Cao Kai hadn’t expected that Yu Xifeng would actually be able to produce so much rice.

He tried to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth wouldn’t stop lifting—his grin nearly reached his ears.

This was rice. Pure white rice.

At a time like this, even gold might not be able to buy that much rice.

And the best of his fattened pigs didn’t even weigh 140 jin.

As for the piglets, they weren’t even worth mentioning.

After raising pigs for so many years, aside from the sick ones, this was the first time he’d seen pigs that got thinner the longer he raised them. Truly one of a kind.

The handoff was set at an abandoned warehouse.

Yu Xifeng had placed the full amount of rice there in advance.

Cao Kai drove up in his truck. Inside, the little piglets were dressed in brightly colored clothes wrapped in plastic film.

They looked ridiculous.

Even with all that wrapping, each piglet probably didn’t weigh more than thirty jin.

When he saw the warehouse full of white rice, his eyes nearly popped out.

Yu Xifeng quietly observed his expression.

Cao Kai looked thrilled—no guilt, no hesitation.

He didn’t even bother probing whether she was alone.

Well, a little disappointing. Yu Xifeng could honestly say—just a little.

If Cao Kai had tried to double-cross her, she would’ve had a perfect excuse to take everything for free.

Yu Xifeng walked around the truck once.

“These piglets look half-dead.”

Cao Kai gave a fawning smile. “Nothing I could do. If it’s hard for you to heat your place, maybe you can try raising them. If not, just butcher them as soon as you can…”

He dragged out half a basin of lard from the truck. “Consider this a little bonus. There’s also about ten jin of offal in there—you can have that too.”

Cao Kai was afraid the deal would fall through. If it did, he’d have to keep looking for buyers.

Finding someone strong, reliable, and generous was no easy feat.

If he sold it off little by little, everyone would know he had pork, and he wouldn’t be able to explain himself to those higher up.

Neither of them would talk about this deal. Whether it was Yu Xifeng’s grain or Cao Kai’s pigs, neither could be shown in public.

They completed the exchange smoothly.

Both were very satisfied.

Cao Kai didn’t plan to sell the rice he got. He would store it carefully and save it.

He had grown up in the mountains, and the village back there had been abandoned for decades. No one but him knew the way in anymore.

Yu Xifeng traded for about three hundred jin of pork, another ten jin or so of offal, half a basin of lard, and three piglets.

As soon as he left, Yu Xifeng stashed the scrawny piglets into her storage space.

They felt even lighter in her hands.

Honestly, she’d never seen pigs so emaciated.

They looked like they’d keel over any second.

Her pigpen wasn’t fully built yet. Due to limited materials, the structure was simple.

Given how weak the piglets looked, it would suffice for now.

Yu Xifeng chopped up sweet potatoes and corn cobs, even added two packets of milk powder. After mixing it all, she brought it to them.

The three piglets buried their faces in the bowl, munching noisily.

Yu Xifeng watched with satisfaction.

As long as they could eat and drink, their health was likely salvageable. There was hope for fattening them up.

Pig trotter rice, grilled pork loin, pure white lard, braised pig ears, stir-fried pig intestines…

Yu Xifeng’s smile grew softer and more maternal. “Good piggies, eat up.”

She got a basin and fetched spring water from the mountain.

Worried the pigs would freeze outside, she added some warm water too.

The temperature inside her space was just right—not too warm, not too cold. After a while, Yu Xifeng peeled off the piglets’ plastic wrap and the mess of fabric beneath.

No rush to bathe them. Let them acclimate for a couple of days first.

She clapped the dust off her hands and went to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese.

She didn’t have to worry much about the orange cat. Among the pet supplies she had collected earlier was an automatic feeder.

She charged it up, set the mode, and the machine would dispense food at regular intervals.

She just needed to refill it with cat food now and then.

Occasionally giving some treats, the orange cat lived quite comfortably.

Yu Xifeng had a bowl of lamb and vermicelli soup in her space before heading out.

As for the fresh meat she had stockpiled, there was no rush to process it. She still had half a goat from scavenging and a lot of frozen meat she’d bought before the disasters hit.

Processing meat took a lot of effort.

She didn’t have an ideal workspace yet, and her time inside the space was limited.

An occasional treat was fine. A couple of pots of stew? No problem. But for large-scale meat prep, she’d have to wait a bit longer.

When Yu Xifeng returned to the shelter and went to work out as usual, she suddenly felt a heavy cramp in her lower abdomen.

Cold sweat broke out immediately.

She crouched down and stayed there for a long while.

After checking, she realized her period had started.

Maybe she had spent too much time running around outside lately.

Her body had gotten chilled, so the pain this time was unusually intense.

Yu Xifeng crawled into bed.

She couldn’t tell if she felt more relieved or helpless.

Her period was irregular, and she’d never kept track.

Thankfully, it hadn’t started when she went to Zheng Weiyang’s factory.

Or when she went to buy pigs.

Now that everything was mostly settled, she could finally rest.

The blankets were soft and warm—there was nothing more comfortable.

Yu Xifeng fumbled around and made herself a cup of brown sugar and ginger tea.

The heat seemed to travel straight to her abdomen, easing the pain a little.

She turned over in bed and—damn—realized she was craving ice.

She closed her eyes and entered her storage space, eyeing her stash of iced milk tea, popsicles, and ice cream.

The weather was already cold, and normally she didn’t even think about eating cold things.

But somehow, the more forbidden it was, the more tempting it became.

There was definitely a rebellious streak in her.

She popped in an earbud and put on some soft background music, stuck a heat patch on her belly, and opened a novel to distract herself.

The night passed in a groggy blur.

The next morning, she was awakened by a knock at the door.

The instant she woke up, the noise outside made her body tense up. She sat up quickly, instinct overruling pain. She rolled off the bed, crossbow in hand.

Then she checked the surveillance camera outside the door.

It was Zhang Qiu.

The stabbing pain in her belly returned. She put the crossbow back into her storage space and tossed her phone back onto the bed.

Then she lay back down.

Old Man Cai had done her a favor. And Zhang Qiu?

Old Man Cai’s grandson.

As long as he wasn’t dead, that was good enough.

The knocking continued.

Yu Xifeng, thoroughly exhausted, threw her phone onto the bed again. All the strength drained from her body as she lay back down.

The knocking went on for quite a while.

Annoyed, Yu Xifeng hurled a pillow at the door.