Green was a higher level than blue, so the resources should be richer.
After walking for more than half an hour, Ning Yu’an arrived at a patch of goji berries.
The patch covered a fairly large area, roughly a hundred square meters. There were already people gathering here, quite a few of them.
Seeing someone else arrive, most people merely gave Ning Yu’an a hurried glance without saying anything, but their hands began moving a little faster.
A few people kept glancing at Ning Yu’an’s gathering basket. However, when they saw that she had casually tossed it at her feet, they turned away in disappointment and continued with their work.
The goji berries had not grown yet. There were only goji berry shoots.
iframe
Goji berry shoots were also a decent type of wild vegetable. Ning Yu’an had happened to eat them once before. They were slightly bitter and slightly sweet, with a fairly refreshing taste.
“Beep. Level 5 radiation.”
“Beep. Level 5 radiation.”
“Beep. Level 3 radiation.”
After testing everything, Ning Yu’an soon collected five handfuls of goji berry shoots.
The exploration point was successfully added as well.
Each handful weighed roughly half a kilogram. Ning Yu’an put one handful into her gathering basket and stored the rest in her space.
Seeing that she had found something, the others began working even faster.
Two people also developed some improper thoughts. Although they were envious, neither of them acted.
There were still many people here. If anyone made a move, it would easily provoke everyone’s anger.
There were certain unspoken rules in the poor district.
In a place with few people, others might not care. But when there were many people around, someone would definitely intervene. Everyone was afraid that encouraging such behavior would mean they would be the next person to get robbed.
Stealing someone’s food was practically the same as plotting to rob them of their livelihood and their life.
Of course, this sense of solidarity only lasted as long as you had not obtained something valuable enough to make most people jealous.
By now, people were gradually beginning to head back.
Ning Yu’an also shouldered her gathering basket and followed the returning crowd.
By the time she arrived home, it was nearly seven o’clock.
Ning Yu’an lit the small stove and felt the warmth of the flames gradually drive away the cold dampness inside the room.
She took a handful of goji berry shoots, washed them, cut off a small piece of arrowhead, and put everything into the pot to boil.
There was still far too little food. She had to conserve it.
Fortunately, she did not have a particularly large appetite.
While waiting for the food to cook, Ning Yu’an went outside to check the reed stalks.
They were already almost completely dry.
Ning Yu’an carried them into the house handful by handful.
Just as she was putting away the final handful, a sudden scream came from the nearest house.
Ning Yu’an froze.
Reason told her that she should not interfere.
She had no relatives or friends in this strange world, and keeping herself safe was the wisest choice.
But the shrill cries for help from a little girl still made the hands holding the reed stalks tremble.
Liu Si had gone three consecutive days without finding anything.
If he could not find food again, he would have no choice but to eat highly radioactive food to fill his stomach.
The sunburn on his back had still not healed and was gradually beginning to ulcerate.
Thinking about the young man who had caught edible fish with him at the river yesterday, Liu Si had watched him for a long time.
That young man still had not returned home.
Liu Si picked up a stone and smashed it hard against the door lock.
Inside the house, a five- or six-year-old girl stared at him in terror.
But Liu Si’s eyes immediately locked onto the bag inside the open cabinet.
He did not see any fish.
But he saw two enormous potatoes.
Liu Si’s eyes went wide.
He walked straight over.
The girl realized what he intended to do and grabbed a stick before charging at him, striking him as hard as she could.
But the little girl’s strength was simply too limited.
Even though Liu Si was so hungry that his vision was going black, he still easily kicked the little girl away.
He grabbed the bag and was about to leave when the little girl cried out and threw herself at him, biting down hard on his leg.
Liu Si could not shake her off for the moment.
He was also worried that the young man might suddenly return home.
He was desperate to leave.
The look in his eyes turned vicious. He grabbed the stick and swung it at the little girl.
The girl shuddered from the blow, but her teeth remained firmly clamped onto his leg.
Just as he was about to strike her a second time, the door he had casually closed opened.
A woman with her face tightly wrapped appeared in the doorway.
Before Liu Si could react, a thick wooden stick came straight toward his face.
“Bang!”
Ning Yu’an had used all her strength.
The already flimsy piece of wood broke with a crack.
Blood streamed down from Liu Si’s head as the man collapsed to the ground.
Ning Yu’an’s hands were still trembling.
The little girl released her bite and stared blankly at the woman in the doorway.
She could not see the woman’s face, only her clear, bright eyes.
Ning Yu’an looked at the little girl, whose face was streaked with tears. Her gums had even begun bleeding from biting so hard.
She tried her best to calm her wildly pounding heart.
She threw away the broken half of the wooden stick.
“It’s all right now.”
Ning Yu’an’s voice was very soft.
Perhaps sensing that she meant no harm, the little girl began sobbing.
Her cries grew louder and louder.
Ning Yu’an was at a loss for what to do.
Seeing that the man would not be waking up anytime soon, she removed the cloth covering her face.
She crouched beside the girl sitting on the floor, gently pulled the girl’s head against her chest, and softly patted her dry, yellowish hair.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s all right now.”
“Pat her hair, she wasn’t scared. Pat her head, she will calm down. Pat her hair, she wasn’t scared…”
The little girl leaned against the woman’s warm embrace.
The unfamiliar feeling spread through Hong Yue’s heart as she tightly gripped the woman’s clothes.
Hong Yang had had a decent harvest that day. He had gone with his companions to exchange their goods for contribution points, so he returned a little later than usual.
From a distance, he saw that the front door was wide open.
His heart sank.
He hurried home.
As soon as he reached the doorway, he saw a man lying on the floor inside, covered in blood and apparently unconscious.
His younger sister was curled up in the arms of an unfamiliar woman, sobbing softly.
“Xiao Yue?”
Hong Yue looked up.
The tears she had just managed to stop began flowing again when she saw her family member.
“Brother…”
Hong Yue scrambled to her feet and threw herself into her brother’s arms. Between sobs, she told him what had happened.
After understanding the situation, Hong Yang repeatedly thanked Ning Yu’an.
If she had not arrived in time, he might never have seen his younger sister again.
Ning Yu’an did not say much.
“Your sister may be injured. Remember to keep an eye on her.”
Hong Yang nodded repeatedly, his expression tense.
Then Ning Yu’an hesitantly looked at the man who was still unconscious.
“He…”
Hong Yang quickly spoke.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take him to the guards later. I won’t mention you!”
Ning Yu’an relaxed.
She then turned and walked toward her own home.
Hong Yang carried his younger sister in his arms.
From the doorway, he watched Ning Yu’an walk toward the house a short distance away before withdrawing his gaze.
After calming his sister down, Hong Yang looked at the man on the ground with a murderous glint in his eyes.
Ning Yu’an returned home, closed the door, leaned against the wooden door, and let out a long breath.
The boy had said he would hand the man over to the guards.
Although the guards here would not necessarily intervene in such incidents quickly, they would still deal with someone brought directly to them.
That man would not have a chance to retaliate for the time being.
Moreover, Ning Yu’an had kept her face covered, so he had never seen what she looked like.
She had acted impulsively.
But she did not regret it.
After calming herself for a while, she turned around and added some water to the small pot, which was almost completely dry.
Once it boiled, she ate the food without much enjoyment.
Then she began weaving the dried reed stalks.
Her weaving method was very simple.
She alternated the stalks, tightened them together, and finally used reed leaves to secure the edges.
It was the same weaving method she had used as a child to make a fan out of popsicle sticks.
Ning Yu’an worked until nearly ten o’clock.
She had only finished half of it.
She still had to go gathering the next day, so she tidied everything up and went to bed.
That night, she dreamed of her grandmother.
When she was little, she had been mischievous and had tried to put a bear-shaped cookie on a mousetrap.
As a result, the trap had caught her hand.
After her grandmother freed her hand, she had stroked Ning Yu’an’s head while comforting her as she wailed.
Her grandmother had kept murmuring:
“Pat her hair, she wasn’t scared. Pat her head, she will calm down. Pat her hair, she wasn’t scared…”