After buying everything, I had to think about the power supply. I remembered there had been sunlight in my previous life, so I immediately went to a store and got two large solar panels before dinner. They fit perfectly on the rack on the balcony.

After doing all this, I still feel a little uneasy. Everything I purchased was delivered to my apartment building's gate by the store owner and supermarket staff.

At a time like this, I needed to be cautious. Our neighborhood was new with a low occupancy rate, so buying so many things made me stand out.

I then ordered many power banks and small gas stoves online and bought several propane tanks.

This way, even if the water and electricity went out, I could still use propane.

Clean water was crucial. I remembered that the pipes had frozen and burst on the second day of the catastrophe.

I ordered 200 bottles of water from the water delivery company and bought a lot of snacks.

I also downloaded many TV shows and movies in case the internet went out.

It was late into the night by the time I finished all this, and just as I was about to rest, my sister sent me a message.

[Cassie, make sure not to damage my bag when you come tomorrow. It would be best if you could fly business class. I don't want my bag to smell like those poor people.]

When I didn't respond in two minutes, she started bombarding me with messages again.

[Cassie, did you get my message?]

[Okay,] I replied.

She finally stopped texting me.

The next morning, I got a new SIM card and a new phone, planning to use the old one for the show that was about to start.

Before noon, Julia's messages started flooding in again.

[Cassie Murphy! Why would you buy such things? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?!]

Before I could reply, my mother called and scolded, "Cassie Murphy, are you intentionally trying to embarrass us?"

Feigning innocence, I asked, "Mom, what are you talking about? What did I do wrong again?"

My mother said in a hushed but exasperated tone, "I told you to buy high-end gift sets, but you didn't get any! Instead, you bought all this junk!

"You're making us look bad. Your future brother-in-law's family will think our family is so poor that we're eager to get rid of your sister!

"Hurry up and go to a specialty store to buy the most expensive gifts. Then send them along with your sister's bag to us!"