The days following the beast tide were extremely difficult. In addition to leaving behind a land littered with the trampled corpses of the alien species, local animals that were not originally infected with the virus were also infected, making food even more scarce.

Luo Ning could eat the flesh and blood of the alien species, but Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo were so hungry that they could only eat grass roots. When they finally caught a fish that was not infected, the two of them even chewed up the fish bones and ate them.

Seeing An Xiaoruo's bloated belly due to malnutrition, Luo Ning decided to stay there and not go any further; health is the foundation of everything.

They found an abandoned town, and Luo Ning and Lu Xinghe reinforced a basement together. During the day, Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo hid in the basement while Luo Ning went out to find food. At night, the three of them rested around a campfire. Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo's health gradually improved, but even so, life was still very difficult.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, with heavy snow falling and extremely low temperatures. Luo Ning found all the usable clothes and bedding in the town and made a warm bed in the basement. She also made nets to fish in the river, not letting any animal that was not infected with the virus go unpunished. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she left nothing but desolation in her wake.

Besides taking care of An Xiaoruo, Lu Xinghe spent the rest of his time repairing the badly damaged radio. He found some tools and parts in the abandoned town and gradually reassembled the radio.

"How's it going? Do you have a signal now?" Luo Ning handed him a bowl of steaming hot rabbit meat. Rabbits reproduce very quickly, and like fish and mushrooms, they are species in the post-apocalyptic world that can outrun the speed of viral infection.

Lu Xinghe shook his head: "The parts are old and there is no power supply."

"Let's eat first, and we'll figure out a way to deal with the power supply later," Luo Ning said reassuringly.

She was feeling weak and even cold, something that had never happened before. She knew she needed human flesh and blood, but she was still enduring it because both Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo were in a weakened state, and taking their blood would be like taking half their lives.

"You guys eat first, I'm going to sleep for a while." She crawled into the blankets and wrapped herself up completely.

Lu Xinghe noticed something was wrong with her: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm just a little sleepy." After she finished speaking, she drifted off to sleep, vaguely feeling that Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo were lying next to her and seemed to be talking about something, but she couldn't hear clearly.

Later, a bowl of warm, sweet liquid was fed to her, like her favorite milk tea. She gulped it down and quickly finished it, but she still wanted more.

She gripped the hand of the person who gave her the milk tea tightly, baring her teeth and wanting more, when a frightened cry woke her up.

“Mom,” An Xiaoru cried.

She suddenly opened her eyes and found that she had Lu Xinghe pinned to the ground, her teeth less than a centimeter away from his neck. If she moved any closer, she would bite through the boy's blood vessels.

"I'm sorry." She hurriedly backed away, feeling scared. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if An Xiaoruo hadn't woken her up.

Lu Xinghe slowly sat up from the ground. His wrist was still bleeding. He knew that Luo Ning was like this because she had not eaten human flesh for a long time, so he gave her his blood.

"Quickly check if I've hurt you?" Luo Ning said anxiously. If he were bitten or scratched by her, he would get infected.

Looking at her remorseful expression, Lu Xinghe said, "You didn't hurt me. You trim your nails every day."

Luo Ning then realized that he had noticed these details about her, which showed that he was still very cautious.

"You gave me blood because you finally realized I'm not a bad person, right? We should help each other like this." She looked at him with a smile.

The young man gave her a haughty look: "Don't overthink it, it's just a mutually beneficial arrangement."

He didn't tell her that she had been unconscious for a day, and that he had let down his guard the moment she rushed into the beast tide to save him.

An Xiaoruo also raised her little arm, which was not much thicker than a rolling pin: "Mom, if you are hungry in the future, I can give you blood too."

Luo Ning pinched her little arm: "Okay, I'll definitely not be polite when you're a little older."

An Xiaoruo nodded emphatically. She wished she could grow up quickly right now.

Winter has passed and spring has arrived. The ice and snow have melted and all things have come back to life. After Luo Ning fed them all winter, and after sacrificing countless adorable rabbits and fish, Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo have finally gained some weight.

However, after discussing it with Lu Xinghe, she decided to temporarily abandon the plan to search for the base on foot. Their current physical condition was not suitable for long-distance travel, and if they encountered another beast tide, no one knew if they would have the same good luck as last time.

Moreover, An Xiaoruo is still young, and Song Pei is also young. Even if they met earlier, it would be useless. It would be better to take care of their health first before making any plans.

Life went on without major incidents. Spring came and summer came, summer ended and autumn began, autumn departed and winter arrived. The three of them supported and relied on each other through hardships. In the blink of an eye, two years had passed, and another spring had come.

Under the spring sunshine, the grass on the riverbank is lush and green, dotted with countless small pink, white and purple flowers, creating a strong sense of spring.

Luo Ning and An Xiaoruo sat on the rocks by the river, kicking their feet happily in the water, which was covered with a layer of pebbles as clear as glass.

In the two years since, An Xiaoruo, who is almost ten years old, has grown up a lot. Her hair and skin have a healthy sheen, and her features have become more and more delicate. She has the amazing appearance described in the novel that makes people want to enter their dreams at first glance.

Luo Ning remained unchanged; neither the passage of time nor the scars had left any mark on her. At twenty-four, she still possessed the slightly immature and naive appearance of her twenties.

The river water gurgled as Lu Xinghe emerged from the water, holding two crystal-clear stones in his hands. Now eighteen years old, he was still slender but much taller, with clean and bright eyes, exuding a refreshing youthful spirit.

"Uncle, the stone you found is so pretty!" An Xiaoruo ran towards Lu Xinghe, splashing through the water.

"Be careful not to fall," Luo Ning reminded her from behind.

"It's okay, just get up after you fall." An Xiaoru happily twirled in the shallow water and then stood steadily next to Lu Xinghe.

Luo Ning was very satisfied with An Xiaoruo's current state; she was lively, cheerful, and bright, and no longer had the timid and self-conscious demeanor she had in the novel.

Lu Xinghe gave a crystal to An Xiaoruo, then took another one and walked towards Luo Ning. His hair was wet and dripping water, and his clothes clung to his body, revealing his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

Luo Ning looked at him and thought that she should give him a haircut today. Boys should have short hair to look neat. Also, his clothes seemed to be too small and needed to be altered to be bigger.

Lu Xinghe walked up to her and opened his palm: "Here you go."

"Ah, I have one too, thank you." Luo Ning smiled, took the crystal, held it up to the sun, and examined it. It was clear and pure, like a diamond.

Lu Xinghe sat down beside her, wringing out the water from his clothes. Seeing that Luo Ning was delighted with the crystal he had given her, a quiet smile appeared in his eyes.