Yu Yi took the money she had secretly taken from Old Mrs. Yu’s secret stash and quietly followed Luo Xiao and the others to board the bus to S City. Since she was leaving in a hurry, she did not have much luggage with her, just a few changes of clothes and some daily necessities.
She also knew that as a city with fast-developing economy, the cost of living in S City would certainly be higher than in C Town. Even though she really didn’t want to wear her slightly outdated and unfashionable clothes, she had no choice since her funds were limited.
After getting off the bus, Yu Yi looked at the bustling passenger terminal in front of her and was momentarily stunned: So this is S City, there are indeed so many people!”
However, by the time she regained her senses, the Luo family had already left through the exit and taken a ride home. With the Luo family nowhere to be seen, Yu Yi felt a little panicked in her heart. After all, she had never traveled far from home before, and this was the first time she had come to S City all by herself. What should she do in this unfamiliar place!
Just as a look of anxiety appeared on her face, a woman nearby who was looking around suddenly had a gleam in her eyes. After looking at her for while, she then approached Yu Yi with a friendly smile and asked, “Sister, is this your first time in S City? Would you like to stay at our hotel? It’s only 10 yuan per day, and that includes three meals!”
“Eh? Really? Is there such a good deal?” Yu Yi looked at the seemingly amiable middle-aged woman cautiously.
“Of course!” The middle-aged woman saw there was an opportunity and the smile on her face became even more enthusiastic. “Judging from your accent, you must be from C Town, right?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Yu Yi nodded cautiously.
“Wonderful, we’re fellow townspeople then!” The middle-aged woman clapped her hands excitedly and switched to the C Town dialect, “My mother is also from C Town. She brought me here to make a living when I was a teenager. It’s rare to run into a fellow townsperson here! By the way, sister, let’s go chat while walking. Don’t worry, when we’re out in the world, everyone have to rely on friends. And we’re from the same hometown, I won’t do anything to harm you!” As she spoke, she reached out to take Yu Yi’s luggage.
Yu Yi still had a polite smile on her face, but she did not loosen her grip on the luggage. After all, they were still strangers. “It’s alright, Sister, I can carry it myself.”
“Okay then.” The middle-aged woman smiled and withdrew her hand, then led Yu Yi to a small hotel not far away, “Here we are, sister. Take a look, the room is quite nice, isn’t it?”
Yu Yi stood in the room and looked around. This room was less than 10 square meters. It had a 1.5 by 1.8 meter bed, a 12-inch black and white TV, a vanity and a chair, as well as a small bathroom. Considering the era this time, this setup was already very good.
“Sister, is this room really only 10 yuan per day, including three meals?” Although Yu Yi didn’t know the price level of S City, she knew that a room like this would cost more even in their C Town. So she felt suspicious and asked again to confirm.
“Of course!” The middle-aged woman’s eyes briefly flashed with a gleam, and she nodded with a smile.
In fact, Yu Yi still had some doubts and unease in her heart, because she knew that in this world, things too good to be true don’t really exist. But as she subconsciously felt her pocket, there were only seven or eight hundred yuan there. It was the private savings the old lady had carefully accumulated over a long time!
After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded: “Alright, Sister, I’ll stay in this room.”
“Oh, great!” The middle-aged woman nodded. “Then sister, how long would you like to stay? Right, do you want to pay daily, or by half a month or a month?”
After thinking it over, Yu Yi realized that she probably couldn’t return so soon, so she said, “Sister, let me pay for a month then, is that okay?”
“Okay, there’s no problem with that.” The middle-aged woman nodded, “Alright then, you put your things away, and we can go downstairs and take care of the paperwork.”
After helping Yu Yi complete the check-in procedure, the middle-aged woman smiled and said, “Sister, you can just stay here at my place without worry. By the way, we’ll be seeing each other frequently from now on. I see that your name is Yu Yi. Since that’s the case , I think I’ll call you Yizi. What do you think?”
“Okay, no problem,” Yu Yi took her room key. “Then how should I address you?”
The middle-aged woman replied, “You can just call me Sister Hong, that’s what everyone else calls me.”
“Alright then, I’ll call you Sister Hong from now on.” Yu Yi nodded and then made a note of the name to her memory. “Well then, Sister Hong, let me go upstairs and unpack my luggage first?”
“Mm-hmm, go ahead. Oh, by the way, when it’s mealtime, I’ll have someone bring the food up to you!” Sister Hong waved at her and watched as Yu Yi turned and went upstairs.
When the soft sound of a door closing came from the second floor, a smug smile appeared on Sister Hong’s face: It looks like she will have some more money coming in this month!
“Hehe, congrats Sister Hong!” A vulgar voice suddenly reached Sister Hong’s ears.
Sister Hong frowned directly as she turned her head. “Why are you here again, Er Mao? Didn’t I tell you to stop coming around so much?”
“Hehe, don’t be angry, Sister Hong.” Er Mao looked at her and flattered with a smile. “You know, it’s the boss’s orders, I wouldn’t dare come bother you otherwise, right?”
“Alright, what is it?” Sister Hong was utterly disgusted just looking at his pock-marked face and averted her gaze.
“Well, Brother Hei told me to come ask, when can we get some new goods?” Er Mao continued smiling as he asked, pretending not to notice her disdainful look.
“Geez, why is he rushing me so soon?” Sister Hong waved him off impatiently. “Go back and tell Brother Hei, there’s nothing available right now. The earliest will be in a month.”
“Okay, got it. Then I’ll head back, Sister Hong.” Er Mao left the small hotel with a smile. Before turning into the nearby small alley, he glanced back and then spat on the ground: “Hmph, that stinky bitch, who does she think she is? Daring to show me your bad face. If it wasn’t for saving face for Brother Hei, I’d…” His figure then quickly disappeared into the alley after he finished speaking.
When mealtime came, contrary to what she had said, Sister Hong didn’t send someone to deliver the food, but brought it up herself. Seeing Yu Yi open the door, she smiled and said, “The food is here, Yizi. You must be starving, right? Come, let’s eat.”
Watching Sister Hong carry the dishes in and set them on the table, Yu Yi still maintained a guarded attitude. Sister Hong naturally noticed every bit of Yu Yi’s reaction. So after placing the food on the table, she simply said, “Eat slowly, and bring the dishes down when you’re done,” then left the room.
Yu Yi looked at the delicious-looking three dishes and one soup in front of her and touched her long-sunken belly. Swallowing hard against the temptation of the aroma, she began to struggle for a while.
Then she got off the bed and tightly locked the door to the room, then also brought in a chair to barricade the door. After making preparations, she finally picked up the chopsticks to take a small taste. After a while, finding everything normal and no dizziness or other symptoms, she began to wolf down the food.
After all, up until now, she had gone a full 10-plus hours without eating anything. Because after stealing her own family’s old lady’s money at night, she quietly slipped out in the middle of the night with her luggage, waiting near Luo Xiao’s door, just so as not to lose track of them coming to S City, even though in the end she still lost them. But at least now she is in S City, where she will have a brand new and wonderful upper-class life!
After finishing the meal, Yu Yi moved the chair and opened the door to take the bowls and chopsticks downstairs. When Sister Hong saw Yu Yi coming down, especially after seeing the empty and clean dishes, her smile became even more apparent.
“Yizi, have you finished eating?” Sister Hong looked up from the accounts in her hand and greeted.
“Yes.” According to Sister Hong’s instructions, Yu Yi returned the dishes to the kitchen, then walked to the door, looking out at the tall buildings and said with emotion, “This S City is really developing rapidly!”
“That’s right!” Sister Hong put down the account book in her hand and went to stand beside Yu Yi. She pointed out the tall buildings one by one while saying, “You see, that tall building was invested in by a boss last year, and it is said that it costs over 10 million! And over there, that was built the year before last, and also said to cost even more money! And look, that one too…”
Listening to Sister Hong’s description, Yu Yi truly opened her eyes wide. In her entire life, she had never seen sums like millions or even tens of millions of dollars. The most she had ever seen was just tens of thousands.
After listening, Yu Yi’s eyes were filled with longing. She fervently hoped that she could live the so-called upper-class lifestyle. Regarding Yu Yi, although she was already over 30 years old, her foundation was quite good. After giving birth to two children, her figure was still curvaceous, plus her fair skin. She could easily pass for 24 or 25 years old.
Sister Hong had been subtly observing the changes in Yu Yi’s expression as she spoke. As a woman, she naturally understood the meaning behind the obvious gleam in Yu Yi’s eyes. A thought flashed through her mind and she knew what to do next.
And so Yu Yi had unknowingly become entangled in a carefully woven big net, with the hunter waiting patiently to slowly close it in.
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1