Part-time Job, Earning a Hundred Yuan

Life is made of mundane trifles.

After finishing his meal, he washed the dishes until they were spotless; this was something every man who kept a home should do. Then came his nap. He set his alarm, woke up at two in the afternoon, stared at the ceiling in a daze, and slowly drifted back to sleep.

Ding, ding, ding...

The alarm rang.

Lin Fan got up, folded his quilt, poured a glass of water to hydrate, and then picked up a mop. He diligently mopped the floor, leaving the house clean and tidy.

Life doesn't have many earth-shattering events; it is often permeated with the ordinary. Of course, the extraordinary is great, but the ordinary is the tone and foundation of life.

He went downstairs.

He strolled through the residential complex as usual. Seeing trash on the ground, he picked it up and tossed it into a bin. There were no sanitation workers now, but even if there were, this was just a small effort.

This was everyone's complex, and it was his own as well.

He recalled the slogan: "The complex is my home, management depends on everyone."

He arrived at the vegetable patch. In just half a day, the scene had been completely transformed, standing in stark contrast to the previously abandoned land.

With just one glance, he knew what Sister Li and Grandma Xu had done.

They had cleared the weeds.

Tilling and preparing the soil was hard labor. It required turning the earth over—not too deep, just about the depth of a hoe. After turning it, they had to break up the clods to loosen the soil, which was better for planting.

Finally, they had raised the beds and made furrows.

It looked like a work of art, pleasing to the eye. Sister Li and Grandma Xu were truly capable at farming.

With their help, the complex would surely get better and better.

He reached the entrance of the complex. The old men weren't there, and the iron gate was locked. If he opened it, it would be a hassle to lock it again. Without much thought, he leaped up. He jumped quite high, clearing the gate entirely, and landed softly on the ground.

This was something he wouldn't have even dared to imagine before.

"Killing zombies earns points, and adding points makes me stronger. It's just like doing good deeds and getting praise or a 'Good Citizen' certificate. Hmm... perfectly reasonable."

He remained calm about the situation. His inner strength was manifesting in his physical capabilities, and he had to keep working hard.

As for the Little Assistant... what Little Assistant? It was all fake.

No problem there.

"I don't have a job right now, so I need to find one to support myself."

Lin Fan muttered to himself. Although he had three bank cards on him, that money belonged to others. In such difficult times, everyone was struggling, and he couldn't take advantage of them. He had to rely on his own efforts.

A small shop.

He walked into the cluttered store.

"Xiao Qing, I don't have a job lately, so I'm planning to do some part-time work. You know I'm diligent. I see your shop is a mess, so I'll tidy it up for you. Hmm... just give me a hundred yuan, how about it?"

Lin Fan smiled as he spoke to the quiet shop.

Xiao Qing, lying there, did not speak.

"Alright then, since you agree, I'll get to work. You don't even have to pay me; I'll just buy things from your shop instead."

Work had to be sought out; if someone didn't agree, it certainly wouldn't work.

Xiao Qing didn't speak, which was clearly an agreement.

Don't let the small size of this shop fool you; it was fully stocked with cleaning supplies.

He grabbed a bucket, drew some water, took a rag, and prepared to start with the windows outside. A storefront was the first impression a shop gave; if it were filthy, it would surely be off-putting.

He went outside and began wiping the glass carefully.

In the quiet street, his figure appeared particularly eye-catching, perhaps even possessing an indescribable sense of strangeness.

Lin Fan didn't work fast; he didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.

A while later.

He returned to the shop and placed the scattered goods back onto the shelves.

This was a fresh start. The shops on the street were all in disarray, filled with an indescribable desolation. He would start with this little shop. He had the confidence and certainty that he could clean up every single storefront.

The pay would surely be decent.

He wouldn't become rich and powerful, but he would have no trouble making a living.

Inside the small shop, Lin Fan worked diligently and tirelessly, bustling about without slacking off.

Several hours later.

Lin Fan stood at the entrance, looking at the brand-new shop, feeling satisfied. This was the result of his hard work all afternoon. The counter, previously covered in dust, was now clean enough to reflect light.

The goods that had been scattered across the floor were now neatly arranged on the shelves.

"Wonderful, finally finished."

Lin Fan smiled, then looked toward the three corpses—Xiao Qing, Xiao Fang, and an unknown shopper.

"Xiao Qing, Xiao Fang, you have already passed away. Let me send you to the other side—free of charge, no money taken. We were quite familiar with each other, so seeing you off is the least I can do."

He knew they were dead, yet he spoke to them as if they were still there. It wasn't that something was wrong with his head, but rather that he was reminiscing; it was just like before, when he would chat with people while shopping.

Buying goods, discussing work—he didn't need to use his mouth.

Could he even use sign language?

There were trash cans on the street. He had intended to drag one over, but to his surprise, many were already overflowing. Without the sanitation workers to clear them for so long, they were already emitting a foul stench.

There was no helping it; he just happened to be someone who liked to meddle in other people's business.

Just as before, he linked the trash cans together and pushed them to the shop entrance. He stuffed Xiao Qing, Xiao Fang, and that stranger's corpse into the cans and hauled them off to the waste station.

He was now like the only sanitation worker, the only laborer, and the only person in this residential area who believed that Huang City would return to normal.

No matter what happened.

He held onto that belief, never wavering.

On the balcony.

Old Man Wang watched Lin Fan walking down the street, pushing the trash cans. He didn't make a sound; unless one was brain-damaged, one wouldn't make noise that might draw zombies to Lin Fan.

He watched that figure, as if coming to some realization.

Lin Fan was still living according to his old routine. The arrival of the apocalypse hadn't changed him in the slightest. He had been this way all along; Old Man Wang had noticed it the moment he invited Lin Fan over for dinner.

When anyone else found themselves in the apocalypse living among other survivors, they would naturally support one another, share resources, and divide tasks clearly.

But here, the old man noticed it wasn't like that at all.

Lin Fan brought them here, helped them rent apartments, ran errands, and went shopping. When he returned, he would show them the receipts, proving that he had paid for everything he bought outside.

To anyone else, this would seem like a very strange way to behave.

But he could understand it.

Lin Fan treated them, the residents of the complex, as a curious relationship that was both a collective and a collection of individuals.

When trouble arose, everyone helped each other—that was the collective.

Not intruding on others' lives, living within one's own circle—that was the individual. It was exactly the same as it had been before the apocalypse arrived.

Paying for goods, paying rent, not casually disturbing others' personal space, polite greetings, finding things to do for oneself—these were all perfectly normal things in the past.

But in the apocalypse, it delivered a powerful shock to those who had grown accustomed to the end of the world.

"Sigh, what exactly did Lin Fan go through to keep such a mindset?"

Old Man Wang felt as if he understood, yet he didn't.

It was as if he had grasped something, yet it felt like he hadn't grasped anything at all.

Nighttime.

Back home, Lin Fan bought some snacks and water from Xiao Qing's shop.

He played on his computer, wanting to continue watching a movie.

But to his surprise, the internet had cut out.

He pondered, Is it because my subscription expired and I didn't pay the bill?

On second thought, that couldn't be it.

He still had a year left on his subscription. He checked the cables to see if there was some minor issue, just in case he was mistaken.

He restarted the router and the computer.

Still no internet.

"Sigh... how annoying. I still have a year of service left..." Lin Fan felt helpless. Even if the internet was down, what could he do? Demand a refund from the provider?

He knew that was just a pipe dream.

He went to the balcony and leaned against the railing, looking at the night view in the distance. It was pitch black, without a single glimmer of light, as if darkness had truly descended and completely engulfed Huang City.

But... even so.

Lin Fan looked back at his bright room. He was willing to light the final beacon for Huang City, to let it grow infinitely until it gradually enveloped the entire city.

Enjoying the night breeze, he really wanted to shout out loud just like before... "Everyone, hello!"

But it was getting late, and the old men and Sister Li should have already gone to sleep.

It was better not to shout.

At this moment.

The two old men were whispering to their respective wives. Having lived to this age, their conversations were all very heartwarming.

The eloquent Old Man Wang, when speaking to his wife, could only say:

"It's been hard on you, dear."

"It's so good to have you, dear."

But Old Man Zhou, who was well-read and highly educated, could recite sweet words with ease.

Old Man Zhou held his wife, Grandma Liang, in his arms and spoke softly.

"As long as you are here, there is hope in life."

"With you and me, it is a bond that will last until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble. There is no need for flowery language; just a simple 'I love you' is enough to keep us tethered to one another."

"A promise made to you is the most eternal scenery in my plain years. I have always wanted to say that no matter where I go, the place I most want to be is by your side."

Grandma Liang was a teacher and loved romantic words, even at her age, she still cherished them dearly.

She nestled into her husband's embrace.

"For one person alone, I would spend my whole life; to the ends of the earth, I only wish for your peace!"

In Sister Li's room.

Li Mei held an album, gently stroking a photograph. It was her husband. She had to pretend to be strong during the day, but at night, she was consumed by endless longing, washing her face with tears.

"Qingyang, I miss you so much."

"Feifei and I are doing well now. We met a good person and have moved into a new home. Feifei is studying hard, too. If you were here, our family of three could be reunited and live a wonderful life."

"If you could see Little Brother Lin Fan, who helped us mother and daughter, you would definitely like him. You'd pull him aside to drink, call him brother, and take him along to play the games you couldn't put down."

Li Mei spoke to herself, pouring out all the longing she had felt lately to him.

In the room next door.

Feifei was dreaming, muttering in her sleep.

"Grandma Liang, this problem is so hard, I don't know how to do it."

"Ah... why are there so many test papers? Uncle, please don't buy any more, I can't finish them all."

"So scary, so scary..."

Perhaps for Feifei, the apocalypse wasn't the most terrifying thing; what was truly terrifying was that even in the apocalypse, she still had to study, still had to do endless test papers, and had an uncle who would buy her more at any moment.

It really was terrifying.

Room 704.

Lin Fan lay on his bed, seemingly staring at the ceiling, but in reality, he was looking at his interface.

"Time to add points again. Adding points before bed should help me sleep."

[Name]: Lin Fan.

[Strength]: 125. (Transcendent)

[Stamina]: 65. (Superhuman)

[Speed]: 62. (Superhuman)

[Points]: 0.

He finished adding the points and looked at the interface.

"That's a lot of points. In that building, I hacked zombies from the rooftop down through more than three floors. Did I really hack that many?"

He couldn't remember.

Forget it.

It was better not to worry about it.

Anyway, whenever he had points, he would just add them, choosing whichever attribute he felt like.

Time to sleep.

He pulled the blanket over his head, then suddenly reached an arm out to pull his teddy bear into the covers with him.

The night was quiet and beautiful.

Everyone, let's go to sleep.

PS: There are twenty-four hours in a day, eight hours for sleep, leaving sixteen hours. At two thousand words per hour, I should be updating thirty-two thousand words, but why do I update so little? Is it my problem? No, it's definitely because you all aren't voting, hehehe...