18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 65

The first time Rosie got into a fight, it left a deep impression on her young mind. She clung to Jasper's neck, "When I grow up, I'll protect you too." "Alright."

"I'll protect Stella too, and Cooper."

"Alright."

Next, they sold fish, with Jasper showing her the ropes.

Stella listened silently. Jasper's teaching methods were rough, but in a world where order had collapsed, maybe Rosie would have been worse off if they'd stuck to the old ways of kindness and gentleness. "Yes, what your brother taught you isn't wrong."

Curious, Stella asked Rosie, "Have you ever been hungry or been beaten up?"

Rosie lowered her head, nervously fiddling with her clothes.

"That's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"When Jasper didn't come home, I was so hungry. My cousin bullied me, and my aunt scolded me."

"Do you want to go through that again?"

"No!" Rosie shook her head vehemently, her voice tinged with a sob. "I don't want to."

"Well, remember that feeling. If anyone ever treats you like that again, you fight back. Don't be afraid. They can't beat you."

"But my aunt said the police would take me away."

"As long as you're not the one starting trouble, the police won't take you away." Stella comforted the little girl, "Today, when you fought, the police didn't come to get you, did they?"

Relieved, Rosie said, "I'll listen to Stella and Jasper. No one will bully me anymore."

Cooper growled his agreement from the side.

Stella tugged at his ear, "Don't encourage Rosie to fight."

However, Rosie was already riled up, her small fists clenched as she declared, "Fighting is easy. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll beat them."

In the past, she always felt inadequate. She trained hard every day, but was no match for her brother. But after getting into a fight with someone else today, she realized that she wasn't weak. Jasper was just too strong. The boy who tried to steal her candy couldn't even beat her with one hand, huh.

Changing the subject, Stella asked, "Rosie, what did you get for the fish you sold today?"

Rosie responded quickly, "We got some tools, textbooks, a dress, and a hairband."

A pink bunny-shaped fluffy hairband, which she was currently wearing on her head, made her look even more adorable.

"But Stella, did we lose out on brother's fish? Cody and Lukas said we only got useless stuff."

"No, as long as you think it's worth it, it's okay."

Everyone had different needs, and anyway, Jasper wasn't short of supplies.

The things Lukas and Cody got in exchange were more practical: two packs of salt, dried vegetables, sanitary pads, and a lighter. Angela passed her a pack of sanitary pads, "Even in the apocalypse, we still have to bleed every month. It's such a hassle."

Stella refused, "I have plenty. You keep it."

Angela didn't insist, "Lukas and Cody are hooked. They want to go again tomorrow. Do you want to join?"

"No thanks, I'm staying home for a few days. You go have fun." No need to babysit.

Angela laughed gleefully at the idea of a day out.

Stella spent the rest of the day teaching Rosie math and language. When Rosie finished her homework, Stella sat on the couch to continue her project. Finally, she had finished her first thermal suit for Cooper. She called him over, "Cooper, come here." The suit was black, to hide any dirt.

The cold was brutal, so Stella had made a onesie thermal suit, with a hole for Cooper's tail. There was another hole at the rear end, so he could relieve himself.

Wait, there should be another hole. Not wanting to put diapers on Cooper, she cut another hole.

Cooper looked like he had just come out of a coal mine with this black suit.

Rosie was blunt, "It looks ugly."

She realized her mistake and immediately covered her mouth, looking at Stella with innocent eye. 'I didn't mean it, Stella.'

The insulted Cooper bit at the suit: 'Get this ugly thing off me. It's ruining my looks.'

Stella comforted him, "No way, Cooper is the most handsome dog in the world."

Rosie tried to make amends, "Cooper isn't ugly. He's even more handsome than my brother, and the suit Stella made is beautiful."

Cooper looked at Stella, "Woof!" Really?

Stella petted his head, "I'm not lying, my dog is the most handsome on the street."

Cooper was pleased with that and nuzzled into her arms: 'If I'm so handsome, make me another one.'

This time, she chose a dark green fabric. While making the suit, she observed Cooper's reactions. Unfortunately, his thick fur meant he didn't feel the change in temperature now, so he didn't react to the suit. When she finished the second suit, she used the leftover fabric to make a suit for Smoky and Snowy. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't about looking good. As long as it kept them warm, it was good enough.

At noon, Jasper came to pick up Rosie. Stella stopped him and handed him a nail gun, "I almost forgot to return this to you."

"Keep it."

Stella was surprised. This was a life-saving tool, and he was just giving it to her?

"I modified it myself. I have another one."

Stella only had 200 bullets, each one precious. She'd only use it in a life or death situation, so she didn't expect him to be so generous.

But nothing in life was free, "What do you want in return? Anything I have is fine."

Food, alcohol, cigarettes, and medicine, he could take whatever he wanted.

"You've been teaching Rosie well; she's already learned a lot."

They had talked about it. She was teaching Rosie and he was teaching Cooper. Plus, Cooper had improved a lot. His quick growth provided her with a lot of security.

Stella told him to think about it; this was his only chance.

"Rosie wants to eat pie, but I don't know how to make them."

That was it? Stella was stumped.

"Yes, Stella, I want to eat pie." Rosie looked up at her, her big eyes full of longing.

Good food was always worth it. He'd given her a nail gun, so she would teach him how to make pie today.

Sadly, making and rolling out the dough was a major undertaking, and she wasn't about to use up all the pre-made pie crusts she'd stockpiled.

However, while Jasper might not have been a culinary whiz, he was a dab hand at manual labor. So they started making some pie.

They moved their operations to 1801, where Stella rolled up her sleeves and asked, "Does the cooler in your car still work? We could make a bunch and freeze them. That way, if Rosie fancies some, you can just pull them out and pop them in the pot." "Sure."

Thinking she could squirrel some away for herself, Stella specifically chose a large bag of flour, mixed it with water, and handed it to Jasper to knead.

Kneading dough was a tough job, but for him, it was a piece of cake.