Starving to the Point of Begging for Food

Without hesitation, she blocked the number.

Less than a minute later, her phone rang again—an unfamiliar number.

She didn't even need to think. It was definitely one of Yang Weicong's classmates or friends.

Having lived through this once before, Jiang Ning refused to be anyone's fool. If she lost a single grain of food to them, she'd consider it her defeat.

She switched off her phone and turned to see Dou Dou curled up asleep on the sofa, her tiny body trembling even in her dreams.

Jiang Ning checked her temperature—down to 38 degrees. Much better.

It was best not to reveal her resources. With Dou Dou around, she couldn't risk cooking anything too extravagant.

She ate a bowl of broken tomato and egg noodles, yet it tasted better than any feast.

The balcony had an escape window, while the rest of the windows were covered with frosted film. Light could come in, but no one outside could see what was happening inside.

Jiang Ning pulled out a set of planting pots and soil, then took out several potatoes. She cut the sprouting ones into pieces, coated the cuts with plant ash, and planted them in the soil.

In total, she planted about twenty pots of potatoes, storing them on the space's balcony.

Next, she planted garlic, green onions, lettuce, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, and water spinach.

She used hollow hanging hooks to suspend some of the planting pots on the iron railing.

With proper care, she could achieve vegetable self-sufficiency.

Before she even had a chance to wash her hands, a loud knocking sounded at the door.

"Jiang Ning! Jiang Ning!"

The voice was unfamiliar, but she could guess—Yang Weicong's classmates.

Heh. So they really were starving.

"Jiang Ning, you love cooking more than anything. Could you spare some food for us?"

"We'll pay! Double—no, five times the price!"

"Just accept my friend request, and I'll transfer the money right now."

"Come on, we're all friends. We'll be seeing each other again in the future. Do you really have to be this ruthless?"

Their voices weren't particularly loud, muffled by the two layers of stainless steel doors, but their tone grew harsher by the second. One of them, losing patience, kicked the door in frustration.

Jiang Ning grabbed a kitchen knife and flung the door open, swinging the blade toward them.

"Who just kicked my door?!"

Three guys stood outside. At first, they were pleased when she opened up. After all, everyone knew Jiang Ning had been infatuated with Yang Weicong. No way she'd let her so-called "Prince Charming" go hungry, right?

Their snacks had run out the night before, and they had skipped both breakfast and lunch. All they had left was beer, which only made them hungrier.

Yang Weicong had once mocked Jiang Ning, saying she was a hoarder—stockpiling food like an old grandma, letting it expire before she could even eat it. They had laughed at her behind her back.

Who knew that today, she would be the one laughing at them?

Before they could say a word, the kitchen knife came swinging down. They jumped back, their fury instantly flaring.

"Jiang Ning, are you crazy?!"

She blocked the doorway, her expression ice-cold.

"Get lost. I don't have sons as shameless as you."

They stared at her, momentarily stunned, before one of them exploded, "What the hell do you mean?!"

Jiang Ning sneered. "Since I'm not your mother, why should I feed you?"

Her eyes darkened, filled with unfiltered hostility. "Kick my door again, and I'll chop you up for stew."

She had survived three years in the apocalypse—fought, killed, and seen the worst of human nature.

The threat in her eyes wasn't empty.

The guys' bravado crumbled. "We're friends! And we said we'd pay!"

Jiang Ning scoffed. "Even if I had food, I'd rather feed it to a stray dog than give it to you."

"You think I don't know what you've been saying behind my back? You looked down on me so much—what, just two skipped meals and your spines turned to jelly?"

Their faces burned with shame, their bodies trembling with rage.

"Tell Yang Weicong this—he can cuddle up with his precious Su Mengyao all he wants, but don't come begging me for food. A guy who lives off a woman while pretending to be noble—how disgusting."

"And if any of you dare to bother me again, I'll post everything to the school forums and community chat. Let's see if he still has any face left."

"You—just wait!"

Two meals weren't enough to break them completely. And they still had their pride. But looking at Jiang Ning, wild-eyed and brandishing a knife like a madwoman, they figured she must have been pushed over the edge by Yang Weicong and Su Mengyao's relationship.

"Let's see who breaks first!"

They turned to leave, but Jiang Ning suddenly swung the knife, embedding it into the door frame with a thunk.

The guys bolted.

That should keep them from trying anything for a while.

She shut the door, turning to find Dou Dou awake, eyes welling with tears. She looked like she wanted to cry but was too scared to do so, shrinking into the sofa with a trembling body.

Something was wrong. This child had suffered deeply.

Jiang Ning put the knife back in the kitchen, then softened her tone.

"Dou Dou, don't be scared. Those were bad people, but I chased them away."

She touched the girl's forehead—her fever had gone down.

Hearing her stomach growl, Jiang Ning asked, "Are you hungry?"

Dou Dou nodded, then hesitated, shaking her head. "What about my brother?"

1801 hadn't returned yet. Jiang Ning used it as an excuse to step into the kitchen, discreetly pulling a bowl of century egg and lean pork congee from her space.

Dou Dou was starving. She ate while sneaking glances at Jiang Ning, as if terrified she'd suddenly get angry.

Such a sensitive child—she must have come from a broken home.

Jiang Ning gently patted her head and handed her a lollipop.

"Thank you, big sister."

Dou Dou curled up quietly on the sofa.

Jiang Ning pulled out her phone and scrolled through the latest messages.

One caught her eye—Yang Weicong was now begging for help in the group chat.

With his good looks and charm, he had a solid reputation. Many students lived in the same complex, and it didn't take long for a girl to respond.

"I have some bread and self-heating meals. Senior, you can come and get them."

Jiang Ning clicked on the girl's profile—she lived on the 12th floor. If she remembered correctly, she was an accounting major, petite and sweet-looking. Another one of Yang Weicong's fangirls.

One willing to give, one willing to take. None of her business.

What the girl didn't know was that Yang Weicong wouldn't be the only one going to her place.

A swarm of locusts would descend—leaving nothing behind.

Jiang Ning had seen her carrying groceries before. She probably had some stockpile.

If she was smart, she'd realize soon enough.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and posted in the group chat, "So hungry."

No one responded.

Then, she tried offering 20 yuan in exchange for instant noodles or bread.

Still, silence.

Outside, the typhoon howled. A window in the neighboring building shattered, the wind roaring through the empty space. Floodwaters continued to rise.

This was truly a once-in-a-century storm. The group chat, once lively, had gone eerily quiet.

Dou Dou had fallen asleep again. Jiang Ning covered her with a blanket.

Another knock.

"Dou Dou."

It was 1801.

Jiang Ning opened the door.

He stood there, drenched in rain, holding the sticky note she had left on his door.

"Dou Dou's with you?"

She nodded. "She had a fever, cried until she threw up, nearly choked. I gave her medicine. Her fever's down, but she still needs to take her cold meds."

1801 looked surprised. "Are you a doctor?"

"A little."

He stepped inside and checked Dou Dou's forehead.

Jiang Ning thought he'd take her home.

Instead, he said, "Sorry to trouble you. My name is Huo Yishen. I just moved in last night, and my place is completely empty. The typhoon isn't stopping anytime soon, so I need to head out to get supplies. Can she stay with you for now? I'll come back for her tonight."

Jiang Ning was startled.

"In this storm? Can you even get out?"