[edited]

In the darkness, Huo Yishen gently held her, “How do you feel about me?”

Jiang Ning’s head was buzzing, her body somewhat stiff, but she didn’t push him away. After a while, she replied, “It’s… alright.”

“Anning, I like someone for the first time, and I’m good to someone for the first time. If there’s anything I don’t do well, just tell me, don’t keep it in your heart.”

“I…” Jiang Ning thought for a moment, feeling conflicted. “I used to be quite foolish. I chased after Yang Weicong blindly for a while and even gave him gifts. Do you mind?”

Huo Yishen held her tighter. “Do you like him?”

Jiang Ning was stunned and took a long time to answer, “I liked him a lot at the time, it was like I was under a spell. But now, thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t really love. It’s probably more like chasing after an illusion.”

People are like that, the more they lack something, the more they want to hold onto it.

Jiang Ning grew up without a sense of security and her character had many flaws; she could be paranoid and negative.

Yang Weicong was like a ray of sunshine, shining into Jiang Ning’s imprisoned heart.

Having seen light in the darkness, she would instinctively chase after it, not realizing that it wasn’t light at all, but an illusion that deceived her mind.

The feeling Jiang Ning got from Yang Weicong and Huo Yishen was completely different.

Jiang Ning could feel Huo Yishen’s stability, standing next to him gave her a sense of security, as if she didn’t have to worry about too much.

Huo Yishen knew she still had reservations, so he didn’t make overly intimate gestures. He kissed her on the forehead and then opened the door. Light streamed in, shining on her delicate and bright features, like a red begonia blooming in the snow.

Back home, Jiang Ning changed her clothes and slipped into bed, her hand gently resting on the forehead he had kissed.

Her heart skipped a beat.

The potatoes hadn’t been harvested yet when Grandma Zhong came by carrying things.

“Little Jiang, this is the growth catalyst Zhong Ping brought back. He said mixing it in the soil can accelerate the growth of cold-resistant potatoes, and you can harvest them in about two months.”

Zhong Ping brought back a bucket, and they didn’t need so much at home, so Grandma Zhong generously poured out half a bucket. “The neighborhood committee will distribute some in a few days, but what you’ve grown won’t be enough.”

Growth catalyst?

There wasn’t such a thing in her previous life. Her potatoes were halfway grown when extreme heat suddenly struck, and the plants quickly withered and died in the scorching weather. The potatoes pulled out were only the size of a fingernail, not even enough to fill a tooth gap.

Who knew there would be a growth catalyst this time? It seems that the higher-ups really believed the extreme heat would come and had research staff find a solution to let the masses harvest a batch of potatoes before the extreme heat arrived. Otherwise, who knows how many people will starve in the future.

Jiang Ning thought she would rest after harvesting this batch, but unexpectedly, she could plant another batch.

Who would complain about having too much food?

But even with the growth catalyst, time was still insufficient.

Jiang Ning dug a pot of potatoes and already reaped fruitful results.

The black soil was fertile, coupled with Huo Yishen’s ample light, they matured quite quickly. However, if given more time, there would likely be more starch.

Huo Yishen spoke, “Starch isn’t important, being able to eat our fill is.”

So, while digging and planting, they mixed the Anti-freeze solution with the growth catalyst and planted the last batch of cold-resistant potatoes.

They would supplement with more light and harvest another batch before the extreme heat arrived.

The second batch of potatoes weighed over 1500 kilograms. Jiang Ning only took out 1000 kilograms for exchange, leaving the rest in storage space for future needs.

Cold-resistant potatoes were in high demand. She exchanged them for 20 high-grade gas masks and 10 bottles of backpack-style oxygen cylinders.

Both she and Huo Yishen had diving suits, which would come in handy if they needed to escape or work underwater.

………… 

The potatoes with the growth catalyst grew quickly.

Jiang Ning didn’t forget to apply some compound fertilizer, hoping to supplement the nutrients and help them grow faster.

Lighting was important too, extending the duration of light as much as possible.

When it reached one month, Huo Yishen suddenly spoke one day, “Anning, the temperature has risen.”

So soon? According to the timeline, there should have been another month.

“How much is it now?”

“Minus 69 degrees.”

Extreme cold had been maintained at minus 72 degrees for a long time, without any changes for several months. Now, a sudden increase of 3 degrees meant that the extreme cold was about to end?

Jiang Ning didn’t have a thermometer in her previous life. Even though she was wrapped in layers of clothes and blankets, the cold was still bone-chilling, and chilblains recurred like psoriasis.

Whether there was a rise in temperature wasn’t really clear.

But she did remember that it seemed to warm up for a few days, and then overnight, the ice melted, and the temperature skyrocketed.

Huo Yishen had vivid memories of participating in the rescue efforts. “The temperature slowly rose, but the survivors who lacked heating didn’t notice it until later when it suddenly spiked.”

So, the two of them recorded the temperature every day, and indeed, it was rising.

In preparation for the upcoming extreme heat, Jiang Ning began preparing ice.

She bought several induction cookers and pots, buckets, basins, etc., washed them clean, filled them with water in the space, and then took them out and placed them in the living room.

At minus 60 degrees and below, the water quickly turned into solid ice.

The tools at home were not enough, so she casually took out the 1801 as well.

The large ice blocks were used to cool down, while the small ones were edible. It had been a long time since she enjoyed the taste of iced milk tea, iced cola, almost drooling.

Huo Yishen helped with making ice. “You’re as greedy as Doudou.”

“We girls are always greedy. Isn’t living all about satisfying our appetites?”

After months of conversation, the relationship between the two grew closer, and Jiang Ning’s personality was recovering. “Besides, Coke is even greedier than us. The most special thing, though, is that you, in particular, are not interested in anything.”

“Who said that?”

Mentioning this, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but be curious, “What are you interested in?”

He didn’t demand much in terms of material possessions or experiences; he seemed indifferent to everything.

Huo Yishen looked at her, his lips curling slightly, “You.”

At first, Jiang Ning was taken aback, then she blushed involuntarily, and finally picked up a small ice cube and threw it at him, “Dream on.”

After making ice for half a month in a row, they stored enough for several years of consumption, and the temperature had already risen to minus 50 degrees.

Jiang Ning didn’t relax her vigilance and once again reviewed the supplies needed for the extreme heat.

Water purification tablets, electric fans, air coolers, mosquito nets, mosquito coils, insecticides, disinfectants…

She had prepared what they needed, and Huo Yishen had almost everything as well. It should be enough to meet their needs, but they still discussed it and planned to replenish any deficiencies before the end of the extreme cold.

Huo Yishen suggested, “We could exchange some stainless steel wire mesh to secure the gaps on the balcony, to prevent cockroaches, snakes, and rats from climbing up.”

They needed to reinforce it multiple times; those red-eyed mice had sharp teeth.

Thinking of the insect plague, Jiang Ning shuddered; the scene was too horrifying to imagine.

After sorting out what they needed, she hesitated for a moment before speaking, “We’re fine, but Lu Yu and the others are still lacking.”

Huo Yishen thought for a moment, “Lu Yu and the others left some things with you. If we can exchange, we’ll give it to them. If not, we have extra supplies, we can spare some for them.”

With his reassurance, Jiang Ning felt slightly relieved.

They had been living on the 18th floor for over a year, and they got along quite well. Moreover, there were emotional connections involved. Under the premise of ensuring their safety, she couldn’t just watch them struggle.

Calculating what they lacked, Jiang Ning began preparing for them.