Ji Ning finished the last sip of soup, put down the bowl, glanced at the two of them, and said, "Literate."
Who do you think you're looking down on?
Even though she was six when chaos struck and never had a formal day of school, she still learned to read.
Back then, in the refugee camp, an old professor gave her and a few orphans an introduction to learning.
The old professor was originally a doctoral supervisor at a medical university, knowledgeable and skilled in medicine.
She studied seriously with the old professor for a few years until the old professor was killed protecting them.
He left behind a box of medical books as thick as bricks.
In a chaotic world, survival was uncertain; who would think of reading and studying?
But she always kept that box of books with her.
Because the old professor once said these words while alive: "No matter what the world becomes, I hope you never stop learning. Learning is the only way to continue civilization. You may not understand what I'm saying now, but I hope when you grow up, even if you're a rogue, be the most cultured one."
It was because of that box of books that she was able to quickly gain a foothold in the chaotic world and become one of the three major... ahem... War Gods of the chaotic times.
***
Regarding Ji Ning's literacy, Ye Tong and Bai Xiaotang expressed deep skepticism.
The two of them directly found a set of children's beginner reading material on the Smart Brain for Ji Ning to recognize.
Until Ji Ning accurately read all the content without mistakes, they didn't let her go.
Ji Ning felt a bit aggrieved. The notorious number one female overlord of the chaotic world, the boss of Anhe Base, commanding over ten thousand underlings, now had to patiently read children's books?
What can you do when you're under the eaves and have to bow your head?
These two girls are now her "meal ticket," she can't afford to offend the "meal ticket."
"Give me a dictionary."
The current characters are slightly different from those of the chaotic times; if it weren't for the phonetic annotations in the children's books, she might not have read them correctly.
To avoid being seen as an illiterate, learning must not be stopped.
"Sister Ning, tomorrow we get up at six in the morning, I'll take you to find a job."
Before going to sleep, Ye Tong reminded Ji Ning, who was yawning.
Ji Ning waved her hand, dealing with this worrying "little nanny."
Finally, she could sleep.
In the chaotic times, not to mention sleeping, even closing your eyes for a short nap meant worrying about whether there were enemies lurking nearby.
Ji Ning immediately jumped onto a big soft bed, hugged a pillow with satisfaction, and closed her eyes.
***
Next door.
Bai Xiaotang's Smart Brain suddenly rang.
Putting on a face mask, Bai Xiaotang casually clicked on the voice call, and Lin Yuanyang's voice came through.
"Bai Xiaotang, I decided to be your classmate."
"Really? You're not going to the middle school department?" Bai Xiaotang was a bit surprised. With Lin Yuanyang's intelligence, skipping to the high school department was more than enough, but he transferred to the middle school department instead. So why was he going to enter the high school department now?
Lin Yuanyang impatiently replied with a "hmm," his eyes fixed on the screen ahead, which had a simple interface displaying a few lines of text.
Name: Ji Ning
Gender: Female
Age: 20 years
DNA Comparison Result: No information found.
...
The DNA database he compared against was the International Alliance's population database, and even if a superpower user's security clearance was at the highest level, he would have gotten a "You do not have access" result.
Couldn't believe it was "no information found."
This indicates that Ji Ning hasn't appeared in normal society since birth. Either her parents had a special identity avoiding enemies, or she was deliberately abandoned in remote mountains and forests.
No matter the situation, being unexposed to normal society for 20 years is a skill in itself.
Being able to get such a person right before their eyes shows the "well-intentioned" efforts of the person behind it.
Lin Yuanyang's eyes lit up. He hadn't encountered such a challenge in a long time.
He's eager to see who is behind Ji Ning?
***
The next day.
Just as dawn was breaking, Ji Ning's biological clock woke her up, but the bed was so soft, so soft she could lie there forever.
Next door's "little nanny" was already up and had gone downstairs to cook.
Have to say this "little nanny" is really full of energy. She was muttering half the night yesterday and can still get up so early today to cook. Her diligence index could rank first.
Click click... the smell of these dumplings is so good...
Ji Ning's stomach grumbled a few times, and between the soft bed and breakfast, she chose the latter without hesitation.
When the steaming hot dumplings were freshly made, Ye Tong was startled by the figure leaning against the kitchen door, almost tossing the dumplings.
"Morning. Is breakfast ready?"
"Eh... morning... be careful, it's hot." In the blink of an eye, Ye Tong's plate was empty. Ji Ning was already holding two in each hand and had one in her mouth, wolfing down another dumpling in a few bites.
"Tasty." Ji Ning complimented unreservedly, her mouth unoccupied.
While Ye Tong became a numb dumpling-making tool.
She thought indignantly: I must get her to work!!!
Who could afford to feed such an appetite?
Finally, when Ye Tong was about to lose her cool, Ji Ning reluctantly left the kitchen.
Ye Tong hastily finished making Bai Xiaotang's breakfast, thoughtfully left her a note, and then took Ji Ning out.
"Sister Ning, considering you're currently a three-no person, going to a proper company is definitely not possible; we can only find low-threshold, low-risk jobs. I thought about it, you should be an extra. Although you can't earn much in a day, at least food is provided."
Being an extra was the only job Ye Tong could find for Ji Ning, but it doesn't mean being an extra has no threshold at all.
Good extras are not only skilled both mentally and physically, but have excellent dialogue skills and acting abilities. Otherwise, why are so many good actors from humble beginnings?
But someone like Ji Ning, becoming an extra, was just to be a placeholder, play a role that doesn't require acting skills, like a corpse or a random passersby.
Ye Tong scrolled through her contacts list, feeling rather upset.
In the early morning, the Mingfu Garden District was almost empty. Ye Tong, taking Ji Ning clad in a brand new tracksuit, left through the east gate of the community.
The security guard at the east gate saw Ji Ning yesterday, subconsciously glancing at her a few times, and said to Ye Tong, "When will his resident permit be given? If it's not given promptly, we can't let him back into the community."
The security thought Ji Ning was male, speaking somewhat sternly.
So young, having arms and legs, why not do something instead of being a vagrant, begging around here and succeeding at that? Not only is he living in a high-end community now, he even has a new identity, isn't that infuriating?
The security was somewhat unfriendly to Ji Ning, not even willing to look her in the eye.
Ye Tong repeatedly promised: "Uncle He will deliver it shortly."
Uncle He by Bai Xiaotang's side was very reliable. When she originally came, it took only half a day to have all her identity information input into the community's security system.
The security waved them off, lowering his head, not looking at them again.
Ye Tong quickly pulled Ji Ning's arm away.
It took over ten minutes to walk from the east gate of the community to the bus stop.
Ye Tong introduced Ji Ning to the surrounding environment she just got familiar with while reminding her of some precautions, "The residents in the Mingfu Garden District are either rich or noble; when we go out, we must be low-key and not easily cause trouble."
Ji Ning inserted both hands into her pockets, looking at the nearby environment and saying faintly: "Did Lin Yuanyang tell you this too?"
Ye Tong's steps paused, turning to look at her, testingly asking: "How do you know it was him?"
"Is it that difficult to guess?"
Ye Tong's expression was somewhat complex. Is Sister Ning really someone who grew up in the mountains?
"Lin Yuanyang isn't an ordinary child; saying these things is quite normal." Ji Ning glanced at her.
Ye Tong sighed in relief, chuckling wryly: "Tangtang and he just moved here not long ago, unfamiliar with the place, being too high-profile would easily attract bad attention."
Ji Ning glanced at her and then looked away.
Ha... Even if a little saint wants to be low-profile, certain people wouldn't allow her to be.