Chapter 29: Never Just a Sister Part 1

Yue Huan. Yue Huan.

As Su Ye dragged her heavy limbs out of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, the mere mention of that name sent a chill down her spine, making her hair stand on end.

For a while now, she had regarded Yue Huan as nothing more than a mysterious guest. A guest who knew a lot, certainly, but one with deep, inscrutable thoughts. Aside from their first meeting, it was only during the occasional slip of the tongue that Yue Huan revealed anything interesting. Su Ye had treated those tidbits as mere entertainment, never truly taking them to heart, let alone considering them serious or reliable information.

But the future she spoke of so casually… it actually came true.

The young woman turned back, gazing once more at the bustling, crowded hall of the bureau.

The cleanup of the An City markets was real.

The severity of this crackdown, which would directly restrict street vendors, was also real.

And the claim that she needed to settle down and secure a business license to survive it? That was real too.

She had started the application process long ago, of course, but that was only the beginning. If not for Yue Huan’s warning that night, she wouldn’t have remembered the missing documents she still needed to submit. Without that nudge, the materials would likely have sat forgotten, and she wouldn’t have seen her license in this lifetime.

The reorganization would inevitably bring stricter inspections. She had to process another one today—an expedited one—to circumvent the troubles looming in the future.

Or, she could just go back and ask Yue Huan. That, too, would avoid trouble.

This was exactly what she feared.

She wasn’t afraid of facing hardships, but she was terrified of being unable to handle her own greed.

Su Ye slumped onto the side frame of her tricycle, unconsciously raising a hand to wipe her brow. A thin layer of cold sweat had already broken out.

This was the heat of early summer, yet the chill came from deep within her heart.

Qi Sheng tossed a box onto the back of the trike and clapped her hands clean. Walking over, she noticed Su Ye’s state and reached out to test the temperature of her forehead. “What’s wrong, Sister Su Ye? Did you get heatstroke? You don’t look right at all.”

The touch was like a clap of thunder, instantly snapping Su Ye back to her senses.

Su Ye steadied herself for a moment and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Qi Sheng gave a quiet “oh.”

How could this be ‘nothing’? The sweat at Su Ye’s temples had soaked her hair, and her black locks clung to the sides of her face as if she had just been fished out of a river. Everything about her was off.

But Qi Sheng had no right to interfere and no standing to ask. Her fingers curled around the hem of her shirt, twisting several times before she slowly forced herself to let go.

Fine.

If she says she’s fine, then… she’s fine.

It seemed she didn’t even have the right to sigh; otherwise, she would be caught staring. Using only her eyes and the skills she had learned, she had gathered a great deal of information from the face of a person who was usually extremely sharp. Unfortunately, none of it could be spoken, and none of it could be questioned.

Qi Sheng stepped back a few paces and asked softly, “Are we still doing business this afternoon? Or should we both take a break?”

Su Ye pondered for a moment. “Let’s rest. We did enough work this afternoon. I’ll give you a cut of the money from the scrap paper later.”

“No need!” The girl waved her hands. “I didn’t really do anything. Don’t give me a cut. I’ll head back first. See you tomorrow.”

“…See you tomorrow.”

The strained smile lasted only until Qi Sheng’s tricycle vanished over the horizon. Finally, Su Ye relaxed, shaking out her arms and gripping the handlebars.

I’ll deal with this when I get home.

If a cornucopia that seemingly had no downsides was placed before you—one from which you could seek endless business opportunities and wealth without any apparent cost—would you be tempted?

Su Ye rested her chin in her hands, watching the person snapping green beans with anticipation, waiting for an answer to that very question.

Lin Wanjia swept the mountain of bean strings off the table and into the trash can. She picked up a fresh bean and snapped it, her eyes reflecting a look of genuine contemplation.

However, when her gaze flickered to the half-bag of beans remaining on the table and then to the idle person sitting beside her, her expression shifted. She let out a soft snort. “Do your work first, or you’ll go hungry tonight.”

“Oh, Sister Wanjia, just tell me what you think first!”

Lin Wanjia tilted her head and gave a helpless smile. “If such a wonderful thing really existed in this world, that would be great. Could it help me cook and do the laundry? Could it help me give birth?”

Su Ye froze. After a long pause, she said, “Cooking and laundry should be possible, but the baby part feels a bit difficult.”

Only an immortal could do that, right?

No matter how she looked at her, Yue Huan was just a regular person. She wasn’t an immortal; she was just a rather mysterious ordinary person.

Her reaction was naturally recorded in full by Lin Wanjia. The woman lowered her head, her lips curling into a faint smile. When she looked up again, her voice was gentle. “Then how do you know there’s no cost? If a cornucopia can help me with laundry and cooking, won’t it get dirty? Is it certain that there won’t be any problems after it gets dirty?”

“…”

Objects certainly wouldn’t change, but people… that was hard to say.

It wasn’t that people would “get dirty,” but rather that their hearts would change.

Perhaps when Yue Huan first fell in front of her tricycle, Su Ye was the only pillar she could grab onto in her panic, so she naturally became a person worthy of great trust. But what about after that? Except for the time she got sick and acted strangely, everything had been steady and peaceful for so long. There was nothing special, nothing abnormal.

It was as if Yue Huan would be as stable as the rising and setting of the sun. As long as the sun rose, Yue Huan would be there. She could live her own life, work hard on her own. And Su Ye… for her, Su Ye might have long since ceased to be the only choice in a moment of lost desperation. She could create her own career here using her knowledge, her brain, and the things she knew that no one else did.

Is Su Ye really that important to her?

She was still deluding herself, hoping Yue Huan would tell her more, even comparing her to a soulless cornucopia. Thinking about it now, she really had… lost herself in her own pride.

The young woman silently hugged her knees and curled up.

Can Su Ye really not become that very, very important person?

She thought about it, burying her chin in the crook of her arm, hiding half her face. All that remained were a pair of clear, somewhat bewildered eyes, blinking slowly.

Lin Wanjia glanced at her. “Figured it out?”

The girl gave a soft “mm.”

Lin Wanjia continued, “What did you figure out? Do you want to use it, or not?”

Su Ye buried her head deeper and said muffledly, “Neither. It seems… I don’t have the usage rights.”

It wasn’t “it seems.” She wasn’t the only choice, perhaps not even the first. She was the backup.

Lin Wanjia’s hands paused for a split second. Her gaze shifted slightly toward Su Ye before she nodded gently and returned to her task, shaking the basin. “This much should be enough to eat, right?”

Supporting her waist, she stood up. As she passed the child who was silently hugging herself, she gently pressed a hand onto Su Ye’s head. “Don’t overthink it,” she said warmly. “Many times, the gap between what you think and reality is quite large, isn’t it?”

“Alright, cheer up. Even in the worst-case scenario, a cornucopia is just an extra thing. Whether it can gather treasure depends on the person using it. For the capable, it is adding flowers to brocade; for the incapable, it is fishing for the moon in the water. Being yourself is better than anything else.”

“…”

Su Ye let out a soft sigh.

What does ‘fishing for the moon in the water’ mean? It sounds bad; she’s probably scolding me.

Then she wasn’t talking about her.

Lin Wanjia ruffled her hair, pulled her up, and then pinched her cheeks, kneading them playfully for two rounds. Cupping that chubby little face, she smiled. “You used to refuse even my help. Now you’re fantasizing about having a cornucopia? If you want money that badly, the cornucopia is right in front of you. Hurry up and call me ‘Sister.’ Sister will buy you a PHS phone and guarantee you a life of luxury and wealth. How about it?”

The woman had pinned her hair up today. Her thin face carried a gentle warmth. Though her complexion was a bit pale due to recent discomfort, her eyes were soft, like…

Su Ye threw herself into Lin Wanjia’s arms, tightening her embrace.

Not just a sister. She has never been just a sister.

Yes, never just that.

*

When Yue Chengqi returned, she felt the courtyard was frighteningly quiet.

Faint sounds of the television drifted from Lin Wanjia’s side. Looking through the shadows, it seemed she was watching TV alone tonight, seemingly talking on the phone with someone.

On her own side, the courtyard lights were out. The house was dark, with only a small lamp still lit. But its position was strange.

Why is the light on in the small hall—the study—tonight?

Did Su Ye take the initiative to study? Why?

She lightened her footsteps, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open. Finally, she couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

Framed by the window, the young woman sat beneath a lamp that hadn’t yet burnt black. A few early-summer flies circled the bulb tirelessly, occasionally darting away with a sudden flap of wings whenever they brushed against the scalding glass.

Yue Chengqi couldn’t help but marvel at how industrious the flies were.

After all, there was nothing else to praise. The person who had supposedly volunteered to read had her face slammed against the book just like last time. Her breathing was steady, her snoring peaceful; simply put, she was sound asleep.

Yue Chengqi bit her lip, laughing for a while. Her eyes wandered, catching the glint of a pebble on the ground reflecting an enticing light.

Truly, it’s so tempting.

The person counting money in her dreams suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. Subconsciously, she pulled her “money” into her arms and looked around wildly.

But this is my shop. Did something fall from the ceiling?

The girl looked up groggily. The stinging yellow light pierced through her eyelids, waking her instantly. Her eyes, which hadn’t yet adapted to the dimness, were suddenly struck by the intense glare. A sharp pain lanced through them, and tears began to roll down.

This gave the prankster quite a fright.

Yue Chengqi rushed in, grabbed a tissue, and pressed it against Su Ye’s cheek. “Did I hurt your eyes? Let me see. Can you open them?”

Su Ye had just woken up; her brain was still sluggish. She allowed the other woman to wipe her tears and snot and rub her temples. It took a long time before she could open her eyes, and another long moment of blinking before she spoke.

“You hit me?”

The young woman asked the question with a look of utter disbelief directed at the person who had instantly become guilt-ridden.

Yue Chengqi gave an awkward smile. “Nothing of the sort. I just saw you crying as soon as I came in, so I rushed over.”

Sins, sins. This wretched lamp only got hotter the longer it stayed on, and the hotter it got, the brighter it shone. She had been blinded by this same lamp when she was a child, and she still couldn’t forget that feeling of almost losing her sight. She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from a simple prank. If she had actually injured Su Ye’s eyes, it would be a terrible mistake.

However, to her surprise, the girl didn’t press the matter. It was as if the question wasn’t important—it wasn’t, but given such a perfect opportunity to throw a tantrum, Su Ye simply let it go. She pushed away the hand that was wiping her face, snatched the tissue, and said slowly, “I’ll do it myself.”

Yue Chengqi watched blankly as Su Ye took the crumpled tissue and rubbed it against her face. Every movement was normal, yet the feeling it gave her was profoundly abnormal.

In that instant, the feeling that rose in her heart wasn’t the pride of seeing a child grow up, but the anxiety that something had gone wrong.

She reached out to touch Su Ye’s forehead. “Are you feeling unwell?”

The girl shot her a glare and slapped away her roving hand. “…Just didn’t sleep enough.” Her voice was so thick with nasal congestion that it was hard to hear what she said.

“That’s good then.” Yue Chengqi withdrew her hand, relieved. “If you don’t want to read, then don’t. I’ll buy some other books for you later.”

As long as she was willing to read, it was fine. Yue Chengqi had only thought about the importance of this specific book to Su Ye, forgetting that for someone who didn’t like studying, it was boring and obscure. Furthermore, the person giving it was the “wrong” person; how could Su Ye possibly be interested?

Thinking of this, she let out a sigh of relief and ruffled Su Ye’s hair again. “Go to sleep. I’m exhausted today too. What’s the date today?”