But that was fine—the "A+" in their information was eye-catching enough. Qian Zhenzhen decided this would be her first staff recruit!
First things first: treat his injuries.
She examined him carefully—low body temperature, wet clothes, scrapes and bruises on his hands and face, and a bleeding waist wound from something sharp.
The token shop offered plenty of medical supplies. She purchased disinfectant, wound healing potion, sterile bandages, sutures, and other sanitary items. The prices were shocking—of her hard-earned 437 Koi tokens, only 196 remained when she finished.
The cost of recruiting staff was astronomical!
Qian Zhenzhen's heart ached. She wanted to hyperventilate but silently consoled herself: A+, he was A+, so naturally he'd be expensive... think of it as investing in a rare card.
Thankfully, the kitchen was near the front door. She carefully dragged him inside, efficiently cleaned and sutured his wounds, then administered the healing potion.
He was filthy, his wet clothes still bearing... was that seaweed? She prepared to boil water to clean him up, brought over the charcoal stove to place by the door, and set out a soup pot for liquid food.
While waiting for the water to heat, she climbed to the loft, opened her suitcase, and searched for suitable clothes and blankets.
Finding some thick wire from before, she strung it across the kitchen doorframe and hung a bedsheet as a makeshift curtain.
The firewood crackled in the stove, and together with the charcoal stove, they quickly warmed the kitchen.
During her time in Y City, Qian Zhenzhen had cared for many injured people. In situations like these, gender didn't matter. She deftly cut open his clothes with scissors, prepared lukewarm water, and cleaned him while maintaining his dignity.
After washing his face, she discovered he had youthful, almost childlike features that suggested he was around high school age. His well-defined features and long, curled eyelashes resembled those of the Beiyin people—inhabitants of the Alliance's northern Beiyin grasslands known for their tall stature, natural yellowish hair, and preserved tribal hunting traditions that set them apart from city dwellers.
The young man before her, however, had black hair—suggesting partial Beiyin ancestry through his parents or grandparents.
Qian Zhenzhen's collection of men's clothing consisted entirely of scavenged items, limited in both quantity and size. Thankfully, the mild autumn weather made the clothes serviceable, and blankets provided extra warmth. She'd only needed to spend 5 Koi tokens on new men's underwear.
Once finished tending to him, she put her work gloves back on and inspected his discarded clothes while he slept deeply.
Despite being wet and dirty, the light blue clothes were clearly well-made, resembling some type of uniform.
In the pants pocket, she found a blood-stained half of an ID card. Only the last four characters were visible: "Technology Company."
The ID bore the name "Wang Yang," and though only half the photo remained, it clearly showed a different person.
Qian Zhenzhen paused briefly, found a bag, and stored everything away.
...
For three days, the young man remained unconscious without stirring.
If his temperature hadn't returned to normal, Qian Zhenzhen would have worried her Koi tokens were wasted.
She pulled out her notebook to calculate expenses:
Damaged barrier, 2 (minor but still broken)
Medicine, 241 (absolutely necessary!)
Nursing fee, 8 (discounted rate)
Food, 18 (two meals daily, 3 tokens per meal)
Clothing, 5 (underwear cost)
Total is—
Qian Zhenzhen wrote a large number on the page: 274.
Owing so much, you'll have to stay and work to pay it off! [Demon Roar.jpg]
Bubble bubble.
The pot water boiled. Qian Zhenzhen added the chicken soup packet, waited for it to boil again, then added the washed rice.
The fragrant aroma filled the kitchen.
The young man on the sleeping bag stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
Through rising steam, he glimpsed a girl in a pink jacket crouching with her back to him, her smooth hair cascading over her shoulders, revealing glimpses of small, fair ears beneath.
[Your guest has awakened!]
[Guest satisfaction is rising, keep up the good work!]
Qian Zhenzhen received the system notification.
She turned to meet a pair of grey-gold eyes, bright and pure like the first sunbeam breaking through gray clouds after a dark night.
They weren't contact lenses—Beiyin people had distinctive eye colors, and he'd inherited their traits.
"Are you awake?" Qian Zhenzhen stood and brought over a bowl of warm water.
Still dazed, he stared at her with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
Uncomfortable under his gaze, Qian Zhenzhen cleared her throat and began feeding him with a spoon.
After a few spoonfuls, she helped him sit up and asked, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
Under her expectant gaze, he nodded.
Qian Zhenzhen asked, "What's your name?"
After a pause, he answered hoarsely: "0, 0, 2, 7, 0, 8..."
When she heard the first two digits, Qian Zhenzhen thought he might be called "Lingling," but instead he'd recited a string of numbers.
Was he still groggy, only able to recall his employee number?
She gestured for him to stop and asked, "How old are you?"
He frowned, considered, then shook his head.
"Do you not want to tell me, or don't you know?"
"I forgot."
Forgot... amnesia? Could it really be that cliché?
Qian Zhenzhen tried several more questions: Where did you come from? How were you injured? Do you have any family or friends?
He shook his head to each one, responding with either "I forgot" or "I don't know." Even when shown his tattered clothes and Wang Yang's ID card, he showed no recognition.
"Alright." Qian Zhenzhen grabbed a stool and notebook, sat before him, tore out a page and handed it to him. "Let's get to the point."
"This is an inn, and when you broke in, you damaged my defenses. That's one thing."
"Second, I spent many tokens on medicine and supplies to save you, plus days of care."
"Third, I provided your clothes and food. You now owe me 274 tokens, which you must repay. Understand?"
While she spoke, he ignored the paper, studying her face intently.
Only when she repeated "Do you understand?" did he nod and answer, "I understand."
No, I don't think you do.
Suspecting he might be a bit... slow, Qian Zhenzhen asked, "So what should you do now?"
He studied the paper, then lifted his gaze and answered hesitantly, "Pay the debt?"
Qian Zhenzhen clapped enthusiastically, "That's right!"
She explained, "My inn needs employees. I can offer you work. Since you don't remember your past or future plans, why not stay and work off your debt?"
"I'll provide meals and seasonal clothing. Once the debt's cleared, you'll earn a salary. How's that?"
He listened intently, eyes fixed on hers like an eager student absorbing every detail. Whether he truly comprehended remained unclear.
Qian Zhenzhen assumed he did, but wondered how to formalize the employment contract.
[Excellent manager, congratulations on finding a suitable employee candidate. Now please follow these steps to sign a contract with your employee!]
[Please hold their hand and read the following contract terms—]
This... not even a paper contract? Though written documents held no validity in the post-apocalyptic world, couldn't there at least be a magical seal? A verbal agreement seemed rather flimsy!