After leaving the bureau, the group carried their bags and walked back toward the residential complex.
Lan Jin had thought that, given the time of day, the community center would be empty. Most people worked a standard nine-to-five, after all. But to her surprise, the place was still staffed. Turned out, shifts were being run around the clock now.
She approached one of the workers and handed over her documents and the newly issued proof of residence. Then she asked, "Can I still get this processed right now?"
The worker gave a small nod, but when she glanced at the paperwork in her hand, she couldn't help mumbling, "People are still applying for this kind of thing at this hour?"
Lan Jin gave a tired smile. "If I had any other choice, I wouldn't be doing this now either."
Because of Huang Jinghe and the whole mess surrounding Building 12, the staff were already somewhat aware of the situation at Lan Jin's home. Not to mention the noise they'd stirred up earlier when fetching water. Now that she mentioned it again, anyone with half a brain could piece things together.
Since her documents were all in order, no one gave her any trouble. The staff quickly took her residence permit and began processing everything.
First, they updated the information on the residence card, then reset the building's entry system, and finally activated the contribution point function. Even though little Qiao Qiao likely wouldn't need to use it, the directive from above was to enable it for everyone, so they complied.
The whole process only took a few minutes. Once it was done, the worker returned her documents and card, adding, "All set. When you get home… well, it won't work right now, but I suggest getting up around midnight and testing the gate downstairs and the compound entrance. If it doesn't work, come back tomorrow and I'll refresh the system for you. If it works, then you're good to go."
Getting up at midnight wasn't a big deal. Lan Jin quickly thanked her. "Alright, I'll try it tonight. I'll feel more at ease once I know it works."
She used her bag as cover to discreetly store the documents into her spatial storage. With that out of the way, their next task was to grab dinner.
It was peak mealtime, and the queue was long. When they finally reached the end of the line, Huang Jinghe muttered with regret, "I should've come here first to queue. Now we'll probably be waiting a while."
Lan Jin glanced at the line and said, "It's not that long. These are pre-packed meals, they just need to hand them out."
Still, it took them a full twenty minutes to reach the front. After confirming how many meals they needed, Lan Jin handed over her residence card and said, "Four boxed meals, four bottles of water."
Then she passed the plastic bags over for the worker to pack everything. Turning to the two peson beside her, she added, "Don't fight me on this today. I really owe you both. If the restaurants were open right now, I'd treat you to a proper meal. Honestly, I already feel bad enough giving you this. Just accept it, alright?"
"Fine, but just this once," one of them said. "Times are tough for everyone right now. You need to save what you can. You've got a child to raise."
"Alright." Lan Jin nodded, a little helpless.
With food in hand, they could finally head home. But on the way back, Huang Jinghe kept glancing over his shoulder. "Sister Lan," he said, "Meng Ying's been following us. If she figures out which building we live in, that might be a problem."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Lan Jin replied calmly. "She can know the building. We don't have an elevator, so unless she plans to follow us up every floor, it doesn't matter. As long as she doesn't know which floor we're on, it's fine by me."
Seeing how genuinely unconcerned Lan Jin was, Huang Jinghe didn't say anything else. But Ling Jiang was curious. "Hey, I've been wondering. How do you two know Old Shi? You both seem pretty familiar with him, but he's never mentioned you before."
Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe exchanged wry smiles.
"That story's way too long and messy to tell now," she said. "If you're interested, come by the gym tomorrow. We'll fill you in."
Huang Jinghe nodded. "Yeah, seriously. It'd take forever to explain."
As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of Building 12.
Lan Jin had Nana's leash in one hand and Qiao Qiao in the other, making it hard to carry anything else. The bucket of water and four boxed meals could fit on the cart, but now that they were going upstairs, someone would have to carry them.
Ling Jiang stepped up and grabbed the water and meals in one hand. "Too bad the bucket mouth is too wide. Otherwise, I'd borrow your cart and pull it up myself. I'll carry these meals. If we leave them in the cart, they'll all be a mess by the time we get up there."
"Thanks," Lan Jin said sincerely.
"Come on, don't be so polite. You always say thank you."
"Well, I am troubling you, so I should be polite."
With that, the group started climbing the stairs. They usually didn't talk during the ascent to conserve energy. By the time they reached the 32nd floor, Huang Jinghe looked at the two women beside him, both not even winded, and felt utterly humiliated. It didn't matter whether it was his age or his gender—either way, he was thoroughly outmatched.
"I really need to get in shape," he grumbled. "At this rate, you two are gonna leave me in the dust."
Ling Jiang laughed. "Even if it's not for anything else, exercising is good for your health. Alright, I need to head back. I was out all day and didn't tell Grandma. She's probably worried."
Just as she finished speaking, her grandmother opened the door. Seeing the three of them standing outside, she said, "Why are you chatting in the hallway? I thought I heard your voice. You're back so late today."
"I'm heading in now. Grandma, let me pass—I need to put the water inside."
Ling Jiang slipped inside, set down the water, and grabbed two of the boxed meals. Lan Jin handed her the water bottles. "These were bought per person, after all."
Ling Jiang didn't argue. Two meals, a couple of bottles of water—it wasn't a big deal. She thanked her and returned to her apartment.
After that, Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe split the remaining meals and water, and he also returned home.
…
Today had been… a lot.
Everything that could happen had happened. One thing after another piled on top of each other, making it all hard to put into words.
But at least everything was still within her control. The tension in her nerves had finally started to ease.
Back in her apartment, Lan Jin didn't let herself fully relax. Things weren't finished yet. There was no reason to celebrate.
She placed the water and boxed meals on the coffee table, then walked over to the window. Quietly, she peeked outside.
Sure enough, she saw Meng Ying still wandering near the building entrance.
Lan Jin couldn't help but smile. She hadn't left. Then again, she probably had nowhere to go. If nothing unexpected happened, she'd stay here through the night.
That was fine.
Lan Jin needed to head downstairs at midnight anyway. And if Meng Ying was still there…
Well then, things would get interesting.