Chapter 5 Sister! This rat is poisonous, you can't eat it
"Little girl, are you okay?" the patrol captain asked with concern.
"I'm fine, thank you." Su Nian's voice was still trembling.
"Be careful next time, this area is not peaceful. Little girl, you are too strong to be alone, it's easy to get into danger. Normally a girl would find a man to marry, go out with a man, or hide at home. There are only grown men out there, and there are always some who are tempted by your beauty." The patrol captain warned.
Su Nian bit her lip and said firmly: "I don't want to rely on others. I want to survive by my own efforts."
The patrol captain sighed: "Ah, you kid."
Su Nian nodded repeatedly.
After the patrolmen took the robbers away, Su Nian dragged her exhausted body back to the rescue station. She was still frightened after the incident.
In the days that followed, Su Nian became more cautious. She still went out early and came back late every day to pick up trash, but she was no longer as defenseless as before. She hid a homemade knife on her body, just in case.
Once, Su Nian was searching at the garbage dump as usual. Suddenly, she felt an unusual gaze behind her. She turned around and saw a man with strange behavior following her stealthily. The man was hunched over, with erratic eyes, and exuded a chilling evil spirit.
Su Nian's heart instantly rose to her throat, but she pretended to be calm, stopped, and her hand quietly reached for the small knife hidden at her waist.
"Why are you following me?" Su Nian turned around and shouted angrily. Her voice was clear and loud, with an inviolable majesty.
The man was stunned at first, then he showed a malicious smile and approached Su Nian step by step: "Little girl, don't be so fierce, play with your brother." His voice was hoarse and obscene, which made people feel sick.
Su Nian held the knife tightly, exposing the blade slightly, stared at the other person with sharp eyes, and shouted loudly: "Don't come over here, or I will be rude!" Her voice was firm and powerful, without the slightest retreat or fear.
The man paused a little when he saw the knife in Su Nian's hand, but he still didn't give up and continued to try to get closer: "Huh, little girl, do you think a knife can scare me?"
Su Nian quickly looked around and found an abandoned iron rod not far away. She stared at the man and slowly moved closer to the iron rod.
"I'm warning you, I'm not someone you can easily bully!" Su Nian shouted again, picking up the iron rod, clenching his hands, and making an attacking gesture.
When the man saw how determined and brave Su Nian was, he began to feel a little timid. He didn't expect that this seemingly weak woman had such courage and momentum.
"You are so cruel!" The man hesitated for a moment, then turned around and ran away cursing.
Su Nian looked at the man's back as he walked away, her tense nerves finally relaxed, and she gasped for air. But her eyes remained firm, as she knew that in this dangerous world, only courage and wit could protect her.
After the confrontation with the strange man, Su Nian couldn't calm down for a long time. But life had to go on, and she still went out early and came back late every day to search the garbage dump. The garbage dump was filled with a pungent smell, and the piles of waste emitted nauseating heat under the scorching sun.
One day, during a break, Su Nian sat in the shadow of the garbage mountain and chatted with other people who were picking up garbage.
"I heard that the world outside the garbage planet is different. The radiation on some planets is so high that people can't stand there. The land there is dry and cracked, and the sky is filled with strange light, as if it is the end of the world." An uncle with a weathered face described it vividly. The wrinkles on his face were like dry land, and each wrinkle told of the hardships of life.
"That's right. There are also planets that are as clean and tidy as heaven. The streets there are spotless, the buildings are towering into the sky, and there are high-tech equipment and beautiful gardens everywhere." Another tall and thin man had a longing light in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"What we yearn for most is the First Planet. I heard that there are women everywhere and life is comfortable. The air there is sweet and the houses are built with precious materials." The uncle's eyes were full of longing, as if he was already in that beautiful world.
Su Nian listened attentively and couldn't help asking, "How much does it cost to go to the first planet?" Her eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation.
"The fare is 20,000 credit points." The tall and thin man stretched out two slender fingers and shook them, his eyes dimmed at that moment.
Su Nian took a deep breath. Twenty thousand credit points? This was an astronomical figure for her. She felt that she couldn't save enough money in decades. A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.
"But girl, you are so serious and hard working in collecting waste. As long as you keep going, you might save enough money someday. When you get to the first planet, even if you become a real waiter or find a job that is not done by robots, it will be much better than picking up garbage here." The uncle comforted her, and his rough hand gently patted Su Nian's shoulder.
Su Nian smiled bitterly. Although he felt that there was little hope in his heart, he still secretly made up his mind that no matter how difficult it was, he would work hard to leave the garbage planet.
Since then, Su Nian has been working even harder to pick up trash, not letting go of anything that might be valuable. She was exhausted every day, and her tattered clothes were soaked with sweat. Her hands were covered with scars and dirt, and there were always black stains between her nails that could not be washed off. But as long as she thought of the beautiful vision of the first planet, she would be motivated again.
However, fate always seems to like to play tricks on people. One day, Su Nian accidentally sprained her ankle at the garbage dump, and her movements became very inconvenient. She sat on the ground in pain, looking at her swollen ankle, her heart filled with despair.
"What should I do? If I can't go out to pick up trash, I will have no income." Su Nian was extremely anxious. Her voice was tearful and her eyes were full of helplessness.
Just when she felt desperate, the owner of the scrap stall appeared in front of her. The owner was short and fat, and always had a kind smile on his face.
"Girl, I heard that you were injured. Here are some medicine and food. Take them first." The boss handed over a package, which exuded a faint aroma of medicine and food.
Su Nian was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She took the package and thanked him repeatedly: "Boss, you are such a kind person. When I get better, I will work harder to pick up trash to repay you."
During the days of recuperation, Su Nian was not idle. She began to study how to repair some small items she found, hoping to sell them for a better price. She sat in the simple room, carefully fiddling with the parts under the dim light, her eyes focused and determined.
After his injury healed, Su Nian returned to the garbage dump, only to find that the competition had become more intense. People often quarreled and pushed each other in order to fight for a little bit of valuable waste.
One day, when Su Nian was rummaging through the garbage, he suddenly heard a commotion.
"Run! Poisonous mutant rats!" someone shouted.
Su Nian looked up and saw a huge, gray-haired rat rushing out of the garbage dump. Its eyes were red, its teeth were as sharp as knives, and it exuded a foul odor.
The moment Su Nian saw the mouse, her first reaction was to think of meat. She hadn't eaten meat since she came here.
"Don't think about it, sister. This rat is poisonous and can't be eaten!" The person next to her quickly pulled her back.
Su Nian finally came to his senses and quickly followed everyone to hide.
After this series of twists and turns, Su Nian understood more clearly how difficult it is to survive in this world, but she never gave up hope and still moved firmly towards her goal.