Mid-October -
"Xiao Xi, the CET-4 results were posted by the class monitor in the group chat."
"Mmm, I saw it."
Qiu Xi had just seen the group message. Although it was a bit late for the results to be out, the outcome was still worth anticipating.
Four people took the exam, and the certificates awarded at the end all bore the mark of 'Excellent'.
However, it would likely be a few more days before the physical certificates arrived.
"Beep!"
"CET-4 passed. A cash reward of 10,000 yuan and 500 points have been issued."
"Beep!"
"Double reward for the certification mission has been issued."
Another happy, sunny day~
"Alright, you guys get back to work. I'm heading home."
She returned once a week, a deal she had made with her master. It was Friday, so she might as well go back early.
"Okay, be safe on your way."
"Mmm."
...
The Qiu Residence -
"Sis, we're quite stable here now. Why don't you stop pushing yourself so hard..."
These past few months, Huang Xianyi and the others had managed to establish a foothold here.
To a large extent, this was thanks to the operation of their new media accounts.
The previous work was being handled by Zhang Xiu in Jinhai City; they focused more on route operation. After this much time, there were no longer any issues.
When her sister had first arrived, the shop was quietly set up and only accepted custom orders, so it wasn't too busy.
"It's fine, I'm managing. You're the one who's been working hard~"
She was primarily responsible for the hands-on production work; most of the other tasks were handled by her younger sister.
"What hard work for me? It's fine; there are shop assistants there. If anything comes up, I just need to make a trip."
It was the elders at home who were advising this, and seeing her sister still staying up late every day, she felt tired on her behalf.
"Mmm..."
"Mom, Auntie, I'm home." As soon as Qiu Xi entered, she saw the two women chatting.
"Auntie, what are you and Mom chatting about?"
Huang Xianyi's face lit up with joy upon seeing Qiu Xi return. "Xiao Xi, come~"
She stepped forward and took Qiu Xi's hand. "Quick, tell your mom. I was just advising her, telling her not to work so hard. At her age, she still stays up late every day..."
By the end, the slightly disdainful tone was exceptionally obvious.
"Mom!"
"This is where I have to say something about you. We're not lacking money at home. You really shouldn't overwork yourself like this, or I won't dare let you work in the future."
"It's not as serious as you two are making it out to be~" Huang Li looked at her sister and daughter in front of her, smiling helplessly.
Was she really going too far?
She just wanted to finish the orders quickly...
"Mom!"
"It's not just us saying this; everyone is saying it."
"From now on, you must change your sleep schedule!"
Qiu Xi's expression was very serious as she said this.
Even though she had Xiao Hua and her body was strong and healthy, she still needed to take care of herself. Sometimes, bodily functions couldn't be resolved by such things.
"Exactly..."
Qiu Dad suddenly popped out from behind, adding his agreement.
"......"
"You're everywhere!"
She shot him a look of disdain.
"I..."
He was just stating the truth...
There was nothing wrong with what he said...
"Alright, alright!"
"You don't need to say any more. I'll be careful myself from now on~"
Seeing the uniform expressions on the three faces, Huang Li felt a bit helpless.
If she didn't agree, these people might stop her from working altogether in the future.
"Mom! You said it yourself!" Qiu Xi sought a promise from her mom.
"Yes, it's all me saying it."
"I promise, okay~"
"Great!"
"After all, Dad and Auntie are here now~"
Huang Li gave her daughter a sideways glance. "Yes, you have witnesses..."
Qiu Xi smiled, satisfied. "Mmm, of course~"
Qiu Dad and Huang Xianyi watched from the side, their faces also showing a smug smile.
"......"
"Alright, alright, you can go now. Don't bother me here."
Seeing them was irritating~
"Hehe~"
"Then, Mom, you keep busy. We won't disturb you."
Saying this, Qiu Xi pulled her aunt away.
"Auntie, since it's been a while since we chatted, let's talk."
"Okay~ I'll talk with you." Huang Xianyi's face was full of smiles.
Qiu Xi found a place to sit and chatted with her aunt about Uncle and Yi Yi.
"Auntie, is Uncle still idle lately?"
"He was idle a few days ago, but recently he's been busy with Yi Yi's enrollment, so he's gotten busy again."
After their family discussed it, they decided to settle down here.
Fortunately, school had only just started, so it was just the right time for Yi Yi to enroll.
"That's good. What about Uncle himself?"
"Him? He's getting on in years. Your Cousin Xuan Ming and I don't plan for him to work anymore."
They didn't have a lot of money at home, but it was enough.
"That's also good. Uncle can just be responsible for picking up and dropping off the kids. When he's free, he can come over and fool around with my dad, that old man. It's good."
There were still some elders at home, and the two families were close, separated only by a short distance.
"Exactly, your brother said the same thing." Huang Xianyi smiled.
Now that her husband and children were by her side, she didn't have to rush around for a bit of money. It was quite good.
"That's very good~"
"Indeed~ And we have to thank you, Xiao Xi!"
Speaking of this, Huang Xianyi became a little emotional.
When her son returned, if it weren't for Xiao Xi's assistance, it would have taken a long time for them to recover...
"Auntie!"
"We're mutually beneficial and it's a win-win situation. If you put it like that, I'll be embarrassed."
"Alright, Auntie, you go back to your business. I'm going to find my master."
If they continued to chat, it would get too sentimental, and Qiu Xi didn't want that.
"Okay~ You go ahead."
Huang Xianyi's eyebrows moved, her smile full of affection.
"I'm leaving now, Auntie, bye-bye~"
...
"Master, I'm here."
After parting with her aunt, Qiu Xi returned to her room, tidied up, and brought her completed assignments to find her master.
"Here's last week's homework. It's all here."
"Mmm, put it here first. I'll look at it later." Du Bin pointed to a spot on the table next to him.
"Sit down. Let's chat first."
"Okay~" Qiu Xi nodded.
Qiu Xi was accustomed to it. The first thing she did upon returning each week, besides handing in her homework, was practice speaking with her master.
Annoyingly, she hadn't even mastered the basics yet, so she couldn't advance in the system's classroom lessons.
Once she mastered these, she could then learn the advanced speaking classes, which should be easier.
As it was just the beginning, this speaking practice wasn't long.
Du Bin simply wanted to test his young disciple's level and see if she had been diligently reviewing.
So, about 20 minutes later, Qiu Xi and her master's weekly practice session concluded.
"Alright, it seems you haven't slacked off at school."
"You can head back now. It'll be time for dinner soon."
"Get to bed early tonight, so you're ready for class tomorrow."
"Okay~"