[edited]

Facing his invitation, Jiang Ning decisively refused, “No, we are just unarmed civilians.”

Chief Ling looked past her and turned his gaze to Huo Yishen, “What about you? If I’m not mistaken, you should have a military or police background. The country is in trouble now, and it’s the time when we need you. Have you considered joining?”

Doudou was startled and instinctively held onto his arm, “Brother.”

Huo Yishen comforted his sister, then looked up and said, “I retired due to injury, both our parents are deceased, and I have to take care of my younger sister.”

“Sorry,” Chief Ling felt a bit regretful, “If you change your mind, you can always come to the police station to find me.”

They got into the car and left.

It was still early, so everyone headed to the department store.

On the way, Huo Yishen remained sternly silent. Although he was usually reserved, Jiang Ning could sense that he seemed a bit despondent.

Could it be that Chief Ling’s words had affected him?

It made sense. Military and police personnel have a spirit of sacrifice and dedication, and his skills are definitely not a problem. Retiring due to injury was just a cover.

He must have deeper secrets and was forced to make the decision to retire, but his duty and mission as a military or police officer are tormenting him.

People always have to make choices; how can they not bear their responsibilities?

Doudou held her brother’s hand, her eyes showing a smile unintentionally.

Jiang Ning also couldn’t help but lower her head. Coincidentally, Coke raised its head, his pupils reflecting her complete figure.

Zhang Chao and Lu Yu were fooling around in front, while Zheng Weili followed behind, allowing them to relax properly.

The department store was crowded. For safety reasons, Jiang Ning put the dog in her backpack and entered the bustling trading market.

It was her first time here, and Zhang Chao and the others had been here several times. They strolled around casually.

Although it was extremely cold, it was obviously much livelier than during the floods. People were coming and going everywhere, but there were many spectators and very few actual transactions.

The goods on the stalls were diverse, but the needs of the stall owners were surprisingly consistent: food, charcoal, or medicine.

They came every day but returned empty-handed every day.

Jiang Ning couldn’t figure out what she wanted. She could only walk and look around, then stopped at a stall.

The stall owner was a veterinarian who used to run a pet clinic before the disaster. The stall was full of pet supplies or toys: deworming medicine, fur softener, dog hair cleaner, nail clippers, and so on.

Before the disaster, it would have been a profitable business, but now, no one is interested.

Jiang Ning hadn’t found the dog before, so naturally, she hadn’t prepared any of these. But seeing them now, she couldn’t help but be tempted.

She picked out dog chew sticks, chew balls, a leash, a dog hair cleaner, and deworming medicine that was not expired and unopened.

She didn’t mind spending money on her dog, so she took everything that might be useful. “How much for these?”

There were a lot of things, just the deworming medicine alone had several bottles, which would have cost several thousand before the apocalypse. But now, not only pets, even people were struggling to survive, and the boss hadn’t made any transactions in over a month since opening.

He was a little excited and held up three fingers.

Just give me three pounds of rice.

Three pounds of rice might be a lot for others, but it was no problem for Jiang Ning.

She didn’t immediately agree but pretended to be very troubled.

Afraid that she might refuse, the boss anxiously lowered the price, “Two pounds, I really can’t go any lower, I still have children to feed at home.”

The man was as thin as a skeleton, his two eyes deeply sunken, making him look haggard.

Seeing Zheng Weili and the others walking ahead, Jiang Ning finally spoke up, “Two pounds of premium rice or three pounds of broken rice, which one do you want?”

The man hesitated for a moment, then excitedly said, “Three pounds of broken rice.”

While pretending to search her bag, Jiang Ning took out three pounds of broken rice from her space and put them in a black plastic bag.

The man moved quickly, taking the items and hurriedly stuffing them into his thick clothes, afraid of being seen and attracting danger.

Handing the things to Jiang Ning, he explained how to use the deworming medicine to her while tidying up his stall, preparing to go home.

As he got up to leave, Jiang Ning noticed Huo Yishen not far away. Doudou was trying on a headband, while he held Doudou’s hand, occasionally glancing in her direction.

“Sister,” Doudou was having a hard time choosing, “which one looks good?”

The colors her brother picked were ugly and didn’t look good when worn.

Children liked bright colors, red, pink, orange, blue…

Look at what Huo Yishen picked out, black, white, gray…

Hmm, no wonder Doudou didn’t like it.

Jiang Ning bent down to help Doudou choose. However, the vendor was cunning. Seeing the man standing protectively behind the woman, he had an idea and secretly approached them, asking, “Miss, would you like a small umbrella?”

A small umbrella? Jiang Ning was a bit puzzled and didn’t react immediately.

The vendor mysteriously pulled one out from his pocket and waved it in front of Jiang Ning. “Genuine product, quality guaranteed.”

Oh… so that’s what it was. How did he know she needed one?

“With the current situation, it’s already difficult for you two to take care of a child. If you get pregnant again, it could be life-threatening. Forget about whether the child can be born or not, even your life might be in danger.”

The vendor pushed hard, “Miss, buy some to keep at home. They can be reused and are definitely worth the money.”

Jiang Ning was at a loss, but the vendor’s attention was diverted. She seemed to have forgotten that Huo Yishen was standing behind her.

The vendor held up a finger, “Five pounds of premium rice or flour.”

Five pounds of rice or flour for one small umbrella?

Ah, she was going to make a fortune!

Of course, she didn’t intend to buy it now. Everyone here was struggling to survive, and it wouldn’t be easy to sell. She would wait until later when the inventory was depleted, then trade with wealthy people, exchanging for gold, jade, antiques, or things she didn’t have.

Seeing her frown, the vendor thought she found it expensive and used his eloquence, “Miss, I see that you’re not lacking in food, but you can’t neglect entertainment. These are brand new, unopened. I need four and a half pounds of food for each one. I can’t afford to sell at a loss, right? If you think it’s expensive, I also have second-hand ones. Just two pounds of food each. The quality is still good, and you can check it on the spot. Oh, what size do you need?”

Second-hand? Jiang Ning was suddenly thunderstruck, her stomach churning.

Unfortunately, the vendor was oblivious and glanced at Huo Yishen, “Brother, what size do you need?”

Ah… Jiang Ning realized her slip of the tongue and subconsciously turned to look at him.

Whether it was Huo Yishen’s refined personality or simply his innocence, his deep eyes remained calm and unruffled. “Not needed, thank you.”

Jiang Ning, who was killed by society, “…”

Without another word, she quickly turned and left.

“Hey hey hey, don’t go, we can negotiate the price. Don’t want the headband?”

Doudou was confused, “Brother, my headband.”

“There are nicer ones at the back.”

“What’s wrong with Sister?” Doudou looked up at her brother, “Is she mad at me?”

“It’s not about you.” Huo Yishen thought for a moment, “She should be shy.”

As long as she’s not mad at her, Doudou hurriedly chased after her, “Sister, wait for me.”