Douluo: Traveling Through a Peerless World, Journey in Time and Space

"Since you're fine, get started," the cafeteria manager said, handing Shi Yu a pair of gloves and directing him to the dishwashing area.

"Starting today?" Shi Yu asked, surprised.

"What else? You thought we'd give you a welcome ceremony first?" the manager shot back.

"Then I'll need to have dinner later. We agreed meals are included," Shi Yu reminded with a smile, not intending to be shortchanged.

"Wash quickly," the manager replied, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry for the trouble," Shi Yu apologized as he put on the gloves and headed toward the back.

The dishwashing area was already busy. Several women were chatting while washing, and among them, one figure immediately caught Shi Yu's eye.

Her back was to him, but from her slender waist, shapely figure, and long golden wavy hair, it was obvious she wasn't one of the middle-aged aunts.

She didn't look ordinary at all.

"Hello, aunties. My name is Shi Yu, I'm the new part-timer," he greeted warmly.

"Hello!" they replied cheerfully and waved him over to join them.

The golden-haired girl turned her head slightly, giving Shi Yu a sideways glance.

As he walked past her and finally saw her face, he froze for a second—stunned.

She was beautiful. Really beautiful.Fair skin, refined features, a graceful figure… absolutely the kind of beauty who would stand out even at a place like Shrek Academy.

But Shi Yu didn't gawk. He simply admired her calmly, smiled politely, and nodded as a greeting.

She gave a faint but graceful smile in return, polite and composed.

"You can sit beside Nannan," one of the aunts said with a grin. "You're probably around the same age. Maybe you'll become good friends."

"Gladly," Shi Yu replied, not at all opposed to the idea.

But just as he was about to sit, he paused. "Wait… what's your name?"

"Jiang Nannan. Why? Is something wrong?" she answered, tilting her head in mild confusion.

Shi Yu stared at her in surprise. He didn't remember ever meeting her before, yet the name was instantly familiar.

"No… nothing's wrong. It's just—your name is really nice. Caught me off guard," he replied smoothly.

He sat down next to her, still slightly shocked.

So this is Jiang Nannan.

He hadn't expected to run into someone so familiar by name here—let alone while washing dishes.

"Your name is nice too," she said politely.

Shi Yu just smiled and started washing dishes seriously.

"You're pretty good at this," one of the aunts praised.

"I used to help my mom wash dishes at home. After doing it so many times, it just comes naturally," Shi Yu explained casually.

"Where do you live?" another aunt asked in a light tone.

"Ah, that's a bit of a sad story… I'd rather not talk about it," he answered, voice dropping into something more somber.

After all, he didn't have a real home here. He had arrived in this world inexplicably. Thinking of his family back home, Shi Yu felt a twinge in his chest.

He missed them. Missed them deeply.What would his parents think now, wondering where he had disappeared to? Would they be panicking, crying, searching everywhere?

His eyes stung just from the thought. He lowered his head to hide it.

The aunts exchanged glances, their expressions softening.This boy… his family must have gone through something terrible. Maybe he was an orphan.

Jiang Nannan thought the same. She quietly sympathized with him. Her own childhood hadn't been much better. Her father's death had left her in pieces, and then her mother's illness had pushed her even further into hardship.

Thinking of all this, her mood also turned heavy.

"Why do you two look like you're about to cry?" one aunt spoke up suddenly. "No matter how hard life was before, it doesn't matter now. You're students at Shrek Academy—you have a future. With time, even the worst pain fades."

Shi Yu couldn't help but feel awkward hearing such wise words from someone washing dishes.

"Auntie, you sound like you've read a lot of books. So why are you here, washing dishes?" he joked.

"You brat! What's reading got to do with washing dishes?" the aunt snapped playfully, pretending to smack him.

Shi Yu laughed, dodging, and quickly apologized.

Everyone—including Jiang Nannan—was amused. The atmosphere lightened up considerably.

When he stepped out of the dishwashing area, Shi Yu rubbed his arms and muttered, "There were more bowls than people."

It felt like he had washed hundreds. Maybe even thousands.

"You'll get used to it after a few more days," Jiang Nannan said lightly, noticing he was still panting a little.

"Poor me…" Shi Yu sighed.

A group of aunts had already gathered nearby, waiting for dinner to be served. Shi Yu walked over with Jiang Nannan.

"Aunties," he said dramatically, "Jiang Nannan and I are still growing kids—it's only fair we each get two chicken legs."

As he spoke, he grabbed two chicken legs and placed them on Jiang Nannan's plate, then two more for himself.

"There's no need—" Jiang Nannan tried to protest shyly.

But Shi Yu was faster and had already placed the food. She had no chance to refuse.

"You just want more chicken legs for yourself and dragged Nannan in with you, didn't you?" one aunt teased, shaking her head.

Shi Yu just grinned and started eating happily. After washing that many dishes, he deserved a reward.

Jiang Nannan glanced at her plate, then at Shi Yu, who was already digging in, and finally picked up her own chopsticks.

The aunts were very kind. They took turns putting more food on their plates, clearly liking these two youngsters.

Shi Yu accepted the food at first, but later he really couldn't eat anymore.

"Stop, stop—you're feeding us like pigs," he said with a laugh, waving his hands.

Jiang Nannan looked at him with surprise at the casual remark. But Shi Yu didn't notice anything strange. He just spoke naturally, without thinking.

After dinner, Shi Yu and Jiang Nannan walked out of the cafeteria together.

Rubbing his full belly in satisfaction, Shi Yu asked, "Senior Nannan, what are you doing next?"

"Why do you ask?" she replied, a bit cautious.

"I just wanted to walk around after eating—to get familiar with the school. But I'm new here, and I don't know my way around. I figured, if someone familiar comes with me, I'll learn the layout faster."

Jiang Nannan hesitated. She would have preferred to spend her free time cultivating, not walking with someone she had just met.

But when she thought of Shi Yu's story—his situation—she softened. He wasn't annoying, and she even found him somewhat… likable.

"Alright," she nodded.

"Thanks! Tomorrow I'll repay you with a few extra chicken legs at dinner!" Shi Yu said cheerfully.

"I'm not a pig, okay? How could I eat that much?" Jiang Nannan chuckled, helplessly amused.

Shi Yu scratched his head. "Then… I'll save them for myself."