Chapter 057: The Hardship of Poverty, a Night of Racing Hearts

Wu Hongying was in the middle of her sun salutations. She glanced at Song Kai, her tone impatient: “Don’t look at me with that smile. It’s useless. Let me tell you, you’re not getting any money from me!”

“Damn it!” Song Kai muttered inwardly, feeling aggrieved. Just how badly was he doing in life that the first thing Wu Hongying thought of when she saw him was borrowing money?

He quickly explained, “Sister Ying, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m here to discuss something important with you.”

“Oh? Something important? What, you just wanted an excuse to stare at my chest?” Wu Hongying looked at him with open disdain.

Song Kai felt like crying. He really didn’t want to look, but every time Wu Hongying did yoga, she never wore a bra. The worst part was, he just couldn’t help himself!

Song Kai sternly reminded himself that he had to behave properly this time. No more staring.

He fixed his eyes on Wu Hongying’s face. “Sister Ying, I feel that I must do my part for the people and the country!”

Wu Hongying snorted, transitioning into an upward dog pose. “It’s good to have a sense of purpose. I support you.”

Song Kai continued, “I’ve got the determination, and I’m ready for action, but I lack the ability! Sister Ying, you asked me to help you solve a case. I think I need to give it my all. But I’m just not skilled enough. I want to contribute to the country, to lighten the load for the police, but unfortunately, I don’t have the strength yet. So I’ve decided to throw myself into it wholeheartedly—I want to learn how to shoot from you!”

Wu Hongying paused, then sprang from the floor, staring at him. “You… You’re joking, right?”

“Look at my eyes, look at my face. Aren’t they full of sincerity? Full of the desire to serve the people! Who’s joking?” Song Kai protested.

She pursed her lips and patted him on the shoulder. “What I mean is—do you have any money, kid?”

Song Kai scratched his head and trailed after her. When he saw her reach for water, he hurried over and brought her a glass.

“Sister Ying, I want to learn to shoot to help you with your case. That’s for the country, for the people, right? And you’re still going to charge me tuition? Isn’t that… a little unpatriotic?”

Wu Hongying sighed. “Even if I teach you for free, do you know how much a single bullet costs? If you want to be a decent marksman, you’ll need at least five thousand rounds before you develop a basic feel for a gun. One bullet at the range costs ten yuan, and that’s just for the smallest, .22 caliber. Larger ones cost even more! Even if I pull some strings and get them for you for three yuan each, that’s fifteen thousand for five thousand rounds. Add in training time, wear and tear on the gun, and the meals you’ll have to buy me, you’re looking at no less than thirty thousand. Do you have that kind of money?”

“Uh…” Song Kai was speechless, staring at her.

She put her glass down. “So, get thirty thousand together before you come talk to me about learning to shoot, understood, little Kai?”

“I… I understand,” Song Kai realized once again that without money, every step is a struggle.

“That’s why, kid, focus on your studies and work hard to make money—that’s the right path.” Wu Hongying patted his cheek. “With money, you can hire any coach you like, buy any car to impress girls, even share a house with a bunch of women who might lounge around unclothed and let you touch them as you please. But right now, if you keep ogling my chest, I’ll shoot your little brother off.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right.”

Song Kai felt she had spoken the truth.

“Oh, right,” Wu Hongying added, “about the attempt on your life last time—it was Big B behind it. We have no evidence to arrest him, but I heard you owe him over three hundred thousand? Be careful. Now that Zhang Gang is dead, he probably won’t mind killing one more.”

“I understand.” Song Kai got up, not taking Big B too seriously. As for the supposed debt, Zhang Gang had already paid Big B off, even buying Song Kai’s life from him.

What he didn’t understand was why Big B had suddenly turned on Zhang Gang.

Back in his room, Song Kai sighed. Being broke was pure misery.

Ah, right, had that ten million yuan arrived yet?

He scratched his head and sighed again. He’d have to distribute that money to the villagers first, otherwise Jia Dongming probably wouldn’t dare return home.

Besides, after buying the herbal medicine factory, he’d need to invest more to get it running. All things considered…

Song Kai felt like crying again, so he simply went back to his cultivation.

That night, his phone buzzed.

Thinking it might be Liu Miaoyu, he felt a little thrill of anticipation. But when he checked, the message was from someone called “Plum Blossom in the Snow.”

He opened it: “Song Kai, thank you. Can we video chat? It’s easier to talk than to type.”

“Sure!” Song Kai recalled she was the girl he’d met in Donghu Town, Enshi.

When the video connected, the other side was dark.

He grinned. “Where are you? It’s so dark.”

“In the stairwell!” Ma Xuemei whispered, “Song Kai, thank you. I know what you did. I just wanted to say thank you. Don’t worry, my family and I will keep it secret.”

Song Kai had no clue what she was talking about, then remembered after a moment, “Oh, you mean the Liu Long incident. It’s nothing, really.”

“Shh, don’t mention it! Be careful, I hear the police are rounding people up everywhere,” Ma Xuemei said nervously.

No wonder she was hiding in the stairwell.

After a few words of reassurance, she calmed down.

As she walked back toward her dorm, she smiled. “Song Kai, are you in high school? You seem more mature than I am. You should come study at Yanbei University someday. Look, here’s our dorm.”

On screen, three women in nightgowns were cracking sunflower seeds, watching a soap opera.

Hearing Ma Xuemei’s voice, all three instantly covered their chests.

“You creep, Xiaomei!”

“Yeah! Video chatting with a guy and filming us?”

“Wait, a man’s voice! Oh my god, has our department beauty found a boyfriend already?”

The three of them went wild, fighting to grab Ma Xuemei’s phone.

After the commotion, Song Kai finally hung up.

Ma Xuemei lay on her bed, her heart pounding.

On the minibus, Song Kai had stood up to those thugs. At home, he’d saved her father.

For all these things, Ma Xuemei felt immense gratitude and admiration for him. She genuinely liked him.

But it was only fondness.

Ma Xuemei had never been one to fall in love easily. She was outstanding herself, which made it hard for her to fall for anyone.

But when she heard Liu Long was dead, and realized Song Kai had killed someone to help her family, her heart truly stirred.

It was a feeling she couldn’t put into words.

It even went beyond romantic love—a feeling that made her want to cry.

Clutching her phone, she closed her eyes and drifted off, knowing that from now on, there would always be a shadow of him in her heart…

Song Kai, meanwhile, was still worrying about money.

Just before eleven, he received a text from Teacher Liu Yajuan: “Tomorrow we will review and confirm the college entrance exam registration forms by fingerprint. All students must come to class. If you can’t, you must request leave in advance.”

Song Kai scratched his head and replied, “Okay.”

He cultivated through the night.

The next morning, he shook out his shoulders and headed for Tengyun No. 1 High School.

Not having to attend classes every day was a joy! Looking back, he’d gained a lot over the past week.

As he neared the school gate, a familiar shout came from a nearby alley.

“What do you think you’re doing? Help, someone!”

It sounded like Zhou Ran.

Song Kai ran toward the alley.

At the entrance, he saw Zhou Ran standing beside a tall boy, surrounded by three street punks.

“You dare bully Zhou Ran? You’re asking for it!” the boy shouted, throwing his backpack aside and kicking one of the punks to the ground.

With a few swift jabs and hooks, he sent the three punks fleeing, wailing like banshees.

“Zhou Ran, are you okay?” he asked.

“Thank you, Du Tao.” Zhou Ran patted her chest, still shaken. “If not for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened. Thank you.”

“No problem, we’re classmates. Come on, I’ll walk you to school.” Du Tao beamed at her.

She nodded.

The two walked side by side toward the school gate.

Song Kai hid behind a wall until they’d passed, then followed.

Zhou Ran was wearing denim cutoff shorts, her long, fair legs swinging with each step—truly eye-catching. No wonder the punks had been interested.

Still… something about it all seemed strange.

Song Kai followed them to the school gate.

There, Zhou Ran and Du Tao parted ways.

“Thanks again, Du Tao,” Zhou Ran said, waving her phone.

“No problem.” Du Tao slung his backpack and headed for the bike shed.

Zhou Ran touched her cheek, then quickly added Du Tao on WeChat, a smile spreading across her face.

“Well, aren’t you happy!” Song Kai walked over and tousled her hair.

She turned, saw it was him, and pouted, “Not as happy as you! You haven’t shown up for class all week—aren’t you something?”

He glanced at her phone. “Adding that guy, huh?”

“Mind your own business!” she rolled her eyes at him. “You can flirt with Liu Miaoyu but I can’t add a guy on WeChat?”

“Fine, fine, you can add whoever you want. But since you’re my cousin, I still have to look out for you, right? I’ll bet you anything, that guy’s not actually locking up his bike—he’s going after those three punks. Trust me!”

She pouted again.

He grinned, grabbed her hand, and said, “Come on, let’s go see for ourselves…”