Chapter 23: The New Semester

Ever since that incident on the rooftop, no one quite knew what was said to stir something within Lulu Ge, but from that day on, she began trailing behind Qian Yu like a shadow. The school, fearing another dramatic episode from Lulu, transferred her into Qian Yu’s class that very day and even made her Qian Yu’s new desk mate.

Originally, Qian Yu’s desk mate had been the adorable Wen Lanxin, but he was unceremoniously displaced by the overbearing Lulu Ge and looked quite aggrieved about it.

Watching Wen Lanxin come head-to-head with Lulu Ge, Qian Yu felt a headache coming on. She had only intervened with Lulu out of a simple desire to avoid any karmic entanglements, never expecting to be dogged by her so relentlessly. Back then, Xiao Qing and Juan Guo had also offered to be Lulu’s friends, but for some reason, Qian Yu was the only one to catch the young lady’s attention.

After surviving several chaotic days, Qian Yu finally looked forward to the holidays, only to find Lulu Ge showing up at her extracurricular class as well. Lulu had simply switched locations to learn piano. Qian Yu’s headache worsened, and when she went to complain about it that evening in the Little Immortal’s Retreat to Su Daji and the others, she was mercilessly teased. Life, Qian Yu felt, was truly unendurable.

Time slipped by quickly. It had been a year since her return, and now her family was free of financial burdens, her parents’ lifespans had been extended, and she had distanced herself from the troubles on her grandmother’s side. Qian Yu felt she had accomplished half the purpose of her return; all that remained was to pursue her own future.

In the summer of 2005, her uncle’s construction crew finally found the time to build a new house for Qian Yu’s family, only a few months later than it had happened in her previous life. Before tearing down the old tile-roofed house, Wen Yu and Wen Yuwen took some time off to help move everything into Hua Yu’s home, and the three generations of the family temporarily took up residence there. Her grandparents stayed in a room downstairs, while Qian Yu moved in with her elder sister.

Qian Yu sat at the desk doing her homework, while her sister Zhen Yu alternated between checking on her and working on her own drafts. Just as in her memories, Zhen Yu had enrolled in the journalism program at the neighboring Le City Normal College, joined the school’s press club, and was now practicing writing interview pieces after completing her freshman year.

Since Qian Yu moved in, Zhen Yu realized her little sister was truly well-behaved, needing no supervision at all: waking up on time to exercise, attending extracurricular classes without complaint, doing homework and practicing piano as soon as she got home, and going to bed punctually. Her routine was even more disciplined than Zhen Yu’s, and in just half a month of vacation, Zhen Yu found herself falling into the same rhythm.

Their aunt-in-law, Yao Yang, had long since retired due to poor health, and the family’s income now depended solely on Hua Yu, which was a heavy burden. Qian Yu, grateful for how her aunt had come to the provincial capital to care for her like a daughter after her parents passed in her previous life, quietly pulled Wen Yu aside to propose opening a shop in the county and having her aunt manage it.

Wen Yu, who had always respected Qian Yu’s opinions, agreed without much deliberation, especially after hearing how well Yao Yang had treated Qian Yu in her previous life.

Together, they scouted for a store in the county, with Wen Yu persistently reassuring her sister-in-law that she’d only be helping out and that wages would be commission-based, so earnings would depend on her effort. At first, Yao Yang was uncomfortable with the idea of getting a shop for free, but Wen Yu’s repeated explanations eventually wore her down. In the end, Yao Yang decided that since she hadn’t invested any capital, she should work harder to sell more clothes and earn more for the family, telling Wen Yu not to set her wages too high.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu insisted that their family didn’t care about the money and that a store manager’s salary couldn’t be too low, otherwise it would be impossible to hold onto staff.

Still feeling awkward, Yao Yang was taken by Wen Yu on a tour of several franchise stores in neighboring cities. Seeing that their managers earned even more, Yao Yang was finally reassured.

Not wanting Yao Yang to overwork herself and worsen her health, Qian Yu traded a few Health Pills with Taibai. She added them to the water for Yao Yang, Hua Yu, and Zhen Yu as well.

...

By the time the new school term began, the house was already plastered and ready for interior work.

Once Zhen Yu returned to Le City for university and Wen Yu and Yao Yang had finished renovating the shop, another month passed, and the new house was completed and airing out.

After the National Day holiday, the school informed Qian Yu that she had been registered for a national English competition.

Qian Yu was more than a little annoyed. Ever since last year, whenever there was a competition she was eligible for, the school would register her without her permission, only telling her after submitting forms that couldn’t be changed.

She felt the school had no respect for her wishes, and although she had complained to her homeroom and the education director, it was pointless. They would agree politely, only to do as they pleased.

But since she was already signed up, there was no way Qian Yu would refuse to participate; she could only bottle up her frustration and attend. She thought about deliberately performing poorly, but the results and rewards would all reflect on her and her parents, not the school. The school didn’t really care—awards were great, but if she didn’t win, it was no big deal; there were always other talents out there.

[Little Fish in Shallow Water]: “I never thought the school leadership was like this in my last life—so infuriating!”

[Alluring Fox]: “Kindness makes you an easy target. Every time you swallow your anger, the school just pretends not to notice and keeps doing what it wants.”

Qian Yu had to admit Su Daji had a point, but she didn’t know what to do. If she lost her temper, people would say she didn’t respect her teachers; if she didn’t, she’d just get angrier every time it happened.

[Fuxi]: “@Grand White Star, give Qian Qian a Tranquility Pill to cool her fire and calm her heart.”

[Heavenly Emperor]: “Just bear with it, two more years. In two years, you’ll be off to the provincial capital.”

[Queen Mother of the West]: “Exactly, just be patient. Complaining to us is useless; we can’t interfere with mortals. Besides, these competitions aren’t all bad for you. You’re like a different person from when you first returned.”

[Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden]: “That’s right. When you first came back, you were so dejected, timid, and prickly. Now you’re calm, courteous, and handle everything with grace.”

[Grand White Star] sent a private red packet: “Tranquility Pill. Just make it through these two years.”

[Little Fish in Shallow Water]: “I know you can’t get involved with mortals. I just needed someone to talk to. I can’t complain to my parents—they’d just worry. The other elders wouldn’t understand either; they’d only think more competitions are good for me.”

After taking the Tranquility Pill, Qian Yu replied.

The pill’s effects were immediate—all her irritation dissipated, though she still felt a bit stifled.

[Nüwa]: “Have you finished venting? If so, go buy some snacks. When you get back, keep practicing and aim for a national first prize.”

The snack shop was once again sold out, which Qian Yu found exasperating. When she’d first joined the group, all these deities had been fussy about mortal food, yet in just a year they’d become seasoned snack lovers.

They ate anything and everything, as long as it was delicious, demolishing whatever she brought, no matter the quantity.

As a result, the twenty thousand yuan snack fund saved up at Children’s Day was now nearly gone. Qian Yu handed over another batch of design drafts to Wen Yu, who transferred three hundred thousand yuan to Qian Yu’s new bank card.

Only then did Qian Yu realize how well their traditional clothing business was doing. The designs were unique and attractive, appealing to men and women alike, and with custom fittings, plenty of customers were willing to pay high prices. Even buyers from Yin Star placed orders. With customer photos from Yin Star and consistently high quality, their shop’s online reputation soared.

Seizing this momentum, Wen Yu and Lawyer Cao were now busy transforming their scattered studios into a proper company.

Qian Yu was stunned. She’d expected good business but not to this extent.

The Weaver Girl commented that this was just as it should be: with distinctive designs and honest quality, if they couldn’t succeed, they might as well go back to farming.

Qian Yu could only concede, “Yes, yes, you’re all experts, you’re right!”