Chapter 193: A Heart of Innocence
As Master Qin was skillfully flipping his wok, he laughed upon hearing Mr. Mei’s words.
“Don’t be fooled by Zheng Xing’s young age, sir—he’s quite capable! Before, he used to handle all the daily garbage from Panliu Mountain on his own, hauling it down the mountain for disposal. No matter how tough or tiring the job was, he never complained. But recently, with more zombies appearing at the foot of the mountain, I didn’t dare let him continue. So, I had him help me out in the kitchen instead.”
“He’s smart too! He hasn’t been here long, but just by watching me cook, he’s already picked up quite a bit.”
Hearing the praise, Zheng Xing felt embarrassed. He lowered his head and focused on his work.
Mr. Mei’s eyes lit up as he listened. He then asked, “Good child, do you like reading and writing?”
Zheng Xing’s hands paused. He lifted his young face, blinking in surprise before nodding. But there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
“But I don’t have the time or money. My grandmother is in poor health, and I need to take care of her.”
As he spoke, the sorrow in his eyes was quickly replaced by determination.
As long as he worked hard and endured, life would get better!
Mr. Mei glanced toward Su Tao, who stood nearby.
Su Tao immediately understood his intention and smiled, nodding in agreement.
With no more hesitation, Mr. Mei looked at Zheng Xing with a kind gaze and said,
“You’re a good kid. I want to ask you—would you be willing to study under me? You’d learn how to be a design planner. For example, if Panliu Mountain were to expand, how should it be done? How much space should be allocated for a hotel, a gas station, and a charging station? Where should they be placed for the best convenience? How should the new employee dormitories be arranged to be most efficient?”
“Does that interest you?”
Zheng Xing’s eyes widened in disbelief. He hesitantly pointed at himself. “Me?”
“Yes. Do you want to?”
Zheng Xing hesitated, feeling uneasy. “But I’ve never been to school, I don’t know how to write, and I can only do basic math. I don’t understand anything you just mentioned. Besides… my grandmother needs me.”
Mr. Mei chuckled. “None of that matters. But let’s have Tao girl explain—he’ll probably trust her words more.”
Su Tao gestured for Liu Panpan to explore on her own for a bit, then walked over.
Zheng Xing looked at her, a little flustered. “Boss Su…”
Su Tao patted his shoulder. “I remember you once asked me if Panliu Mountain needed more workers.”
Zheng Xing nodded.
At the time, he had just wanted to help with whatever dirty and exhausting jobs needed to be done.
He never dared to dream that he could study, let alone become a designer!
Su Tao smiled. “Well, now, Mr. Mei here needs a student. You don’t need to have gone to school or know how to write. You’re smart, hardworking, filial, and dependable. You remember kindness and repay it—that’s enough.”
“Also, according to our standard benefits, as Mr. Mei’s student, you’ll receive a welfare apartment. You can bring your grandmother to live with you. On top of that, you’ll earn a monthly salary of 2,000 to 3,000 Federal Credits, along with additional food and living subsidies. That should be more than enough to support both of you.”
Zheng Xing was dumbfounded, as if he were dreaming.
Master Qin, who had been listening, was overjoyed.
“This is great! Thank you, Boss Su and Mr. Mei! Zheng Xing really is a quick learner. I was even thinking of taking him as my apprentice once he got a little older.”
Mr. Mei laughed heartily. “Looks like I stole him from you—sorry about that.”
Master Qin shook his head. “Not at all! He’ll be much better off learning from you than staying in the kitchen with me. He’ll be a cultured man! Zheng Xing, you must study hard under Mr. Mei.”
Zheng Xing finally snapped out of his daze, his eyes welling up. He looked at Su Tao and asked in a trembling voice,
“Boss Su, is this real?”
“It’s real. If you don’t believe me, pinch yourself.”
Zheng Xing let out a silly laugh and scratched his head. “It’s not just out of pity for me, is it?”
He still couldn’t believe that such a good opportunity had come his way.
Su Tao smacked him lightly on the head. “You’re young, but you sure think a lot. Stop overanalyzing! There are plenty of people struggling in this apocalypse. When my cat went missing, you were with a whole group of kids, but did I pity any of them? If I wanted to pity you, I would have done so long ago. The truth is, Mr. Mei saw potential in you himself—it has nothing to do with me.”
Zheng Xing’s face broke into a wide smile. “Thank you, Boss Su! Thank you, Mr. Mei! I’ll study hard!”
Mr. Mei, genuinely fond of the boy, urged him excitedly,
“Good! Go pack your things early today. If possible, you can stay in Taoyang tonight. We’ll start learning in the next couple of days.”
When Ma Dapao heard that Mr. Mei had taken Zheng Xing as a student, he was just as thrilled. He told Su Tao,
“This kid has a good heart and values gratitude above all. No matter what happens in the future, he won’t betray Taoyang.”
Su Tao nodded. “As long as Mr. Mei is happy with him, that’s all that matters. By the way, I’ve barely seen you around lately. You’ve been busy—what have you been up to?”
Ma Dapao’s face instantly turned troubled.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but zombie sightings have become way more frequent lately. Don’t be fooled by all the customers lining up downstairs. Compared to the start of the month, we’ve lost nearly half of them. People are too scared to roam around outside now. So I had to come up with a plan—I started an online reservation system. When a room becomes available, we call the guests to come in.”
“As for those waiting outside, we’ve set up an offline queue as well. By running both systems together, we’ve managed to keep our customer numbers from dropping too much.”
Su Tao praised him. “That sounds like a great solution! Why are you still worried? Are you short on staff?”
Ma Dapao sighed. “We’re a little short, but I pulled two girls from the front desk to help, so we’re managing. What really worries me is the increasing number of zombies at the foot of the mountain. What if customers stop coming entirely?”
Su Tao asked, “What kind of zombies?”
“Most of them are just regular ones, but I did see an evolved zombie once. It had this huge scythe… and there was a piece of scalp still hanging from it. I almost lost my soul right then and there.”
Su Tao’s eyes lit up. “Forget about the regular zombies. If you see an evolved one, let me know immediately.”
“And don’t worry about losing customers because of the zombies. As long as we’re selling water, fuel, and food, people will take the risk to come.”
Ma Dapao was reassured, but then hesitated before saying,
“Boss, when will you have time to expand the garage? You saw it yourself today—it’s way too small. If a big convoy arrives, they have to park outside, which is super inconvenient.”
“And the fuel pumps… four just aren’t enough! People are lining up for housing, for fuel, for charging their vehicles. It’s hot, and tempers are running high.”
Su Tao suddenly felt an enormous weight on her shoulders. “I’ll try to expand Panliu Mountain properly next month.”
Ma Dapao’s eyes shone with anticipation.
That night, Mr. Mei brought his new student to Taoyang.
However, Zheng Xing’s grandmother’s condition was not looking good. After a preliminary checkup, Dr. Zhong determined that she had diabetes, along with chronic headaches, frequent fevers, and severe joint pain.
Su Tao pulled Zhong Gaoyi aside and whispered, “Is there no cure?”
Zhong Gaoyi shook his head. “No. She’s old, and she’s suffered too much over the years. Her body has already taken too much damage, and her functions are deteriorating. My abilities can repair the body, but they can’t stop aging.”
