Unorthodox methods, cultivating immortality relies on rich women

"Uncle Lu wanted to ask if you are free tomorrow. He said he and his wife would like to visit you in person to express their gratitude."

"Oh my, Old Man Lu has already confirmed that the child is alright?"

Shen Qingzhou put down his chopsticks, lit a cigarette, lay down on the sofa, blew a smoke ring into the sky, relaxed completely, and finally felt like he was living a normal life.

Xiao Qiu imitated him, sprawling on the sofa and pouting as she blew air into the air.

"You can't do it like this, you have to do it like me..." Shen Qingzhou turned his head and blew a smoke ring at Xiao Qiu's little head.

Jiang Xinyue, who was clearing the dishes, froze, because in that instant, she saw her daughter pouting and trying to blow smoke rings upwards, and she could even faintly hear her daughter giggling.

At this moment, Jiang Xinyue felt a sense of satisfaction; she was already very content.

Although Shen Qingzhou provided her with an incense stick every day, she didn't use it every day, nor did she use it all up every day. She would only light it when she missed her daughter and wanted to talk to her.

So every day, Shen Qingzhou is the one who talks to her daughter the most.

"Boss, boss, it's so boring at home, can you take me out to play?" Xiao Qiu climbed onto Shen Qingzhou's lap and looked up at him to ask.

"You shouldn't ask me this question; you should ask your mother. If your mother agrees, then I naturally have no objection," Shen Qingzhou said.

"Agree to what?" Jiang Xinyue asked in confusion as she was clearing away the dishes.

"Xiao Qiu is bored at home and wants to go out to play. She's asking if it's okay for her," Shen Qingzhou relayed Xiao Qiu's message.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue looked conflicted. She naturally didn't want Xiao Qiu to run around, but keeping Xiao Qiu locked up in this small room all the time didn't seem like a solution either.

"Don't worry, she won't get lost. I'll have Wu Ying follow her," Shen Qingzhou said, seeing through her thoughts.

"Wu Ying..." Jiang Xinyue was still a little worried.

"Don't worry, Wuying is no ordinary dog, and it's very intelligent, comparable to an adult. With it by your side, your daughter won't get lost," Shen Qingzhou said.

"Hey~ hey~ since you say so, boss, I naturally have no objection."

Her agreement stemmed entirely from her trust in Shen Qingzhou.

"Alright, your mother agreed. You and Wuying can go out and play, but don't stay out too late. Be back before dark... Wuying... Wuying..." Shen Qingzhou shouted into the room.

"Xiao Hei... Xiao Hei..." Xiao Qiu jumped up excitedly as well.

Upon hearing the sound, Wu Ying transformed into a streak of black light and darted out of the house.

Shen Qingzhou gave Wuying a few more instructions, and then the two of them happily went out.

Jiang Xinyue stood there blankly watching until Shen Qingzhou turned his gaze away from the door, then she lowered her head and silently continued to clear the dishes.

Shen Qingzhou, legs crossed and head resting on the sofa, suddenly asked, "Do you feel a lot of pressure here with me?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xinyue was taken aback at first, then quickly said, "I'm not under any pressure."

That's true, because besides cooking, there's almost nothing else to do every day, so there's no pressure at all.

"I mean economically," Shen Qingzhou said.

Because she had already given almost all her savings to Shen Qingzhou, she didn't have much left.

This job not only doesn't pay, but I also have to pay to work.

The reason she said this was because Shen Qingzhou hadn't given her a single penny when she bought groceries these past few days; she had paid for everything herself.

Shen Qingzhou wanted to give it to them, but he himself was penniless.

"Do you have other sources of income?" Shen Qingzhou asked curiously.

"Um."

Jiang Xinyue nodded. After Xiao Qiu was lost, she quit her job. If she didn't have other sources of income, she wouldn't have been able to support herself until now.

"When I was young, I contributed articles to some magazines. My writing was pretty good, so I also wrote some online columns and sometimes took on screenwriting jobs..."

It turns out she's a literary girl, but considering her family background, it's not surprising.

However, this did pique Shen Qingzhou's curiosity.

"Do you earn a lot?" Shen Qingzhou asked.

"It's not much, but it's more than enough to support myself," Jiang Xinyue said.

"Oh, then I'm relieved. From now on, you'll have to pay for your own groceries. I don't have any money to give you." Shen Qingzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

"OK."

Jiang Xinyue agreed readily, even with a smile on her face.

She didn't think Shen Qingzhou was stingy or harsh on her; rather, she felt it was because he had donated all his money to the orphanage and kept nothing for himself, demonstrating his noble character.

It is a blessing to be able to support your partner.

"You're still very young," Shen Qingzhou suddenly said.

"What?"

Shen Qingzhou's sudden remark left Jiang Xinyue somewhat bewildered.

"Has Xiao Qiu's body been found?"

Shen Qingzhou suddenly changed the subject, causing Jiang Xinyue to forget what she had just said and quickly reply, "Found it. This matter has been handed over to my dad."

She thought Shen Qingzhou was wondering why she had been here these past few days instead of dealing with Xiao Qiu's funeral arrangements.

Shen Qingzhou understood Jiang Xinyue's actions; she simply couldn't bear to face Xiao Qiu's corpse.

"Has it already been cremated?" Shen Qingzhou continued to ask.

Jiang Xinyue didn't understand why Shen Qingzhou was asking these questions, but she still answered truthfully, "Not yet, there are still some procedures to be completed, the earliest will be this Friday."

Xiao Qiu died under abnormal circumstances, so it's a bit troublesome to get a death certificate for her. Without a death certificate, the crematorium will not cremate the body.

"It's not too late. Have your dad keep a piece of Xiao Qiu's bone... just a finger bone will do."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue paused in her work of clearing the dishes and looked at Shen Qingzhou with a somewhat surprised expression.

Shen Qingzhou didn't look at her and continued, "It's not good for you to talk to thin air every day. Bring me your finger bone, and I'll fix it for you. You can wear it on your body from now on, so you can see Xiao Qiu all the time..."

"real?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue was overjoyed, and her fair cheeks flushed crimson.

"Of course it's true, would I lie to you?"

"No, no, boss, I misspoke. Thank you, thank you so much..." Jiang Xinyue hurriedly thanked Shen Qingzhou, almost kneeling down before him.

"Alright, hurry up and clean up the table." Shen Qingzhou waved his hand and said.

"Okay." Jiang Xinyue's movements became a little lighter.

"Does that mean we won't have to offer incense to Xiao Qiu every day anymore?" Jiang Xinyue asked again.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingzhou sat up straight, her expression somewhat strange, and asked, "You're resigning?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xinyue was taken aback, then realized what she meant and quickly waved her hand, "That's not what I meant."

As previously agreed, Jiang Xinyue would work here, and Shen Qingzhou would pay her one stick of incense as payment each day. If Xiao Qiu no longer needed it, then she naturally wouldn't need to work here anymore.

"You don't think that burning incense every day is so that you can see Xiao Qiu, do you?" Shen Qingzhou said.

"Could it be... could it be?" Jiang Xinyue asked cautiously.

Shen Qingzhou didn't answer that question, but instead asked, "Do you eat every day?"

"Of course." Jiang Xinyue nodded without hesitation.

"So, Xiao Qiu also needs to eat. Incense is her food. Without incense, she will become weak and her soul will dissipate... The fact that you can see her is just a side effect of the incense..."

"So that's how it is. Then by 'cutting back' her offerings every day, am I making her go hungry? I'm really not a good mother."

Jiang Xinyue was filled with self-reproach, and her whole body was shrouded in a sorrowful aura.

Ouch? Shen Qingzhou sat up straighter again.

But soon, he slumped onto the sofa, cursing, "Damn it, if being a ghost meant not needing to eat or drink, being immortal, and living forever, I would have died long ago."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue smiled, her melancholy aura vanishing completely, and carried the empty plates and bowls towards the kitchen.

"Oh, right, didn't the boss just say I looked young?"

Her steps seemed to become more cheerful and lighter.