On September 19th, after another nine days, the floodwaters had receded to below one meter.
However, despite it being past the White Dew solar term, the scorching sun in the sky pushed the temperature up to 60 degrees Celsius at times, making it unbearably hot.
These past few days, Tang Li also clearly felt that the ice in her room was melting faster.
But Tang Li also understood that the current temperature was not that high, the human body could still directly contact the air, and they could also use water to cool down.
When the extremely hot season arrived next year, the water in rivers and lakes would evaporate, and coupled with the radiation from the solar storm, that would be truly life-threatening!
The sweltering heat drove many people outdoors to cool off in the floodwaters.
No, this should no longer be called floodwaters, merely urban waterlogging.
And the people who stepped into the accumulated water soon discovered a pleasant surprise—they had found fish!
Thus, more and more people took their own buckets and basins, went outdoors, and felt for fish in the water.
Anyone who went out would, more or less, have some catch.
Some even caught a fish as large as an adult!
Instantly, the crowd downstairs erupted in celebration.
Every unit had its own gas stove, and with these fish, they could have an extra meal.
Tang Li watched all this from the window but did not go down.
After a great disaster, there will be a great epidemic!
This accumulated water was not ordinary urban waterlogging, but a great flood that had lasted for nearly two months.
It was filled with all sorts of garbage flushed from upstream, including domestic waste, industrial wastewater, chemical raw materials, corpses of humans and animals, and feces, which were the most conducive to breeding bacteria.
Moreover, the bottom of the accumulated water was filled with silt and various debris, among which might be sharp objects like nails and blades.
Most of these people were only wearing slippers, sandals, or even going barefoot into the water. Once their feet were cut, the bacteria in the water would quickly infect the wounds.
As Tang Li had expected, just like in her previous life, after people got injured while catching fish in the water, their wounds became red, swollen, and festered, and many people developed a fever that very night.
Fortunately, although there was still accumulated water, transportation had been marginally restored, and they could go to the hospital. Ultimately, the casualties were not too severe.
Due to the scorching sun, the floodwaters receded rapidly.
On September 21st, early risers discovered that there was hardly any water left on the ground, only vast expanses of silt and various debris within it.
This flood, which began on July 21st, finally ended after two months!
Early in the morning, Tang Li was awakened by the loud announcement from the loudspeaker outside her window.
"Effective immediately, the authorities will cease the distribution of free relief supplies... Citizens are requested to actively participate in post-disaster reconstruction efforts, carry out post-disaster epidemic prevention work, and restore production and life as soon as possible..."
"Citizens participating in post-disaster reconstruction will receive material allocation coupons, which can be used to redeem supplies such as water and food..."
"Clearing silt and debris from main roads, schools, and other important locations: 10 points per day; clearing silt and debris from other areas: 5 points per day; transporting silt and debris: 5 points per day..."
"Citizens who are willing to participate in post-disaster reconstruction efforts are requested to register at their respective community as soon as possible..."
Tang Li had over 30,000 points in her account, so she naturally did not need to participate in these tasks.
However, Tang Li still got up.
She replicated domestic water from her space and first washed up.
Now, there were not many people who could use water like her.
Since the heavy rain had stopped, people’s water supply had become a problem. They could only exchange it with rescue teams, but the amount each person could exchange was limited.
The rescue teams did not have much stored drinking water left.
And in a situation where everywhere was sewage, purification was not possible.
Perhaps this situation would improve after the silt and debris at the water plant were cleared today.
Tang Li did not pour away the water used for washing up, as doing so might attract attention. Instead, she directly put it back into her space.
Once the water was put into the space, it would revert to its original state and become clean again.
As for the dirty residue within it, Tang Li, along with the sweat and excrement she had previously stored in her space, placed them at the outermost periphery of her space.
Although Tang Li's space was not a normal three-dimensional space, the distinction between old and new had created an inner and outer boundary.
The old space, which had existed from the beginning, was the inner part, while the new space that had gradually expanded later was the outer part.
During the two months of natural disaster, Tang Li had not placed much into her space, and yet the space continued to expand slowly. Therefore, many blank spaces had appeared within her space.
These contaminants were placed by Tang Li in the outermost, newest living space.
There was still a considerable distance from the old space that existed from the beginning, with a large expanse of blank space in between.
Today, after washing up, Tang Li did not perform her usual exercise.
She changed into a different set of clothes, brought sun protection items, put on a pair of rain boots, and then left her home.