It seems that the villain is targeting me.

By the way, currently only cat number 4 can redeem this kind of special item.

Xiaoniao is unable to enter the system's exchange because he is not a [player].

Tongzi, on the other hand, cannot enter because his authority level is too low... He must go through at least three small worlds before he can unlock the rights to exchange for such items.

As for Number Four... although it has enough authority, it only has a few karma points left, and can barely get trial packages and discounted items.

The causal points between systems cannot be shared. Before Xiao Niao earns causal points from this small world, No. 4 can only live a frugal life.

Far away.

In short, this item that can only make the holder unconscious has too many restrictions on its use.

Setting up a trap against it will only cause more trouble than benefit, so it is regarded as a useless prop.

Because no one bought it, the price kept falling, and finally it was bought by No. 4 at a price that was almost free.

However, this useless prop can finally play a role in this way, which can be regarded as resource recycling.

The card turned into a burst of fine light dust, merged into Chen Zhengkang's body, and then disappeared.

Xiao Niao cleaned up the traces he had left behind, wiped his fingerprints, and finally wrapped his hands with a tissue and pressed the nurse bell.

She packed her things and quickly left the ward.

Several medical staff passed her in the corridor, but none of them noticed the bird passing by.

The procedure for cognitive impairment continued until she left the hospital.

Under its effect, anyone who sees Xiaoniao along the way will be unable to accurately describe her appearance.

This is true even for Chen Zhengkang, who was beaten up by Xiaoniao.

...But to be honest, he might have physically lost his memory now.

Perhaps because he had solved the problem that had been weighing on his mind, Xiao Niao's steps involuntarily became much lighter.

When she walked out of the hospital, the depression in her heart also dissipated.

[…The task progress bar has risen a bit more,] the system said, [but I don't think I can get any more progress out of this scumbag.]

"There's no point in continuing to teach him a lesson."

Xiao Niao shook his head and said, "This man's mere presence in the house will have an immeasurable negative impact on the child's growth... It would be great if Chen Xiaoya could completely break away from his father and live an independent life."

Without waiting for the system to speak, Xiao Niao took the lead in denying this view.

"...No, she's still too young. Even if she matures early, she won't be able to achieve financial independence."

"According to what Xiao Si said, her family's financial situation isn't good," the system said. "I guess she might have some difficulty attending school."

Her abusive father basically spent all his money on alcohol and gambling, and had no sense of saving. He spent whatever he earned.

Chen Xiaoya usually relied on doing odd jobs intermittently and saving money to save up his living expenses during his studies.

The cost of attending high school is far beyond that of compulsory education - in this era, a high school student often requires the combined efforts of the entire family to be able to afford it.

With the little money a half-grown kid earned from odd jobs, it was a good thing he didn't starve to death.

"...I'm willing to support her education," Xiao Niao lowered his eyes, "I can even take her away from her father, but I'm afraid..."

I’m just afraid that the child himself won’t accept it.

Chen Xiaoya was filled with fear and dread of his father, and it was obvious that he found it difficult to trust the little bird, a stranger.

In fact, if you are facing an unprecedented setback, and a stranger suddenly comes to you with a large sum of money and says he will help you through the difficulties - any normal person would find it suspicious, right?

"What you said does make sense..." The system seemed very embarrassed. "Then is there any other way?"

"If you really want to say it, there are actually many ways."

Xiao Bird was carelessly crushing a leaf on the ground.

"Make an anonymous donation specifically to support her studies. Just remember to remit the money regularly."

"Or maybe just use 'compensation' as an excuse and hand the money directly to the kid."

"Didn't I just beat up her father? It's only natural to give the victim's family some financial compensation."

"But there are also risks in doing so... Chen Xiaoya lives in that tube-shaped building, and is basically like an orphan. There's no one to protect her."

"The security in that place is terrible... If a kid like that were to have a large sum of money in his hand, he'd probably be targeted by someone."

Xiaoniao muttered to himself.

"...The best way is to gain her trust."

She had a vague idea.

[Don't get lost, bird,] the system reminded her. [We're here to fix the faulty nodes, not to help out-of-school children continue their education.]

"Yeah, I know." Xiao Niao nodded.

But it is indisputable that Chen Xiaoya is the key to completing this restoration task. It is very important to gain her trust and understand what she will encounter in the future.

This may eventually change her fate of becoming a 'doctor'.

"Ok."

Xiao Niao said this and couldn't help but sigh.

"Anyway...I have to find a way to get a job first."

Chapter 20 Kindness in Her Life

It was rare that Chen Xiaoya was in a good mood when he got up today.

Here we can make some more subjective speculations: she was in a good mood because Chen Zhengkang had not been home for four consecutive days.

She did not have the fear that most 13 or 14-year-old teenagers would have when they were alone at home. Instead, Chen Xiaoya felt very happy when she was the only one at home.

She got up early, climbed out of bed before dawn, and hurried to wash her face and brush her teeth.

The cups and washbasins placed beside the sink were all made of enamel, and the paint on them had almost fallen off, and the original patterns could no longer be seen.

They are all old items.

Chen Xiaoya stood by the pool, brushing her teeth while thinking about something in her mind - mainly wondering which mud ditch she should dig out to pay her two thousand yuan tuition fee.

The summer vacation after graduating from junior high school is very long, and there are more than two months left. If she can get enough money in these two months, then there is still room for negotiation regarding schooling - even if it is just to last one more semester or one more day, she is unwilling to give up like this.

She counted her belongings bit by bit on her fingers. Chen Xiaoya had saved a total of 453 yuan over such a long time, and still had 1.3 yuan in change on her body. It was still a long way to go before she could save enough for tuition.

She tidied herself up, walked downstairs, and ordered two steamed buns from a nearby bun shop.

The shop owner knew Chen Xiaoya. As she put the white steamed buns into a plastic bag, she enthusiastically said, "Xiaoya, are you eating steamed buns again? You're not getting enough nutrition this way."

"It's okay." Chen Xiaoya smiled at the proprietress and took the plastic bag from her hand - this was Xiaoya's most common breakfast, and only thirty cents was enough to fill him up.

The cost-effectiveness of meat buns is obviously not as good as steamed buns. One as big as a fist costs 40 cents. If you want to eat your fill, you have to spend at least one yuan.

"I'll give you another egg," the proprietress said, scooping a boiled egg from the pot and giving it to her. "Eat more and grow taller."

Chen Xiaoya thanked the proprietress gratefully.

She hung the plastic bag on her wrist and walked along the alley, turning here and there, eating steamed buns as she walked. By the time she reached the place where milk bottles were distributed, she had just finished the simple breakfast in her hand.

As mentioned before, Chen Xiaoya found herself a part-time job delivering milk during the holidays - this job requires getting up early and is very busy and tiring, but it is the best job she can find at this stage.

Originally, this job didn't want girls, but when the boss heard that she was saving money for tuition, he felt a little extra sympathy and made an exception to hire her.

Although it was still dark, several people had already arrived and were queuing up to get their orders. Chen Xiaoya took a quick look and then stood at the end of the line without saying a word.

Because they had indeed gotten up too early, some people in the queue were wolfing down their breakfast.

Most people who do this part-time job have some money in their hands, and their job is the hard work of getting up early to deliver things, so they are not too hard on themselves when it comes to food. The aroma of big meat buns and vermicelli and vegetable buns wafted all the way to the end of the line, making Chen Xiaoya feel his stomach growling again.

If only I could make a little more money, she thought to herself. The boss lady was right. If I eat white steamed buns every day, I will definitely not grow taller, right?

He felt someone gently patting his shoulder. Chen Xiaoya subconsciously turned around and saw a young and immature face.

"Arjun." She couldn't help but call out.

Arjun stood outside the milkman's team, smiling at her, showing his healthy white teeth.

"I knew you were here," Arjun said, and like magic, he pulled out two steaming hot buns from behind his back. "They're stuffed with braised pork. Do you want some?"

Chen Xiaoya's throat subconsciously rolled, but he didn't reach out to take it. He just asked, "Where have you been these past two days? I haven't seen you at work."

Chen Xiaoya and Aqiong grew up together in a tube-shaped building and have known each other since they were still having runny noses.

Aqiong is one year older than Xiaoya. Her original name is Zheng Qiong, but she never lets others call her by her real name. In private, she quietly complains to Xiaoya: What an unlucky name. We are so poor. It has sucked away all my fortune!

In fact, Aqiong's family conditions were indeed not good. Although he was not as penniless as Xiaoya, he was indeed a child from a poor family and started learning to do odd jobs to supplement the family income early on.

Because of her poor family background, Chen Xiaoya usually has no chance to interact with people of her age. In her small and gloomy world, Aqiong is her only friend.

Usually, the two girls would work odd jobs together, but since Chen Xiaoya found this part-time job delivering milk, she hasn't seen Aqiong for more than ten days.

"Where have I been? Yawn... I found a job working on the assembly line in a factory," Arjun said with a loud yawn. "I was working on some medical device... I don't really understand."

Chen Xiaoya was a little surprised: "In the factory? But you are only fifteen years old..."

Ah Qiong stuck out his tongue nonchalantly. "Just lie about your age and say you're already eighteen—and I've got someone I know to take care of me!"

As she spoke, she stuffed the plastic bag into Chen Xiaoya's arms and said, "Here, take it. Don't be embarrassed. The factory provides meals, and I also brought it out secretly from the cafeteria—this is called fleecing capitalism!"

Chen Xiaoya couldn't refuse, so he had to reach out and take the wool.

"Hey... go get the milk first," Arjun yawned again, "talk to me later, I'll wait for you over there."

This girl was obviously a decisive and straightforward person. Without waiting for Chen Xiaoya to say anything more, she turned around, waved her hand, and walked aside.

Chen Xiaoya waited in line for another two minutes. After quickly confirming the delivery address, he took the order and walked towards Aqiong.

Arqiong still looked extremely sleepy, his eyelids drooped, and he had to rub his face hard to stay awake.

When the girl saw Chen Xiaoya coming over, she

Pulling her aside, he lowered his voice and asked, "Have you found a solution for your tuition?"

These words directly touched upon the girl's heart and dug out the sorrow buried in her stomach, causing her originally bright eyes to suddenly dim.

Of course, the issue of her tuition has not been settled yet. To be honest, it is simply impossible for her to raise the tuition on her own without her parents contributing a penny.

To a certain extent, Chen Xiaoya was almost deceiving herself and delaying her studies. She buried her head in delivering milk and doing odd jobs, desperately saving every penny and trying her best to continue her dream of studying.

Studying is her only hope now. If she can't study, Chen Xiaoya will have to leave school and, like all children who drop out of junior high school, do odd jobs, work on the assembly line, hang out in society, struggle for survival all day, and endure the hardships of life - this is a road whose end can be seen at a glance.

Although he was indeed short of money, Chen Xiaoya did not want to make his friend worry about him, especially when the other person's family situation was also very difficult.

She nodded to Arjun in a serious tone, looking confident: "It's okay, no rush, there are still two months."

Arjun stretched out his hand and grabbed her head: "Don't worry, there are only two months left. Where are you going to get the tuition from? Are you going to rely on delivering milk? Oh, you stupid brain——"

"I also write summer homework for lower grade students..." Chen Xiaoya tried to defend himself.

Aqiong laughed when she heard it. She shook her head, reached into her pocket, quickly took out a folded envelope, and stuffed it into Chen Xiaoya's pocket.

"Here, two hundred yuan," Aqiong lowered his voice, "Miss, I don't have much money, so I'll lend it to you."

Chen Xiaoya's eyes widened in surprise. She looked at the girl opposite her and asked nervously, "Where did you get the money..."

"I just got paid, otherwise I would have stolen it?" A Qiong rolled his eyes. "I worked all night and just got off work and came here to give you the money, but why can't I even get a nice word from you?"

"...I can't take your money." Chen Xiaoya said dryly.

"I'm not giving it to you as a gift. You can just pay me back later," Aqiong said. "Don't worry about me. Although that shady factory exploits people, they pay them generously... I have enough money left for my own use."

Chen Xiaoya wanted to say something else, but Aqiong raised his hand to stop him.

"No," Arjun took a step back and put his hands in his pockets. "I know you want to study. In my opinion, you should continue studying too. I dropped out of school because I really couldn't go on. But you, you are different..."

She took a breath and continued, "...You're different. You're the best student I know. Even though you came from that rubbish-looking tube-shaped building, you were able to get into the city's No. 1 Middle School."

"I'm not going to fight for my dignity, I have to keep reading no matter what you say," Arjun said. "If there's anything I can help you with, just tell me, young lady, I will definitely help you."

For a moment, Chen Xiaoya felt as if her heart was soaked in sour water. Her lips trembled unconsciously. She wanted to speak, but she didn't know how to respond to this selfless and sincere friendship.

It was a long time before Chen Xiaoya realized that all the kindness he had received in his life came from strangers who had no blood relationship with him.

However, those blood-related relatives often unscrupulously stabbed a sharp knife into her heart.

------

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Although delivering milk may seem like simple physical labor, it is not something that everyone can do if you think about it carefully.