Chapter Seventeen: The Milk Tea Shop 1 It's too hot; some areas may experience power outages…
“Tell me, what’s the point of doing this experiment? Can’t we just let the elderly get sick? Natural death would be better than this kind of torture!” Wu Peng felt like he had developed a mental illness just by watching from the sidelines.
"To figure out the pattern, we need to report to our superiors," Yun Xin said casually.
Wu Peng remained silent for a while before saying, "Just for something like this?"
"Not entirely. The original plan was to announce it to the whole society and warn everyone," Yun Xin said. "However, the experimental results showed that indiscriminate disclosure would bring misfortune to those who illegally knew the information, and only those who obtained an A or higher rating could be freed from the misfortune. Therefore, we could only inform the senior leaders first."
"They could conduct experiments in prison at will, and teach the higher-ups how to induce vomiting beforehand. When death row inmates had an accident and suffered food poisoning, the leaders would induce vomiting in ten people in a row, thus fulfilling the game's requirements and making it seem natural that they knew what was going on."
Wu Peng was going crazy. "Sister, why did you say such terrible things so casually? These are human lives at stake!"
Yun Xin countered, "Is it scary to know something but never do it?"
Wu Peng was speechless.
Yun Xin then asked, "Isn't it scary to say 'Everything I do is for all mankind' and dare to do anything?"
Wu Peng couldn't answer for a long time before finally saying, "Does this mean that the elderly deserve to die tragically for the sake of the dean's noble goals?"
“There’s no turning back once the arrow is released. I agreed at first, then I got scared, and now it’s too late to back out.” Yun Xin sighed. “After it happened, I thought about whether I should do something to make sure the old people didn’t die in vain. But if the experiment ends and the higher-ups are still unaware, and it’s still the same few people giving me bad advice, wouldn’t that really mean ‘letting the old people die in vain’?”
"I understand. Thank you, sister. I know what I need to do." Wu Peng's tone became firm, and he quickly hung up the phone, as if he was busy with something.
Yun Xin looked completely bewildered.
She herself hasn't figured it out yet, so what does he understand?
"It's so hot this summer," Zhu Lin said, looking at the blazing sun outside and taking a sip of her shaved ice.
"What's the heat? There's air conditioning in the room," Zhou Rui said as he scooped the watermelon core into the juicer.
The machine roared to life, and soon it produced a full jug of watermelon juice.
"Are we almost out of watermelons?" Zhu Lin asked, peeking out.
“Yes, the new guy went to get it,” Zhou Rui said.
"How can you let a girl go alone?" Zhu Lin said as she stood up, intending to go to the warehouse to help.
Zhou Rui protested her innocence, saying, "I offered to go together, but she said it was too hot and told me to rest, that she could manage on her own."
"They were just being polite, and you took it seriously?" Zhu Lin said disdainfully.
"If it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. What's with all the politeness? You're making me not understand what you're saying," Zhou Rui muttered.
Just as the two were about to go to the warehouse together, they saw Yunxin dragging a sack of watermelons over.
Zhu Lin then realized that the new girl was truly not being polite. She dragged a sack of watermelons as easily as she dragged a sack of volleyballs.
What is the weight of a volleyball, and what is the weight of a watermelon? If you put the two together, are they comparable?
Zhu Lin stared, her eyes wide with amazement.
"Watermelon juice sells a lot in the summer, and I thought it would be too much trouble to make so many trips, so I took a lot more." As she spoke, Yunxin arranged the watermelons in a corner.
"Huh? Oh..." Zhou Rui was somewhat lost in thought.
He usually does the work of moving the watermelons. Zhu Lin helps out, but only by lending a hand.
They knew it would be more convenient to move more at once, but it was too heavy! They couldn't move it!
"Have you specifically trained your arm strength?" Zhou Rui asked curiously.
"I'm just naturally strong," Yun Xin said with a smile.
"That's great!" Zhu Lin exclaimed happily. Usually, it was exhausting for the two of them to move watermelons, but now that there was a strong newcomer, things would be easier for them.
"You've worked hard. Sit down and have a glass of watermelon juice." Zhou Rui warmly poured the newcomer a glass of chilled watermelon juice.
Yunxin, being new to the job, was a little uneasy. "Will this work? Has the boss agreed?"
"It's alright, it's alright." Zhu Lin waved her hand. "Our boss is very nice. He said that employees can drink whatever they want during work hours. As long as they don't waste half a cup and pour the other half out, the boss doesn't mind."
Yun Xin then took the chilled watermelon juice, took a sip, and exclaimed, "Delicious!"
"Isn't it delicious? These are all melons grown by people the boss knows in his village. He says they're a new variety, big and sweet," Zhu Lin explained to the new employees. "The boss's story is also inspiring. He only has a junior high school education, used to farm in the countryside, and then went to work in other places. He saved some money and started his own business."
"Because the drinks are delicious and reasonably priced, they've already opened three stores. I heard they've bought a house and a car, and even had two kids."
"Wow—" Yun Xin exclaimed in surprise, to show her respect.
"I came here to work because I heard that employees can drink free beverages and have unlimited food!" Zhu Lin said proudly, then looked at Yun Xin, "What about you?"
Yunxin's answer was exceptionally simple and unpretentious: "It's because only this place is willing to take me."
Zhou Rui, “…”
Why does it sound so tragic and pitiful?
"It's alright," he reassured her. "Now that you're here, we're all on the same side. Just tell us if you need anything, and we'll all help you."
"Okay." Yun Xin nodded obediently.
"It's great to work here. Although it can be very busy at times, you can take breaks whenever you're not busy," Zhu Lin enthusiastically shared her senior's work experience.
No sooner had he finished speaking than two customers walked in, ordering, "One iced watermelon juice and one iced, half-sweet, original milk tea."
"Okay." Zhou Rui got to work without hesitation.
Before the chilled watermelon juice and the iced, half-sweet original milk tea were ready, five more people entered the store, ordering "two chocolate smoothies and three iced milk teas."
Since Yunxin just arrived, there are many tasks that haven't been taught yet, so I can't help her out for the time being.
Zhu Lin resigned herself to her fate, stood up, and joined Zhou Rui in the work.
No sooner had they seen off one customer than another entered through the door. For a full hour and a half, the two of them were running around like headless chickens, without a single moment's rest.
"No, I need to sit down for a while." Zhu Lin felt like her hands weren't even her own anymore. "What's going on today? Why are there so many people?"
When in doubt, the internet can solve the problem.
Yunxin took out her phone and searched online. "It says that because of the hot weather, the power grid is overwhelmed and some areas may experience power outages."
"What?" Zhu Lin was stunned. "What era are we living in? How can there still be power outages?"
“It’s true, it’s all over the internet,” Yunxin said.
"I'll search it myself." Zhu Lin refused to believe it and insisted on seeing for herself. As a result, the situation was even more serious than Yun Xin had described.
The electricity commission has mandated restrictions on household electricity use. Avoid using air conditioners if possible; if you must use them, set them to 27 degrees Celsius or higher. It's best to avoid using high-powered appliances such as washing machines and ovens if possible.
If everyone doesn't conserve electricity, a city-wide blackout could occur.
"She's gone mad, she's gone mad," Zhu Lin muttered these two words over and over.
"Are the shops going to lose power too?" Zhou Rui was startled. "Ice makers, air conditioners, our electricity consumption here is quite high. If the power goes out, we won't be able to work."
Yun Xin replied, "Commercial and industrial electricity use will not be affected for the time being."
Zhou Rui felt a little relieved. "That means my work hours won't be affected."
But then I thought, "What will I do after work? When I get home, the house is like an oven, and I'm not allowed to turn on the air conditioning? When I want to cook, the rice cooker and oven are too powerful, so I'm not allowed to use them?"
"That's roughly the idea," Yun Xin nodded.
"Is this forcing me to work 24 hours a day?" Zhou Rui pondered.
"Why aren't you worried at all?" Zhu Lin asked Yun Xin.
Yunxin explained, "There is a backup power supply and a generator at home."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Lin had a flash of inspiration: "That's it! Home backup power supplies! I'll buy one too!"
They quickly shopped online, placing the order and paying in one smooth motion.
Zhou Rui originally wanted to buy it too, but after taking out his phone and seeing the price, he silently put his phone back. "I think I'll just stay at the hotel 24 hours a day... It's not that I want to use the air conditioning, I just like working."
Around 1 p.m., the number of customers in the store decreased significantly, and the three of them could finally catch their breath.
"Come on, I'll take you to throw out the trash and help you get familiar with the way," Zhu Lin said, winking at Yun Xin.
Slacking off again.
Zhou Rui sighed, not exposing her, and simply said, "Go and come back soon."
"Did you hear me? Hurry up!" Zhu Lin urged.
Yunxin then went with her.
"This is where we usually throw away the trash... Who parked their car here? Don't they know it'll block the way?" Zhu Lin complained.
Yun Xin glanced inside.
A baby girl, about three or four years old, was lying in the back seat of the car. Her face was flushed, she was breathing rapidly, and she looked very uncomfortable.
At the same time, Zhu Lin also noticed something and shouted, "What's going on? The car windows are all closed. In the summer, with the sun shining directly in, the temperature inside the car will rise rapidly. The child will suffocate in a few hours! How could the parents not be more careful? They didn't even notice that the child was left in the car."
"No, I have to call the police."
As she spoke, she took out her phone and started making a call.
"It's too late," Yun Xin suddenly said.
In her vision, the baby girl was enveloped in a thick black mist, almost completely shrouding her. The accompanying text read, "Expected death in 6 minutes and 48 seconds."
"Huh?" Zhu Lin was still dialing when she heard this and was slightly taken aback.
Then Yunxin took out a pair of black leather gloves from her pocket and quickly put them on. Then she clenched her right fist and smashed it hard against the glass.
With a loud bang, the glass shattered. The security system immediately sounded an alarm, and a piercing siren blared.
Yun Xin ignored her and opened the car door, taking the baby girl out.
The black mist gradually dissipated, the countdown continued for a few seconds, and then the entire line of text disappeared.
Once the call connected, Zhu Lin recounted what had happened and urged the police to come quickly.
After hanging up the phone, she pressed her icy hands to the baby girl's face to cool her down, complaining, "Why were you so quick? What if there were security cameras nearby? Won't you be sued for smashing someone's car window like that?"
A series of questions were thrown out, showing how worried they were.
"I didn't think too much about it at the time." Yun Xin looked around. "There didn't seem to be any surveillance cameras around here. Besides, I saved his daughter, so he probably wouldn't make things too difficult for me?"
Zhu Lin thought about it and realized it made sense.
So the two stood there, waiting for the police to arrive. But instead of the police, a couple arrived first.
"I heard the siren going off at home. Oh dear, how come the car window was smashed? Who did it?"
"I did it," Yun Xin stepped forward. "You're welcome."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
