The 30th arrived in the blink of an eye. Sheng Xia finished her day at the stall as diligently as ever. Fearing that the system’s reward distribution might cause some commotion that others would notice, she hurried home, locked her door, and submitted the task in private.
A chime sounded in her ears.
【Ding—Congratulations to the host for achieving 172/100 Happiness Points this month. You have exceeded the task requirements. The reward has been upgraded to a property at No. 96 Yonghe Road Courtyard. The relevant documents and keys have been placed in your system backpack!】
It was just as she had guessed; the reward had been upgraded.
In truth, Sheng Xia had already completed the system’s task of applying makeup for 100 people about halfway through the month. However, she figured that since running the stall was profitable and the system tasks refreshed monthly, she might as well keep going. If she just sat around at home, she wouldn't be doing anything, and who knew—perhaps by doing an even better job, the rewards would be even greater.
The system notification today confirmed her theory, even adding the concept of "Happiness Points." She checked her own records: she had provided makeup services 172 times, and every single person had been satisfied with her work. That correlated perfectly with the 172 Happiness Points. It seemed the system operated based on the happiness she generated.
It was a win-win for her and the system, and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to bring happiness to others.
Sheng Xia felt a warm glow of satisfaction as she took the property deed for the No. 96 Yonghe Road Courtyard out of the system backpack and examined it repeatedly. Yonghe Road was no ordinary place. Nestled between the mountains and the sea with breathtaking scenery, it had always been the enclave of bureaucrats and capitalists before the founding of the People’s Republic, and had been meticulously restored afterward.
In the time before Sheng Xia had been reborn, Yonghe Road was one of the most famous scenic spots in Linhai. The various villas along that road were worth at least a hundred million each. Of course, they were still quite affordable right now, but they were certainly not something an average wage earner could buy.
She never expected the system to be so generous. She had previously been worrying about how to get her parents to move to the city, and this had solved her housing problem in one stroke.
"What are you doing locked in your room? Come on out, it’s time to eat!" Sheng Xia was still happily admiring the deed when a knock at the door signaled that Xia Yuhe was calling her for dinner.
"Coming!" Sheng Xia replied promptly, opening the door to leave her room.
Sheng Haifeng had just woken up from a nap. Seeing his daughter emerge, he sat at the dining table holding his little granddaughter, Qingqing, while Xia Yuhe arranged the bowls and chopsticks.
In the center of the table was a large basin of small mixed fish, surrounded by spicy stir-fried clams, sautéed greens, steamed crab, and a bowl of steamed egg with shrimp, which was placed specifically in front of Qingqing.
"Eat some crab, my girl. You’ve been out at the stall every day and you’ve lost weight." No sooner had Sheng Xia sat down than Sheng Haifeng placed the largest blue crab onto her plate.
Blue crabs were not cheap. The large platter on the table likely cost an entire day’s wages from her father’s fishing trip. The love of her parents was so simple and unadorned, yet it warmed her heart to the core.
"Thank you, Dad!" Sheng Xia felt a surge of warmth. She thanked him, but instead of eating, she looked at her parents with a solemn expression.
"Dad has worked so hard all these years, and Mom, too. In the past, I was useless. I could only watch Dad go out to sea to fish while in pain, relying on painkillers because his bones ached so much. And Mom, you spent every day mending fishing nets until your eyesight blurred. And you’ve both been raising Qingqing for me all these years..."
As she spoke, Sheng Xia’s eyes grew red.
"You child, what are you saying all that for?" Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe’s eyes grew misty at their daughter’s words. They were touched; their daughter was a good child who knew how to be grateful.
"Mom, Dad, I can earn money now. You won’t have to work so hard anymore. Come to the city and live with me." Sheng Xia finally had the qualifications and the confidence to say these words.
In her past life, she had proposed many times that her parents move in with her, but they had always worried about Xu Aijun and his parents, so they never agreed. It wasn't until after Xu Aijun passed away that she finally brought them to her side, but by then, their health had already deteriorated significantly.
Now that she was divorced, her parents no longer had to worry about anyone else. Wherever she went in the future, she would take them with her. They would never be separated again!
"Live in the city?" Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe had never imagined their daughter would have such an idea, and they hesitated.
"Don't you need ration coupons for everything in the city? Can we manage?" Xia Yuhe asked first.
"And we’d need a place to live. Even though conditions are rougher here in the village, at least we have a home. If we go to the city, where would we stay?" Sheng Haifeng shook his head after giving it some thought. Life in the city wasn’t that simple.
"Besides, your mother and I are still young; we can still work. We can’t let you support us!" Sheng Haifeng knew his daughter wanted to be filial, but they couldn't be a burden on her. She was a divorcée with a child, which was hard enough.
"That's exactly it—you're both still young! Does being in the city mean you have to be stuck in the village, or that you can't be workers?" Sheng Xia had been considering bringing her parents to the city ever since she was reborn; she wouldn't be easily discouraged.
She had already planned it out. If she asked her parents to come to the city and do nothing, they would certainly refuse to be a burden. But if they had jobs, it would be different. They were only in their early forties. As long as she had some money, she could find them work as gatekeepers or cleaners in a factory. They would eventually be laid off after a few years, but she would find a way to get them something else to do by then.
She believed that while her parents wouldn't want to live off their daughter for free, they wouldn't refuse the chance to be urban workers with state-supplied grain rations.
"Is that even possible?" Sheng Xia’s words were an eye-opener for Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe. They had never considered that at their age, they could still become factory workers.
"Of course it is." Sheng Xia nodded firmly. Although she hadn't found the jobs yet, she was confident she could make it happen; it was only a matter of time.
"I’ve already secured a house on Yonghe Road. Dad, Mom, if you don't come live with me, it will just be me and the child. What if some ill-intentioned people see that..."
Since ancient times, there had been a saying that a widow’s door is a place of trouble. Though Sheng Xia wasn't a widow, living alone as a divorced woman was much the same. A single woman living alone always invited the schemes of petty people, not to mention that Sheng Xia was a beauty, and her daughter, Sheng Qing, was as lovely as jade.
Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe understood this immediately and shook their heads. "No, that won't do. You two can't live alone."
"Exactly, so you need to be there to support us!" Sheng Xia seized the opportunity immediately.
"Let us think about it." Moving to the city was no small matter, and they couldn't decide on the spot.
"Fine!" Sheng Xia didn't force them.
"Anyway, Qingqing’s kindergarten will be on summer break soon. It would be perfect to get her into a new kindergarten when school starts in September." Without pushing, she added this quiet reminder.
Let them think about it—their little granddaughter had to go to school. Was there really a choice between a city school and the village school?
Her little ploy didn't escape the notice of Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe. The two looked at each other and smiled. If their daughter wanted them to go to the city, then they would go.
However, moving wasn't a small task; they still had to get everything in order at home first.