48 Hours a Day

Chapter 1028: Happy Nursing Home

After leaving Feng Zi at the weapons factory’s production line, Zhang Heng continued with Black on the factory tour. As they went along, he saw lots of people who worked day and night to welcome the arrival of the new world. Although many were Mr. G’s cronies, most workers were still made up of ordinary people who worked hard in their respective positions.

Like those workers in the weapons factory, they had come from different places and worked various jobs. And now, they were working towards the same goal. They were like drops of water, gathering together, eventually converging into a turbulently surging river.

But what disappointed Black a little was that Zhang Heng’s expression remained the same no matter what he saw during the tour. He was like a massive boulder in the middle of a river. No matter how the water rushed towards it, the boulder remained unmoved. It was hard for anyone to see through Zhang Heng’s mind.

At dusk, the two finally arrived at the last place.

Unlike the factories they previously visited, this factory was neither a weapon factory nor Mr. G’s secret base. Seeming to have nothing to do with the so-called New World, this should be, on the contrary, the most desolate place in New Shanghai 0297.

It was a nursing home.

Black parked the car outside the nursing home’s gate, but he did not get off this time. He then said, “I am delighted to be your temporary driver and introduce you to our companion. But now, you should go and meet your companion.”

Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows and said nothing. After that, he opened the car door and walked towards the nursing home.

The gates looked like they haven’t been maintained for years. However, Zhang Heng did not expect the interior design of the nursing home to be quite beautiful. There was a small garden that looked very cozy, with flowers and trees that were neatly trimmed. Fountains and fish ponds had also been built.

After walking through the garden, he came to the back of a four-story white building.

The sensor door opened automatically in front of him. Zhang Heng noticed that a light on his head flashed once, followed by the sound of taking pictures. Not long after that, he saw a young nurse in a blue uniform working hard in the duty room. She then ran out and gave Zhang Heng a card. “Here you go. The old man you’ll be taking care of is in Room 219. Your responsibilities and things needing attention are written on the card. Read it whenever you can. By the way, welcome to Happy Nursing Home, and I hope you can be happy too.”

Seeing Zhang Heng still standing there, the nurse explained, “Oh, that’s it. Our nursing home pursues a happy elderly care approach, paying special attention to the emotional state and mental health of each elderly person. We want to encourage them to do what they really want to do. Other than that, we want to deliver as much happiness to them as possible.”

“Deliver happiness?”

“Yes. We believe that happiness can be passed on. Therefore, the staff of nursing homes should also pass on their happiness to the elderly living here. It may sound a bit complicated, but the actual process is very simple. Just make yourself happy first and pass the joy to the elderly that you are taking care of.”

The nurse patted her head. “Ah, I almost forgot. I haven’t introduced you to the nursing home, right? Let’s go. Let me tell you a little bit about the facilities here.”

After speaking, the nurse grabbed Zhang Heng’s hand and walked to the other side of the corridor. She then pointed to a spacious and bright room with a row of dining tables and stools. It looked like a banquet hall.

“This is the dining hall. You can tell the chef what you want.”

“What do I want to eat? Or are you talking about the elderly in my care?”

“Yes. I’m talking about what you want to eat. This is the staff canteen. All the elderly people in our nursing homes usually eat in their rooms. So after the staff finished their meals here, they need to bring their food to their room. Simple, right?” the nurse said while beaming sweetly.

“Yes... It’s simple.”

After the two came to another room, the nurse continued to talk. “This is a game room where you can play some of the newly released video games. If you find out that some of the old games are not available, you can always inform us, and we will ask our people to purchase them. Here, you can choose to play against each other. Of course, you can also play on your own. Other than that, the game room is also equipped with a beverage machine. Don’t worry. It’s free.”

“So, you guys allow the elderly in your nursing home to play video games as well?”

“No. This game room is designed for our staff only. The elderly here have their playrooms, and neither side interferes with each other,” the nurse replied. “Let’s go up to the second floor and have a look. There is also a basketball court and badminton court.”

“Those are staff facilities as well, right.” Zhang Heng had already thought of something.

“No. The basketball court is meant for the elderly.” Seeing Zhang Heng’s eyebrows raised again, the nurse burst out in laughter. “Just kidding, of course, it’s for the staff. The elderly here will do, uhm... less intensive workout. In addition, I also strongly recommend the spa at the third level. Believe me. You must try it at least once. After that, you will never be able to live without it.”

“Don’t you think the employee benefits of your nursing home are too good?” Zhang Heng asked.

“Well, you are not the first person to ask this question, and I don’t think you will be the last. I have to admit that it might look a little strange, but do you still remember our motto here? We are supposed to pass on our happiness to the elderly here. We believe that only when our staff truly feel happy can they pass on their happiness to the elderly here...”

“Thank you, Xiao Yi. You can leave the rest to me,” a voice came from the other side of the corridor, and Miss F walked out of there.

“Okay, Sister F.” The nurse named Xiao Yi stuck out her tongue and went back to the duty room to start gossiping with other nurses.

After she left, Miss F nodded at Zhang Heng, “You are here.”

Zhang Heng paused and said, “You know what you are doing here is actually meaningless, right?”

“It appears that you already know the purpose of this nursing home.” Miss F did not answer Zhang Heng’s question. Instead, she signaled him to go upstairs with her.

“Well, you sympathize with those clones who have been treated as tools. So, you rented them from their company. From the surface, you make it look like they are here to work, but the truth is you want them to come here for a good rest. The people that we take care of in this place are not the elderly but the clones. The so-called passing on the joy is just an excuse to prevent their companies from finding any anomalies when they read their memories. But...”

Zhang Heng paused.

“You should know that these clones are programmed to do odd jobs. They are considered the lowest-tier of clones. Every time they return from work, their memories will be reset. After that, they will never remember their past. What you do to them here is a waste of time.”

“I disagree with you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have shown you that movie when we first met.” Miss F shook her head and said solemnly, “They may not remember their memories here, but this experience is real, and their happiness is real. Even if it only lasts for a short time, they at least get to live like a normal person in this world.”