Qin Jiao was startled awake by the dream.

It was only five in the morning when she woke up. Beside her, Xiao Shi was still fast asleep. The little girl was becoming more and more lively, and her sleeping posture had grown unrestrained. She was like a little koala, clinging to Qin Jiao’s arm with one leg draped over hers.

Qin Jiao was wide awake now, so she gently moved her sister, pulled the blanket over her, and then entered her space.

’I can’t let my thoughts run wild. My top priority right now is to study hard and earn money so I can move the whole family to the provincial capital next year.’

’Only then will Mom and Dad have more opportunities, and more importantly, we’ll finally be completely free of those toxic relatives.’

’Mom’s side of the family is fine; all her relatives are reasonable. But Dad’s side... they’re the absolute worst. On top of that, Dad is a bit of a pushover at heart. Since he never got much care or affection from his parents growing up, he desperately craves that familial bond with them now.’

’He just doesn’t have it in him to be completely ruthless.’

Qin Jiao couldn’t use extreme measures to sever her father’s longing for his parents’ affection, so moving far away was the gentlest method that could still solve the problem.

’Since Grandma and Grandpa dote on Uncle’s family so much, let them be the ones to take care of them in their old age.’

After taking stock of her things in the space, Qin Jiao decided to sell some fish. These fish grew quickly in the space and were exceptionally fresh and lively. She had gone to the market to sell them herself once before, and they had sold quite well.

Seeing that her space had grown larger, it occurred to her that she could plant some crops that didn’t take up much room and had short growth cycles.

Especially things that were scarce in the dead of winter.

Qin Jiao decided to grow some fresh mushrooms.

’After I get into university next year, there’s my tuition, buying a computer, Mom and Dad opening their shop, and Xiao Shi transferring schools—it all costs money.’

The only drawback was that Qin Jiao was too busy now. When she went to sell things, she had to sneak away to find the time.

But even so, seeing her family’s life steadily improving made Qin Jiao quite happy.

She was beginning to understand what it meant to be exhausted but happy.

By the time the sky brightened, Qin Jiao went downstairs to help her parents. Her mood had already calmed.

Having relegated Shen Yi to the position of an ordinary friend whom she would eventually drift apart from, Qin Jiao no longer agonized over the matter.

It was just as a poem described.

We crossed paths on a sea of black night

You have your course, and I have mine

It is well that you remember

But better still that you forget

The light we cast on each other in that moment.

**

When Qin Jiao walked into the kitchen, her parents, who were usually bustling at this time of day, were instead sitting in the living room, looking thoroughly dejected.

Her aunt, Qin Na, was quietly comforting Su Yun. "Don’t be upset, Sister-in-law. We’ll go sell again today. Those are our regulars, after all. They won’t stop buying from us."

Su Yun sighed. "But those people are going too far. Their prices are so low. Business these past couple of days hasn’t been as good as before. They’re trying to drive us out of business!"

There’s rent for the house, school for two kids, and we were planning on moving the whole family to the provincial capital next year. We need money for everything.

And now, a new vendor has suddenly popped up right where we usually do business. They’re selling the same things as us, but for a much lower price. It’s just breakfast, so when people see it’s cheaper, of course they’re going to buy the cheaper option. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

As more and more buns were left over these past few days, naturally, Qin Zhonghui and his wife became stressed out.

Su Yun was so frustrated she wanted to curse, while Qin Zhonghui just sat there puffing on a cigarette, utterly silent.

Seeing Qin Jiao come downstairs, Su Yun said, "Xiao Jiao, why are you up so early?"

"Mom, how do their buns compare to ours?"