Thanks to Yu Nuanxin's prior research, Jiang Ling's visit to the commercial district was quite enjoyable—mainly because Yu Nuanxin was the one selecting things while Jiang Ling was the one looking. After they finished shopping, they boarded the transport boat that Yu Nuanxin had mentioned—a vehicle that looked like an airship, flying from simulated gravity section 1 to simulated gravity section 2. Of course, the specific flight path was quite complex, making it nearly impossible for the pilot to operate it manually.
While flying in the "sky", Jiang Ling saw the full picture of the six "ring worlds". They seemed to share an artificial light source, so the brightness of the ring surfaces was different. The simulated gravity segments 1 and 2 were about to enter dusk, while segments 3, 4 and 6 were already at night. There was a dim bright spot on the central axis of segment 5, which looked very much like the moon on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but in fact people on the "ground" might think the moon was square.
Before nightfall in the simulated gravity section No. 2, the two of them rushed back home, or rather, to the dormitory assigned to Yu Nuanxin by the academic city. Her dormitory was on a mountain—at least that's how Jiang Ling saw it. The shuttle took them directly to the bus stop halfway up the mountain. After getting off, they took the escalator for several minutes before reaching the dormitory level. Yu Nuanxin's dormitory had three bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom, totaling approximately 120 square meters, which was a bit too spacious for a single person.
Yu Nuanxin immediately introduced her dormitory to Jiang Ling. She opened the door of every room and told Jiang Ling the names and uses of various furnishings. Then she quickly spread the newly purchased goods on the tea table in the living room, picked out two cylinders, ran into the kitchen like a fly, blocked Jiang Ling who was trying to help, and ordered her not to touch other things.
Jiang Ling had no choice but to open the door from the living room to the balcony and walk out into the dusk alone. On the balcony stood a 15-centimeter-thick, two-meter-long cylinder, reminiscent of an old-fashioned astronomical telescope. Outside the window stood a supporting column. Yu Nuanxin, aware of her actions from the kitchen, immediately announced through a loudspeaker on the balcony that the column was called "Cable 207," proudly claiming to have once worked part-time as an inspector there.
She didn't reply, nor did she curiously try anything in the room. She simply stood by the French window, staring blankly at the pillar until the night enveloped its dark gray surface. She recalled the feeling of riding the rail elevator for the first time. Back then, she had also marveled at the grandeur of the man-made wonder and felt a sense of her own insignificance.
"Jiang Ling, it's time for dinner." Yu Nuanxin held two square lunch boxes and struggled to squeeze half of her body out from the gap of the kitchen sliding door.
"Let me help you?" Jiang Ling said as she used her telekinesis to untie Yu Nuanxin's restraints.
Yu Nuanxin didn't react for a moment and nearly fell flat on her face. Luckily, Jiang Ling steadied her. Feeling the external force exerted on her gradually dissipate, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm. "You are actually an Awakener? But it's not indicated on the contract at all!" Her eyes flashed again. "Oh—it's not listed on your identity information either..."
Jiang Ling didn't explain, but slowly walked over. While Yu Nuanxin was still dazed, she took the still-warm lunch box from her hand. She took a peek inside and saw that one box looked like pork chop rice, while the other contained scallion oil noodles. The lunch boxes were simple in appearance, feeling like paper. There were some forms and text printed on the side walls, and she could barely make out some of the contents.
"It smells good. It should be printed separately, right?" Jiang Ling asked.
"No, it's a full print, including the plastic box and the cutlery." Yu Nuanxin answered subconsciously, then returned to the previous question with a startled look, "You haven't mentioned that you're an awakened person!"
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Jiang Ling touched Yu Nuanxin's head, "It's not a big deal."
"It's not a big deal." Yu Nuanxin repeated.
"Okay, let's have dinner!"
The two of them sat down on the living room sofa. A large projection screen popped up on the tea table, displaying recent news. Yu Nuanxin waved it in the air, switching the screen to playback mode. A film from decades ago began playing automatically. Jiang Ling wasn't particularly interested in the film, as it seemed to be a young girl's romance about a new-age mothership society. So she simply buried her head in the noodles in her lunch box.
This food from the future wasn't particularly special; people were still the same, and their taste for texture and flavor had barely changed. Jiang Ling was moved simply because she hadn't tasted such industrial food that resembled real handmade products in a while. She finished her dinner quickly, and when she turned to look at Yu Nuanxin, she saw the child still staring at the "handsome guy and beautiful girl" in the movie and smiling at her aunt.
Jiang Ling didn't say anything to interrupt Yu Nuanxin's relaxing moment. With nothing else to do, she focused on the scene before her. She noticed a significant shift in the film's aesthetic style, moving beyond the usual monotony of oval faces and delicate makeup. Looks like those with a sturdy figure and a muscular build now found widespread popularity. This was positive, demonstrating that society and culture now had more diverse and freer directions for development, no longer constrained by the constraints and assimilation of big capital. She sincerely hoped that this era would continue.
Halfway through the film, Yu Nuanxin finally finished her pork chop and beans in her pork chop rice. Burping, she picked up a translucent kettle on the tea table, poured two glasses of water, and drank one of them herself.
Jiang Ling didn't touch the remaining glass of water, but instead became curious about the kettle. The kettle was cylindrical, without a lid, only a spout for pouring water and a row of mesh panels at the bottom that blew air. It looked very simple and elegant. "How does it get the water in there?"
"Huh? You mean this? It doesn't need to be filled with water, just charge it regularly." Yu Nuanxin said disapprovingly.
"Then water was created out of thin air? Is technology advancing so quickly?"
"What are you thinking? It's condensation filtration from the air. It's not some advanced technology. Historical records say that such things have existed for a long time."
"It wasn't as efficient as this before." Jiang Ling said after thinking for a moment.
"Then we must make some progress!"
"Can it heat up?" Jiang Ling asked again.
"Want to drink something hot? Touch the pattern below, yes, that thermometer-like icon, and swipe upwards. However, it can only be heated to 45°C. Why? Oh, that's because I bought the children's version. I had no experience taking care of a hibernator the first time, and I even got his skin scalded." Yu Nuanxin patiently explained the operation of the kettle...
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