"Sister, are you really going to find the boss? Then remember to tell the boss that Zhi Zhi introduced you. My name is Li Zhi Zhi!" The little girl blinked her bright, sparkling eyes and looked up at Xu An.
Zhi Zhi was excited. Introducing clients to the boss meant a 1% commission. Although she didn't know what the sister in front of her was going to do, this way, their rent for the next few days would be covered!
Looking at the child's smile, Xu An couldn't help but smile back, though she remained vigilant.
It had been a long time since she had seen such a pure smile, unmarred by any calculations.
"Where do I need to go to find this 'Mouse' you're talking about?"
"The Relief Station, it's on the negative first floor, Warehouse 2. Just say you're looking for Mouse, and someone will take you there. The boss sister is a very good person. Although she's always fierce, she's the only one on the entire negative first floor who takes in homeless children..."
Listening to Zhi Zhi's words, Xu An began to form a rough image of Mouse in her mind.
However... she hadn't expected Mouse to be a woman.
Seeing Zhi Zhi's shining eyes fixed on the ID card in her hand, Xu An, true to her promise, gave Zhi Zhi 13 transaction coins, adding five extra coins on top of the eight questions.
"Thank you, sister!"
Zhi Zhi looked at the balance in her card, her eyes welling up with tears. It wasn't that no one asked them for help, but those people on high always looked at them with disdain.
Zhi Zhi knew she was dirty, and those people disliked her, not daring to get close to her, but she couldn't help it.
She and her mother had spent almost all their savings to get to the lighthouse, and now her mother was sick, so almost all the money she had saved went to her mother's medicine.
Even though she was sensible, she was still just an eight-year-old child. She could only earn a meager salary in this way to support her and her mother's lives. How could she have any extra money or thoughts to keep herself clean?
Looking at the girl, Xu An couldn't help but ask, "Do you... not have any family?"
"Yes, Zhi Zhi has a mom. When Mom gets better, Zhi Zhi won't have to work so hard."
Hearing this, Xu An didn't ask what illness she had. What use would it be to ask?
She knew very well that she couldn't take responsibility for this girl, so why give her false hope?
There was too much suffering in this world. She couldn't even save herself, let alone save others.
Xu Yan also walked over. As soon as she approached, she heard Zhi Zhi speak and seemed a little heartbroken.
She asked gently, "Little girl, would you like to take a bath? Auntie has hot water at home, it's free, you can wash as much as you want."
"No thank you, Auntie. Even if I take a bath now, I still have to climb back through the transport pipes, and I'll get dirty again. It's no use."
"But thank you anyway, Auntie. I'm leaving now~"
Zhi Zhi looked at Xu An and the other woman with a serious expression, as if telling them:
I don't need sympathy. Don't hold an umbrella for me, because I'm going to get rained on anyway.
With that, Zhi Zhi turned and skipped away, disappearing from their sight.
Xu Yan turned her head away, unable to watch any longer.
Xu An, however, looked at the child for the first time. She possessed a perceptiveness and magnanimity beyond her peers, and what was even more precious was her brave and firm belief in the face of despair.
"Don't worry, this child's life will get better."
Xu Yan didn't speak. She actually didn't have much room for sympathy for others, but hearing her daughter's words of comfort, she let go of her worries.
Temporary poverty was not terrifying; what was terrifying was losing the will to survive when in distress.
"Let's go back. We've bought almost everything we need."
"Okay."
...
As soon as they reached their doorstep, Xu An saw the packages piled up at the entrance and murmured, "The delivery is quite fast."
It had been less than an hour since they bought their things and returned home, yet the goods had "arrived home" before them.
Xu Yan was about to agree when there was a commotion from the doorway of the opposite room.
"...Trash, you're a piece of trash! Look at your peers, aren't they all on the second floor? And we have to be crammed into the first floor, and it's such a cramped little suite!..."
The woman roared, angrily pulling the door open, and her gaze directly met Xu An and her mother.
"What are you looking at! Haven't you ever seen a couple argue? And do you have any public morality? Why are your purchased packages piled up in the hallway? Is the hallway your home?"
Xu An looked at the woman, who was clearly deliberately taking out her anger. Of course, she wouldn't indulge her.
She raised her eyebrows and said with a half-smile, "Public morality? I don't have that useless thing. But I do have the heart to kill."
The woman seemed not to have expected Xu An to say something so blatant about wanting to kill.
"You... what do you mean... killing is illegal on the lighthouse!!!"
"Oh? Did I say I would kill you on the lighthouse?"
Who couldn't threaten someone boastfully!
"You..." The woman's face turned red with anger. She pulled the door open and yelled inside, "Yi Xingye, are you even a man! You're letting outsiders bully your wife like this?"
Xu An looked at the man who walked out from inside. With his brows downcast, he exuded an air of scholarly refinement, yet he seemed so out of place next to the woman.
Yi Xingye gave Xu An and her mother an apologetic glance and said tiredly, "I apologize for the trouble. You two must be new residents."
"Yi Xingye! Are you blind? These two women are bullying me! Why are you apologizing to them?!"
"That's enough! I have ears and eyes, I can see for myself! How long do you intend to keep this up? Get it straight, this is the lighthouse."
"It's not your Chu Group. You're no longer a pampered daughter of a corporation! If you provoke someone you can't afford to offend, no one will be able to save you then!"
Xu An couldn't be bothered with other people's trivial matters. She swiped open her door, carried the boxes, and went inside with her mother, quickly closing the door. The argument at the door continued, even showing signs of escalating. However, none of this concerned Xu An.
"That man is quite reasonable, but that woman is a bit of a shrew," Xu Yan said, and then, as if struck by inspiration, "...That woman... she looks a little familiar."