Chapter 19: The Item

    When the bus stopped at the station, Li Yifei and her friends got off. However, the Han River wasn't immediately visible, as the shops obstructed the view and the crowd was thick.

    Li Yifei gazed around with interest.

    It was her first time walking in a place like this.

    "Let’s eat noodles from the famous shop. It's already past noon, so there shouldn’t be too many people," Lu Han suggested.

    Everyone followed Lu Han, who seemed quite familiar with the route. When they arrived at the shop, aside from the nameplate, there were awards, famous people, and TV shows that had visited.

    confirming its reputation.

    It was already 1 p.m., but there were still only a few vacant tables.

    "It’s already this late, and it’s still crowded," Xiumin couldn’t help but grumble.

    "Well, at least we got a table. Better than waiting in line," Lu Han responded.

    As soon as they found an empty table, they sat down. A waiter handed them menus and waited to take their orders, jotting them down on a piece of paper.

    After everyone had placed their orders, the waiter walked away.

    "While waiting, let’s calculate our earnings for today," Xu Kai suggested.

    They had grabbed 20 stuffed toys from the claw machine and sold them for 30 yuan each, earning a total of 600 yuan. Split among the five of them, each person would get 120 yuan.

    "You can leave my share out," Li Yifeng quickly said, feeling that he hadn’t contributed much.

    "No way! You came along, so you're part of the team," Xu Kai objected.

    "Exactly," Lu Han and Xiumin agreed.

    "If you hadn’t been with us, those teenagers might have picked a fight," Xu Kai added.

    Li Yifei, as his elder sister, naturally wanted her brother to get a share, so she didn’t object, even though Li Yifeng gave her pleading looks.

    Xu Kai continued calculating.

    "So, since Li Yifei did most of the work, we’ll each take 100 yuan, and the rest, after expenses, will go to her. Agreed?"

    "Agreed," the remaining boys responded in unison.

    Li Yifei, of course, didn’t object.

    After deducting the 40 yuan they spent on coins for the claw machine, she ended up with 180 yuan. Combined with what she earned the previous day, she now had almost 300 yuan.

    She had never imagined that such a small amount of money could make her so happy. She thanked everyone for their help that day.

    "Thank you so much, everyone."

    "No need to thank us! Now I have some cash to top up my game without my mom complaining," Lu Han joked.

    "Too bad we can’t keep doing this," Xiumin lamented.

    The others nodded in agreement, and Xu Kai emphasized,

    "And let me remind you, no sneaky business behind our backs."

    He turned to look at the two siblings, which made sense since Li Yifei was the one with the claw machine skills. Without her, the rest wouldn’t be able to pull this off.

    "I wouldn’t do that."

    Li Yifei assured them.

    After the money was sorted, their large bowls of fragrant noodles were served. Li Yifei had to admit the noodles were indeed delicious, especially the broth, which was rich and flavorful, and the pork was perfectly tender, making it easy to chew and swallow.

    The noodles themselves had a smooth texture, melting in the mouth, complemented by the fragrant vegetables sprinkled on top.

    No wonder this place was always packed.

    All the boys, except Li Yifeng, ordered a second bowl.

    Li Yifei wanted to encourage her brother to get another bowl since his was completely empty, but considering their family’s financial situation and Li Yifeng’s frugal habits, one bowl seemed enough.

    The group at the table didn’t pressure him to order more either, keeping the atmosphere comfortable.

    After finishing their noodles, they strolled through the riverside market and bought two or three skewers of spicy mala-flavored lamb.

    The taste was quite decent.

    Because of the spiciness, they needed something sweet to balance it out, so they ended up with delicious bubble tea, enjoying the chewy pearls in their drinks. The tea was great, especially with the variety of pearls to chew on.

    —truly satisfying.

    However, when Li Yifei glanced at her brother, she leaned over to whisper,

    "Relax, we still have money left."

    Li Yifeng nodded, trying to hide any sign of regret over the spending. After all, he had earned 100 yuan just by tagging along with his sister, which was more than what he would make working part-time at the fried chicken shop.

    He couldn’t help but feel disappointed that they couldn’t continue their stuffed toy business anymore.

    Thinking about those thugs still made him nervous. He clearly remembered how they had followed their group.

    Thankfully, Xu Kai had noticed in time and led them onto a bus right away.

    If it had been just him and his sister, he wasn’t sure they would’ve been able to get out of that situation safely, especially now that his sister wasn’t as quick as she used to be.

    After they were full, they wandered around a bit more before sitting by the Han River, enjoying the breeze. Around 3 p.m., Xu Kai suggested it was time to head back.

    By the time they reached the bus stop, it was already 4 p.m.

    As they walked down the alley toward home, Li Yifei suggested.

    "How about we buy some fried chicken for tonight?"

    "I'll treat today."

    Li Yifeng offered, feeling generous with his unexpected windfall. Even though he had spent some of it, he still had money left.

"No need, I'll treat this time. I have more money,"

his sister insisted.

    "In that case, I won’t argue," Li Yifeng replied, deciding to save his share for future snacks.

    When they got home with two boxes of fried chicken, they were immediately scolded by Grandma Li, who had already returned home.

    "You're always spending money! Yesterday it was roast duck, and today it’s fried chicken again. Money doesn’t spoil, you know!" she lectured.

    The two siblings stood quietly, enduring the scolding. Though their legs were tired, they remained silent, knowing that any backtalk would only prolong the lecture. Finally, after Grandma Li had said her piece, they were free to go their separate ways.

    Li Yifeng headed straight to the computer to check the status of his auction for the "Seven-Color Blade of the Abyss." When he opened the thread, he couldn’t believe his eyes and had to rub them to make sure. The sword, which he had expected to sell for around 150 yuan, had shot up to 500 yuan! Even better, the buyer was a well-known player whose skills were as impressive. tas their in-game spending habits.

    Without hesitation, Li Yifeng clicked "sell." What a lucky day—he had earned money from hanging out with his sister and now made a big sale in the game. It made him wonder if all his luck today was thanks to his sister, especially considering her flawless claw machine skills earlier.

    Now, with this extra cash, he had made more than he ever could work at the fried chicken shop for several days. Still, he couldn’t quit his job at the shop, knowing his sister’s luck might not hold up every day. At least for now, he had more money than his sister, thanks to his job and today’s game sale.

    Li Yifeng couldn’t help but look forward to tomorrow, hoping his sister’s good luck would continue when she tried her hand at in-game prizes again. If she stayed this lucky, he could earn several hundred yuan during the school break.

    That evening, the stir-fried vegetables prepared by Grandma Li tasted especially delicious to him.

    "Fried chicken again today?"

    His father remarked, drawing another round of scolding from Grandma Li about the family’s frequent indulgence in good food.

    Li Yifeng’s father and mother exchanged amused glances.

    "Grandma, it's just a rare treat."

    Li Yifeng interjected, trying to calm the situation. He then told them how his sister had skillfully won the stuffed toys but had to stop because the shop owner had taken notice.

    This made Grandma Li laugh and say,

    "No wonder! You invested just a few yuan but made such a big profit."

    Li Yifeng’s sister looked at him curiously, surprised that he hadn’t mentioned the teenage thugs. He had chosen to leave out that detail to avoid worrying the adults.

    Especially since they wouldn’t be continuing that business anyway.

Both his parents chuckled.

    "This is some delicious fried chicken."

     his father said, turning to his sister, who smiled brightly at the compliment. It was a beautiful smile, even Grandma Li couldn’t help but smile along.

"We can't keep doing this, right?" his mother asked.

"That's right. It's a shame," his sister replied.

    "But if the shop owner reports you for selling without a permit, it could cause trouble," his father added sensibly.

    Li Yifeng wholeheartedly agreed.

    Their little business was technically illegal, similar to selling goods on the street without a license. If the authorities showed up, they’d have to pack up and run.

    Thankfully, today had gone smoothly, without any incidents.

    Li Yifeng also thought that his sister’s new friends were quite nice. Since her recovery, it seemed like she had much better luck picking friends. If her luck continued tomorrow, especially with the in-game prizes, things would only get better!