Chapter Nine: Prolonging Life Through Virtue

With Nuwa’s guidance, the shop was finally set up. Just like the wallet, the shop had fifty slots, each capable of holding a different type of item, and once something was placed inside, its price would automatically appear. Spicy Chicken Feet, 0.5 merit per pack; Cola, 0.5 merit per bottle; Sprite, 0.5 merit per bottle; Spicy Potato, 3 merit per portion; Spicy Chicken Skewers, 8 merit per portion... The prices for snacks were low, while larger, rarer items like the potatoes or chicken skewers cost a bit more. If everything in the shop sold out now, it would amount to nearly 300 merit points, plus the 100 given by the Destiny Officer and recent gains—a total sufficient to prolong her parents’ lives by twenty years.

Twenty years—more than enough time to accumulate merit and avert their destined calamity. With the little snack shop, Yu Qian no longer felt so rushed.

In the two months since her rebirth, Yu Qian had spent her free time wandering the streets with her sister or parents, always giving a little food to any homeless person or stray animal she came across. These small acts weren’t enough for great rewards, but little by little, she had saved up over ten merit points.

[Nuwa]: “Tap the bottom right of the chat box to open the snack shop. Qian set it up. If you want something tasty, exchange merit for it. Or you can discuss bartering directly with Qian.”

Nuwa lifted the group mute.

[Great Shaman Yang]: “So cheap...”

“Picture.”

After Erlang Shen’s father quickly bought chicken feet, potatoes, and cola, he posted a photo. In the image, Yaoji and Erlang Shen sat around a stone table: Yaoji gnawed on chicken feet, while Erlang Shen drank from a bottle of cola.

[Fairy of Rainbow Skirt, Chang’e]: “It really is cheap. My Jade Rabbit loves those chips.”

[Su’e]: “It’s so sad. Ever since I left the Moon Palace, whenever the fairy talks about her rabbit, it’s never me anymore.”

[Madam Earthspring]: “Serves you right. Who told you to act recklessly? Did you really think you could handle Tang Seng?”

[Su’e]: “As if you could! You wretched rat!”

[Madam Earthspring]: “So what if I can’t? Godfather and the others still dote on me as always. Even Chang’e doesn’t want you anymore, yet you’re still shamelessly lingering in the heavens.”

[Su’e]: “Wretched rat!”

[Madam Earthspring]: “Stupid rabbit!”

[Nuwa] muted [Su’e] and [Madam Earthspring] for 24 hours.

[Master Xuanzang]: “...”

[Fairy of Rainbow Skirt, Chang’e]: “...”

Even if two little spirits recognized the same fox elder sister, when together, they still quarreled. Whenever they argued, Tang Seng and Chang’e always got caught in the crossfire. Then Nuwa would brandish her forty-meter saber and silence them.

[Cleanser of the Altar, Zhu Wuneng]: “Master! You’re a Buddha now, why are you still eating meat!”

Zhu Bajie wanted to buy spicy chicken skewers but was a second too slow—they’d sold out. Checking the records, he saw Tang Seng had bought one, and the whole pig bristled in outrage.

[Master Xuanzang]: “It’s vegetarian.”

[Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sun Wukong]: “Master, don’t give this fool any meat. If he doesn’t lose some weight, even the clouds won’t hold him. Give the meat to Brother Sha instead.”

Ignoring the lively group chat, Yu Qian picked up her now lukewarm ice jelly and drank it in one gulp, stroked Yu Yu from head to tail, handed the cat to Grandma for more petting, and prepared to finish her homework before it got dark.

While making dinner, Yu Wen and Wen Yu returned home.

Yu Qian was overjoyed. Since school started, her parents had gone to the provincial capital and she hadn’t seen them in almost a month.

She went to her room to fetch some fruit, brought it out in a bag, and said, “Mom, Dad, have some fruit to cool off. Rest a bit while I finish cooking.”

She took a pear to nibble on and led Yu Qian to the kitchen. “I’ll cook, you keep your mom company.”

“Are you keeping up at school?” Wen Yu was worried about her daughter’s grades, afraid she might have trouble adjusting after coming back.

“I’m keeping up fine. Sister Zhen tutored me, and primary school isn’t hard. Mom, is the house and shop renovation finished?”

“It’s done. The house is airing out. Once the factory delivers the first batch of clothes, we can open the shop. But there’s one important thing—we haven’t named the shop yet. I wanted to ask if you have any suggestions.”

Wen Yu never treated Yu Qian like a child and genuinely sought her opinion.

Chin in hand, Yu Qian pondered various words. Wen Yu’s designs suited girls aged sixteen up to women of forty.

“How about ‘Pink Lady’?”

“That’s good. Once we return to the provincial capital, your dad and I will register the name.”

Yu Wen and Wen Yu weren’t highly educated—one graduated from junior high, the other from primary school. To set up the shop, they’d learned from Yu Qian’s aunt’s family for a few days, picked up many business tricks, and even found a lawyer named Cao through their connections, who told them everything they needed to know about trademark registration.

After dinner, the three of them sat in the courtyard, chatting.

Yu Qian told her parents she wanted to learn dance and guqin. Yu Wen had no objections, and Wen Yu supported her daughter learning more skills.

So it was settled—they would look for teachers together the next day.

Seizing the moment, Yu Qian took out her phone. Some snacks in the shop had already sold, netting her over a hundred merit points.

She entered her parents’ names and birthdates, watching as two clusters of golden light sank into their hearts. She couldn’t wait to contact the Judge to check their lifespans.

Two hundred merit points—ten more years for each parent. The confirmation message brought her peace at last.

Extending one’s life was tantamount to defying fate itself. Though the road ahead was long, hope was infinitely better than despair.

Her parents continued talking about work. Yu Qian had nothing to add and just listened quietly.

She knew her parents were intelligent and resourceful. As long as there was an opportunity, as long as they were determined, they could always make things happen. In her previous life, even with her maternal family dragging them down, they managed to build a business from nothing, buy a house and a car, and raise her like a little princess—proof enough of their abilities.

Now, Yu Qian could do two things: first, tell her parents about the major development trends in China from her past life; second, be a real child—study hard without resentment from her past, and never let them worry.

She fetched a watermelon from her phone’s inventory, cut two pieces for her grandparents, put half in the water vat to chill for a rainy day, and brought the rest out to the courtyard.

“Mom, Dad, have some watermelon.”

“Hmm... it’s really sweet. Where did you buy it?” Yu Wen found the watermelon sweeter than anything he’d bought in the provincial capital.

“Just outside the school gate. There was a vendor, and I wanted some, so I bought it.” She silently shifted the blame to the vendor uncle.

“Was it expensive? Do you have enough spending money? Do you need more?” Wen Yu was concerned about her allowance.

“It’s enough—there’s half left. I don’t eat snacks recklessly, so I haven’t spent much.”

“Alright, after eating, go take a bath. The water’s in the pot. Wash up and get to bed early. Tomorrow we have to get up early to find a place for your extracurricular lessons.”

Actually, there was a youth center near the school, but each class was too large. Wen Yu always felt you couldn’t learn the essence in such big classes, so she planned to check out several smaller interest classes before deciding.