Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Qi Huan's heart was filled with delight, feeling like finding a few pieces of scrap silver when she thought her wallet was empty.

This unexpected surprise made her whole being radiant.

"System, I want to redeem 1333 points for delivery...As for the remaining 1000 points, I'll leave them for later use!"

Initially, she was worried about failing at the start, so she didn't save up points.

Now that her life was going well, it was time to plan for the future. She decided to slowly accumulate some points.

"Okay, host."

Whoosh—

As the system's tone fell, five packages dropped onto the wooden table one by one.

Unless she allowed it, the process of the packages dropping would not be visible to others.

She closed the door and felt at ease opening the packages.

After unpacking them one by one, inside were braised beef, mint candies, a vacuum flask, an instant camera, and dried forget-me-not flowers.

Qi Huan inserted batteries and film into the instant camera.

After studying the instructions, she held it up, constantly adjusting her pose.

Placing the scissor fingers next to her right cheek, she tilted her head, revealing a row of neat teeth.

Just as she was about to press the shutter, Li Shuchen suddenly opened the door and walked into the frame.

With a click, the photo printed slowly, revealing a colorful picture.

"What kind of device is this?"

"It's an instant camera, Li Shuchen. Look, this is our first picture together!"

Qi Huan held the photo up to Li Shuchen, and they huddled together to look at it.

In the antique room, the girl was making a victory sign, looking mischievous. Behind her, the backlit Li Shuchen stood tall and graceful, like a flawless jade enveloped by light, making one's eyes shine.

"You really do steal the spotlight. With you in the photo, I just look like a background board. Who can even see me?" Qi Huan pouted playfully.

"I can see you," Li Shuchen answered seriously.

Seeing his earnest reply, she giggled a few times, her ears turning slightly red, and casually stuffed the photo into Li Shuchen's hands.

"Then this picture is for you!"

Li Shuchen took the photo, examined it for a few moments, and tucked it into the cotton robe on his chest.

At the same time, Qi Huan looked at the signboard Li Shuchen had brought.

A light brown paint covered the entire wooden board, with a few large characters engraved with iron chisel strokes. These characters were painted in black, very eye-catching.

"Li Shuchen, let me borrow a ladder. Let's hang it up quickly!"

"Okay!"

With their combined efforts, the signboard was soon hung above the doorway.

After dealing with the signboard, Qi Huan started processing the deliveries.

Upon getting closer, she realized it was a middle-aged couple scolding and beating a young woman.

From their angry shouts laced with profanity, Qi Huan pieced together the situation.

The couple wanted to sell their daughter to an old, wealthy man introduced by a matchmaker, but the daughter was trying to escape the marriage, so her parents caught up with her.

At this moment, the system prompted, "Host, an opportunity to earn points is here."

Qi Huan pondered and realized that helping the girl would only earn her a single point, not as valuable as cooking a meal for Li Shuchen.

But since the noodle shop needed someone to wash dishes, it wouldn't hurt to rescue the young woman as well.

To Qi Huan, it was a trivial effort.

But for the young woman, it was a turning point in her life.

As women, if help was possible, she should provide it. Girls help girls.

Urged by the system, she approached them.

"Uncle, Auntie, stop for a moment. Since your daughter is unwilling, why force her? Three-legged frogs are hard to find, but there are plenty of two-legged men. If this one doesn't work out, there will be another..."

Before Qi Huan could finish, she was interrupted by the sharp-eyed woman.

"Go away, you little brat, what do you know! Old Master Luo is willing to pay five taels of silver for her. Would any other man do that?"

During the pause as the woman spoke, the young woman spat in her face and cursed hatefully:

"I'd rather die than marry him...Father! Can you face my late mother? Her body is barely cold, yet you took the money she earned from embroidery to marry this shrew. And now, at her instigation, you want to sell me. You're lower than a beast!"

The man holding her other hand, angered by her insults, slapped her face with the back of his hand.

"You ungrateful brat, how dare you lecture me! You're my daughter, and you'll marry whoever I say!"

The drama unfolding before her reminded Qi Huan of her irresponsible father from her previous life. She frowned and silently took out five taels and five qian of scrap silver from her purse.

With the hundred taels of diagnosis fee from Mrs. Lu, she felt confident.

Plus, with Li Shuchen by her side, she wasn't afraid of being robbed by the couple... If they did start a fight, who knows who would win.

"Whether you sell her to someone else or not, sell her to me!"

As these words left her mouth, silence fell.

Qi Huan showed the silver in her palm, "I'll add another five qian. I'll buy her. Tomorrow morning, at the yamen gate, after signing the indenture contract, I'll give you the silver."

The husband and wife were delighted at the prospect of earning an extra five hundred coins, imagining how many meat buns they could buy with the extra money, and hurriedly agreed to the deal.

The next day, just as when they had bought the shop, Qi Huan registered the young woman under Li Shuchen's name, as he was the only one in the family eligible to own servants.

Qi Huan took the servitude contract handed to her by Li Shuchen and read the name "Tao Su," unable to hide her surprise. "Your name is quite unique."

"It was given to me by my mother," Tao Su said, a hint of nostalgia crossing her face. "She was an exile sent here, and she said she missed the peach pastries from the Capital City the most, so she named me Tao Su."

In the pause after Tao Su's reply, the system also prompted Qi Huan, "Virtue +1, Score +1."

"System, I want to file a complaint! I get a hundred points for cooking a meal for Li Shuchen, but saving a young woman's life and future happiness only earns me one measly point?"

"Apologies, host. This system refuses to send your complaint to the higher program."

"..." How arrogant of it.

In the brief moment Qi Huan exchanged words with the system, Tao Su, who had originally been standing to her left, had moved to the other side and was now looking at Li Shuchen with a gentle smile, saying, "Thank you, sir, and thank you, miss, for your great kindness. Since my servitude contract has been signed over to you, from now on I shall obey your every command..."