Xu Ye arrived at the residential compound to find a group of residents standing there, their faces sallow and their clothes covered in patches. Most were thin and gaunt, though they kept themselves reasonably clean.
Those who lived here were also refugees, without residency permits.
Still, they had fairly stable jobs.
Most farmed for the authorities, taught, or ran small shops selling metal components.
"What happened?"
Xu Ye walked up behind a mother and daughter and asked softly.
The woman turned around and gave him a gentle smile when she saw who it was.
She was around thirty, plainly dressed but with a lovely figure. Xu Ye noticed that her left arm, which she had lost years ago, had been replaced with a mechanical one, its metal contours sleek and smooth.
These mechanical arms were manufactured by the Twin Star Corporation. In the early years, they could only be produced in small batches, but mass production seemed to have begun in recent years, bringing the cost down.
The woman was a teacher in the refugee district, earning a sizable income by local standards. With the money Xu Ye occasionally sent her as well, she had finally been able to get a mechanical arm a few days ago.
The harsh living conditions here left women with fine wrinkles at the corners of their eyes even at thirty, but she possessed a gentle, intellectual beauty.
"Little Ye, what brings you here? Didn't I tell you not to send us any more money?" Chen Yu chided him.
"Brother Ye!"
The little girl holding the woman's hand wore a simple ponytail and a floral dress. She cried out in delight when she saw Xu Ye.
Her eyes sparkled, and her delicate features already showed the beginnings of a beauty.
"Chen Yu, Little Hua." Xu