Nadia realized that it was Elizabeth who had sent Austin to give her a heads-up. Though the news did not make much difference, she appreciated the thought. In return, Nadia waived the fees for three treatments and gifted Elizabeth half a bottle of herbal liniment. It was only a small bottle, but during these times, even that was considered generous. Nadia also saw this as a possible goodwill gesture on her part. With everyone eyeing the eighteenth floor, it was wise not to assume people acted out of pure kindness. Any helpful information from the Hadids could save her a lot of trouble. "Elizabeth, it has been much colder lately. Your back cannot handle dampness or cold. At night, massage the liniment into your muscles and keep yourself warm under a blanket. Your injury will heal more quickly that way." In her past life, Elizabeth had frozen to death. Austin was the only one from her family who survived, and he did not last much longer. This time, Nadia hoped her warning would make a difference. If Elizabeth understood, she might avoid the same fate. "Thank you, Nadia. I will try it tonight." Afterward, Elizabeth introduced a new patient to Nadia. "The family living above me has a son covered in a severe rash. He scratches himself until he bleeds. They tried taking him to the hospital, but there was no medicine left. They want to bring him here for treatment. "They do not know you, so they are hesitant to come directly. They asked me to check with you first. "Do not worry. They are decent people. They did not join the recent group trying to pressure the eighteenth floor." Eczema is a complex condition that cannot be cured with acupuncture alone. Chinese medicine was slow to show results. Nadia had the medicine he needed in her space but taking it out was not an option. "Without medication, his condition is difficult to treat. Regular exercise will help him sweat out toxins and strengthen his immune system. Over time, he should improve." Elizabeth accepted this without further insistence. She wrapped the medicine bottle in cloth and slipped it into her pocket, careful to prevent others from catching its scent. Her mind wandered to other things. "Nadia, did your dog bite a boy?" As she was leaving, Elizabeth asked, "The girl next door has been stirring up trouble again. I saw the looks on their faces, and they do not look pleased." Young people these days. Why were they so complicated? Maya claimed to be a classmate, yet spread rumors behind Nadia's back and was always eyeing others' supplies.When the group recently tried to pressure the eighteenth floor, those same boys had joined in. Instead of reflecting on it, they had taken to badmouthing Nadia. If she were Nadia, even if she had supplies, she would rather give them to her dog than to those ingrates. Once Elizabeth left, Nadia shut the door and entered her space. She harvested the leafy greens from her garden. She took out her planting pots, placed them on the balcony, pulled up a small stool, and started gathering potatoes. The soil in her space was rich, and each pot was filled with clusters of round, plump yellow potatoes. After working through several dozen pots, she had harvested over a hundred pounds of potatoes. The satisfaction of the harvest was indescribable. The rabbits did not eat potato sprouts, so she threw the trimmings back into her space as compost.After replanting the potatoes, she was about to place them back in the when she heard a knock at the door. Her dog, armored and proud, had returned from battle, standing tall at the door with two black plastic bags clenched in his mouth. The others carried firewood. Everyone except Harrison, who was as calm as usual, had smiles on their faces. Colby raised a paw, his dark eyes shining with excitement. Human, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and take this from me. My teeth are sore. Nadia could smell the fish. No doubt, Colby had been wading through water again. She took the heavy bags from him, giving him a head rub. "Not bad, Colby. You did a good job." It was more than just good. The bag held five fish weighing nearly twenty pounds altogether.The other bag contained two wild rabbits, also hunted down by him on the mountainside. After changing out of their rain gear and into dry clothes, everyone gathered in 1803. There was nothing left to find in the city’s buildings, so they had ventured to the nearby villas. They were not interested in the villas themselves but were hoping to find something deeper in the mountains. They thought they might encounter wild boars. Though they did not, they stumbled upon a reservoir in the mountains. The reservoir was stocked with fish, and many had escaped into the mountain streams. The water was murky, making it hard to see the fish. They would have missed them if Colby had not spotted and caught one. Who knew how many fish had already washed away? Still, the reservoir itself had to still be full."If we can find a way to get those fish out, we can trade them with the monkey people for grain and have enough to eat for years." They needed to act quickly. Supplies in the city were scarce, and others might soon explore the mountains too. If the reservoir was discovered, they would get nothing. With water everywhere and hidden dangers at every turn, relying on Colby to catch fish one by one was not realistic. Caleb muttered, "If only we had a fishing machine." The fish were right there, but they could not reach the fish. It was beyond frustrating. "Levi, can you make one?" "Caleb, that is impossible." An entire reservoir of fish? Nadia’s mouth watered at the thought. She only had one hundred fish in her storage, and Colby loved fish. It was never enough. "Elizabeth mentioned her grandson Austin worked at the physics research institute. Maybe he has some ideas?" Fishing machines use ultrasound, which Austin should know how to work with. Harrison spoke up, asking, "Can we trust him?" "I think the Hadids are good people, and Austin's very devoted to his family. It will not hurt to ask." Even if it did not work out, they would not lose anything. Everyone agreed. After all, the Hadids did not know the location of the reservoir, and Austin might not even be able to build a fishing machine. There was no time to waste, so they decided to ask him. The Hadids' neighbor was Maya, who watched everything like a hawk. Nadia did not want to draw attention by going herself.The men were also unsuitable, as Maya, in her desperation, had once tried to flirt with Harrison. Caleb and Levi might not have the same self-control. Thus, Jasmine took on the task. Nadia’s guess was right. The moment Jasmine knocked on the Hadids' door, Maya’s door swung open. Seeing Jasmine, Maya greeted her with a sweet, innocent smile. "Jasmine." In the dim light, though, her thin, sallow face made her look like a ghost. Jasmine could not stand women like her. "Do not call me that. We are not friends." Maya was unfazed. "Jasmine, what brings you to see Elizabeth so late?" Jasmine would have loved to punch her right then and there. Ignoring her, Jasmine continued to knock on the door. Hearing the noise, Elizabeth quickly opened it.Jasmine reached into her pocket and handed something to her. "Elizabeth, you left this during acupuncture this afternoon. Nadia was worried you might miss it and asked me to bring it to you." Elizabeth was sharp. She knew Jasmine would not come down at this hour for nothing. "Thank you so much. "Oh, everything is wet here. I almost slipped and twisted my back again. "Is Nadia free now? I need her to help stretch my muscles. We have run out of grain at home, but Austin has a new electronic watch he could trade for the acupuncture treatment. "That should be fine." Jasmine did not stay long and left after delivering the message. Maya’s smile did not falter. "Jasmine, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"