Chapter 13 The Sweetness of Lard Candy When Hungry at Midnight…

Bai Yuanzhi opened the door and let Zhou Zhaodi into the room.

The landlord must have had someone come during the day to install an extra bunk bed for Bai Yuanzhi.

This made the already cramped space feel even more stifling.

With both of them standing in the room at the same time, they could only face each other pressed close together, with no room to even turn around!

Bai Yuanzhi instructed Zhou Zhaodi, “Wait outside for a bit while I tidy up.”

—She had to properly sort and store the bedding, clothes, hangers, and other things she had kept from her eldest sister.

Zhou Zhaodi stood at the doorway munching on a jianbing guozi. Watching Bai Yuanzhi swiftly organize the inexplicably increased belongings, she asked, “Third Sister, where did all this stuff come from?”

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t hide it from her. “I went to Eldest Sister’s dorm and brought her luggage back. I kept the quilt and a few sets of clothes here, and sent the rest to Mom… By the way, do you want the top bunk or the bottom bunk?”

Zhou Zhaodi eyed the newly installed wooden bunk bed with a look of disgust and said, “I’ll take the bottom bunk.”

Bai Yuanzhi then pointed to a pile of books in the corner of the bed and told Zhou Zhaodi, “All of these are Eldest Sister’s books. You absolutely must not damage them.”

Zhou Zhaodi rolled her eyes. “I don’t know many characters anyway, what would I do with those books!”

Despite saying that, Zhou Zhaodi still picked up the small stack of books, opened one, and took a look. “Wow, it’s all in English? Eldest Sister is that good?”

Bai Yuanzhi was in an especially cheerful mood today—she had finally managed to keep Eldest Sister’s diary.

So, with rare patience, she advised Zhou Zhaodi, “You should learn some English too… In this place, being good at English is more useful than being good at Chinese.”

“How would you know?” Zhou Zhaodi habitually retorted and questioned.

Bai Yuanzhi smiled. “Haven’t you noticed that all the shop signs and advertisements on the streets have English on them? And the more upscale the place, the more English and less Chinese there is.”

Zhou Zhaodi pursed her lips. “You make it sound so easy! I can barely read Chinese characters, how am I supposed to learn English?”

“Eldest Sister has been here for six years and is already a junior in university. How did she manage it?” Bai Yuanzhi said word by word. “We’re all children of the same parents; our intelligence shouldn’t be that far apart.”

Zhou Zhaodi continued making excuses. “But self-studying… that’s hard, isn’t it?”

Bai Yuanzhi admitted frankly, “Yes, it’s best to attend night school.”

—Eldest Sister Zhou Sier had relied on attending night school to earn her high school diploma, then took the Hong Kong University entrance exam. Even Bai Yuanzhi in her previous life was the same—she worked during the day to earn money and spent it on night school classes in the evenings to gain knowledge, which allowed her to get into university.

Zhou Zhaodi, as always, tried to evade. “Oh, but I don’t have any money!”

After a pause, she asked Bai Yuanzhi, “Was there any money in Eldest Sister’s luggage?”

Bai Yuanzhi shook her head. “No money.”

“Really none?”

“None.”

Zhou Zhaodi sighed. “If there was, you took it!” As she spoke, she carefully observed Bai Yuanzhi’s expression.

Bai Yuanzhi frowned, her tone turning fierce. “If you want to keep living here, then watch your mouth! Only say things I want to hear! Remember, I’m the one paying the rent for this place—you haven’t paid a single cent!”

Zhou Zhaodi immediately shut her mouth.

After a moment’s thought, she couldn’t help but softly defend herself, “I was just saying it casually, why are you making such a big deal out of it? So weird…”

Bai Yuanzhi snorted coldly.

It had to be said that with the addition of eldest sister Zhou Sier’s luggage, this empty subdivided flat finally had a tiny bit of a home-like feel.

Bai Yuanzhi unhesitatingly laid out eldest sister’s bedding on the upper bunk, focusing on making her own sleeping area soft and comfortable.

The lower bunk was left for Zhou Zhaodi to sleep on, so Bai Yuanzhi casually tossed the semi-old blanket that landlord Aunt Huang had given yesterday onto the bed board.

Zhou Zhaodi was unhappy, “Third sister, what are you doing? Didn’t I say I’d sleep on the lower bunk? Then why did you fix up the upper bunk so nicely? You… you’re just giving me such a thin blanket?”

Bai Yuanzhi, “This is the house I’m renting with my money. If you want to stay, stay; if not, get out!”

Zhou Zhaodi shut her mouth, feeling aggrieved.

Bai Yuanzhi then sorted through the few pieces of clothing she had kept from eldest sister’s luggage.

The bright, brand-new clothes that looked a bit expensive were all neatly packed and sent to the Wu family. Later, when eldest sister woke up, recovered from her injuries, and was discharged from the hospital, she could continue wearing those clothes.

What Bai Yuanzhi kept were two semi-old but sturdy jeans, two seventy-percent-new T-shirts, and a thin cardigan sportswear that had faded from washing.

There was also a pair of seventy-percent-new sneakers, with the toe area already peeling.

Bai Yuanzhi checked the shoe size—it was one she could wear—so she kept those too.

Besides that, Bai Yuanzhi also kept eldest sister’s shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, clothes hangers, a small pot, simply packaged oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and half a box of noodles.

Bai Yuanzhi ran in and out, borrowing nails and a hammer from Uncle Rong next door.

She hammered a few nails into the wall of the upper bunk, took out a long, thin clothesline from eldest sister’s luggage, tied a few knots in the rope, and then fastened it to the nails.

Then she hung the clothes Aunt Huang had given, the clothes Zhou Xiangmei had given, and the jeans and T-shirts she had kept from eldest sister on the rope.

This became an instant clothing storage rack.

Pouting, Zhou Zhaodi asked, “Third sister, which ones are mine?”

Bai Yuanzhi, “Figure it out yourself!”

Zhou Zhaodi got angry and pointed at the jeans and T-shirts, saying, “Those two sets of clothes are from eldest sister’s luggage, right? I should get one of them!”

Bai Yuanzhi, “Then if you want to live in my house, shouldn’t you pay half the rent?”

Zhou Zhaodi was speechless and shut her mouth angrily.

After tidying up the clothes, Bai Yuanzhi organized the toiletries and kitchen supplies, took stock of everything, and prepared to go out shopping.

When Zhou Zhaodi heard that Bai Yuanzhi was going out to buy things, she immediately got excited, “Great, great! Third sister, I’ll go with you!”

Bai Yuanzhi sneered but didn’t refuse.

The shopping place was very close, just in the stairwell on the first floor of this building.

Landlord Aunt Huang ran a small shop there.

Bai Yuanzhi bought a toothbrush, two towels, two pounds of rice, two pairs of underwear, two bras, a pack of toilet paper, and three hair ties for one yuan…

It cost sixteen yuan.

Money really doesn’t go far!

Bai Yuanzhi sighed.

Zhou Zhaodi pointed at the Ferrero Rocher chocolates in the glass counter, “Third sister, let’s buy one of these to try!”

Bai Yuanzhi had no intention of indulging her. “I don’t have money. If you want it, buy it yourself.”

Zhou Zhaodi then pointed at the Lindt chocolate. “This one’s fine too.”

Bai Yuanzhi replied, “I’m not buying it.”

Zhou Zhaodi pouted and slid her finger over to the sarsaparilla soda. “Then this one should be okay, right? This isn’t imported, so it must be cheaper, right?”

Bai Yuanzhi was annoyed. “Don’t you have five hundred dollars in your hand? If you want to eat, spend your own money!”

With that, Bai Yuanzhi raised her voice and called out, “Aunt Huang! My sister wants to buy Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Lindt chocolate, and sarsaparilla soda!”

Zhou Zhaodi was startled. “Are you crazy? I don’t want any of that!”

Bai Yuanzhi continued shouting, “Aunt Huang, two of each! My sister is paying!”

Aunt Huang responded from inside, “Alright, alright!”

Terrified, Zhou Zhaodi turned and ran, not forgetting to yell, “Aunt Huang, I don’t want it, I don’t want it!” Then, with her feet spinning like windmills, she quickly fled upstairs.

Bai Yuanzhi sneered, spent fifty cents to buy five small pieces of lard candy, and tucked them away close to her body.

Back in the subdivided flat, Bai Yuanzhi began washing her hair and bathing properly.

She scrubbed her eldest sister’s plastic bucket several times until it was clean enough to hold hot water for bathing;

Her eldest sister’s shampoo was still more than half full, fragrant and rich, leaving her hair incredibly smooth after washing;

The soap her eldest sister had used was almost new. Bai Yuanzhi carefully scrubbed off the surface layer, then lathered it up to cleanse her body, leaving her feeling clean and refreshed;

The half bottle of cucumber facial cleanser her eldest sister had left behind was also incredibly effective, with a particularly fresh scent…

Because the subdivided flat was so small,

Bai Yuanzhi had to bathe behind the door.

Zhou Zhaodi could either go out…

But she was utterly terrified of the feeling of being homeless and refused to leave no matter what.

So she had no choice but to curl up on the bed.

Even though Bai Yuanzhi had asked Aunt Huang for a plastic sheet to use as a shower curtain, hanging it in front of the bed,

the steam from the bath still made the tiny subdivided flat damp, hot, and stuffy!

Feeling gloomy, Zhou Zhaodi leaned against the window, which was as small as a prison ventilation window, and looked outside.

“Third Sister, the houses outside are so grand, and there are so many tall buildings…” Zhou Zhaodi murmured. “But why do we have to live in such a small, cramped place? Back in our hometown, even the chicken coop was bigger than this, and the pigs lived better than us…”

Bai Yuanzhi had already dressed and was drying her hair with a towel.

Hearing this, she smiled and said, “Everyone who comes here wants to make something of themselves. The key is to have goals, a plan, and to put your ambitions into action…”

Zhou Zhaodi shot Bai Yuanzhi a glare. “Hmph, you’re just trying to force me to go out and work again.”

Bai Yuanzhi replied, “Whether you work or not is up to you. I already told you from the start—I’ll only let you stay for three months at most.”

Zhou Zhaodi bit her lower lip. “You don’t have to keep saying that! If Eldest Sister is better in three months, I’ll go with her! If she’s not better, I’ll go back to Mom! I won’t rely on you, okay?”

Bai Yuanzhi said, “It’s a deal.”

Zhou Zhaodi felt bitter and angry.

After Bai Yuanzhi finished bathing, it was Zhou Zhaodi’s turn.

Bai Yuanzhi despised her,

forbidding Zhou Zhaodi from using her bucket and towel, and not allowing her to use her soap or toothbrush either.

Zhou Zhaodi’s eyes reddened with anger. “You’re just taking advantage of Eldest Sister yourself…”

Bai Yuanzhi said word by word, “This room is rented by me, everything in it belongs to me. I do not allow my personal items to come into intimate contact with your body! If you can’t manage that, or if you try to secretly use my bucket, towel, toothbrush, or anything like that, then I’ll kick you out!”

Zhou Zhaodi let out a pitiful whimper.

In the end, she angrily imitated Bai Yuanzhi, turned on the simple gas stove, boiled water in a small pot, poured it into a plastic washbasin (which also belonged to Zhou Sier), and then used dirty clothes as a towel to wash her hair and bathe.

Bai Yuanzhi had no intention of staying in the room to steam like a sauna, so she stepped outside.

Most of the neighbors in the subdivided flat had returned.

Finance guy Liu Zhengsong walked in from outside, carrying a briefcase in one hand and takeout food in the other, greeting everyone one by one;

Sister Lian yawned as she came out of her room, ready to head to the nightclub for her part-time job as a waiter;

Young single mother Sister Wen had also just gotten off work. She had picked up her five-year-old son Xiao Wen from kindergarten, and the mother and son returned chatting and laughing, with Sister Wen carrying raw pork, vegetables, and the like;

Uncle Rong, who had been widowed for many years, lived in a subdivided flat with his elderly mother and son. At the moment, the hard-of-hearing old lady was chatting loudly with her grandson;

There was also Miss Zhao, who worked as a clerk at a trading company, and Miss Chen, who shared the rent with her. They had likely just finished shopping, returning with smiles, carrying newly bought clothes in one hand and half-finished cola and beer in the other…

This subdivided flat was still full of life.

Sister Lian asked Bai Yuanzhi, “When are you coming to work with me?”

Bai Yuanzhi replied, “It might take a few more days.”

Sister Lian asked curiously, “Are you that busy?”

Bai Yuanzhi sighed, “My sister is in the hospital, still lying in the ICU!”

Sister Lian suddenly understood, “Then you should definitely take care of your sister first… No rush, we can talk after you’re done!”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded.

After Sister Lian left, Uncle Rong asked Bai Yuanzhi, “Your sister is in the hospital? In the ICU? What’s wrong with her?”

Bai Yuanzhi vaguely said, “She hit the back of her head.”

Uncle Rong exclaimed, “ICU is expensive! My wife was like that before—she had uterine cancer. We took her to the hospital for surgery, but unfortunately, the surgery failed. Later, she lasted two nights in the ICU before passing away… the daily cost was almost two thousand dollars!”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded.

Upon hearing this, the neighbors quickly gathered around, “Ah Zhi, you must be really short on money now, right?”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded repeatedly, “To be honest with everyone, after renting this room, I only have ten dollars left… I need to work to earn money, but I can’t find the time right now. If any of you have connections and can help me find a job with daily pay, I would really appreciate it!”

The neighbors looked at each other.

Single mother Sister Wen spoke up, “Ah Zhi, the mall where I work is hiring shelf salespeople. It’s six hours a day, with daily pay, a base wage of ten dollars, and includes a boxed meal. The job is to promote whatever products the mall stocks to customers… sometimes it’s sauces or condiments, sometimes candy, sometimes women’s underwear, leather shoes, cosmetics, or things like that. For anything you sell, you get a three percent commission.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuanzhi quickly asked Sister Wen for the specific details of the job.

Sister Wen told her that if she wanted a more relaxed schedule, she should choose the morning shift, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—during this time, only housewives would typically wander around the mall, so there weren’t many opportunities to make sales.

If she wanted to earn more, she should choose the evening shift, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.—most Hong Kongers liked to enjoy the free air conditioning in the mall after dinner, so foot traffic was high, and there were more chances to make sales.

Bai Yuanzhi immediately arranged with Sister Wen to take the early sales shift the next day.

Then, Miss Zhao and Miss Chen from the Trading Company also provided Bai Yuanzhi with job leads.

Miss Zhao said, “Ah Zhi, our company is also hiring part-time workers, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., five days a week. The position is for a front desk assistant, with responsibilities like cleaning the office, helping with photocopying and printing, ordering lunch for colleagues, and leaving after distributing afternoon tea at 3 p.m. But the salary probably can’t be paid daily; the monthly wage should be around five hundred yuan… Of course, if you have a high school diploma and good English, you could work as a clerk at our company, five days a week with a monthly salary of fifteen hundred yuan.”

Hearing this, Bai Yuanzhi was also tempted and asked Miss Zhao a few more questions.

Miss Chen also told Bai Yuanzhi that the company she worked for wasn’t far from Miss Zhao’s company. While her company wasn’t hiring front desk staff, the building management office had posted a job advertisement for a cleaner…

Bai Yuanzhi listened with great interest to everyone’s discussions.

Then—

Somehow, the conversation turned into a job fair.

Everyone shared the reliable job openings they knew about and, in turn, received useful part-time job information from others…

On the spot, everyone picked out suitable part-time jobs, enthusiastically exchanged contact information for interviews the next day, and then happily headed home.

Bai Yuanzhi also returned to her subdivided flat, a lingering smile still on her face.

However, when she saw what Zhou Zhaodi was doing, the smile vanished instantly!

Because—

Zhou Zhaodi was standing on the lower bunk, stretching her arms and desperately grabbing at the clothes Bai Yuanzhi had hung on the wall of the upper bunk…

It was unclear whether she wanted to take Bai Yuanzhi’s clothes or rummage through the pockets for money.

Zhou Zhaodi was startled by Bai Yuanzhi’s sudden return!

She quickly withdrew her hand, jumped down from the upper bunk, hunched her shoulders, and swiftly crawled deep into the lower bunk, awkwardly saying, “Third Sister, y-you’re back so soon?”

Then she added in a small voice, “I-I was just hungry… wanted to see if you had any food left.”

Bai Yuanzhi said coldly, “If you’re hungry, go buy your own food! It’s not like you don’t have money.”

Zhou Zhaodi bit her lower lip and said nothing.

That night, Bai Yuanzhi slept soundly in the upper bunk.

But Zhou Zhaodi, sleeping in the lower bunk, tossed and turned restlessly, like a pancake sizzling in a hot pan.

After what felt like a long time, Bai Yuanzhi was suddenly awakened by Zhou Zhaodi’s movements.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Yuanzhi asked groggily.

Zhou Zhaodi whispered, “Sis, I-I… need to go out for a bit.”

Bai Yuanzhi jolted awake. “Where are you going? Don’t go out this late at night. You don’t have Hong Kong City ID—if the police catch you, I won’t be able to save you.”

“Not far,” Zhou Zhaodi whispered. “I… I’m just going downstairs to Aunt Huang’s little shop to buy something.”

Bai Yuanzhi’s mind was fully alert now. “What do you need to buy? Get it tomorrow!”

Zhou Zhaodi was insistent. “No, I have to go right now.”

After a pause, she added unconvincingly, “I’m just going to buy a toothbrush. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she turned on the light, rustled around as she changed her clothes, and quickly slipped out the door.

Bai Yuanzhi rubbed her stomach, aching with hunger.

She knew Zhou Zhaodi all too well.

She knew that Zhaodi’s midnight trip to buy a toothbrush was just a cover…

What Zhaodi really wanted to buy was something to fill her stomach.

Bai Yuanzhi understood, so she fished out the lard candy she had bought at the little shop that evening.

These tiny treats were high in fat and sugar. Just one piece could soothe a desperately hungry stomach.

She placed a piece of lard candy in her mouth.

The rich, intensely sweet candy instantly warmed on its own in her mouth. The sugary syrup slowly slid down her esophagus into her stomach, filling her with boundless satisfaction.

Bai Yuanzhi took out another piece of lard candy and held it in her hand.

She thought, if Zhaodi came back with food and shared some with her, she would use this piece of candy to return the favor.

Before long, Zhou Zhaodi returned, and she really was holding a toothbrush.

But she must have brought back more than just that toothbrush.

Because she carried with her an overpowering scent of chocolate.

She waved the toothbrush in front of Bai Yuanzhi a few times but didn’t use it.

She turned off the light, crawled into the lower bunk, and fell silent.

Bai Yuanzhi kept waiting.

Even as the lard candy in her hand grew slightly soft, Zhou Zhaodi still didn’t say a word.

Bai Yuanzhi sneered, placed the candy on the windowsill, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.