When Yu Xifeng was about to leave, Zhang Qiu handed her two new packets of medicine. “Don’t take the last batch anymore, switch to these. If you’ve got the guts, go home and take a cold shower today. After all, I won’t be the one rolling on the floor in pain later.”

Yu Xifeng: “……”

The medicine Zhang Qiu prepared this time seemed—maybe it was just her imagination—even more bitter than before.

Still, Yu Xifeng pinched her nose and drank it down.

After being teased with sharp sarcasm by Zhang Qiu for two days, Yu Xifeng toned herself down a bit. She obediently munched on sweet potato strips.

At first, they didn’t taste like much, but the more she chewed, the more fragrant they became.

Yu Xifeng didn’t like them too hard—it hurt her teeth. But she didn’t like them too soft either—not enough bite.

After finishing her boxing practice with Old Man Cai, Yu Xifeng picked through the sweet potato strips to find the ones just right.

Seeing her being so finicky, Zhang Qiu dug around in the bag and picked out the ones that were just the right texture, put them in a separate bag, and served them on a plate just for her.

That afternoon, before Yu Xifeng even stepped inside, she heard He Yuan’s voice through the curtain door.

His voice was very clear and composed.

“Grandpa is getting old, and Zhang Qiu’s health isn’t great. There are too many people out there with bad intentions nowadays. Zhang Qiu, you need to be careful—don’t be sweet-talked by just anyone.”

“If you’re going to the surface again next time, call me. We grew up together. I know you, and that’s way more reassuring than someone with unknown origins.”

Yu Xifeng paused mid-step.

He had gone in circles with his words, but it was basically just short of naming her directly.

Zhang Qiu said, “No thanks. If you had been my partner last time, I wouldn’t have made it back. You have no idea how dangerous it is out there.”

He Yuan let out a slow sigh, clearly not buying her explanation.

“You’re letting her stay for dinner. Grandpa’s even teaching her martial arts. This is beyond generous. Even poverty relief programs don’t go this far.”

“A favor of rice in need can turn into hatred when the favor grows. Don’t tell me she didn’t have her eye on you two from the start. Why else would she latch onto you for no reason?”

Old Man Cai squinted at He Yuan, clearly lost in thought.

Zhang Qiu had something in her mouth, so her words came out muffled: “Obviously because I’m good-looking.”

Old Man Cai picked up a shoe from the floor and chucked it at Zhang Qiu.

He Yuan: “……”

Yu Xifeng couldn’t hold back and laughed.

She lifted the curtain and walked in, grabbing a handful of sweet potato strips from the bag on the shelf.

When He Yuan saw her, he pushed up his glasses. He didn’t look awkward about being overheard gossiping—just stared worriedly at Zhang Qiu.

As if to say: See? I told you so.

Old Man Cai said, “Take these buns home. Your grandpa understands your situation—it’s been hard since he passed. But don’t bring stuff every time you come.”

He Yuan looked downcast. “My grandpa is gone. If you don’t mind, I’ll treat you like my own grandpa.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, but Zhang Qiu isn’t like your father.”

“A disciple is like half a son. I already have little Yu helping out here too.”

“He Yuan, don’t worry about me. Life’s tough—just focus on living your own well. That’s what matters most.”

He Yuan’s smile faltered, but then he spoke sincerely: “Grandpa Cai, I think you misunderstood my father. My grandfather’s death was an accident. My father was devastated. Please don’t say things like that in front of him. I’ll take my leave for today. I’ll visit again soon.”

Zhang Qiu shoved the buns into He Yuan’s arms. “Take care, take care.”

After he left, Old Man Cai smacked his lips, looking a little disappointed.

He wanted a cigarette.

He gave Zhang Qiu a look.

Zhang Qiu said, “Chew your sweet potato strips.”

Old Man Cai then looked at Yu Xifeng. She was carefully picking from her personalized plate of strips.

She looked pretty happy while eating.

Old Man Cai let out a long sigh and begrudgingly popped a sweet potato strip into his mouth.

“People don’t show kindness for nothing,” Old Man Cai grumbled. “If they do, they’re either scheming or trying to steal something.”

Yu Xifeng touched her hair, which had grown a bit longer again. “Should I leave then?”

“Try leaving before finishing your Taiji practice—see what happens. You’re so inconsistent day to day. What do you even think about when you’re training? You’ve been doing this forever and you’re still like a wooden stick. How many times have I told you to match your breathing with your movements? What are you even doing?”

Yu Xifeng couldn’t sit still anymore.

Clearly, Zhang Qiu got her mouth from Old Man Cai—it must’ve skipped a generation. Once he started ranting, there was no stopping him.

After finishing her martial arts practice, Yu Xifeng went home and had a bowl of rice noodles with shredded pork and green peppers for dinner, but it didn’t feel satisfying.

Instead of turning to the sinful indulgence of ice cream, she went to the opposite extreme.

Yu Xifeng devoured two packs of spicy strips.

The spicy strips hit her stomach like a firestorm, burning for a good while before it settled.

Later, she entered her personal dimension and began organizing her things into a traditional Chinese medicine cabinet.

She labeled the drawers clearly with a marker—one glance, and everything was obvious.

While she could retrieve things from her space with her mind, as the number of items grew, things were getting scattered and chaotic.

Sometimes, even she couldn’t remember what she had and what she didn’t.

Big items were easy, but small things were a pain.

With this cabinet, finding little odds and ends would be a breeze from now on.

The next morning, Yu Xifeng woke up and found two new pimples on her forehead.

Oh no—Zhang Qiu was definitely going to nag her again.

She found a tube of aloe gel and applied it, cooling her forehead. By afternoon, when it was time to go train, the swelling had gone down quite a bit.

Yu Xifeng also brushed her bangs forward to cover her forehead, making sure there were no obvious signs before she headed out.

As soon as she got to Zone Two, He Yuan intercepted her.

It was like he’d been waiting there all morning. “Miss Yu, may I have a word with you in private?”

“Sure,” Yu Xifeng agreed without hesitation. She was curious about He Yuan too.

He Yuan smiled faintly and handed her a bag.

Yu Xifeng glanced inside.

Whoa.

It was a full emergency disaster food kit. There were compressed biscuits, canned meat, and cold dish tins.

This little box was enough to keep one person well-fed for half a month.

If rationed, it could even last a whole month.

This was practically the apocalypse-era equivalent of gold bars.

“Miss Yu, it’s just a small gift. I hope you’ll accept it.”

Yu Xifeng asked, “And what do you want me to do in return?”

He Yuan adjusted his glasses. “If possible, I hope you’ll stop seeing Zhang Qiu. Grandpa Cai is old and doesn’t like being disturbed.”

“Grandpa Cai told me yesterday to come earlier and not be late,” Yu Xifeng directly exposed He Yuan’s lie.

His expression didn’t change. “I just want him to enjoy a peaceful retirement.”

Yu Xifeng replied, “You look like you have an ulterior motive.”

The smile vanished from He Yuan’s face, replaced by a condescending sneer. “That’s my business. You just need to stay away from them.”

It was hard to describe the feeling.

Like someone waved a five-yuan bill in her face and told her to stop hanging out with the rich kid.