It's been four days since my training first started.
Torture is what I'd describe it as.
But for once, I had finally seen some light at the end of the tunnel.
"Wait, you're saying you're leaving tomorrow?"
"I got stuff ta do, kiddo."
It was the end of the day, and our training had just ended when Grandma Guanhuai broke this amazing news to me.
"What about training?"
"Well, ya can't fly a magic broom, can ya?"
"... So a day off?"
"That don't mean ya can't train in the house, ya moron. By the time I get back, ya better be able ta do twenty push-ups."
"... Twenty...?"
I barely made it to twelve yesterday...
"Ya got food in the cabinet over there, and if ya need any more, just go to the address I sent ya. They got the cheap stuff."
Saying that, she sent a hundred and seventy Jia over into my account.
"... Thanks."
"Don't spend all of it, got it?!"
By the next day, she was gone.
And I was all alone... no Wei, no Grandma Guanhuai.
Wei went on vacation and hasn't been back... If he said he'd be out for a week, he's only halfway through this so-called "vacation", right?
... Although she didn't specifically say so, I'd guess that Grandma Guanhuai's gone out to gather ingredients... after all, it has been a while since she last opened the potion store... she probably ran out of ingredients.
... Ugh, but that means when she comes back, not only will I have to keep training, but I'll also be selling potions again...
From the little cabinets, I grabbed a piece of bread that was wrapped in a thin piece of paper.
There was so much to do... there's no way I could just sit idly as Wei conspired with his Boss.
It was also almost time to meet the girls again.
... But the first thing I needed to do was to get more Jia... the Stingray I'd bought last time took a huge chunk.
"Back to pawning Hanzhi's stuff, I guess."
***
Going from pawn shop to pawn shop, I sold off most of Hanzhi's things.
I dressed myself as a manservant, pretending to sell off my master's goods, and by the end of the day, I had a total of almost a million Jia.
In the slums, a million Jia means you're practically at the very top, but if I were the real Hanzhi, this amount wouldn't even last me four hours.
"... I should treat Grandma Guanhuai when she's back... maybe she'll get softer during training..."
Before making my way home, I made sure to buy a box of healing potions.
They weren't as good as the ones Grandma Guanhuai made, but they'd make do.
I stuffed them into my now-empty briefcase and headed home for the night.
I made sure to get a good night's rest, sleeping earlier than I normally would.
Tomorrow...
... was game day.
***
My body felt as refreshed as it had ever been this past week.
Stretching my legs out, I got up from the sofa and started making my way to the illegal Li-Liang gadget store.
I'd chugged four bottles of those healing potions, and I still have a dozen left...
... I'll definitely regret this in the future... but... that's future me's problem.
The ringing of the bell woke the old man up, prompting him to sit up haphazardly at the counter.
"Oh... It's you again! That young boy who bought one of my goods...!"
"... Yes... It's me. Can you just lead me to the back?... Please?"
The troubles that I went through with the old geezer were all flooding back now.
"... The what back?"
"The back... where you keep all your gadgets."
"I know not of such things..."
"... You're joking, right?"
"..."
Just then, I was reminded of something incredibly stupid.
...The secret passcode...
"Hah... okay... I'm here... for the... ahm, Phoenix Rebellion."
Saying it out loud like this again felt so odd.
It's a lot less embarrassing in-game...
"There you go, you little whipper-snapper!"
"W-what did you just call me-?"
He hopped off his little stool and signaled me to come behind the counter into the back.
... I truly loathe the old people of this world.
Instead of having him search for my stuff, I just did so myself, quickly paid, and left.
He was rambling on some old man talk, but time wasn't waiting on me.
My guess, though, was that he was just over the moon at my purchases... no doubt about it, I was one of his most "loyal" customers.
I had bought two items this time, an A-Rank brooch and a B-Rank bracelet.
Dropping a quarter million Jia wasn't ideal... but this investment was needed.
Along with my Stingray, they both sat in my briefcase.
But before I went to my final destination for the day, I quickly swept through a bakery, getting a box of pink macarons.
***
A loud knock struck Ruo Lan's door, making her jump.
She wasn't expecting any visitors, and she knew Brother Wei was out for the next week.
Ruo Lan slowly descended the stairs, only to be met with Xi Xi already grabbing a stool to reach the peephole.
"Xi Xi, what are you doing?!"
Ruo Lan whispered this as quietly as she could, but she couldn't help but make it louder than she wanted to, knowing how horrible Xi Xi's hearing is.
"I'm checking who it is!"
"Shhhhhh!"
"You're shushing as loud as I'm talking!"
"I'm not!"
"Am too!"
Without another clapback, Xi Xi peered through the peephole.
Before Ruo Lan could react, Xi Xi jumped off the little pink chair and violently swung the door open, but it was more the door swinging Xi Xi.
Horrible thoughts filled Ruo Lan's brain as she remembered all of Wei's safety procedures he made the girls remember.
"Ahhh! Xi Xi, don't-!"
"Hey girls! I'm a bit early, aren't I?"
A young man stood by the door, holding a briefcase in one hand and a light pink box in the other.
For a second, Ruo Lan was too stunned to move before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Oblivious to her sister's worry, Xi Xi hopped up and down, around and around Hanzhi.
"Yay! Han Han is here!"
"Hey, let me take my shoes off first!"
The second Hanzhi put down the macarons, Xi Xi lunged for them, as if she hadn't eaten anything for the last two days.
This made Ruo Lan quite mad, as not only had she been the one to make sure Xi Xi was fed, but also that this made them look quite ugly in front of their guest.
"Wow! These are even better than before!"
"Really?"
Hanzhi smiled, despite knowing that the macarons came from the same shop as last time.
"Brother Han, you were supposed to come two days later."
"Oh, yeah, I decided to come early, since I have stuff going on that day."
"But what if Brother Wei was here and you came over?"
"I said I'm your brother's friend, didn't I? I know he's on vacation."
Hanzhi smiled again, handing Ruo Lan a macaron.
"Your brother did tell you guys he was leaving for a while, right?"
"Of course! Brother Wei always tells us-! Op- sorry! I didn't mean it to sound like that-!"
"No, you're fine. I was just asking since, as his friend, I was worried about where he was going. I was just seeing if you knew where he'd gone."
Before Ruo Lan could speak again, Xi Xi interrupted her.
"Wei Wei went out with Big Sis again!"
"B-Big Sis...?"
Hanzhi raised an eyebrow.
We had Big Boss, and now we have Big Sis... seriously... how many people am I going to have to remember...?
Seeing Hanzhi's puzzled expression, Ruo Lan tried to describe to Hanzhi who "Big Sis" is.
"Um, Xi Xi likes to call her 'Big Sis,' but her real name's Sister Churan..."
Hanzhi's eyes lit up.
"Ah! Churan? So Wei's out with Churan, huh?"
He seemed content, which made Ruo Lan quite content.
And Xi Xi? Content with munching on macarons.
That day, the house was full of fun chatter, with the siblings' bickering making for a fun time for Hanzhi.
Soon enough, though, it was time for Hanzhi to leave.
He got up from the table and picked up his briefcase that was leaning against one of the table legs.
"Alright, I should get going now. You girls know the drill, right?"
"Yup! No telling Wei Wei and we get macrons!"
"Xi Xi...!"
Hanzhi chuckled before confirming his next visit, which would be in a week.
"Wait, Brother Han, you never told us why you're busy the next few days... um... if you don't want to answer, though... that's also fine."
"Oh, me? I'm going on a vacation, that's all."
Ruo Lan blinked.
"Vacation? Oh, yeah, a vacation! You must be tired! I don't know, I just... hm... didn't expect that."
The girls waved goodbye, watching as Hanzhi's figure slowly went out of sight, already anticipating his next visit.