Being Able to Eat Your Fill Is a Blessing

Chapter 14: To Be Full is a Blessing

The morning of June 27, 2017.

It was only 6:30 AM, and Cheng Yun's eyes were still sore from working the night shift until 2 AM. He had only slept for about four hours, his head feeling groggy, but thinking of the thin, innocent girl from yesterday, he still got up with his alarm.

Last night, he seemed to have dreamt again. The dream was still of mountains and rivers, as if the Old Mage had never seen anything besides scenery in his life.

He had a pair of fake eyes.

Summer days dawned before 6 AM, but this morning, a thin layer of fog had settled over the city, making the streets hazy and the morning particularly cool.

Cheng Yun stood at the entrance of the hotel, gazing down one end of the street, covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned, feeling his eyes grow increasingly sore and swollen.

He rubbed his eyes. As soon as he lowered his hand, a slender figure appeared on the misty street.

Startled by the cool morning air, Cheng Yun jolted.

He would remember this morning for a long time—the slender girl dragging large bags of luggage, walking step by determined step towards him along the edge of the street. Her silhouette gradually sharpened from blurry to distinct in the fog, becoming lifelike, like a distant silhouette from memory finally recalled.

Cheng Yun hurried over. Under her dazed gaze, he took the bundle of pillows and blankets from her hands, then pulled her rolling suitcase, frowning as he said, "Didn't you say you didn't have much luggage? You should have said something so I could pick you up!"

Yu Dian breathed a sigh of relief. Holding the folding table in front of her with both hands, she followed him, her face red as she stammered nervously, "Thank you for your trouble, Boss Cheng."

Cheng Yun smiled, pulling her luggage into the hotel and carrying it all the way to the storage room between the first and second floors. "Some of the less frequently used luggage can be stored here for now. You'll have to make a trip when you need it. Pack your daily necessities and take them to room 311 on the third floor. Once the youth hostel over there is renovated, you can pick a room and settle in."

"Okay," Yu Dian nodded, then opened her rolling suitcase on the spot, taking out a plastic bag containing toiletries, an old laptop, its charger, and so on. She closed the suitcase again and held the items, looking at Cheng Yun. "I'm ready."

"Uh..." Cheng Yun was taken aback. This girl was carrying such large bags, yet her belongings were so few.

"Alright, I'll take you up," Cheng Yun said, helping her pick up the folding table and heading upstairs.

With two beeps of the card, he unlocked the door, revealing a hallway to Yu Dian. A soft, dark red carpet covered the floor, and only by looking forward could one see the living room. "If no guests book this room, you can stay here for now."

"Ah?" Yu Dian walked in, looking at the mini-living room and the decor, which was clearly different from a standard room. She turned back to Cheng Yun, asking uncertainly, "I... stay here?"

"Business has been good these past few days, so other rooms are likely to be fully booked. This is the least likely to be booked," Cheng Yun said with a smile, also feeling a bit helpless. "Enjoy it for now. Once those youth hostel rooms are renovated, you won't get such a large room."

"I..." Yu Dian glanced at the sofa in the living room and turned to face him. "I'll sleep on the sofa. The sofa is quite wide."

"No need to be so frugal. Washing the sheets and duvet cover doesn't cost much," Cheng Yun felt he was quite generous, at least not like those unscrupulous bosses who only cared about making money.

"Oh," Yu Dian finally nodded in agreement.

"Then you get settled. I'll go down and make breakfast for you. You start work at seven."

"I... I don't have much to unpack," Yu Dian said, placing her toiletries in the bathroom. The large bathtub almost blinded her.

By then, Cheng Yun had already left. She stood in the room, turning her head and looking around blankly. If she couldn't live in this room permanently, she would definitely feel a sense of unreality.

A brand-new mini-kitchen, a small but fully equipped living room, even a mini-projector and a computer. Outside was a floor-to-ceiling window and a large balcony facing east. The curtains were half-drawn, and the morning sun was just filtering in. The decor was like a house from a TV show...

This was the most expensive room in the entire hotel.

Yu Dian couldn't help but pull the curtains fully open, push open the floor-to-ceiling window, and step out, taking a deep breath.

In the distance, she could see the teaching buildings of Yida and a small half of the sports field. The rest was blocked by towering buildings. The view wasn't actually that great, but to her, it was already incredibly precious.

Thinking of the small room without a window, which was only slightly larger than the bathroom, she felt a surge of emotion.

"Wuu~~"

Yu Dian clenched her fists for herself, turned back to close the window, picked up her computer and charging cable, and headed downstairs.

She had a general idea of the hotel's recent situation, as Cheng Yun had told her yesterday—business had been good lately, but this suite was hard to book, while other room types were in high demand. So, she would probably stay here for a few days, and once she settled in, she would likely move to a mini-single or standard single room.

Yu Dian walked to the front desk on the first floor, checked the equipment, placed her laptop on the desk, plugged in the computer cable, and then propped her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Not long after, Cheng Yan pushed the door open and came in from outside. She looked a bit unwell and immediately spotted Yu Dian sitting at the counter.

Yu Dian quickly came back to her senses. Seeing Cheng Yan, she wanted to greet her but didn't know what to call her. She hesitated for a few seconds, her face turning red, and finally managed to blurt out, "Good morning, boss."

Cheng Yan paused, then nodded naturally. "Starting work so early?"

"Yes," Yu Dian nodded. "It's not early."

"It's... not even seven yet!" Cheng Yan looked up at her watch, acting every bit the boss. "Where's Cheng Yun?"

"Upstairs, making breakfast."

"Oh," Cheng Yan nodded, sat down on the sofa, and lowered her head, dozing silently.

She didn't know why, but for the past few days, she had been fine staying at the hotel, falling asleep quickly in bed. But yesterday, after she went home, alone in the empty house, on her familiar bed, the faces and voices of her parents kept flashing through her mind. Memories surged like a tide, and past scenes replayed before her eyes, tormenting her, making her toss and turn, unable to sleep. She didn't know how many times her pillow had gotten wet.

Cheng Yan kept reaching for her mobile phone to distract herself all night, but as soon as she lay down, she would start overthinking, only gradually falling asleep when she was utterly exhausted.

The last time she looked at her phone was around four o'clock.

She woke up at six.

"Hmm? You're here just in time." Cheng Yun came downstairs with a bowl of egg noodles in one hand. He placed one bowl on the counter and the other on the coffee table in front of Cheng Yan. "If you want chili, wait a moment, I'll bring it down later."

"No, thank you," Cheng Yan said.

"Thank you, I also... don't need it," Yu Dian said, still a bit embarrassed. The clear broth noodles with sesame oil and the fried egg sprinkled with scallions gave off an enticing aroma.

"Then you two eat first. I'll go up and make another bowl," Cheng Yun said, and went upstairs again.

Soon, he brought a bowl of noodles to the Old Mage, then came down with his own bowl and sat next to Cheng Yan on the sofa, eating.

"Your complexion is terrible, like you stayed up all night at an internet cafe!" Cheng Yun asked, slurping a large mouthful of noodles. He added, "You aren't scared to be home alone and couldn't sleep, are you?"

"Tch!" Cheng Yan scoffed. "Am I that timid?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what's the problem!"

"Since you're already here, eat up and go upstairs for a nap!" Cheng Yun didn't press further; he knew the reason. This was a good opportunity to test how effective the 'General Inn Magic Array' the Old Mage had set up was, using Cheng Yan as the test subject.

"Fine!" Cheng Yan mumbled, quickly finishing the bowl of noodles. She grabbed the universal room key from the counter and headed upstairs.

Watching her retreating back, Cheng Yun paused, intending to call her back to wash the dishes after eating!

Fortunately, the young lady at the front desk was very considerate. After drinking the soup clean, she whispered to Cheng Yun, "Since no one's here now, I'll wash them. It'll only take a moment... You must have slept late last night. You should go rest too."

"No need."

"I'll feel... very embarrassed," Yu Dian said, pursing her lips slightly. The egg noodles this morning were much tastier than the cold steamed buns from the fridge!

"Then you wash them," Cheng Yun said, putting down his bowl decisively. "I'm going upstairs to rest. I'll be up before noon to cook."

"Okay, thank you... thank you."

Yu Dian hugged the bowl and stood obediently by the counter. After watching him go upstairs, she carried the bowl to the sink in the corner. She licked her lips, the taste of sesame oil still lingering. She hadn't had such a 'sumptuous' breakfast in a long time.

Cheng Yun slept soundly until eleven. He went to the market to buy leftover ingredients and made a simple meal of three dishes and one soup for lunch.

Of course, for young Yu Dian, this was already a 'delicacy' she hadn't eaten in a long time.

Cheng Yun brought the dishes to the coffee table, set out bowls and chopsticks, took off his apron, and wiped his hands before heading upstairs. "If you're hungry, eat first. I'm going upstairs to call her."

"I... I'm not hungry," Yu Dian said, swallowing hard as she looked at the three dishes.

About five minutes later, Cheng Yun came downstairs with Cheng Yan, whose hair was messy and eyes still heavy with sleep. Yu Dian quickly hid the eagerness in her eyes and sat obediently on a small stool, handing them bowls and chopsticks and serving them rice.

The three of them started eating without a word.

Yu Dian still ate only from the plate in front of her, feeling constrained. However, her eyes, which couldn't help but dart around the table, were noticed by Cheng Yun and Cheng Yan.

"Ahem," Cheng Yun coughed and moved the taro chicken from in front of Cheng Yan to Yu Dian. "Take whatever you want to eat. Don't be shy. Room and board were agreed upon from the start."

"Mhm," Yu Dian blushed.

"Besides, if things go as expected, we'll be eating at the same table for a long time. It won't do if you're always so hesitant," Cheng Yan added. "Look at me, I don't do anything and I'm still freeloading meals, and I'm not even embarrassed."

"I understand..." Hearing them say that, Yu Dian felt even more embarrassed.

Soon, she finished a bowl of rice. She cast a lingering glance at the dishes on the table, put down her chopsticks, and said, "I'm full. You... eat slowly. I'll wash the dishes later."

Cheng Yan helplessly pulled her back.

Cheng Yun also smiled and, cooperating with Cheng Yan, served Yu Dian another bowl of rice. "Eat more, you have to work this afternoon!"

Yu Dian felt her cheeks burn. Facing the new bowl of rice and the remaining dishes on the table, she paused for a moment before finally slowly picking up her chopsticks. "Then... I won't be polite."

"Yes, from now on, don't be polite," Cheng Yun said. "How much can you eat anyway!"

"Mhm."

After finishing her meal, Yu Dian voluntarily washed the dishes and returned to the counter. She peeked cautiously at the empty staircase—Cheng Yun had gone upstairs for something and she didn't know when he would come down, while Cheng Yan had left after eating.

Only then did she open her old laptop and enter the password.

She had saved up to buy the laptop in college. It wasn't expensive to begin with, and she had repaired it a few times. Although it still worked, the keyboard was quite worn.

It didn't matter; she had long since memorized the position of every key and could type without looking.

The plastic-sounding keyboard clicks echoed from the front desk, with long intervals. Whenever a guest passed by the counter, Yu Dian would stop like a startled deer, secretly watching them. Only after they left would she cautiously continue typing. Occasionally, she would tilt her head in thought or rest her chin on her hand, daydreaming, trying to recall what she had been typing before being interrupted.

The afternoon passed quickly. Yu Dian stretched, loosening her stiff neck and fingers. She was extremely satisfied with this job—

As Cheng Yun had said, the work was indeed very easy. Business had been very good these past few days. She had received about twenty guests in total, but each interaction only took a few minutes. She could arrange the rest of her time freely.

Although she was often disturbed by guests coming and going and delivery drivers, they couldn't see the laptop behind the counter. At most, it just made her pause for a moment.

Compared to the meals, this was insignificant.

Cheng Yun didn't come down until almost five o'clock. He had intended to take over the shift from Yu Dian, but she blushed and waved her hand, saying, "You... you should go rest a bit longer. I want to work a little more."

She still had something unfinished and decided to complete it here to avoid having to recall it later.

Cheng Yun was stunned at the time.

Were there employees like this!?

In the end, he dazedly agreed to his employee's request, albeit reluctantly. He felt that if he didn't have to cook, he definitely wouldn't have agreed.

When Cheng Yan returned from outside, she was also surprised to see Yu Dian still on duty. She frowned and asked, "Why are you still working?"

After speaking, she glanced at Cheng Yun and asked, "Did you take advantage of her being naive and kind to bully her?"

Yu Dian quickly waved her hands and said, "I wanted to work a little longer myself."

Cheng Yan was also taken aback, but she was ultimately much calmer than Cheng Yun. She just nodded and said, "That's good. You can't be too soft when you're out in the world, or people will take advantage of you."

Yu Dian nodded, deeply understanding this.

...But she was powerless.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Cheng Yun asked Cheng Yan. "Don't go back. You're alone at home, and if you get hungry in the middle of the night, there's no one to make you noodles."

Cheng Yan didn't speak, implicitly agreeing.

Although she didn't want to admit it, the fact was that she slept much more soundly at this inn, as if... she had a sense of spiritual reliance.

The contract editor is so busy, whimper