While Zhuang Xiao was having a blast shooting targets, Huo Xiao was busy disinfecting all the soil she had brought back, in case there were any mutated insect eggs hidden in it.

At ten in the evening, when Zhuang Xiao was lying in her hammock, Huo Xiao was still at the workbench repairing an old electric fan. These two fans had to be delivered no later than the day after tomorrow.

With the repair fees from the last job and this one, he hoped to trade with Old Yu for a secondhand fan.

Otherwise, summer would be hard to endure.

Maybe her mind was too excited that night, but Zhuang Xiao kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Suddenly, her hand brushed against a small cloth pouch in the hammock.

How could she have forgotten about this?

Today, she had received two—no, three gifts that she truly loved.

This would be perfect as a return gift.

Although, when she first bought it, it wasn’t meant as a gift.

Still, it was worth it—300 points well spent.

She abruptly sat up in bed, ran barefoot to Huo Xiao’s workbench, slammed the gift down with a loud “thud”, then quickly climbed back into bed, pulled up her thin blanket, and declared, “I’m sleeping now. Don’t bother me.”

Huo Xiao stared blankly at the genetic stabilizing agent she had left on the table. After a moment of stunned silence, he looked back at Zhuang Xiao, who had tightly wrapped herself in the blanket—and smiled quietly.

At four in the morning, Huo Xiao dragged Zhuang Xiao out of bed.

Sitting on the bed, her eyelids felt as heavy as iron, constantly drooping. Her head bobbed like a chick pecking at grain.

It was still pitch-black outside. Surely, they weren’t going target shooting at this hour?

Huo Xiao woke her up and then began packing the tools they would need for the day.

Before going to sleep last night, he had received a message from Yan Hu, saying they were planning to go shrimp fishing at the stream closest to the shantytown and asked if he and Zhuang Xiao wanted to join.

After some thought, Huo Xiao decided to go along with them.

After all, having missed the last two weeks, the next two months would bring unpredictable weather—strong winds, heavy rains, even hailstorms. Days suitable for going out to gather supplies would be very limited.

In the wasteland, the main seasons for collecting and storing food were spring and autumn. Summer and winter weren’t ideal for venturing out.

Summer meant harsh weather and intense radiation; winter was brutally cold, and travel was nearly impossible.

During these two seasons, the mortality rate in the shantytown skyrocketed.

With the genetic stabilizing agent Zhuang Xiao had given him and the improved food situation lately, going out to collect supplies before the height of summer should be manageable.

Once Huo Xiao finished packing for both of them and returned indoors, he found Zhuang Xiao still sitting on the bed, nearly hugging her knees with her head drooping between them.

He gave her head a nudge and said, “We’re going out to find meat today!”

That push woke Zhuang Xiao up for a split second. Meat—that key word instantly lifted her heavy eyelids.

Her head shot up, eyes wide open. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and scrambled out of bed in seconds.

A splash of cold water to the face, and she was fully awake.

Taking the bag Huo Xiao handed her, now fully functional, she asked, “Where are we working today?”

Yes, in Zhuang Xiao’s mind now, going out to gather supplies was like going to work to earn wages—just doing their part to support the family.

Huo Xiao answered her as they walked.

Before they reached the crossroads, they saw the young Yan Ming running toward them.

“Sis, hurry up! If we’re late, we won’t get a good spot!”

Zhuang Xiao glanced at Huo Xiao. No wonder he had said they were going out to find meat today—he came prepared with two bodyguards.

When the three of them arrived at the fork in the road, Yan Hu was already there, along with two small figures standing beside him.

As they got closer, Zhuang Xiao realized the kids looked oddly familiar. She was rummaging through her memory since arriving in the wasteland when Yan Ming said, “These are my neighbors, Wen You and Wen Xiu.”

Huo Xiao recognized them—both were orphans from the shantytown. When Yan Ming and Yan Hu went out, they sometimes brought the kids along. In the wasteland, survival was tough even for adults—let alone for two kids around four or five years old.

The moment Wen You and Wen Xiu saw Zhuang Xiao, they recognized her from a previous encounter while gathering supplies nearby. Unlike Zhuang Xiao’s face blindness, children had excellent memory.

“Good morning, Uncle Huo.” Then they turned to Zhuang Xiao. “Good morning, Big Sis.”

Huo Xiao: …
Uncle?
Zhuang Xiao: …

Well, kids are kind of cute after all.

She completely forgot about how she used to call kids little devils!

Zhuang Xiao gave the two kids a friendly smile and nodded in greeting.

Despite their young age, the kids were surprisingly good at keeping up with the group.

When they passed the spot where she had found the mutated rabbit cub, Zhuang Xiao’s memory finally clicked back into place.

She snuck a glance at the two little ones. Ah, it was them!

On the way, she also learned where they were heading—a lush little stream.

By the time they arrived, the sky was already bright, and a few people were scattered along the stream, fishing.

The mulberry forest had become the current hotspot for gathering supplies, so fewer people came to the stream. Since Yan Ming and Yan Hu had gotten nothing from the forest the day before, they decided to try their luck here instead.

Avoiding the crowds to gather during off-peak hours.

The upstream source of the stream was an unexplored zone. People came not only to fish and shrimp for food, but also for a bigger temptation—energy stones.

There was a rumor that someone once found an A-grade energy stone in this very stream, and that single stone was their ticket into the safety zone.

Whether this was true or just a rumor was impossible to verify.

Still, ever since the rumor started, countless people had come here hoping to strike it rich and get into the safety zone.

In the wasteland, even the basements of the safety zone were highly coveted by residents of the shantytown.

They picked a spot far from the others. The nearby shrubs also conveniently provided shade from direct sunlight—an ideal fishing location.

The six of them split into three pairs and quickly found their fishing spots.

The stream water was still very clear. Standing at the edge, you could see the elegant aquatic plants swaying at the bottom. Squatting on a large rock, Zhuang Xiao leaned forward for a good look—there really were fish and river shrimp in there.

Of course, their size exceeded her expectations.

Zhuang Xiao didn’t understand why they didn’t just wade in and grab the fish, or at least use a basket.

After asking Huo Xiao, she fell silent.

There was a species of fish in the stream called rouge fish, named for its bright orange-red body. It was carnivorous. After mutating, the rouge fish became extremely aggressive. Though it still lacked visible teeth, its bite force had increased significantly.

Ordinary nets or baskets couldn’t trap it. If someone went into the water and got bitten—well, they’d end up as the rouge fish’s next meal.

That explained why everyone stayed safely on the shore to fish and didn’t dare go into the water.

Huo Xiao baited the hook and handed the rod to Zhuang Xiao before turning back to prepare his own gear.

Truth be told, Zhuang Xiao didn’t really enjoy fishing. Sitting in one place all day was exhausting in its own way.

Plus, fishing seemed more like a man’s hobby.

Still, seeing how much effort Huo Xiao had put into preparing everything, she decided to give it a try—for his sake.

But after just half an hour, she was already restless.

She randomly plucked a leaf that looked like fish mint and dripped its juice onto her wristwatch.

Beep beep—Moderate radiation mutation. Edible.

Huo Xiao: …
Yan Ming and Yan Hu: …
The two kids: …

Five pairs of eyes all turned toward Zhuang Xiao, their gazes full of envy.

Especially Yan Ming.

He knew bringing his sister along was the right move.

Unfortunately, aside from that first leaf, Zhuang Xiao couldn’t find another edible one nearby.