Jiang Ning had only been to the hospital twice, and the two of them had not crossed paths. 

When the collision of plates happened, Ma Guangnian was arranged to board a transport ship, and after months of wandering at sea, he arrived safely at the new home yesterday. 

He did not rest and took the initiative to apply for a job at the hospital. 

Thinking of the kind and benevolent Professor Li, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but feel a bit down, but at the same time admired Ma Guangnian’s unwavering belief. 

“Teacher, I also came from the military base.” She opened her backpack and took out a bag of sugar cubes and a box of tea. “I was lucky to find a batch of rare metals at that time, and I traded them for a submarine. The supplies I brought from home were not lost.” 

“You take these two for now, and I’ll bring more food next day.” 

“Your health is not good; you need to recover quickly so that you can better handle your work.” 

The items were too valuable, and Ma Guangnian was reluctant to accept them. 

“Teacher, compared with the knowledge you have taught me, these things are nothing.” 

Jiang Ning was determined, “The base is growing steadily, and it will only get better in the future. You can’t let your health deteriorate.” 

Unable to refuse her kindness, Ma Guangnian accept the gifts. 

The two chatted for a while, and Jiang Ning left the hospital. 

To get to the dock, she had to pass the research institute, where she saw a line of survivors applying for jobs at the entrance. 

After asking around, she learned that the research institute is going to set up a food factory and recruit a group of flexible production workers in advance to specialize in slaughtering and processing yellow croakers and removing the toxic parts. 

Due to the difficulty of the job, protective clothing was necessary to avoid injury from the yellow croaker, so the pay was several times that of ordinary jobs. 

“Choose me! Before the disaster, I worked for ten years at a supermarket slaughtering fish; I could do it with my eyes closed.” 

“My ancestors have been slaughtering fish for three generations; I can guarantee I’m skilled enough to carve designs into fish bones.” 

The competition was fierce, and at one point, it nearly turned into a fight, which scared off the interviewer. 

With time to spare before the evening ferry, Jiang Ning wandered into the trading center. 

In addition to sea salt, they were actually selling fish cakes already. 

Fish cakes are new products, and there are discounts when they are first launched. Ordinary survivors can buy half a catty with a day’s salary. 

If they are mass-produced in the future, they will only become cheaper and cheaper. 

It was clear that the current goal of the base was to improve living standards and the products they promote are not for profit, but to consider the lives of the survivors. 

Jiang Ning arrived too late, and the fish cakes were already sold out. 

However, as news spread that the mutated fish were edible, there was a sense of excitement throughout the base, and even the staff wore much brighter smiles. 

“I tried the fish cakes I brought back yesterday. Although the taste was ordinary, I didn’t feel uncomfortable after eating them and I woke up feeling much more energetic.” 

“Who said it wasn’t? Our bodies haven’t eaten meat for many years. Of course, our bodies feel good after replenishing some nutrition.” 

“I hope that there will be more and more things to eat in the future, and we can have a good hot pot gathering like before the natural disaster.” 

“It’s true. Although our salary is not high, the benefits are good. I heard that there will be vegetables distributed in a few days.” 

After leaving the trading center, Jiang Ning did not go to the dock, but went to the administrative center to find Jiang Guanshan. 

Upon learning she had arrived, Jiang Guanshan hurried out to greet her, “Comrade Jiang, what do you think?” 

Jiang Ning did not hesitate anymore, “I agree to join.” 

Jiang Guanshan smiled, “No problem, the treatment is negotiable. I’ll help you and Xiao Huo write the application for special approval to join the military.” 

Military registration? What a joke! 

Jiang Ning’s expression grew serious. “Leader, my ideological awareness hasn’t reached that level yet. When that day comes, we will apply ourselves; there’s no need for you to open a back door for us.” 

“How can that be possible? If you don’t have awareness, how can you bring the hero back home from thousands of miles away?” 

No, no, no. Jiang Ning wasn’t being modest; it was just that her thoughts really didn’t meet that standard. 

In fact, she simply wants to live a good life with the people she cares about. Everything she did before was just her sense of responsibility and obligation as a descendant of Huaxia.  

However, Jiang Guanshan really likes the two of them and wants to recruit them under his command. 

The more she refused, the more eloquent he became. 

Finally, Jiang Ning got irritated, “Leader, if you insist on doing this, I’ll reconsider working at the hospital.” 

Jiang Guanshan then stopped, “No, don’t. It’s your call.” 

Jiang Ning took out a quick-acting heart-saving pill from her bag, “This is the last bottle I have stocked up. As for whether the hospital can produce more in the future, we’ll just have to wait and see.” 

After accepting the life-saving medicine, Jiang Guanshan warmly invited, “Xiao Jiang, are you free today? I’d like to invite you and Xiao Huo to my home for dinner.” 

“No need. I have to report to the hospital tomorrow, so I need to go home and prepare a few things.” 

“Okay, let’s talk about dinner another day. If you encounter any trouble in the hospital, remember to tell me at any time.” 

After sending Jiang Ning away, Jiang Guanshan excitedly went to the hospital and found Ma Guangnian, who was busy. “Director Ma, I just recruited a female doctor for you. She also came from the southern military base. You can take her under your wing tomorrow.” 

Since there were no outsiders around, Jiang Guanshan was not afraid to tell the truth. “It’s hard to say how good this doctor is, but she has made contributions to the base. If her medical skills are good, you can take her with you. If not, you can arrange her to an ordinary position.” 

Ma Guangnian is engaged in academic research and hates people who use connections. He frowned and said, “What’s her name?” 

“Jiang Ning.” 

Ma Guangnian thought he had heard it wrong. “What’s her name?” 

“Jiang Ning.” Jiang Guanshan thought he was unhappy so he added, “She looks a little young, but she saved a pilot at sea before. Not only did she ask someone to send the hero’s ashes back, but she also pointed out the coordinates of the new homeland to her compatriots.” 

“Last time, the Chief had a sudden heart attack, and she was the one who saved him with medication.” 

Ma Guangnian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Jiang Ning is my student. Today, she has been teaching medical staff how to prepare medicinal materials.” 

As for why she didn’t come to work at the hospital before, she had her own reasons. Everyone has different choices, and he wouldn’t question her about it. 

Jiang Guanshan was shocked, “Oh, that’s really something! It’s like flooding the Dragon King’s temple, and the family doesn’t know their own people.” 

No wonder Jiang Ning suddenly changed her mind; it turned out she had met her teacher at the hospital, which influenced her decision. 

Now he could really rest easy. Ma Guangnian’s skills in traditional Chinese medicine were already famous nationwide before the disaster. 

The students he brought up couldn’t be that bad. 

With the master and apprentice in charge, he was really relieved about the hospital and could focus his energy on other places. 

Jiang Ning took the ferry back to Area B, and Doudou came back from work not long after. 

She brought back half a pound of green vegetables and said happily, “Sister-in-law, the yellow croaker meat is edible now, so the task for the maggot breeding group isn’t so heavy anymore.” 

Thanks also to all the efforts of the planting group, the vegetables produced could barely supply the base’s canteen, and the next main task was to cultivate and preserve seeds. 

The goal was to ensure that all survivors could have vegetables to eat as soon as possible. 

Jiang Ning asked with a smile, “Doudou, do you like your current life?” 

---

Thank you so much for reading! 🌸 If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee on my Ko-Fi page. ☕💖 Your support means everything! 😊✨

https://ko-fi.com/xiaocaojade