Tacheng, Central District.
Early in the morning, Cuihua carried a vegetable basket toward her employer's home.
The basket held a piece of mutton, half a chicken, and some eggs and fruit. Her employer was an Awakened who could collect food from the Combat Supply Depot every day.
As his housekeeper, she benefited as well and could often improve her family's meals.
After turning from the main road onto the side road leading to the wealthy district, Cuihua crossed a long street, then easily made her way through an alley to take a shortcut.
People streamed along the long street, and uniformed combat personnel patrolled from time to time.
This made her feel at ease.
Several children were chasing each other and playing at the alley entrance. From their clothes, it was obvious they came from wealthy families. Their carefree appearance made Cuihua sigh.
"Different people really do have different fates."
"People outside fight with everything they have for a bite to eat, while the children here can still be picky—refusing this and that..."
Thinking of her employer's seven- or eight-year-old son's picky eating, she shook her head.
Actually, two years ago, when everything was still normal, her own child had been just as picky. He refused vegetables and fruit, loved nothing but meat, and even demanded that it be prepared differently every day... That nasty habit had already been cured.
Even cilantro, which he had once detested, could now be eaten with relish.
"An illusion can always change a person..."
Thinking of how her son had changed, a maternal tenderness welled up in her heart.
Now, not only had the boy's picky eating been cured, but thanks to her employer, he had also found a clerical job at a local factory—not a large one, but not a small one either.