Worthwhile
Putting in a loonie and a quarter, he managed to purchase the cheapest can of coke from a vending machine by a convenience store at a certain corner of a street in the nearby neighbourhood.
Leaning back against the glass panel of the shop front with his knapsack behind acting as a cushioning warmth, he drank in considerable sips after sips continuously to quench his heavy thirst. Intent-looking eyes observing every angle of the surroundings all about him, he noticed that pace of life in this part of the city he had arrived in was not as hectic as he anticipated in the first place. This must be a contrast to the higher cost of housing area located elsewhere. It was also low-key and people did not rush about to speed against time.
His keen gaze then fell unto a rack of printed brochures not far from his side. He went over and picked up a sheet of free map displayed. He skimmed through the various labels of road names and symbols in a flash of brief few seconds before folding the whole piece of thing and stuffing into his pants pocket.
Turning around, he wanted to continue to explore further the place when an inadvertent sideglance caused him to be aware of a huge brightly-coloured box lying on the ground a few steps away. He quickly straddled towards it without a second thought.
Getting down to read the words written across it, he found out that it contained a load of free books available for anyone to grab hold of. He tried to get a better view of the many titles inside. Soon, more interested passers-by crowded around the spot. He could not make a clear decision over which one was specially meant for him. Then, one of the people threw back in a pocket-sized one. Coincidentally, he ended up catching it in his hand.
He studied closely its hardcover, "The Bible?"
Back in the apartment, Gui Gui just woke up by the sound of a received text message on her cellphone. Rubbing her eyes blurly, she felt for the right button and opened it.
"Those latches and doorlocks need money! Gui Gui! Look for a job quick!" It was from none other than that nosy Xiao Xun.
She climbed out of the comfortable soft bed and headed for the washroom.
After changing, Gui Gui aimed straight to the kitchen and dug out stacks and stacks of dust-covered thick recipe books from the side-shelf. She then got out from their mini fridge over a dozen eggs and other necessary ingredients, fresh or not, to start working on realising her targets for the day. Not long, under her efforts, the whole place was filled with strong but tempting tasteful aroma of all kinds.