QTIMP -Chapter 6 Character Persona – Greedy (Part 6)

“Come on, hurry up! Everyone’s either working or at school—don’t dawdle and mess things up.” Aunt Liu had intended to ignore her since she was talking to someone else, but to her surprise, she actually called out her name.

Was she thinking that she might not come back soon? The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became. She only filled the kettle halfway and hurriedly left, flustered.

Uncle Sun shook his head, amused. “You girl… your Grandma Liu just has a sharp tongue, she’s not actually bad. Don’t push her too far. Your two families are close; better to maintain a good relationship than create tension.”

Si Qiu grinned and replied, “Thank you, Uncle Sun, I understand. I just couldn’t resist teasing her a little—looked at her all twitchy and sneaky.”

Uncle Sun waved his hand. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. I’m just giving my two cents.”

“How is that meddling? You’re looking out for me, and I know it!” Si Qiu had always understood that there were no absolute good or bad people in the world. Plus, in the cultivator world, where battles were frequent, her own thresholds were relatively low.

After quickly washing up, Si Qiu returned to her room, packed the lunch box, chopsticks, and spoon into her crossbody bag, then grabbed the thermos and rushed toward the state-run eatery.

By the time she arrived, there was already a line. The ordering counter was at the door; Si Qiu stood at the back of the line, leaning slightly to look ahead. There were five people in front of her.

Sister Shengnan, standing in front of the basket of buns, looked up, met her gaze, and winked. Si Qiu let out a sigh of relief—there should still be some meat buns left for her.

The buns here were all about the size of an adult man’s fist, with thin dough and plenty of filling, incredibly satisfying to eat.

Finally, it was her turn. Si Qiu handed over the lunch box and army-green thermos. “Six meat buns, two to eat here, four to go. One bowl of tofu pudding to eat here, and one bowl of soy milk to go.”

When Sister Shengnan took them, she even tapped the aluminum lunch box with her fingernail, winked at Sister Shengnan, and said, “Pretty sister, here’s the money and the food coupons. Check if it’s correct.”

Sister Shengnan glared playfully but didn’t say anything, simply took the items, grabbed a plate, and served the buns and tofu pudding after finishing her drink.

Sister Shengnan then went into the kitchen with the lunch box and thermos. As soon as she opened it, she saw half a box of neatly arranged raspberries inside.

She smiled and poured the raspberries into her own lunch box, washed the lunch box clean, and handed it to the head chef. “Dad, please pack the four meat buns and a thermos of soy milk that Qiu Qiu ordered.”

The head chef was about 1.8 meters tall, weighed nearly 180 jin, and had a face reddened by the charcoal fire, giving him a slightly roguish appearance.

When he spoke, his voice boomed. “Alright, got it. Four meat buns. I’ll also take advantage of the time to cook a few dumplings and add them. Saves you from eating those expensive fruits all the time.”

Shengnan rolled her eyes at her dad. “You don’t understand our friendship at all. But if you’re going to cook, make sure they’re stuffed with big meat filling.”

“You brat! One warning deserves eight in return. Go, go, go!”

Shengnan placed the lunch box with raspberries up high. “Alright, I’m heading out. Once things settle down, I need to deliver this to my mom. Otherwise, by noon it’ll be inedible.”

The head chef knew she was taking it home for her mother and smiled at the corner of his eyes. “Alright, just bring it back before lunch.”

Si Qiu worked hard to get on Sister Shengnan’s good side, first because she liked the father and daughter’s personalities, and second because the head chef’s skills were truly excellent.

Sometimes, when Si Qiu had ingredients, she would ask the head chef to help prepare them, but it couldn’t be too often. So no matter what, part of her meals would always be incomplete.

If she didn’t get to eat a proper meal that day, she would be in a foul mood and easily irritated.

“So, how is it? Are today’s buns any different from usual?” Shengnan ran over and sat next to her after selling the remaining buns.

Si Qiu swallowed the food in her mouth and leaned closer to Shengnan. “Honestly… they’re just a little below standard, but still really tasty.”

Shengnan covered her mouth and chuckled, “I made the filling myself. With the college entrance exams these past few days, things have been hectic, so under my father’s guidance, I’ve been in charge of the bun fillings.”

Si Qiu gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re almost ready to graduate from this skill.”

Shengnan smiled with pride. “That’s what they say too. But honestly, I was a bit nervous at first. Luckily, nothing went wrong during these few days of exams.”

Then she sighed a little, “Ah… even if I study well, what can I do? I can’t work in a restaurant kitchen. I don’t have the strength or the stamina.”

Si Qiu shot her a look. “Be content. At least you’ve learned a craft you can pass down to the next generation. If worse comes to worst, you can teach apprentices and earn money. That’s better than knowing nothing at all.”

Shengnan wasn’t the type to fuss over this, so her mood immediately lifted. “Yeah, you’re right. I always think about my dad taking on apprentices… If only I were a boy! Seeing the students going to their exams these past two days, I keep thinking—why can’t I do anything right? If I had a good brain, maybe I could even get into a university!”

After saying that, she realized she might have said too much, quickly covering her mouth with her hand while sneaking a glance at Si Qiu.

Si Qiu understood her meaning and smiled casually. “Ah, don’t look at me like that. If I really wanted to take exams, who could stop me? I’ve read enough books anyway. Now I earn my own money and spend it myself—I can do whatever I want. That’s much freer.”

“True. If you enjoy living like that, then just live like that! Being so close to that family here, with your temper, you could drive them crazy.”

Si Qiu turned her head to the side. “Look at you, as if I stayed here just to purposely annoy them.”

The buns were delicious, and the tofu pudding was also tasty—no worse than what the old lady made. After finishing, Si Qiu rubbed her stomach. The satisfaction from this meal could keep her calm for the entire day.

When it was time to leave and she felt the weight of the lunchbox, she immediately knew something was off. Sharing a knowing glance, Si Qiu waved her hand and hurried toward the neighborhood committee.

She came out early, and it wasn’t too late for work. After greeting the old man at the gate, she went inside. Their office shared a two-courtyard compound with the local police station.

She arrived early, but the police station staff had arrived even earlier, greeting her along the way.

“Brother Su, you were on duty yesterday, right?”

“Yo, Qiu Qiu! Yep, I was on duty. Fortunately, nothing happened.”

Once inside, she first fetched some water and then helped clean up.

Once the tidying was mostly done, people gradually arrived. There were six staff members in total.

One was Zhao Sui, 26 years old, a mother of three, mainly responsible for managing records. Another was 51-year-old Wang Xing, the eldest sister in the office, who handled the accounting.

Then there was Director Li Hong, also the biological mother of her classmate Li Qingxue, 47 years old, with two sons and a daughter.