Plane Supermarket

In the security lounge next to the entrance of the supermarket, Ye Zhou was looking at the mother and daughter who were desperately stuffing food into their mouths. It was the first time he saw people eating like beasts, and he didn’t know they were women until he brought them in.

You really can’t tell a man from a man just by looks.

They have become so thin that they have lost their femininity.

The older of the two didn’t really die, she just fainted from ecstasy, and woke up after smelling the aroma of porridge.

Ye Zhou didn’t intend to ask them questions at this time, so he let them eat first.

Neither mother nor daughter used spoons, but grabbed the food directly with their hands. They didn’t let go of a single grain of rice. At the end of the meal, they even licked up the remaining rice soup at the bottom of the bowl.

The way they eat can only be described as hideous.

Ye Zhou was glad that he still remembered that people who have been hungry for a long time can’t eat too much in one sitting, and they can’t eat meat, so he only warmed up two servings of instant porridge for them. He also specially selected green vegetables.

Ye Zhou doesn’t know if his care touched the mother and daughter.

But he himself felt really touched.

The mother and daughter were still hungry after eating, their stomachs were always flat, but even if their stomachs were full, their mouths would not be full.

The long-term hunger prevents them from giving up any food. As long as they can eat, they will continue to eat.

When they were still in their hometown, they couldn’t eat white rice. Although their family grew rice, the rice left after paying the rent and land tax was not enough for their family to feed for a year, so they had to sell the rice for cheaper food.

When the harvest times are bad, they also have to rely on eating bran to keep them alive.

There are also chickens at home, but the chickens are used to lay eggs. Once the eggs are saved, they can be exchanged for salt and needlework in the town.

As far back as Cao’er could remember, she had never eaten white rice. She didn’t feel that the immortal gave too little, but hated herself for eating too fast and didn’t manage to carefully taste the rice before she finishes it all.

“Are you finished?” Cao’er heard a gentle male voice.

She has lived to this age yet never heard such a beautiful voice!

She didn’t dare to look at him, or even raise her head to speak.

Her voice was like a mosquito: “Im— immortal, it’s finished, we finish eating…”

Ye Zhou: “You have been hungry for too long, you can’t eat too much in one go or you will burst your stomach.”

Cao’er couldn’t understand, but she thinks what the immortal said is right!

The immortal said that if she eats again, she will burst her stomach, so she will definitely burst her stomach!

“Immortal! I kowtow to you!” Cao’er Niang¹ supported the table with one hand, moved the chair with one leg, and was about to kneel down to Ye Zhou again. She is a country person, and she has never seen anyone more decent than a landlord in her life. She couldn’t think of anything else to do except kneel and kowtow.

When she was still a maiden, she went up to the mountain to worship Buddha with her parents. They both said that it is sincere to break her head, and the Buddha will bless her.

Although the one who saved her was not the Buddha but an immortal, as long as she smashed her head, would that be called sincerity?

Cao’er was also startled to realize that she hadn’t kowtowed yet, her face turned pale with fright, she quickly pushed the chair away and wanted to kneel on the ground.

Ye Zhou had quick eyesight and quick hands, and he held one of them with one hand. If he really made the two of them kneel down and kowtow, it would be a loss of life.

“Do you have somewhere to go?” Ye Zhou asked.

This question diverted the attention of the mother and daughter. They were supported by Ye Zhou, and they looked at each other distortedly.

Cao’er Niang blinked her eyes, but she couldn’t squeeze a single tear. Her tears had dried up long ago, she could still bleeding when she cut the skin on her body, but tears, she couldn’t even shed a tear after biting her tongue.

“Immortal, Immortal, we will be your² cows and horses³, we can do anything!” Cao’er Niang said in panic and fear, “Let us stay, Immortal! I can do whatever you want me to do! I can do anything!”

If Ye Zhou hadn’t supported her, she would have smashed her head again now.

Ye Zhou didn’t think they were insatiably greedy⁴, they were in such a miserable state. It was strange that they finally saw hope and didn’t ask to stay.

What’s more, Ye Zhou really needed them.

To understand this world, he needs a guide.

The two of them are powerless, and there is nothing on their bodies that does not fit their identities. Even if they have bad intentions, Ye Zhou can deal with them. It’s better than him finding a strong man. If the other party has bad intentions, he may not be able to fight.

After all, Ye Zhou didn’t learn Sanda⁵ nor did he learnt boxing. At most, he just running, playing basketball, and playing football, and that is also something that he did not do very often.

He doesn’t even have any fighting experience, and he has been a good student that excel both morals and studies since he was a child.

What’s more, his reason to play basketball is merely because basketball looks cool.

“You can stay if you want.” Ye Zhou took the opportunity to raise a requirement, “But your hair has to be shaved, no… all the hair on your body has to be shaved.”

He was a little embarrassed, after all, the other party was a woman, but he forced a straight face, trying to suppress the embarrassment, and said righteously: “I have a lot of things and food in the supermarket. In case the fleas on your body got brought in, it will be terrible”

“You have to change your clothes too. I’ll get them for you later.” Ye Zhou said, “When taking a shower, shave off your head and everything, and then change your clothes.”

After speaking, Ye Zhou went out.

He really didn’t know what to say next, even if he wanted to ask questions, he had to wait for them to rest.

Otherwise, depends on their current emotional changes, it would be useless to ask.

Ye Zhou first went to the trash can at the back of the supermarket, and took a bath with the water pipe. In order to prevent fleas on his body, he even threw away his clothes and washed his hair with sulfur soap. He didn’t know if sulfur soap was useful. But it should be better than shampoo, right?

Just in case, he wrapped his hair tightly with a shower cap.

After the mother and daughter are ready to be arranged, they will wash their hair with insecticide mixed with water.

After tidying himself up, Ye Zhou entered the supermarket through the back door, and first went to get two sets of women’s clothing, which were actually long pants and short sleeves. After taking the short sleeves, he is pondering about something and went to get two coats.

He also took two razor.

And took a bar of soap.

Their hair is so dry and yellow that it breaks at the touch of a finger, so there is no need to take shampoo.

There is a shower room built in the guard’s lounge. After all, this is a 24-hour supermarket. During the renovation, he specially notify the decoration team, the shower room does not need to be completely equipped, as long as it can produce hot water for bathing.

When Ye Zhou was busy, the mother and daughter staying in the lounge could not calm down for a moment.

The porridge they drank just now replenished their strength, everything in the lounge was novel to them, and they wished to take off their eyeballs and hang them on the roof, so they can see everything here clearly.

“That light is really bright.” Cao’er Niang said in awe.

Cao’er nodded, and she guessed in a low voice: “Mother, that is definitely not the lamp we have seen before. The oil lamps used by landlords are not as bright as this one. This lamp is not burning, it must be a fairy lamp. This place may be the fairy palace.”

Cao’er Niang held her daughter’s hand tightly: “We’re going to be cattle and horses for the immortal, we have to stay!”

Cao’er nodded fiercely, she wanted to stay here, even if she have to keep working until she died of old age.

It would be great if they could find this place sooner, her father and younger brother would not die, her second sister would not be sold, and her youngest sister would not be thrown away.

At that time, her mother wanted to sell her too, and if she sold it well, no matter what the buyer bought her for, it was bought with grain, and she should not starve to death.

But Cao’er didn’t dare to leave, if she left too, her mother would really not be able to survive.

Nobody wants to buy a woman who has given birth.

“We shouldn’t have sold little sister…” Cao’er choked up, “Erya has never eaten rice…”

Cao’er Nang bowed her head in silence, she didn’t dare to think about the past, she didn’t dare to think about her own children, if Cao’er hadn’t followed her all the time, she would have found a hill and bumped herself to death.

Life is bitter, so bitter that the bones are boiled dry.

As soon as there was a knock on the door, the mother and daughter fell silent immediately.

They hear Ye Zhou asking: “Can I come in?”

Cao’er Niang quickly said: “Immortal, please come in.”

This time Ye Zhou was fully armed before entering the lounge, not only wearing a shower cap, but also wearing a disposable raincoat and the cuffs were tied up with rubber bands, lest lice would sneak in. The clothes and bath towels for the mother and daughter were also packed in sealed bags.

“I’ll get you some water, and after you’re done washing, take your clothes outside and change.” Ye Zhou said, “I won’t look at you.”

The mother and daughter had seen everything on the way to escape, and they didn’t have embarrassed look on their face.

She just said anxiously: “Immortal… we don’t deserve such good clothes…”

Ye Zhou walked to the shower room, turned on the shower, and said while adjusting the water temperature: “Clothes are made for people to wear, how come there’s something like worthy and not worthy?”

Feeling that the temperature difference from the water isn’t so big, Ye Zhou said: “Go and wash, go out and change your clothes after washing, call me when you are done, and I will take you to the place to sleep.”

Cao’er was startled: “Immortal, we can just sleep by the door!”

Ye Zhou waved his hand: “No, I will arrange everything.”

While waiting for them to went to the lounge in the supermarket, Ye Zhou has to spray the room with insecticide. It’s fine if the room looks dirty and messy, but lice is absolutely unacceptable!

Ye Zhou told them how to turn off the water after washing and then backed out. He unlocked the door of the supermarket and went straight to the lounge.

The security guard’s lounge is at the door, the staff’s lounge is inside the store, and Ye Zhou has his own lounge.

Ye Zhou looked around and felt that there was nothing to add or discard.

The new store has not yet opened. There is a bunk bed in the staff lounge, as well as a small wardrobe and a table. Ye Zhou has never done business before opening the supermarket. He just thinks that if he treats the staff better, maybe the staff will also become more attentive to the supermarket?

Anyway, he has done everything he can, and if the other party is not dedicated, he will not feel guilty about firing him.

Unexpectedly, this lounge would come in handy now.

After all, although there was a simple shower room in the security room, there was no bed. The mother and daughter were both miserable, and he couldn’t bear to let them sleep on the floor.

In the security room, the mother and daughter squatted in front of the shower door watching the shower pouring water.

They stared blankly, neither of them speaking.

The method of getting water like this can only be the method of the immortal!

Now that the river bed is dry, only immortal can get water out!

The mother and daughter squatted and looked at it for a while, and then went in to wash together. After washing, they went out with a bag containing clothes and bath towels, and changed clothes under the light at the entrance of the supermarket.

Now the weather is hot, dry and rainless, even the wind blowing at night is warm.

“Mother, why are the sleeves of this dress so short?” Cao’er was holding a short-sleeved dress in her hand, she had never seen such a dress, no matter how poor the people in the country are, they can’t show their instep, nor can they show their arms and legs .

Cao’er Niang squinted her eyes and looked at it twice, pretending to be well-informed: “In the eyes of immortals, we are all mortal bodies, just a few bones and a piece of skin, what’s the point of missing two sleeves.”

Cao’er touched the fabric, her eyes flickered, and said foolishly: “Mother! You touch it.”

Cao’er’s Niang also stretched out her hand to touch it, and then she couldn’t let go of it.

It was Ye Zhou who asked through the door: “Are you all dressed?”

They were impatient to get dressed.

After confirming that they were dressed, Ye Zhou opened the door of the supermarket and prepared to lead them to the rest room.

At the moment when the mother and daughter stepped into the gate of the supermarket, a computer prompt sounded suddenly in the supermarket.

The mother and daughter were startled by the sound, and quickly clung together.

The light shone on them, reflecting light from the tops of their clean-shaven heads.

Ye Zhou was also a little puzzled, he didn’t turn on the computer, and even if he turned on the computer, the computer wasn’t connected to the radio speakers in the supermarket.

But there is no time to see it now, so Ye Zhou took the mother and daughter to the lounge first.

“The light switch is here. If you’re going to sleep, you just have to turn it off like this” Ye Zhou demonstrated, “Tomorrow I’ll bring you two more sets of clothes to wash. You guys have a good rest tonight. I’m leaving.

“He closed the door and left, planning to go back to his lounge to check the computer.

Namida’s Note:
1) Niang means mother. Cao’er Niang means Mother-of-Cao’er. Usually when women are married (during that setting) they can no longer use their maiden name and people call them using their husband surname (ex. Chen Shi, wife of Chen / Madam Chen) or their kid’s name (Cao’er Niang, mother-of-Cao’er)

2) they use the word 您 / honourable ‘you’

3) 当牛做马 meaning working hard to do anything for you

4) 得寸进尺 lit. get an inch, want a foot / give them an inch and they will ask for a mile

5) sanda is a martial art