“After cleaning up like this, you look like a completely different person!” Sister Huang pulled her along, inspecting her from head to toe.
Yun Zhen thanked her.
“It’s all thanks to you bringing me here, Sister Huang.
I really don’t know how to thank you.”
Huang Li patted her head with pity.
This child was about the same age as her own daughter.
But while her daughter was fair and plump, Yun Zhen was as skinny as a monkey.
“We can talk about repayment later.
Let’s go get your physical examination first.
Once that’s done, you can stay in a room with heating, and you won’t have to freeze and starve outside anymore.”
After Lin finished her tasks, she arranged for Yun Zhen to go to the hospital for a checkup.
Sister Huang tagged along, refusing to leave until Yun Zhen was properly settled.
They rode in a big, black-shelled bug.
Sister Huang said this was also a car.
This world was truly bizarre; there were no oxen or horses pulling the carriages, yet the cars could run all on their own.
She marveled at how much fodder that must save!
Yun Zhen clung to the car window, staring outside.
They arrived at the hospital, where she underwent a full-body examination under the guidance of Lin and Sister Huang.
During the process, a male doctor asked her to take off her coat and expose her arm so he could wrap a cloth bag around it.
Her face remained flushed red the entire time.
Being seen with bare arms by a strange man would definitely cause gossip back in Taoyuan Village.
Besides having her arm looked at by a man, Yun Zhen was also held down to have three vials of blood drawn.
She turned pale with fright, wondering if she had fallen into some dark trap.
It was only because Lin and Sister Huang constantly comforted her that she didn’t bolt the moment the long, thin needle poked toward her.
“The medical report will be out in a week.
I’ll take you to see your room first,” Lin said.
It was finally over.
Yun Zhen let out a long sigh of relief, her small face flushed and her body covered in cold sweat.
They returned to the residential compound.
The room Lin arranged for Yun Zhen was on the second floor.
The corridor was pitch black.
But as they walked past, with a WHOOSH, the entire world lit up.
Yun Zhen stared at the scene in absolute astonishment.
Had someone plucked the moon from the sky and hung it on the ceiling?
It was far too bright!
They pushed the door open and went inside.
The space was narrow, furnished with a single bed, two nightstands, a wardrobe, a desk, and two chairs.
Lin introduced the place.
“The room has its own bathroom, complete with a water heater.
Over by the door is a small kitchenette equipped with pots, pans, and dishes.
Once Yun Zhen’s medical report comes out, we’ll get her a temporary residence permit.
Then she can receive the three-hundred-yuan relief fund issued by the agency.
She can buy whatever else she needs at that time.”
“Wow!
This is no different from the houses my family rents out for one or two thousand yuan!” Sister Huang said after taking a spin around the room.
“The cafeteria is in another location.
We’ll go there for a meal in a bit,” Lin added.
“Yun Zhen, you’ll be living here from now on.”
Yun Zhen found it unbelievable.
Was this bright room really hers now?
The air inside was wonderfully warm—it had to be that “heating” Sister Huang had mentioned.
She wished her parents and Little Bao could come here too.
This cozy room was countless times better than their dilapidated thatched cottage that was always on the verge of being blown over by the wind.
Her home back there felt like an ice cellar, while this place was like heaven.
Was this place truly the Immortal Realm?
Sister Huang spoke up, addressing Yun Zhen.
“Now that you’ve seen it, are you satisfied with the room?”
Yun Zhen nodded emphatically.
“This room is wonderful.”
“As long as you’re satisfied.”
Lin then took them to the cafeteria.
It was just in time for a meal.
Many women with limited mobility were being supported by caretakers as they came in to eat.
Yun Zhen also saw numerous half-grown children, the majority of whom were girls.
Sister Huang whispered, “This is much better than an orphanage.
Most of these children are able-bodied.
After being raised here for a few years, they can go out, find work, and support themselves.”
“Lin, you’re here!
Today’s dishes are braised pork and fish-fragrant eggplant.
For fruit, we have apples, pears, and bananas,” the cafeteria lady chatted familiarly.
Lin smiled.
“Sister Chen, give us three portions.
We’ll take all the dishes.”
“You got it!” Sister Chen efficiently served up three portions of food.
Yun Zhen saw a literal mountain of fruit!
Red and yellow ones were piled together, forming a towering heap.
The moment she entered the cafeteria, she had been hit by the rich aroma of meat, and now, looking at the mountain of fruit, she could smell a fragrant, sweet scent.
Her face was full of shock.
Not only was there no shortage of food and clothing here, but the meals were even better than what the wealthy households in her world ate.
No, even high-ranking officials and nobles probably didn’t get to enjoy such feasts.
After the initial shock came sheer joy.
It seemed Sister Huang had found her a truly excellent sanctuary.
Yun Zhen picked up a shiny silver tray.
It was divided into five compartments of varying sizes.
The larger ones held snow-white rice, tender and chewy braised pork, and a glossy purple vegetable that seemed to be called eggplant.
The smaller compartments held an apple and a bowl of noodle soup.
RUMBLE.
Her stomach growled.
Yun Zhen had eaten instant noodles in the morning, but she was already hungry again.
She stuffed a mouthful of rice into her mouth, followed by a piece of fatty, juicy braised pork.
It was so delicious that tears nearly sprang to her eyes.
It was incredibly fragrant!
Even during the New Year, she had never eaten such a hearty, frantic meal.
The dish called eggplant was also delicious.
It was soft and mushy, completely soaked in rich juices.
With one bite, flavor exploded in her mouth, carrying a distinct taste of fish.
Sister Huang ate the rice and fish-fragrant eggplant but couldn’t bring herself to eat the fatty meat.
Seeing how much Yun Zhen was enjoying it, she picked the pork out and gave it to her.
“The braised pork is a bit too fatty.
You can have it.”
Fatty meat was a luxury.
Yet Sister Huang actually refused to eat it.
Yun Zhen was a bit surprised.
If the villagers of Taoyuan Village could get just one bite of fatty meat a year, they would happily brag about it to everyone they met.
How could someone not want to eat it?
She couldn’t help but feel a lump form in her throat; Sister Huang must have felt pity for her and intentionally saved the meat for her.
“Thank you, Sister Huang.” She had lost count of how many times she had thanked Sister Huang, yet words still felt inadequate to express the depths of her gratitude.
She had absolutely nothing to her name.
Lin smiled and said, “If it’s not enough, we can ask the cafeteria lady to give you more.”
Sister Huang nodded and said to Yun Zhen, “A lot of people don’t eat fatty meat.
You’re so skinny—if you like it, eat more of it.
You need to put on some weight to be healthy.”
The food here was far too delicious.
Yun Zhen ate until her stomach was uncomfortably stuffed, yet she felt a deep, secure sense of satisfaction.
“Yun Zhen, someone will come by this afternoon to ask about your future plans,” Lin said.
“Whether you want to join a skills class or start working right away, just let him know.
He’ll arrange it for you.”
Yun Zhen nodded.
She had already made up her mind.
If she could start working right away, she would.
If not, she would learn a trade and then go to work.
What she wanted most was money.
She had seen many shops along the streets of the compound selling rice, flour, grain, oil, and stoves.
Those were the things she truly needed.
After speaking, Lin handed the room key to Yun Zhen and went back to work.
Sister Huang was also preparing to leave.
Yun Zhen walked Sister Huang to her electric scooter.
“Go on back.
The temperature is going to drop this afternoon, and it’ll get even colder.
You probably won’t need the things you scavenged anymore.
I’ll throw them away for you.”
“Don’t!” Everything Yun Zhen had scavenged were treasures she intended to take home.
She couldn’t bear to throw them out.
“I want those things.”
Huang Li figured that since the girl had grown up wandering the streets, she naturally wouldn’t be able to part with the junk she had collected.
“Then I’ll help you carry them upstairs.”
Sister Huang helped her carry everything to her room—a sack of items, bedding, and other scattered odds and ends.
“Keep your room clean from now on.
Whatever you do, don’t pile trash up inside.
If you don’t have space for the things you pick up, just throw them away.
Don’t be too reluctant to part with them,” Sister Huang advised before leaving.
Yun Zhen committed her words to memory.
She wouldn’t make the room dirty or messy.
The things she picked up were meant for her family back home.
Sister Huang departed.
Left alone in the warm room, Yun Zhen carefully surveyed the entire space, truly feeling as though she were in the Immortal Realm.
Sister Lin had said someone would come looking for her in the afternoon.
She decided she would wait until tonight to return home.