Chapter 70: Only the Wealthy Have the Right to Complain

“I’ve run into them, quite a few times actually,” Qin Hongfei replied, “but none of them could trick me.”

“Is it because you’re smarter than they are?” Jiang Wan asked, awed.

“No…” Qin Hongfei gave him a baffled look. “Do you think you’re not smart? You’re pretty clever yourself, yet you still got duped. Dealing with those sly old foxes is actually simple: if they’re devious, you just have to be even more devious.”

Outdoing the wicked.

Qin Hongfei wouldn’t lose to anyone in that regard.

Seeing Jiang Wan’s expression, as if his worldview had been turned upside down, she thought the boy was still too young. But for a stranger, she’d taught him enough. If Jiang Wan still ended up sinking, it meant he wasn’t fit to survive in a world so twisted by human nature, and she wouldn’t bother meddling anymore.

Just as she sent Jiang Wan off, Xia Shangxu returned, drenched in sweat despite the winter chill. Running back and forth had dirtied his clothes, and his handsome face was smudged, but his eyes shone brilliantly, filled with eager anticipation. He was carrying two computer towers on his back, and when he saw that his niece was still there, unscathed, he breathed a sigh of relief. “If I’d known it would be this much trouble, I’d have asked a friend for help instead of bringing you along. Sorry to make you suffer.”

He thought Qin Hongfei, at just fifteen, shouldn’t have to endure such hardship.

But Qin Hongfei didn’t care at all. She tossed him a towel and said, “Uncle, only those who endure hardship can rise above others. Families like ours don’t have the right to complain about suffering.” Suffering? With enough to eat, warm clothes, the chance to study, and even to do business, what suffering was there?

The truly suffering were those in mountain villages, unable to attend school, eat well, or even watch TV.

Only the wealthy have the privilege to complain about hardship; the poor can only endure, seize every opportunity to change their fate, and climb upward. Suffering? That’s nothing. What’s truly frightening is wanting to suffer but not having the chance!

Qin Hongfei deftly dismantled the two towers. Some parts were still usable, others were broken. Including these two, the pair had collected parts from about a dozen machines over the past few days, still short by two-thirds. She wondered how many Jiang Wan could bring tomorrow. Her mind was ticking over. “Uncle, let’s push a bit more, collect at least half of what we need, then go back and start processing. We can come back for more later.” After all, sorting second-hand parts takes time.

“Alright.” Xia Shangxu secretly felt a bit ashamed—he wasn’t even as driven as a child—but he agreed enthusiastically. Around lunchtime, he went to buy food and asked Qin Hongfei what she wanted.

There wasn’t much to eat nearby, and the restaurants were far. Qin Hongfei was bent over her ledger and replied offhandedly, “Chestnut buns, Uncle. Don’t go too far—you’ve been running all day, take a break. We might have to keep running this afternoon.”

Xia Shangxu had planned to go further for something tastier, but hearing this, he looked down at his niece and pressed her head gently. “Alright, we’ll have buns. Sorry to make you settle for less, Hongfei. When we get back, Uncle will take you out for a feast!”

Qin Hongfei looked up, her clear eyes fixed on him. Then, she quietly took Xia Shangxu’s hand. “Uncle, let’s make a deal—next time, don’t put your unwashed hands on my hair, germs, dirt!” She was very particular about it.

Xia Shangxu laughed heartily and ruffled her hair anyway.

He went to buy chestnut buns from a nearby vendor, and the pair each took a bag. On the road, they didn’t bother with appearances; Xia Shangxu, starving, squatted among the pile of miscellaneous parts and devoured his food, sweat mingling with the bun, which he wiped away carelessly.

Qin Hongfei also squatted, biting into her chestnut bun, her mind busy with thoughts, until a woman’s voice, laced with amusement and disbelief, sounded in her ear, “Isn’t that Hongfei? And… isn’t this little Shangxu from the Xia family?”