The nausea was definitely there, but it wasn't just nausea. The real problem was their body heat rising higher and higher. Soon, Lan Jin's other symptoms began to show as well.
Lan Jin hurriedly said, "Grandma Ling, please take Qiao Qiao and Nana to your place. I just feel something is wrong. The four of us should stay alone for now. Let's wait for the fever to go down first."
Qiao Qiao was only three and a half years old. The moment she heard she had to separate from her mother, she refused. "No, Mama, don't go! No separate!"
The fear of being separated from Lan Jin, a memory from her past life, surged again. She felt that if she was apart from Lan Jin, she might be taken away. Thinking of that fear, Qiao Qiao started crying and throwing a tantrum.
Lan Jin bent down to comfort her. "Mama not going, Mama here. Just you and Grandma go stay a few days. When Mama get better I come back. Mama sick, could give you sick."
She then coughed twice on purpose, showing that her illness was serious. After confirming she would not leave the 32nd floor, Qiao Qiao finally believed her.
"Don't worry. Nana stay with you. We just one floor apart. Mama stay next door. Sister Ling and Mama stay together to recover."
By the way, Qiao Qiao called Grandma Ling "Grandma," but should have called Ling Jiang "Aunt Ling." Ling Jiang refused to be called Aunt and insisted on keeping the titles separate, so Qiao Qiao ended up calling her "Sister Ling."
It wasn't a big deal anyway. There was no real family connection, so they let it slide.
Ling Jiang quickly said, "Your Mama won't leave you, just like I won't leave my grandma. But your Mama and I are both sick, so we need distance. Otherwise, both of you, big and small, will get sick. You want to take medicine?"
Qiao Qiao wasn't scared. "No medicine! Drink water, water fix!"
Ling Jiang choked.
Lao Gao hurried to explain, "We drank water, didn't that help? That's why you and Grandma Ling stay apart. Don't worry. We are still here. Where can we go? We are sick too."
Thinking like that, it seemed fine, so Qiao Qiao obediently went with Grandma Ling.
At Grandma Ling's, Lan Jin had already given them food and drinks two days ago. There was no need to add more. Besides, reheating prepared food was not as good as cooking fresh.
After Lao Gao helped carry some charcoal over, they were officially separated.
Just moments ago, Lan Jin had barely held herself together to comfort Qiao Qiao. The moment they separated, her legs gave out and she collapsed.
Fortunately, Huang Jinghe was right behind her and caught her, immediately carrying her back to room 3201.
Since the last cooking session, 3201 had become their new gathering spot. Daytime burning charcoal, nighttime meals, everything happened in 3201. To keep warm, Lao Gao had even installed a door downstairs and left the key in the lock. Anyone could open it at any time.
Lan Jin was placed in a chair. These chairs were office chairs she had secretly taken from buildings during scavenging. They had back support and adjustable reclining, perfect for lying down. She had collected several, and now they were all being used comfortably.
Lan Jin's state was poor, but the others weren't much better. After setting Lan Jin down, they all lay back in the chairs.
All four were breathing rapidly, burning hot, with no relief.
Lan Jin asked, "Should we remove the stove? I feel so hot."
Even with temperature-regulating suits, her body still felt unbearably hot.
The others agreed. No need to extinguish the stove—just return it to the space, and the temperature in 3201 dropped on its own.
Even so, the four of them remained with dangerously high body heat. Lao Gao measured himself at 45.3 degrees Celsius. Normally, a human would have been cooked alive at this temperature.
Lao Gao sighed, "This isn't right. I feel like I'm dying. Even if I don't die, I'm half-dead. After this fever goes, can my body even work?"
Huang Jinghe laughed bitterly, "Half-dead already. My insides feel like they're being steamed. How can it be this hot?"
They tried to remove clothing, but Lan Jin stopped them. "Don't take clothes off. No fire. If not burned by heat, you'll freeze to death."
Hearing this, they stopped.
They could still joke a little, but after this episode, they would have no strength even to speak. Lan Jin, caught between speaking and fading, blacked out.
That blackout lasted three days.
When Lan Jin awoke, the other three were still sitting upright in their chairs. Outside, the wind whipped the snow. The sky and ground blended into one, filling her vision.
A blizzard.
There was no other explanation.
The freezing temperatures had turned most snowflakes into hard chunks. The wind drove them against the windows, rattling loudly.
Even the glass doors of 3201's balcony had cracks. Lan Jin, wearing her temperature-regulating suit, didn't notice. Huang Jinghe, sitting on a chair, already had a thin layer of frost on his face, unnoticed because she had been focused on the weather outside.
Lan Jin quickly roused them, slapping their faces. Lao Gao woke first, followed by Ling Jiang, then Huang Jinghe.
Seeing Lan Jin alert, they asked, "Sister Lan, you look well. Are you okay now?"
After waking, Lan Jin felt much better. But she sensed a strange energy circulating inside her, difficult to describe, slightly uncomfortable.
The others tried, and they felt the same.
Regardless, not having a fever and avoiding madness was the greatest relief.
Hearing the commotion, Grandma Ling knocked at the main door with Qiao Qiao and the dog. "Are you awake? Can I come in?"
"Mama, Mama, can Qiao Qiao come in?" Qiao Qiao asked anxiously.
The dog barked in agreement, "Woof woof."