Chapter 11

The elderly next to him immediately chatted with him.

“Old Yang is a poor guy. His wife passed away long ago. He’s been playing both roles of father and mother, raising his son by himself. When his son got married and he retired, he was diagnosed with a serious illness.”

“He had mentioned several times before that he didn’t want to live anymore because the illness was too painful. But his son is filial, saying he’ll spare no expense to cure him.”

“I thought at the time, with such a filial son, Old Yang hasn’t lived in vain in this life.”

At this time, someone nearby sneered, “Filial son? He’s just eyeing Old Yang’s retirement money! Old Yang gets tens of thousands in retirement every month, after deducting various expenses, what’s left is more than his son’s monthly salary!”

“I happened to pass by that day, and the door to Old Yang’s room was slightly open. I heard it very clearly. His son was kneeling on the ground, crying and saying how expensive it is to raise children, with mortgage and car loans to pay off, and his wife loves luxury goods, and his monthly salary isn’t enough for her own spending. Without Old Yang’s support, he absolutely couldn’t make ends meet.”

“The implication was clear: asking Old Yang to hold on and not die, just live for another couple of years. After a few years when his burden is lighter, if Old Yang still wants to die, his son won’t stop him.”

“They say raising children ensures care in old age, but when you’re old, even life and death are not in your own hands!”

The words shocked the other elderly person.

“So Old Yang was suffering from illness and didn’t want to live anymore. His son was holding on just for the retirement money? Is that even possible?”

“Old Yang raised his son alone in the past, and now with his son and daughter-in-law, two incomes aren’t enough?”

“There are ways to manage whether you have a lot of money or a little. How could they not make ends meet?”

“Old Yang must have been holding it in for too long and couldn’t bear it anymore, that’s why he jumped. But isn’t it strange how it happened? He jumped and actually landed on someone passing by.”

“Therefore, don’t toss garbage from a height. It’s not good to throw away yourself either! It will only cause trouble for others.” The elderly sighed deeply, mourning both for Old Yang and the innocent pedestrian who lost their life.

Yunxin watched for a while and quietly left.

**Fastforward**

There were a total of six elderly people lying in bed unable to get up. Yun Xin made several trips back and forth to deliver meals to each of them.

Finally, unable to resist, she asked, “Why not we use a small cart to deliver the meals all together after they’re prepared?”

The chef explained, “Each patient has different dietary restrictions, so delivering together could lead to mistakes.”

“After preparing the meals and soups, could you write the room numbers on the plastic bags with a marker?” Yun Xin suggested. “Or prepare meals that everyone can eat? That might be safer.”

The chef disagreed, saying, “No.”

Yun Xib was about to say more when the chef glared at her. “Are you trying to slack off and avoid work?”

“No,” Yun Xin denied.

“Then work more and talk less,” the chef sternly ordered, sending Yun Xin off to eat.

By the time Yun Xin finished her work, it was already 1:00 PM. The cafeteria was empty, so she casually chose two dishes and had them with rice.

The chef’s cooking skills were indeed as good as the experienced caregiver had said — the pork belly was tender without being greasy, and the soup mixed with rice made for a satisfying meal.

Perhaps due to the large number of elderly residents in the nursing home, many dishes were made relatively mild. However, considering that the staff also needed to eat, they would occasionally prepare hearty dishes for the younger workers.

This way, everyone could be satisfied.

After finishing her meal, Yun Xin packed a few sticky rice dumplings as snacks.

As she was leaving, someone stumbled and fell just ahead of her.

Yun Xin instinctively reached out to help. “I’m sorry, are you alright? Looks like you twisted your ankle while walking,” the person kept apologizing.

Yun Xin took a closer look—it was someone she knew well—Wu Peng, who had applied for the caregiving position alongside her.

“Be careful,” Yun Xin said, then gently moved past and continued walking outside.

Once she exited the cafeteria and reached a deserted corner, she extended her right hand, finding a small note hidden in her palm by Wu Peng amidst his stumble.

Opening the note, she read a few scribbled words: “Behind the warehouse, we need to talk.”

Yun Xi  tore up the note immediately, then casually strolled around the nursing home, pretending to be familiar with the surroundings. As she wandered, she eventually found herself near the warehouse.

“Why did you take so long? I thought you weren’t coming!” Wu Peng exclaimed upon seeing Yun Xin, speaking as if he had just met a dear friend. “Let me tell you, this nursing home is really strange!”

“What happened?” Yun Xi  asked.

“Someone jumped off the building earlier, right? It killed someone,” Wu Peng said in a panic. “Later, while I was chatting with another elderly person, she got tired and fell asleep with her eyes closed. I didn’t say anything and quietly left.”

“Then!! Half an hour later, when I went back to wake her up for lunch, I saw a poisonous snake by the window! It was so long, so thick!” Wu Peng gestured wildly, clearly shaken.

Yun Xin was startled. “Are you sure it was a poisonous snake?”

“It was definitely a poisonous snake! It bit the elderly person! I dared to touch her and she had no breath, no pulse,” Wu Peng almost sounded frantic. “How could two accidents happen in the same place in one day? There’s definitely something wrong with this nursing home!”

“Later, when I thought back carefully, I suddenly realized—I never applied to work at this nursing home. Yet they suddenly emailed me, saying my resume passed the initial screening and scheduled an interview…”

“I was so scared, I wanted to sneak away. But there was someone guarding the entrance, not letting anyone in or out freely. They said whether you’re a staff member or a resident of the nursing home, you have to submit an application and get the director’s approval before leaving.”

“Isn’t this essentially keeping people under house arrest?!” Wu Peng exclaimed.

At this moment, Yun Xin was pondering another question, “Why would there be a poisonous snake in the apartment building? How did it get in?”

“Because the elderly person complained of feeling stuffy and asked me to open the window!!” Wu Peng recounted, more distraught now. “I opened the window and closed the screen, but she wasn’t satisfied. She insisted I open the screen too!”

“And then, when I wasn’t paying attention, the incident happened.”

Yun Xin asked, “What happened next?”

“What else could be done? They removed the body, killed the snake, and said they didn’t want to cause panic, so they claimed the elderly person passed away peacefully in their sleep… Wait, aren’t you shocked at all?” Wu Peng began to doubt himself. Was he overreacting due to his own fear? Why was this girl in front of him showing no reaction?

Yun Xin admitted frankly, “Although I’ve sent out quite a few resumes, I generally keep track of where I’ve applied and for what positions. When I received the email, I knew I hadn’t applied to Kangfu Nursing Home; they approached me.”

“And you still dared to come for the interview?” Wu Peng was astonished.

“In this day and age, good jobs are hard to come by. Finding a boss willing to hire me isn’t easy,” Yun Xin explained.

Wu Peng stared at Yun Xin as if she were crazy, unable to speak for a while.

In the entire nursing home, they were the only new employees. He had thought Yun Xin was his only ally. Now, with her response, he just wanted to keep his distance from her.

“Just thinking about it is Indeed strange,” Yunxin suddenly recalled. 

“This morning, I approached the director, saying I couldn’t continue as a caregiver and wanted to resign. Without hesitation, she offered me many other options, suggesting I transfer to another position.”

“Do you think she’s reluctant to let me leave?” Wu Peng’s hairs stood on end as he listened. “Could this be some kind of unethical business? Is there a dark industry behind this, involving murder, organ harvesting?”

“I doubt it,” Yun Xin said skeptically. “Why would they target elderly people’s organs?”

“But elderly people are easy targets. They’re often frail and sickly, and if something happens, it could easily be mistaken for an accident. Plus, they have inheritances. Could the nursing home be forging wills to seize inheritances?” Wu Peng speculated.

Yun Xin glanced at him. “If you’re concerned, you could call the police.”

“Have you tried calling the police?” Yun Xin asked.

“You think I haven’t tried!” Wu Peng replied tearfully. “I suspected I was being illegally detained, so I tried calling the police to rescue me. But when I dialed, it said ‘out of service area.'”

“I see…” Yun Xin thought for a moment. “Well, I’ll talk to the director this afternoon and see what she says.”

Wu Peng looked puzzled. “Will she really tell you if you ask? What if something happens to you?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just take care of yourself,” Yun Xin reassured him before heading off to find the director.

“Wait, hold on,” Wu Peng hesitated, then gritted his teeth and decided to speak up. “From now until the end of today, don’t go near the apartment building where the elderly live.”

Yun Xin paused.

This familiar warning-style method of rescue.

She turned around and slowly asked, “Can you sense danger in advance?”

“What are you talking about…” Wu Peng looked flustered, stuttering, “I just have this indescribable strange feeling, not very certain. But just in case, I think it’s better to avoid…”

“Quite coincidentally, I can too,” Yun Xin added.

Upon hearing this, Wu Peng was dumbfounded.

In this vast nursing home, it seemed that only Yun Xin was on his side. Therefore, when Yun Xin went to talk to the director, Wu Peng hesitated for a long time before reluctantly deciding to follow her. He said, “What if you don’t come back? I’d be terrified staying here alone. Since death is inevitable anyway, it’s better to go with you, so we can look out for each other.”

Yun Xin agreed to let him come along.

Compared to their arrival in the morning, there were now two muscular guards outside the director’s office.

Yun Xin paused.

This familiar warning-style method of rescue.

She turned around and slowly asked, “Can you sense danger in advance?”

“What are you talking about…” Wu Peng looked flustered, stuttering, “I just have this indescribable strange feeling, not very certain. But just in case, I think it’s better to avoid…”

“Quite coincidentally, I can too,” Yun Xin added.

Upon hearing this, Wu Peng was dumbfounded.

Without waiting for Yun Xin and his group to approach, the bodyguards extended their hands to block them.

“Move aside, I need to see the director,” Yun Xin said.

The two bodyguards stood on either side like gatekeepers.

One said, “The director is busy right now.”

The other added, “Seeing the director won’t help. Go back and do your job, leave the rest to fate.”

Yun Xin was tired of listening to their nonsense. When it came to important matters, she naturally sought the main person. “If you don’t move, I’ll use force,” she warned.

The bodyguards exchanged glances and planned to restrain Yun Xin together to calm her down.

But Yun Xin acted swiftly. She delivered a kick.

The person was hit in the abdomen and immediately curled up in pain, like a shrimp. It hurt too much!

The other guard was shocked and immediately prepared to fight back with all his might.

But it was futile.

Clearly a young woman in her twenties, Yun Xin fought like someone with decades of experience in brawling, targeting weak spots that incapacitated her opponents.

After a few exchanges, both bodyguards were on the ground.

At first, Wu Peng covered his eyes and dared not look. But when he realized Yun Xin had won, he couldn’t believe it. “So you can fight like that?”

“If I didn’t have some skill, how could I dare to come interview at a nursing home?” Yun Xin replied as she pushed open the door to the director’s office.

Wu Peng remained speechless.

She must be insulting me, he thought.