He had wanted to do this yesterday, but he felt it might be impolite. The building belonged to Shen Ruoran alone, and wandering around required her permission. However, he had been too embarrassed to ask, fearing he would seem rude.
Zhou Qing carried her household shopping basket and took the elevator to the 21st floor. Different signs hung before the three main doors.
Unit 2101 was locked, with a sign marking it as a “Warehouse.”
The other two doors were wide open. Unit 2102 was the Supermarket (Fresh Foods & Snacks), and Unit 2103 was the Supermarket (Daily Necessities).
There were small shopping carts at the entrance. Zhou Qing placed her basket inside one and pushed it straight toward the vegetable section.
The vegetables were all pre-packaged in bags, with prices ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 Wealth points per bag.
Zhou Qing picked up a head of cabbage that Bo Zhiya liked. It cost 0.5 Wealth points, and she planned to make hand-shredded cabbage with soy sauce.
Each bag had a generous portion; if they were frugal, one bag could last the two of them for three meals.
At exactly midnight, the previous day’s employee wages were automatically credited. Currently, Zhou Qing and Bo Zhiya had a combined total of 4.5 Wealth points. However, in a month’s time, a total of 100 points would be deducted for rent. This meant they could spend, at most, 1 Wealth point per day.
Shen Ruoran had explained that their current pay was an “internship salary.” She would evaluate them for a month, and after successfully becoming permanent employees, their daily wages would double.
Under these circumstances, Bo Zhiya couldn’t afford to spend a single one of his Wealth points this month, and Zhou Qing had to be extremely careful with hers. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to afford the duplex flat on the 30th floor.
The monthly rent of 100 Wealth points was already a discounted price given to them by Shen Ruoran.
Adhering to the principle of “browsing without buying,” Zhou Qing pushed her cart to the meat section. Here, items were sold by weight and were clearly priced. Beef was the most expensive, while pork was the cheapest.
Zhou Qing’s budget was strictly within 1 Wealth point. Since the meat was sold by weight, she decided to buy just a small piece.
A little taste of meat would suffice.
She selected a high-quality piece of pork leg and used a knife to cut off a small, choice portion. After weighing it, she—as a supermarket employee—miraculously saw the price tag for the piece.
—0.3 Wealth points. It was cheaper than the cabbage, though it was only a very small bag.
After deducting 0.8 Wealth points, Zhou Qing’s remaining balance was 2.2.
When Bo Zhiya ran down from the stairs, he happened to see Zhou Qing emerging from the daily necessities section. His eyes were bright as stars as he excitedly shared his recent experience with her.
“Auntie, the upper floors are amazing! There’s an internet cafe, and the computer specs there are incredibly high. It would be a total blast to play on them.”
Thinking of his Wealth points—which barely covered his expenses—Bo Zhiya felt a bit dejected, but the feeling quickly vanished.
Once his salary increased next month, he would spend an entire day playing there.
Surely the computers in the internet cafe could connect to the web, right?
Zhou Qing asked curiously, “What else is there besides the internet cafe?”
Bo Zhiya squared his shoulders and read his morning notes to Zhou Qing. He was quite vivid in his retelling, adding plenty of descriptive adjectives.
It turned out there were even areas for growing vegetables and raising livestock.
[Lunch break has begun. Employees are advised to stop their current tasks, have lunch, and take a nap to ensure they remain energized.]
“How humane…” As an underage worker, Bo Zhiya was very receptive to advice. He immediately tucked his notebook and pen away and followed Zhou Qing back to the 30th floor.
The two sat on the living room sofa, the shopping basket containing the pork and cabbage resting on the coffee table.
Bo Zhiya was curiously tinkering with the walkie-talkies Shen Ruoran had given them. There were two in the box, so there was definitely one for him.
This model of walkie-talkie was expensive; its range was sufficient to cover the entire building, and the audio transmission was clear without static.
Zhou Qing had something to say to Bo Zhiya, but seeing how focused he was, she kept it to herself, waiting for him to finish his research.
“Auntie, do you have something to tell me?” Bo Zhiya asked without looking up from the walkie-talkie, though he had glimpsed her hesitant expression out of the corner of his eye.
Zhou Qing cleared her throat, covering her mouth with a fist. After a moment of hesitation, she voiced the thoughts she had been weighing for a long time.
“Young Master, I did the math. After subtracting the rent for this apartment, we can spend at most 35 Wealth points a month. So, we have to be a bit frugal with breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.”
Zhou Qing’s tone was hesitant; she felt she was truly mistreating Bo Zhiya.
In the past, every meal at home consisted of at least two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup. Now, even maintaining one meat and one vegetable dish would be difficult.
Bo Zhiya’s face turned bright red, looking quite embarrassed. He had never had to do a day’s work in his life and didn’t know the cost of living. If Zhou Qing hadn’t reminded him, he wouldn’t even have realized that they needed to buy groceries to survive.
With a daily wage of 1.5 and a monthly salary of 45, he wouldn’t even be able to pay the rent in thirty days.
This was the first time Bo Zhiya felt the sting of financial hardship; money was actually that important.
Thinking Zhou Qing wanted him to split the costs with her, Bo Zhiya spoke up sheepishly, “Auntie, then how many Wealth points do I need to transfer to you?”
He awkwardly rubbed his back, his fair face remaining flushed with shame.
If only he had a specialized skill like Auntie, perhaps his salary would be higher.
Seeing that Bo Zhiya had misunderstood her, Zhou Qing waved her hands in denial. “How could I take your Wealth points? I’m just afraid of being unfair to you, so I’m giving you a heads-up. We need to eat sparingly for a while, otherwise, we won’t be able to afford the rent later.”
“Five years ago, when my mother was terminally ill and hospitalized, we needed a million. None of my relatives would lend me money, fearing I couldn’t pay them back. It was you who went behind the Bo family’s back to help me pay for the surgery. I’ve long considered you family; I definitely can’t take your money.”
“Keep your Wealth points for yourself. Right now, I earn more than you, so I’ll handle the household expenses. If we’re all a bit careful, we’ll make it through.”
Bo Zhiya’s eyes felt stingy. He lowered his head and whispered a soft “Thank you.”
Zhou Qing patted the boy’s head affectionately. She took the groceries to the kitchen, freezing two-thirds of the cabbage and half of the meat to save for their next meal.
After one hundred and twenty hours of continuous torrential rain, the world finally realized something was wrong.
Statistics showed that every country and every region was engulfed in an endless downpour; not a single place was spared.
Country R was in the worst state. With a geographical area smaller than City B in Country H, the islands situated in the ocean were on the verge of being reclaimed by the sea.
Shen Ruoran’s expression was solemn as she watched the international news on television, which was reporting the latest situation in Country R.
The reporter, maintaining a rigorous and objective stance, stated that the floods in Country R appeared different from those in other countries. The water was black and putrid, giving off a revolting stench.
Despite the people of Country R vehemently denying it—claiming it was a matter of camera angles and accusing foreign journalists of slander—everyone knew the truth. That was the nuclear wastewater Country R had recently discharged into the ocean.
Nature was angry, and it had come back for its revenge.
The laptop booted up in three seconds, and her slender fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard.