Chapter 147: This Child Is Completely Healed Now, Right?
The thought of returning to the junkyard to scavenge only crossed Shen Lu’s mind for a second before she quickly dismissed it.
It wasn’t worth the effort. She’d be better off just cooking more food to earn more Star Coins.
’But just because *I’m* not going doesn’t mean I can’t have someone else go.’
Shen Lu quickly thought of another solution.
She could do what the System did and issue tasks to other people. She could have them go to the junkyard to scavenge for the materials she needed, and she would pay them for their work.
This would still be much cheaper than buying from a shop; she could get everything for about half the price.
For such a great opportunity, the first people Shen Lu thought of were Granny Jin and the Wang Family.
Shen Lu first spoke with Wang Daguo, asking him to have his family go to the junkyard to gather materials, which she would then buy from them.
"Money? Why would we take your money, Boss? Just tell me what you need, and I’ll have Xiao Ci and the others bring it over. They go scavenging in the junkyard all the time when they’re free anyway." Wang Daguo felt that it was just a few materials, no trouble at all. Considering the debt he owed Shen Lu, he really couldn’t accept payment.
"This isn’t a one-time deal. I’m going to need other materials in the future," Shen Lu said, not giving him a chance to refuse. "Those are my terms. If you don’t agree, I’ll just find someone else."
"Whoa, no, no, don’t do that! I get it." Wang Daguo scratched his head, embarrassed. "I’ll tell my family as soon as I get back."
"Alright. And remember, I only want materials in good condition. Don’t bring me any junk."
"Got it. I’ll remember."
After giving Wang Daguo his instructions, Shen Lu bought a bag of apples and bananas from the System Mall and headed for the Seventeenth District.
Even though she had only been gone for a short time, walking back into the Seventeenth District felt strangely like returning after an entire lifetime.
The street looked even more desolate and run-down.
Shen Lu found the house where Granny Jin lived and knocked on the door. A moment later, an aged voice called out from inside.
"Who is it?"
"Granny Jin, it’s me, Shen Lu."
Hearing the familiar young woman’s voice, Granny Jin struggled out of bed, threw on a thin coat, and went to open the door.
"Xiao Shen? What are you doing here?"
"Granny Jin, are you sick?"
The old woman before her was pale, but her cheeks were unnaturally flushed. A layer of cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She was obviously sick.
Granny Jin coughed a few times and let Shen Lu inside.
"Getting sick is just part of getting old." Granny Jin’s tone was casual, as if she didn’t think much of it.
Shen Lu helped her lie back down on the bed, then peeled a banana and handed it to her.
"Shouldn’t you go see a doctor at the clinic?"
"No, I’m not going. It’d just be a waste of money. I’ll be fine after a few days’ rest." Granny Jin couldn’t refuse the banana, so she took it and began to eat slowly. "From now on, just you visiting is enough. Don’t bring gifts."
Seeing how sick Granny Jin was, Shen Lu felt it wasn’t the right time to bring up her original plan. She scanned the room. It wasn’t much better than the place she had rented before, just a little larger.
"Granny Jin, why don’t you come stay with me? There’s a spare room in the dormitory, and you could keep Sister Cai and Xiao Lang company."
’It was dangerous for a sick, elderly woman to be living alone. If there was an accident, they wouldn’t be able to get here in time.’
"That won’t be necessary." Granny Jin shook her head, her refusal firm. "I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here."
Shen Lu didn’t press the issue. She chatted with Granny Jin for a while, but seeing that the older woman was low on energy, she decided to take her leave.
When she returned to the shop, Cai Su was in the back kitchen washing dishes, with Xiao Lang beside her, lending a hand.
Shen Lu told Cai Su that Granny Jin was sick.
"Oh, Grandma Jin is sick?" Xiao Lang looked up, his clear eyes filled with worry. "Is it the same sickness that Xiao Lang had?"
"No, it’s not the same kind of sickness Xiao Lang had." Cai Su finished washing the last tray and placed it in a rack. "I blame myself. I should have made time to go see Grandma Jin."
’After moving here, I’ve been so busy with one thing after another. I kept telling myself I’d find time to visit Grandma Jin once Xiao Lang was fully recovered.’
’Come to think of it, I still owe Granny Jin 200 Star Coins. And I rented from her for so many years... I really should have been visiting more often, for all sorts of reasons.’
"I wanted to have Granny Jin come stay at the shop for a while," Shen Lu sighed. "But she refused."
"It’s because she’s waiting for her son," Cai Su said, getting straight to the heart of the matter. "Grandma Jin’s husband passed away many years ago, and she only has one son. Twenty years ago, the two of them had a huge fight. Her son stormed out of the house in a rage and hasn’t been heard from since."
"So she’s afraid that if she leaves, her son won’t be able to find her if he comes back?"
"Exactly. That’s why she’ll never leave the Seventeenth District."
The two of them put the dishes into the sterilizer. Shen Lu thought for a moment, then said, "Why don’t we bring her some dinner later? We can buy some medicine to take over, too."
"Okay," Cai Su nodded.
That afternoon, Shen Lu and Cai Su prepped ingredients for the next day, just like they always did.
For dinner, Shen Lu made a pot of chicken soup. Since it was for someone who was sick, she kept the seasoning simple, using only ginger slices and salt. When she ladled a portion for Granny Jin, she carefully skimmed all the fat off the top to make it lighter and cleaner on the palate.
Cai Su went to buy the medicine with money Shen Lu had given her.
"Can one of you feed Fu Cheng for me?" Shen Lu asked, turning to the three men before she left. "Sorry to trouble you."
Wang Daguo: ...
Ye Fan: ...
Lin Zhou: ...
’Boss Shen had already apologized for the trouble, so it wasn’t like they could refuse, could they?’
The three men exchanged a look, quickly finished their own dinners, and then played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would do the feeding.
Lin Zhou lost.
Wang Daguo made a quick escape. Ye Fan clapped Lin Zhou on the shoulder. "It’s not as bad as you think. He’s not a three-year-old."
With a wooden expression, Lin Zhou carried the tray up to the second floor.
Shen Lu had given him a temporary passcode for the lock. It was a convenient one-time-use code that would expire after being entered.
Although Fu Cheng was on the second floor, he was keenly aware of what was happening on the first. He knew that Shen Lu had gone with Cai Su and her son to deliver food to Granny Jin, and he also knew that Lin Zhou was coming to feed him.
He despised anyone other than Shen Lu getting close to him.
This was especially true for Superpower Users like Lin Zhou and Ye Fan.
Lin Zhou was a man of few words. He carried the tray to the bedside in silence.
Their eyes met. Two seconds later, Lin Zhou began to feed him.
Fu Cheng: ...
’Can’t you press the button on the side to raise the head of the bed a little? Is this angle even suitable for feeding someone?’
The meal was an agonizing experience for Fu Cheng. He choked on the chicken soup several times, but he couldn’t even manage a proper cough, and the vibrations sent sharp pains through his chest.
The man clenched his left fist, making a silent vow. ’I have to recover enough to feed myself as soon as possible. I never want to be force-fed by these oafs again!’
Meanwhile, Shen Lu, Cai Su, and her son arrived back at Granny Jin’s home.
"You... COUGH, COUGH... why are you all here?" Granny Jin was coughing nonstop, and her complexion had grown even worse.
Xiao Lang stepped forward like a little grown-up to help support Granny Jin. "Grandma, you should lie down," he said in his high, sweet voice. "We brought you some yummy chicken soup. You’ll feel all better after you drink it!"
Granny Jin managed a fond smile and patted Xiao Lang’s head.
’How wonderful,’ she thought. ’The boy is completely recovered now, isn’t he?’