"What's for dinner tonight?"
Hu Lanfang prioritized meals, unable to bear seeing her children go hungry or cold.
At this moment, Gu Qingcheng's face lit up with joy. She had just received 5100 "satisfaction points" from the system.
It seemed the supplies they had scavenged today were worth over 500,000 yuan.
However, the system calculated based on normal prices. If it were to consider how precious grain was now, it wouldn't be so cheap.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't be bothered to argue with the system. She could tell that arguing about it until tomorrow wouldn't yield any results.
Besides, she had obtained the most valuable supplies, and the satisfaction points from the system were just a bonus.
It was better to think positively.
She decided to discuss dinner with her mother.
"I just want to eat fruit," Mi Guo suddenly declared.
"Why?" Hu Lanfang asked curiously, "Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry. Thinking about those who froze to death, I suddenly lost my appetite," Mi Guo murmured.
Gu Zhaobei and Hu Lanfang exchanged glances.
It seemed the psychological trauma from the extreme cold disaster was still lingering.
But there was no rush; this would take time to process.
What they needed to do now was to comfort Mi Guo.
Gu Zhaobei, a doctor, had studied psychology. He acted professionally, seeing Mi Guo's distressed state. He didn't force him but gently stroked his head and said,
"If Mi Guo doesn't want to eat, he can eat less. Fruit is light and good for you."
Although Gu Qingcheng hadn't studied psychology, she could empathize. The first time she saw those "ice sculptures" of people, it was indeed too shocking.
Just thinking that these were once living, breathing people would make anyone feel bad. It was a matter of how much one could bear.
It was normal for Mi Guo to have a poor appetite.
So, she carefully selected plums, pineapples, mangoes, cherries, and other sweet and sour, appetizing fruits. She meticulously prepared a fruit platter and presented it to Mi Guo, saying,
"Brother, if you don't have much appetite, eat some fruit. It's all vegetarian!"
Although it was just a plate of fruit, it was filled with Gu Qingcheng's care. Mi Guo was deeply touched and tears welled up in his eyes.
Gu Qingcheng was startled when he started crying and asked,
"Mi Guo, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Is it not tasty, or do you not like it? I can get you different fruits."
"No, the fruit is delicious. I was just thinking, Dad, Mom, and Sister, you're all so good to me. If this were before, at my uncle's house, my aunt would have slapped me long ago. She would never consider whether I wanted to eat or what I wanted to eat.
She would have pointed at my nose and scolded me, saying I should be grateful for what I'm given and not be so picky."
Gu Qingcheng chuckled and said,
"Don't think about it anymore. Forget the unpleasantness of the past. Things are completely different now. You are the little master of this house, and we all dote on you. Tell us what you want, and you're free to refuse anything you don't want to do. Just express your true feelings."
Mi Guo wiped his tears sheepishly and picked up a cherry.
These were Chilean imported cherries, each plump and sweet. It was the first time Mi Guo had tasted such delicious berries, and his mood slowly brightened.
Gu Qingcheng and her parents prepared a warm meal.
It was cold, and a warm meal was always welcome to heat up the body and drive away the internal chill.
Hu Lanfang's prepared dinner was quite rich. The first dish was braised lamb ribs with radishes.
As the saying goes, "Eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer." Radishes are very nutritious in winter, and paired with lamb ribs, they are even more so, warming the heart and stomach.
The second dish was stewed pork with cabbage, perfect for winter. Especially served in a hot clay pot, steaming and fragrant, it was irresistible.
The third dish was spicy boiled duck blood, also very suitable for this extreme weather. It was rich in flavor and very appetizing, a favorite of Hu Lanfang.
The fourth dish was dry pot cauliflower. Served on a small burner with steaming cauliflower, the aroma was intense and appetite-stimulating.
These dishes were nutritious. On a cold day, the family sitting together, eating steaming hot dishes, felt warm from their bodies to their hearts, chatting about daily life. It was truly blissful.
After the meal, they instantly felt warmer and much more relaxed.
Hu Lanfang cleared the dishes and suddenly clapped her hands, exclaiming happily,
"I just realized, we have four people now! We can form a table for Mahjong!"
"Oh, that's right, just enough for a table."
Gu Zhaobei was also pleased.
Both parents knew how to play Mahjong. Gu Qingcheng, of course, didn't, but playing Mahjong wasn't a difficult skill to learn.
So, Gu Qingcheng bought an automatic Mahjong table and a set of Mahjong tiles from the mall. The four of them sat down and started playing.
Gu Qingcheng, having observed before, learned quickly. To her surprise, Mi Guo also learned at the same time. In less than an hour, they were all playing Mahjong with considerable skill.
Wangcai and Kele were woken by the sound of Mahjong but, finding no danger and seeing their owners engaged in recreational activity, they snuggled together and went back to sleep, which was quite amusing.
Seeing these two fluffy "candies" lying together inexplicably warmed Gu Qingcheng's heart.
The temperature stopped dropping and even rose slightly each day, which was definitely good news for the Gu family.
After taking the "Strength Pills," the family of four's resistance to the cold significantly increased. They gradually adapted to the severe cold of over 40 degrees below zero and could now move around relatively freely in such frigid weather.
Previously, when they ventured outdoors, breathing felt like inhaling ice shards, and their nasal cavities, swollen from the cold, made their breath carry a hint of blood.
But now, although it was still cold outside, their breathing was smooth and unrestricted, greatly improving their ability to survive and move outdoors.
Given this improvement, Gu Qingcheng discussed with her family about resuming their physical training.
Everyone agreed. Only with strong physical fitness could they survive the cataclysmic natural disaster.
The next day, after resuming training, Gu Qingcheng found her strength had increased considerably. Previously, her arrows could kill pythons within 20 meters.
Now, she could shoot with a similar force from 40 meters away. This greatly boosted Gu Qingcheng's confidence.
This remarkable effect was likely due to the Strength Pills.
Similarly, Mi Guo and Gu Zhaobei's strength had multiplied. This was a good thing; the stronger the family became, the better they could withstand the ravages of natural disasters.
At noon, Mi Guo lay on his mat, watching a food tutorial on his iPad.
Gu Qingcheng wanted to take a nap.
Wangcai and Kele might have been lonely before. Although they didn't get along when they first met, after their owners mediated, they were inseparable by the next day.
Perhaps it was the effect of the Strength Pills, but the two pets seemed to have become more intelligent, as if they could understand human speech.