Wang Qiqi withdrew the money from the bank early the next morning. Since she had already visited the bank the day before yesterday, showing up again today would look strange. When questioned, Wang Qiqi would simply smile and explain that the two thousand she withdrew previously was a gift for Wang Rui to congratulate her on getting into high school, and the two thousand today was money her mother had promised her for a trip.

Before Wang Qiqi even reached Wang Dagui’s house, many neighbors already knew that Wang Qiqi had given four thousand yuan for Wang Dagui’s daughter’s high school acceptance. They murmured about how kind-hearted Wang Qiqi was. Wang Qiqi listened with a smile; this was exactly the effect she wanted. That way, the most Li Cui could say was that she was stingy.

When Wang Qiqi knocked, the entire Wang Dagui household was still asleep. No one answered for a long time, which struck her as odd. Usually, her aunt would be up early doing housework. Perhaps she was just too tired from working the previous day and slept in?

Just as Wang Qiqi was about to give up, she finally heard footsteps, though the gait sounded hurried and unsteady, not like someone who was fully alert. They had likely been awakened by the knocking.

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

Through the crack in the door, Wang Qiqi could see the table hadn't been tidied. In this heat, uncleaned dishes would start to smell, even with the windows open. Wang Qiqi wrinkled her nose. “Didn’t I give two thousand yesterday to celebrate Xiao Rui getting into high school on behalf of my parents? Yesterday, Xiao Rui mentioned she’ll be a senior next summer and won’t be able to travel to Beijing with me, so she converted the travel fee into another two thousand, right? That’s why I rushed here early this morning with the money…”

The reason Wang Qiqi offered such a detailed explanation was simple: from her vantage point, she could see groups of gossiping neighbors lingering on the stairwells both downstairs and upstairs. She needed to offer a slight justification.

Li Cui grunted an acknowledgment, took the money without a word of thanks, and started to turn back to bed. But then she spotted the two full tables of leftover food and the askew chairs, and she turned back to Wang Qiqi. “Qiqi, look, we had guests over yesterday and haven’t cleaned up…”

Wang Qiqi thought, Has this person not given up yet? “My cleaning lady is scheduled to come in the afternoon. Besides, she didn't come yesterday, so today she has to mop, do all the housework, and then cook dinner. I don’t know when she’ll finish. How about I ask her to help out once her work is done?” Wang Qiqi said generously, though she knew when the cleaning lady might actually be available to help was anyone’s guess. If Li Cui could wait, she could wait.

Li Cui was surprised Wang Qiqi actually agreed, but what followed made her unhappy. “Isn’t she the housekeeper you hired specifically to look after you? Why only in the afternoon?” In Li Cui’s view, this was just a typical way to brush her off.

Wang Qiqi took two steps back, looking at Li Cui with an expression of sheer disbelief. “How could I hire a dedicated housekeeper for the house? I hired hourly help! Three hours a day, paid for the hours worked. Why would I need a full-time nanny? Auntie, I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Li Cui didn't care whether the helper was full-time or hourly. What she knew was that her niece had someone waiting on her and living a much better life than she was. “Ah, didn’t you say you hired a full-time one?”

“Full-time costs a fortune. What I’m using now is the principal inheritance; every penny spent is a penny less. Does Auntie think I can just squander the compensation money my parents received?” Wang Qiqi glared at her. Did this whole family take her for a fool? “I still have university tuition coming up; that all costs money. If Auntie really needs help, should I ask her to come over? That would be five yuan an hour.”

When Li Cui heard five yuan an hour, while it didn't sound exorbitant, she felt it was unnecessary for her to pay. She managed a strained laugh. “Never mind, I’ll do it myself.”

Wang Qiqi said, “Oh,” and turned to go downstairs. With such a foul odor lingering, she didn't want to stand at the doorway much longer for fear of something happening.

As Wang Qiqi turned to leave, Li Cui suddenly thought she could offer to help clean up. But the words died on her lips. It was their party, not hers. Moreover, the fact that she hired someone for housework clearly indicated she had no time to clean up the aftermath herself.

Wang Qiqi was oblivious to Li Cu’s thoughts. She was thinking of going home, perhaps sleeping a bit more, and then getting up to read and review her lessons.

Gong Hong finished cleaning and cooking dinner, then left. The pay was decent, the workload manageable, and most importantly, the employer was easygoing—once the tasks were done, her time was her own.

Just as Gong Hong stepped out, there was a knock on the door. She wondered if it was Wang Rui. She knew that with so much mess, Li Cui would definitely drag Wang Rui out to help. Without her parents to shield her, how could Wang Rui expect to live like a pampered young lady? If only her grades were better; Li Cui was pinning all her hopes of a breakthrough on this daughter.

“Open up, Qiqi.” Shi Man, carrying items, had been waiting outside the door for a while and was growing impatient. She had seen Auntie Gong downstairs and knew Wang Qiqi was home; surely she’d dealt with even the most basic needs by now.

Hearing Shi Man’s voice, Wang Qiqi relaxed, went to the door, and opened it. She found two people standing there—Shi Man and Zhu Lina—both laden with large bags.

Wang Qiqi found it odd; did a casual visit require so many things? Despite the strangeness, she helped carry the items in. Some bags were light, others quite heavy.

After setting her bags down, Shi Man offered no explanation for the haul and immediately asked, “Can we eat yet? I’ve been running around all day; I’m exhausted.”

Zhu Lina didn't speak, but she conveyed her feelings through action, clutching her stomach and looking pleadingly at Wang Qiqi.

Wang Qiqi was startled by their behavior. She first rushed to the kitchen to check the quantity of food available. Seeing the meager amount, her heart sank—it really wasn't enough for four people. “Why didn't you call ahead? I didn't prepare any extra meals.”

“Don’t you have those little wontons? I know Auntie Gong often freezes some dumplings, wontons, or shaomai just in case you get hungry late at night and have nothing to eat.” Shi Man had learned in the past few weeks just how picky Wang Qiqi could be. She wouldn't even eat store-bought frozen foods. If Auntie Gong hadn't been looking after her, Shi Man truly worried she’d starve to death instead of becoming a well-rounded young woman.

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

Shi Man shrugged; she wasn’t much for rice in the summer anyway. “I’ll boil some congee and make some shaomai. Lina, do you want some shaomai? I’m telling you, the ones Auntie makes are absolutely delicious.” If they opened a shop, the business would boom, but she knew running a business wasn't easy; even a street vendor had worries. Besides, if she opened a shop, she might not put this much effort into the cooking just to secure business.

Congee with shaomai sounded good. “I’ll go boil the congee.” It wasn't that Wang Qiqi forbade guests from working; it was just that this girl genuinely didn’t know how to do much labor. If she were told to boil congee, she might end up blackening the pot, which, while cleanable, would take a lot of effort.

Shi Man knew Wang Qiqi wouldn't let her work. She looked around. “Huh? Where’s expert Han Tao?” The main reason she convinced her parents to agree to her plans was that she had guaranteed her grades wouldn't slip. Although classmate Wang Qiqi could tutor her, Han Tao was definitely better.

Wang Qiqi quickly put the rice in the pressure cooker. While the flavor wouldn't be as good as slow-simmered congee, the two foodies wouldn’t mind. “He has a student today; he won’t be home until past five.” Wang Qiqi thought that compared to him, even though she didn't have parents, she was much better off financially, as she didn’t need to rush around earning money. “The congee should be ready around the time Han Tao gets back. We can eat then. By the way, if you’re hungry, should I boil some wontons for you now?”

Shi Man and the others weren't truly starving; they just hummed in agreement, worried they might miss out on dinner.

After finishing her tasks, Wang Qiqi returned to the living room and saw that the pile of bags by the door had vanished. 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 thank-you gifts for her previous tutoring help. This filled her with anticipation about what kind of gifts they might be.

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

Zhu Lina nodded in agreement with Shi Man’s suggestion. To be honest, at first, she was worried. Showing up unannounced with belongings and planning to stay was quite impolite, perhaps very impolite, but Shi Man insisted it would be fine.

Wang Qiqi froze, blinking rapidly as she looked between Shi Man and Zhu Lina.

They both nodded emphatically at Wang Qiqi. Wang Qiqi realized they might have deliberately sent her away just now to put their things in order. “Let’s be clear: my parents’ master bedroom is off-limits.”

Shi Man nodded. “We know. Anyway, your bed is a king-size, 1.8 meters wide—plenty big enough for the three of us.”

“And we will cover our share of the living expenses,” Zhu Lina added, raising her hand. Although her family worried about her future, Zhu Lina felt this might be her last burst of willfulness. She didn't want to miss out. She never expected that just as her high school career was ending, she would make two friends. Although they had known each other for over a year, their bond hadn't been that deep. But unexpectedly, as she stubbornly imposed herself on them, their relationship began to grow stronger.