Chapter 6: Message from the Past (Thanks to the Alliance Hierarch's Grand Victory, Little Qingji)

Ding dong—

Not long after returning to her hospital bed, the door swung open again, and He Cheng walked in with several packages in tow, followed closely behind by an elderly grandma.

The elderly lady's white hair was neatly combed, and she was dressed in a tidy outfit with striped patterns.

"Tilan's awake, how are you feeling? Let grandma have a look," she said as she made her way over with the support of her cane, taking a seat beside Hexia, and meticulously examining the young girl.

"The nurses all said it's fine, so don't worry, Grandma," He Cheng chimed in as he dragged a small table over and positioned it next to Hexia's bed before setting down lunch.

"You child, you're really not meticulous at all. The nurses only said that there's no serious harm physically, but for a girl, any scar is a lifetime's impact. It's not something to be taken so lightly," she chided her grandson, then took Hexia's hand in hers.

"It's alright, you're in the hospital now, and it's very safe. The security organization has covered part of the medical expenses, and we've paid the rest on your behalf, so don't worry," she comforted Hexia, addressing the concerns that had been preoccupying her.

"Don't overthink it, staying a few more days here is fine. One of the children you saved is my great-granddaughter, and it's right for us to take care of you," she assured Hexia, holding her hand and saying many things to soothe her. Only then did the girl come to understand their identities and the situation.

It turned out that the girl who had been crying in front of the tunnel that time was indeed Grandma He's great-granddaughter, He Cheng's niece. Grandma He was one of the oldest residents in the neighborhood where Hexia lived. She was highly respected, having been a teacher in the past.

"He Cheng's sister and brother-in-law are both working, and they probably can't find the time to visit you right now, so I've asked He Cheng to look after you for the time being. Having someone around is always safer, even though this is a hospital..." Grandma He explained the family's situation.

Her children were now all in their fifties and sixties, not very mobile, and among her grandchildren who lived nearby, it was just He Cheng and his sister. However, they were usually busy with work, and didn't have much time to look after the kids, which led to the accident.

"I'm really grateful to Tilan. If you hadn't been there in front of the child, I'm afraid to imagine what might have happened," Grandma He said with emotion.

"Actually, I was too confident. I didn't inspect the area thoroughly before taking the children in," Hexia said, shaking her head bashfully.

"Hey, don't think like that and blame yourself. There are too many unforeseen incidents in life that no one can predict, and you did really well, even far beyond expectation," Grandma He continued to console Hexia and then encouraged her to eat something.

"This is a pristine fish and snow milk set meal I just bought from Fragrant Bamboo Bistro. It's light in flavor and nutritious too, should suit what you wanted," He Cheng said as he neatly placed the chopsticks and spoon, pulling out several boxes of fresh fruit, including strawberries, mulberries, and a box of nuts that Hexia liked.

"I had He Cheng buy those. After you finish your meal, you can have them as a snack," Grandma He clarified.

"This..." Hexia felt somewhat embarrassed.

"You're too modest, girl, don't worry about it, just eat," seeing the girl's expression, the elderly lady knew what she was thinking and interrupted her straightforwardly.

"It didn't cost much. Life is what's important, these are all trivial matters."

"Thank you," Hexia nodded and then began her lunch.

The fish was delicious, boneless due to its special species, and the soup was rich and savory. The meal increased Hexia's appetite. Indeed, worthy of a T5 level set meal, its taste and nutrition were much superior to the ordinary T6 level standard set meal.

After Hexia slowly finished her meal, Grandma He talked with her at length, and in the meantime, a doctor also came to check up on her. They left only after inquiring about her condition.

In the evening, He Cheng's sister and brother-in-law came by. They were the parents of the little girl Hexia had saved that day and were very grateful. Both of them worked at a company on the 47th floor in Payin City and were very busy. Before leaving, they transferred some money to Hexia, but the young girl declined it.

"You should accept it. You're living alone now, and there's no income at home. If you don't feel comfortable with it, you could occasionally help to tutor some of the neighborhood kids. Think of it as a tutoring fee," it was only after this gentle persuasion from Grandma He that Hexia finally accepted the money—a total of 8,000 Federation Coins, which was the leftover amount collected by the parents of the children she had saved the other day for her treatment.

Although it wasn't a large sum, it was still a gesture of goodwill from everyone. After all, most residents of their community didn't have high incomes and couldn't afford to give more.

Over the next few days, more people came to visit Hexia, including her teacher, neighbors, and relatives of the children she had rescued. Three days later, Hexia felt fine, and with the doctor's agreement, she was discharged from the hospital.

"To be discharged within a week after such a serious injury is a first for me, but since all her indicators are normal and good, there's no reason to keep her," the doctor said as he left, also noting how lucky Hexia was.

After leaving the hospital, Hexia was invited by Grandma He to stay at her house for a while.

"It's too lonely for you to be at home alone. Besides, you're still in a recovery period, and your arm is not convenient. Better to stay with me—I'm quite hale and hearty. Plus, with a few of my grandkids frequently visiting, it would be easy to take care of you," she proposed.

So, Hexia went home to grab some clothes and temporarily moved to Grandma He's house.

Grandma He's house was quite spacious, with three floors in total. The second floor was the living room and activity room, and the entrance to the residence was also on this level. The third floor housed the bedrooms and study, while the first floor contained the bathroom, shower room, kitchen, and the area for household machinery.

"Hexia sister~"

As soon as she entered, the girl saw the familiar little girl with arms spread wide to welcome her, then she trotted over and hugged her waist.

"Sister Hexia has finally been discharged from the hospital." She always remembered this older sister, but she was also very curious as to why Hexia's hair had changed color.

"It's probably a side effect of practicing the Transcendent Sequence." Hexia came up with a somewhat reasonable explanation. Practicing certain Transcendent Sequences could indeed change one's appearance to some extent, especially the Dragon Sequence.

"I see, but sister Hexia has become so pretty, I almost didn't recognize you." Children speak their minds so directly.

Hexia felt a bit embarrassed by such straightforward praise. She was used to being unremarkable among classmates and crowds, and she didn't know how to respond to such direct compliments.

Admit it? That seemed a bit arrogant. Deny it? That felt somewhat insincere.

"Thank you, Lisha will become beautiful too." Hexia bent down to look into her eyes.

"This, this, probably not as pretty as sister." She hesitated and fiddled with her fingers.

"Alright, Lisha, come here, let Sister Hexia sit down and rest for a while. If you could help bring a glass of water, that would be even better," Grandma He said from the side.

"Yes, I'll go get water." The little girl nodded proudly and then turned to scamper off to the back.

Grandma He led Hexia to the third floor where there were several rooms.

"This room used to be Lisha's mom's before she moved out after getting married. I tidied up again the day before yesterday, put on a new mattress, do you think it suits you?" Grandma He opened one of the rooms.

The room wasn't cluttered with belongings but had most of what one needed: a bed, wardrobe, desk, chair, and a fabric sofa next to a large bay window.

Through the window, one could see the artificial night sky outside, dotted with points of light like a river of stars. This night sky was synchronized with the surface observatories, as accurate as possible, to alleviate the feelings of claustrophobia for residents living underground.

"Most of the furniture is made of wood, I don't know if you are used to it. Nowadays, young people seem to prefer the simplicity of egg-gold alloy." Egg-gold, a new type of alloy with a hue similar to eggshells, was soft in tone and thus widely used for household items and decorations.

"I'm used to it." Hexia nodded.

"Actually, my grandma was also from The East, and the furniture in their house was mostly made of wood when I was little." Hexia remembered her childhood.

"Oh, then it looks like we'll have a lot to talk about in the future," Grandma He said with a smile.

"Rest well for today, get a good night's sleep."

Afterward, Hexia settled her belongings, and Lisha brought her water, then sat in Hexia's room chatting for a good while before leaving reluctantly.

In the bathroom, Hexia sat in the water, gently pouring it over her body, feeling the sensation of water droplets sliding down her arms and over her shoulders and neck, the sound of the droplets echoing clearly in the small room.

Leaning against the tub wall, looking at the small ceiling above, Hexia's body relaxed as she slowly cleared the accumulated emotions in her heart.

'I've come back to life, huh.'

She murmured, feeling somewhat surreal because at that moment she felt she had entered a state of death and was close to giving up.

Unexpectedly, fate had given her another chance. This reprieve from disaster made her feel fortunate, and she saw many things in a more beautiful and loving light. Even the ordinary taste of white rice being chewed in her mouth revealed a faint sweetness.

"No matter what, I must live on with strength..."

Words from the past resonated in her ears.

"I'll remember that, mom."