“There’s still food at my place, so don’t worry and just eat,” Mo Yan said. “From now on, we’re neighbors. Neighbors should help each other. When Tuantuan’s clothes were torn before, you were the one who helped mend them. I remember that clearly.”
As he spoke, Mo Yan placed the bowl directly on the only small table in the thatched hut and glanced at the family of old and young before him.
At the moment, they were indeed in a far worse situation than he was.
Although he was raising two children by himself, he had martial skills and lived up in the mountains. Catching small game wasn’t difficult, and at the very least he could keep the children fed.
But this family—one sick, one injured—had no one who could truly shoulder responsibility right now.
After spending some time around them, Mo Yan had also come to understand Auntie Shen a little. She was an honest, down-to-earth farm woman, kind-hearted to the core, just somewhat timid by nature.
Seeing how insistent Mo Yan was, Li shi accepted the bowl with reddened eyes. Truthfully, this meat was a lifeline to them in their current situation. She silently resolved in her heart that once their days improved, she would certainly repay this kindness.
Once they accepted it, Mo Yan took his leave. It was getting dark, and the two little ones at home would surely be frightened if left alone.
So he didn’t stay long.
As he stepped outside, he happened to see Shen Youyou. Their gazes met briefly. Neither spoke. Mo Yan gave her a small nod, then strode back toward his own home.
After Li shi finished cooking the porridge, the family finally gathered together and ate a warm meal. The bowl of meat Mo Yan had brought was divided up and eaten clean.
Originally, Li shi had only intended to give it to the three of them—her husband was injured, her son was young and prone to illness, and her daughter had only just regained her clarity of mind. No matter who it was, they all needed nourishment.
Unexpectedly, her daughter picked up a piece of chicken and placed it into her bowl, saying calmly:
“You should eat too. The family depends on you now. You can’t afford to fall.”
Seeing his sister do this, Shen Nan followed suit, picking a piece of chicken from his own bowl and placing it into their mother’s, copying his sister’s tone:
“Mom should eat too. We should all eat.”
Leaning against the side, Shen He also followed their example, placing a piece into his wife’s bowl and saying solemnly:
“The kids are right. You’re the backbone of this family now. You should eat more. The children still need you to take care of them.”
Looking at her husband and children being so warm-hearted, Li shi felt tears well up in her eyes.
How good this was. Even though they were dirt poor, without even a proper house, the family was together—whole and united—and everyone’s hearts were warm. Life finally felt hopeful. It was far better than enduring suffocating humiliation day after day in the Shen family compound.
After dinner, night had completely fallen. To save money, the whole family crowded into the thatched hut to sleep.
The injured Shen father lay on the hut’s only broken wooden bed. Li shi and the two children spread a thick layer of straw on the ground and made do for the night.
Early the next morning, Shen Youyou was awakened by the dazzling sunlight outside.
Though she had slept on the ground, the day before had been exhausting, and the straw was passably soft. She had slept quite well.
After getting up, Shen Youyou went outside to boil water and wash up.
A new day meant new hope. Looking at the green mountains and clear surroundings, Shen Youyou felt full of energy. Though they were poor, life felt hopeful. This feeling was a hundred times better than living alone and isolated in the apocalypse.
By the time she finished washing her face, there was movement inside the hut.
Li shi quickly got up to make breakfast—still coarse rice porridge.
While eating, Shen Youyou suddenly said:
“Dad, Mom, after breakfast I’m going to the mountains to dig some wild vegetables. They’re especially good this time of year.”
“Alright, just be careful,” Li shi replied. “Don’t go too deep—stay nearby.”
After thinking it over, Li shi agreed. Wild vegetables were indeed tender right now, and simply tossing them cold was delicious. Back when they lived down the mountain, she often went digging with a few other women.
Just then, Shen Nan—who had been carefully watching their expressions—suddenly spoke up:
“Mom, I want to go dig wild vegetables with my sister too. I haven’t been sick these past few days. I want to help the family.”
“This…” Li shi hesitated.
Her son had been weak since birth—likely due to deprivation while she was pregnant—and often fell ill. Though he was already over six, he looked as thin and small as a four- or five-year-old child.
Seeing his mother hesitate, Shen Nan’s eyes gradually dimmed.
At that moment, Shen Youyou interjected:
“Mom, let him come with me. Going out and moving around will be good for his health. It’s better than keeping him cooped up at home.”
“Alright then,” Li shi finally agreed. “But you must look after each other, and absolutely don’t go deep into the mountains.”
The siblings exchanged a glance, both delighted, and answered in unison, “We know, Mom.”
And so, Shen Nan happily followed his sister, basket in hand, as they headed into the mountains.
Along the way, he chattered nonstop.
“Sister, it’s so beautiful here. How come I never noticed when Mom and I brought you food before?”
“Sister, look at this—can this be eaten?”
“Sister, you’re amazing now! That day you saved me from that old hag in one move!”
“Sister, I knew you weren’t stupid at all.”
“Sister… do you think Dad’s leg can get better?”
…
Shen Youyou dug wild vegetables while listening to Shen Nan’s endless questions, responding every now and then. Though her expression barely changed, her heart was filled with joy.
She truly loved this feeling—having someone constantly talking beside her.
The two of them chatted as they dug, and before long, they had filled an entire basket with wild vegetables.
Looking at the tender, vibrant greens beside her, Shen Youyou grew more and more absorbed. She had eaten this kind of wild vegetable before, back when the world hadn’t fallen into the apocalypse. It was called bitter greens—delicious when cold-tossed and medicinal as well. Truly a good thing.
After pulling one up, Shen Youyou shook the dirt from its roots and was just about to toss it into the basket when a mechanical voice suddenly rang out in her mind:
【Congratulations, Host. Botanical Encyclopedia System activated.
Collected 100 bitter greens. Reward: 10 wild chicken eggs.
They have been placed nearby. Please check.】
Shen Youyou froze for a moment.
What… just happened?
What did she just hear?
It sounded like something saying she had activated a system? And it gave her wild chicken eggs? Was that real?
Was she dreaming?
This voice felt oddly familiar. It seemed to have appeared when she first arrived here, only to vanish after saying a few things. Could this be her cheat—her plug-in for this world?
She called out to the system a few times in her heart again, but there was no response.