"Come on, eat up kid. Why are you so slow?" Some of the burly men happily gave him their share of pork and, with expectant gazes, waited for him to eat it.
Jian did not disappoint. With a huge grin, he happily chowed down on the tasty braised pork. The tantalizing taste of meat and fat filled his senses. "This is so good~" To be honest, this was the most satisfying meal he had had in a very long time.
All his life, his grandma never fed him proper meals, and after the world came to turmoil, he never had much to eat.
"Slowly..." his grandpa handed him a cup of green tea. "Don't choke." The man worriedly patted his back.
Jian grinned with a mouthful of meat. "I'm fine. This tastes so good, grandpa. Here, you should eat it."
"No, no, I can't chew properly. You eat it." The old man glared at him and gestured for him to eat.
"Tsk, liar." He put half of his meat into his grandpa's bowl.
The old man had always acted like this. He would lie, saying that he can't eat something or that he doesn't like it, just so he could give it to him.
Jian cast a gaze at his aging grandpa with a soft smile.
This person is the only saving grace in his entire life. If it weren't for this man's upbringing, he would have definitely led a different kind of life.
'But now we don't have to starve ourselves for a while... I can save up my part-time money, and we can stock up on supplies and move to that orchard after this construction job is completed.' Jian smiled to himself. The worry that was weighing him down had finally been lifted after he left that household. After this, he did not wish to bother those pair of grandma and grandson ever again. And if Bian did come around, he would simply scare him with his alien identity.
'Hmph, what can he do? He can't prove to anyone I am an alien.'
Yep, that was right; his alien genes were completely hidden. He had been to the doctor for a full body check-up and nothing had come up even now. So it was highly likely that he was very much similar to a human.
'Maybe I'm a half-human... Maybe my mom or dad had me and left me...' He shook his head slightly in disappointment.
His alien race had forsaken him.
And he did as well.
From this day on, he was just Jian, a human boy.
'Yes... I'm just a human, so I need to make sure I know every kind of self-defense. I'm not alone now. I have to protect my grandpa.' He resolutely repeated in his heart.
Suddenly, in hindsight, he noticed a distant figure by the gate of the construction site.
'Who is it at this time?' He curiously gazed that way.
But it was too dark and that figure was shrouded in darkness.
He was not able to make out that person's face nor any of their features. All he saw was that person talking to the guard and handing him something. After that, that person left.
Thinking nothing of it, Jian went back to eating his meal.
After a round of singing and joking around, everyone retired to sleep.
Jian spread his blanket on the ground and laid on the ground.
"Child, come up and sleep. The ground is so cold." The old man patted the small bed enthusiastically.
Jian just gave him a small smile. "Nah, I like it down here. I've been studying too much, so I need to cool off my body."
"Tsk, nonsense. Come up, kid." The old man tried his best to pull him up, but he failed miserably.
Sighing, Jian sat up. "Grandpa, it's really not that cold. Here, touch my hand." He held up his arm.
With a skeptical gaze, the old man touched his warm skin. "You really don't feel cold?"
"No," Jian assured him resolutely. "I'm tired. Can we sleep?"
The old man sighed and laid on the bed. "If you get cold in the middle of the night, you better climb up. If you catch a cold, it would really disturb your studies."
Jian chuckled. "I know." He laid on the soft blanket that the construction site had provided with a bright smile on his face.
"Grandpa..."
"Hmm..."
"I'm happy," he whispered ever so softly. "I'm very happy we left that house."
A thin hand suddenly touched his head, gently stroking his hair away from his forehead. "I'm so sorry it took so long."
Jian gently held his thin hand in his and contentedly went to sleep.
The next morning, he woke up to the loud sound of chatter and machines running loudly.
Groggily, he sat up and gazed at the bed next to him. It was empty, and the blanket was neatly folded and placed at the head of the bed.
"What time..." he rolled back and scrambled to find his watch.
It was six a.m.
Jian closed his eyes tiredly.
His school was very close to the construction site. He didn't need to wake up early at an ungodly hour, nor did he have to prepare breakfast for anyone.
Just this alone brought a bright smile to his face.
"Ah, I really should have done this in my last life... tsk, how silly I was." He rolled himself up in the warm blanket.
At seven, he went to take a bath at the shared bath. By then, everyone had already headed off to work, so the bathroom was completely empty. He had the whole room to himself.
He happily took a warm shower, changed into his uniform, and started to pack his books into his bag. His school bag was in rough shape with the straps torn. This was Bian's old bag, and it was handed down to him. Truth be told, this bag belonged in the dumpster with the state it was in.
But as for now, it was what he had to work with.
Pulling the broken strap over his shoulder, he ran to the canteen.
Breakfast had already started at six. It was stuffed meat buns and porridge. He simply brought a tupperware with him and packed some for lunch.
"Jian," the old man spotted him from the distance and waved at him.
"Grandpa, I'll be heading off to school now."
"So early?" The old man ran up to him, wiping the dust off his face. "Why don't you sleep in? Your school is very close; I can walk you there."
"No, no, I actually plan to join a club, so I need to get there early." He pulled the bag straps tightly. "I'll be a bit late in the evening. Don't wait up, okay."
His grandpa gave him a worried look. "Don't overwork. Getting ample sleep is very important for your growth."
Jian happily hugged the nagging old man tightly. "Yes, yes~ I sleep very well, and I eat very well. I'm very healthy." He kissed the man's dirty cheeks.
"Yah! It's dirty!" The old man glared at him playfully.
"Tsk, you're too shy even at this age." Pouting, he playfully ran away. "I'll see you after school. Be safe, okay, grandpa?"
"Yeah, yeah..."
He rushed out the door.
"Hey, kid." An unknown voice called for him.
Jian paused, tightly clutching his bag. "Yes?"
The guard by the gate walked up to him, yawning loudly. "Here." He handed over a small keychain.
"No, it's okay."
"No, it's yours." The man shoved it into his hand and yawned even louder. "Why isn't my replacement here? It's really hard staying awake." The man mumbled under his breath.
Jian gazed at the keychain curiously. It was a small Hello Kitty keychain with a small glass vial attached at the bottom. A mesmerizing golden liquid swam around inside. "Is this for me?"
"Hmmm..." The man sleepily nodded. "I'm going now."
The guard just left.
Jian happily clutched the cute keychain. "Thanks, uncle~"