Freezing rain, strong winds, and fog made visibility extremely low at night.
Even with his high beams on, George could barely see the road ahead.
However, driven by his unwavering determination, he eventually returned home without incident.
Because the strong winds had cut off the electricity, the Cooper family house was completely dark.
The detached wooden house, battered by the storm and strong winds, seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
"Mary! Mary!!!" George rushed into the house with a hand lamp, shouting loudly.
Several windows in the house were broken, and drafts were everywhere.
Other than the roof providing some shelter from the rain, it was not much better than being outdoors.
"George, is that you?"
Just as George was in a state of extreme anxiety, his wife's voice responded.
He turned the hand lamp and saw Mary, wrapped in a blanket, huddled in a corner of the living room, her face visibly filled with fear and helplessness.
"Mary! Are you alright?" George went over and hugged his wife, thoughtfully wiping the rain from her face.
"Thank God, it was so terrifying. I thought I'd never see you again!" Feeling the warm embrace, tears welled up in Mary's eyes.
On the other side, after a brief embrace with his wife, George felt the wind outside growing stronger, and the house was already shaking slightly.
"We can't stay here anymore," George said decisively. "Can you still walk? We'll go to the basement to hide."
The previous fear had exhausted Mary, and she found it difficult to even stand up at that moment.
So, George half-supported and half-dragged his wife, leading her outside.
After passing through the strong winds and heavy rain in the yard, the two arrived at the basement where Georgie lived.
Compared to the detached wooden house above ground, the basement, with more than half of its space underground, was in a much better condition.
"You wipe off the water from your body first. I'll try to make a pot of hot tea to warm you up..." George found a relatively clean towel and handed it to his wife.
Because Georgie lived there, the daily necessities in the basement were quite complete.
Towels, blankets, and quilts were all available.
Also, because it had been used as a toy storage room by Sheldon, there were many strange and unusual things piled up in the corner.
Among them was an old generator.
Mary, wrapped in a warm quilt again, watched her husband busying himself, and an inexplicable sense of security filled her heart.
More than ten minutes later, George successfully started the generator.
With a rumbling sound, the basement was illuminated.
"Thank the Lord!!!"
After the power came on, George breathed a sigh of relief and excitedly waved his arms.
One must know that in the darkness, light is so precious.
It can give people strength, courage, and confidence.
Another ten minutes later, George, who had boiled a pot of hot tea with an electric kettle, brought the hot tea and some snacks he found in the basement to Mary.
"Your heart isn't well; you should rest too," Mary wiped the sweat from her husband's forehead and pulled him into the quilt.
Facing the increasingly harsh weather outside, a rare heartwarming scene appeared in the basement.
"It's so good that you're back," Mary passionately embraced her husband inside the quilt.
But before George could be happy for long, Mary whispered, "Actually, I saw it that day. You and Brenda were hugging. Heaven knows how sad I was then..."
"I promise, Brenda and I didn't do anything," George quickly explained, then changed the subject, saying sourly, "What about you and Pastor Jeff? I also saw you two hugging. Right in front of the church..."
"How could you think that? Pastor Jeff is a good person. That day I just borrowed his shoulder for a bit..." Mary explained the situation that day in detail.
Braving the harsh weather, the two in the basement, through their mutual confidences, unknowingly resolved their misunderstandings.
"George, do you want to now?" The day's events stimulated Mary, giving her a different feeling.
As their eyes met, the temperature gradually rose.
"Of course, I've been waiting for this day for a long time..."
"Is your heart okay?"
"We'll find out if we try..."
Outside, the wind and rain continued, and in the basement, accompanied by the roar of the generator, faint sounds of applause could be heard.
This sudden severe weather lasted for three days and three nights, sweeping across multiple regions including Hawaii, Texas, and Oklahoma.
It caused hundreds of casualties and immeasurable property damage.
At this point, this massive natural disaster received attention from all over America, and experts specifically named this spring cold snap "Adam."
This implied that the disaster was caused by human greed, and also served as a warning that if environmental protection is not prioritized, this once-in-sixty-years natural disaster might just be the beginning.
While experts discussed the causes of this natural disaster, environmentalists from various places also took the opportunity to make their mark.
Their busy figures could be seen outside many factories and farms.
For a time, the environmental movement was unusually lively across America.
Fortunately, Medford was just a remote town and was not affected by those "radicals."
Now, after the disaster, the residents of Medford began the work of rebuilding their homes.
"Mike, have you noticed? George and Mary have been a bit strange these past few days." Missy, who was helping Mike by handing him tools, couldn't help but complain as she looked at her overly affectionate parents nearby.
Harmonious marital life had made Mary's complexion rosy and radiant, and her temper had mellowed considerably.
And George, having achieved his desires, seemed to have found a second spring, full of vigor.
"Isn't that good? You don't have to worry about them divorcing anymore," Mike said with a smile.
"It's good, but it just feels wrong..." Missy frowned, expressing her confusion.
Clearly, public displays of affection are never universally appreciated.
"Missy, do you want to know why your parents became like that?" Connie, standing nearby, mysteriously joined the conversation.
"Why?" As expected, Connie's words piqued Missy's curiosity.
"Well, you'll know when you grow up!" Connie, having successfully played her prank, chuckled and moved away, leaving the little girl feeling frustrated.
Because they were detached houses, compared to rows of residential buildings, the Cooper family house and Connie's wooden house were severely damaged in this storm.
Even with the three strong laborers—Mike, Georgie, and George—the house repair work continued for nearly half a month.
On this day, after both wooden houses were completely repaired, to celebrate their "new homes," the Cooper family and Connie, among others, held another dinner gathering.
"This should be veal. Where did you get it from?" George, who was savoring the special brisket, suddenly asked Mike.
Grandma's special brisket recipe naturally called for the tenderest beef possible.
However, veal, which hasn't fully grown, is usually not available for purchase.
This time, the Cooper family and Connie, among others, also benefited from Mike's good fortune.
"Lina gave it to me. You know their farm was also quite damaged this time," Mike explained.
When the strong winds came earlier, thanks to Mike's warning, Lina and her family had no problems.
However, the cattle on the mountain that couldn't be recalled in time were in a very grim situation.
After the disaster, Lina's family lost some cattle, but more were crushed to death or severely injured.
Therefore, her family had a large batch of raw beef that needed to be processed.
Fortunately, Karen's father owned a beef burger factory that constantly needed large supplies of beef.
Thus, with Mike's mediation, Lina's surplus beef found a sales channel.
And in the Cooper family's dining room, with Mike leading the conversation, everyone's topic shifted to the passing of the natural disaster.
As the saying goes: every natural disaster brings forth a monster.
It had been more than half a month since the natural disaster, and the influence of environmentalists had rapidly expanded.
It was reported that the radical faction among them was no longer satisfied with merely closing factories; due to the "cow fart" theory, some of them had begun advocating for the elimination of cattle on farms.
Then, something amusing happened.
A group of animal lover societies, holding the banner of righteousness, emerged at this moment.
In short, America had become a chaotic mess because of these "awakened ones."