Chapter 10: The First Income

    Tang Yifei had been living in Li Yifei's body for almost a month now. From now on, she decided to live as Li Yifei, referring to herself as such since her former self, Tang Yifei, had already passed away.

    Due to the changes in the behavior of the body's current owner, Li Yifei now read books instead of flipping through magazines or fighting with her younger brother over the computer to look up celebrity gossip.

    This new behavior led her younger brother to buy her a box of her favorite fried chicken, and their mother secretly gave her 20 yuan. Although the amount was small, compared to the emptiness of her current wallet, it was a welcome gift.

    She couldn’t even remember where all the money she had earned from her part-time jobs had gone.

    Since the money was given to her in secret, Li Yifei, who wanted to hug her mother, restrained herself, especially when her mother signaled for her to be quiet.  

    Looking at her mother, whose beauty had faded and whose hands had become rough, Li Yifei began to understand where that beauty had gone.

    She could only softly say,

    “Thank you, mom.”

    Unexpectedly, her father also secretly gave her some money, meaning she now had 40 yuan in her wallet. However, she decided to save it for now since the bus fare could be paid using a card funded by the state for students.

    And meals in the school cafeteria were also free of charge.

    There were some snacks she had to buy with her own money, but she could rely on Li Ying and Xu Kai for those, as they insisted it was repayment for the answer notes she had made for them.

    Of course, Li Yifei didn’t refuse and felt touched, knowing her friends were aware of her family's financial situation. Even though she offered them something in return with her notes, it felt different from the superficial friendships she’d experienced as Tang Yifei.

    Back then, she hadn’t participated in study sessions with friends or shared snacks like this. Her former friends were well-off and had private tutors, so she never truly experienced this sense of warmth.

    Now, the gestures from Li Ying and Xu Kai made her feel deeply touched.

    With her parents also giving her money secretly and her brother treating her to fried chicken, her heart now swelled with happiness.

    The care she received from her family and friends wasn’t out of obligation, unlike the treatment she received from her nanny as Tang Yifei.

    After school, Li Yifei noticed that sometimes her brother's workplace, a fried chicken shop, was short-staffed. Technically, it was illegal employment because her brother wasn’t old enough for part-time work.

    But people often turned a blind eye out of understanding of the necessity. At some other restaurants in their neighborhood, it wasn’t uncommon to see kids her brother's age working.

    The children in this area led a different life than what Tang Yifei was used to. At her old school, kids her age would gather to discuss the latest technology or boast about what luxurious gifts they’d received for good grades.

    When they arrived home, the two siblings immersed themselves in their studies.

    Meanwhile, Grandma Li quietly prepared a meal, trying to make as little noise as possible to avoid disturbing her granddaughter. Li Yifei found this gesture to be incredibly endearing.

    Having a family that cared for each other was truly wonderful.

    Not that her grandfather wasn't good but having so many caring people in this family made her heart swell with joy.

    Even though the meal consisted of vegetables that had likely lost much of their nutritional value and meat with a slight odor, it was still edible. And as long as no one in the household got sick or suffered food poisoning, it was considered a good thing.

    For now, the best way Li Yifei could contribute to her family was by being a good student and focusing on her studies. Once she became more adept at household chores, she would look for a part-time job.

    She made up her mind to work a part-time job, just like many of the kids in the neighborhood did.

    After all, she was proud to say she had mastered riding the bus by now.

    Today at school, Li Yifei's group managed to arrive on time and successfully queued for lunch. It was a small victory.

    Perhaps the school had two food stalls to teach students a life lesson. Those who acted quickly received the best, while those who lagged behind got something less desirable.

    It was a pretty smart way of teaching.

    In her lunch tray was a large garlic-fried pork meatball, which easily broke apart with a chopstick, releasing the fragrant aroma of pork.

    The stir-fried vegetables also had several pieces of chicken, and there was a bowl of hot soup to accompany the meal.

    It was definitely worth rushing to get in line for this.    

    While the group enjoyed their well-earned meal, two male students came over and sat down.

    This was a familiar scene that triggered Li Yifei’s memories. It was a scene she had never seen before. Maybe because her bruises had faded, thanks to Grandma Li’s herbal compresses, and she no longer needed to wear a mask to cover her face.

    Her beauty always shines through, after all.

    Li Yifei recognized the two boys as being from the same grade, though in different classes. Their names, Xiu Min and Lu Han, came to her mind. This Xiu Min had a crush on her.

    When she wasn’t beautiful, he was nowhere to be seen, but now that her looks had returned, he reappeared.

    This world worked just like that.

    “Hi,” they both greeted her in unison.

    “Mm, hi,” Li Yifei replied politely, as they were looking directly at her. Neither of them had ever crossed any boundaries, so it was best to maintain good relations.

    “How’s the exam prep going?” Lu Han asked.

    “Pretty well.”

    Li Ying answered since Lu Han hadn't addressed anyone specifically.

    “We might meet again during the remedial classes over the break,” Lu Han joked. 

    Xiu Min, who was more reserved, mostly smiled while Lu Han kept the conversation lively enough to avoid an awkward silence.

    “Well, maybe not this time, because I’ve got the answer notebook,” Li Ying boasted.

    “What notebook?”

    “Why? Are you guys interested?” Xu Kai asked.

    Both boys nodded.

    “If it’s good, then yeah, we’re interested.”

    Their answers made Xu Kai smile.

    "Each of you, pay 10 yuan, and you'll get this notebook. Ah, no, I’ll sell it for 10 yuan per copy. We have the answer notebooks for Math and English, all written in Yifei's handwriting."

    Perhaps it was because of Li Yifei's name, but the answer notebook sold quickly.

    Xu Kai made photocopies and sold them for 20 yuan each. With two buyers, they made 40 yuan. Once the sale was complete, everyone parted ways to return to their own classrooms.

    Xiu Min smiled slightly, as if buying the notebook was a way to win over the girl he liked.

    As for Lu Han, he saw it as a smart purchase, since Xu Kai ranked around tenth or eleventh in the class. Having this answer notebook meant he could focus on key points without wasting time studying everything.

    Once those two were out of sight…

    Li Ying's eyes lit up, and she grinned widely.

    "Now we've got money for snacks! Yifei's handwriting alone can make money. Soon enough, people will start giving her gifts again. Feels like the good old days are back."

    "What snacks? This is from her hard work. So, this money all belongs to Yifei."

    Xu Kai interrupted.

    "It’s fine, you helped with making the mock exam questions."

    "I only made the mock questions. I didn’t know the actual answers. This money belongs to you."

    "Yeah, it should go to Yifei."

    Later, it turned out that the two boys who bought the notebooks somehow spread the word, leading more male students to ask Xu Kai for copies.

    In the days leading up to the exam, Li Yifei’s answer notebook became quite popular. Naturally, the top students weren’t interested, but many others, eager to impress the beautiful girl who had returned to her former glory, were.

    This newfound popularity earned Li Yifei 200 yuan. Combined with the money she already had, her wallet now held a total of 240 yuan—a decent amount. She started to understand why the body’s previous owner had become somewhat narcissistic.

    After school, Li Yifei asked her younger brother, who was waiting for her, whether he needed to go to work. His answer was no.

    So, she took him and her two close friends to the famous bubble tea shop near the school to treat them, as a way of thanking her friends and rewarding her brother for always taking good care of her.

    "How did you suddenly get rich?" Li Yifeng asked, his expression showing concern and anxiety.

    "It’s legal."

    Xu Kai was the one who replied, before explaining what had happened that day.

    “If I had known, we would have had Yifei copy things for sale ages ago,” Li Ying added jokingly.

    “Sister Li Ying, wasn’t it partly because of Brother Xu Kai that the notebooks sold so well?”

    Li Ying didn’t respond, but Xu Kai chimed in,

    “It sold because of your sister’s handwriting. Just my work wouldn’t have been enough. And trust me, if they don’t toss it aside, they’ll definitely pass the exam and escape remedial classes.”

    Though Xu Kai didn’t mention Li Yifei’s brilliance.

    “Is it really that effective?” he asked skeptically. Li Yifeng still found it hard to believe.

    “You’ll see.”

    Meanwhile, Li Yifei sipped her bubble tea eagerly. Although the taste wasn’t as rich as the expensive brands, it was good enough.

    The jelly and boba pearls were delightfully chewy, making her feel refreshed.

    After finishing their drinks, they parted ways and headed home.

    When they got off the bus near their house, Li Yifei, feeling generous, bought two boxes of fried chicken from her brother’s workplace. The shop owner, who was her brother’s boss, kindly gave her a discount.

    So, tonight's meal would include fried chicken along with Grandma Li’s stir-fried vegetables.

    Li Yifeng didn’t object to his sister’s treats.

    When they arrived home, as usual, no one else was back yet.

    “Yifeng, do you want to eat some fried chicken first?” Li Yifei asked.

    Li Yifeng shook his head. He wanted the whole family to be home so they could all enjoy the fried chicken that his sister had spent her money on. He wanted everyone to feel proud.

    His sister had truly changed—she was no longer selfish, no longer wasting all her money on trivial things just for herself.

    When Grandma Li returned, his sister called her over to eat the chicken first.

    Yifeng noticed a worried look on his grandmother’s face, probably because now that her granddaughter had regained her beauty, she feared things might go back to how they were before.

    So, he quickly explained everything.

    “She earned the money by writing out answers?” Grandma Li repeated.

    “That’s right,” he confirmed.

    His sister, realizing she could add something, said,

    “I earned it all with my own hard work.”

    “That’s good! Let me have a piece to snack on before I start cooking dinner,” Grandma Li said.

    After that, the sister hovered around their grandmother, trying to help with chopping vegetables—sometimes succeeding, sometimes not—but she didn’t give up.

    Yifeng also occasionally heard his grandmother scold her.

    From his seat at the computer, Yifeng could see her reflection on the monitor, she was smiling despite being scolded. Deep down, he liked his sister the way she was now more than ever.

    Soon, their parents came home.

    His sister immediately called them to eat the fried chicken.

    Once again, Yifeng explained the story behind it.

    “Yifei’s treating us to chicken! How wonderful,” their father praised, looking at his daughter with pride, and their mother seemed equally pleased.

    At dinner, Li Yifeng knew that their family’s meals couldn’t compare to others, but many households were in the same or worse situations. He never complained about their food. Tonight, though, the meal was instantly tastier thanks to his sister’s fried chicken.

    Even though two boxes of chicken split among five people didn’t give them many pieces each, it was the best fried chicken and stir-fried vegetables they had ever eaten.

    He loved the atmosphere of moments like this.