ASFTB 16: The Kids Go To School

Jian Chengxi sat on the bed, staring at the unanswered messages in the chat window, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

The system asked him:【Host, your survival safety index has dropped to 5%. Please be mindful of your actions.】

Jian Chengxi froze, unable to believe it. “What? Wasn’t it still at 10% during the day?”

The system replied:【The survival index is determined by various factors. It’s very likely that every word and action you take can alter your fate. One thing worth noting is that when the index drops to 0, you may die.】

Jian Chengxi nearly jumped off the bed. “What the hell? You didn’t think to tell me something this important earlier?”

The system dutifully explained:【Previously, your survival index had never dropped to a dangerous level.】

Its purpose was to help the host complete the mission, but the threads of fate determined by the Heavenly Dao could not be altered at will.

If it revealed too much, it simply didn’t have the authority to do so.

Jian Chengxi grumbled at it, “Why don’t you just wait until I’m dead to warn me?”

The system replied:【Host, you should have a little confidence in yourself.】

“Thanks for the pep talk.” Jian Chengxi looked at the message panel, clasped his hands together in prayer. “This is why you shouldn’t message the dead for no reason. I just talked about the survival index and it already dropped. Ex-husband, you can’t be doing this to me. Up there in heaven, you’d better bless me and the child!”

The system was silent for a while before it couldn’t help itself:【What if he’s still alive?】

Jian Chengxi was stunned. “Alive?”

The system thought he would be happy, but instead—

After a moment of careful thought, Jian Chengxi asked a serious question, “Then does that mean we can’t get the welfare subsidies anymore?”

System: “…”

Host, you’re just asking for trouble.

…

The next day.

Jian Chengxi discovered that the fruits in his vegetable garden had all ripened.

Before, he had only tried planting them on a whim, never expecting them to actually sprout and grow. Since the fruit trees had taken root so well, he had gone to the market not long ago to buy fertilizer, and the trees were now thriving. In this world, plants grow quickly. After just a little over half a month, the fruit trees had already borne small fruits. He picked a few to try, and they were all sweet.

Today, he planned to take these sweet fruits to the market to sell.

But before selling them, Jian Chengxi gave it some serious thought. Recently, he had been wandering around the market often and noticed that quite a few poor families in the village also picked fruit to sell. Everyone put their fruit in baskets to sell, which meant there wasn’t much to set them apart.

He needed creativity—something to distinguish himself from the others.

So Jian Chengxi spent a few coins at a shop on the street to buy some colorful paper, planning to give the fruits a nice bit of packaging.

Li Suisui stood by the table and asked, “Daddy, what are you doing?”

“Daddy’s folding paper boxes.” Jian Chengxi’s hands were deft and precise. He cut a piece of ribbon and wrapped it around a sweet fruit. “Pretty?”

Li Suisui’s eyes lit up, and she nodded. “Pretty!”

Seeing his daughter’s delight, Jian Chengxi took a length of colored ribbon and tied it to her braid, finishing it with a little bow. He smiled. “Suisui is pretty too.”

Li Suisui had never worn any hair accessories before.

Through the mirror at home, she saw the bow her father had tied on her braid. The pink ribbon swayed gently with her movements, like a real little fairy.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the reflection in the mirror.

Jian Chengxi knew that little girls loved to look nice, so he asked, “Suisui, do you like it?”

Li Suisui couldn’t hide her joy and asked, “Daddy, why did you suddenly buy these?”

In the past, Daddy had never dressed her up. Now, not only did he do her hair, he even tied ribbons for her.

“Oh, isn’t it because we’re going to sell fruit later?” Jian Chengxi said cheerfully as he kept working with his hands. “If the packaging looks nice, we can sell them for a higher price.”

The room fell into a brief silence.

Jian Chengxi saw her still standing in front of the mirror and realized she truly liked it. As a doting father who found his daughter adorable no matter how he looked at her, he smiled warmly. “But Suisui looks even prettier with a hair ribbon.”

Li Suisui: “…”

Dressing up to sell for a higher price?

Hmph, Daddy really was a big bad guy.

… 

At noon, Jian Chengxi went out to set up his stall.

He placed a small table on his stand, covered with neatly packaged fruits, each selling for fifty cents. In the underground city, the market price for a bottle of nutrient solution was ten yuan, while fruits selling for twenty cents apiece were everywhere. Compared to the others, his price was on the expensive side, but the unique and carefully crafted packaging still caught the eyes of many passersby.

“Boss, how much are these?”

“Why’s your price different from everyone else’s?”

“What’s so special about your fruit?”

“This ribbon is so pretty.”

Jian Chengxi explained that his fruits had a sweetness unlike the others, and he even cut one up into small pieces for samples. Unlike the other tart and sour fruits, his were pleasantly sweet without any sharpness. More importantly, they were packaged beautifully and with care. There were plenty of fruit sellers in the underground city, but this was the first time anyone had seen something like his.

By the end of the afternoon, almost all the fruits on his stall were sold out.

When Jian Chengxi sent off his last customer, most of the surrounding stalls still had more than half their stock left. Some customers even called out as they left:

“Save more for me next time.”

“These are really sweet.”

“I’ll be back.”

Jian Chengxi hadn’t expected business to be this good. He had made a full ten yuan today and not only earned back his initial investment but also had enough to buy treats for his child so he was in high spirits. As he packed up, he cheerfully said to the woman beside him, “Auntie, I’ll head back first.”

It was the same woman he had chatted with yesterday, but this time she didn’t reply, only shooting him a sharp glare.

Jian Chengxi hesitated for a moment, then took out the last fruit he had been saving for himself from the basket and handed it to her. “Auntie, thank you for telling me about the army yesterday. This fruit is sweet, take it home for your kids to try.”

The woman was startled, not expecting Jian Chengxi to think of her.

They were all out here doing business together and when his stall did well and theirs didn’t, it was only natural to feel a bit resentful. But Jian Chengxi’s generosity and warm demeanor suddenly made her feel a little petty in comparison.

She accepted the fruit and said, “Thanks.”

Jian Chengxi smiled and got ready to head home.

The woman spoke up, “Chengxi, why didn’t your kids come with you?”

“Xiao Chen’s leg is still injured, so it’s hard for him to walk. Suisui stayed home to take care of him.” Jian Chengxi lifted the basket in his hands. “Honestly, I don’t feel entirely at ease leaving the two of them alone at home, so I’m heading back now.”

The woman felt a twinge of emotion.

Her own family wasn’t doing great either, but at least her husband was around and her child was healthy.

Jian Chengxi’s husband’s fate was uncertain, one of his children was disabled, and he was raising the family alone. It really wasn’t easy.

She offered, “Chengxi, your kid’s three now, right? That’s about school age. You should think about sending them to school.”

Jian Chengxi’s interest was piqued. “They can start school now?”

The woman let out a long sigh, finally finding a topic she was good at. “Of course! You mean you didn’t even know that?”

…

After chatting with her for a while, Jian Chengxi felt he had learned quite a bit.

When he had first been reborn into this world, he had been running around all day just to keep the household going. They lacked food, drinks—everything—and simply surviving had been hard enough, so school had never crossed his mind. But now that things had settled down and it was school age, it really was worth considering. After all, no matter how poor you are, you can’t skimp on education.

Once home, Jian Chengxi immediately began looking into enrolling the children.

With money, everything became simpler. Schools in the underground city had no real requirements. Just pay the fee and you could attend.

It was already late autumn, the weather gradually cooling. It was the perfect time for them to put on their new winter clothes. He himself had grown up poor, always wearing shabby hand-me-downs at school. Even if no one mocked him, there was always that quiet sting of inferiority. Now that he had children of his own, he naturally didn’t want them to suffer the same way.

Jian Chengxi helped Suisui into her little pink cotton jacket and smiled. “Suisui’s going to school, are you excited?”

Li Suisui replied, “No.”

Puzzled, Jian Chengxi asked, “Why not?”

“Because… if I go to school, I won’t be able to go up the mountain with Daddy to pick fruit.” Her small, childish face was full of seriousness. “So I’m not happy.”

Jian Chengxi was taken aback. He turned to Li Chen. “What about you, Xiao Chen?”

The boy in a dark blue cotton coat sat quietly to the side. His delicate, clean features even carried a faint air of refinement. “I don’t like it,” he said.

“Why?” Jian Chengxi asked.

Li Chen’s answer was concise. “A waste of time.”

“…”

Jian Chengxi felt a flash of irritation.

He had grown up poor, so he knew all too well how important books and learning were. The children were still young and didn’t understand yet, but one day they would realize just how hard life could be without education or literacy.

Holding his daughter’s hand, he looked at her and said, “You can pick fruit anytime, but you can’t skip school. Only in school can you learn knowledge, grow into someone capable, and achieve your dreams.”

Li Suisui blinked, momentarily stunned.

To a child, she didn’t yet understand what it meant to “be capable.”

But there were some parts she did understand.

She asked, “If I go to school, I can achieve my dreams?”

Jian Chengxi nodded—finally, a teachable moment. Smiling, he said, “That’s right. As long as you study hard with the teacher, all your dreams can come true in the future!”

A faint smile lit up Li Suisui’s eyes, her childish voice full of innocence. “That’s great! Then will the teacher teach magic? Suisui wants to become an amazing woman who can make poisonous apples and combs!”

Li Chen lowered his head, thinking seriously. “Will the teacher teach how to make battle armor, the kind that can destroy the entire underground city?”

After asking, both children looked at him with expectant eyes.

In unison, they asked, “Can they?”

Jian Chengxi: “…”

It’s just one teacher. Don’t go driving them to an early grave.

Truly criminal. Far too criminal.

Life at home was starting to get more and more dramatic.