Rebellious Game C10.2

Hey, first of all, thanks for reading my lousy Machine Translation. To be honest, I’d really like it if you guys corrected the mistakes I made. But please speak nicely and politely. My heart is not strong enough to read your too-harsh comments. Have a nice day. 🙂

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Chp10. part2

On her first day, the senior caregiver took Yun Xin and another new recruit on a tour of the Rehabilitation Nursing Home to familiarize them with the environment and explain their daily routines. “Despite its name, this place operates more like a convalescent home. Many of the residents are patients, and we have dedicated doctors and nurses overseeing their treatment.”

“Our job is simple: keep the elderly company, chat with them to alleviate boredom, and occasionally remind them when it’s time to take their medication.”

“Work hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM. For the night shift, it’s 5 PM to 8 AM. You can grab meals at the cafeteria anytime- it’s open 24 hours. Oh, and our chef is specially hired from outside; his culinary skills are top-notch. You’ll see for yourselves once you try the food.”

The other new recruit was a young man in his early twenties, his name tag reading “Caregiver: Wu Peng.”

Hearing about the chef’s culinary prowess, Wu Peng immediately perked up. “Four years of university dining hall food nearly killed me! When I heard the job included room and board, I was worried about the meals, but now I can finally relax.”

As the trio continued their tour, they arrived at a grassy lawn. In the distance, an elderly man sat in a wheelchair, being pushed into the sunlight by an attendant.

Other residents sat in wicker chairs, gathered in small groups of three to five, basking in the sun and chatting leisurely, their expressions serene and content.

The senior caregiver led Yun Xin and Wu Peng over to greet the elderly residents. “Grandpa Xu, Grandma Liu, Grandma He, these are our new caregivers- Yun Xin and Wu Peng.”

“Hello, Grandpa and Grandmas!” Wu Peng strode forward and immediately struck up a friendly conversation. “Grandma, did you get your hair done? Wow, it looks so stylish and beautiful!”

Grandma He beamed, praising the young man for his quick wit and sweet talk, predicting he’d have no trouble finding a girlfriend.

Grandma Liu, however, focused her attention on Yun Xin, her fondness growing with each glance. “You’re such a pretty girl, dear. Do you have a boyfriend?”

Yun Xin’s expression momentarily darkened, but she quickly smiled. “No, I haven’t dated anyone.”

“Don’t worry, Grandma will introduce you to someone!” Grandma Liu declared enthusiastically. “My grandson is a university graduate, athletic, smart, and handsome. You two would be perfect together!”

“Oh, no need,” Yun Xin replied with a smile. “Grandma, I already have someone in my heart.”

“Ah…” Grandma Liu sighed in disappointment. After a moment, she added, “Well, dear, if you ever change your mind and want a boyfriend, remember to tell Grandma. I know plenty of handsome young men!”

“Alright, I will,” Yun Xin promised with a smile.

After chatting with Grandma Liu, Grandpa Xu pulled Yun Xin aside. “Working as a caregiver here means living at the nursing home and only getting to go out once every two weeks. As a young woman, are your parents okay with that?”

Yun Xin stiffened slightly, then smiled and said, “My parents respect my choices and let me decide everything.”

“How enlightened,” Grandpa Xu remarked. “Parents like that are rare these days. Most are overly controlling and worry about every little thing. But children and grandchildren have their own destinies. Why interfere so much?”

After chatting for fifteen minutes, the experienced caregiver bid farewell to the grandparents and prepared to show the newcomer around.

“I won’t join you,” Yun Xin said, stopping in her tracks. “I just realized this job isn’t a good fit for me. It’s best if I resign.”

With that, she turned and headed for the Dean’s office.

“You’re resigning?” The Dean stared at Yun Xin in surprise.

“Yes,” Yun Xin replied with unwavering certainty.

“If I remember correctly, during the interview, you claimed to have extensive work experience, to be unafraid of hardship, and capable of handling any task?” The Dean’s emotions were a tangled mess.

“That’s true,” Yun Xin said without a hint of guilt. “But until today, I had no idea how challenging it would be to simply chat with elderly residents.”

The Dean couldn’t comprehend. “Our nursing home houses ordinary seniors. If you have experience communicating with your own elders, this shouldn’t be difficult.”

Yun Xin fell silent. Knowing that without explaining, no one would understand, she decided to be direct. “I never met my paternal grandparents growing up, and I didn’t have a maternal grandfather. I only lived with my maternal grandmother.”

“My parents passed away when I was ten, and my grandmother died when I was eighteen. I don’t like talking about these things.”

“But my grandparents love to chat about family matters. Suddenly changing my expression during conversations would be disrespectful, and forcing a smile would be too exhausting. Resigning is best for everyone.”

The Dean was stunned into silence for a long moment.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll take that as your agreement.”

It was Yun Xin’s first day, and she hadn’t even signed the contract yet, so resigning required no complicated procedures.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Xin turned to leave.

“Wait,” the Dean called out. “If caregiving isn’t a good fit, how about a different role?”

Yun Xin stopped and slowly turned back.

The Dean explained, “We’re a newly opened nursing home, and many positions are understaffed. Kitchen assistant, cafeteria server, gardener for lawn and tree maintenance, medical assistant… No specialized knowledge is required. You’d just need to record patients’ conditions and handle some paperwork.”

“Even if you’re not happy inside, you still maintain a smile and chat warmly with the elderly. I personally admire that kind of work ethic.”

“I hope you’ll stay.”

Yun Xin considered it. “I’ve worked as a kitchen assistant before. I think I can manage.”

Yun Xin’s understanding of “kitchen assistant” involved washing, chopping, and preparing ingredients.

The reality of the “kitchen assistant” role was quite different: “The elderly woman in Room 203 is too ill to go to the cafeteria. You’re new here, so take her meal.”

Yun Xin stared blankly. Shouldn’t this job title be “errand runner”?

Oh well, she thought. Running errands is better than forced conversation. I’ve done my share of odd jobs and hard labor before.

Yun Xin packed the meal containers into plastic bags, then easily carried the rice, two dishes, and soup toward Room 203.

Before she even reached the apartment building where the elderly residents lived, Yun Xin glanced up. She saw someone leap from the top floor. A few seconds later, the falling figure crashed into another elderly man who was slowly walking with a cane, presumably heading back to his room for an afternoon nap.

Both men collapsed together in a pool of blood.

Yun Xin froze in her tracks.

At the same moment, Wu Peng shouted in terror, “Oh no! Someone jumped!”

Hearing the commotion, security guards rushed to the scene.

Because the suicide was so gruesome, the guards quickly covered the bodies with white sheets to prevent other elderly residents from being traumatized or having nightmares.

But even with their swift actions, some residents were already nearby.

One peered over and exclaimed, “Isn’t that Old Yang?”