Chapter 15

A clean and tidy study room.

The window and desk were spotless.

A grey T-shirt with a pink puppy on it, a very ordinary piece of clothing that could be bought in streets and alleys everywhere.

Khaki knee-length shorts, looking a bit old and faded in color.

Slender calves.

The little white shoes were a bit dirty too.

Long arms propping up a bamboo tray, weaving swiftly as if playing music, it could be titled "Inheritance of Traditional Handicraft Skills" if given a header.

But the young girl was speaking, and it was fluent English.

She was explaining English to someone, while keeping her hands moving.

She spoke very simply, most people who opened Douyin could understand.

But she never fully showed her face.

Likes suddenly surged.

The likes on her two Douyin videos slowly increased from a few thousand.

The library girl's Douyin was good but not outstanding, likes plateaued around eight thousand.

Liang Jiajia happened to be browsing nearby videos in the city.

But the home tutor video she posted became super popular, due to the contrast of traditional bamboo weaving and authentic English, plus the girl's voice and physique, it strangely went viral, likes jumped from ten thousand to twenty thousand to a hundred and thirty thousand.

Because this Douyin went viral, some interested people found that library girl's Douyin, recognized the same clothes, shoes, hands, turns out it was the same person, so her video also got a small boost, likes slowly climbed to over ten thousand.

Comments were filled with praising the girl's handwriting, figure, asking her to look up and smile...

The home tutor video was even hotter, all kinds of comments.

Some said it was staged. Immediately others jumped out saying they were disciples of certain bamboo masters, the girl really was weaving bamboo, though not very skilled, but at least entry level, her voice and build showed great talent, bamboo weaving skills are categorized as basic, entry, skilled, master, above master, nowadays even reaching basic is rare, entry level is already impressive, and even left contact info, hoping the girl would join them, contribute to passing on traditional skills.

"The girl's spoken English is so standard, what a pleasant voice!"

"Get me a home tutor like that, I guarantee I'll pass, no, excel at English exams."

"Beauty, could you tilt the camera up a bit, I just want a glimpse, or I can't sleep tonight."

Liang Jiajia never expected her secret Douyin to blow up like this. Lying on the sofa holding her phone, grinning at the comments, legs bouncing excitedly.

Little Qi was completely oblivious, having just taken the Gaokao exam, with no phone before, and went to a top high school, grade 12 students had no time for Douyin.

She returned to her aunt's dorm, first cooked rice, then prepared to take buckets upstairs for hot water, to bring down and wash clothes, because the hospital basement was freezing, needed hot water mixed in for washing.

"Host has used bamboo weaving skills while teaching English, bringing positive energy of labor's glory to society, rewarded with one Infinite Strength silver card. Host's current power level is weakly ordinary human, using this card will raise strength by two levels, to strong ordinary human, permanent effect. Use now?"

Infinite strength?

Su Xiaoqi looked at her skinny arms.

Remembered the carrying pole father lugged, she couldn't lift half.

"Can it be used on others?" she asked.

"Only platinum cards have subsidiary cards, can assign to people around. Other cards can only be used by host, or left unused. Host keep working hard." The mechanical voice said stiffly.

"Use it." Su Xiaoqi sighed.

No special feeling.

She looked at the two buckets in the room, one red one green, picked them both up.

Upstairs at the hot water room, filled the red bucket halfway, previously that's how much she filled, it would sway precariously carrying it.

But this time, after filling halfway, picking it up was feather light.

She continued filling, almost full, still felt weightless.

How strong was a strong ordinary human?

She also filled the green bucket mostly full, then easily carried them down, one in each hand, red bucket left, green bucket right, not heavy at all, like carrying a school bag.

This skill card was so useful, she headed downstairs lugging the water, but was called out to.

"Hey, you're auntie Su's niece right? I hurt my hand, hard to carry things, could you help fill a bucket of water to room 109 for me?"

Xiaoqi looked back, a middle aged woman dressed quite fashionably, wearing a red dress, thick powdered makeup a different shade than her neck, bright red lipstick, some smeared onto her front teeth, high heels, a bandaid on her left index finger.

She recognized this woman, her mother-in-law was hospitalized, a regular patient, rarely had visitors or caregiving help. Auntie felt bad and would occasionally help out, so had complained to her a few times.

"So unfilial, the old lady's son works on the railway, daughter-in-law plays mahjong all day, rarely visits, doesn't do anything when she does, the old lady's developed bed sores, doesn't hire caregivers, I don't have time everyday to help, can't even finish cleaning, nurses calling for meds and errands..."

Now, Su Xiaoqi looked at the woman flaunting her bandaged finger, hesitated a moment.

The system seemed to always reward helpfully doing good deeds.

But she also disliked this woman.

Unfilial.

Besides, left hand has a bandaid, right hand's fine, shouldn't be unable to carry things, otherwise she would've had to lug the bucket over even without running into Qi, just saw Qi as easy to bully.

A caregiver's niece should do caregiver's chores, that kind of entitled mentality.

Qi had thin skin, some inferiority, would normally just help if asked.

But going through her recent experiences, looking at the 7000+ RMB on screen, suddenly felt money emboldens heroes.

"Sorry, I'm busy with other things, can't help you." Su Xiaoqi declined.

"Hey, what's with you, so heartless, what's wrong with helping out a bit, how were you raised by your parents? I even gave fruit to your auntie, you won't do a little favor when asked."

"Don't want to." Su Xiaoqi didn't argue with her. The fruit she gave auntie was all rotten, blackened, covered in tiny bugs, auntie accepted to not offend the elderly woman, but threw it away.

Had complained about it to Xiaoqi too.

The woman wanted to say more, seeing the petite girl easily heft two large buckets of hot water steadily downstairs.

Muttered under her breath: "Country folk, big deal being strong..."

Xiaoqi carried the hot water downstairs.

"If I could live my childhood again, I would cultivate the habit of saying 'no' more often...a boy should learn to stand up for himself, decline doing senseless things - just because they are senseless."

Thanks again for this passage.

Saying "no" felt so refreshing.

Needless things can be declined without compromise.

Downstairs saw neighbor Lin Min again.

"Carrying water? Let me help, why so much?" Lin Min said in alarm seeing Xiaoqi.

"No need, I've got it." Xiaoqi smiled and shook her head, effortlessly toting the two buckets, strode briskly to the washing area.

Lin Min: ......