Still hoarding supplies in the apocalypse? I'll just go on a killing spree and looting!

The wind in the square stopped.

The red ribbons on the wishing tree hung motionless from the branches.

Mu Xue remained silent for a long time, then stood up, picked up the bone shield, and said, "Let's go. An An should be waiting for you to have lunch."

She turned to leave, then stopped, her back to Lin You, and said, "No matter what you do, I will stand by your side."

Is this knowledge or wishful thinking?

Lin You didn't answer. She dusted herself off, stood up, and followed Mu Xue.

He returned to his two-story house.

An An squatted by the wall in the backyard of the base, with four furry little creatures circling around his feet.

Those were four wolf cubs, which Mu Xue brought back from the supermarket a few days ago.

As a result, these little guys became familiar with An'an very quickly.

Moreover, it grows incredibly fast; in just a few days, it's already running all over the yard.

Their ears were drooping, their tails were fluffy like four little brooms, and when they ran, their paws made a soft pattering sound on the ground.

Occasionally, he would trip over his own foot, roll over, get up, and continue chasing after An'an.

An'an sat on the ground, clutching a sweet potato vine she had picked up from Shunzi's vegetable garden.

It swayed back and forth above the wolf cubs' heads.

It's like holding a dog toy; the four little guys jump up and pounce on it, but each time they miss and fall on top of each other.

Then the scene became a bit chaotic, with them biting each other's ears, pulling each other's tails, and rolling into a ball of fur.

The bravest of them all, An An calls it "Grey Grey".

Its front paws rested on An An's knees, its wet nose nudged his chin, and its tail wagged like a little windmill.

An'an was tickled by the nudging and giggled, leaning back. The sweet potato vine in her hand fell to the ground and was immediately grabbed and torn by the other three.

Seeing this scene, Lin You walked over and squatted down next to An An.

Grey immediately shifted its target, pouncing on Lin You's boots and nibbling at her shoelaces with its still-growing baby teeth.

Lin You poked its forehead with her finger, and it did a somersault before wobbling back to its feet and continuing to gnaw.

"Is it fun?" Lin You lifted Huihui off the boots. The little wolf cub kicked its four paws wildly in the air, making dissatisfied humming noises.

An'an took the wolf cub from Mu Xue's hands and held it in her arms, scratching the base of its ear with her finger.

Huihui immediately quieted down, squinted, rested her chin on An'an's arm, and made a soft gurgling sound in her throat.

The other three also ran over and squeezed around An'an's legs, with one of them even lying on the back of his feet and taking a nap.

"Yes, they are all very well-behaved, just as well-behaved as An'an."

An An lowered her head and rubbed her face against the gray, fluffy head. "Don't they have a mother either? Just like me."

Lin You nodded and said with a smile, "From now on, let them keep An'an company, okay?"

"Okay! Don't lick me, Grey."

Lin You reached out and ruffled An An's hair, then picked up Hui Hui from An An's arms and placed it on her lap.

Grey twisted its body in dissatisfaction, then jumped back to An'an's legs and huddled together among the other three wolf cubs.

An An looked down at the four fluffy little creatures huddled around his feet for warmth.

His lips curled up, revealing two missing front teeth, and he suddenly looked up and said something that stunned Lin You, "Then I can be their mother." Then he thought for a moment, and shook his head, "No, I'll be their brother. Sister Lin will be their mother."

Lin You couldn't help but chuckle, shifted her body, and sat down against the wall.

The sunlight cast the shadows of five heads on the ground: four were fluffy, and one wore a crooked woolen hat.

Then he was enveloped by Lin You's shadow.

"Time to eat."

Shunzi's voice came from the kitchen, followed by the sound of food being served on the table.

Lin You carried An An inside.

An'an touched the gauze on Lin You's forehead and asked softly, "Sister, does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"Sis, when will your head get better?"

"It will be fine in a few more days."

An'an twisted her body and said angrily, "My sister is lying. Lying is not the mark of a good child."

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the dining table.

I saw Shunzi bringing a plate of rabbit stew with potatoes to the table.

Mu Xue, who was sitting to one side, had a blank look in her eyes, as if she was thinking about something.

The potato chunks were cut unevenly and some were burnt, but they smelled delicious. On the table were also a plate of stir-fried greens and a dish of pickled radishes.

The rice was steamed until soft and fluffy, with white steam rising from it.

Shunzi took off her apron and draped it over the back of the chair. She looked at the gauze on Lin You's head, hesitated, and then found a fork.

Then pull out a chair for her to sit down.

Lin You smiled at Shunzi, "Let's eat together."

As he spoke, he picked up a fork, speared a piece of potato, and put it in his mouth.

It was a little burnt and I added too much salt, but in the apocalypse, being able to eat hot potato stew is already a luxury.

Shunzi chuckled twice, then served An'an a small bowl of rice before returning to sit opposite Lin You.

He took a couple of bites of rice, then suddenly put down his chopsticks, his expression becoming more serious.

"Sister Lin, I want to tell you something. I cleared a small plot of land behind the house today. It's not big, just a tiny patch. I'm thinking of planting the potatoes and sweet potatoes that I brought back from home. The sweet potatoes have already grown vines, it would be a shame not to plant them."

Lin You paused, forking her fork. "How's the soil?"

"It's alright. I picked off all the stones and turned over the soil. But... the soil is a bit dry, I'm worried the seedlings won't grow well."

He scratched his head. "I used to farm in the village, so I know when to sow seeds and when to water them."

Lin You wiped the rice grains stuck to An An's mouth with a handkerchief and said casually, "Didn't you say your grandpa was a hunter?"

"My grandfather was a hunter, and so was my great-grandfather. It's just that they're not allowed to hunt those wild animals anymore. They say... they're protecting animals, you can't kill them, or you'll be arrested. My second uncle was arrested, and he hasn't been released yet."

Lin You paused for a moment, then nodded.

Shunzi sighed, a rare occurrence for him, and said, "I just don't understand why we can't hunt and eat those wild boars that are ruining our crops. They're eating my crops."

Lin You changed the subject, saying, "Let's try planting them first. Potatoes tolerate shade, and sweet potatoes tolerate poor soil. But we need to be careful because some plants can mutate."

Shunzi didn't catch the certainty in Lin You's voice, and just said that Lin You picked up another piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks.

"If there are any abnormalities during the seedling stage, such as yellowing leaves or blackening stems, please tell me immediately."

"Okay, I got it. I'll cut the potatoes into chunks and plant them tomorrow, and also insert the sweet potato seedlings."

He grinned, but there was still some worry in his eyes; he was concerned about whether the buds would survive.

He placed a piece of rabbit meat into Lin You's bowl, then picked up a piece of green vegetable for himself, and began eating his rice.

After a while, he looked up, as if he had remembered something. "Sister, when I lived in the village, my favorite food was roasted sweet potatoes. Once I grow them, I'll roast them for you first."

Lin You did not answer.

She put the braised pork into An'an's small bowl, put down her fork, and stood up to go upstairs.

She paused at the top of the stairs. "The first one is for An'an."