Wang Qiqi withdrew the money from the bank early the next morning. Since she had withdrawn money the day before yesterday, withdrawing it again today would surely strike people as odd. Why was she withdrawing more money today? Wang Qiqi would simply smile and explain that the two thousand from the day before yesterday was a gift for Wang Rui to congratulate her on getting into high school, and today’s two thousand was the travel money her mother had promised her.

Before Wang Qiqi even arrived at Wang Dagui’s house, many neighbors already knew that Wang Dagui’s daughter had been accepted into high school and that Wang Qiqi had given four thousand. They were all saying what a kind-hearted girl Wang Qiqi was. Wang Qiqi listened with a smile; this was precisely the effect she wanted. With this reputation established, the most Li Cui could manage to say would be that Qiqi was stingy.

When Wang Qiqi knocked, the entire Wang Dagui household was still asleep. It took a long time before anyone opened the door for her, which she found very strange. Usually, her aunt would be up early doing chores. Could they have been too tired from yesterday’s work and slept in?

Just as Wang Qiqi was about to give up, she finally heard footsteps. However, the sound suggested a hurried pace, not like someone walking with a clear mind. Perhaps she had been woken up by the knocking.

Li Cui navigated around the uncleared table and chairs, opening the door to see Wang Qiqi standing on the threshold. “Qiqi, you’re here so early?”

Through the gap in the door, Wang Qiqi could see that the table hadn't been cleared. In this heat, things left out like that would already be smelling, and even with the windows open, the odor would be quite unpleasant. Wang Qiqi wrinkled her nose. “Didn’t I give two thousand yesterday as a celebration for Xiao Rui getting into high school on behalf of my parents? Yesterday, Xiao Rui mentioned that she’ll be a senior next summer and won’t be able to travel to Beijing with me, so she converted the travel money into two thousand. I just came early this morning to bring the money over…”

The reason Wang Qiqi explained herself so thoroughly was simple: from her vantage point, she could see quite a few gossiping neighbors lingering in the stairwell downstairs and upstairs, listening in. She needed to offer a slight justification.

Li Cui merely grunted an acknowledgement and, without so much as a polite word, took the money, preparing to turn back to sleep. But then her eyes fell upon the two set tables of food and the scattered chairs. She turned back to Wang Qiqi. “Qiqi, look how we haven’t cleaned up after yesterday’s dinner party…”

Wang Qiqi thought, Is this woman still not giving up? “My helper is coming this afternoon. And since she didn’t come yesterday, she’ll have to mop and do chores today, and then prepare dinner. I don’t know when she’ll finish. Perhaps I can ask her to help out after her work is done.” Wang Qiqi said this generously, though she knew the helper might not get there until very late. If Li Cui wanted to wait, she could wait.

Li Cui hadn’t expected Wang Qiqi to agree, but what she said next displeased her slightly. “Isn’t she the helper you hired specifically to look after you? Why is she only coming in the afternoon?” In Li Cui’s view, this was clearly a dodge.

Wang Qiqi took two steps back, looking at Li Cui with an expression of utter disbelief. “How could I possibly hire a full-time helper to come to the house to work? I hired her on an hourly basis—three hours a day, paid for the days she works! Do I need a full-time nanny, Auntie? I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Li Cui cared little whether Wang Qiqi hired her helper full-time or hourly. What she knew was that her niece had someone to serve her and was living a much better life than she was. “Ah, didn’t you say you hired a full-timer?”

“A full-timer costs a fortune! What I’m using now is the principal amount left over; every penny spent is one less. Does Auntie think I can splurge just because my parents received compensation money?” Wang Qiqi glared at her. Did they all think she was an idiot? “I still have university fees; that’s all money. If Auntie needs help, should I ask her to come over? Five yuan an hour.”

When Li Cui heard it was five yuan an hour, while not expensive sounding, the issue was that Li Cui felt she had no need to spend that money. She offered a weak smile. “Never mind, I’ll just do it myself.”

Wang Qiqi said, “Oh,” and turned to go downstairs. With that awful smell lingering, if she stood at the doorway any longer, who knew what might happen.

As Wang Qiqi turned to leave, Li Cui suddenly thought that she could offer to help tidy up. However, the words died on her lips. It was their party, not Wang Qiqi’s. Besides, if she had already hired an hourly helper for chores, it clearly indicated she had no time for housework. Why would she come over now to clean up the aftermath?

Wang Qiqi was unaware of Li Cui’s thoughts. She was focused on returning home to sleep some more before waking up to study and review her lessons.

Gong Hong finished cleaning and making dinner, then left. The pay here was good, the work wasn't overwhelming, and more importantly, the employer was easygoing—once the assigned work was done, that was it. How she managed her time was her own business.

Just as Gong Hong departed, there was a knock on the door. She wondered if it was Wang Rui. With all that mess, Li Cui was sure to drag Wang Rui out to help. Without the protection of her parents, Wang Rui couldn't possibly expect to live like a young lady. If only her grades were better; Li Cui was pinning all her hopes on this daughter for a better future.

“Open up, Qiqi.” Shi Man stood waiting with packages in her hands, having knocked for a long time without an answer. She was getting impatient. She had seen Auntie Gong downstairs and knew Wang Qiqi was home. Even if she were using the restroom, she should have been done by now.

Wang Qiqi recognized Shi Man’s voice and felt relieved. She went to the door and opened it, finding two people standing outside: Shi Man and Zhu Lina. Naturally, they were also carrying large bags and parcels.

Though Wang Qiqi found it strange that a simple visit required so many things, she still brought the items inside. Some bags were quite light; others were rather heavy.

After moving her bags in, Shi Man offered no explanation for the haul and directly announced, “Can we eat? I’ve been running around all day; I’m exhausted.”

Zhu Lina remained silent, but her actions conveyed her sentiment: she patted her stomach and looked pleadingly at Wang Qiqi.

Wang Qiqi was startled by their gestures. She rushed to the kitchen first to check how much food there was. Taking one look, her heart sank—there truly wasn't enough food for four people. “Why didn’t you call first? I didn’t prepare meals for you.”

“Don’t you have those little wontons? I know Auntie Gong often keeps dumplings, wontons, or shaomai in the freezer, just in case you get hungry late at night and have nothing to eat,” Shi Man said. She had only recently discovered how picky Wang Qiqi was—she wouldn't even eat frozen foods bought from the supermarket. If Auntie Gong hadn’t been looking after her, Shi Man genuinely worried Qiqi would starve to death, given how selective she was about being a well-rounded girl.

Wang Qiqi thought, Why would I eat those? Those are snacks. “You eat shaomai?”

Shi Man shrugged. She didn't particularly like rice in the summer anyway. “I’ll boil some porridge and make some shaomai. Lina, do you want some shaomai? I’m telling you, the ones Auntie makes are absolutely delicious.” If they were to open a shop, business would boom, but she knew running a business wasn't easy; even a small vendor had troubles. Moreover, if she opened a shop, she might not make the food taste this good for the sake of business.

Porridge with shaomai sounded good. “I’ll go make the porridge.” It wasn't that Wang Qiqi refused to let guests work, but she knew this girl wouldn't be of much help. If she asked her to boil porridge, she’d probably end up blackening the pot. While it could be cleaned, it would take considerable effort.

Shi Man knew Wang Qiqi wouldn't let her work. She looked around. “Huh, why isn’t Master Han Tao here?” The main reason she convinced her parents to agree to her plans was that she had guaranteed her grades wouldn't suffer. Although her classmate Wang Qiqi could tutor her, Han Tao’s guidance was far superior.

Wang Qiqi quickly cooked the porridge in the pressure cooker. While it wouldn’t be as delicious as slow-simmered porridge, the two foodies wouldn't fuss over that. “He seems to have a student today; he won’t be home until after five.” Wang Qiqi thought that compared to him, even without parents, she was much better off financially, at least not having to rush around earning money. “The porridge should be ready around the time Han Tao gets back. We’ll eat then. By the way, if you two are hungry, should I boil some wontons for you now?”

Shi Man and the others weren’t truly hungry; they only made a sound because they were worried there wouldn't be dinner left for them later.

After finishing up, Wang Qiqi returned to the living room and found that the pile of bags blocking the doorway was gone. Only two school bags and a few shopping bags remained. “Where’s the stuff?”

Wang Qiqi wondered if the two of them had bought some gifts to thank her for tutoring them previously. This made Wang Qiqi a bit expectant about what kind of presents they might be.

“We put everything away,” Shi Man said, glancing at Zhu Lina. “We’ve decided to live here for the next year.”

Zhu Lina also nodded in agreement with Shi Man’s suggestion. To be honest, at first, she had been worried. Showing up with all their things without informing Wang Qiqi first was rather impolite, or perhaps very impolite. But Shi Man had assured her that this approach would be fine.

Wang Qiqi froze, blinking rapidly at Shi Man and Zhu Lina.

The two of them kept nodding toward Wang Qiqi. Wang Qiqi realized they might have deliberately sent her away earlier so they could unpack. “Let’s be clear beforehand: my parents’ master bedroom is off-limits.”

Shi Man nodded. “We know. Anyway, your bed is a king-sized one-eighty; it’s big enough for the three of us.”

“And we will cover the living expenses,” Zhu Lina added, raising her hand. Although her family worried about her future, Zhu Lina felt this might be her last bit of willful freedom she couldn't miss out on. She hadn't expected that just as her high school career was ending, she would meet two friends. Even though they had known each other for over a year, they hadn't developed a deep bond. Yet, unexpectedly, as she had stubbornly attached herself to them, their relationship had slowly blossomed.