Ye Mo smiled and said, "Go ahead, as long as it's not too much trouble, I'm willing to help you out." He had a good impression of Chi Wanqing, and if he could help her, he wouldn't be stingy with his time.
"I have a cousin who runs a company in Luocang City, Jiangnan Province. They're short on staff now. I don't know if you have time to work there. It's really simple — just patrol the factory," Chi Wanqing said happily. Suddenly, she felt that all the smiles she had in the past year didn't add up to these few dozen minutes.
Ye Mo immediately understood that this young girl wanted to help him but was worried about hurting his pride, or that he might be too proud to accept help, so she framed it as him helping her. Otherwise, who would have such a good deal—no real work, just collecting money? That was too easy.
She was a thoughtful girl, but she didn't know him well yet and feared hurting his pride.
Smiling slightly, Ye Mo said, "Thanks, Chi Wanqing. If I want to find a job, I'll definitely go to your cousin's company. Honestly, I don't really know how to do much."
Ye Mo didn't want to directly refuse Chi Wanqing's kindness. He did want to work at her cousin's factory someday, but not right now—he had to nurture the Silver Heart Grass first. Until it matured, he wouldn't leave.
"No work needed at all," Chi Wanqing said, then seemed to realize she sounded too obvious and quickly added, "Just patrol around the factory."
"Wait a moment, Ye big brother, I'll tell you a phone number. You write it down on your phone," Chi Wanqing said, preparing to recite the number.
Ye Mo replied, "But I don't have a phone."
Chi Wanqing was momentarily stunned. Nowadays, who didn't have a phone? But looking at Ye Mo's clothes and hearing he didn't have a job, maybe he really couldn't afford one.
Seeing Chi Wanqing's awkwardness, Ye Mo smiled faintly and said, "Actually, if you just say the number once, I can remember it."
Chi Wanqing glanced at Ye Mo. Obviously, she didn't quite believe him. Even if he remembered it now, he'd probably forget later. She thought he might just be too polite to refuse and was saying it casually. But this wasn't a problem for her; she quickly found a solution. She took out a delicate comb from her pocket, carved several numbers on it with a small knife, and handed it to Ye Mo, finally relieved.
Ye Mo took the comb, which still carried a faint fragrance, looked it over, and smiled, "That's quite a unique phone number. Thanks, Chi Wanqing. If I need a job, I'll definitely come."
Chi Wanqing was very happy to see Ye Mo accept it, but immediately said, "Ye big brother, can you not call me by my full name? It sounds strange to me. Just call me Wanqing from now on. My dad calls me Xiao Qing, you can call me that too."
"Alright, Wanqing," Ye Mo said helplessly. He had just heard her teammates call her Chi Wanqing.
Hearing Ye Mo call her Wanqing, she was very pleased but forgot about having to leave soon and continued, "Ye big brother, I heard from Guo Qi that you came here looking for something. Did you find it?"
Ye Mo shook his head, "Not yet. It should be nearby. There are two evergreen plants and a valley. I think the valley is here, but I haven't found the evergreen plants."
"I know where the evergreen plants are. When we hid in the valley, I saw a place with two evergreen plants not far from here. Ye big brother, I'll take you there," Wanqing suddenly felt very happy that she could help Ye Mo.
Before Ye Mo could respond, Lu Lin's voice came from outside. Wanqing quickly replied, "Sister Lin, Ye big brother and I have some things to do. We'll be back soon."
Her voice was crisp and pleasant.
Lu Lin was stunned for a moment. When had Wanqing ever sounded so joyful? Her voice was filled with happiness. She had always been cold and distant. Could it be...?
Lu Lin shook her head and turned away, unable to understand Wanqing's sudden change.
Wanqing stood up, swaying a little. Ye Mo hurried to support her and said, "I'll carry you."
Ye Mo didn't think anything else. He just wanted to find that place quickly and see what the lama had left behind. If he could really find a large amount of purple-heart vine, it would be very important to him.
"Hmm, thank you, Ye big brother," Wanqing said without hesitation, leaning onto Ye Mo's back. For her, having Ye Mo see her injured thigh was nothing compared to letting him carry her.
She was not a shy girl. Ye Mo admired Wanqing for being so straightforward. He wondered if all soldiers were so frank. He felt two soft mounds pressing against his back—very comfortable—but surprisingly, he thought of nothing else.
"Captain Lu, didn't Ye big brother just carry Wanqing over there? I didn't see wrong, did I?" Fang Wei rubbed his eyes, staring at Ye Mo and Wanqing's fading figures. He never liked talking with male teammates, and Wanqing was always cold and distant. For her to let a stranger carry her was pretty outrageous.
"You didn't see wrong. Hurry up and pack the guns. They should be gone for a while and will be back soon," Lu Lin said gruffly.
Guo Qi nodded as he watched Ye Mo and Wanqing disappear, "Brother Ye is a heroic and extraordinary man. Although Wanqing is cold to people, she just hasn't met her true love. Maybe Brother Ye is it. They suit each other."
"Ye big brother, do you think I'm too casual?" Wanqing suddenly said this strangely, still leaning on Ye Mo's back.
Ye Mo was startled but quickly said, "No, I like your natural and free personality. You speak and act without hesitation."
Wanqing hesitated, then said, "Ye big brother, I'm very cold with my teammates and don't like to talk much. Maybe in a whole month, I don't talk as much as I did with you today. After my parents divorced, I joined the army influenced by family. Because of my parents, I have a natural rejection of men.
I don't know why, Ye big brother, but with you, I feel a kind of nature and freedom. That's what I've always longed for. Yet I don't feel the urge to reject you. Maybe this isn't the kind of natural and free you imagined, so…"
After she finished, Wanqing looked at Ye Mo anxiously. She suddenly worried he wouldn't like her personality.
Ye Mo smiled. He understood perfectly what Wanqing meant. She could sense the pursuit of nature and freedom in him, which meant she also had a spiritual root. That made him look at her in a new light. In a world like Earth where spiritual energy was scarce and cultivation resources nearly zero, having a spiritual root was not easy.
"Just live your life the way you want. No need to accommodate others. Like it, like it. Don't, don't." Suddenly, Ye Mo pointed and said, "Here it is. There really are two evergreen plants."