Chapter 41 - 038 Part-time Job, Earning One Hundred Dollars

Chapter 41: Chapter 038 Part-time Job, Earning One Hundred Dollars Life is just ordinary and trivial. After finishing his meal, Lin Fan washed the dishes and cleaned the plates thoroughly. That was something every homemaking man should do. Then, he would nap. Setting his alarm clock for two in the afternoon, he would wake up, stare at the ceiling, and slowly drift off to sleep. Ding, ding, ding... The alarm clock went off. Lin Fan got out of bed, folded his blankets, poured himself a glass of water to stay hydrated, then grabbed a mop and diligently mopped the floor, leaving it clean and tidy. Life didn’t have many earth-shattering events. It often revealed itself in ordinary ways. Of course, extraordinary things were great, but ordinariness was the foundation and underlying tone of life. He went downstairs. As usual, he strolled around the community, picked up any trash he saw on the ground, and threw it into the bin. There weren’t any sanitation workers around. Even if there were, this act still took little effort. It was everyone’s community, and it was his community too. A slogan came to mind. "The community is our home, and its upkeep depends on all of us." He arrived at the gardening area. In just half a day, the scene before him had completely transformed, a stark contrast from the previously neglected land. With just one glance, he knew what Li Mei and Old Lady Xu had done. Weeding. Plowing and tilling the soil were physically demanding tasks. The ground needed to be thoroughly turned over, not too deeply, just about the depth of a hoe. After turning it over, the clods needed to be broken down to aerate the soil, beneficial for planting. The final tasks were to raise the beds and make ridges. Just like a piece of art that was pleasing to the eye, Li Mei and Old Lady Xu’s gardening skills were truly impressive. With their help, the community was bound to get even better. When he reached the front gate of the community, the old men were not there, the iron gate was locked. Opening it would make it hard to lock again. Without overthinking it, he leapt high up, jumping right over the gate and landing gently on the ground. This was something he could never have imagined doing before. "Killing zombies earns points, leveling up with points makes you strong. Just like me doing good deeds and receiving praise, earning a good citizen award... Yeah, that makes sense." In such circumstances, he reacted calmly, his inner strength reflected in his physical condition. He needed to keep striving. As for any "little aids"... what little aids? They were all illusions. No problem. "I don’t have a job now, I need to find one to support myself." Lin Fan talked to himself. Although he had three bank cards, the money belonged to others. During these tough times, when everyone’s life was difficult, it wouldn’t be right to take the easy way out. He needed to work hard on his own. Small Shop. He walked into the messy store. "Xiao Qing, I don’t have a job lately. I’m looking to do some part-time work. You know whether I am serious. Your shop is a bit messy, let me clean it up for you... Just pay me a hundred bucks, what do you say?" Lin Fan said with a smile to the quiet shop. Xiao Qing lying there didn’t say anything. "Alright then, since you agree, I’ll start working. You don’t need to pay me, I’ll just buy stuff from your shop." Work had to be sought proactively. If the person hadn’t agreed, it definitely wouldn’t be acceptable. Xiao Qing didn’t say anything, which clearly meant approval. Despite the small size of this shop, it had all the cleaning tools one could need. Carrying a bucket, fetching water, holding a cloth, he prepared to start with the windows outside, the first impression given by a storefront. If they were dirty, they would certainly be off-putting. Outside, holding the cloth, he wiped meticulously. In the quiet street, this figure was exceptionally eye-catching, and one could even say there was a strange sense of eeriness to it. Lin Fan did not work fast, not wanting to pursue speed at the cost of quality. A moment later. He returned inside, placing the scattered goods back on the shelves. This was a new beginning. The storefronts on the street were a messy, indescribable desolation. Starting from this small storefront, he was confident and believed he could clean all the storefronts. The compensation was certainly considerable. Though he couldn’t achieve great wealth and luxury, living without worries was surely no problem. In the small store, Lin Fan worked diligently and tirelessly, busy bustling about without slacking. Several hours later. Lin Fan stood at the door, looking at the newly revitalized store, feeling deeply satisfied. This was the result of his hard work all afternoon. The previously dusty counter now gleamed cleanly. The goods that were once scattered all over the floor were now neatly arranged on the shelves. "Really good, I’ve finally finished," he said. Lin Fan smiled, then looked toward three bodies: those were Little Qing, Little Fang, and an unknown person who had come to shop. "Little Qing, Little Fang, you have already died. I’ll take you over there, free of charge. We were very familiar before, and helping you leave is the least I can do," he said. He knew they were dead, talking to them was not because he was insane, but as a way of recalling the past, just as he used to interact with others when shopping. Shopping, discussing work, without needing to speak. Could also use sign language? There were garbage bins on the street. He originally thought about dragging one over casually, but to his surprise, many of these bins were already full. With no janitorial staff to attend to them for a long time, they had started to emit a foul odor. There was no helping it, who asked him to always meddle. Just like before, he linked the garbage bins together, pushed them to the shop’s entrance, and stuffed Little Qing, Little Fang, and that one unknown body into the bins to be taken to the landfill. Today, he was like the only sanitation worker, the only laborer, the only person who believed in the rebirth of the city around this neighborhood. No matter what happened. He always believed, unchangingly. Balcony. Old Master Wang watched Lin Fan pushing the garbage bin down the street, remaining silent. Unless one was out of their mind, making noise could attract zombies to Lin Fan. He watched that figure, seemingly understanding something. Lin Fan had always lived according to his former lifestyle, unchanged despite the arrival of the apocalypse, always the same, from when he would invite Lin Fan to his house for meals, Old Master Wang could tell. When anyone found themselves in the apocalypse, living with other survivors, there should be mutual support, shared resources, and a clear distribution. But here, Old Master Wang realized it was not the case. Lin Fan brought them over, helped them rent houses, ran errands for shopping, and when he returned, he would show them the shopping bills, proving that he paid for everything in cash while out. To anyone else, this behavior seemed very strange. But he, he understood. Lin Fan viewed those living in the community as a curious relationship, ostensibly a group but in essence individuals. When encountering difficulties, everyone helps each other out—this is what makes a group. Not disturbing others’ lives unnecessarily, living only within one’s circle—that was just like the days before the apocalypse arrived. Paying for goods, paying for renting houses, not easily disturbing others’ circles, offering polite greetings, finding one’s own tasks—these were all normal things previously. But in the apocalyptic world, it gives those already accustomed to the apocalypse a strong impact. "Ah, what exactly has Lin Fan gone through to always maintain such a mindset?" Old Mr. Wang seemed to understand, yet he didn’t fully grasp it. It was as if he caught something, but then again, it seemed he hadn’t. Night. Returning home, Lin Fan bought some snacks and water from Xiaoqing’s shop. He played on his computer, planning to continue watching a movie. But unexpectedly, the internet was down. He wondered, "Has my internet fee expired, and I didn’t pay?" But that wasn’t it. He still had a year of internet service left. He checked the cables to see if there might be a minor issue, just in case he was mistaken. He restarted the router and the computer. Still no internet connection. "Ah... So frustrating, I still have a year of service left..." Lin Fan felt helpless. Even if the internet was out, what could he do about it—ask for a refund? He knew he was dreaming. He went to the balcony, leaned on the railing, and looked at the distant night scene, pitch black without a hint of light, as if the darkness had truly descended, completely enveloping Huang City. But... even so. Lin Fan turned to look at the bright room behind him, willing to light the last lamp for Huang City, amplifying it infinitely and gradually covering the entire city. Enjoying the evening breeze, he really wanted to shout like before, "Hello, everyone." But it was late, and the old gentlemen and Sister Li were probably already asleep. Better not shout. At this moment. The two old gentlemen were whispering with their spouses, discussing warm topics befitting their age. The articulate Old Mr. Wang only had to tell his spouse: You’ve worked hard. It’s good to have you. But the well-educated Old Mr. Zhou was spontaneous as he held his wife, Grandma Liang, softly saying, "As long as you are here, there’s hope in life." "You’re here, I’m here, till the seas dry up and rocks decay. No fancy words needed, just a simple ’I love you’ keeps us caring for each other deeply." "Promising you my loyalty was the most timeless scenery of my muted years. I always wanted to say, no matter where I go, where I most want to be is by your side." Grandma Liang, a romantic at heart, still cherished such loving words at her age. Snuggling in her spouse’s arms. "Just for one person, for a lifetime, to the ends of the earth, just wishing you peace!" ... Sister Li’s room. Li Mei cradled a photo album, gently touching the photos—it was her husband. By day, she had to feign strength, but at night, her endless longing washed over her with tears. "Qingyang, I miss you so much." "Feifei and I are doing well now, we’ve met kind people and moved to a new home, Feifei is also studying diligently. If you were here, the three of us could be together, living a wonderful life." "If you saw Lin Fan, the young man who’s been helping us, you’d really like him, pulling him to drink and swear brotherhood, bringing him along to play the games you couldn’t put down." Li Mei talked to herself, speaking her recent longing to him. The neighboring room. In her sleep, Feifei muttered in her dreams. "Grandma Liang, this question is so hard, I can’t do it." "Ah... why are there so many tests? Uncle, stop buying them, I can’t finish them all!" "So scary, so scary..." Perhaps the apocalypse was not the scariest thing for Feifei; what was truly frightening was having to continue studying, to keep filling out endless test papers, despite the apocalypse, and there was an uncle always ready to buy more tests for her. That was truly terrifying. Room 704. Lin Fan lay in bed, seemingly staring at the ceiling, but actually looking at a screen. "Time to allocate more points before sleep, it should help with sleeping." [Name]: Lin Fan. [Strength]: 125. (Transcendent) [Vitality]: 65. (Super Strong) [Speed]: 62. (Super Strong) [Points]: 0. Finished allocating points, he looked at the screen. "Added so many, huh? I was chopping zombies from the roof down three floors in that building, did I really chop that many?" Couldn’t remember. Forget it. Better not to worry about it. Anyway, add points however I want, wherever I want. Time to sleep. Pulling up the blankets, suddenly, an arm reached out and pulled a teddy bear back into the bed. The night was very quiet and beautiful. Everyone, it’s time to sleep. PS: Twenty-four hours a day, eight hours for sleeping, leaving sixteen hours. At two thousand words per hour, I should update 32,000 words, but why do I update so little? Is it my fault? No, it sure isn’t. It’s definitely because you guys aren’t voting, hehehe...