The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 474 Never Break a Promise (Bonus chapter for YKYB_KI's Alliance Leader donation!)

Back at the hotel, Qin Huai immediately added Zhao Cheng'an to the group chat. Zhao Cheng'an was warmly welcomed by the group members as soon as he joined, and Chen Huihong immediately initiated a group call, which was joined by all members instantly.

Chen Gong stopped working overtime, Qu Jing stopped writing her thesis, and even Shi Dadan, who was traveling with his wife and children, quietly slipped out of his hotel room and squatted in the corridor wearing headphones to participate in a video call.

After a brief and polite exchange of pleasantries, everyone started gossiping. Qin Huai first recounted his memory of seeing mayflies, which drew gasps of amazement from everyone. Even Chen Huihong slapped her thigh in regret, lamenting that she hadn't paid attention back then and hadn't even noticed that there were such strange creatures as mayflies in the kitchen.

After Qin Huai finished speaking, Zhao Cheng'an recounted his wonderful experiences from his previous lives. Qin Huai had already heard most of these experiences in the Fen Garden kitchen, but Zhao Cheng'an had forgotten to tell them at the time, so he remembered them and continued to tell them.

Everyone listened with great interest and eagerly raised their hands to speak, creating a lively scene that Qinhuai had never seen before.

It's clear that not only has this protagonist from a system novel never seen a mayfly, but these spirits have also never seen one. They've only heard of it but never actually seen it. Today, they met in the same WeChat group, and they all wanted to ask all the questions they'd accumulated over thousands of years.

The questions asked included, but were not limited to: Have any of you mayflies successfully transcended the tribulation? How come you haven't gone extinct yet with your kind of gameplay? Do you mayflies meet each other? Do you have any special ways of communicating? These kinds of questions lasted for more than an hour.

Zhao Cheng'an patiently answered each question, but he couldn't answer most of them because he didn't know either.

According to Zhao Cheng'an, some mayflies do successfully transcend their tribulations, although they are rare.

As for why mayflies have survived this perilous existence, according to the predecessors who successfully transcended the tribulation, mayflies do not rely on reproduction but are born directly from the heavens and earth. They are the kind of species that God couldn't bear to see and casually scattered some offspring to give to this species. They usually don't see each other because their awake time is indeed very short.

Of course, Zhao Cheng'an was skeptical of this claim. He thought it was something his senior had made up to deceive him, because he also planned to go back and make up some stories to deceive others after successfully passing this tribulation.

As for Zhao Cheng'an's skills as the bandit king of Beiping, they weren't an innate ability of the mayfly. As spirits, mayflies don't have many innate skills; they just reincarnate multiple times. Zhao Cheng'an's thieving skills were honed through diligent practice day by day in his original world. For every mayfly that hasn't yet undergone tribulation, the most important thing in its life is waiting to undergo tribulation, and enjoying the human world and life during that time.

To better navigate the human world, one must possess a skill. Therefore, even though mayflies often sleep for decades before waking up for a day or two, during this time they will seize the opportunity to diligently practice a survival skill, so that if they fail to survive their tribulations in the human world, they can still live a life free from want after their failure.

Hearing Zhao Cheng'an say this, Chen Huihong was moved and immediately started to criticize him: "Luo Jun, look at him! He was only so lucid for a short time, yet he was already so well-prepared. Look at you!"

Luo Jun: ?
"Chen Huihong, you fool who failed your tribulation for years and didn't even realize it until your death, do you have the right to talk to me?" Luo Jun roared.

No one paid any attention to Luo Jun's roar, because everyone was preoccupied with their own concerns.

"So this is how you can recognize each other directly." Qu Jing suddenly realized, looking as if she had opened the door to a new world, which startled Qin Huai, who quickly tried to stop her.

“Qu Jing, your situation is different from Zhao Cheng’an’s. Zhao Cheng’an was known for having mental problems before. In his first life, he was outspoken and said whatever came to mind. Moreover, Grandpa Xia’s mental fortitude is extraordinary. He not only accepted that Zhao Cheng’an was a spirit, but also that I have a game system. You can’t learn from him!”

"And you also confessed to your parents in your previous life that there is no value in learning it."

"Do you think Mr. Xia is richer or Mr. Luo is richer? Qin Huai, could you send me the property list that Mr. Xia sent you? I can help you analyze which properties are more valuable." Chen Gong was focusing on assets.

"Everyone else has given gifts, and it seems like I'm the only one in the group who hasn't given anything. Maybe I should give something. But my wife knows all my assets, and it would be too risky to give away a large sum of money... I should have saved some money on the side." Shi Dadan was giving himself a pep talk.

"Qin Huai, are we having breakfast at the hotel again tomorrow?" Zhao Cheng'an had completely gone off-topic.

"Let's not eat it. We're having shark fin soup on the plane tomorrow. What if Chef Xia suddenly decides to make a couple more dishes? I'm afraid we won't be able to finish it for lunch." Qin Huai was instantly led off-topic by Zhao Cheng'an.

"rational."

Luo Jun was very unhappy about being ignored. He stared intently at his phone and questioned Qin Huai: "Qin Huai, are you going back to Shan City or not? The flight back to Hangzhou is tomorrow."

“Oh, Mr. Luo, don’t rush Xiao Qin. He’s doing serious work outside. Look, he’s only been in Hangzhou for two months and he’s already added Xiao Zhao to the group. Xiao Zhao is also a pastry chef, and he’s good at that kind of puff pastry, which is perfect for Xiao Qin. It’ll complement his strengths, and we’ll have even more pastries to eat in the future. You need to think long-term.” Chen Huihong advised. “Long-term my foot! I’m about to die and be reincarnated, why would I think I’m thinking long-term?”

"You need to reflect on yourself even more and learn from Mr. Xia. He's a real man who lived to be over 90 and is still in good health. You should at least try to live a few more years."

Luo Jun: ?
“Yes, Mr. Luo, you are Bifang, and you’re only in your nineties. You could easily live a few more years,” Qu Jing chimed in. “How about I schedule a medical check-up for you the day after tomorrow? You can come to our hospital for a full-body examination.”

"Don't even think about it." Luo Jun refused ruthlessly. "I live if I want to live, and I die if I want to die. Don't try to morally blackmail me."

For some reason, Qin Huai felt that before Luo Jun truly reopened his account, the question of when he would die would be a recurring topic in every video call.

Don't ask, the answer is everyone's concern for Bifang.

It was already very late, almost 2 a.m. Qu Jing was the first to leave the video call, citing that she had to work the early shift the next day. After Qu Jing left, everyone chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways.

Qin Huai packed her clothes and prepared to wash up.

While looking for clothes, she looked up and noticed that Zhao Cheng'an had started a new chat.

It wasn't typed, it was a voice message.

"Xia Murui, let me tell you, there are so many spirits in that group, there's Bifang, Dang Kang, and Wen Yaoyu. I've never seen so many spirits where I am. I'm not familiar with everyone yet, but once I get to know them, I'll ask them if they can add you to the group too. The chat in the group will definitely be really interesting then."

"What did you say to Zhang Guanghang? On the way back just now, Qin Huai told me that Zhang Guanghang definitely thinks we're both scammers. If you transfer the house to Qin Huai, then Qin Huai will be a confirmed fraudster."

When Xia Murui's voice was played, it didn't have the loud voice typical of an elderly person; the voice was very calm and the volume was normal.

"I won't join your group chat. I don't usually like looking at my phone. I'm getting old and my eyesight isn't good. Looking at my phone for too long hurts my eyes."

“I told Xiaohang that you and Xiaoqin are my sister’s descendants, and you came here to recognize your relatives. I have a lot of property, so I don’t mind giving you a little bit. Xiaohang even asked me at night whether you would come over for the New Year or we would go to the other side. I said there’s no need for those fancy ceremonies. We can celebrate separately as before, except that we have another relative.”

"..."

"..."

Qin Huai stood at the bathroom door, holding his clothes, listening. Xia Murui's last voice message was: "Asheng, do you think humans really don't reincarnate?"

Zhao Cheng'an replied in Chen Sheng's nonchalant tone, "No way, when someone dies, they're dead. Xia Murui, don't think too much about it. You'll understand when you die."

“I’ve died before, I have experience. Death is not a pleasant experience. You must die later. Didn’t you say that seeing me would fulfill one regret, and that the other regret was that you couldn’t buy Taifeng Restaurant and therefore couldn’t reopen it?”

"Qin Huai still has two slots for spirits. Why don't you have him try his best to catch a spirit from the Li family and raise his favor? Maybe Taifeng Restaurant will give it to him, and then you can have him give it to you, that's all!"

Qin Huai: ...

Brother, do you think spirits are as common as cabbages? You even went to the Li family to catch a spirit? Why don't you try to make an S-grade dessert instead?
The only reply to Zhao Cheng'an was a single text message sent by Xia Murui.

Xia Murui: Okay, I will never break my promise. I will definitely try my best to live for two more years and wait to see this day.

(End of this chapter)