Facing Winnie and Melody Summers’ confused gazes, their grandmother sighed. "You’re both young. You haven’t lived through the old days... If this were back then, things like this happened from time to time..."

During the famines of the past, the country wasn’t as strong as it is today. There were no factories mass-producing so many sand vine cakes, nor did we have the ability to transport supplies to various stations in such a short time.

The starving victims in disaster areas could only flee the famine. Wherever they went, they ate everything, even the grass roots and tree bark. They dug up and ate all the Guanyin clay from the ground. Many people only survived by resorting to cannibalism...

Miss Lowell also began telling everyone a story from her past. Her ancestors were major landowners. One day, the family’s ox went missing. In those days, an ox was very precious, so her grandfather took the house servants and went door-to-door searching for it.

When he passed by a poor family’s home, Miss Lowell’s grandfather smelled meat cooking inside. He was certain this poor family had stolen, butchered, and eaten his ox.

Furious, her grandfather and his servants barged right in.

Seeing this, the poor family rushed forward to stop them, trying to keep them away from the pot on the stove.

But Miss Lowell’s grandfather had sharp eyes—he saw it clearly. A small child was boiling in that pot...

Her grandfather then took his servants and went home. From that day on, he never mentioned the missing ox again.

Listening to the two elderly women recount these stories from the past, Melody Summers felt a sting in her nose.

’From ancient times to the present, life has always been incredibly difficult for ordinary people,’ Melody Summers thought. She hoped this disaster would end quickly so that more people could survive.

A short while later, Colin Summers returned, and the family prepared to eat.

Knowing Melody and Winnie couldn’t stomach meat today, Miss Lowell and Grandma simply put the stewed ribs in the refrigerator and made a few light, all-vegetarian dishes instead.

They even made hot and sour shredded potatoes and vinegar-sautéed cabbage. Although these dishes seemed simple, they were tangy and refreshing, perfect for whetting one’s appetite. Their crisp texture was great for stimulating the desire to eat.

Sure enough, with these two dishes, Melody Summers finished a large bowl of rice porridge.

Just as the family had finished their meal and were clearing the dishes, the villa’s doorbell suddenly rang.

Melody Summers hurried to answer. On the monitor, she saw Ronan Rhodes and several bodyguards standing outside.

Melody Summers opened the door, confused. "It’s so late. Is there something you need?"

Ronan Rhodes wore a polite smile. "Experts are predicting a major drop in temperature soon," he said to Melody Summers. "It might even snow. We were worried you might not have supplies for the cold... As it happens, the company had a batch of surplus supplies, so I brought some over for you."

The bodyguards behind him were all carrying large, bulging bags that looked like they were filled with rolled-up quilts and fleece blankets.

Seeing this, Melody Summers quickly waved her hands. "No, no, we don’t need these. We have plenty at home. Besides, I already feel bad enough about having you cover the renovation costs. How could I possibly accept these things from you?"

But no matter how much Melody Summers refused, Ronan Rhodes insisted, "Please, just take them..."

Seeing his persistence, Melody Summers could only thank Ronan Rhodes and step aside to let the bodyguards bring the items into the villa.

After the items were delivered, Ronan Rhodes said his goodbyes and left.

As he walked away from the Summers Villa, Ronan Rhodes wore a complicated expression. It was the first time in his life he had ever forced a gift on someone, and the whole thing just felt incredibly awkward.

But he had no choice. After all, this was a task assigned to him by his uncle, Roman Rhodes, and Ronan Rhodes couldn’t disobey Roman’s orders.

Ronan Rhodes was, for all intents and purposes, raised by Roman Rhodes.

Ronan Rhodes was the sole heir of his branch of the family, descended from Mr. Rhodes. The various side branches of the Rhodes Family all doted on him, spoiling him until he was completely lawless.

Boys are mischievous by nature, and back then, Ronan Rhodes was always raising hell. He threw the Rhodes family’s ancestral home into utter chaos, much to the misery of the maids and butlers.

He spent his days teasing cats and dogs, and even set up an electric fence that killed an entire pond of Mr. Rhodes’s prize-winning ornamental fish, worth over a hundred million.

Ronan Rhodes’s mother died young, and his father, Holden Rhodes, was too soft-tempered. Not only could he not control his son, but he was often driven to tears by Ronan’s antics.

It was Roman Rhodes who beat him with several belts until they broke, forcibly straightening out Ronan’s personality and preventing him from becoming a good-for-nothing rich heir.

Because he was raised by his uncle, Ronan Rhodes knew Roman Rhodes’s personality very well. Roman was a heartless work machine—devoid of emotion or desire, to the point of alienating almost everyone. He couldn’t be bothered with family, not even his own nephew.

So when Roman Rhodes ordered him to arrange villa repairs for someone one day and deliver quilts and blankets the next—all while nagging him tirelessly about every little detail—Ronan felt his uncle must be on something.

After all, even if it was to repay the Summers Family for saving his life, it wasn’t like Roman to undergo a complete personality change.

Ronan Rhodes was still pondering his uncle’s bizarre behavior as he walked home when, who would have guessed, he got a call from Roman Rhodes.

Ronan Rhodes answered the call, and Roman Rhodes’s slightly stern voice immediately came through the receiver. "Have the items been delivered?"

Ronan Rhodes replied, "...They’ve been delivered."

Roman Rhodes hummed in acknowledgment on the other end of the line. "Go and pick out some warm clothes," he added. "Down jackets, plush coats, fur coats, leather gloves, leather hats... Basically, buy a bit of everything you can find and have them delivered. Take the money from my account."

Ronan Rhodes: "...Okay."

Roman Rhodes thought for a moment, then added, "Remember to pick out a few popular styles that women like. Nothing too ugly. If you don’t know how to choose, go ask your wife."

Ronan Rhodes: "..."

Ronan Rhodes held his phone with a complicated expression. Listening to Roman Rhodes’s endless stream of instructions, the look on his face was a colorful mix of emotions.

Ronan Rhodes began to suspect that when his uncle got shot, a stray bullet must have also hit him in the head. Otherwise, why was he acting like a completely different person? It was as if his body had been taken over by a soul from another world!

******

After Ronan Rhodes left, Melody Summers looked at the dozen or so huge bags on the floor and realized she couldn’t possibly move them all by herself.

She quickly called her family out, telling them that Ronan Rhodes had dropped off a pile of things.

Grandma came out and saw the scene, asking in astonishment, "Good heavens, why did he bring so much!"

Colin Summers rummaged through one of the bags and was equally amazed. "This stuff is expensive now. A few days ago, when I was helping haul goods for the factory, I heard the workers say that even the thinnest blanket can sell for over forty thousand! That’s even more expensive than the fans and air conditioners were during the heatwave last year!"

Grandma was shocked by the price. "Since the heatwave last year, so many people have lost their jobs. Every family is just eating through their savings... In times like these, is anyone actually buying things that cost over forty thousand?"

Colin Summers pursed his lips at her words. "You have no idea. The scalpers have all gotten rich. During the heatwave, they were flipping fans. After the volcanic eruption, they started flipping fever medicine. The more chaotic the world gets, the more opportunities they have to make money. Plenty of people have amassed fortunes in the tens of millions by capitalizing on these disasters!"