Chapter 281: Gained Profit

"What on earth is going on?!" I exclaimed.

"Little sister, I'll help you out up to this point," Ruoxue Jiejie said. "From now on, don't be so straightforward. Just take good care of this venue."

"Ah... thank you... thank you, Jiejie..." Even though they didn't want to hear me say thank you, I couldn't help but express my gratitude to Ruoxue Jiejie.

"Xiao Laoshu..." Xiaoyao Jiejie turned to look at me. "So, where exactly is the 'Dao' in this warehouse?"

"Oh, this warehouse actually doesn't even..."

Before I could finish, Ruoxue Jiejie reached out and covered my mouth.

She furrowed her brow and glanced at Xiaoyao Jiejie. "Xiaoyao... what are you planning to do?"

"Ruoxue, don't you think this is a great opportunity?" Xiaoyao Jiejie said. "We've come all this way, and we've encountered such a 'Shengxiao.' Have you forgotten the final mission of 'Tianguokou'?"

"I won't allow it," Ruoxue Jiejie said. "Xiaoyao, this little sister is just starting out as a 'Shengxiao.' She hasn't harmed anyone so far."

"Just because she hasn't now doesn't mean she won't in the future," Xiaoyao Jiejie replied, though she looked hesitant. "She's a child, sure... but when it comes to 'Shengxiao,' every one we can eliminate counts."

The smile on Ruoxue Jiejie's face faded, her expression turning neutral.

She took my hand and clasped it with hers, then said to Xiaoyao Jiejie, "Xiaoyao, you need to understand the logic here. Because this child is standing with me, you won't be able to win against her."

She squeezed my hand tighter and repeated, "You absolutely won't win."

"You...!" Xiaoyao Jiejie looked furious. "Ruoxue... are you protecting a 'Shengxiao'? How is that any different from the 'Jidao'?!"

"Call me 'Jidao' if you want... or a madwoman, for that matter..." Ruoxue Jiejie shook her head. "But if you harm this child here... one day, you'll regret it more than you can imagine."

Xiaoyao Jiejie's expression grew increasingly downcast upon hearing those words.

"So that's how it is..." She gave a bitter smile. "I had my suspicions before... but I didn't think it was really you."

"Yes," Ruoxue Jiejie nodded. "So, Xiaoyao, what's your decision?"

"I promise not to kill the child, but..." Xiaoyao Jiejie said with a look of defeat as she took a few steps forward, then turned back. "Ruoxue, let's break up."

She walked away.

Seeing Ruoxue Jiejie so upset made me feel like I had done something wrong again.

Ever since I arrived in this strange place, it seemed like I was always causing trouble for others.

"Ruoxue Jiejie..." I gently tugged at her sleeve. "Are you okay...?"

"Mm... I'm fine," Ruoxue Jiejie said, her eyes glistening with tears, but she still bent down to pat my head. "Xiao Laoshu, remember to live well. One day, we'll all leave this place. Make sure you stay alive until then..."

"Mm..." I didn't fully understand, but I nodded anyway. "Okay... Ruoxue Jiejie, I'll live well."

She gently wiped the corner of her eye, then pulled a small bag out of her pouch.

"This is something I found in a little supermarket earlier. Here, have it as a treat from me."

I looked at it—it was a bag of peanuts, but they were different from the ones I usually ate; these were packaged.

When I looked up again, Ruoxue Jiejie had already turned and was walking away. She waved at me from a distance.

What on earth was going on?

Had she and Xiaoyao Jiejie had a falling out...?

I glanced down at the bag of peanuts again.

I couldn't eat this by myself. I had to take it back to share with Hu Shushu, She Shushu, Heiyang Shushu, and Baiyang Gege.

After all, this bag of peanuts was what I "earned" on my first day of work. Hehe!

Today really went smoothly. I earned one "Dao" and a bag of peanuts from my first customers.

Would I earn even more in the future?

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out quite as I expected. Just as I thought, my spot might be too remote, with hardly anyone coming by. All day, I only saw Xiaoyao Jiejie and Ruoxue Jiejie.

I got so tired from standing that I had to sneak in a sit every now and then, then stand back up once I'd rested.

It wasn't until nightfall, when the glowing door appeared beside me, that the day finally ended.

I couldn't wait to step through the door and found that many uncles and aunts had already arrived.

For some reason, I still felt a bit scared... maybe because everyone was wearing masks?

I waited in place for a while, and then Hu Shushu appeared behind me.

"Xiao Laoshu... how did it go?" He patted my head. "How many did you lose today?"

"Hehe... I actually earned one today," I said with a smile to Hu Shushu. "I didn't make Baiyang Gege lose any money!"

Although I'd been called a "money-loser" all my life, I really didn't lose any this time.

"What...?" Hu Shushu didn't seem happy about it. "You... you earned one?"

"Ah?" I wasn't quite sure what he meant. "Aren't we supposed to go out and earn 'Dao'...?"

"Uh... yes, yes, we are..." Hu Shushu scratched his head and muttered under his breath, "But I lost seven today..."

We ran into She Shushu and Heiyang Shushu in the hallway; they had just come in too. Then we all headed to Baiyang Gege's room together.

This room was really weird. The scattered food and broken table from yesterday were all fixed, as if someone had cleaned up during the day.

"Come eat," Baiyang Gege said, tapping the table just like yesterday.

I wasn't shy this time and sat right down in the chair next to him. Everyone dug in just as greedily as the day before.

I picked up another boiled potato. It always reminded me of Grandma's cooking.

"Xiao Laoshu, why are you hiding in the corner munching on potatoes? Do you really think you're a 'mouse'?"

Hu Shushu sighed and grabbed a chicken leg from Heiyang Shushu's plate to give to me.

"Is this ever going to end...?" Heiyang Shushu looked annoyed. "Do you have to take from my plate?"

"I'm just helping you cut back—don't get all worked up," Hu Shushu said as he handed me the chicken leg.

I thanked them both again, but Heiyang Shushu didn't say much this time. Instead, he picked up a piece of pork rib from his plate.

"Chicken has lower calories—have more pork instead," he said.

"Thank you, Heiyang Shushu!"

Before long, we finished the meal. Baiyang Gege wiped his hands with a napkin and asked, "How much did you collect today?"

I chuckled and stood up. "Baiyang Gege, I earned one 'Dao' today!"

I pulled the shiny little ball from my pocket and pushed it forward.

Baiyang Gege tossed the napkin onto the table and gave me a cold look. "Shu, do you think you're clever?"