103: Chapter 103 Knocking on the Door on a Snowy Night

Ye Nanxing replied flatly, "I had a batch transferred from East Port earlier, specifically sending Shen Qingyan to lead the procurement team."

She paused and continued:

"She said back then that seafood was hard to store and suggested I shouldn't stockpile it. She told me to switch to dried goods or preserved items instead."

"And you listened to her?" Zhou Cheng asked.

Ye Nanxing shook her head and said calmly, "No."

"I set aside that batch of seafood myself and put it in my space early on."

Her voice wasn't loud, but the moment she spoke, the whole room went silent.

Zhou Cheng looked up at her seriously. "Back then... you already planned this far ahead?"

"It wasn't for back then," Ye Nanxing's gaze was calm. "It was for now."

"I didn't plan on relying on it to survive, but—I wanted to eat something I liked."

Sun Hao's knife rose and fell; the sliced fatty beef was as thin as paper, and the mutton was evenly sliced. Even Zhao Wei salivated at the sight. "You should just go be a hotpot chef after you retire."

Lin Wanru was busy sorting and plating the washed greens, vermicelli, tofu, and small shiitake mushrooms. Meanwhile, she silently glanced at the bowl of large shrimp and Arctic surf clams, her heart filled with admiration for Ye Nanxing.

Ten minutes later, a burst of fragrance erupted from the kitchen.

The pot was divided into two sections: one side was a bubbling spicy red oil, and the other was a light, richly fragrant mushroom broth. A variety of dishes were arranged around the stove—

[Greens, Tender Tofu, Vermicelli, Corn Segments]

[Homemade Vegetarian Meatballs, Shiitake Sausage, Spicy Radish Slices]

[Small Fried Dough Sticks, Frozen Tofu, Wide Glass Noodles]

[Honeydew, Grapefruit, Grapes, Sliced Strawberries]

[Milk Tea, Freshly Squeezed Juice, Cheesecake, Fried Chicken Bucket]

Crucially, there was also a dipping sauce station.

Zhao Wei's eyes lit up. "...Holy crap, is this a base? Or a five-star secret buffet kitchen?"

Chu Yunting stood frozen in place. "This... you even hid this?"

"Milk tea? You can actually drink milk tea?!!"

"Who took that bucket of fried chicken? You actually made fried chicken?"

...This milk tea is actually hot??"

Ye Nanxing: "Are you here to fight a war, or to host a review show?"

Chu Yunting: "Don't mind me—I'm fine with eating and crying at the same time!"

The moment the hotpot came to a boil, the broth bubbled, meat slices swirled, and seafood was tossed into the pot—the aroma exploded!

"...Damn, this is what living is called," Zhao Wei said, his eyes tearing up as he dipped his meat.

Chu Yunting looked at the churning mutton in the pot, the red broth glistening with oil on the edge of his dipping bowl, then glanced at the pitch-black wind and snow outside the window. He couldn't help but mutter:

"Damn, this is the treatment a survivor should have."

Everyone sat around the stove, almost fighting to cook their food in the steaming hotpot. Outside it was forty degrees below zero, but inside it felt like a New Year's Eve dinner.

But the most shocking thing of all—wasn't the milk tea, the hotpot, or the cake.

It was that Child.

Yan sat by Ye Nanxing's side, initially just watching everyone eat.

No one forced him, and no one fed him.

Until Ye Nanxing handed him a piece of peeled strawberry.

He gently opened his mouth and took a small bite.

—And then he froze.

His whole body seemed to go into a daze.

It was as if a taste he had never experienced before suddenly exploded. His eyes widened instantly, and his small face looked at the strawberry in disbelief, then at the steaming small soup pot by his hand.

And then...

He started eating.

From strawberries to corn segments, then a bite of a vegetarian meatball, and a piece of fried dough stick.

Finally, he actually reached out and snatched the milk tea from Chu Yunting's cup, taking small sips with his eyes wide and round.

"...Hey, you..." Before Chu Yunting could react, he saw the Child take a sip, raise an eyebrow, and his eyes lit up.

Yan ate very quickly.

He didn't wolf it down, but he took bite after bite, almost without stopping.

After he finished a piece of cake, he suddenly looked up and gave Ye Nanxing a smile—his first, very cautious smile.

It wasn't a mental wave.

It wasn't a conversation in the mind.

It was a real, corner-of-the-mouth curling smile of a 'human' Child.

In that moment, the entire living room went silent for three seconds.

Then Zhao Wei took a huge gulp of milk tea:

"...Holy shit, he smiled."

Chu Yunting held his bowl and sighed, "Ye Nanxing, this kid of yours, I really... can't bear to see him go hungry."

Ye Nanxing gently stroked Yan's hair and said softly:

"He is human."

"So I want him to—live like a normal human."

The wind and snow fell again outside the window, but the light and shadows inside were bright, like the last warmth of human civilization, slowly igniting on these ruins.

The hotpot bubbled with rising steam.

Mutton was snatched away as soon as it took a dip in the pot, and beef slices were snatched by a sharp-eyed Zhao Wei before they even hit the water. Zhou Cheng cursed as he chopped vegetables because they were grabbing food so fast. The atmosphere was so lively it was as if the Apocalypse had never happened.

"Look at this shrimp! I bet Ye Nanxing prepared this for an engagement banquet in advance!" Lin Xiao shouted, holding up a peeled large shrimp.

Chu Yunting sipped his milk tea slowly, smiling without a word—he felt that if Ye Nanxing really got engaged, she would probably be the one paying for it anyway.

Yan was held in Ye Nanxing's arms, his small head rubbing against her collar, well-behaved and quiet. Occasionally, when he saw her dipping food, an expectant look would appear in his eyes.

"I'll get you some more seafood meatballs," Ye Nanxing said softly.

Yan nodded, blinking his eyes, his small hands already clutching a dipping bowl and refusing to let go.

Just then—

*Knock, knock, knock.*

A series of heavy knocks on the door broke the warm atmosphere inside the house.

Outside the door was a winter night blizzard.

Everyone inside fell silent, their movements freezing as they exchanged glances.

Chu Yunting walked to the door and peered out through the peephole.

"It's... that group from property management?"

Zhou Cheng frowned. "Which property management? Didn't they all disband?"

"It's that Auntie Li from before, and a few managers calling themselves the 'Old Property Self-Governance Team'."

Chu Yunting turned back and asked, "Open it?"

Ye Nanxing didn't move; she just picked up her bowl and continued feeding Yan.

Zhao Wei had already rolled up his sleeves. "I'd like to see what exactly they want to do."

*Knock, knock, knock!*

The knocking became more forceful, mixed with a woman's raspy shouting: "Little Ye... it's me, Auntie Li. Do you still remember me?"

"We don't mean anything else, we just... just want to come in for a meal."

"We have nothing left... we can't even afford to boil a pot of hot water..."

Inside the door, Zhao Wei couldn't help but mutter, "Great acting, it's almost more emotional than when my mom watches her dramas."

Zhou Cheng gave a cold laugh. "Last time when she stole our spare generator truck, she wasn't this polite."

Chu Yunting didn't open the door, instead replying in a cold voice:

"This isn't a plea for help to save a life; this is a probe before a robbery."

The pleas outside continued, and another middle-aged man even came up—but his words began to change tone:

"If you refuse to give some food or hot water, then don't blame us for being impolite!"

"In the whole neighborhood, only your building has light, electricity, and hotpot! Are you intentionally provoking us?!"

"If you don't open the door—we'll blow it up!"

Lin Xiao's face darkened immediately. "You fucking try it."

Ye Nanxing didn't move. She just lowered her head, picked up a piece of steaming tofu for Yan, blew on it, and handed it over.

Yan opened his mouth and ate it, a satisfied expression appearing on his small face, like a Child who understood nothing.

But everyone knew—he understood.

And at that moment—