Page 14

Chu Yuening waved her hand to brush away the dust.

The rent for this tiny space of less than 12 square meters was a staggering fifteen hundred yuan. The room only had a small glass window for ventilation, making it stuffy and humid during hot days.

In her previous life, her bedroom was much larger than this.

With a wistful sigh, Chu Yuening murmured, "I still need to earn more money."

After that, she turned her gaze back to the room's only wooden cabinet. She fetched a wooden stool, climbed up, and began rummaging through the luggage she had brought from Xiangcheng.

Despite her efforts, she couldn't find any trace of the IOU.

Her abilities had been drained by breaking the bad feng shui arrangement, and her newly accumulated merit was needed to maintain her customer base. Otherwise, she could have easily used her powers to locate it.

"A Yi, do you know where the IOU is?" Chu Yi had just emerged with a steaming plate of stir-fried green peppers and pork, tilting her head in recollection. Her little face crumpled as she asked, "Wasn't it in the cabinet?"

"It wasn't," replied Chu Yuening, gently jumping down from the stool. Concerned about waking the downstairs neighbors, she quietly moved the stool to the side of the Eight Immortals table.

There was no rush for the time being.

She didn't continue searching either.

Chu Yi placed the dishes on the eight Immortals table and handed her a bowl of white rice, confused. "Why do you suddenly need the IOU?"

Chu Yuening explained about Fang Family's refusal to repay the money.

Chu Yi was furious, clenching her chopsticks. "They're shameless. That person clearly borrowed seven thousand from Grandpa."

"Would you hate me for turning down that apartment in the East District? It's over a hundred square meters—like a mansion compared to where we live now."

After all, if the apartment in the East District was given to them, Chu Yi would have a share too.

Chu Yi had the right to know.

"I don't want it." Chu Yi buried her head in her meal, wrinkling her nose and making a face as if she was going to vomit. "Who wants their stinky house?"

"Right."

Thinking of the leather shoes by the entrance, Chu Yuening asked, "Your shoe is coming apart, isn't it? I'll take you to get a new pair when I have time."

In Hong Kong schools, students were required to wear white socks and leather shoes.

Chu Yi only had one pair, which was already damaged.

"I don't need it," Chu Yi dismissed nonchalantly. "I can just glue it back together."

Chu Yuening was surprised. "There are already signs of glue on the shoe."

"It's fine. I can just glue it every day. They cost hundreds of dollars a pair; it would be a waste to throw them away."

Despite this, Chu Yuening decided to buy a new pair when she had the chance. Not dwelling on it further, they finished their meal, after which Chu Yi cleaned up the table and washed the dishes.

Chu Yuening, on the other hand, fetched some clothes from the wardrobe and headed into the bathroom for a shower. As the water from the showerhead splashed down, she reached out to wipe away the mist on the glass mirror. When she saw her reflection, she froze.

The girl in the mirror had fair skin, slender eyes shaped like lychees, waist-length hair, and a tiny mole beside her nose that exuded a subtle air of aloofness.

Aside from her dry skin, her appearance was identical to her own from her previous life.

Chu Yuening turned away, mist rising on the mirror as she grabbed the empty shampoo bottle from the sink and struggled to squeeze out some liquid for a hasty hair wash.

Night gave way to dawn. The golden sunlight seeped through the window, illuminating the wooden floor of the village house. The neighbor's old record player softly played Cantopop tunes, intertwining with the sounds of water splashing, and the chattering of the community. Like boiling water, the streets of Sham Shui Po began to stir awake.

Opening her eyes, Chu Yuening gazed at the faded poster of the Four Heavenly Kings on the wall, allowing her mind to gradually awaken. Once fully alert, she threw off her covers and climbed up the ladder to check on the girl in the top bunk, who was still resting with her eyes closed under a floral blanket.

It was the weekend.

She didn't disturb Chu Yi, swiftly attending to her morning routine in the bathroom. Emerging, she caught sight of the golden sunrise outside the window, feeling uplifted and energized.

Unfortunately, the IOU was nowhere to be found. No matter, she would find it eventually.

Chu Yuening clenched her fist, silently boosting her spirits. "Alright, first, prepare the ingredients for the dessert, then go and talk to the landlord about the rent!"

Three hours later.

Chu Yuening handed over the remaining 1,100 Hong Kong dollars to the landlord.

The landlord gathered her hair into a bun with a roller, picked her teeth with a toothpick, and holding a wad of Hong Kong dollars in one hand, she scattered them against the sunlight with a broad smile. She then tucked the money away into a drawer.

"Sweetheart, I'm not deliberately making things hard for you. I only have two rooms, and I need to earn a living too. Next time, pay the rent earlier. Not everyone in Hong Kong is as accommodating as I am," she said.

Listening to the landlord's nagging, Chu Yuening silently grumbled to herself.

She resolved to save up enough money to move into a bigger place.

After bidding farewell to the landlord, Chu Yuening left Yuen Chau Estate with her cart full of dessert, and upon exiting, she saw an elderly lady combing her hair with a peachwood comb.

"Shanpo?" Chu Yuening's eyes lit up with surprise as she pulled up her cart. "Aren't you living in Kowloon Tong?"

Shanpo slung a backpack over her right shoulder and explained with a smile, "Yes, but one of my best friends lives here. She called me to say she hasn't been sleeping well lately, so I came over to keep her company."

As she finished speaking, Shanpo's single eyelid, creased with wrinkles, turned towards the dessert cart. "You're setting up shop already?"

Hearing Shanpo's praise, Chu Yuening's eyes curved into a warm smile. "The earlier I start, the sooner I can make money!"

"Again," Shanpo mused, giving her a reminder. "Take it easy on the bike, okay?"

Chu Yuening's eyes curved into a smile as she pedaled, turning back to say, "I got it."

The sunlight illuminated the girl's fair face, casting a glow on her cartoon sailor T-shirt tucked into a pair of gray mid-length casual pants. White socks peeked out from beneath, paired with rubber-soled sneakers as she cycled along.

Shanpo watched the food cart vanish down the alley and sighed, "She's even more beautiful than the models on posters. It's such a waste that Ning Ning doesn't participate in the TVB Miss Hong Kong Pageant."

After her sigh, Shanpo shouldered her bundle and made her way to the village house. Struggling to locate the right one, her aged eyes suddenly caught a glimmer, guiding her towards it.

In the grass beside the village house, there was an old lady with an updo kneeling on the ground, paying respects to the local earth god.

Mrs. Li had arranged three stacks of fruits on the ground and knelt with clasped hands. Her droopy, dark circles and the wrinkles on her face spoke of exhaustion. Her voice barely carried as she spoke.

"Dear Earth God, it's true that I desire companionship, and I am indeed open to matchmaking. But... the person should be alive, don't you think? If they're all deceased, isn't that going too far?"