Chapter 169

Strangely enough, even though it was clearly an employment relationship—she was the employer, the one paying for the service—receiving this kind of meticulous and unconditionally accommodating treatment was supposed to be natural.

Yet she still felt moved. She didn’t know why, but there was a sense of peace, as if she had returned home.

Perhaps it was because in this world, this unfamiliar world where she had to rely on her own efforts to live, there wasn’t a single person to whom she could make demands without restraint, who would stand by her side unreasonably, and who wouldn’t expect anything in return from her.

Zhong Ning knew, of course, that she had paid for it.

Maybe it was because she had finally escaped that omnipresent pressure.

She no longer had to worry about being exposed, or stress over whether she could respond to others’ feelings and expectations. She no longer had to run around for the sake of a promise, exhaust her energy and mind, using her brain day and night, draining both her mental and physical strength.

It was as if she was slowly putting down a heavy burden, and had once again found the joy of living.

She arrived in a second country and began recording her life using a camera and drone. Her game streaming account had a notice pinned on it, stating that the stream was temporarily suspended with an indefinite return date. Occasionally, she would draw a few fans in the group to help them pull gacha for free, and she also helped the few moderators who had been maintaining order all along.

All her previous accounts had been deactivated. She created a new account on a foreign platform and uploaded her travel vlogs there. She didn’t edit them, nor did she add background music or subtitles. When she felt like talking, she would say a few words. When she didn’t, she would just show the scenery.

It was completely according to her own whims.

This “watch if you want” style strangely attracted a group of fans, who claimed that this was what true immersive travel looked like.

The unexpected incident happened in a remote area.

In fact, this place was already quite far from any city, but the scenery was beautiful—nature at its finest. Zhong Ning had rented a camper van for a self-driving tour, traveling from one city to another. It was on the road that she encountered a little girl who looked to be in a difficult situation.

The girl was deeply tanned, her hair tied into two braids. Her clothes didn’t fit—they were oversized, and had several pudding stains on them. On her feet was a pair of sandals, with broken straps that had been tied back together using string.

Zhong Ning saw her running down from the mountain, stopping by the roadside to wave, a bouquet of flowers in her hand.

Zhong Ning had Michelle stop the car and rolled down the window. “What’s wrong?”

The little girl had some sweat on her forehead, but there weren’t many stains on her clothes. The fabric looked washed-out, almost white from repeated laundering, with some spots pilling and threads coming loose.

But she was remarkably clean, with only a bit of green grass juice staining the hand holding the bouquet.

“Buy some flowers?” she asked, speaking in heavily accented English, looking very nervous and uneasy. “I just picked them from the mountain. One bouquet, one euro.”

That translated to about two yuan.

The girl pulled a bunch from the bouquet in her hands—it was a mix of yellow, pink, and white flowers, accented with green leaves. The stems were bound together with some kind of grass rope that looked quite tough and pliable.

“How old are you?” Zhong Ning asked.

She didn’t say anything else. Michelle was already reaching for her wallet. She carried some cash on her—money that Zhong Ning had specially withdrawn from the bank for direct payments.

The little girl's dark face was tinged with a flush brought on by the heat. "I'm fifteen."

Fifteen?

Foreigners generally looked older than locals, but even with Zhong Ning guessing on the higher end, she had assumed the girl was no more than thirteen. She was too thin, barely any flesh on her bones, like a slender bamboo stick.

"I'll take all the flowers. What's your name?" Zhong Ning’s gaze inevitably held a trace of sympathy. She turned and took some fruit and bread from the mini fridge, filled up a plastic bag, and handed over a bottle of water. "Thirsty? Have some water first."

"Yeseilena." The girl looked even more flustered. There was longing in her eyes, yet she still waved her hand. "I… you’re just two people. Two bouquets are enough."

"I'm not buying the flowers for free." Zhong Ning smiled gently, her gaze even softer. "Can you tell me how far the nearest town is from here? Is there a gas station? This is very important to me. The flowers and food are your payment in return."

It was only asking for directions—hardly worth so much. But Yeseilena really wanted the fruit. Her family barely had a chance to eat something like that even once a month, let alone these soft white bread rolls.

After hesitating for a while, she told Zhong Ning where the town was—only twelve or thirteen kilometers away, and the gas station was right nearby.

Zhong Ning handed her the bulging bag, her eyes bright. "Take it. You earned it."

Yeseilena accepted the bag, her eyes slightly misty. As she handed over the flowers, she repeated her thanks many times.

Zhong Ning specifically reminded her, "Eat them quickly. Finish them within a week. It's really hot right now—if you keep them too long, they’ll spoil."

After saying that, she waved goodbye to the little girl and nued on her way.

To her, this was just a small interlude.

Country S had only recently come out of wartime unrest. The people here had a kind of rustic sincerity, a deep love for life and living. The war had left the land barren, but it had forged in them an unyielding backbone.

Zhong Ning walked through the small town with her camera, recording the smiling faces of every person who loved life. She had a meal of very local-style grilled meat. The restaurant owner came over to ask where she was from, and after learning the answer, brought over more dishes on the house, insisting they were free.

That evening, while taking a walk, she had an unexpected encounter—she ran into Yeseilena again. The girl was holding a small plastic container, looking around on the street. When she saw Zhong Ning, her eyes lit up with delight and she waved her hand excitedly.

Yeseilena ran over quickly, panting. "I thought I wouldn’t be able to find you."

She held up the container in her hand. "This is apple pie my mom made. Thank you."

Zhong Ning was surprised and also a little touched. She had only casually given a few things—some fruit and bread worth just a few yuan. Even with the flowers, it hadn’t cost her more than a hundred.

She truly hadn’t expected this little girl to come all the way to town just to wait for her.