Chapter 128: The Orphanage

The next morning, the sky was beginning to brighten. Li Changqing lay on the warm goose stone by the shore, breathing heavily. Sweat drenched his clothes completely, and despite a full day of relentless attacks, Xie Quzhen had not even brushed the hem of his garment.

As dawn broke, Xie Quzhen finally spoke, “Let’s call it a day. Go rest now; we’ll continue tonight.”

Dragging his weary body home, Li Changqing took a shower and collapsed into bed, falling into a deep sleep, unwilling to move another muscle.

The next day, nearing dusk, Tang Xiaoyu woke him up.

“Where on earth did you go last night?”

“I was out all night. Came back, showered, and went straight to sleep.”

Tang Xiaoyu eyed him suspiciously.

Seeing her expression, Li Changqing rolled his eyes and said, “I was out on a date with a beautiful woman all night.”

“I don’t believe you,” Tang Xiaoyu widened her eyes. “You came back this morning all sweaty and stinky, your clothes filthy! Don’t forget, I’m a detective!!!”

“I’m the real deal,” Li Changqing got up and stretched. “Got anything to eat? I’m starving.”

“Make it yourself,” Tang Xiaoyu pouted, returning to the living room and slumping onto the sofa, clearly annoyed.

Li Changqing scratched his head, wondering what her problem was. She didn’t really believe he’d been out carousing with some beauty all night—so why get upset?

He sat beside her and suddenly clutched his stomach. “Ouch, my stomach hurts.”

“Don’t try to fool me—I’m not that easy to trick,” Tang Xiaoyu snorted, convinced she wasn’t a fool and wouldn’t fall for such a ploy.

Li Changqing gritted his teeth and collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his abdomen.

“Hey, don’t think you can fool me like that.”

“Are you really feeling sick? If you’re lying, I’ll be mad.”

“I’m calling the hospital now. Hang in there!”

Li Changqing smiled. “I’m hungry—my stomach aches because of hunger.”

Tang Xiaoyu, just as she was about to dial, stomped her foot in frustration. She’d been fooled again. Damn it!

“Wait here, I’m going to get you something to eat.”

“Don’t forget two fried eggs,” Li Changqing reminded her.

“You wish!” she replied.

Soon, noodles topped with three fried eggs were placed before Li Changqing. He found her quite amusing. Eating, he picked up the newspaper on the table.

The headline in the Nanlin Evening News featured last night’s shocking story:

“Late Night! Dozens of animals brutally killed along the riverside—who would harm so many innocent creatures? Is this a sign of moral decay, or something else...”

The photo showed the creatures—monsters that had died by the riverside that night.

However, the article claimed these beasts had escaped from the Nanlin City Zoo—a standard cover story.

As he ate, Tang Xiaoyu frowned. “Changqing, we haven’t taken any jobs in a long time. At this rate, we can’t hold out much longer. You’ve only got about twenty thousand Langbi left.”

“We haven’t accepted commissions recently,” Li Changqing said. “After last night’s training, my whole body aches. I’m not ready to take on any assignments.”

But this was a good thing. Although he didn’t know exactly how strong Xie Quzhen was, having such a formidable mentor willing to teach him was a blessing.

In his previous life’s novels, this was called meeting a benefactor.

Still, he was curious why Xie Quzhen was willing to teach him. Could it be that he was an unparalleled genius?

That seemed unlikely.

There had to be reasons he didn’t yet understand.

“I have to go out again tonight,” Li Changqing said. “Once we get past this period and deal with the Jiade Group, we’ll focus on making and saving money.”

“Mhm,” Tang Xiaoyu nodded eagerly.

Li Changqing asked as he ate, “By the way, you never told me—what do you want to do with all the money you’re saving?”

“Saving money is happiness itself,” Tang Xiaoyu answered earnestly.

Li Changqing was speechless.

“And what about you? Are you just earning money to buy those cinnabar talismans?” Tang Xiaoyu asked curiously.

“Of course not,” Li Changqing replied. “Look, buying a house costs money, getting married and having children costs money. You can’t end up like Hu Xiong, still a bachelor in his thirties.”

“Getting married and having kids...” Tang Xiaoyu paused. “Under what circumstances wouldn’t you marry and have children?”

“Unless I’m broke.”

Li Changqing continued eating. “Though if I were broke, I’d become a live-in son-in-law, marry a wealthy woman—that’d be nice.”

“How much money do you need to be a wealthy woman?” Tang Xiaoyu furrowed her brow.

Li Changqing chuckled. “You’ve got 370,000 saved up now; that makes you a wealthy woman.”

Tang Xiaoyu pondered seriously. “How much would it cost to build an orphanage? After building it, would I still be a wealthy woman?”

Li Changqing looked puzzled. “What? You want to build an orphanage?”

“Ah, no, not really,” Tang Xiaoyu waved her hand. “Just saying.”

“You don’t actually want to build an orphanage, do you?” Li Changqing blinked, curious why she’d even think of such a thing.

Tang Xiaoyu frowned, as if debating whether to tell him.

“I don’t really remember much from my past life,” she said, sitting down on the sofa, looking a little downcast. “But I remember growing up in a very large orphanage.”

“There were lots of kids there.”

“But we didn’t eat well. The conditions were really poor.”

“After that... I don’t really remember.”

“Eventually, I wandered aimlessly and ended up meeting you. So I thought, I want to save more money and renovate the orphanage where I grew up.”

“The backyard was always full of withered flowers—I want to fill it with fresh blossoms, I want to...”

Her eyes brightened as she spoke about the orphanage.

Listening to Tang Xiaoyu, Li Changqing said, “You want to renovate the orphanage, hire a reliable construction team—that should be doable. But your dream of being a wealthy woman might have to wait.”

Tang Xiaoyu didn’t lose heart. Instead, she smiled brightly. “Then I’ll just save slowly. I won’t eat or drink much; I’ll save every penny. One day, I’ll be a wealthy woman and renovate the orphanage.”

Li Changqing looked at her happily grinning face. Her dream was so simple and pure.