Is Self-Redemption Really That Hard? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

By the time Lu Wuqi had dropped Lan Xu off at her apartment complex, it was already half past ten. The streets outside had grown quieter, and the night air had turned still.

Neither of them spoke much on the way back. They simply walked side by side, slowing their pace as if by tacit agreement, taking half an hour to cover a route that would normally take less than twenty minutes.

“Send me a message when you get home.” Lan Xu was the first to let go of Lu Wuqi’s hand. Her thumb absently brushed against her forefinger, as though the warmth of the other girl’s skin still lingered there.

“Alright. I’ll get going, then?” Lu Wuqi took a step back and waved. The gentle night breeze carried a trace of warmth, cooling the dampness in her palm.

“Mm. Be careful on your way back,” Lan Xu said, standing by the entrance of her building. When she heard Lu Wuqi’s quiet reply, she turned briskly toward the stairs without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Lan Xu lived in an old residential block—six stories tall, no elevators—so she had to climb the stairs one flight at a time. Fortunately, the building was equipped with motion-sensor lights, which made it easier to see at night.

Halfway between the first and second floor, she paused. Through the small stairwell window, she looked down.

There, illuminated by the streetlamp, Lu Wuqi’s eyes shone brightly in the dark. She was still standing at the building’s entrance. When she noticed Lan Xu looking down at her, she waved again, flashing a bright, radiant smile.

“Idiot,” Lan Xu muttered under her breath, though the corners of her lips curled up despite herself.

Lu Wuqi was still the same as before—stubbornly foolish. She always had to watch until Lan Xu passed the third landing before she was willing to leave.

Honestly. She was already an adult—how could she possibly get into trouble just climbing a few stairs?

Lan Xu grumbled inwardly, but her steps grew lighter. She bounded up to the fourth floor without feeling the least bit tired.

Only after she saw Lan Xu’s familiar silhouette vanish past the third window did Lu Wuqi finally turn away. One hand held a small flashlight, the other tucked into her pocket, as she started toward her own home.

Lu Wuqi also lived in an old neighborhood—one that had been built more than a decade earlier than Lan Xu’s.

The two residential blocks weren’t far apart, only about a fifteen-minute walk. Yet in the eyes of outsiders, they belonged to entirely different worlds.

The residents of Lan Xu’s complex were mostly government employees or teachers—people with stable jobs and respectable lives.

In contrast, Lu Wuqi’s neighborhood was home to blue-collar workers and day laborers. Half the units were owned, and the other half were rented.

Five years ago, the Lu family had still been among the homeowners. But now, they were tenants—paying rent and utilities every quarter to live in what used to be their own apartment.

Five years ago, her father had been working as a cement laborer at a construction site when an accident occurred. His right hand got caught in a machine. Even though his coworkers rushed him to the hospital, the injury was severe—he survived only because the doctors amputated his arm in time.

The medical expenses should have been covered by the construction contractor, but the man turned out to be a scoundrel. Not only did he refuse to pay for the treatment or compensation, he absconded with the workers’ wages—half a year’s pay, gone overnight.

Their savings were wiped out, and the compensation money never came. But the medical bills couldn’t be ignored. To cover the costs and ensure her father wouldn’t suffer lasting complications, the family had to sell their old apartment.

Fortunately, the buyer had purchased it purely as an investment, waiting for the area’s eventual redevelopment. After finalizing the paperwork, he agreed to rent the unit back to them—a small mercy in their difficult time.

After being discharged, Lu’s father couldn’t find steady work. Missing a hand made even temporary jobs impossible to secure, leaving him idle day after day.

For the first two years, things were bearable—he only smoked more than before. But over the past couple of years, he’d fallen into drinking and gambling. Sometimes he’d disappear for most of the day and stumble home reeking of alcohol late at night.

Before the truth came out about Lu Wuqi’s student loan, both mother and daughter had assumed his gambling losses were minor—maybe a few dozen yuan at a time. As long as they could still make ends meet, her mother chose to turn a blind eye.

But when Lu Wuqi discovered that her student loan funds were missing, the illusion shattered.

Her father hadn’t just squandered the last of the money from selling their home—he had also racked up an additional 36,000 yuan in gambling debt.

He claimed he had taken her tuition money to “win it back,” promising that once he doubled his winnings, he would repay all his debts and even have extra left over to buy her school supplies.

On the walk home, Lu Wuqi didn’t dawdle. The fifteen-minute route took her only twelve.

Fishing her keys from her crossbody bag, she unlocked the rusty security gate first, then pushed open the solid wooden door, freshly coated with paint just a few days ago.

Her father had done that before his debts were exposed—using a few dozen yuan’s worth of paint to refurbish the front door.

“Wuqi, you’re back? Why so late tonight?” Her mother, who had been dozing off on the couch, rubbed her eyes and stood up.

“How was work today? Everything go well?” she asked softly, her eyes full of concern.

“Mm, everything went fine. The shop was busy, so I stayed a bit longer.” Lu Wuqi smiled brightly. “Mom, you should sleep earlier. You don’t have to wait up for me.”

“No way. You work so late every day—if I don’t see you come home with my own eyes, how could I rest easy?” Her mother gave her a once-over, and when she noticed the sharp tan lines on her daughter’s arms, a flicker of heartache flashed through her eyes.

“You don’t have to worry. I already talked to the supermarket owner—she agreed to let me help out in the warehouse. She’ll even pay me three months’ wages in advance. That should be enough to cover your tuition,” Mother Lu said warmly.

“Oh, right—there’s still a bowl of snow pear soup in the kitchen. Drink it before you go to bed.” She started toward the kitchen to bring it over. “I put it in the fridge earlier—it should be nice and cool now.”

“Alright. Thanks, Mom,” Lu Wuqi replied with a smile. “I’ll get it myself. You should go rest.”

Mother Lu nodded, took a few steps toward the bedroom, then turned back. “What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? Steamed buns and fried dough sticks, or porridge?”

Without thinking, Lu Wuqi answered, “Anything’s fine. Whatever’s convenient for you.”

“Then porridge it is,” her mother decided cheerfully. “I’ll get up early and make your favorite—century egg and lean pork porridge.” With that, she disappeared into the master bedroom.

Lu Wuqi watched her mother’s back until the door closed, then turned toward the kitchen.

She opened the fridge and took out the bowl of snow pear soup wrapped neatly in cling film. Sitting down at the table, she began sipping it slowly, spoonful by spoonful.

Was this what a mother’s love felt like? Waiting up for her child, saving a bowl of sweet soup, asking what she’d like for breakfast tomorrow.

It all felt so ordinary.

And yet, for the one being cared for, it was incredibly warm.

Warmth—something she’d never truly experienced in her old life at the Lu household.

Had she ever felt it before? Lu Wuqi’s thoughts drifted. She tried searching her memories, but, nothing. No trace of tenderness or affection.

[Host, gentle reminder: you have only twenty-two days remaining. Current balance: 539 yuan.] The Redemption System’s calm voice chimed in.

[Would you like to take a one-on-one tutoring job? If the host works ten hours a day, you can earn five hundred yuan daily. In twenty-two days, that’s 11,000 yuan.]

[Additionally, your student loan can be paid in installments. If you follow this plan, you can resolve your current financial difficulties.]

Lu Wuqi took another small sip of the lightly sweet soup. “Are you a newly manufactured system?”

[H-how did you know?]

“Because no tutor works ten hours a day. Realistically, morning, afternoon, and evening—two hours each—that’s six hours total. If I make three hundred a day, that’s already pretty good.”

The pear in her bowl was so soft she only had to press it gently with her tongue before it melted into pulp.

“Besides, I still have daily expenses. If I eat out, that’s at least thirty yuan a day. I’ll also need to buy groceries in the morning to help ease the burden on my family.”

[So, you’ll only be saving about two hundred yuan a day?]

“I’m not planning to do one-on-one tutoring,” she said, finishing the last mouthful of snow pear soup. “There’s more than one way to make money.”

“You’ve already seen my earning ability, haven’t you? You can worry about anything else—but not money.”

She stood up, rinsed the ceramic bowl clean under running water, and placed it neatly back in the cupboard.

The summer sun was blazing hot. Lu Wuqi woke up at exactly seven, even without an alarm.

To save on electricity, she hadn’t turned on the air conditioner last night, only a small fan. Once the sun rose, the temperature climbed quickly, forcing her awake.

She touched the fine beads of sweat on her forehead and sighed softly.

“Guess that shower last night was pointless,” she muttered. “If I want to go out clean, I’ll have to wash up again.”

At seven-thirty, freshly showered and dressed, Lu Wuqi walked into the kitchen, where her father and mother were already having breakfast.

She pressed her lips together and greeted, “Good morning,” before ladling herself a bowl of porridge and sitting down to eat.

Her father cleared his throat awkwardly. “I heard that the contractor who ran off has been caught. If the court rules in my favor, I might be able to get some of the money back. I won’t delay your schooling, you,”

“Mom, I’m done eating. I’m heading out to work,” Lu Wuqi interrupted calmly, choosing to ignore him.

She’d heard the same thing for a week now. The contractor had indeed been arrested, but as for compensation or back pay? Impossible. The man had gone bankrupt—if he had any assets left, they’d go to the bank and creditors first.

Nothing would ever reach her father’s hands.

“Alright, be careful on your way,” Mother Lu said, ignoring her husband’s excuse. “Come home early if you can.”

Lu Wuqi nodded. After her mother pressed a bottle of homemade chrysanthemum tea into her hands, she finally stepped out into the sunlit street.

She adjusted the strap of her crossbody bag, scanned the street around her—and her gaze landed on an internet cafe.

Time to make some money.