Oh my god, I live near Puzhou Road! Why is the water rising so quickly?! I’m still on my way home!!

— Here’s a video I filmed from the window. You can see the metro station at the street corner opposite! See that? The stairs at the metro station are also backing up with water! [Video]

— It’s even worse here! The road is right next to a river, and now it’s impossible to tell where the river ends and the road begins! Oh my god! [Video]

…

Even though authorities had issued a heavy rain warning early on, many people still ventured outdoors, either hoping for the best or caught outside for various reasons, unable to get home in time.

Various types of videos flooded the internet, leaving viewers stunned.

But for everyone in the rain-affected areas, it still felt like just a heavy rain. It came fiercely, causing panic, but everyone knew it would soon pass.

---

Two days later, in the evening, with temperatures ranging from 7 to 10 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of 4 to 5, Suicheng experienced heavy rain across the region, with some areas enduring torrential downpours.

Forty-eight hours had passed, two full days without a break in the rain, the only difference being the intensity: moderate rain, heavy rain, torrential rain.

Shu Fu’s phone had several active group chats.

The Lu brothers had lived in this community for many years and were much more familiar with the neighbors than Shu Fu. That evening, they added her to the community residents’ group.

The group was called “Ping An Community Mutual Aid Group.” It wasn’t very large, but everyone was familiar with each other, probably people Lu Zheng had met or spoken with.

In addition, there were a few community service staff members who sometimes shared updates about the neighborhood or other local areas.

In the group, some were concerned about electricity, as some of the old, dilapidated housing areas in Suicheng had lost power today. More people were worried about water damage since the heavy rain had continued for over 48 hours without showing any signs of stopping.

Chen Fa and Wu Shaoshan posted in the “Beautiful Girls” roommate group, showing off their patched-up glass windows made from foam boards, clothes racks, and cardboard. They optimistically celebrated that it had only rained and there had been no hail. Thanks to the talk about the garage and Shu Fu’s advice, they had bought a large amount of food and drinks. Plus, Wu Shaoshan usually grew hydroponic vegetables on her small balcony, so they weren’t worried about food and water for the time being.

Zhang Tian’s home was on a high floor, and although her window hadn’t broken, the leaks were annoying but not a big problem compared to others. She was more concerned about her milk tea shop, which was located on the ground floor, not on a high-rise building. If the water flooded the shop, everything, including the decor and equipment, would be ruined.

Also, she had originally bought a ticket to visit her ex’s hometown on Wednesday for his birthday and to meet his parents. The rain wasn’t as heavy on Wednesday, and public transport was still running normally. If she hadn’t found out about her ex’s infidelity on Sunday, she would probably be stuck in his hometown by now.

Her ex had tried to reconcile but had threatened her when she refused, asking if she really intended to break up. If she did, there would be no turning back.

Everyone in his hometown knew he was bringing his fiancée back, as they had planned to marry next month, with all the wedding photography and travel arrangements already made. If she didn’t go, he wouldn’t let his parents be embarrassed, so he’d bring someone else instead, and take wedding photos with that person.

Zhang Tian was shocked by how low her ex had stooped, and it was unimaginable that he could be this shameless. She naturally told him to go to hell.

Her ex did indeed bring the mistress back to his hometown and posted photos on social media, boasting about their love with a caption that read, “Next is better,” which nearly made Zhang Tian vomit blood.

However, her ex’s hometown was also in the area affected by the heavy rain and, as it was a county town, was currently suffering from both mudslides and flooding.

Zhang Tian no longer felt angry. Instead, she felt lucky and a little scared. She once again thanked Shu Fu, as being stranded in her ex’s hometown right now would have been a disaster.

This made Shu Fu’s mind race with subtle thoughts about cause and effect, but she didn’t say anything further.

Zheng Feifei, in her company’s group chat, expressed her worries, saying that while it was comfortable staying at home for two days without going to work, the problem was that her community couldn’t hold up against the flood. Water started accumulating yesterday afternoon, and today it had already reached halfway up the garage.

Her community was located on a slightly higher area of Suicheng with good drainage, so when flooding started in other areas, hers remained fine at first.

Yesterday afternoon, when the water began to accumulate, many people rushed out in the rain to move their cars parked in the underground garage to the surface. They parked them crookedly. Now, the water in the entire community had risen almost to waist height, and the cars were doomed.

But now, her bigger concern was something else.

“If the rain doesn’t stop tomorrow, the water will reach the first floor, and we live on the second floor…”

Zheng Feifei’s community and Shu Fu’s rental community had similar basic floor structures, with an additional parking level below the first floor. The difference was that Shu Fu’s community had a battery car garage, while Zheng Feifei’s had a car garage.

The drainage in Shu Fu’s area wasn’t as good as in Zheng Feifei’s, and the water level had almost submerged the garage now.

However, Shu Fu lived on the fifth floor, while Zheng Feifei lived on the second. If the water level continued to rise, no matter how sturdy the building was, the water would eventually flood into their homes.

The people on the first floor of Shu Fu’s building had already started checking the water level and calling for help.

However, many areas in Suicheng, with their non-high-rise buildings, were in worse condition, and many hospitals were also facing flooding. Rescue efforts were definitely being prioritized in more urgent areas.

After venting in the group, Zheng Feifei messaged Shu Fu privately: “I should’ve listened to you when you suggested this yesterday! I should’ve packed up and taken my parents to a nearby apartment hotel!”

There was a shopping supermarket across the street from her community. The supermarket was on the first floor, and above it were office stores and restaurants, with several apartment-style hotels on the higher floors. The lowest floor of the hotels was above the fifth floor.

But when she brought it up to her parents yesterday, they thought she was crazy. It had been raining for a few days, and they didn’t think it was necessary to leave their home.

“You’ve been watching too many movies, haven’t you? It’s just a few days of heavy rain. Suicheng has flooded twice when you were a kid, and it was just like this—streets and alleys full of water…”

“We live on the second floor, but it’s actually the third floor, with the parking garage lower down. The second and third floors are high up, so if even we get flooded, what would Suicheng be like? This isn’t a sci-fi movie!”

…

Zheng Feifei was scolded by her parents and gave up the idea.

But now, watching the water level rise to halfway up the garage, she really started to panic.

She saw other people in the community walking out, with the water already reaching waist height. She wondered if it was too late to go to the hotel across the street.

The distance from her building to the road across wasn’t too long, but it was far enough. The road was full of construction debris, probably with hidden holes, and the weather was cold and rainy. She didn’t dare venture out.

Shu Fu replied: “Is the water on the road outside your building flowing fast?”

Zheng Feifei: “Not really fast, just accumulated. I saw people going out earlier, but I’m too scared to go, and it’s still raining…”

Shu Fu asked: “Are the hotels across the street still open? Call them to check if they have vacancies, how much the rooms cost, if they have hot water, and make sure to ask about everything.”

Zheng Feifei responded: “I called, and surprisingly, all three hotels are open! A lot of guests who had planned to leave Suicheng have stayed longer, so there are still rooms available, but the price is a bit higher. You can check in.”

Shu Fu directly called her: “Do you have a kayak? Or an inflatable pool mattress? Or at least a life ring?”

Upon hearing the last suggestion, Zheng Feifei quickly replied: “I have a life ring! I bought a manual life-saving belt before!”

“Okay, with the life-saving belt, pull it tight before entering the water; it’ll inflate into a life ring. With these two life rings, they should be able to support the weight of your whole family.”

“Put your phone in a waterproof pouch and hang it around your neck. Bring cash, jewelry, important documents like your ID and house papers, and put them in a sealed plastic bag. Bring as much drinking water and portable meals as you can, along with any medicine, a power bank, and a lighter. Pack some extra clothes.”

“Put everything in a waterproof backpack. If you don’t have one, use a thick plastic bag and seal it with cling film before packing it. If you have a plastic basin or big bucket at home for washing or bathing, bring it, tie it to the life rings with rope. You can place your bags of supplies in the basin or bucket, seal the top with cling film, and pull it across the water to reduce the load.”

“Wear a raincoat if you have one, but avoid using an umbrella. Keep your hands free to hold the life rings and your supply bucket.”

“There are supermarkets, shops, and restaurants in the commercial building. They probably won’t all be closed. After you check in, don’t rush to bathe, change into dry clothes, and go downstairs to find some more supplies at the stores that are still open, depending on your needs…”

Zheng Feifei was stunned: “Wow… suddenly I think you’re so cool… But what if my parents still won’t go across the street?”

In this kind of weather, going across would mean wading through the water—how cold that would be…

Shu Fu sighed, “We need to think of something. The water is already up to waist height, we can still walk for now, but if it keeps going until tomorrow…”

She didn’t finish the sentence because it touched on the disaster part, and she couldn’t bring herself to say more.

But with what was said so far, Zheng Feifei definitely understood.

“Don’t rush, I haven’t finished yet. Actually, there are other ways. How many floors is your building? The corridors or stairwells on higher floors can also be used as temporary living spaces. It would be even more convenient if you have a tent or other camping tools. Of course, if you’re on good terms with your neighbors on higher floors, you could pay them a little to stay with them, but it’s better to make arrangements in advance.”

In Shu Fu’s opinion, any of these methods could work, but if it were her, she would definitely choose the first one. After all, an apartment-style hotel would definitely be more comfortable than staying in a stairwell or a neighbor’s house.

A bit of effort, and it would be a long-term solution.

But for Zheng Feifei, perhaps the other two methods might work better. After all, to her, this was just a rainstorm, and her parents weren’t young anymore. Was it really necessary to wade through the water in this cold weather? Would the water really flood her home’s floor?

Although Shu Fu and Zheng Feifei had a good relationship, she wouldn’t impose her decision on Zheng Feifei. She just provided the hotel plan after noticing that Zheng Feifei regretted not going to the hotel yesterday and expressed a desire to go today.

As for which option Zheng Feifei and her parents would choose, that was for them to decide.

On the other end of the phone, Zheng Feifei hesitated and hung up.

Not long after the call ended, Shu Fu’s wristband vibrated.

[Completed polite greeting tasks in three or more friend groups, gained 2nd level raft with 5% progress; won a lucky draw: 1 time. (Raft level 2 progress: 65%)]

Though the progress on the task bar didn’t increase much, the task was simple, and she was happy with the extra lucky draw she received after each task.

The first two lucky draws had resulted in a blue fifth prize: a floor-to-ceiling window, and a red fourth prize: a hotpot gift set.

After receiving the floor-to-ceiling window, it had been instantly applied to her driftwood house. The house originally had two small wooden-framed windows on either side, which didn’t match the more than two-meter ceiling height.

One of the small windows was near the bathroom partition, and the window that was affected was the other one. The small wooden-framed window was vertically stretched and transformed into a three-times-taller floor-to-ceiling window.

The glass was the same as before, with frosted glass on the outside that obscured the view from the outside, but inside, the clear glass allowed for much better light, almost doubling the brightness.

The addition of a floor-to-ceiling window to the wooden house made the otherwise simple interior feel more modern. Shu Fu now had the desire to decorate the house and rearranged its layout.

She moved the aluminum alloy cabinets and storage boxes to the opposite side of the bathroom partition. These two parts took up a third of the area near the back door, which she used as a storage area.

The sofa and wooden coffee table were moved to the small window area, forming the living and dining space. Against the wooden partition of the bathroom, she set up a small bar table with a tablet and lamp on top. Below the table were an induction cooker, a gas stove, and some camping cookware, along with some durable snacks and drinks, not many, but enough for her to grab when in the house.

The area near the new floor-to-ceiling window was covered with camping mats, and since the wooden house wasn’t cold or damp, just with slightly hard floors, she laid two layers: a foam mat underneath, and an inflatable mattress on top, about 1.2 meters wide. She added a blanket and some cushions, just enough space for her to sleep.

Although she couldn’t sleep overnight in the wooden house yet, she could occasionally lie down.

The hotpot gift set contained a variety of ingredients, and like the BBQ set, it included all the dipping sauces and side dishes. All she needed was an electric cooker and a few bottles of mineral water, and she could start eating right away.

Shu Fu thought these consolation prizes were really good, so every time she got a lucky draw, she felt happy and didn’t expect anything too grand.

However, this time, after the wheel spun, it actually landed on a golden grid.

Shu Fu:!!