"Ahem, let's begin signing the contract."
Qian Zhenzhen prompted the young man, then took the debt paper and held his ice-cold hand.
"I, Qian Zhenzhen, now sincerely invite you..."
She faltered, realizing he hadn't provided a name.
Qian Zhenzhen asked, "May I give you a name?"
He blinked and nodded.
Driven by the task's urgency, she considered briefly, then wrote on the paper's reverse: Qian Zhenmiao.
"You came from the river, right?" She'd found bloodstains on the barrier spikes by the back door—he must have crossed the water like Li Lan and Zhou Shuxuan.
"'Miao' means water, marking your rebirth from it."
"Whatever your past identity or troubles, they don't matter now. As my employee at the inn, we'll work together to make everything better."
"Qian... Zhen... Miao."
He practiced the name, studied the paper momentarily, then nodded in agreement.
#
Qian Zhenzhen began signing the contract again: "I, Qian Zhenzhen, hereby sincerely invite you, Qian Zhenmiao, to join my inn as an employee..."
"During the contract period, you must be diligent and fulfill the duties expected of an employee."
"I will pay you the compensation you deserve, monthly... 10 Koi Vouchers."
Mentioning the salary, Qian Zhenzhen felt somewhat guilty, but she had no choice—she didn't even have 200 Koi Vouchers right now. She'd have to increase it later.
"Once the contract is signed, it takes effect immediately. It can only be terminated by mutual agreement..."
As the words fell, it seemed as if an invisible bond formed in the ethereal realm, connecting the two of them closely.
Qian Zhenzhen felt herself growing closer to Qian Zhenmiao, sensing a shift that spoke of acceptance and trust.
[You've gained a new employee, and can now view their attributes!]
[Qian Zhenmiao (Male) [Recovery countdown: 71:36:19]
Age: ???
Specialty: Combat
Loyalty: 90
Profile: An employee of the inn. He seems to have forgotten many things, but that's okay—he now has a new name, new companions, and a new life.
Physical Strength: A+ (Currently B)
Attack: A+ (Currently A)
Defense: A+ (Currently B)
Evasion: A+ (Currently B)
Resistance: A+ (Currently C)
...
Overall Rating: A+ (Currently B+)]
Combat specialty? 90 loyalty?
Perfect, no need to worry about dine-and-dashers anymore—this employee was a good hire.
[Beginner Mission (2): Recruit an Employee
Please achieve the following goals quickly:
Find a suitable candidate (1/1)
Sign contract (1/1)
...
Rewards: Inn Experience Points, Koi Vouchers.
You have completed this, would you like to submit?]
Submit!
[You gained 1000 Inn Experience Points]
[You gained 18 Koi Vouchers]
[You achieved the special reward goal: "A-rank or above". Would you like to view the special reward?]
View!
[You received the special reward: "United We Burn" [Permanent BUFF]]
United We Burn:
For each employee added to your inn, all your outputs receive a 10% bonus. The more employees, the higher the bonus, with no upper limit.
After a night of rain, the moon set and sun rose to fair weather.
Three o'clock in the afternoon, midway along the Changyao Highway.
The late summer heat blazed on, the sun's fierce rays quickly drying the damp road. Ahead, congested vehicles reflected a blinding metallic glare.
Song Ziyi squinted at his surroundings, stubbed out his cigarette, and asked his companion studying the map by the car, "Old Xia, Black Glory Mountain base is finished, and the west is crawling with zombies. Where to?"
After a quick word with Lu Qin, Xia Chang answered, "We'll walk. Southeast through this woodland, then to the highway. Once we find a gas station, we can get another car."
"How reliable is that..." Song Ziyi grumbled, but quickly opened the trunk and hauled out the weapons bag. "Damn, it's heavy!"
While daylight lasted, the three shouldered their luggage and entered the woodland.
Dense vegetation blocked the sky, the ground was treacherous, and as they pressed deeper, beast roars grew more frequent.
Xia Chang hissed, "Everyone be careful—pick up the pace!"
But the unfamiliar wilderness slowed them, and soon they faced a group of mutated beasts.
"Don't use guns!" Lu Qin knocked down Song Ziyi's weapon, pulled out a spiked club, and charged into close combat.
Dull thuds echoed as blood and flesh flew—the three fought together, dispatching all the attacking beasts.
Just as they caught their breath, another group appeared.
"Damn, when will this end?!"
Song Ziyi cursed, raising his bat again.
Xia Chang yanked him back. "Run, we can't stay here!"
The beasts would only multiply; if they stayed to fight, they'd become the creatures' dinner.
Perhaps they'd been wrong—they should have fled from the start!
The three ran with their gear. Time passed, the sun sank, tree shadows lengthened, and beasts closed in from all sides. They had no choice but to draw their guns—bang bang bang—dropping the nearest threats.
An old tree root jutted across the path. Song Ziyi, laden with the weapons bag, caught his foot and fell, his eye striking a jagged stone. Blood gushed immediately.
Bang, bang! Xia Chang and Lu Qin shot the beasts snapping at his shoes, then grabbed him by each arm and dragged him forward.
"The weapons bag—we left the weapons bag—"
"Forget it!!!"
Rushing water sounded ahead—a river.
Lu Qin ripped open her backpack, yanked out a foot-pump inflatable ring, and huffed desperately at the air valve.
Their gear was too heavy; swimming would be suicide—they needed the ring's buoyancy.
Song Ziyi pressed one hand to his eye while shooting alongside Xia Chang, holding back the circling beasts.
"Ready yet, Sister Qin?!"
"Don't rush me!"
"Hurry up, ahhh—"
///
That afternoon, Qian Zhenzhen called her newly recovered employee to help cultivate a vegetable plot on the wooden house's south side.
Six days after planting, the green onions and garlic sprouts stood tall and strong, while radishes and crown daisies had sprouted delicate seedlings. The seedling trays were getting cramped—transplanting would soon be necessary for a good harvest.
Fortunately, last night's rain had left thick fallen leaves and moist soil, saving them from watering duty.
"A Miao, watch how I do this first."
Qian Zhenzhen picked up a small gardening trowel and spread base fertilizer in the plot.
The stove's regular use had produced plenty of wood ash—a versatile, free fertilizer perfect for vegetables.
After two demonstrations, Qian Zhenzhen handed the trowel to A Miao for practice.
"Right, dig just this much..."
"Don't spread it so hard!"
"Look here, you missed a spot."
For A Miao, everything was new and strange; he didn't even know common tools' names or uses. His first time outside the kitchen, he'd pulled up some green onions to smell them and ended up in a sneezing fit.
#
Though quiet and seemingly slow, he was actually quite clever, picking up new things quickly. With just a brief explanation from Qian Zhenzhen, he could grasp any task.
What promising talent! (*^▽^*)
With this new employee, Qian Zhenzhen's workload lightened considerably. All physical labor—from tilling vegetable fields to dealing with zombies—was now his responsibility.
He followed Qian Zhenzhen's orders without question, doing whatever she asked. Truly worthy of being an employee with 90 loyalty!
Qian Zhenzhen taught him how to thin out radish seedlings, patiently instructing: "Be careful, pick the weak and small sprouts, pull gently... Oh right!"