A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Uncle Zhou, please go in first. I... I'll stay outside and keep watch to see if anyone follows us."

At the dark entrance to the air-raid shelter, Su Nianci's small hands gripped the cold kerosene lamp tightly, her voice unusually calm amidst the biting wind. Instead of immediately crawling into the "home" that could bring warmth, she chose to remain at the most dangerous entrance, scanning the snow-covered alley with her alert eyes, which were far beyond her years.

Zhou Wenqian looked at this five-year-old girl. After being blackmailed and finding a hiding place, her first thought wasn't her own safety, but rather covering the rear and keeping watch. He was deeply shocked. He knew that this child had the soul of an adult, a soul even more resilient and calm than his own.

"Okay." Zhou Wenqian didn't say anything more. He knew that any politeness at this moment would be an insult to her professional judgment. Holding the little stone, who was already a bit dazed from the cold, he took a deep breath and followed the simple earthen steps, becoming the first to step into that unknown darkness.

Su Nianci stood quietly at the entrance of the cave for a full five minutes. The wind and snow quickly covered their footprints, and apart from the sound of the wind, there was no other sound in the alley. Only after confirming that Scarface and his group were really far away did she breathe a sigh of relief, turn around, and crawl into the air-raid shelter.

Although the air inside the cave was murky, carrying an earthy and musty smell, the relief from the direct onslaught of the cold wind instantly relaxed Su Nianci's tense body. She struck a match and lit the small kerosene lamp. The dim yellow light danced in the cramped space, dispelling a small patch of darkness and illuminating Zhou Wenqian and Xiao Shitou's faces.

Little Stone had been placed on a relatively dry patch of ground, wrapped in Zhou Wenqian's woolen overcoat and Su Nianci's old military overcoat, looking like a silkworm. Zhou Wenqian, on the other hand, was only wearing a wet sweater, his lips were purple from the cold, and he was constantly rubbing his arms to warm them.

"Uncle Zhou, quick, take off your wet clothes!" Su Nianci commanded immediately, her tone leaving no room for argument. Having been a doctor in her past life, she knew all too well how severe the hypothermia could be caused by wearing wet clothes in this environment.

Zhou Wenqian was stunned for a moment. Looking into Su Nianci's serious eyes, which seemed to be directing subordinates at the operating table, he subconsciously obeyed the order. He took off his soaking wet sweater, revealing his still relatively strong upper body. Su Nianci immediately draped the large, old military overcoat with the smell of mutton over his shoulders.

"Please wear this for now, and we'll be fine once we start a fire," Su Nianci said, beginning to carefully examine this temporary "home" with a kerosene lamp.

This was a semi-circular concrete space, about seven or eight square meters in size, likely a node in the original fortifications. Water stains seeped from the walls, and the floor was covered in damp mud. But in one corner, there was a pile of dry weeds and several old wooden planks, apparently used by Scarface and his men for warmth.

"Fuel! That's great!" Su Nianci's eyes lit up; this was hope!

She quickly piled the weeds and planks together and lit them with a match. The flame was weak at first, emitting thick smoke, but with Su Nianci's careful blowing and adding of firewood, it finally roared to life and burned steadily!

A ball of orange-red flames roared up in this cold and desolate underground space!

Warmth spread instantly!

"There's...there's fire!" Zhou Wenqian's voice choked as he looked at the flickering flame. He felt as if he had returned from hell to the human world.

Little Stone was also attracted by the firelight. He poked his head out from under his coat, his dark eyes reflecting the warm flames. His face, which had been tense from the cold and fear, finally relaxed a little.

Su Nianci let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if all the bones in her body had gone limp. She had survived. Today, she had finally survived.

She hung Zhou Wenqian's wet sweater and her own coat by the fire to dry them. Then she took out the few dry, hard steamed buns they had left from their pockets.

"Uncle Zhou, have something to eat." She handed him a steamed bun.

Zhou Wenqian looked at the dark, hard steamed bun, then at Su Nianci's face, smeared with soot like a kitten's, and his eyes welled up with tears. A wave of immense guilt and self-reproach washed over him. He, a grown man, a university professor, needed a five-year-old child to protect and save him. He reached out and took the bun, but didn't eat it. Instead, he solemnly said to Su Nianci, "Nianci, thank you. Today, if it weren't for you..."

"Uncle Zhou, we're family." Su Nianci interrupted him, her tone calm yet firm. "We're family, no need for formalities."

She broke another steamed bun into small pieces, soaked them in the last bit of warm water in the military canteen until they softened, and then fed them to Little Stone bite by bite.

The flames crackled as the three men sat around the fire, silently munching on dry rations. In this isolated underground place, for the first time, they experienced the desperate reliance on each other for survival in an apocalyptic world.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Wenqian suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse: "Nianci, that thirty yuan..."

"Uncle Zhou, money can be earned back," Su Nianci said without looking up. "But if you lose your life, you lose everything. That thirty yuan saved the lives of the three of us and gave us this shelter from the wind and snow. It was worth it."

Her tone was so calm, as if she were talking about something trivial.

Zhou Wenqian looked at her, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, only nodding heavily. He etched this kindness, along with his younger brother's military officer's ID, deep into his heart.

That night was the most restful sleep Su Nianci had had since arriving in this era. Although she was lying on the cold ground and the air was filled with the smell of mildew, the burning campfire and the steady breathing of her two companions gave her an unprecedented sense of security.

The blizzard outside finally stopped the next day.

Blinding sunlight streamed in through the cracks at the entrance of the air-raid shelter, forming beams of light. Su Nianci opened her eyes and stretched her somewhat stiff body. Zhou Wenqian and Xiao Shitou were still fast asleep.

She knew they couldn't stay hidden here forever. The food was running out; they had to go out and find a new way to survive.

She quietly climbed out of the air-raid shelter. Harbin after the snow was as beautiful as a fairytale world. Thick white snow covered everything, and glistening icicles hung from the eaves, sparkling in the sunlight. Finally, people appeared on the streets; pedestrians, bundled in heavy cotton-padded coats, hurried by, their breath steaming in the air. The city was beginning to recover.

Su Nianci wrapped her old military overcoat tighter, like a clumsy little bear, trudging laboriously through knee-deep snow. She was going to scout out the way and see if there was anywhere nearby where she could find food.

Just as she reached a street corner, a clear, childlike cry caught her attention.

"Selling candied hawthorns! Fragrant and sweet candied hawthorns!"

Su Nianci looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little girl, about six or seven years old, standing at the entrance of an alley. She was wearing a faded pink floral cotton-padded jacket with several patches, and her face was red from the cold, like two ripe apples. In front of her stood a simple straw target with seven or eight strings of bright red candied hawthorns stuck on it.

In the cold wind, the little girl kept stamping her feet and breathing out warm air, trying her best to make her shouts sound louder.

However, passersby were all in a hurry, and few people stopped for a skewer of snacks. Her business seemed rather slow.

Su Nianci looked at the little girl, at her bright, hopeful eyes that were still sparkling in the cold wind, and something suddenly touched her heart.

She herself was a child, struggling to survive. At that moment, she saw a familiar shadow of herself in that little girl.

Just then, the little girl also saw Su Nianci. Seeing that Su Nianci was staring at her candied hawthorn, she assumed that Su Nianci wanted to eat it, and immediately gave her a big, friendly smile.

"Little sister, would you like a skewer of candied hawthorns?" she greeted warmly. "My candied hawthorns are made with big red berries, and they're super sweet! Only five cents a skewer!"

Su Nianci touched her empty pockets. She didn't have a single penny, let alone five. A little embarrassed, she shook her head.

The little girl named Ya Ya noticed her predicament. Instead of looking down on her, a hint of sympathy flashed in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment, then took the largest and reddest candied hawthorn from the top of the straw basket and handed it to Su Nianci.

"Here, have some!" The little girl's smile was like the winter sun, warm and radiant. "It's free! I see you're all alone, it looks so pitiful. Eat up, something sweet will make your heart feel less bitter."

Su Nianci was completely stunned. Looking at the little girl in front of her, who was dressed in rags and barely had enough to eat, yet was willing to give away her goods to a stranger for free, a surge of emotion instantly welled up in her eyes.