Qin Haonan was in the cockpit, eating a rice ball. Seeing that they’d stopped fighting and were looking his way, he had to put the rice ball down. He grabbed the automatic rifle beside him, slung it over his shoulder, and strode out with an arrogant swagger, like a bandit.
When they saw Qin Haonan emerge carrying a rifle, the survivors immediately paddled their floats backward, retreating several meters.
Only a single small wooden raft remained in place, unmoving.
Qin Haonan glanced over. On the small raft, a skinny figure holding a wooden club watched him warily.
Behind the figure, an adult seemed to be lying down.
"Hello, everyone," Qin Haonan called out. "I don’t mean to disturb you. I’m just passing through and wanted to let you know: if you have any plants, you can trade them with me for food. I’ll be back from time to time, so hold onto any plants you find."
Hearing Qin Haonan’s words, the survivors immediately began whispering among themselves.
Some of the survivors seemed to be getting other ideas, but one look at the rifle in Qin Haonan’s hand and they behaved themselves.
"Do any of you have plants on you right now? Seeds work too," Qin Haonan asked.
But the group of survivors barely reacted. Just as a disappointed Qin Haonan was about to leave, a young-sounding voice stopped him.
"Do you take peach pits?"
Qin Haonan stopped in his tracks and turned. "From a ripe peach?" he asked in return.
"I’m not sure. It’s what was left after I finished eating!" the voice replied.
Qin Haonan was speechless. ’This kid is a little too honest,’ he thought.
"Well, was it sweet when you ate it?" he had to ask.
"Very sweet!" the voice answered with absolute certainty.
"That’ll do, then. Wait there a moment!" Qin Haonan turned, went into the cockpit, and steered the speedboat closer to the small raft.
Once he was closer, Qin Haonan saw that the skinny figure was just a boy of twelve or thirteen.
"Let me see the peach pits," Qin Haonan said, holding out his hand.
"You haven’t said how much food they’re worth yet!" the boy retorted, not producing the pits. He tightened his grip on his wooden club, watching Qin Haonan warily.
Qin Haonan paused for a moment. He glanced at the other survivors nearby and said in a low voice, "I can give you two rice balls!"
At the mention of rice balls, the boy visibly swallowed, but he still asked, "How big?"
"About the size of your fist," Qin Haonan replied.
"What if I have two peach pits?" The boy was clearly tempted, but he pressed on.
"Then I’ll give you two rice balls," Qin Haonan replied with a smile.
"Okay, I’ll trade for two rice balls!" The boy held his club in one hand while rummaging in his pocket with the other. After a moment, he pulled out two peach pits.
The two peach pits were immaculate, like polished handicrafts.
"Are you sure these are leftovers from peaches you ate?" Qin Haonan couldn’t help but ask for confirmation.
The boy nodded firmly. "I’m sure. There were six originally. I smashed the other four open and ate what was inside..."
The corner of Qin Haonan’s mouth twitched. "Aren’t peach kernels poisonous? You’re not afraid of getting sick from eating them raw?"
"Poisoned? You have to be alive to have the luxury of getting poisoned!"
Qin Haonan was taken aback. He never would have expected this boy to say something like that.
He gave the boy a thumbs-up, then turned back to the cockpit and reemerged with two rice balls.
The two rice balls were, of course, in a plastic bag, which was in turn wrapped in banyan leaves.
Qin Haonan handed the rice balls straight over.
The boy froze. He hadn’t expected the man to just hand them over without demanding the pits in return at the same time.
The rich aroma of rice wafted over. The boy was swallowing desperately, and his stomach began to growl.
"Take them. I’d suggest you eat them quickly," Qin Haonan advised, glancing at the other survivors who were watching them like vultures.
The boy nodded and handed him the two peach pits.
"I’ll stay here for three minutes, then I’m leaving," Qin Haonan said before taking the peach pits into the cockpit.
The boy immediately understood. He hurriedly unwrapped one of the rice balls and helped the figure lying on the raft behind him to sit up.
"Grandpa, we have food! Quick, eat!"
Only then did Qin Haonan see clearly that the person lying on the raft was an old man.
Seeing the rice ball his grandson offered him, the old man slowly shook his head. "You eat. I’m afraid I’m not going to make it..."
"No, Grandpa! You have to eat now, while that man is still here. Otherwise, they’ll definitely try to rob us!" the boy said quickly, shaking his head. "I have one too. We need to eat so we can fight them!"
Hearing this, the old man stopped refusing and opened his mouth to eat.
The old man quickly ate half of the rice ball before shaking his head. "I’ve had enough! You eat the rest!"
The boy nodded slightly and quickly stuffed the rest of the rice ball into his mouth. To him, it tasted better than any feast in the world.
The other survivors saw the boy eating the rice ball, and their eyes went green with envy. They began to inch subtly toward the speedboat.
RAT-A-TAT-TAT!
A few bullets stitched across the surface of the water, forcing the approaching survivors back.
"Don’t get any funny ideas. Focus on gathering plants, and you can trade for rice balls next time I come by!" Qin Haonan warned.
One survivor couldn’t help but ask, "Can any kind of plant be traded for food?"
"Yes. The amount of food you get will depend on the plant’s value," Qin Haonan replied.
The crowd nodded.
"Alright, time for me to go. I’ll be back in a while. Everyone, work hard gathering plants!" Qin Haonan started the speedboat’s engine, but then he stepped out again, a large cleaver in his hand.
"Kid, you can borrow this knife for now. Don’t forget to give it back next time I’m here!" Qin Haonan said, tossing the cleaver over.
The boy froze for a second, then fumbled to catch the cleaver.
"Okay! I’ll definitely keep it safe!" the boy said, his voice filled with excitement.
Qin Haonan gave a dismissive wave and steered the speedboat away.
He had lent the boy his cleaver because he saw a reflection of himself in the kid.
’If you can just hold on until I come back, I’ll help you survive,’ Qin Haonan thought.
’Of course, that’s limited to just helping him survive. Without Ren Yuanyang’s permission, I can’t bring any strangers back to the base.’
After Qin Haonan left, the surrounding survivors immediately began to close in slowly.
The boy brandished the gleaming cleaver and shouted, "If you have a death wish, then come on! We’ll see what’s tougher—your skin or my blade!"
Having eaten half a rice ball, the boy seemed to have recovered some strength. He swung the cleaver so it whistled through the air.
For the moment, it was enough to intimidate the other survivors. The old man on the raft had also sat up, a club in his hands as well.
When the survivors realized the grandfather and grandson were no longer an easy target, they switched tactics and started playing the pity card.
"We haven’t eaten in three days! We’ll starve to death if we don’t eat something! Can’t you spare us a piece of your rice ball?"
"Get lost!" the boy snapped without a moment’s hesitation.

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