Chapter 95

Qiao Xinyi didn’t have to doubt it—once this wolf cub ran loose again, the very first thing he would do was kill her. Since the system had tasked her with changing the villain’s fate, Qiao Xinyi thought the best way was to keep him in the provincial city so she could keep an eye on him and guide him when necessary.

Qiao Xinyi sighed several times in a row. If this were the 21st century, things wouldn’t be so difficult.

“Do you really want to help me?” The boy stared at Qiao Xinyi suspiciously. “Are you really that kind-hearted?” Seeing her frown and sigh, he cautiously said, “As long as you have money, you can find someone on the black market to get a fake hukou. If you really want to help me, just give me the money.”

Qiao Xinyi suddenly turned to look at him, and the boy added, “Once you have a fake hukou, you can rent a place.”

Qiao Xinyi was stunned for a few seconds, then slapped her thigh. Of course! There have always been people who make fake documents!

“You seem to know a lot~” Qiao Xinyi was a little surprised; she thought he was just surviving day by day hiding in the culvert.

“I heard it from the old man who guards the scrap yard,” the boy said, holding out a palm. “Fifty bucks.”

He rummaged through his pants pockets. “This is all I have.”

“How much?” Qiao Xinyi glanced. It was only one five-yuan note; the rest were small coins and cents.

“Nine yuan and sixty-eight cents,” the boy explained. “I stole it from that family before I ran away.”

The boy hadn’t spent a single cent on the whole journey. Without ration coupons, he couldn’t buy cheap food. Without coupons, he couldn’t afford food. When he learned after arriving in the provincial city that saving fifty yuan could get a fake hukou, he was even more reluctant to spend a single cent.

“I’ll bring the money to you tomorrow,” Qiao Xinyi said. She didn’t carry that much cash with her. She didn’t want to touch the money in the system’s store, so she’d have to go home and bring it to him tomorrow.

Qiao Xinyi rode her bicycle away, and even after her shadow disappeared, the boy’s expression remained dazed and confused. He was still shocked—someone really wanted to help him for no reason? Fifty yuan—although he had nine yuan already, he was still short forty-one. For such a young girl, after her own expenses, she’d have to save for three months, right?

Qiao Xinyi was pedaling away, completely unaware of how deeply her coming and going had affected the big villain boy’s heart.

Saving that kind of money was impossible—she was already applying to the system for reimbursement of extra expenses caused by mission tasks during work hours.

“Look, I only earn three hundred yuan a month. Even counting festival bonuses and a thirteenth salary, that’s only about three hundred thirty yuan monthly on average.”

“Tomorrow, the big villain wants to get a fake hukou. Forget whether it’s right or wrong—just talking about the necessity, it has to be done, right?”

“So this fifty-yuan fee for the fake documents can’t possibly come out of this working person’s pocket, right?”

“The big villain will need to rent a place to stay once he has a hukou, right? He can’t find a job yet, so we have to help pay rent, too—that’s a fixed monthly expense for the near future, so you should cover that too, right?”

“Look at the clothes the big villain’s wearing—he can’t just go out looking like that, can he? Buying and making clothes costs money, right? I only make three hundred thirty a month. There’s no way I’m paying for that. I’m here to work, not to spend money.”

“He can’t get food rations with a fake hukou, so he’ll have to buy rice, oil, vegetables, and meat. His health isn’t good; he’ll need some nutritional supplements to recover. Can I afford that on three hundred thirty a month?”

Qiao Xinyi argued firmly, “You want me to change the fate of these three villains, to redeem them—I can’t just rely on my big mouth that blabs all day to do it, right?”

System: “…”

This person was just as shameless now as when she asked to advance her salary! An average monthly salary of 330 yuan should be enough to support ten villains! But Qiao Xinyi said she was a worker earning 330 yuan a month—that was her salary, and she didn’t even have enough to cover her own expenses. Besides agreeing, what else could the system do?

Qiao Xinyi didn’t get home until nearly ten o’clock. When she entered, Chen Yubing was humming while mopping the floor, Qiao Yunbo was wiping here and there with a cloth, and Qiao Baihe was knitting a sweater. It was clear all three were very happy.

“Good news?” Qiao Xinyi hung her canvas bag on the wall.

“Big sister, we saw the three graduation certificates you put in your bag!” Qiao Yunbo ran up to her. “Big sister, where did those three diplomas come from?”

Qiao Xinyi’s canvas bag for Tong’an County had gotten dirty, so before she left, Chen Yubing gave her a newly made bag to replace it. When she went out, she only moved the things she needed into the new bag; everything else was still in the old bag. When Chen Yubing went to wash the old bag, she found the three diplomas inside, and when she opened them, she was stunned.

“I got them in Tong’an County,” Qiao Xinyi raised a finger. “I passed all three in one day.”

She told them about meeting Liu Yun and the bet she made with her.

“Big sister! You’re a god in my heart!” Qiao Yunbo excitedly hugged Qiao Xinyi’s arm and kept shaking it.

“You bet with Fu Qingshan and other female comrades?” Chen Yubing didn’t know what expression to make. “Wasn’t Fu Qingshan angry with you?”

That question stopped Qiao Xinyi. She didn’t understand.

“Why would Fu Qingshan be angry?” Qiao Xinyi asked in return.

Her expression genuinely showed confusion and puzzlement. Seeing this, Qiao Baihe put down her knitting and explained.

“You made a bet involving him. Could it make him feel like you see him as an object, like betting money? Could it make him feel disrespected?” Qiao Baihe asked.

Qiao Xinyi thought carefully but still couldn’t tell whether Fu Qingshan had been angry that day. But Qiao Xinyi was someone who acted decisively; if she had doubts, she would ask.

The next morning after breakfast, Qiao Xinyi went to the military camp to find Fu Qingshan. She left early, transferred buses, and it took over an hour. When she arrived, it was only nine o’clock. Fu Qingshan was tidying the yard with the child when a young soldier on duty told him Qiao Xinyi was waiting outside. Fu Qingshan quickly washed his hands and ran to meet her.

“Why are you here? Is there something wrong at home?” Fu Qingshan asked as he led her to register and sign at the gate.

“Nothing at home. I just have something to ask you,” Qiao Xinyi said after Fu Qingshan signed, signaling him to talk while they walked.

Inside the compound, Qiao Xinyi kept watching Fu Qingshan’s expression to see if he was sulking. But at that moment, his face showed only joy at her unexpected appearance—no other emotions could be seen.

Seeing nothing, Qiao Xinyi directly asked, “Fu Qingshan, that day at your hometown when I made a bet with Liu Yun using you—were you angry?”

“You know my background, so I don’t have any major character flaws, but I probably have a lot of minor ones,” Fu Qingshan said.

Qiao Xinyi, who in the 21st century was a lone wolf with no close friends or family and had lived alone for years, had a fairly self-centered personality that followed the principle of “as long as I’m happy.” If Chen Yubing hadn’t suddenly asked her this question the night before, Qiao Xinyi herself probably would never have reflected on whether Fu Qingshan had been upset about that bet.