That night, after handling a mountain of chores, Xin Ya returned alone to her empty old home. The sounds of laughter and conversation from the neighbors rose and fell in the air, bringing a frown to her solitary figure. With a soft sigh, she slowly pushed open the door to what was once a warm home.
Ever since she cried once when her mother passed away from illness, she had not shed a single tear, no matter how great the hardship or setback. In the eyes of her peers, she was remarkably strong and reliable, but this tough exterior was held together purely by willpower. Walking past the side table, she gently picked up an old family photo; her exhausted body felt a flicker of comfort. Setting the photo down, she pulled a communication device resembling a phone from her waist. The communication tools on this planet were high-tech holographic projections that could even rotate along with the user's body—this device was Xin Ya's most valuable possession, even if it wasn't the latest model.
She lay on the bed, idly operating the device to search for information on relief supplies issued by the Government House for the following day. Her mind drifted back to the mysterious man from the morning. "Who on earth is that guy? Helping me time and again for no reason... could he be getting close to me just to kidnap and sell children?" The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it felt, and her wariness grew. Yet, the sincere smile of that mysterious man didn't seem like something a villain could fake. Xin Ya grew increasingly confused, so she got up to prepare for a bath. The slums were a community built voluntarily by the people at the bottom; naturally, there was no running water or electricity, and residents had to be self-sufficient.
She fetched a bucket of water from the outdoor public cistern and heated it using her own solar energy storage stove before carrying it into the bathroom. Just as she was about to undress and wash, she suddenly heard an adult downstairs shouting at a child. "I told you to remember to charge the energy at home today, but you forgot! Now you'll just have to take a cold bath!" Hearing this just as she was about to unbutton her shirt, she hesitated for a moment, then fastened her buttons back up. Carrying the hot water, she went downstairs. Knock, knock. She rapped on the neighbor's door. "Coming! Who is it?" a woman asked, opening the door. "Hello, Auntie. I just heard you were short on water. I have an extra bucket of hot water here, so please use it," Xin Ya said with a smile, handing over the bucket. "Oh, how can we do that? You need it too!" the woman hurriedly declined. "It's fine, I kept some for myself, it's enough. Take this while it's hot. I'll head back up now." Xin Ya set down the hot water and left with a smile.
Returning to her dim home, she let out a sigh and a smile. She used a towel dampened with cold water to wash her face before changing into her loungewear. Noticing her bra was starting to tear, she quietly took out a sewing kit to mend it herself. Once finished, she put away her mother's sewing box, a knowing smile appearing as she looked at the patterns on the lid. Accompanied by the faint scent of sweat, she collapsed into bed and fell asleep instantly from exhaustion.
The next morning, the sun rose as usual. Planet Moyi, much like Earth, was a living planet orbiting a star, but it possessed three moon-like satellite bodies, making the nights relatively bright. Sunlight filtered through the window onto Xin Ya's face. She opened her tired eyes and combed through her messy, brownish-red long hair. "Mmm~ ha~ I have to work hard today too," she muttered to herself.
After changing and washing up, she arrived at the public canteen. "Morning, Xin Ya!" everyone greeted her. "Morning, everyone~" she sat down casually. "The captain might not be back for a few days, so I'll continue assigning tasks to everyone for now," Xin Ya said while eating bread. No one minded the scent of sweat on her; after all, those living in the slums were long accustomed to all sorts of smells—if anything, it was rare to find someone in the slums who stayed clean every day.
"Today, I'm heading to the neighboring city to buy supplies, while you all stay here to claim resources in this city. The police from yesterday already recognize me, so it's not good for me to go there again. That's the plan~" she issued the orders. "No problem, leave it to us!" Sai Ying replied with a smile.
After finishing breakfast together, the group split into two ways. Xin Ya set off on her old flying motorcycle.