August 15, 2030.
“Big Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s just that we’ve already stopped hiring here. If you had called me a month earlier, I definitely would have reserved a position for Mu Mu.”
“Also, Mu Mu’s education level is too low. Why don’t you have her take the postgraduate exam? Oh right, Big Brother, maybe you can ask Third Brother if his hospital needs people. It’s really difficult on my end, our hiring process is extremely strict.”
“That’s it for now, Big Brother, I have to go to a meeting.”
Beep beep beep!
The woman, who looked to be in her forties, had fine lines at the corners of her eyes that clearly showed her current distress.
“Should we try calling Third Brother again?” she suggested.
The man sitting across from her bent slightly forward, forcing a strained smile onto his dark, handsome face as he picked up his phone and made another call.
Xia Mu sat opposite them, her teeth clenched so hard they nearly shattered. She stared fixedly at the cement floor. In this day and age, households that still had not installed tiles were extremely rare.
This year, she graduated from an ordinary second tier university in Beijing. After graduating, she had spent one or two months searching for a job, yet she still could not find anything suitable.
Her parents had grown anxious, so they called her Second Uncle at his workplace. That conversation had just taken place.
Now, her father was calling her Third Uncle, who worked at a hospital. He was an orthopedic doctor at a large hospital and held the position of chief physician, someone with considerable influence within the hospital.
“Hello, Big Brother, what do you need from me?”
The call connected. Xia Mu’s father let out a small sigh of relief, cautiously asking if his younger brother was busy with work before finally getting to the point.
“Well, Third Brother, could your hospital arrange a job for Mu Mu? Any position would do, as long as it comes with social insurance and housing funds.”
“What? Find a job for Mu Mu? Big Brother, are you joking? Her major has nothing to do with medicine. How do you expect me to arrange something for her?” The voice on the other end suddenly grew louder.
Then, as if realizing it, he lowered his tone and added, “She should look for work related to what she studied. Don’t aim too high. Young people should start from the bottom, that’s how they grow.”
Xia Mu’s lips twitched slightly. Back then, who was it that had told her this major would be the easiest to find a job in?
Now, each and every one of them avoided her like the plague.
She wanted to tell her father to stop calling. It was useless. These uncles were all ungrateful people.
Was it that they could not arrange a job for her? No! They were simply prioritizing the nephews and nieces from their wives’ families.
To them, she, this niece, was nothing. In their eyes, her parents were nothing as well.
All because her family owned nothing except a few side rooms in a Courtyard.
It might sound unbelievable to others, but it was the truth.
The most valuable thing her family had was the location of those few rooms. Other than that, their cash savings did not exceed ten thousand yuan.
Her father had been ill for years, constantly taking medication and going to the hospital for treatment. He could not do heavy work and could only handle some household chores at home.
The entire family was supported by her mother alone, working at a restaurant during the day and cleaning at a nightclub at night.
Although Xia Mu’s university schedule had not been too tight and she had taken on part time jobs, her contributions were still not enough to cover the family’s expenses.
The hospital was truly a place that devoured money. Even a minor course of treatment for her father cost tens of thousands per day, and it was not covered by medical insurance.
Adding in medication, their monthly expenses were enormous. To save money, her father had delayed the chemotherapy recommended by the hospital again and again.
Thinking of this, Xia Mu’s eyes reddened, and a deep sense of helplessness filled her heart.
She had believed that after graduation, as long as she worked hard to find a job, she could earn money and support her family.
But reality was cruel. Her major was already oversaturated in the job market.
And those uncles who had once confidently promised to arrange a job for her were now all making excuses to avoid helping.
She did not believe this had nothing to do with her aunts whispering in their husbands’ ears.
Xia Mu watched as her father hung up the call with Third Uncle. The sorrow on his face was impossible to hide, and his entire demeanor became dispirited.
Looking at his daughter, Xia Mu, Xia Chengren forced a faint smile. “It’s alright. There’s still your Fourth Uncle. He runs a business, he has a property management company. He can definitely arrange a job for you.”
Suddenly, Xia Mu reached out and held her father’s hand. His hands were dark and aged, calloused at the palms, yet they felt warm.
“Dad, don’t call anymore. I’ll go out and keep looking. I’m not picky, any job will do.”
In 2030, jobs were truly limited, one position for one person. Especially in the capital, those with connections might be able to make room for you.
Without connections, you might as well pack your bags and return to your hometown.
But Xia Mu had no hometown. Her home was this small corner of the Courtyard in the capital.
Their courtyard was a two section compound. The rear courtyard housed eight families, while the front courtyard where they lived had five households.
Families with more members could not even fit properly. In contrast, since her parents only had her as their only child, they could barely manage.
Yet precisely because of this, others were always eyeing their place, wanting to rent rooms from them.
Fortunately, Xia Chengren firmly refused to rent out any rooms, so those people could only resort to sarcasm and complaints to vent their dissatisfaction. At least their living space remained relatively comfortable.
But compared to her wealthy uncles, this place was nothing more than a slum in the capital. Once people left, none of them ever wanted to come back.
Xia Chengren’s cloudy eyes rested on his daughter’s delicate face. His heart was filled with sorrow. It was his own lack of ability that had failed to give her a better future.
His voice trembled as he said, “It’s alright. I’ll call your Fourth Uncle.”
There was even a hint of pleading in his tone.
Xia Mu released her father’s hand, unable to bear it any longer, and went upstairs to the small attic.
The attic was her bedroom, the largest space in the house, given to her by her parents.
The decoration there was slightly better than downstairs. It had a small separate study, a pink mosquito net, a pink bed, and pink bedding.
All of it reflected her parents’ deep love for her. Standing by the window, tears glistened in Xia Mu’s eyes.
She truly, truly wanted to repay their love, but reality was unbearably cruel.
The white gauze curtain fluttered gently. Through it, she seemed to vaguely see a small black dot flying toward her from the sky.
Unable to resist, Xia Mu reached out her hand. Sunlight slipped through her fingers, still illuminating her fair cheeks.
“Ding! A qualified Landlady Host has been detected. Miss Xia Mu, are you willing to bind with the Interstellar Federation Landlady System 003?”
“Hm?” Xia Mu withdrew her gaze in confusion and looked around her bedroom.
At that moment, a blue projection screen suddenly appeared before her eyes, displaying the very words she had just heard.
“Host, are you willing to become the 996th Landlady of the Interstellar Federation?”
“Host, press 1 if you agree, press 2 if you refuse.”
“However, please consider carefully. The Interstellar Federation Landlady System 003 is an intelligent, friendly, and wealthy system that can change your current life situation.”
The system eagerly promoted itself. After traveling across countless light years, it had finally found a Host whose soul power could bind with it.
003 would not give up on this Host. If not for the program’s restriction against forced binding, it would have bound her immediately.