After learning about marriage matching, Xi Xiu had felt out of sorts for half the day, but by evening, she had fully recovered.
When Zhen and Xue Fanhui saw her come out, her expression was normal, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
They had not expected Xi Xiu to know nothing about it, nor had they expected her to care so much about something that seemed utterly ordinary to them.
"Zhen, Fanhui, don't worry. I just didn't know about it before." Xi Xiu smiled brightly at her roommates. There was neither strain nor sorrow in her smile, and Xue Fanhui finally relaxed completely.
"Good. If anything makes you unhappy, tell us. Don't keep it bottled up inside, okay?"
Xue Fanhui was older than the two of them, and she already acted like a little adult. She had to keep a close eye on the physical and mental well-being of the two younger girls.
"Okay. I've adjusted already. Sorry for making you worry." Xi Xiu felt a little embarrassed.
She was already this old, yet she was still being fussed over and cared for by two children. It felt somewhat awkward, but it also warmed her heart.
"Since that's settled, let's train together tonight," Xue Fanhui suggested.
After dinner, the three of them ate the Orphanage's standard meal. Tonight's menu was mashed potatoes with snow beef, one of the better-tasting meals, and Xi Xiu liked it very much.
There were roughly two snow-beef meals each month. The rest of the time, they ate all sorts of mixed Nutrient Paste, whose flavor was truly soul-stirring.
Xi Xiu could not understand why, with the Alliance's technology being so advanced, they only pursued nutrition in food and not taste.
Many years later, she learned the reason from the Central Brain and remained silent for seven days.
Because it was a long story, so long that its origins had long been lost.
Xi Xiu went to the training room with Zhen and Xue Fanhui, where they ran into Ding Zhizhi and Shu Anna, who were training.
Ever since Zhen had beaten Ding Zhizhi last time, there had always been some friction whenever they met.
Xi Xiu had initially wanted to take another route, but after thinking it over, she decided, What was there to be afraid of? They hadn't done anything wrong. A strategic victory was still a victory!
Shu Anna did not provoke them. She held Ding Zhizhi back, because she had recently heard why Zhen and Xue Fanhui had become acquainted.
Before Fiona left, she had spent more than a year cleaning the back building. Not only had it delayed her training, but Vivian had also recorded in her file that she liked bullying younger students.
As one could imagine, Fiona, who had originally been able to attend First Military Academy on Capital Star, had ultimately gone to Liuzhao in the military star system.
The Alliance's second through seventh military academies were all located there. Although Liuzhao was a military star, how could its educational resources compare to those of Capital Star?
First Military Academy on Capital Star trained commanders and captains. The Alliance personnel with high military ranks had all graduated from First Military Academy, while very few came from Liuzhao.
After learning about this, Shu Anna consulted Alliance Law and discovered that Fiona's actions had indeed crossed the line.
Fiona had twenty records at the Orphanage of bullying the weak and taking others' belongings. Taken together, Vivian's punishment had been entirely appropriate.
So Shu Anna pulled Ding Zhizhi back and gave her a look. Once Xi Xiu and the others arrived, the two left without any intention of confronting them head-on.
Xi Xiu felt that they must have learned about Fiona's situation. Otherwise, with the personalities of the Orphanage's three tyrants, how could they possibly give up the chance to "teach them a lesson"?
After they left, Xi Xiu began sparring with Xue Fanhui while Zhen observed from the side.
After fifty rounds, Xi Xiu sparred with Zhen. Xi Xiu pointed out Zhen's shortcomings and told her to practice them more.
They stayed in the training room until after nine. When they came out, Ningkui Star's three moons hung high in the night sky, casting clear light across the ground.
With the light of three moons shining down, even when it was not a day when all the moons were visible, they could still clearly see one another's facial features.
This was something Xi Xiu had always found amazing. Tianning Star had five moons, and Aura also had five. Among the Alliance's twenty star systems, Ningkui Star seemed to have the fewest moons.
"Xiu Xiu, have you still been going to the Battle Room on the Virtual Network lately?" Zhen asked curiously.
"I'll wait until after August. Then I plan to take the Level Nine exam directly. Once I pass, that'll be one less thing to deal with. What about you, Zhen?"
"I'm planning to take the Level Eight exam. I'm not too confident, so could I ask you to give me some targeted training sessions on the Virtual Network?" Zhen looked a little embarrassed. She realized that she was always troubling Xi Xiu.
"Sure. Let's start tomorrow, then. You need to pass Level Nine before you turn twelve so our travel plans can begin. Keep it up!"
"Mm-hm."
Xue Fanhui stood beside them, looking at the two girls who were like younger sisters to her, and felt very happy.
They had all lost their parents and families. From now on, they would be one another's family. She thought she finally understood what Vivian had meant when she brought Xi Xiu to her side: someone who would become family in the future.
They had less than four years left together. After that, they would go their separate ways. Time truly passed quickly.
August arrived as expected. Xi Xiu spent two months giving Zhen intensive training, and only after she was certain Zhen would have no problem passing Level Eight in physical skills did they stop.
Then the new term began. Xi Xiu threw herself into her studies. She wanted to design a body and programming for Sixi, and she needed to master both intermediate courses thoroughly so she could create some simple designs.
After the new term started, Xi Xiu also chose botany. After her service period ended, she planned to become a nutritionist and at least improve the Alliance's Nutrient Paste formulas.
She was truly sick of these Nutrient Paste flavors. The haphazard combinations and dark cuisine gave her absolutely no sense of happiness.
Then she could open a little shop and make handmade snacks. They would probably sell extremely well.
Vivian sent Xi Xiu a message with several work-study positions and told her to choose for herself.
Vivian sent five positions in total, two of which each needed three workers. After Xi Xiu, Xue Fanhui, and Zhen discussed it, they decided to work at the snack factory beside the Orphanage.
Their main task was packaging snacks. The work lasted one hour, and they could arrange their hours flexibly without having to show up at any fixed time.
The factory had specifically set aside these positions for work-study children. Otherwise, with robots available to do the work, there would be no need for manual labor.
The three of them enjoyed the work very much. They usually bought these snacks too, and being able to see how they were made was both unexpected and novel.
The pay was also quite good. They were paid by the hour, at 500 Star Coins an hour. By the end of the month, they would have a fairly decent income.
Xi Xiu had calculated it according to prices. The purchasing power of Alliance Star Coins meant that 1 Star Coin was roughly equivalent to 5 yuan, so the purchasing power of her monthly salary was equivalent to 70,000 yuan. Jackpot! Make money, make money!
The reason Alliance wages were so high was because labor costs were incredibly, incredibly expensive!
As long as a product involved the words manual labor or handmade, its price rose in a straight line.
With robots capable of replacing every kind of work, the factory was willing to pay work-study children such a large sum because providing work-study positions granted them tax exemptions, and substantial ones at that!
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