Ma Guangnian’s office was simple, with clothes and bedding scattered around, indicating that he regards the office as his home away from home. 

Jiang Ning not only brought herbs but also a gift, a box of aged Pu’er tea. 

This tea wouldn’t expire as long as it was well-preserved, but she deliberately used sandpaper to make the iron box look old and worn. 

Afraid that he might refuse, Jiang Ning had even prepared a reason in advance, “Teacher Ma, I didn’t give you a gift when I formally became your student last time, so I’m making up for it now. Please don’t be polite.” 

Although tea couldn’t fill one’s stomach, it was nourishment for the spirit. Ma Guangnian knew this stuff wasn’t cheap and was reluctant to accept it. 

Jiang Ning didn’t care, “It’s not a bribe, just a gift from a student to a teacher. When you’re tired from work, you can use it to refresh yourself.” 

The gift box was not small; it contained two pounds of tea leaves. Not only could it refresh him, but he could also share it with his colleagues. 

Ma Guangnian couldn’t argue with her and eventually accepted it. 

Surprisingly, he hadn’t smelled this aroma in years. This brand was expensive even before the apocalypse, let alone now. 

Two years ago, he had drunk tea at his teacher’s place, and it was cheap coarse tea. This time, receiving a good quality one, he felt he should show his respect to his old teacher. 

Ma Guangnian took them to the data room to copy documents. 

The natural disasters came suddenly. Although they had managed to salvage a large portion of valuable data at the beginning, as the disasters escalated, they had almost lost everything. It was thanks to the scanning pen Jiang Ning provided that they had electronic copies saved. 

But the computers were in a sorry state and there’s a constant risk of crashing. 

Encountering someone who was willing to learn without worrying about livelihood, Ma Guangnian naturally provided whatever he could. Making an extra copy meant there was a little more hope for preservation. 

Jiang Ning came prepared, bringing several large-capacity USB drives. As long as they were willing to give, she had no hesitation about accepting them. 

The old computer took a while to load, but they managed to fill all the USB drives. 

To express her gratitude, Jiang Ning took out a nearly new laptop from her bag. “Teacher Ma, I had someone find this for me. It runs quite well, and I think you guys could make use of it, so I brought it over.” 

Indeed, the research institute needed it, and Ma Guangnian happily accepted it, then took her to meet their colleague, Lao Hu, who was knowledgeable in surgery. 

Lao Hu wasn’t really old, in his thirties, but he used to be nicknamed “Fat Angel” by his colleagues at the hospital. 

Surgeons had irregular schedules. When faced with emergency surgeries or particularly difficult cases, or when they had to perform several surgeries in a row, they could endure for twenty or more hours without eating regularly. No matter how they tried to lose weight, it was futile. 

Now, he was as thin as lightning. 

Learning that Jiang Ning was self-studying surgery, Lao Hu became interested and started chatting with her about the profession. 

An outsider may see the spectacle, but an expert sees the techniques. 

Learning that she was stitching wounds, removing bullets, and performing abdominal surgeries, Lao Hu was almost taken aback. It was like a calf facing a tiger. 

She had some expertise, but not much. 

Listening to her, she hadn’t made any major mistakes. It was evident that she was both bold and meticulous. 

Lao Hu conducted an on-site stitching assessment and gave her a piece of cowhide. 

Considering the chaos outside, they carried surgical emergency instruments with them. Jiang Ning actually performed on-site stitching. 

After stitching pigskin for several years, she had become so familiar that she could do it with her eyes closed, and the stitches were neat and beautiful. 

Impressed by her skillful technique, Lao Hu was extremely satisfied and agreed to take her as his apprentice on the spot. 

Knowing that she lived in Fengcheng and there were risks on the way back and forth, Lao Hu gave her two textbooks he had written, containing various emergency measures and postoperative care for traumatic injuries. 

The textbooks were printed on both sides of A4 paper with small and crowded fonts, indicating the preciousness of paper and ink. 

Jiang Ning thanked him and also gave him a box of Pu’er tea as a gift for taking her as his apprentice. 

The research institute had gynecologists who knew a lot about abortion and prenatal care. With Ma Guangnian’s help, Jiang Ning spent half a day exchanging information, recording the conversation, and found it very beneficial. 

With so much data, it would be enough to study for several years. 

Jiang Ning was in a good mood as she drove back to Fengcheng. 

Just as she entered the residential area, passing by at Building 28, she heard mournful cries from the inside. 

In the apocalypse, there were farewells every day, so Jiang Ning didn’t think much of it and continued driving to Building 50. 

As she was about to close the door, she unexpectedly ran into the security patrol. “Miss Jiang, you’re back?” 

Jiang Ning paused. “Yes.” 

“If you had come back a few hours earlier, Lao Liao might have been saved.” 

Lao Liao, the wealthy businessman from Building 28? 

Gossip is human nature, especially when someone spills the beans. Jiang Ning followed up, “What happened to him?” 

“Lao Liao had hidden a lot of supplies outside. When the Eternal Night came, he didn’t dare to go out. The whole family had been surviving on meager rations for two years. When the situation improved, he went out excitedly to get supplies, but unfortunately, someone had already raided his stash.” 

It was the promise of those abundant supplies that had kept Lao Liao going. It was said that it could sustain his family without worry during the apocalypse, but… 

Unable to withstand the mental blow, Lao Liao collapsed. Unable to find rat poison for suicide, he resorted to a knife, slashing his wrists into a mess. 

He lost too much blood, and with the lack of medical care and supplies, there was no way to save him. 

Hearing that Jiang Ning was skilled in medicine, Lao Liao’s wife came to plead for help while kneeling on the ground. 

However, Jiang Ning furrowed her brow. “Who said I’m skilled?” 

Kneeling and pleading? By the time the two left, even the guards at the community gate knew about it. 

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the guard hurriedly chuckled, “We’re not sure either. We just happened to see Mrs. Liao coming to find you while on patrol.” 

After saying that, he quickly caught up with the patrol team. 

Doudou came out with the dog, looking a bit upset. 

Jiang Ning cheerfully asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Doudou was quite annoyed. “Sis-in-law, someone spoke ill of you.” 

Who hasn’t spoken ill of her? The entire community once saw her as an enemy. 

At that time, Doudou was on duty when someone ran over, saying that someone in Building 28 was attempting suicide by wrist-cutting and asked Jiang Ning to help save them. 

She truthfully said that her brother and sister-in-law were out and might be back a little later. 

Before long, a woman came over, seemingly putting on a show. 

Soon after, rumors spread about Jiang Ning refusing to save a life. 

“Is that it?” Seeing her little face puff up with anger, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Their mouths are their own. Can they be sewn shut? As long as we have a clear conscience, it’s fine.” 

As they entered and went upstairs, Jiang Ning took the opportunity to teach her. “Doudou, do you know why Mrs. Liao knelt in front of our house?” 

Doudou thought for a moment. “To pressure you into saving someone? But I already told her you weren’t home.” 

“Yes, this behavior is called moral coercion.” Jiang Ning analyzed for her, “She probably didn’t trust you because she was influenced by others, saying that I was at home and just refusing to help.” 

As for who was behind the scenes, Jiang Ning had a good idea. It was just those few people, afraid to openly oppose Building 50, so they resorted to underhanded tactics. 

“What should we do now?” Having interacted more with outsiders, Doudou increasingly felt the complexity of human nature. She didn’t want others to speak ill of her sister-in-law.