“When we were about to starve to death, our parents hid us in a doghouse. Sister Sangzhi came and taught us how to cook. She left us with a protective barrier before leaving.”

"As expected of her."

The technicians installed the monitoring equipment and tested it successfully. Yan Shi then texted Chang Ge, telling them to come back, as the mission was complete and it was time to return home.

As a result, they saw Chang Ge carrying Bu Qing back from afar.

What's going on? Yan Shi blinked, making sure he wasn't mistaken; it was Chang Ge carrying Bu Qing on his back.

Chang Ge, who is 1.67 meters tall, and Bu Qing, who is 1.81 meters tall, look surprisingly harmonious, even though the picture doesn't have the same aesthetic appeal as the one where a tall person carries a short person.

So how did Chang Ge convince Bu Qing? Based on her understanding of Bu Qing, he was not exactly a chauvinist, but he was also a guy who wouldn't easily show weakness and couldn't accept being in a protected position.

"What happened to my brother?" Bu Ke went up to him.

"We encountered a snake, and your brother twisted his ankle while saving me."

"It looks pretty serious. A sprained ankle can be mild or severe. Brother needs to rest." Bu Ke's tone was light, showing no sign of worry.

"You got injured because of me, I'll take responsibility," Chang Ge replied immediately, understanding the implication.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Sister Changge. I'm not strong enough to take care of my brother who has difficulty moving around."

"Leave it to me."

"You two..." Bu Qing was the first to lose patience, but was immediately silenced by Bu Ke's glare.

"It was all my brother's carelessness. Should we make Sister Changge continue to blame herself?"

Yan Shi listened to the conversation between Bu Ke and Chang Ge and sighed that he was inferior to them.

"Huh? Who are these two?" Chang Ge asked.

"survivor."

"Wow, there are still survivors at this time, and they are two little children. That's really rare."

Yan Shi glanced at Bu Qing and felt that his face looked a little dark.

What should she do? She wanted to laugh. Was she pursuing him? Wouldn't Bu Qing think she was making him lose face?

Yan Shi didn't know, nor did he dare to ask, so he kept it to himself and went back to ask Zhuang Zhao.

"It depends on the person. I don't know what Bu Qing is thinking. For me, I like people and I can do whatever they want. But for people I don't like, I find everything they do annoying."

"So, there's a chance?"

"Let them get along on their own. We'll just watch."

"That's true. In comparison, the siblings are the ones who are truly worrying."

There is a survivor relief system in District 7, but it only lasts for one month. For the two siblings, who are only 21 years old combined, it is very difficult to have enough to eat in District 7.

"We can't bring them over given our situation."

“Yes, I’m thinking about whether to contact the Sang family. Bu Ke said that maintaining that barrier would be very complicated. Maybe they have a talent for forming arrays.”

"But I don't know anything about Sangzhi and the Sang family, and I don't know if the Sang family will mistreat them. I brought them back, and I don't want them to end up in the fire because of me."

Zhuang Zhao: You're just worrying unnecessarily.

"I'll ask Han Yan about it. Besides, I think that older sister is quite clever. She should be able to help me find a job."

"Then let's split up and see if there are any suitable jobs. You can inquire about the Sang family."

"Um."

"By the way, it's time for a family gathering at Grandpa Yuan's place in a couple of days. What should I bring? I wonder if Grandpa Yuan can cook."

Yan Shi was captivated by Grandpa Yuan's fish-flavored eggplant and became especially enthusiastic about the monthly family gatherings.

“I followed Grandpa Yuan’s instructions exactly, but the taste was never quite right.”

"There's nothing we can do. Even with the same recipe and seasoning, everyone makes a different flavor."

The day we went to Grandpa Yuan's dinner party started cloudy early in the morning, and the wind was blowing coldly, but it didn't dampen Yan Shi's good mood at all.

Aside from the girls from Team 404, Su Yaozu showed up uninvited, but Yuan Xinle's boyfriend, Bian Liang, didn't come.

As soon as Zhuang Zhao appeared, Grandpa Yuan took him to the workshop. Yuan Xinle was also caught by Grandpa Yuan and locked in the workshop to practice puppetry.

Yan Shi was busy in the kitchen with everyone. Sometimes Chang Ge talked about Bu Qing, and sometimes everyone complained that Su Yaozu's intentions were obvious to everyone. It was quite lively.

"Yan Shi, go tell them that dinner is ready."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Yan Shi wiped his hands and jogged over.

"Grandpa Yuan, dinner's ready!" Yan Shi called to them from behind the door.

"I understand," Grandpa Yuan replied without turning his head.

Yan Shi's gaze automatically landed on Zhuang Zhao, who was sitting next to Yuan Xinle, the two of them looking down and studying something.

Yan Shi frowned, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"Um?"

"Your expression doesn't look right."

"Oh, it's nothing, my eyes are just itchy, it feels like an eyelash fell into my eye."

"Let me check, it's not there."

"It might have been rubbed somewhere; I'll look for it again later."

"Xinle has artificial tears. If you still feel uncomfortable, just rinse with artificial tears."

"Um."

"Go sit down and wait for your meal."

"Um."

Yan Shi obediently went to sit at the table and wait for dinner to be served.

"Don't you think Yan Shi is acting a little strange? He was just laughing a moment ago," Tong Ying said to Yan Ran.

"A little, is it because you're having your period?"

"It shouldn't be. Given her personality, she would just say so if she's uncomfortable."

"It's possible he caught a chill from touching cold water earlier. I'll go check on him." Yanran carried the plate over.

Are you feeling unwell?

"A little."

"Are you feeling cold? Let me get you a cup of hot water."

"No need, just asking you something: are you possessive of the people around you?"

"Yes, everyone has that, it's just not serious. Who doesn't want the people they care about to care about them too? In other words, who doesn't want the people around them to care about them?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!