Chapter 46

Compared to her parents’ nervousness, Qian Jianing herself was much more relaxed. Although she had been running a restaurant these past two years and did her assignments during self-study periods, she still ranked first in the entire grade in every exam. Apart from the usual point deductions on essays, she scored full marks in every subject, making Wang Yarong proudly tell everyone that Qian Jianing was material for Imperial Capital University.

When it came to filling out her college entrance exam application, Qian Jianing was a bit torn. She wanted to study finance, as investing was one of the best ways to accumulate wealth. But she also considered applying to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although her theoretical and practical knowledge already surpassed the current teaching standards of such universities, having a diploma would still lend her more credibility, whether she was running a medicinal cuisine business or treating high-end clients.

After thinking it through, Qian Jianing decided to apply to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. As for the finance program at Imperial Capital University, she could just audit classes. She wasn’t after the degree—just the knowledge. Comparatively, the medical degree would be more valuable.

When her homeroom teacher Wang Yarong found out about her choice, she was stunned. In the eyes of the older generation, Tsinghua and Imperial Capital University were hallowed halls. Anyone who could get accepted was said to have ancestors smiling down from heaven. For Qian Jianing to be fully capable of getting into one of those schools and yet choose another was, in Wang Yarong’s eyes, sheer nonsense—completely incomprehensible.

She even made a special visit to Qian Jianing’s home, hoping to persuade Qian Guosheng and Li Wanzhen to talk some sense into their daughter. Li Wanzhen hadn’t even known about her daughter’s application choices. But then she thought, even if she had known, it wouldn’t have made a difference—Qian Jianing had always made the decisions about everything big and small at home, and whatever she decided was always right.

Faced with the agitated Wang Yarong, Li Wanzhen said with some difficulty, “Jianing has always been firm in her decisions. Once she makes up her mind, there’s really nothing we can do.”

Wang Yarong was getting anxious. “If the child doesn’t know better, you adults should step in! Sure, the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is good, but it’s not on the same level as Tsinghua or Imperial Capital University. How can you let her do whatever she wants?”

Li Wanzhen looked even more embarrassed. “Why don’t we go ask Jianing? She’s right next door.”

When Wang Yarong arrived, she had noticed a long line outside the house next door but didn’t know what it was for. She followed Li Wanzhen, confused, into the small courtyard next door—only to see the top student of the entire grade not studying or doing exam prep, but standing behind a wok, stir-frying dishes. The sheer contrast left Wang Yarong dumbfounded.

Qian Jianing placed a freshly cooked dish on the serving counter and called out, “Table Ten, your food is ready!” A middle-aged man immediately stood up and ran over happily.

“Boss Qian, Table One is ready to settle the bill.” Before Li Wanzhen could lead Wang Yarong over, another customer stood up and walked to the counter.

Qian Jianing casually pulled the order slip from the hanging string and handed it to him. “Table One, 188 yuan.”

Wang Yarong instinctively dug at her ears—surely she had misheard. A single meal that expensive? Who could afford that? She glanced around the room and happened to see the menu. Not a single dish was under 20 yuan. Even more shocking was the “health meal set”—just a bunch of average dishes priced at over 100. Qian Jianing really dared to charge.

Looking at the menu, then at the line outside, Wang Yarong’s knees nearly gave out as she pulled Li Wanzhen outside. “Isn’t Jianing supposed to be studying? What’s she doing cooking in a restaurant?”

Li Wanzhen beamed with pride. “This is her own restaurant. It only opens in the evenings and on weekends. Since her grades have always been excellent, I never interfered.”

Wang Yarong was overwhelmed. She hadn’t expected her student to be this talented.

Li Wanzhen continued, “Although Jianing didn’t discuss her college plans with us this time, she did mention before that she wanted to apply to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, to launch a high-end medicinal cuisine line. To be honest, she’s been self-studying Chinese medicine for the past two years. She already has a few regular customers who order from her privately, and they say the effects are great.”

Thinking about the prices on the wall, Wang Yarong didn’t know how to respond. If ordinary dishes were already that pricey, she couldn’t even imagine what the medicinal ones would cost. She had assumed Qian Jianing wanted to study Chinese medicine on a whim. But now she realized—it wasn’t impulsive at all. It was a carefully laid plan, with every tile on her golden path to the future already prepared.

Getting into a top university is supposed to lead to a good job, and a good job leads to a good income. But if Qian Jianing had already skipped those steps and was earning a great income now, there was no need to worry so much.

With everything cleared up, Wang Yarong didn’t stay long. As she stepped out of Qian Jianing’s house and saw the people still lining up with umbrellas, a sense of pride welled up in her heart. My student is the best at everything she does.

Though Qian Jianing took the college entrance exam seriously, she remained relaxed. After breakfast, she declined her parents’ offer to escort her and walked to the exam site alone under a parasol.

The first exam was math. After writing her name, Qian Jianing immediately started. In less than an hour, she had completed the entire paper.

It was the peak of summer, and the exam room didn’t even have fans. Sitting at her desk, she didn’t dare rest her arms on the table for fear that her sweat would smudge the paper.

The proctor walked around the room and noticed her sitting idle. Frowning, he walked over and tapped her desk gently.

Qian Jianing’s eyes lit up. She softly asked, “Teacher, may I hand in my paper?”

The proctor’s expression darkened further. She reached for the test paper, flipped through it, and was surprised. The neat layout, clear logic, and perfect steps all pointed to a top-performing student.

Realizing Qian Jianing was outstanding, the proctor’s face softened. Smiling slightly, she pushed the paper back and whispered, “Check it carefully.”

Qian Jianing immediately slumped again.

“Would you like to redeem the Immortal Realm temperature control gear? Only 5,000 Virtual Currency for a lifetime of perfect climate.” The voice of the Treasure Bowl sounded in her mind just in time.

Qian Jianing almost cried. “Why are you only mentioning this now? I’ve suffered through all this heat for years!”

The Treasure Bowl responded matter-of-factly, “Because there’s too much junk. It’s normal to forget.”

“Junk…” Qian Jianing hesitated, then asked the question in her heart, “So what exactly is this Immortal Realm temperature control gear?”

“It’s a leftover fabric scrap from the God of Wealth’s robe. Our divine clothing is immune to heat and cold. For mortals, a tiny piece is more than enough.”

Qian Jianing gaped. “So you want 5,000 for a scrap of fabric? Don’t you feel the least bit guilty?”

“Of course not. Putting fabric in a pocket takes no effort. So, are you buying or not? If not, I’m taking it back.”

“Buy! I’ll buy!” Qian Jianing nearly knelt to the little ancestor. “Just deduct the Virtual Currency. Give me the fabric.”

As soon as she finished, a tiny scrap appeared on her test paper. Looking at it, she twitched. “Scrap” was the perfect word—it was only the size of a fingernail. You’d miss it if your eyesight was poor.

Just as she reached out, the fabric floated onto her bracelet. Instantly, she felt a coolness all around. Within seconds, her sweat dried and her irritation from the heat vanished.

She no longer felt bad about the 5,000 spent. It was totally worth it.

Happily rubbing her bracelet, Qian Jianing thought: this was truly a collection of Immortal Realm junk. The bracelet was made from the pit of an immortal fruit. Hanging from it was a Plantain Fan made from the leaf of Han Zhongli’s tree, and now it had a scrap from the God of Wealth’s robe.

She touched it with her finger, wondering if the cloth had wealth-attracting properties too. Pity it was so small—if it were bigger, she could sew a little pouch and carry it around. That would surely work even better.

“Hey, Bowlie, why is the God of Wealth’s leftover fabric so tiny?” Qian Jianing stared at the fingernail-sized scrap, trying to figure out what part of the robe it had come from.

“The original piece was big. I just scraped a bit off the edge for you.” Treasure Bowl gave itself a thumbs-up. “If you want another one, it’s another 5,000 Virtual Currency.”

Qian Jianing ground her molars, face twisted. “Thanks, but one is enough. I’m afraid you’ll put a hole in the robe.”

Treasure Bowl sighed regretfully. After all, he had kept that piece of cloth for hundreds of years, and no one but Qian Jianing had ever wanted to buy it. He placed the remaining scraps into the junk pile with a bit of melancholy, but couldn’t help trying to pitch it to Qian Jianing again: “My fabric is big enough—if you want to make a vest or boxers or something, come buy it from me. After all, you’re the first customer who ever asked me for fabric scraps.”

Qian Jianing couldn’t help but laugh and replied, “Alright, wait till I have money!”

Treasure Bowl immediately brightened up, pulled the fabric scraps out of the junk pile and moved them to the “to-be-sold-to-Qian-Jianing” pile.

The three-day college entrance exam ended quickly, and even the usually heat-resistant Qian Jianing let out a breath of relief. Though her environment was more comfortable than other test-takers’, sitting idly for so long had been rather dull.

After handing in her paper, Qian Jianing joyfully ran home. The moment she entered the courtyard, she threw down her backpack, grabbed a chilled watermelon from the vat—courtesy of Xiantao.com—and headed inside. Splitting the watermelon in half, she dug in with a spoon. Sweet and cool, each juicy bite was pure bliss.

Hearing the commotion, her chubby little brother Qian Jiafeng waddled out, looking dazed from the heat. “Sis, I want some too, I’m dying from the heat.”

Qian Jianing didn’t even reply, just pushed the other half of the watermelon over to him. He grabbed a spoon from the kitchen and dove in headfirst.

Ten minutes later, her half of the watermelon was scraped clean. Qian Jianing wiped her mouth and, seeing her brother drenched in sweat, suddenly had an idea. “Treasure Bowl?”

“What now?” came the babyish reply as Treasure Bowl kept his eyes on his poker cards.

Qian Jianing cradled her glass and mused aloud, “Do you have something with a cooling effect? Nothing too magical, just something that makes people feel cool without making them suspicious.”

Treasure Bowl thought for a moment. “How about pulling a thread from that fabric scrap? That should do what you want.”

Qian Jianing’s eyes lit up. “Then give me five threads.”

Treasure Bowl immediately tossed his cards aside, pulled out the cloth from his pouch, and carefully extracted five threads. “Five hundred per thread.”

Qian Jianing sprayed out her water. “Treasure Bowl, you’re seriously robbing me!”

Treasure Bowl pouted, his face scrunching like a bun. After thinking for a long while, he painfully conceded, “Buy four, get one free.” And before Qian Jianing could haggle, he added, “No further discounts! I’m only doing this because you’re the only customer who’s ever bought my fabric. In the Immortal Realm, have you ever seen discounts? Charging double is the norm!”

“Fine, I’ll take five.”

The five thread-length strands of silk appeared in Qian Jianing’s palm. She returned to her room and dug out a piece of ethnic-patterned fabric from her drawer. She had bought it last month intending to sew a small ethnic-style pouch, but hadn’t found time for it.

She now planned to make amulet-sized pouches to hang around the neck—about the size of a mahjong tile. They would look fine on anyone regardless of age or gender.

They weren’t difficult to make, and within half an hour, she had five finished. As she was about to insert the threads into the pouches, Treasure Bowl piped up, “Just putting threads in? Don’t want to buy some safety talismans?”

Qian Jianing flinched. “How much this time?”

Treasure Bowl, a born salesman, went straight for her weak spot: “Five hundred each. Guaranteed to keep people safe—snakes, insects, evil spirits, all stay away.”

Qian Jianing gritted her teeth. “Buy four, get one free?”

Treasure Bowl scoffed while pulling out the talismans. “You’ve made a hundred grand these past two years, your Virtual Currency holdings doubled, and you’re still this stingy over a few hundred?”

“Well, I’ve been influenced by you, haven’t I?” Qian Jianing held out her hand, and five triangle-folded talisman papers appeared. She slipped one into each pouch and stitched them shut.

“Treasure Bowl, what’s the deal with fate patterns?” she asked, examining the amulets. “Like my parents and little brother need Life Extension Talismans to change their fate, but my teacher can just take medicine to extend her life?”

Teacher Sun had been taking herbal medicine for a year and a half now. At first, she and her family hadn’t put much hope in it—especially since hospitals had deemed her condition untreatable and they didn’t have the money to seek care in a big city. Herbal medicine had been their only affordable option.

Two months in, Teacher Sun noticed her yellowed eye whites looked noticeably lighter. Two more months passed, and her skin tone and eyes had returned to normal.

Overjoyed, she started taking the medicine more seriously and even finished all of the medicated meals Qian Jianing sent her. Qian Jianing often brought fruit as well, and sometimes Teacher Sun would offer some to her son Changqing. But he always refused to eat any, insisting it all go to his mother since “Sister Qian said it helps her illness.”

Later, Teacher Sun’s abdominal pain vanished. She thought she might be cured, but a hospital scan revealed the tumor was still there, albeit smaller, and all signs of jaundice and ascites had disappeared. The doctor was shocked, but since Qian Jianing had warned that she lacked a medical license and could get in trouble if exposed, Teacher Sun simply told the doctor she had tried a bunch of folk remedies and didn’t know which one worked.

A few days ago, Qian Jianing changed her prescription again. With high-quality fruit and ingredients from Xiantao.com, Teacher Sun’s recovery was even better than expected. Her tumor had vanished, and all she needed now were restorative tonics.

Treasure Bowl, aware that Qian Jianing had been fixated on fate patterns, explained further: “Fate comes in two kinds. One is unchangeable; the other has a sliver of hope. Your parents and brother’s deaths are fixed—only Life Extension Talismans can change that. But Teacher Sun faced a fatal catastrophe with a thread of life. If she seized that thread, she could survive; if not, she’d die.”

Qian Jianing sighed. “Why is my family’s fate so tragic? Were we bad people in our past lives?”

“Not necessarily. Fate is influenced by many factors, not just past lives. It could also be part of fulfilling a karmic trial. Don’t overthink it. Focus on earning money to buy them Life Extension Talismans.”

“Got it!” Qian Jianing stood up. “I’ll give them these amulets for now. At least they’ll stay safe until I can afford the real thing.”

In the living room, Qian Jiafeng had just cleaned up the watermelon rinds and washed up. He was about to watch TV when Qian Jianing handed him a small pouch. “Here’s your amulet. Wear it around your neck.”

“I don’t want it!” Qian Jiafeng backed away. “A big guy like me wearing a fabric pouch? It’ll make me look girly and ruin my heroic image.”

Qian Jianing burst out laughing and yanked him over. “Heroic? You can’t even kick down a tree.”

Qian Jiafeng looked devastated, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape his sister’s grasp. “That tree’s not easy to kick, okay? Not everyone has your super-strong legs. And besides, if I break it, won’t we have to pay for it?”

Treasure Bowl, listening from Qian Jianing’s consciousness, cracked up. “Your brother’s got potential—very much my style.”

Qian Jianing ignored them both and slipped the amulet around her brother’s neck. Just as Qian Jiafeng was about to resist, he paused and scratched his head. “Where’d that breeze come from? Feels so cool.”

Qian Jianing ruffled his hair and dodged the question. “This thing’s expensive. If you lose it, I’ll use you as a soccer ball.”

Imagining that scene, Qian Jiafeng shivered and immediately raised his hand in a solemn vow. “Don’t worry, Sis. Even if I lose everything else, this stays with me!”

After dinner, Qian Jianing gave amulets to Qian Guosheng and Li Wanzhen—one each. Both parents valued the gifts from their daughter immensely. After asking what they were for, they quickly hung them around their necks and called the kids out to the courtyard to enjoy the cool air.

Qian Guosheng lay on the rocking chair for a while, then suddenly sat up and looked around, puzzled. “Hey, why does it feel so cool tonight? But there’s no wind.”

“Maybe the temperature dropped tonight. I don’t think there are many mosquitoes either,” said Li Wanzhen as she fanned herself a couple of times with a palm fan, looking very content. “The weather today is really comfortable.”

The college entrance exam was over. Qian Xiaomi’s shop remained open as usual. But since Qian Jianing was about to head to the Imperial Capital for university, she brought Li Wanzhen into the kitchen to help. Though the patrons had long known that Qian Jianing was a student, no one ever imagined she would one day leave the city. After all, in an era when the college admission rate was only ten percent, getting into university was incredibly difficult. A student like Qian Jianing, who ran a business at night and on weekends, didn’t strike anyone as college-bound.

Other than her noodles and marinated meats, which were about 70–80% as good as Qian Jianing’s, Li Wanzhen’s stir-fry skills were only slightly better than average—she couldn’t even match Fatty Zhang. So Qian Jianing had her focus on noodles and marinated items and raised their prices slightly above the market average. Even at that price, food at Qian Xiaomi’s shop felt practically like a giveaway, and every table ordered a portion.
—

Soon, the day came when the exam results were released. After selling breakfast, Qian Jianing closed the shop and biked to school. When she entered the classroom, she found her classmates all looking worried, clearly anxious about not getting the scores they hoped for.

Li Xue saw her and burst into tears. “Jianing, what do I do? The test this year was so hard. I think my score is way lower than I expected, but I still listed my original dream schools. Now I’m really scared I won’t get in.”

Qian Jianing wiped away her tears and slipped a handmade amulet around her neck. “The test was hard for everyone, so scores probably dropped across the board. Don’t worry—let’s wait and see the results.”

Comforted, Li Xue relaxed a bit and looked down at the small pouch around her neck. “What’s this?”

“A talisman I made myself. Inside is a safety charm I specially requested. You must wear it.”

“Mhm.” Li Xue smiled brightly. “If it’s from you, I’ll definitely wear it.” She tucked the charm inside her shirt, then mysteriously pulled out a box from her bag. “Here’s a gift for you.”

“What is it?” Qian Jianing opened it to find a beaded little pig—chubby and adorable. She picked it up and laughed. “I had no idea you were so crafty!”

“Teacher Wang is here!” someone suddenly shouted. All the students rushed back to their seats. Qian Jianing quickly put the pig into her desk.

Wang Yarong entered the classroom beaming. The moment she saw Qian Jianing, her smile lit up even more. “Class, we have a provincial top scorer in the college entrance exam! Guess who it is?”

Everyone gasped and turned to look at Qian Jianing. Since the second year of high school, she had dominated the top of the grade rankings with scores close to perfect, leaving her classmates far behind.

Teacher Wang picked up the first report card, her smile as radiant as ever. “That’s right, it’s Qian Jianing! She scored 705 points—just five away from full marks!”

The classroom erupted in screams. Li Xue hugged Qian Jianing, tears of joy streaming down her face. “Jianing, you’re amazing! You’ve made history at our school!”

Qian Jianing glanced back at her classmates, then walked to the front to accept her report card from Teacher Wang.

“Qian Jianing! Qian Jianing! Qian Jianing!” Her classmates stood and cheered. Qian Jianing looked around the room, then raised her hands to quiet everyone. The room instantly fell silent.

Thinking back to everything from her previous life and the years since her rebirth, her emotions were complicated. “These past three years of high school have been an unforgettable experience for me. I made mistakes, was once a failing student, but I was lucky enough to get a second chance and find the right path again. Life is long, and there will be times when each of us goes astray, but that’s okay. As long as we recognize our mistakes and correct them without giving up, we can all find our own path to success.”

Thunderous applause filled the classroom. Qian Jianing looked toward the corner of the room—now empty.

After breaking up with Qian Jianing, Chen Kai’s luck completely turned. Even the girls who used to like his looks grew tired of him because he always borrowed money or freeloaded meals. In the second semester of sophomore year, broke and still wanting to hang out at the skating rink, he mugged a freshman for a dollar. When the student’s parents reported it to the school, Chen Kai was expelled. No one in the class saw him again. Rumor had it he was sent to a construction site in the provincial capital to carry bricks.

“To celebrate our graduation and to thank Teacher Wang for guiding us over the past three years, I’d like to invite everyone to lunch the day after tomorrow at Qian Xiaomi’s shop. I hope you can all come.”

“Whoa! Qian Xiaomi’s shop? That super expensive one? Jianing, aren’t you afraid we’ll bankrupt you?”

“I’ve only heard of it but never been. Are you really treating us?”

“That place is crazy expensive. Maybe we should go somewhere else—you don’t need to go all out!”

Some were completely confused. “What’s Qian Xiaomi’s shop? Where is it? Is it famous?”

…

Li Xue laughed at the buzz. “Haven’t you figured it out? That’s Jianing’s shop—she’s the owner of Qian Xiaomi’s shop!”

“No way!” The class exploded. A few students who already knew laughed out loud. The ones who didn’t were stunned. Finally, one boy shouted what everyone was thinking: “Our top scorer is actually a business owner? That’s totally unexpected!”