Chapter 4

When they left the hospital, the man thought the woman would hail a taxi for their transportation home. However, he was mistaken as he had to continue walking following the peculiar woman.

"Where are we going?" the man asked again, starting to feel tired.

Jemima pointed to something quite far ahead.

"Bus stop?"

Jemima nodded with a flat expression, "Let's consider it an exercise." She said.

"Wait, what's wrong with her? Aren't the job of vagrants to move around and walk endlessly?" Jemima whispered, not intending to be sarcastic. Of course, her question couldn't be heard by the man as she was speaking to herself.

Finally, they arrived at the bus stop. The man followed Jemima and sat on the available seat. In the middle of the day in this winter season, there was not a single passenger waiting for any bus, except for the unemployed.

The blue bus with the sign 'Springbrook Road' stopped in front of them. Jemima stood up and boarded the vehicle, followed by the man behind her. They sat side by side, and the man, who rarely spoke, chose to cover his head and pretend to sleep again.

Likewise, Jemima's mind was in disarray at the moment. Her life was already chaotic, and now she was bringing a stranger home. But as she thought negatively, the girl became self-aware again. If not for this vagrant, she might have been abducted and abused by Ian and his two friends.

"Hey, let's get off!" Jemima called out, slightly pulling the helper's clothes.

The man who pretended to sleep immediately woke up, "Are we there?" he asked, looking around.

"Hump!" Jemima replied lazily.

The man seemed to follow where the girl led him, especially since he had no money to continue his plan.

From the bus stop where they stopped, they still had to walk through an alley to reach the girl's house. For some reason, the man was curious about how poor this girl he helped was.

"Still far?" the man asked flatly, trying to break the silence.

"No, just one more alley," Jemima answered, pointing in the direction.

After a while, they arrived at an apartment building. They still had to climb many stairs because the girl's residence was on the top floor.

"A quiet house, so why bother living on the top balcony?" the man asked softly, meaning to speak and ask himself.

"Only the top floor is the cheapest," Jemima unintentionally overheard.

The man looked surprised by Jemima's answer.

Jemima glanced briefly, smiling softly, "for someone comfortable living on the streets like you, it seems you lack insight into how expensive renting a house in this big city is," she said, half sneering.

The man just pretended to nod, feeling it would be impolite and he might be kicked out if he continued to comment as before.

"We're here. Please come in," Jemima invited, extending her hand to let her guest enter first.

The man stepped inside, looking around in surprise once he was in the room.

Is this a home or a bird's nest? The man thought as he surveyed the surroundings.

"Please have a seat. I'll make you a drink," Jemima invited.

The man responded with a puzzled nod. In the room, there was a long sofa with a table in front of it. Behind the couch, there was a small kitchen separated only by a long, minimalist dining table. In front of the sofa and the kitchen, there was a typical girl's bed, resembling that of a princess, with a pastel pink bed adorned with matching mosquito netting. The mattress and pillows looked very soft, appearing extremely comfortable for sleeping.

"Quite an interesting room," the man thought as he nodded.

Observing her guest's behavior, Jemima only smiled occasionally.

"Isn't my place comfortable?" Jemima asked from behind.

Comfortable? What's comfortable about it? This room is indeed unfit for human habitation. The man thought as he nodded, his actions contrasting with his inner thoughts.

"Hump, go ahead and drink," Jemima said, offering the freshly made orange drink.

The man nodded again, occasionally feeling the sofa he was sitting on.

"Well, as I said... comfortable, right? Better than living on the streets?" Jemima asked again.

Oh, it's challenging to respond to someone so self-assured. The man shook his head, and his expression met with a smile from Jemima, who believed the man was greatly impressed by her home.

"Let's drink, stay healthy. Remember, your body needs nutrition," Jemima said, furrowing her brow and looking at the drink in front of her.

The man responded with a nod and a faint smile, unsure what that smile meant to him, but to Jemima, it was interpreted as an admiring smile directed at her.

Ck! A man whose remaining life was spent on the roadside wouldn't understand the concept of comfort. Jemima thought as she stood up from her seat.

"Oh, right, I have to go to work later this afternoon. You can sleep and rest in this house until you recover," Jemima said.

"Work? Aren't you injured?" the man asked, looking surprised.

Jemima waved her hand, "it didn't injure my intestines. It's just a minor wound," she replied.

The man was speechless upon hearing the girl's response. It seemed this girl was a hard worker and not easily discouraged. Despite facing a life-threatening tragedy the night before, he felt embarrassed as a man, realizing his shallow and weak mindset.

"Oh, are you hungry? I'll prepare lunch first. What can you eat?" she continued to ask.

Of course not, the man thought, but he didn't dare to answer directly with such an inappropriate response.

"What about this?" Jemima asked, shaking something in her hands, sounding like wrapped food.

The man turned; what is that? he thought as he looked at the two packages in Jemima's hands.

"How about this? Do you like spicy food?" she asked again, with a wink and a cute expression, as if the packages were very delicious and valuable.

"In this winter season... spicy food is the best," she said as she poured water into an aluminum container and placed it on the newly lit stove.

Cih! She asked the question and answered it herself. The man thought to himself.