Chapter 2: I Must Be Good to You

"Auspicious, Auspicious, Li Auspicious..."

A crisp voice called out from behind. Li Auspicious felt a numbness in her ankle and immediately quickened her pace.

That annoying little chubby boy was after her again! Just yesterday after school, he had chased her halfway home, all the way to her doorstep. Only when the chubby boy saw her mother and Granny Li sitting at the corner shop chatting did he get scared, turn around, and scurry off.

And now, before she even made it out of the school gates, he was about to latch onto her again...

But no matter how fast she walked, An Chen’s sturdy little legs always caught up.

"Auspicious, why are you running from me again..."

Panting heavily from his sprint, An Chen blocked her path, hands on his knees.

"Get lost, Eight Hundred Bucks!"

Li Auspicious glared at An Chen, whose head barely reached her shoulder.

"The little chubby boy is after his future wife again."

"Always dreaming of eating swan meat, that chubby boy."

...

Some of the students passing by began to hoot and jeer. A few middle school boys snapped their fingers, whistled, and climbed onto the earthen wall by the school gate to watch the fun. In this remote small town, nothing sparked as much excitement as teasing boys and girls about their relationships.

Li Auspicious was fair-skinned and delicate, a rare beauty in the town. Out of ten such incidents, eight involved her.

The elementary and middle schools in Xingqiu Town were built together, four rows of single-story classrooms and two large playgrounds. Each grade had four or five classes, each class had forty or fifty students, and the desks almost touched the teacher’s podium.

Elementary school let out half an hour earlier than the middle school, so the jeering boys were all truant troublemakers from middle school.

Li Auspicious rolled her eyes at the boys on the wall but had to deal with the more immediate problem.

An Chen’s family lived in the alley behind Granny Li’s little shop, running the family bean sprout business. Every morning, An Chen’s mother would sell bean sprouts at the market, then return home, grab her basket of yarn, and settle into the bamboo chair outside Granny Li’s shop—chatting, basking in the sun, and knitting at lightning speed.

She could finish a sweater or a pair of pants in just a few days. Granny Li always admired the balls of yarn, praising An Chen’s mother’s skill and good fortune—after all, she had two plump sons. An Chen’s mother would laugh heartily, saying An Chen was a "bought child," since they’d been fined eight hundred yuan for having him beyond the birth quota.

"Auspicious, what’s this about eight hundred bucks?"

An Chen gripped his backpack straps, looking a little nervous. Every day he waited for Li Auspicious’s class to end so they could walk home together. She was in the graduating class, and their teacher often dragged out lessons, so it was never certain when she’d be dismissed. Sometimes, in the brief moment he slipped away for the restroom, her class would be let out, and he’d miss her.

Lately, he’d missed walking home with her more often than not. Just yesterday, he’d finally caught up, but before he could say a word, she’d slipped into the shop.

"Do you need money, Auspicious?" An Chen’s eyes went wide with shock.

"Auspicious, when I grow up and make money, you can have all of it."

"Auspicious, you’re so annoying! Get out of my way, chubby boy, don’t block my path. Or I won’t be polite to you!"

A first-grader trying to hit on a sixth-grade girl—what a joke!

Li Auspicious pushed An Chen aside, scowling as she stormed out the school gate.

To be thrust into this remote little town, with its meager material comforts, was bad enough. But now she was saddled with this clingy little tail—Li Tian’er felt bitter. Who knew what the original Li Auspicious thought of An Chen, but as for her, she would not tolerate it, nor did she need to. Living in the present was her creed, and at this moment...

Just as she was about to glare at An Chen, a holographic image suddenly flashed in her mind. On the right side of a brown square, pink numbers jingled and changed to 100.

What was going on? Someone had contributed popularity points! Ah, something changed in the Wealth System—finally, some action!

She didn’t yet know the purpose of this system, but it was clearly connected to wealth. If she was to escape hardship and suffering, she had to rely on it.

She’d had her own youthful days—no need for grueling study, no need to worry about the family business or navigate social circles. She’d read novels and watched dramas where systems always came with spiritual springs, magical fruits, or even the chance to become immortal. It might have seemed far-fetched then, but since she’d already been transported here and given a system, why should hers be so empty?

This question was too hard for her. She could only hope and trust that everything she needed would eventually appear!

Just as she was delighted to see her popularity rise, the pink number suddenly dropped to 50. Huh? So it could go down, too!

Li Auspicious stopped in shock.

"You’ve changed, Auspicious!"

An Chen gripped his backpack straps, visibly heartbroken.

"How have I changed?"

"You weren’t mean before. My mom says you’ll be my wife someday, so I should treat you well."

"Pfft—"

Li Auspicious nearly popped her eyes out, though she kept one eye on the little pink number, afraid it might plunge into the negatives if she blinked.

"Don’t forget, my mom named you. Your grandmother isn’t educated—she couldn’t have come up with such a nice name."

"Please! Is ‘Auspicious’ so cultured? My grandma just didn’t want to hurt your mom’s feelings. Otherwise, she would have named me Li Ruyi. Come on, let’s go home together."

Sensing the little pink number was connected to her interactions with An Chen, Li Auspicious softened her tone and even smiled at him. An Chen blushed with delight at her rare kindness.

The pink number jingled back to 100.

Her guess was right! The pink number represented An Chen’s affection for her.

"Did your mom really say I’d be your wife one day?"

"Auspicious, would I lie to you?"

Looking at An Chen’s round, excited face, Li Auspicious wanted to pinch and squish it.

"You must have heard wrong. She probably meant your brother—he’s closer in age to me."

"No, Auspicious, I didn’t get it wrong. She said exactly that. I should treat you well..."

Remembering something, An Chen dug into his pocket, then proudly held out his fist to her.

In his palm, a few candies lay in their colorful wrappers, sticky and warm from his hand.

When Li Auspicious didn’t react, a flicker of disappointment crossed An Chen’s eyes. Unwilling to give up, he quickly slipped the candies into her backpack and dashed off as if he’d done something mischievous.

An Chen’s mother was still knitting on the little chair by the shop, just as she had the day before. The navy sweater was nearly finished, only a sleeve left to complete. She stretched her legs, glanced up, and saw Li Auspicious, greeting her with a broad smile.

"Auspicious, you’re back!"

"Aunt An."

Granny Li was probably in the kitchen cooking, which was a rare chance—Li Auspicious slipped inside and shut the door tight.

"Time to stop knitting, must go home and cook," An Chen’s mother said as she tidied her yarn basket. She poked her head toward the kitchen and called out, "Granny Li, I’m heading home. See you tomorrow for another chat!"

"Alright, Aunt An, take care. I won’t see you out."

Granny Li lifted the cloth curtain just in time to glimpse An Chen’s mother’s departing figure, then looked at the tightly closed door to the inner room, guessing Li Auspicious was already back to do her homework.

"This child, doesn’t even say a word when she comes home. She really seems like a different person lately!"