บท 31: 31. Li's Financial Group
Night had fallen, and skipping class had seemingly become a habit for Qing Chen.
Logically speaking, with so many absences, his parents should have been called in long ago.
But the key issue was that his homeroom teacher, Du Yihong, had been on leave ever since the transmigration event and hadn't shown his face even once. The other teachers didn't pay any attention to Qing Chen either.
So, whenever there was a chance to skip class, he took it without hesitation.
By the time work ended, the narrow Xingshu Road had already come alive with vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes, watermelons, and cold dishes all setting up their stalls.
When he was a child, if his mother, Zhang Wanfang, went back to her parents' home, his father would lazily take him out to eat a bowl of rice noodles that cost one yuan and fifty cents.
Back then, Qing Chen felt his father was just brushing him off, but now, looking back, those might have been the best times of his childhood.
At that time, his father hadn't started gambling, his parents hadn't divorced, and his grandparents hadn't scorned him.
The rice noodles that used to cost one yuan and fifty cents now cost fifteen yuan, and it seemed as if everything could never go back to the way it was.
As he entered the fourth courtyard, he suddenly noticed two men squatting by the roadside, smoking.
The sky was gradually darkening, and Qing Chen couldn't make out their faces, only the red sparks of their cigarettes flickering on and off.
At first, Qing Chen thought these were mysterious organization operatives keeping tabs on him, because they looked out of place, occasionally glancing around restlessly.
But later he realized that they didn't react at all as he walked past.
Upon entering the building, Qing Chen smelled the delicious aroma coming from upstairs. Li Tongyun was already waiting at his door. "Brother, mother is almost done cooking; she asked me to wait here for you."
"What if I was attending the evening study? You guys shouldn't wait for me," Qing Chen said as he patted Li Tongyun's head.
"But you haven't been going to the evening study these past few days," Li Tongyun replied as she pulled on his sleeve and led him upstairs.
As soon as he opened the door, Qing Chen noticed that the furniture that had been broken before had disappeared, and the house had shed its former squalor, as if many things had been replaced with new ones.
Jiang Xue was bustling around the kitchen in an apron. Without turning her head at the sound of the door, she said, "Is Qing Chen here? Hurry up and sit down; I've just one soup left to finish."
Qing Chen looked at the dishes on the dining table: sweet and sour spare ribs, stir-fried beef, minced pork with sour beans, hot and sour potato shreds—they all looked very appetizing.
Compared to the tasteless meals in Prison No. 18, this was a real improvement.
"Aunt Jiang Xue, what are we celebrating?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.
Jiang Xue came out holding the soup pot, a smile lifting her eyebrows. "I told you before that I opened a mechanical limbs clinic in the Inner World."
"Yes, I remember you mentioning it," Qing Chen said as he stood up to help take the soup pot and place it on the table.
As she went back to the kitchen to serve the rice and fetch the chopsticks, Jiang Xue continued, "This clinic had been giving me a headache. Since one doesn't inherit memories after transmigration, when people would come asking for modifications to their mechanical limbs, I had no idea how to go about it."
Qing Chen listened in silence.
He heard Jiang Xue continue, "Those who came to get their mechanical limbs modified all looked so fierce and menacing, and the security in City No. 18 was particularly bad at night. After eight o'clock, it wasn't safe to walk the streets, so I've been quite worried."
This had been the reason Jiang Xue wanted to leave Li Tongyun with Qing Chen temporarily, because she didn't know if she would be able to return after transmigration.
"But now things are looking up," Jiang Xue said with a laugh. "I don't know how it happened, but people from Li's Financial Group suddenly approached my little clinic and said they wanted to invest in it."
"Li's Family..." Qing Chen murmured to himself.
"I've also told you, in the Inner World, the conglomerates are like the sky, as long as a business is part of a conglomerate's portfolio, all the criminals will steer clear of it," Jiang Xue said excitedly as she sat beside the dining table, "They not only gave me a sum of money but also replaced my clinic's sign with one that bears the Li Family emblem, so now I'm much safer in the Inner World."
Qing Chen smiled, "With the help of Li's Financial Group, that's indeed something worth celebrating."
"Now I won't need to trouble you anymore, Xiao Yun's grandparents also won't have to leave their hometown," Jiang Xue was very satisfied with the current situation and even said to Qing Chen with a smile, "Weren't you envious of transmigrators before? If you do transmigrate one day, just come find me in the 18th city. Aunt Jiang Xue might not be able to do much else, but I can certainly protect you."
Qing Chen sighed to himself; he was actually in the 18th city, but unfortunately his situation was not something ordinary people could help with.
The struggle for the Qing's shadow and the inheritance of the Knight Organization were matters far beyond the comprehension of ordinary transmigrators.
"By the way, Aunt Jiang Xue," Qing Chen asked, "have those people in black sought you out again?"
"They haven't looked for me, but I sought them out," Jiang Xue said, "After entrusting Xiao Yun to you, I thought of getting in touch to see if I could get their help in the Inner World."
Jiang Xue continued, "However, they mentioned their organization has just been established and it's difficult for them to make any significant impact in the Inner World, so they couldn't assist me."
After dinner, Jiang Xue went to wash the dishes, leaving Qing Chen sitting at the table with Li Tongyun.
It was then that Qing Chen suddenly asked, "You're a transmigrator too, aren't you?"
Li Tongyun blinked and asked, "What are you talking about, Brother Qing Chen?"
"Last time, you specifically asked for the name of your mother's clinic and now it just so happens that Li's Financial Group has invested in her clinic and is offering such comprehensive protection," Qing Chen said, "You can deny it, but I could also share these clues with your mom."
Li Tongyun caved in instantaneously, "Please don't tell my mom!"
Qing Chen breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't guessed wrong.
Before returning yesterday, he had reviewed all of his recent memories and that's when he noticed something strange.
Upon learning that her mom had opened a clinic, Li Tongyun's first reaction wasn't curiosity about the Inner World but to inquire about the name of the clinic, clearly a deliberate question.
That's why he had used up a chance for a transaction yesterday, asking Uncle Li Dong for the Li's Financial Group membership list.
Indeed, the name Li Tongyun was on the list.
Shuttling between two worlds, with her name and body being her own, there was no mistake.
Qing Chen asked in a low voice, "Why not tell your mom?"
"There aren't many people who dare to control me in the Inner World, but if my mom finds out, she'll definitely manage me in both worlds," Li Tongyun said timidly, "Don't tell my mom, I can give you money. I have quite a lot of change in the Inner World."
Qing Chen said without hesitation, "I'm not a transmigrator, what would I do with money from there?"
Seeing his straightforward refusal, Li Tongyun was puzzled, "Aren't you a transmigrator?"
"Of course not," Qing Chen denied, "That... how much change do you have in the Outer World?"
Li Tongyun was taken aback, "You want to swindle a child's money?"
Qing Chen: "..."
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