Hearing Jiang Ning’s words, Huo Yishen frowned deeply. “Dou Dou is timid and afraid of trouble?”

Jiang Ning shook her head. “She has a people-pleaser personality. She seems really scared of others getting angry and instinctively tries to please them.”

For example, she gave Cola eggs and always sneaked glances at her while doing homework, afraid of being disliked or rejected.

Not just towards others, even her own biological older brother she fears. To please Huo Yishen, she even hurt herself practicing military boxing but didn’t say a word.

This kind of child sometimes makes people feel really heartbroken.

Huo Yishen was silent for a long time. “Dou Dou is my parents’ second child. A couple of years ago, they died in a car accident. I was working out of town and couldn’t come back, so Dou Dou could only be cared for by my eldest uncle.

Dou Dou used to be lively and cheerful. I never expected that after I retired and returned, she would have changed completely.

But I think she’s been changing recently. Now she even dares to point out my shortcomings. Thank you for correcting me.”

Jiang Ning had also suffered from this kind of issue before — living in an orphanage, always walking on eggshells, trying to please others so they would see her strengths.

Not only her, most kids there behaved the same way. Fortunately, she eventually crawled out of that mire.

Dou Dou needs encouragement, but even more, she needs to express her true feelings, even if they are negative emotions.

Now that it’s the apocalypse, if Dou Dou’s personality and worldview aren’t adjusted in time, it could be very dangerous when dealing with outsiders.

This is a big project that only Huo Yishen can explore and figure out.

The braised pork was cooked on high heat until the sauce was thickened, with a bright red color, rich aroma, tender and smooth texture, fatty but not greasy.

Who said he was a disaster in the kitchen? She had turned him around.

As long as the commands were right, Huo Yishen was a good soldier. He continued learning to cook the sauerkraut fish.

Six people and a dog — two dishes were definitely not enough.

Huo Yishen took six eggs and two sausages, continuing to have Jiang Ning teach him.

Zhang Chao and the others were amazed by his abundant supplies. This guy’s resources were too rich, right?

Envy aside, supplies were too sensitive a topic. They wouldn’t be foolish enough to pry or dig for details. Misunderstandings or grudges in the apocalypse would be deadly.

If he was willing to share, they should be grateful.

Three hearty dishes and a stir-fried bean sprout left the group extremely satisfied, down to the last drop of soup.

“A Ning, how did you grow these bean sprouts?”

The hydroponic greens weren’t ready to eat yet. Zheng Weili was craving badly — no vegetables for days didn’t kill her, but the bathroom visits afterward were a nightmare, something only those who’ve experienced it could understand.

She was scared, luckily Jiang Ning next door was an encyclopedia of knowledge.

“That’s simple — just water and they’ll sprout.”

Jiang Ning didn’t hold back. “We collected a lot of mung beans and red beans in the office building. If we grow bean sprouts with them, it’ll last us a long time.”

She explained the general steps, not forgetting to share the good news: “The hydroponic lettuce will be ready in half a month. After we harvest that batch, I’ll teach you how to plant.”

Zhang Chao savored the flavor of the braised pork, reluctant to just sit and eat without action. “You think if we go farther, we could still find supplies?”

It would only get harder. Jiang Ning encouraged them to prepare in advance. “I’ve been reading medical books lately, no time to go out and collect supplies. If you have free time, you can go out. Seems like it’s getting colder these days — gathering firewood is also fine.”

Lu Yu teased, “If I were A Ning, I wouldn’t go out either — you can support yourself with medical skills now.”

Today, Jiang Ning had another patient — a child with a stomach ache rolling in pain, but the parents didn’t have a motorboat to send him to the hospital, so they came up to the 18th floor to find Jiang Ning.

The child’s digestive system was weak from drinking unclean rainwater.

The parents had food supplies but dared not show them. In the end, they took off the gold ring from a finger and gave it to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning carried the child upstairs, refusing to let the parents follow.

She gave abdominal massage, then acupuncture, easing much of the pain. She warned the parents to boil water before drinking and use purification tablets if possible.

She threw the gold ring into the storage space. After a while, sure enough, it was eaten.

This made Jiang Ning more determined — she could collect supplies through medical work without risking the outside. Some supplies in the space could be obtained this way.

The floods continued, and life went on as usual.

Huo Yishen finished his dog training task, and saw Jiang Ning sweating heavily when she opened the door. “Want to spar?”

Uh, of course she hoped to spar with a master, but wasn’t he afraid of getting “peach-picked”?

“Sure.” He wasn’t afraid of tough challenges, so what did she have to worry about?

Huo Yishen had learned well. “Dou Dou, take Cola out to play.”

Jiang Ning had tidied the living room, putting away unnecessary stuff, making it look spacious.

They started sparring, both more rational than before.

Knowing he was a big shot, Jiang Ning wasn’t polite — she aimed for his weak points and some moves even had feints.

His deep eyes showed surprise. “You learned a very mixed style.”

Her skills were indeed mixed and not refined. Her attacks were situational and irregular. In her previous life, she had learned many ruthless moves just to survive in the apocalypse.

During sparring, Huo Yishen sensed her fighting spirit — she was completely different from usual, more like when she chopped someone’s arm that day, full of ruthlessness.

He somewhat admired her, pointing out mistakes during sparring and helping adjust her moves.

“You also train yourself every day?” Jiang Ning gained a lot from this. “How about we exchange skills?”

After sparring for two hours, she was stronger than he expected. Huo Yishen was sweating. “Alright.”

The next day, when Dou Dou came over, she even brought rations: noodles and eggs.

Getting a free coach, Jiang Ning happily accepted.

By the time Huo Yishen returned with Cola, the egg, vegetable, and noodle meal was ready.

“The eggs are starting to show signs of yolk breaking — they might spoil in a few days,” Jiang Ning reminded Room 1801 while sitting down to eat. “If you don’t have many, eat them quickly. If not, make salted eggs.”

Salted eggs are more pungent but last longer.

Huo Yishen thought for a moment. “How do you make salted eggs?”

“Wash the eggshells with strong liquor, wet them, then roll them in salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and seal in a plastic bag.”

Jiang Ning chatted while eating. “Also, Dou Dou has eczema. You should use some medicine on her.”

They had brought back quite a bit of medicine, but the packaging was all opened, so Huo Yishen didn’t know which to use. “Thanks, please help me find it later.”

Jiang Ning cooked the meal, and Huo Yishen washed the bowls.

The medicines were various. After a long search, she found the right one and applied it to Dou Dou. “Don’t scratch it with your hands. If it breaks, it will leave scars.”

“Sister, you’re so kind — just like my mom.”

Jiang Ning laughed helplessly. Cola whimpered nearby — it also wanted some ointment!

The dog was good in every way, except it was very jealous and never learned.

Whenever the big gray and little white dogs sat next to her on the sofa, Cola would immediately push them away and snuggle into her arms.

Even though it got along well with Dou Dou, it would still push Dou Dou away.

Only after fancy head rubs did the jealous dog calm down.

When leaving, Jiang Ning saw Huo Yishen struggling in the kitchen, rolling eggs in salt repeatedly — not realizing that adding more salt actually made it less salty.

Indeed, nobody was perfect.

Handsome and skilled, but clueless about daily life.