Chen Xiaobao nodded. "Mommy, Xiao Bao learned it all by himself from watching videos online."
Chen Momo was astonished. She hadn't expected her son to have this kind of talent!
"Mommy, come with Xiao Bao," Chen Xiaobao invited her enthusiastically.
Chen Momo followed him into his room. She discovered that his desk drawer was filled with numerous toys he had newly modified himself. For example, he had rigged a toy electric car with a sunroof that opened and closed automatically, and he had reinforced a skateboard so that someone could sit and ride on it. He had also tinkered with many of the other gifts and toys Chen Momo had bought for him.
"Wow, Xiao Bao is so amazing!" Chen Momo gave him a thumbs-up, praising her son.
In the past, she had been extremely strict with him, acting as a typical "tiger mom." Aside from his studies, she had been reluctant to let him try much else, afraid it would waste his time and negatively affect his academic performance. But after surviving the apocalypse in her previous life, Chen Momo had an epiphany. Compared to a child's grades, letting them grow up healthy and happy was far more important!
So in this life, Chen Momo completely abandoned the idea of being a helicopter parent. She let her son's interests develop naturally. Whatever he wanted to eat, he could eat! Whatever he wanted to play with, he could play! She hadn't expected that allowing him to develop freely according to his nature would reveal such a surprisingly gifted side to him.
"Mommy, Xiao Bao learned everything by watching videos on the computer." Xiao Bao was quite modest, showing absolutely no arrogance about his newfound talent.
Chen Momo smiled and rubbed his head. "That's still incredibly impressive! Mommy couldn't do that."
Xiao Bao patted his little chest. "Xiao Bao will learn lots and lots of things so I can protect Mommy in the future!"
Deeply touched, Chen Momo stroked his head again. "Xiao Bao is such a good boy. What do you want for lunch?"
Xiao Bao tilted his head up, an innocent, radiant look on his little face. "Xiao Bao wants to eat Mommy's braised fish!"
Chen Momo smiled. "Okay, then Mommy will make braised fish for Xiao Bao!"
Tying on her apron, Chen Momo took a large carp out of her spatial dimension. She had bought this carp from the fish market before the apocalypse, and it was still alive and kicking when she brought it out. She cleaned the fish and, following her usual method, divided it into three portions to prepare the braised fish in three different ways.
In addition to the braised fish, she paired it with stir-fried greens, braised beef, hand-shredded chicken, two steamed buns, and a hearty soup. The greens, beef, chicken, and buns had also been hoarded in her space long before the apocalypse. She simply took them out and briefly heated them up before serving. With four dishes and a soup, the mother and son thoroughly enjoyed their lavish meal.
After eating, Chen Momo pulled a bag of dried mangoes from her space, snacking as she caught up on her shows. She had already finished binge-watching Zhao Liying's *The Story of Minglan*, and was currently following Xiao Zhan's drama, *Joyful Years*.
Suddenly, her phone screen lit up.
Chen Momo checked it and saw a notification from Wang Liping in the building's group chat.
"@AllMembers: Hello, dear residents of Building 5! I am so sorry to bother everyone! Our building currently has two elderly residents living alone in 709 and 804. They've already gone through the supplies donated last time, and property management has no surplus left! I hope everyone can show some compassion and donate again, preferably vegetables or fruits, to help these two seniors get through this difficult time! @AllMembers"
However, the group chat was nowhere near as lively as it had been during the previous donation drive. Hardly anyone said a word.
Wang Liping spammed the same message several times in a row, afraid that the group members might have missed it. It took a full ten minutes before someone finally spoke up timidly in the chat.
"I still have a few cups of instant noodles here. If the seniors want them, I can donate two cups."
Chen Momo checked the name. It was Xu Xiaoka. The last time the elderly residents needed supplies, Xu Xiaoka had responded enthusiastically, donating vegetables, fruits, and other items. It seemed this naive girl had given away the vast majority of her meager supplies out of the goodness of her heart.
Chen Momo both marveled at Xu Xiaoka's kindness and felt sorry for her. These two cups of instant noodles wouldn't change the outcome of this tragedy at all. She would have been better off saving them for herself; they might have helped her survive a few more days.
Wang Liping tagged Xu Xiaoka. "Instant noodles are fine too! Thank you! Anyone else?"
No one else replied in the chat.
Chen Momo got up and walked to the window, gazing out at the endless snowstorm. The entire world was practically reduced to dense, dark clouds and a vast expanse of white. Her mood suddenly grew as heavy as those clouds outside.
"Ah! Help!"
A piercing scream tore through the building.
Chen Momo, who was taking her midday rest, immediately opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Xiao Bao also came running over—PITTER-PATTER—his big, dark eyes wide.
"Mommy, that sounded like Ms. Wang Liping's voice!"
Chen Momo opened her phone and found the group chat being flooded with messages.
"The building manager has been taken hostage!"
"It's a resident from the fifth floor. He's completely lost it!"
"His baby is only five months old and has no infant formula. How could he not be agitated?"
...
Chen Momo immediately turned to her son. "Xiao Bao, stay here and be a good boy. Mommy is going downstairs to see what's happening."
Chen Xiaobao nodded. "Mommy, you have to be careful!"
"Do you know how to lock the deadbolt from the inside?" she asked.
He nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Mommy! Xiao Bao can stand on a stool!"
Chen Momo took a Swiss Army knife from a drawer, pocketed it, layered on two down jackets, and hurried out the door and downstairs.
Although she didn't interact much with Wang Liping, they were at least acquaintances. Ever since the blizzard hit, Wang Liping had been enthusiastically organizing everyone, maintaining order, and doing door-to-door welfare checks. Chen Momo considered her a rather decent person. She needed to go down and see exactly what was going on. If she could help, she would definitely do her best to save her!
Downstairs, a dense crowd of people had formed a circle, surrounding Wang Liping and a man wielding a sharp knife in the center. The man's eyes were bloodshot. It was clear he had been driven to the brink and had completely lost his mind.
"My son needs formula! He's only five months old. As the building manager, you can't just stand by and watch my son starve to death!"
As he spoke, he pressed the knife closer against Wang Liping's neck. A cut immediately opened up on her skin, and blood began to seep steadily from the wound. Wang Liping's face was deathly pale. She didn't dare move a muscle.
The man tightened his grip on the knife. His face flushed red and veins bulged on his neck as he roared, "Give me formula! My son needs formula! Or else I'll kill her right now!"