A stunning beauty arrived on the island; she invented everything from childcare to babysitting.

Wu Dingguo looked at An Ning, then at the small cart full of New Year's goods she was pulling behind her, and said, "I sprained my ankle, it might be dislocated a bit, I can't move it at all, I can't walk at all, could you please call someone for me?"

This place was right between the military base and the town, and it was difficult to go in either direction, which was one of the reasons why he looked so bad.

Anning placed the cart by the roadside, went over and rolled up the old man's trouser leg, gently pressing on his ankle, which was slightly swollen.

There are many people coming and going on this road. Since she was the first person this old man met, it means that the other person's sprained ankle hadn't been long.

If the ankle sprain is not severe, the swelling will not occur this quickly, indicating that the sprain is quite serious.

She examined it carefully again and confirmed that there were protruding joints and widened joint spaces.

"It is indeed misaligned, please bear with it."

"I just tried, it didn't work," the old man reminded her. "Besides, you're a young girl and don't have much strength, you can't get back. You should go and call someone... Ouch!"

With a crisp crack, the old man cried out unexpectedly, followed by a feeling of relief in his feet.

He looked at his feet with some surprise, then at the very pretty little girl in front of him.

The other person had fair and delicate skin and long, slender fingers; they didn't look like someone who did manual labor. I didn't expect their bone-setting movements to be so swift and efficient.

"Why don't you get up and walk around a bit?"

Anning helped the old man up.

Just kidding, in the apocalypse, this kind of sprained ankle is considered the mildest kind of injury. Anyone who survives the first year of the apocalypse can basically master this skill.

The longer you live, the more survival skills you acquire.

The old man's injury wasn't serious. Even though her physical strength couldn't compare to her own in the apocalypse, she could easily recover as long as she mastered certain techniques.

Wu Dingguo tried to take a few steps, frowning: "It's much better than before, but it still hurts a bit after putting weight on it."

"Wait for me."

Anning took out a military green piece of equipment from the stroller and was about to leave, but then stopped and wrapped some of the remaining eel shreds in the oil paper that she had accidentally torn, and handed it to the old man.

"Please eat here for a while; it may take some time."

She quickly straightened the folded entrenching tool and went to the trees by the roadside to find a suitable branch.

She casually placed the shovel there when she arrived. It wasn't that she had any particular purpose; she had simply gotten used to having a handy weapon after living in the apocalypse for so long.

Before, we didn't have the means, but now that we have this, we should bring it with us if we can, so we can feel more secure.

I never expected it would actually come in handy.

Anning observed for a while and quickly found a suitable branch to use as a cane, but it was a bit high off the ground, so she had to climb the tree.

She held the shovel horizontally in her mouth, took a few steps back to run, and leaped up to the old man's astonished gaze. She climbed onto the tree trunk about two meters off the ground, and then she climbed up there so gracefully that the old man almost forgot to chew the eel strips in his mouth.

This height is nothing special for a well-trained soldier, but it is quite remarkable for a woman.

Moreover, the trunk beneath the tree was perfectly clean, with no branches to lend any support. An Ning relied solely on the friction of the bark to propel herself up.

Although the body was a bit weak, it still had some strength after five years of hard work in the fields by her mother-in-law.

In addition, because it is very light, it can climb trees with ease.

I haven't tried using this shovel to chop before, so I'll give it a try today.

The tree branch that Anning had her eye on was about the thickness of a mineral water bottle cap. Not long after it branched out, it forked horizontally at about a 90-degree angle, just the right length to lean on under her shoulder.

She raised her hand and chopped hard, the branch fell down with a crack, and she jumped down after it.

The next step is to repair the cane.

This is meant for the injured. If the uneven parts are not repaired properly and the hand is cut again, wouldn't that be adding insult to injury?

Anning found a piece of dead wood on the ground, placed the branch on it, cut off the excess, and then took his things back to the roadside to continue repairing.

After looking at it for a while, Wu Dingguo finally couldn't help but ask, "Is this the latest improved shovel from the military?"

"You know?"

Although it wasn't a secret, not many people had actually seen the shovel. After Anning got it, she and Zhao Xuemei went beachcombing together, always finding secluded spots and using it discreetly.

This old man looks very old; he couldn't possibly be an active-duty soldier. He must be a relative of someone in the military.

“I’ve heard them mention it.” Wu Dingguo watched An Ning’s movements intently, and couldn’t help but think back to those days. “Back when we were fighting, we didn’t have such good stuff. Some soldiers didn’t even have guns. They fought the Japanese with farm tools like hoes, machetes, and shovels. Hoes and sickles weren’t as good as shovels. Hoes were easy to slam down and couldn’t get out, and machetes were too short and easy for the enemy to hit. So the best thing was a shovel. You could chop and hack, and if you were lucky, you could even block bullets if you carried it on your back. But back then, we used the most ordinary shovels, which weren’t as good as this.”

As he spoke, during a break, he stuffed another mouthful of eel shreds into his mouth.

You know what, this little thing gets more and more delicious the more you chew it, it's perfect for pairing with drinks!

Looking at the change in the cart, Wu Dingguo knew exactly what An Ning had been doing in town.

He said, "This stuff tastes really good. How much is it? Give me some."

“I was cooking for myself, and I accidentally made too much. It would be a waste if I couldn’t finish it. Since it’s market day today, I was thinking of exchanging it for something.” An Ning’s answer was perfectly tactful.

Although the rules aren't as strict on the islands, that's only if no one reports it.

In particular, any loopholes in one's speech must be carefully considered to avoid giving others any ammunition against one, otherwise the consequences could be disastrous.

The old man didn't seem like the type to cause trouble, but better safe than sorry.

Wu Dingguo clicked his tongue, knowing that this little girl was a liar who didn't believe him. Didn't the cart full of loose change prove it?

However, some things are better left unsaid, and since the other person was still helping him sharpen his cane, it was better for him to pretend he didn't know.

So the topic returned to the entrenching tool.

"I heard that this shovel was improved by a young comrade? I suppose that comrade likes to tinker with these things in his spare time?" Wu Dingguo was very curious about the improver of the entrenching tool.

It wouldn't be surprising if it was an old guy in the research institute who improved it, but what he found interesting was that the shovel was improved by a young man who, at a young age, had defeated so many people in the research institute who were involved in military industry.

An Ning paused slightly while whittling the tree branch, and said casually, "It's alright, I only do it when I feel like it, most of the time I'm too lazy to do it."

An Ning wasn't one to boast, but Wu Dingguo was displeased by her tone.

"Why do you have this attitude, comrade? They improved the entrenching tool, which greatly benefits the country. If we had had such a tool back then, many difficulties could have been easily solved. Even now, this tool still plays a very important role in field operations. Even if you two don't get along, you should still show respect when you talk about each other."

He figured An Ning must be a relative of some leader in the military, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get his hands on this thing before it was even in mass production. He also thought An Ning might have had a conflict with the person who improved the shovel, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken ill of them.

However, she is not a bad person. She is helpful and has good practical skills. But perhaps because of her family background, she has always been floating in the sky and cannot see what the soldiers at the bottom really need. He has to make them realize this.

An Ning didn't know how to answer for a moment. She couldn't very well tell the other person that she was the one who made the shovel, could she?

But Wu Dingguo didn't think so. He felt that An Ning's silence meant that she had realized her mistake, so she continued to work hard.

"Like what you're doing now, the old entrenching shovels couldn't do it. We've used those shovels for decades, and it's not that no one has tried to improve them, but for various reasons, they haven't been implemented. This new one combines the advantages of the past and adds new functions. The comrade who successfully improved it must have put in a lot of effort..."

Seeing that the old man was going on and on, An Ning quickly interrupted, "Um... sir, if nothing unexpected happens, the young comrade you're talking about should be me. Please stop praising me, I can't accept that praise."

Wu Dingguo: "Huh?"