In the afternoon, Yun Zhen had dozed off in bed, but suddenly a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK echoed from the door.
She opened it to find a man in his twenties standing outside.
He held a briefcase, his back perfectly straight.
He glanced at her and asked with a friendly smile, “Are you the newcomer who just moved in today?”
Yun Zhen blinked.
She was a little nervous seeing a stranger.
“I’m Yun Zhen.
I just moved in.”
The man got straight to the point.
“I’m Zhao Peng, but you can call me Brother Zhao.
Sister Lin asked me to come and see what you want to do.
Are you planning to join a skills class to learn, or do you want to find a job directly?”
“I want to make money!” Yun Zhen answered without hesitation.
Her whole purpose for coming here was to bring back food and warm supplies so her parents and Xiaobao could eat well, stay warm, and survive.
Only by earning money could she buy grain.
Hearing this, Zhao Peng suggested, “Sister Lin mentioned that you’re still a minor.
It’s illegal to hire minors, and companies outside wouldn’t dare break the law to hire one.
If you want to make money, you could stay in the skills class for a year or two.
Once you’re of age, we can help you find a job you like.”
Sister Zhang’s Charity Organization had a dedicated skills class where people taught various crafts.
Because Zhao Peng understood Yun Zhen’s situation, he suggested she attend this class.
Since room and board were covered anyway, she could learn a craft without any worries, making it easier for her to enter society and find a job once she reached adulthood.
However, he had no idea about the pressure she was under.
Yun Zhen shook her head and politely declined.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I still want to make money first.
Is there any way I can start working early?”
She had heard from Sister Huang, Sister Lin, and the man in front of her that she was considered a “minor.” It probably meant a child.
But she was already a mother.
Since Yun Zhen’s mind was firmly made up, Zhao Peng didn’t try to persuade her anymore.
“Since you’re a minor, you can only look for relatively stable part-time jobs for now.
I’ll help you look for some suitable ones.
You just moved in today, so rest for the night.
Once I find a good part-time job, I’ll take you to the interview.”
Although Yun Zhen didn’t have an ID card, the organization had plenty of resources.
As long as they issued valid proof of identity, a minor could take on part-time jobs with daily wages, even if full-time work was off the table.
“Thank you!” Yun Zhen said excitedly.
Zhao Peng pulled a small cardboard box from his briefcase and opened it.
Inside was a palm-sized, snow-white block with a few raised buttons.
He introduced it to her.
“This is a communicator.
Press this green button to contact our staff, and this red one is for calling the police.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time.
If you’re in danger, just press the red button.”
What he brought out was a low-end communicator.
It looked like an old-fashioned mobile phone and only had simple calling, receiving, and alarm clock functions.
Yun Zhen held the device in amazement as he taught her how to use its few features.
“When it’s out of battery, plug this connector into the charging port, and plug the large plug on the other end into the socket on the wall.”
He taught her meticulously, and Yun Zhen quickly learned how to do it.
She was utterly shocked!
Through Brother Zhao’s introduction, she realized that this thing allowed people to talk to each other across vast distances and even call government officers in times of danger.
An immortal treasure for transmitting sound over thousands of miles!
She took it carefully, as if cradling a priceless heirloom.
She had experienced far too many shocks today.
First, her benefactor, Sister Huang, had brought her to a place that took in women and children for free.
Then, she had ridden in an iron-shelled beetle that was even faster than a horse carriage.
She had eaten white rice and braised pork—things she wouldn’t even get to taste during the New Year.
The white rice was soft and sticky, and the braised pork was rich and juicy.
Most importantly, it was all-you-can-eat!
Sister Lin and Sister Huang had also taken her to a medical clinic for a checkup.
The clinic here was larger than her entire village, and their medical methods were incredibly strange, involving lying down and having blood drawn—things she had never even heard of.
Now, she was living in a clean, warm room with heating.
And as if that wasn’t enough, she had just received a magical treasure that could transmit sound across distances, just like in the storybooks.
This life hadn’t been in vain!
Yun Zhen felt that her life was truly worth living!
When her Scholar husband divorced her, she felt like her world had collapsed.
When her sinister in-laws ruined her weaving job, she had been completely disheartened.
When she was on the verge of freezing to death in the snowstorm, she had resigned herself to dying!
But what was the result?
She had stumbled upon a massive stroke of luck!
She thought about how wonderful it would be if her parents and Xiaobao could come here.
Then they could also live in a heated room and eat white rice and braised pork.
Seeing her cradling the communicator so carefully, Zhao Peng said, “This thing won’t break easily, even if you drop it.
If you lose it, you can just go to Sister Lin and ask her to give you another one.”
Could they really just give her another immortal treasure?
Yun Zhen felt that the people in this place were simply too wealthy and generous!
“Since you’re sure you want to work, I’ll go back and look for a reliable part-time job for you.
When the time comes, I’ll contact you.
When the communicator rings, just press the green button to answer.”
Before leaving, Zhao Peng reminded her again, “Breakfast is from seven to nine-thirty in the morning, lunch is from noon to two-thirty, and dinner is from five-thirty to eight in the evening.
Make sure you don’t forget the meal times, or you’ll go hungry.”
Yun Zhen stared at him in confusion.
“What’s an o’clock?”
Zhao Peng remembered Sister Lin’s words.
The girl in front of him was a stray, so she probably didn’t know how to tell time.
He took Yun Zhen’s communicator and fiddled with it for a moment.
He explained carefully, “I’ve set three alarms for you.
When the communicator rings for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you can go eat.
If you find it too noisy, just press the square button in the middle to stop the alarm.
“If there’s anything else you don’t understand, contact us anytime.
Remember to press the green button, and don’t press the red button unless there’s an emergency.”
Yun Zhen nodded firmly.
“I’ll remember that.”
She knew she naturally couldn’t call the government officers on a whim.
What if she was kicked out for disturbing them?
After Zhao Peng left, Yun Zhen cradled the communicator and studied it.
It really was a treasure!
Besides transmitting sound over thousands of miles, it could even remind people to eat!
When the magical treasure rang in the morning, she would go eat breakfast.
When it rang at noon, she would go eat lunch.
When it rang in the afternoon, she would go eat dinner.
She marvelled at the fact that the people here actually ate three meals a day.
The villagers of Taoyuan Village were lucky to eat once in three days during a snowstorm, and even in peaceful years, they only ate two meals a day.
She wondered if she could take a portion of her dinner back with her so her parents and Xiaobao could also have a taste of the white rice and braised pork.
She also wondered if the snow had stopped back home.
Fine snowflakes drifted outside the bright window, but the room was so warm and cozy that she actually felt a little hot in her cotton-padded jacket.
She couldn’t help but worry about her family.
She didn’t know how many times a day the red mole on her palm would let her travel back and forth between this world and her own.
If it was only once, she would go back at dinnertime and save her meal for her parents and Xiaobao.
Yun Zhen studied the sound-transmitting magical treasure in her hands while missing her family.
Before she knew it, several hours had passed.
“As long as everyone gives a little love…”
Before dinnertime arrived, the magical treasure in her hand suddenly started singing, giving her a start.
What should she do if the treasure kept ringing?
Her mind went blank for a moment.
Suddenly remembering the method Brother Zhao had taught her, she pressed the green button, and the singing stopped.
“Hello, Yun Zhen?
Not bad.
I thought you wouldn’t know how to use the communicator, but I didn’t expect you to answer my call so quickly,” Brother Zhao’s voice came from the small magical treasure.
“Brother Zhao…” Even though she knew this treasure could transmit sound over thousands of miles, experiencing it firsthand still left Yun Zhen feeling a little stunned.
Zhao Peng said, “I’ve contacted a few part-time jobs on my end.
If it’s convenient for you now, I can take you to give them a try.
I just arrived downstairs.”
“It’s convenient!
I’ll head out right now!” Hearing that Brother Zhao had found work for her, Yun Zhen immediately headed out to meet him.
“Remember to lock the door properly,” Zhao Peng reminded her.
Yun Zhen certainly wouldn’t forget.
Her scavenged treasures were still inside.