[edited]

Lu Yu, who earned his own grain, was extremely stubborn.

“Yes, next time it’s our turn for the day shift, and it’s not too far from the neighborhood. We’ll see how things are after work.”

Thinking of Lu Yu being slashed, Zheng Weili was extremely worried. “If the situation worsens, we’ll quit. We should still make money while we can.”

The three of them calculated that, including the grain provided by the unit, they had almost fifty catties in total, plus canned food and frozen potatoes.

The rest of the items were all handed over to Jiang Ning for safekeeping, to be exchanged for grain when the opportunity arose.

Zhang Chao put away the cigarettes; they could be used for socializing at the unit, getting close to colleagues, or even currying favor with leaders. Who knows, they might end up with easier tasks.

Jiang Ning left without disturbing their rest.

She slept until the afternoon, and the quiet corridor welcomed a long-lost lively atmosphere.

For some reason, Jiang Ning suddenly felt a sense of peacefulness.

The weather was getting colder and colder. If it weren’t for the temperature-regulating clothes, Jiang Ning suspected she would choke on the cold air outside.

Zheng Weili knocked on the door, carrying two catties of rice, saying it was for Jiang Ning’s household expenses.

Jiang Ning declined, “I still need to live here even if you guys aren’t around? The 18th floor has a bad reputation, but there hasn’t been any trouble during this time. As long as there’s no conflict, I won’t accept your protection grain.”

She didn’t accept it, and Huo Yishen didn’t either.

Finally, Zheng Weili spoke up, “Come over for dinner tonight, our treat.”

That was acceptable.

Habits were scary. Since everyone from 1803 started working, the 18th floor had become eerily quiet…

Jiang Ning felt lonely.

Although Huo Yishen was a lively person, he was always reserved. Occasionally, he would talk to her, but… it felt different from when she talked to Zhang Chao and Lu Yu. She didn’t know what to say, and it was quite awkward.

She felt awkward, and so did Huo Yishen.

They barely exchanged a few words during their daily practice, and everything felt out of place.

It was probably the aftermath of the mosaic-filled screens and her previous rash questions.

Anyway, Jiang Ning was very happy about the return of 1803.

She carried a frozen fish. Unexpectedly, Zheng Weili refused to accept anything. “We don’t need you to contribute. As long as you’re here, that’s enough. If possible, you can take charge of the cooking.”

Indeed, they were tired of canteen meals.

Jiang Ning didn’t mind; after all, she wasn’t the one cooking, and she had already trained her successor.

Huo Yishen cooked: braised fatty pork with salted vegetables, and stir-fried lean meat with dehydrated cabbage.

Both the salted vegetables and dehydrated cabbage were scavenged by Jiang Ning from the trading market. “I traded for several pounds. If you think they’re delicious, you can have some.”

Although she said “traded”, she actually obtained them from her space.

She tightly packed dried mustard greens into plastic bottles, sealed them, and let them sit for three months. The salted vegetables tasted great.

As for the cabbage, she didn’t know the technology to freeze-dry them, so she simply air-dried them. After soaking and frying them with more oil, they tasted pretty good too.

Although they couldn’t compare to fresh vegetables, being able to eat them in such extreme cold weather was already very luxurious.

Zheng Weili was surprised, “Yes, we’ll take as much as you can give.”

The pain of not eating vegetables, only those who went to the bathroom would know.

Zhang Chao was also surprised, “Anning, how much can you give us?”

Jiang Ning thought for a moment, “Three or four catties?”

“Sure.” He nodded in satisfaction. “If you have more in the future, please collect it for us.”

Unused items were all kept with her. If there wasn’t enough, they could exchange them for grain or dog food.

Jiang Ning had an idea and then asked Huo Yishen, “Do you want some?”

Huo Yishen looked at her for a moment before saying, “Okay.”

After dinner, Jiang Ning gave 1803 five catties of salted vegetables and dehydrated cabbage, as well as three catties of frozen potatoes. She accepted from them a gold chain, two packs of cigarettes, and a box of insulin.

Actually, these items were of little use in her space, but there had to be a source for everything she gave. This way, they could feel justified in accepting them, and she could keep her secret safe.

The three of them were very happy and felt it was quite a deal. “Anning, you’re really good at trading.”

Jiang Ning was both modest and proud. “It’s because we have good things on hand that happen to be what they need. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be easy.”

Indeed, if she hadn’t found medicines and many other good items earlier, she might not have lasted this long.

“It’s my fault.” Zheng Weili regretted it deeply. “If I had known it was the end of the world, I should have taken whatever I saw. As a result, we ended up giving everything away cheaply.”

Lu Yu immediately comforted her, “Don’t be upset, honey. No one expected it to be the end of the world. Compared to most people, we’re already doing pretty well.”

Feeling a bit guilty, Jiang Ning quickly changed the subject. “What do you guys think about me becoming a secondary trader?”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have a reason to exchange items for them.

With a keen eye and a good source, secondary traders could make quite a profit, but the risks were just too high.

Not to mention the illegal activities, even the relevant departments were cracking down hard on them.

Zhang Chao disagreed. “Better not. Just exchanging enough for us to use is fine.”

Lu Yu shared the same concern. “We’ve planted potatoes, and we’ll have enough to eat then. If not, we can trade medicine and alcohol.”

The three of them were now working and didn’t contribute to the 18th floor, so they didn’t plan to divide the cold-resistant potatoes.

It was just an excuse; Jiang Ning wouldn’t idle away her time looking for trouble.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you guys.” She readily agreed, “Let me know if you need anything else. If I can find it, I’ll exchange it for you.”

They had enough clothes and bedding, and the 18th floor couldn’t pinpoint what they lacked. “You figure it out. Get some dried vegetables or something, and it would be even better if there’s meat.”

After delivering to 1803, Jiang Ning went to 1801 and gave them each two catties of salted vegetables, dehydrated cabbage, and frozen potatoes.

After thanking her, Huo Yishen asked, “What do you want in exchange?”

Jiang Ning hadn’t thought about what she wanted. “Just give me whatever you think is appropriate.”

Back home, she crawled into her bed and read.

Not long after, Coke came back with a box.

Oh, Huo Yishen actually exchanged chocolate for her, and it was the same brand as last time—the expensive heart-shaped chocolate.

Ah well… she might as well eat it. The taste was really good, a brand she couldn’t afford before the natural disasters, but now it had depreciated.

1803 only had a two-day break. On the night before they left, Jiang Ning went over to help them pack and gave them first aid kits, along with teaching them emergency methods for dealing with injuries.

Doudou brought her drawing over. “Brother Zhang Chao, I finished the drawing.”

The whole family of 1803 was drawn together on the same piece of paper.

Zhang Chao looked at the drawing and teased her, “Why are there only three people?”

Doudou was confused, “But there are only three people.”

“What about Sister Anning?”

“Sister Anning is in my house.”

Zhang Chao joked, “No, Sister Anning is part of our family. Your previous drawing was wrong.”

“No.” Doudou was a little anxious. “Sister Anning often plays with me. She’s from our family.”