Chapter 11: A Small Spending

    In front of the school today, it was Li Ying who stood waiting. When the sister met with her friend, the adorable little brother quickly went his own way. Li Yifei was surprised not to see Xu Kai waiting as well. Noticing her looking around, Li Ying said,

    "Kai Kai is off taking care of some business."

    "What kind of business?"

    Yifei actually wanted to add, ‘At your age, you already have a business?’

    Li Ying just smiled mischievously, which made Li Yifei even more curious. She clung to her friend's arm, shaking it playfully and putting on a pleading face, something she had always wanted to do with close friends. In the past, she had to maintain her image.

    But now, she didn’t need to anymore.

    This playful interaction caught the attention of others, and Yifei heard whispers directed at her and Li Ying.

    "She’s crazy beautiful."

    "Yeah, even if the rumors are true, if she just looks at me, I wouldn't care."

    "Despite the bad rumors, you’ve got to admit, she’s stunning."

    The murmurs came from both boys and girls, and although they were whispered, Yifei and Li Ying could hear them clearly. Li Ying paused, but Yifei quickly pulled her along.

    It wouldn’t be good to get into a fight before the exam period.

    “Let’s go. From what I heard, they’re not even insulting me,” Yifei said.

    As for the bad rumors, she understood them. But it seemed her beauty was overshadowing everything. So far, no one had confronted her or accused her outright.

    Although rumors could be intimidating, Yifei now had Li Ying and Xu Kai, friends she could trust and rely on.

    When they arrived in class, Li Ying slammed her bag onto the desk with such force that the usual gossiping group fell silent.

    "Your brain’s really changed, Yifei. In the past, you would've gone over and demanded to know what their problem was," Li Ying said.

    "Most of them were just saying I’m pretty. Don’t you agree?"

    Yifei tried to shift the conversation, making Li Ying think for a moment.

    "You’re right. And when you were pleading with me earlier to tell you about the business, your smile was so pretty. Even I was mesmerized!"

    Li Ying then playfully acted swooned.

    Seeing her action made Yifei want to ruffle her hair like an adult doting on a child, though she held back.

    “What’s going on?” Xu Kai asked as he walked in, having arrived just as Li Ying slammed her bag.

    “Nothing now. By the way, what business were you taking care of?”

    Just as Yifei asked, Xu Kai’s face lit up with a smile.

    He pulled a white envelope from his bag and sat down at his desk. Then, he emptied its contents—it was money.

    “It’s the notebook business, your handwritten answer notes! Last night, people kept messaging me, asking to buy more.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” Li Ying chimed in proudly.

    “This is for you.”

    Xu Kai handed some money to Yifei. Seeing her hesitant expression, he reassured her with a smile.

    "I've already deducted my commission," Xu Kai said, pointing to the money he had set aside.

"What about mine?" Li Ying asked.

"What did you even do?" Xu Kai shot back.

    "How about I split mine with you?" Li Yifei offered. She had just counted 20 bills of 20 yuan each, meaning she now had 400 yuan—a significant amount for her, though it couldn’t compare to her wealth as Tang Yifei.

“No need,” both friends quickly replied in unison.

    "Here, take 10 yuan from my share," Xu Kai said, handing money to Li Ying to keep her quiet.

    Li Yifei looked at her friends with gratitude. They both understood her family's financial situation, which is why they were being so considerate.

    "Do you think we’ll sell more tomorrow?" Li Ying asked, looking pleased with the 10 yuan in her hand.

    "Depends on how many of Yifei's fans come back, but I think it’ll only get better," Xu Kai said proudly.

    Li Yifei hoped the same, that her answer notebooks would keep earning her more money. After all, it wasn’t as if she was taking advantage of anyone. If they studied from her notes, they were bound to pass, as long as Xu Kai had correctly predicted the exam questions.

    Considering his good connections with the top 10 students, she doubted he would be wrong. It was only the previous owners of this body, Li Yifei and Li Ying, who hadn’t benefited from their smart friends.

    Later that day, Li Yifei sold another 10 answer notebooks. This time, she insisted on splitting the money three ways, reasoning that without Li Ying, the notebook wouldn't have been made.

    And without Xu Kai, they wouldn’t have made any money from it.

Everyone had played their part.

    Xu Kai looked at Li Yifei’s explanation, then turned to Li Ying and joked,

    “I believe it now. She became smarter, and hitting her head must have changed her personality too.”

    “No, this is called beauty inside and out,” Li Ying added, clearly admiring Yifei. In her eyes, Yifei must be a goddess she worships.

    “Let’s stick to this plan. Otherwise, I’ll feel uneasy. If I get a headache, that would be a problem.”

    Li Yifei said, quickly ending the conversation once her friends started to agree.

    “Alright, suddenly getting extra money. I can finally top up my game account during the break!”

“I’m getting that lipstick I’ve been eyeing.”

    After school, Li Yifei took her brother to buy two more boxes of fried chicken to add to their dinner cheerfully. Though, she glanced longingly at the honey-colored roast duck, which looked crispy and delicious hanging in the shop window.

    She had to hold back. She needed to be cautious with her spending.

    If she sold more notebooks tomorrow, she told herself she’d come back and buy that crispy roast duck to enjoy with her family.

    Li Yifeng looked at his sister happily carrying the sesame-sprinkled fried chicken. He praised Brother Xu Kai for coming up with such a great idea that allowed his sister to earn money, and now they were getting fried chicken again.

    After telling his sister, a soft hum sounded from her.

    Then, she stopped and turned to him.

    "Is there anything else you want to eat? If it’s not too expensive, This sister can treat you,"

"Can you buy me a dozen eggs?"

"Sure!"

    Now holding a dozen eggs, Li Yifeng was thrilled. Maybe their breakfast tomorrow would be fried eggs or boiled eggs, and it would be even better if there were sausages.

    Since his sister was in such a good mood, he decided to push his luck.

    "Sis, can I ask for one more thing?"

    She paused, her face thoughtful, making him wonder if he had asked for too much.

    But then she said,

    “What is it?”

“Sausages. I’d like some sausages too.”

    "Oh yeah! Eggs go perfectly with sausages."

    It seemed his sister understood his thoughts. Now, he was holding a large pack of sausages, from a mid-tier brand with a government certification of quality.

    The two siblings then walked home, happy and satisfied.

    Even though they had bought several things, Li Yifei still had plenty of money left. Everything she bought was essential for their well-being.

    Tomorrow morning, they were going to have a real breakfast feast.

    When Grandma Li came home, she was surprised to find a dozen eggs and a large pack of sausages in the fridge. Her granddaughter looked at her expectantly, waiting for praise, while Li Yifeng proudly explained how they had gotten the items.

    With Yifeng’s reassurance, Grandma Li felt at ease. It seemed that the little one who once promised to take care of the family when she grew up had started doing just that.

    The old woman smiled with pride, thinking that the leftover vegetables could be stored in the fridge and turned into a pork bone soup for the next few meals.

    When their parents returned, Grandma Li didn’t wait for Yifeng to explain—she told them herself how proud she was of Yifei for earning money to buy food for the family.

"That’s wonderful!"

Both parents praised their daughter.

    Even though it was just a small achievement, for Li Yifei, it was a source of immense pride. If she looked at herself in the mirror right now, she would see a smile that she couldn’t wipe off.

    It was a seemingly small accomplishment, but to her, it felt enormous.

    The next morning, the house was filled with the delicious smell of fried eggs and sausages, accompanied by a bottle of chili sauce. Although it was just egg whites and sausages, the protein-filled meal was satisfying and delicious.

    If only they had some toast, that would have been perfect. But since they didn’t have a toaster at home, regular bread would have to do. Li Yifei resolved to buy some next time.