"Big brother, can we really eat this?"
In the small building, Xinxin, who had just woken up, held a strawberry the size of an apple in a daze, asking the question with a puzzled tone.
"Of course we can! I just tasted it—it's pretty good!" Lin Fan replied with a gentle smile as he placed the freshly harvested radiation-resistant vegetables into the freezer in the kitchen.
"But this strawberry is huge!" Xinxin tilted her head and blinked. "In fairy tales, the fruits that look this delicious are always poisonous..."
"Like the poisoned apple in Snow White..."
Hearing this, Lin Fan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you think you're Snow White?"
"Hmmph!" Xinxin snorted proudly, scrunching her nose, as if her beauty could rival Snow White's.
"Snow White didn't have your chubby little cheeks." Lin Fan teased, gently pinching her pudgy face.
"Ouch... that hurts!" Xinxin flailed her arms like an angry little beast, broke free from Lin Fan's hand, and angrily placed the giant strawberry on the table. "Xinxin is mad. Xinxin is going on a hunger strike!"
"You really don't want it?" Lin Fan picked up the strawberry and waved it in front of her.
"No!" Xinxin turned her head defiantly, doing her best not to look at the bright red, juicy strawberry.
"Then I'll eat it myself..." Lin Fan pretended to turn away.
Xinxin gulped involuntarily, her gaze drifting toward Lin Fan.
No!
Li Jiaxinhan, hold yourself together!
You're a princess—how can you surrender to a big meanie?
But that strawberry looks *so* delicious...
One bite and it would probably taste sweet for an entire day...
Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
Plop!
Xinxin stomped over to Lin Fan, put her hands on her hips, and said with a deliberately aloof tone, "If big brother apologizes now, Xinxin will forgive you and stop the hunger strike!"
Lin Fan glanced at her, raised an eyebrow, and deliberately turned his head away.
"Waaah! Big brother's changed! He never treated Xinxin like this before! Xinxin understands now—Xinxin will disappear from your life forever, never to return..." she wailed, pouting. "You'll regret this for the rest of your life!"
"Alright, alright... you win." Lin Fan sighed and handed her the strawberry, warning through gritted teeth, "But from now on... cut down on those brainless soap operas!"
Xinxin took the big strawberry triumphantly like a victorious general, hands on her hips, without a trace of tears on her smug little face. "Nope! On TV, the way girls deal with boys is to cry, throw tantrums, and threaten to jump off buildings. And big brother totally falls for it!"
Finally fed up, Lin Fan grabbed her, ignoring her loud protests, and messed up her neatly combed short hair into a bird's nest...
Little Hei, lying next to the sofa, watched the bickering siblings with eyes that reflected quiet understanding.
This wasn't a fight. It was just their way of showing love.
---
"Big brother, these fruits are *so* sweet..."
Five minutes later.
Xinxin sat on the sofa with a fruit platter in her hands, scooping bite after bite into her mouth with a small spoon, her eyes shining with the glow only a true foodie could have. "It's a taste I've never had before!"
Little Hei, too, was next to the sofa, hugging a big strawberry, wagging his tail as he ate.
Lin Fan had already tasted the radiation-resistant fruits. They were far better than regular ones—sweet and refreshing, and they left the body with a warm feeling, as if even fatigue was being washed away.
"Do you like them?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Xinxin nodded wildly.
"Then I'll bring some for you every day, okay?" Lin Fan asked again.
"Mhm mhm mhm!" Xinxin's eyes sparkled like stars. Then, after thinking for a moment, she scooped up a spoonful of fruit and held it up to Lin Fan's mouth. "Big brother should have a bite too!"
"I'm not hungry. You go ahead." Lin Fan waved her off.
Radiation-resistant crops were also very filling.
From last night until now, he had only eaten two tomatoes, yet he didn't feel hungry at all.
"Just one bite!" Xinxin insisted.
"I'm really not hungry..."
"Alright then." Xinxin sat back down obediently, occasionally sneaking glances at Lin Fan's face, thinking to herself how amazing her big brother was—he could actually resist the temptation of sweet strawberries...
How did he do it?
As a hardcore foodie, Xinxin couldn't understand it no matter how hard she tried.
---
"Riiing riiing!"
At that moment, Lin Fan's phone suddenly rang.
He looked down, and the smile on his face instantly vanished.
Yu Lin.
This was the second call he had received from Yu Lin since the Apocalypse Era began.
He didn't know why she was calling, but Lin Fan no longer wanted any entanglements with her.
If it was over, then it had to be *completely* over.
He pressed the hang up button.
He had thought he'd finally have some peace, but less than ten seconds later, the phone rang again like a cursed bell.
"Riiing riiing!"
"Riiing riiing!"
"Is she done yet?" Lin Fan looked at the name "Yu Lin" flashing repeatedly on the screen and finally lost his patience. He picked up the phone and walked into the kitchen, closed the door, then pressed accept:
"Fine. Let's hear what you want."
The call connected.
It was chaotic on Yu Lin's end—shouting, cursing, and constant car honking, all jumbled into a harsh, noisy mess.
"Hello? What do you want?" Lin Fan's voice was cold, clearly irritated.
Yu Lin's voice was a bit hoarse. She sounded surprised to hear him pick up.
Clearly, she hadn't expected him to answer.
"Hey, Lin Fan! Does your farm have any stored grain or vegetables? My family didn't manage to grab any rice—we're about to run out of food. Can you bring me some?" Yu Lin got straight to the point. "I'll send the list to you on WeChat. Just prepare it according to that!"
Lin Fan sneered coldly.
Yu Lin was always like this.
Back when they were dating, she never called unless she wanted something—either money or some free labor.
Even after they broke up, nothing had changed. Her words still carried that same entitled tone.
"Miss Zhong, did you forget we already broke up?" Lin Fan replied indifferently. "I don't believe I'm obligated to help you anymore."
Yu Lin paused, then her voice turned icy. "Lin Fan, you're really heartless! After all that time together, you don't care at all?"
At that moment, a man's voice came from her end, sounding very irritated.
"Xiao Lin, why are you even bothering? These damn farmers are just inflating prices and pretending they're important! Ask him how much his rice and veggies cost—I'll pay ten times more!"
Lin Fan narrowed his eyes.
He recognized that voice—it was the vice president of Yu Lin's company!
Rage surged in his chest.
"Fine, Lin Fan. If you won't help out for old time's sake, then let's talk business!" Yu Lin's tone turned sharp. "Right now, send me 100 kilos of rice, 100 kilos of flour, and 100 kilos of vegetables! Name your price—I'll pay you!"
"Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand?"
Lin Fan laughed in anger.
"Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? Let me tell you something—
that kind of money isn't even enough to buy a single carrot from my farm!"