[edited]

At six years old, she already understood a bit, especially since she remembered her brother’s words. So, in the end, she didn’t ask any questions. 

Seeing her brother picking the peanuts, she quickly brought over a folding stool. “Brother, I’ll help you pick them.” 

“It’s cold, wear an extra pair of gloves.” 

The dog, not wanting to be outdone, used its teeth to bite. 

Jiang Ning felt embarrassed just sitting around, but Huo Yishen wouldn’t let her help. “You rest, don’t tire yourself out.” 

He didn’t really understand exactly what she did, but he knew it wasn’t easy to handle all these things. 

The fertile black soil garden yielded well, with around 90 pounds of peanuts from a 100 square foot plot. Jiang Ning sprinkled salt and five-spice powder, stirred them, cooked them in several batches to enhance the flavor, left two pounds to eat while hot, and stored the rest in the space to be taken out when needed. 

She cooked half of the corn as well, using it for snacks or breakfast. 

Wheat had a pretty high yield, but without a threshing machine, they had to use the most primitive method—rubbing it by hand. 

Fortunately, the shear resistance of the wheat grains and cobs is weak, so it is not labor intensive to rub them. Huo Yishen didn’t slack off as well. He finished the task in a day, and Jiang Ning then stored it in the space to dry. 

After several days of hard work, they were indeed exhausted. With another round of planting coming up, Jiang Ning justified that it’s fine to take a break. 

She noticed Doudou hadn’t asked any questions and seemed increasingly calm, as if she had accepted the sudden appearance of things. 

Jiang Ning discreetly took out several bundles of greens, chicken fat oil, vegetables, little white flowers, lettuce, and other items. 

Seeing the extra greens in the kitchen, Doudou was surprised but still didn’t ask anything. She obediently helped her brother pick and wash the vegetables. 

After finishing their work, Jiang Ning praised her, “Doudou is so good, go play with Coke and the bunny.” 

Doudou looked at her brother with eager eyes, only leaving happily after getting his approval. 

The two of them closed the doors and windows, stir-fried a dozen batches of greens, and put them in a basin, with Jiang Ning storing everything in the space. 

With the fresh green vegetables, Doudou’s appetite increased significantly, and she smiled with satisfaction. “Brother, it’s so delicious.” 

After Jiang Ning left with the dog, Huo Yishen called her to sit on the sofa. “Doudou, do you like Sister Anning?” 

“I like her,” she replied without hesitation. 

“In the future, she and Coke will live with us, is that okay?” 

Doudou was excited. “Really? I like Sister.” 

And Coke and the bunny too. 

Huo Yishen looked at her. “We will also share our food with Sister, do you agree?” 

“I agree.” 

Satisfied with her answer, Huo Yishen breathed a sigh of relief. “Did you enjoy the greens, corn, and peanuts these past few days?” 

“Yes, they were delicious.” 

“Do you want to eat more in the future?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you want to know where they came from?” 

Doudou was stunned for a moment, looking up at her brother. She first nodded, then quickly shook her head. “No, I don’t.” 

She didn’t ask because asking would make her brother unhappy. 

“They’re from Mom and Dad.” 

Doudou was shocked, her eyes slowly reddening. “Brother, I miss Mom and Dad.” 

Huo Yishen patted her head. “Don’t be afraid. Even though Mom and Dad are gone, I will take care of you.” 

“They’re watching over us from the sky, and they left us these things as compensation. The greens, corn, and peanuts you eat are all from them, and they told me to take good care of you. There will be more good things in the future.”

“This is something only we should know, don’t tell outsiders, not even Brother Zhang Chao and the others, otherwise, Sister and I could die, understand?” 

Doudou was both happy and scared, wishing she could sew her mouth shut. “Brother, I won’t say anything.” 

Even at six years old, she was more understanding than before the disaster. Seeing how people outside were living miserably, she cherished their good life even more. 

As long as she kept this secret, her brother wouldn’t be in danger, and she wouldn’t go hungry. 

This thought became deeply ingrained over time. 

Huo Yishen took his sister to plant the third crop of potatoes, while Jiang Ning used her consciousness to farm in her space. 

She calculated the supplies and realized that the food she had stored would be enough for herself and Coke to last until their deaths, while the supplies Huo Yishen supplied would only be enough for three people and a dog for about five years. 

This was just a conventional estimate; no one could predict future uncertainties, such as Coke’s growing appetite or the need for more food to maintain body temperature due to extremely cold weather. What if, one day, humans also mutated and developed huge appetites? 

Considering this, their food supply might be a bit tight. 

Moreover, to live well in the end of the world, there were many things they lacked. 

She needed to trade supplies. 

Nonrenewable resources were absolutely off-limits, so they had to grow more food. 

So, they planted all potatoes, not only because of their short growing cycle but also because of their high yield. 

They planted only 100 pounds of cold-resistant potatoes for the third crop, they store the rest in the space. Once the survivors’ crops were almost mature, they could hit the market to trade for supplies. 

The dog continued to protest, constantly trying to squeeze between Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen whenever they sat close together. 

As the dog owner, she could sense its strong anxiety. 

Whether it was being sold to a dog meat restaurant or living a wandering life, those were painful memories the dog didn’t want to face. 

It had nightmares, howling and twitching in its sleep. 

Upon waking up, the dog would be distressed and didn’t want to see Huo Yishen, always causing him trouble. 

Huo Yishen wasn’t harsh with it and just kept strengthening its training. “Come on, you might just beat me one day.”

The exhausted dog instantly got a burst of energy. 

It got up, ready to train some more! 

Seeing it reach its goal, the trainer rewarded it with jerky. “Good dog.”

Wait, why do I want to wag my tail? 

No, I can’t be tempted by the enemy; the jerky must be poisoned! 

Coke spat it out, refusing his offering. 

The training was exhausting. In the living room, with the charcoal fire and heater, the tired Jiang Ning unknowingly fell asleep. 

Huo Yishen returned and took a blanket from the room, covering her with it. 

Jiang Ning’s eyes snapped open, cold and wary, her hand gripping a knife. 

Had she not realized it was him in time, the knife would have already stabbed. 

“Having a nightmare?” Huo Yishen took her knife and placed it on the table. “It’s over now. I won’t let you fall into that kind of despair again.” 

The nightmare had drained all her energy. 

Huo Yishen frowned slightly. “Am I making you uneasy?” 

It wasn’t entirely his fault, but he was part of the reason. 

Jiang Ning was used to being alone. She had grown up with no one for over a decade and had spent the past three years of the apocalypse walking alone. Now, suddenly having a man by her side who was always good to her. This made it hard for her to adapt to the situation, as she had never received any love before. 

But there were benefits. 

There is someone to help with the work, someone to take care of the housework, someone to accompany you when you are lonely, and you can discuss things when they happen. 

After all, humans are emotional beings. Living alone is possible, but it leads to spiritual barrenness. 

Otherwise, why would there be anxiety and fear? 

“No, I’m just not used to it. Give me some time.” 

Jiang Ning is still trying to open the long-sealed door to her heart, hoping to let some light into her desolate and dark inner world. 

Huo Yishen held her hand. “Alright.” 

They agreed to spend some time together, but Jiang Ning still wasn’t used to this intimacy and instinctively wanted to pull her hand away. However, he didn’t let go. 

Just as she was about to say something, he suddenly let go. 

Jiang Ning looked up and saw Coke squatting across from them, staring intently at Huo Yishen with deep eyes, grinding its teeth as if to say: “Let go immediately, or bear the consequences!”