[Are you awake, Xiao Zhi? How are you feeling? Motong and I are in the Imperial Capital right now, and it’ll probably be another month before we return. Please help me look after Zhizhi and the shop.]
The message came from Qian Moyu via Bubble. Reading it, Bai Zhiqiu pouted.
‘You only care about your Zhizhi. Your own disciple just woke up! Serves you right for being single for so long…’
But then Bai Zhiqiu reconsidered. Since Master already had Zhizhi, perhaps a partner wasn’t necessary after all.
‘After all, some things a partner could do, Zhizhi could also accomplish… and perhaps even came with its own… advantages.’
‘So that’s Master’s true purpose in raising Zhizhi!’
A knowing smile spread across Bai Zhiqiu’s face after she pieced everything together.
[Don’t worry, Master! Leave it all to me! I’ll make sure Zhizhi is well taken care of! It definitely won’t affect your… ‘usage’ when you return! Oh, and your shop probably won’t have any customers anyway! If you ask me, closing it wouldn’t make a difference! I’ll take Zhizhi home with me for a few days!]
After composing this message, Bai Zhiqiu promptly sent it to Qian Moyu.
Soon, Qian Moyu’s reply arrived.
It was a very long string of question marks.
“What are you looking at?”
Yan Qingzhu, who was nearby, found it rather odd. Bai Zhiqiu had merely glanced at her phone and then sported that peculiar smile, making Yan Qingzhu question the wholesome nature of what she was reading.
Just as Yan Qingzhu subtly tried to peek over, Bai Zhiqiu caught her movement from the corner of her eye.
Seeing Yan Qingzhu’s attempt, Bai Zhiqiu decisively shut off her phone and tucked it into her skirt pocket.
“Nothing much! Master just sent me a message!”
“Oh really? Then why is your smile so… ah… rather mature?”
“I am not! Believe it or not, I’ll ignore you!”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu quickened her pace, leaving Yan Qingzhu behind.
“Wait for me! Do you even know the way?”
Yan Qingzhu quickly lengthened her stride and followed.
“Just follow the children, right?”
“But they’ve probably already arrived!”
Indeed, Yan Qingzhu’s words proved true. When Bai Zhiqiu reached a corner, she found that the children had long since vanished.
“Come on, I’ll take you.”
With a gentle touch, Yan Qingzhu ruffled Bai Zhiqiu’s hair.
“Don’t touch my head! I won’t grow tall!”
“You’re already an adult! How much more could you possibly grow?”
“Don’t you know boys grow until they’re twenty-two?”
“But you’re a girl now!”
“You… you’re asking for a beating!”
Amidst their playful banter and laughter, they soon arrived at the orphanage entrance. There, an elderly woman already stood waiting with a group of children.
“Grandma Director!”
Yan Qingzhu smiled, waving to the orphanage director, while simultaneously wrapping her other arm around Bai Zhiqiu, pulling her into an embrace.
Tucked against Yan Qingzhu’s chest, Bai Zhiqiu’s fists weakly thumped against her chest.
Such an attack barely registered as a tickle to Yan Qingzhu.
“Behave yourself! There are many people watching! Don’t forget, you’re a little witch now! Do you really want everyone to think the little witch is just a child?”
Hearing Yan Qingzhu’s words, Bai Zhiqiu ultimately relented.
“Grandma Director!”
Embraced by Yan Qingzhu, Bai Zhiqiu greeted the elderly woman.
“Oh, come in, come in!”
The elderly woman smiled warmly, beckoning them inside. The wrinkles on her face deepened, gathering even around the corners of her eyes.
“This morning, these children were all restless, insisting on waiting for you at the crossroads! I told them you wouldn’t be here until the afternoon, but they kept rushing to the door to look. Didn’t Jasmine come this time?”
Inside the orphanage office, the elderly woman chatted while pouring water for them.
“The orphanage’s conditions aren’t great; we can’t afford expensive tea, so please don’t mind it!”
“Not at all!”
Yan Qingzhu picked up her cup and carefully took a sip of the tea.
“By the way, have the orphanage’s donation issues not been resolved yet? When I just came in, I noticed many facilities needed to be rebuilt…”
Bai Zhiqiu nodded in agreement with Yan Qingzhu’s observation. Upon entering, she had already noticed the orphanage’s dilapidated state. The paint on the slide was peeling away almost entirely, and even the swings were crude affairs made from old tires.
In one corner of the garden, vegetables were growing—likely the children’s daily food source, if her guess was correct. And that was to say nothing of the buildings themselves.
“It’ll be soon! We’ve received a lot of help from kind people lately, and that money is primarily being used for the children’s schooling right now! No matter how poor we are, we can’t neglect their education! They will eventually have to venture out into the world.”
“Oh, right! You haven’t eaten yet, have you? If you don’t mind, why don’t you join us for a meal here?”
“No, we…”
“Eat! We’ll eat here!”
“Oh! Alright!”
Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s enthusiastic reply, a satisfied smile spread across Grandma Director’s face, and her slightly hunched figure exited the room.
“What was that all about?”
Yan Qingzhu looked at Bai Zhiqiu, perplexed. They had only just finished eating a short while ago; surely she couldn’t be hungry again?
“I want to help them!”
Bai Zhiqiu declared resolutely.
“Huh? You said you want to help the orphanage? Did I hear that right?”
Upon hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, Yan Qingzhu double-checked to ensure she hadn’t misheard.
“Mm-hmm!”
With a nod, Bai Zhiqiu pulled a card from her pocket—Jasmine’s advance payment for her salary.
“Please give this card to Grandma Director for me! The password is my birthday!”
“That’s incredibly generous! This is half a year’s salary for you! Are you really willing to part with it?”
Yan Qingzhu smiled, taking Bai Zhiqiu’s card and playfully waving it in front of her.
“I am!”
Bai Zhiqiu’s eyes held no trace of impurity; her gaze towards Yan Qingzhu was unwavering.
“I just feel that at their age, they deserve a better life!”
Through the window, Bai Zhiqiu watched the children playing in the garden.
Though they played on worn-out equipment, their faces were still bright with joyful smiles.
On a nearby table, the gifts brought by Yan Qingzhu and Bai Zhiqiu were neatly arranged.
Some children clutched the dolls they had received.
“I never expected you to have such noble sentiments! This truly surprises me! I thought your mind was only filled with… lewd thoughts!”
“Oh, and who was it that tried to pull down my panties the first day we met? You big pervert!”
“If we’re talking perverts, I’d say I’m far better than those who collect magical girls’ panties and socks…”
“I was merely claiming what belonged to me as spoils of war!”