Chapter 193: Landing Site Changed, Meeting Ye Xiu Again

At this moment, within the three spaces, the mysterious gate's countdown has ended.

Lin Meng thought for a moment, still carrying weapons and life-saving pills on her person.

Besides that, she also packed some of her stockpiled daily supplies into several bags, thinking that if she later encountered poor people like Ye Xiu, these supplies might be useful.

She wasn't a great philanthropist; she just found the return on this low-cost investment too high, so she was happy to lend a hand.

After making thorough preparations, Lin Meng stepped into that mysterious gate once again.

But soon, the sight before her left her stunned.

This isn't that original broken street; where is this?

The appearance of the new environment instantly put Lin Meng on high alert.

She looked around, confirmed the surroundings were temporarily safe, and didn't rush to set off.

The surrounding environment was very enclosed, with low houses scattered irregularly, and building density extremely high.

Trash could be seen everywhere on the ground, and the air was filled with a foul smell.

What made her frown even more was that countless signs of life were hidden here, mixed among the low houses, clinging to survival.

Lin Meng vaguely realized this might be a gathering place for many lower-class people; walking in such a mixed environment, she definitely needed to be more careful.

After thinking, Lin Meng decided on a direction based on intuition and started walking forward on foot.

Today's exploration map had changed; she couldn't seek speed, she had to seek stability.

After walking continuously for ten minutes, Lin Meng hadn't encountered a single native of this strange world.

She gazed at the low, dilapidated stone house ahead, felt conflicted for a moment, then prepared to knock on the door.

No matter who came out, at least she could learn about this place's situation, so she wouldn't be clueless and end up with no information.

Lin Meng's hand had already been raised to knock, her fist not yet lowered, when suddenly she heard cursing from a nearby alley.

"You little bastard, get out here! If you don't pay this month's rent, get lost, old man!"

The vulgar voice sounded especially harsh in this dead-quiet place.

What puzzled Lin Meng was that the people here seemed not to enjoy watching a spectacle; not a single person came out to look, not even someone peeking through a crack in the door.

If this were Lin Jia Cun, as soon as someone started an argument, villagers would rush out to watch; if you were late, you might not even squeeze into a gap, just hearing the noise.

At that moment, a wooden door creaked open, and Lin Meng immediately heard a familiar voice.

"Could you extend the deadline by two days? I guarantee I'll pay the rent in full, double, after two days."

Ye Xiu lowered his head; his last shred of dignity forced him to use this method to achieve delay.

His sister was still lying in the room; he couldn't let her worry, nor could he let this arrogant landlord beat him in front of her.

In two days, the school's subsidy and the reward money from this wilderness street exploration mission will arrive.

Although the landlord was hateful, he also provided them with housing rental, which is better than living in a sewer.

No matter how dirty this slum is, it's currently the only refuge for him and his sister.

That landlord, full of brawn, only gave Ye Xiu a verbal warning for the sake of double rent, then swaggered away.

Ye Xiu closed the door, turned back into the inner room, where a thin, small figure lay on a simple wooden board bed.

Ye ZhiZhi struggled to lift her little head, looking worriedly at Ye Xiu.

"Big brother, did that big guy bully you again?"

Ye Xiu shook his head, not wanting his sister to worry about the rent.

But Ye ZhiZhi understood everything; a tear flickered in her eyes.

It's all her fault; being sickly, she's become a burden to her brother.

His brother studies well and has outstanding talent; he could have applied for free school housing, but for her sake, he had to squeeze with her into this dilapidated stone house, daily smelling the rotten, stench.

She knows, she knows everything.

His brother's classmates either dislike him for smelling bad or mock him for living in a slum.

"If she could die, die right now, her brother would only be sad for a while, but afterwards he wouldn't be laughed at anymore?"

Ye Xiu didn't know Ye ZhiZhi's thoughts; he carefully took out a bag of noodles and two eggs from the family's only wooden chest.

These were precious supplies given to him by that beautiful sister; his sister was too weak, so he needed to cook her a bowl of egg noodles to nourish her.

Just then, the door was knocked on again.

Ye Xiu instinctively clenched his fist, his whole body tensing up.

But soon he realized something was off.

If it were those troublemakers coming to cause trouble, they'd usually kick the door down.

Someone who could knock so softly and politely—he had never encountered such a person before; who could it be?

Lin Meng followed the source of the sound to this spot and saw a stone house with '444' crookedly carved on it, immediately recalling.

When Ye Xiu called for help, he had once given his address as West City Courtyard No. 4, Building 444; this must be the place.

This door number is actually quite auspicious...

The door opened—so-called door, but it was actually just a wobbly wooden board about to fall, unable to keep out ill-intentioned people.

When Ye Xiu opened the door, the first thing he saw was Lin Meng; he stood there, stunned by shock.

Lin Meng saw him dazed, and waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"Classmate Ye Xiu, what a coincidence; we keep running into each other."

At this moment, Lin Meng had already realized that this fellow with the same surname Ye might be, like Ye Heng and Ye Fan, the person in this space most closely connected to her.

However, Ye Xiu seemed to have no space; she hadn't yet figured out the connection here.

Ye Xiu came to his senses, excited and at a loss, standing at the doorway for a while only uttering one sentence.

"Sister, how did you come here?"

Lin Meng saw he was somewhat at a loss, and smiled as she said:

I happened to be passing by, remembered you said you live nearby, so I came to take a look—would it be all right for me to come in and sit a while?

Ye Xiu looked embarrassed; with his bare walls, how could he let Lin Meng enter his home?

Just then, a soft, childlike voice came from inside the house.

"Brother, who are you talking to?"

Lin Meng froze at the words, then recalled that Ye Xiu also had a sister he depended on.

But the atmosphere in this house is terrible—could Ye Xiu's sister be sick?

Ye Xiu finally invited Lin Meng inside, and he said to her awkwardly;

"Sister, would it be alright for you to sit here, even if it puts you out?"

Lin Meng did not sit down right away, but quickly glanced over the whole room.

This house is too oppressive—the ceiling is less than two meters high, she could reach it with her hand.

What's more, the house hardly has any decent furniture—four bare walls, and even the stove is quite crude.

Besides, there is a doorway nearby, pitch black inside—likely where he and his sister sleep.

Even Ye Heng's Fe Tu Shi Jie should be better than this, right?

The lower-class people of this strange world actually live in dire straits.

Lin Meng felt a pang of pity—seeing these two half-grown children suffering so much, it seems this strange world is not easy to survive in.

"Ye Xiu, older sister came this time to ask you some questions; as repayment, I brought some daily supplies."

She must understand this world as soon as possible.

The third space connecting here must have a reason; she must take the initiative and find a way to explore this world.