The little girl, being greeted so formally for the first time, blushed and lowered her head, pointing casually as she said, “The washbasin is over there.”

After speaking, Shen Yue stepped aside, her eyes fixed nervously on the ground.

Jiang Cheng looked at the seven-year-old Shen Yue, who was about 1.2 meters tall. Her clothes were clean, and she wore two braids. Her eyes were a beautiful fox-like shape, with long eyelashes and chubby cheeks, making her look round and utterly adorable.

“Thank you.”

Jiang Cheng expressed her gratitude and borrowed the Shen family’s washbasin to wash her face.

At some point, Shen Yue had quietly appeared beside Jiang Cheng, holding a white towel.

She stood there obediently, and as soon as Jiang Cheng finished washing, she immediately handed over the white towel, speaking quickly as if afraid Jiang Cheng might misunderstand:
“It’s new. My eldest brother sent it back.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Another “thank you” from Jiang Cheng made the little girl blush again.

In Shen Yue’s small mind, she thought: Sister Jiang Cheng is so polite and gentle!

Jiang Cheng wiped the water from her face.

As she did so, the thick bangs covering her face were pushed aside.

Shen Yue’s little mouth gradually formed a circle, and her eyes sparkled with admiration.

Sister Jiang Cheng is so beautiful!

Even more beautiful than…

Shen Yue’s chubby face scrunched up as she tried to think of something to compare Jiang Cheng’s beauty to, but she couldn’t. All she knew was that Jiang Cheng was the most beautiful sister she had ever seen.

“Are you thinking about how I can be so pretty, huh?”

Jiang Cheng shamelessly praised herself while teasing little Shen Yue.

Shen Yue’s face remained red, but she nodded seriously and said, “Pretty! The prettiest! The most, most, most, most, most pretty!”

Not knowing many adjectives, Shen Yue simply used five “mosts” to express her agreement.

Jiang Cheng smiled brightly, her radiant and confident smile softening as she bent down to meet Shen Yue’s gaze. “Thank you for the compliment. Shen Yue is also the most, most, most, most polite and the most, most, most, most adorable little girl I’ve ever met!”

Shen Yue’s face instantly turned crimson.

Jiang Cheng’s smile grew even wider, and she couldn’t resist pinching Shen Yue’s chubby cheek. “How can you be so cute?”

What Jiang Cheng didn’t know was that her straightforward praise had just earned her a loyal little fan.

After washing up, Jiang Cheng and Shen Yue sat down together at the dining table.

The Shen family lived in the small three-room section on the right side of the east wing. There were two bedrooms, with the middle room serving as the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

The four of them sat around the table, which was set with a basin of cornmeal pancakes, a small pot of tomato soup with more tomatoes than eggs, and a serving of homemade pickled cowpea.

Grandma Shen said, “Let’s eat,” and took a pancake first.

Next, Shen Xing, the nine-year-old brother, placed a corn pancake into Shen Yue’s bowl.

“Eat up! Once we’re full, we can write to our eldest brother. It’ll get dark soon, and if we don’t hurry, we’ll waste electricity.”

“Yueyue, have you thought about what you want to write?”

“Make sure you think it through, so you don’t make mistakes while writing. If you erase too much, the paper might tear.”

“And make sure to write on both sides of the paper—it saves money!”

“I already thought about what to write last night—mmph!”

Shen Xing’s words were cut off as a corn pancake was shoved into his mouth.

Grandma Shen put her hand down, not even glancing at Shen Xing, and instead looked at Jiang Cheng. “If I didn’t stop him, he’d talk for an hour.”

“That’s not true!”

Shen Xing held the corn pancake, his little face serious as he explained to Jiang Cheng, “I’m going to write to my eldest brother today. I wouldn’t talk for an hour.”

Jiang Cheng understood and smiled faintly without responding.

As they ate, Shen Xing’s youthful voice could be heard from time to time.

After dinner, Jiang Cheng took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Grandma Shen didn’t argue.

Once everything was cleaned up, Grandma Shen helped Jiang Cheng trim her hair.

Looking at Jiang Cheng’s delicate features, Grandma Shen reminded her, “Don’t come back too late when you go out. Come home early.”

“Mm, you’re right.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t argue and readily agreed.

Grandma Shen smiled and didn’t say more. Jiang Cheng, who had managed to get money from the Lin family and had prepared to rent a room in advance, was no fool.

As night fell, Jiang Cheng returned to her room to rest. Shen Xing stuffed five sheets of paper, filled front and back, into an envelope.

The letter began: “Eldest brother, a very beautiful sister has moved into our house. Her name is Jiang Cheng.”

---

Early the next morning, Jiang Cheng got up early and followed Du Yun out unnoticed.

The courtyard came alive with the clanging and clattering of the morning.

Every household was busy preparing breakfast, rushing to work or school, or just returning from the night shift.

They greeted each other with a casual, “Have you eaten?”

Children paired up or formed small groups, carrying green single-strap bags and aluminum lunchboxes. As they ran, their bags swung wildly behind them.

Amidst the laughter, their mothers scolded them from behind, but the children paid no mind as they dashed out of the compound.

The housewives who didn’t need to go to work gathered by the well, drawing water, washing clothes, and scrubbing bowls. Each sat on a small stool, exchanging gossip as information flowed freely.

Of course, the hot topic of the moment was still Jiang Cheng and the Lin family.

“Do you think the neighborhood committee will let Jiang Cheng stay with the Shen family? She doesn’t have a job.”

“Exactly! The Lin family kept saying she was just visiting relatives, but the Shen family isn’t related to her.”

“Let the neighborhood committee worry about it. Why bother? This morning, the Lin family was hilarious—they were stewing cabbage and added too much water. The cabbage ended up floating away!”

“Hahaha! They haven’t worked in three years and have gotten too pampered.”

With a bang, the Lin family’s door was pushed open, and Lin Jiaojiao stormed out, glaring at the women by the well.

He Dan, standing beside Lin Jiaojiao, tugged at her sleeve, and Lin Jiaojiao looked away, leaving with He Dan.

The women by the well smirked and continued talking, their voices even louder.

At the same time, Jiang Cheng followed Du Yun to the city’s scrap collection station.

A white sign with red characters hung on the red brick gate. Inside, there was an old man, but unlike the chaotic and disorganized scenes often depicted in novels, this place was orderly.

Following Du Yun, Jiang Cheng went straight to the office of the scrap station’s director.

After Du Yun explained the situation, the seated director didn’t make things difficult. He asked for Jiang Cheng’s introduction letter and identification, then processed the temporary work permits for both of them.

“Du Yun, make sure to explain the job clearly.”

“Don’t worry, Director. I’ll explain everything thoroughly.”

Du Yun led Jiang Cheng, who had remained silent and unassuming, out of the office.

“I’m responsible for registration. The items brought in are sorted by four people. Sister Wang and I handle the registration.”

Jiang Cheng listened attentively as Du Yun took her to the back of the scrap station, where she met the four men responsible for sorting and Sister Wang, who handled registration.

After exchanging greetings, Jiang Cheng followed Du Yun to familiarize herself with the work.

The scrap collection station was highly organized, with strict procedures and orderly operations.

Compared to this, modern waste sorting paled in comparison.

The categories of recyclables were absurdly detailed!
Chicken feathers, duck feathers, toothpaste tubes, meat bones, turtle shells, orange peels, broken glass, cotton waste, hair—you name it, they collected it.

And that wasn’t all. Chicken and duck feathers were further subdivided!
White fine chicken feathers, large duck down, small duck down, and so on.

After seeing all this, Jiang Cheng had only one thought: finding hidden treasures here, as often depicted in novels, would be nearly impossible!