Chapter 68: Too Much Good News
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In Sun City.
The coaches headed directly to the school gates.
The sky was already dark when the coaches arrived in front of the gates.
Fang Ping heard someone calling his name when he got down from the coach.
He knew who it was instantly after hearing her voice.
He was proven right. Fang Yuan jogged toward him excitedly, her face alight with joy. “Fang Ping, you’re finally back!”
Fang Ping was initially quite morose after the attack.
After he saw Fang Yuan, his mood improved a lot instantly. He pinched her round face and laughed. “Why did you come?”
Fang Yuan pouted and shook her head, freeing herself from Fang Ping’s grasp. Only after that did she say happily, “I’m here to welcome you back! Fang Ping, do you know that your name’s blown up now…”
The girl talked incessantly, pride evident on her face.
Fang Ping’s Vitality was 149cal, first place in Auspicious Sun City.
The adults would probably pay less attention to this news, but the students knew lots about it.
No.1 High School had also done some promotion revolving around this news. 149cal was the highest result in the school’s history.
If Fang Ping’s cultural studies exam results were not too abysmal, he could enter a normal martial arts university easily. The Big Two would prove to be a little difficult.
The experimental middle school that Fang Yuan attended was not that far away from No.1 High School.
As Fang Yuan attended that school, now most of the students in the experimental middle school knew that the brother of Round Face in Form 2 placed first in Vitality in Auspicious Sun City and thus was definitely a shoo-in for martial arts university admission.
Admiration toward martial arts university students was practically carved in their bones.
This made Fang Yuan the center of attention, too. The teachers were also more gracious toward her compared to before.
Fang Yuan could not stop grinning when she told him about that. She said, ecstatic, “Now if someone calls me Round Face, I tell them that I’ll send my brother over to rough them up. No one dares to call me that anymore!”
Fang Ping did not know what to feel. Her threat was defacing his dignity!
‘Would I, an eventual martial artist, help you beat your classmates to a pulp?’
While the girl pranced about happily, Fang Ping hauled the presents he had bought out of the car wordlessly.
Fang Yuan was ecstatic at the sight of the packages of various sizes at first, but then she complained, “You only know how to waste money!”
Fang Ping did not listen to her complaints. He waved at the others and walked with his things on hand and a smile. “This is not really a waste. Your brother is really getting rich this time.”
“Did you sell your autographs?”
Rendered speechless, Fang Ping asked exasperatedly, “Can you not think about selling autographs all the time? How little does an autograph cost?
“Can’t you set your sights somewhere higher?
“Your brother is an aspiring martial artist with a Vitality that doesn’t even pale in comparison to a martial artist’s. Do I need to sell my autographs for a living?”
After putting down the girl with his words, he laughed. “There’s a residential area named Scenic View Gardens near the experimental middle school you go to. Do you know of it?”
“I do! Some of my classmates live there. The area is so pretty…”
Fang Yuan said that somewhat enviously. Their house was old and dilapidated, and the space cramped, in an old area like Lakeview Gardens.
Scenic View Gardens was newer. Its exterior appearance alone trumped Lakeview Gardens’ tenfold.
“Good that you know it. Your brother came first in the Vitality assessment!
“Both Auspicious Sun and Sun City rewarded me a healthy sum.”
“Reward?”
Fang Yuan asked curiously, “What kind of reward?”
“Sun City rewarded me with a unit in Scenic View Gardens…”
“What?”
Fang Yuan froze in disbelief. There were people who were rewarded houses?
Fang Yuan heard that there was a reward from the city’s authorities for those who placed first in the tests.
Most of the time, the reward came in the form of cash – a modest amount of cash at that – even for the best performing student in the Gaokao.
Now they had given her brother a house even when the Gaokao had not ended yet?
Seeing her slackened jaw, Fang Ping laughed jovially. “Why, are you petrified by joy?
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. I’ll take you to the new house for a look.
“Scenic View Gardens is nearer to your school. You can sleep in after we’ve moved to the new house…”
“Fang Ping…”
Fang Yuan said, dazed, “Is everything you say true?”
“Of course!”
Fang Ping said teasingly, “You didn’t believe me last time when I said that my Vitality was at 149cal.
“Now I tell you that I was rewarded a house, and you don’t believe me either.
“What if the two of us make a bet, in which the one who loses will get their cheeks pinched 100 times?”
Fang Yuan would not be so stupid to make a bet with him. Although everything seemed surreal, it might be true in retrospect…
At the thought, Fang Yuan asked happily, “Fang Ping, did they really give you a house?
“Can we go take a look now?
“Is it big?
“Are there many rooms?
“Is the living room spacious?
“…”
The girl instantly started bombarding Fang Ping with countless questions.
Fang Ping’s head throbbed. He did not bother to respond to her questions.
During his return home, he could seize the chance to tell his parents about the house and give them a sum of money for daily expenses.
Huang Bin’s money was illegal, so he could not very well explain how he got it.
This time it was different. The 2 million Jin Keming had given him could be considered as a semi-public reward.
Tan Zhenping knew of this too. If his parents really had questions regarding the money, Fang Ping could ask Tan Zhenping to vouch for him.
Tan Zhenping would not stoop so low as to suck up to Fang Ping, but he would definitely not refuse to do him such a small favor.
Especially now!
Few people knew of the attack on Fang Ping, but Tan Zhenping, the main chaperone of the Sun City entourage, knew.
He also knew that Fang Ping had managed to be on an even footing with a ranked martial artist for a long time.
Previously, Fang Ping’s Vitality was at 149cal. He was an aspiring martial artist.
Now that he had proved capable of engaging in battle with a martial artist, it was evident that the honing of his bones progressed remarkably and that he had broken through his limit. He could be considered as halfway to Rank-1.
Once the chance arrived and he had a Rank-4 martial artist watching over him, he could choose to break through as a martial artist.
With Fang Ping’s innate talent, Tan Zhenping felt that he could succeed in breaking through in one go, and become a martial artist on the same rank as himself.
Under those circumstances, Tan Zhenping would be most glad to help Fang Ping in backing up his bluff.
…
When Fang Ping arrived at his house, Fang Mingrong was not back yet, Li Yuying was preparing dinner.
When Fang Yuan stepped into the house, she blurted out everything about the new house immediately.
Li Yuying was shocked, too.
Had Sun City rewarded her son a house just for an exam?
In no time, Li Yuying joined forces with Fang Yuan, asking questions relentlessly.
When his father returned home, it would turn out to be the whole family demanding answers…
Fang Ping had lost count of the times he explained everything. At last, he could only say, “Director Tan from the Department of Education in Sun City is in charge of this.
“I have his phone number. Dad, Mom, what if I call him and let you guys ask him yourself?”
Li Yuying gave him a sideways glare. Fang Mingrong chuckled dryly.
They had been ordinary their whole lives. Now Fang Ping offered to let them ask the Deputy Director of the Department of Education themselves. How could they possibly dare to?
The other was a martial artist, too.
Their son had answered everything with such conviction that they had no choice but to believe him, even though everything still felt surreal to them.
Fang Ping relaxed when he saw them back off. He said softly, “Dad, Mom, please don’t tell anyone else about this. This is an extra reward. The authorities haven’t made the knowledge public.
“If anyone else knew about this somehow and got jealous, the authorities might take the house back. It’s not worth it.”
Fang Mingrong said sternly, “It’s true. Rest assured both your mom and I will not tell anyone else about this. Yuanyuan, you better sew your mouth shut too!”
Fang Yuan was a little peeved. She muttered, “I wanted to tell my classmates, too! So, Fang Ping, we can’t move into the new house now?’
Fang Ping said teasingly, “We can, but I’ve thought about it. You can’t keep a secret, so only Dad and Mom will come along with me while you’re gonna live here and watch over the house alone.”
“No!”
Fang Yuan wheedled petulantly with a pout on her face, “Bro, take me with you. I won’t tell my friends anything, how about this?”
The Fangs had smiles on their faces as they asked about the specifics of the house, disregarding Fang Yuan.
Fang Ping explained simply that the house was already upholstered and ready for them to move in anytime. The couple agreed unanimously that they should take the next day off to take a look at the house.
If it was not for Fang Ping’s recent return, they would have departed immediately with how excited they were.
At the sight of his family talking about the house excitedly, Fang Ping coughed dryly and said, “Dad, Mom, I haven’t finished yet.
“The house was a reward from Sun City. Auspicious Sun City has also rewarded me, but with cash instead of property.”
“Has Auspicious Sun rewarded you too?” Li Yuying was astounded.
Fang Mingrong remarked wistfully, “I’ve known that martial artists are different from us since forever. Now you’ve gotten such massive rewards even when you’re not a martial artist yet. How much more extravagant will this be when you become a martial artist…”
According to what his son had told him, he estimated that the Scenic View Gardens unit alone costs seven to eight hundred thousand yuan!
This was more than the couple’s annual salaries combined!
Now Auspicious Sun City had rewarded his son too. This made Fang Mingrong happy and proud, but he felt quite sad at the same time.
His son had not graduated yet. He was still a high school student, but he was far more capable than him. He did not know whether he should feel inferior to him as his father.
The couple forgot to ask about the money, but the money-loving Fang Yuan did not. She asked immediately, “Bro, how much did Auspicious Sun City award you?”
Fang Ping gave her a look from the corner of his eye. He said exasperatedly, “Now you’re calling me Bro! You’re really driven by money, huh, little girl!”
“Bro…”
Fang Yuan pulled at his arm and said cutely, “I’m merely happy for you, am I not?
“Also, your money is mine, and mine yours.
“What if… what if I take all my savings out and treat the family to KFC tomorrow?”
“You sure know how to calculate…”
Fang Ping did not know if he should laugh or cry. ‘After I eat a KFC meal, all my money will be yours. What a fine little plan this is!’
He did not say any more on the subject. Fang Ping cleared his throat. “Auspicious Sun City awarded me… Awarded me four hundred thousand yuan.
“I’ll save a fourth for myself in preparation for when I attend martial arts university.
“The rest I’ll hand over to Mom. The family won’t need to live so frugally in the future.
“And on the matter of Dad’s job. Your job working in the pottery factory isn’t ideal. It’ll hurt your body after a long time.
“I’ve talked to Director Tan about this. He said that the Department’s currently short of a security guard. You won’t need to do much; you only need to register visitor information.
“Work starts at 8:30 in the morning and ends at 6 in the evening. You’ll have a day off every week. Monthly pay’s 5000 yuan.
“Dad, if you don’t have any qualms about it, you can start work after a few days.”
Fang Ping did not dare to tell them the real amount. If he had told them he got a few million, his parents would probably suffer from heart failure.
He had to save some for himself, too. Martial artists spent money like water. Although he had the system, he needed the Wealth.
After getting into university, Fang Ping wanted to try his hand in opening a business. He could not hope to bump into hapless victims every time.
After those words, the other people in the house froze in shock.
Four hundred thousand yuan!
Was money so easy for him?
Also… A job in the Department of Education!
The Department of Education was more than an empty shell. It was one of the institutions in the city that had actual influence. Even a position in their security detail was coveted by countless people.
No one could get a job there without connections.
His son had relations with the director of the Department of Education!
Fang Mingrong was more disbelieving of the job compared to the house.
He was only an ordinary factory worker. He toiled day by day in the pottery factory. He got two days off per month and earned three thousand yuan for his trouble.
Now he could be a security guard that earned 5000 per month doing nothing but sitting in a kiosk and jotting in some words.
The main point was not the high salary. When one started work in the Department of Education, he was considered as a governmental officer. Even if he was only a security guard, he was still a half-fledged officer. Had he, Fang Mingrong, finally gotten to see the day when the government paid him?
While Fang Mingrong was in disbelief, Li Yuying was shocked.
Fang Yuan did not think so much of this, unlike her parents. Her brain was filled with the sentence; “A reward of four hundred thousand yuan”.
“So much junk food…”
“So much food…”
“I can finally go see a movie…”
“…”
Thousands of thoughts raced from the depths of her mind. She looked at Fang Ping again, but she did not see him. What she saw was a mobile treasure chest emitting golden rays of light.
No one expected so many changes to take place after Fang Ping’s ten-day-long departure.
There was too much good news that his parents struggled to digest them properly.
Fang Yuan was excitedly roping Fang Ping in to have lunch with her the next day so that she could use everything she had up and the two siblings could share Fang Ping’s fortune.
The girl had disregarded the difference between their wealth.
…
The Fang couple did not sleep well that night. They chatted in whispers until midnight came.
Fang Yuan, on the other hand, slept soundly with a sweet smile on her face. No one knew what good things she was dreaming about.
Fang Ping cultivated the Methods of Honing once before he flipped through the Basics of Leg Techniques.
He prepared to hone his lower limbs at Rank-1. Leg techniques suited him more.
Combat techniques and cultivation methods were different. The Methods of Honing did not necessitate a formal entrance to Rank-1. It mainly honed several major vessels in the body.
Combat techniques were much more complicated. They incorporated some force expulsion methods that could not be represented well only via text.
Without a mentor guiding the practitioner, the effects would not be obvious even after cultivation.
Fang Ping called Old Wang again that night, but he was still uncontactable. This baffled Fang Ping.
Where in the world did this guy go?
Or did he change his phone number?
Aside from Wang Jinyang, there was no one he knew that could give him guidance. He was barely acquainted with Zhang Yong, while Tan Zhenping was not versed in combat at all.
“Did Old Wang not pick up the phone because he knew how high my Vitality was and felt threatened?”
Such guesses materialized in Fang Ping’s mind as he mulled over the matter. He could only put his intention to practice combat techniques aside.