Youth Palace, Old Factory Street

"Ding-dong! Dongfeng Road has arrived. Passengers heading to the Youth Palace, please exit in order through the rear door. Watch your step..."

Qin Shi slung his backpack over one shoulder and stepped off at the stop. Across the road stood a large building of red brick and white walls.

The gilded lettering above the entrance was especially eye-catching: "Tai'an City Youth Palace."

A long line of luxury sedans was parked along both sides of the street, making the broad road seem a little crowded.

They were clearly parents here to pick up their children.

"Little Qin, you finally made it! The Martial Arts Class just finished, so hurry up and take the kids through some break-time activities!"

Qin Shi had barely changed into the Youth Palace uniform—a black T-shirt, casual trousers, and a baseball cap—before being dragged into the indoor training area.

His part-time job, which paid three hundred a day, mainly involved watching over this lively bunch of little boys and girls, playing games and singing songs with them.

"Got it, Brother Zhang."

Qin Shi swept his gaze around. The bright, spacious indoor venue was divided into several sections.

Besides the elementary school students all dressed in white training uniforms, there were quite a few older middle and high school students punching bags and practicing leg techniques.

The shouts and thudding blows rose and fell, filling the venue with vigorous youthful energy.

A trace of envy flashed through Qin Shi's eyes.

For now, the most universally applicable method of Life Force Development was still Physical Training.

That was also why all kinds of Martial Arts Classes were so popular.

"Even the most basic classes cost a fortune—five hundred and up..."

Qin Shi sighed inwardly. One Youth Palace martial arts class cost enough to buy him Nutritional Meals for several days.

He really could not afford it.

He clapped his hands, cleared away his stray thoughts, and put on a warm, approachable smile.

"Kids, shall we play train? Big brother will be the engine..."

At five thirty in the afternoon, the sun gradually shifted, and dim golden rays shone through the skylights.

"Alright, that's it for today's class."

At the teacher's command, the little boys and girls formed a long line, and Qin Shi led them outside to the entrance.

"Thank you, Teacher Qin!"

"Xuanxuan, say goodbye to Teacher Qin..."

Once the lively Youth Palace finally quieted down, Qin Shi continued working. He collected the sweat-soaked training uniforms into bamboo baskets for the Cleaning Auntie to wash, then swept the venue floor.

Only then was his part-time job over.

"Little Qin, come here."

The person in charge of the Youth Palace was a Mediterranean Uncle who soaked goji berries in a thermos.

"If I remember right, you attend New No. 1 Middle School, don't you? How did your Physical Test go?"

Qin Shi answered honestly.

"Eight points. Barely passing."

The Mediterranean Uncle wiped at his sparse hair.

"For someone your age, that's not bad. A new teacher will be joining our Youth Palace soon to teach advanced classes for the Martial Arts Class. We're short an assistant instructor right now.

"Little Qin, you've been steady and hardworking these past few days. I've seen it all.

"What do you think? Can you handle it?"

A new teacher?

Teaching advanced classes?

Qin Shi was briefly stunned.

The Youth Palace mainly catered to middle-class families in the Metropolitan Area.

Parents like that most wanted their children to succeed. They believed life had to be won from the starting line and loved sending their kids to all kinds of tutoring classes.

The Youth Palace's martial arts classes were relatively affordable and suitable for laying foundations at a young age.

Naturally, enrollment was booming.

But advanced classes...

Did they really have teachers capable of that?

"Assistant instructor? I can definitely do it! Director, to be honest, I used to be the Sports Representative at my Cadre School. I often led my classmates in group runs..."

Qin Shi put aside his doubts and quickly agreed.

He had always believed that as long as the pay was right, everything was negotiable.

As long as it was legal, he could do any job!

"Alright, then. The assistant instructor position pays fifteen hundred a month, and you can eat at the cafeteria."

The Mediterranean Uncle thought to himself that hiring a temporary worker with decent Life Force would cost at least two thousand these days.

Hiring a student was much more cost-effective.

"Sounds good!"

Qin Shi did the math. The front desk job at Silver Horse Gym paid twelve hundred a month, the daily pay at the Youth Palace could earn him around a thousand, and the assistant instructor job added another fifteen hundred.

Over the two-month summer break, he could save more than seven thousand.

"Once school starts, I'll be halfway to being a ten-thousand-yuan man. I'll still have some left after paying the registration fee."

Beep!

Student Card!

At seven twenty in the evening, Qin Shi left the Youth Palace and boarded Bus 145 right on time, taking a window seat in the back.

The brilliantly reflected neon lights resembled a colorful, shifting ocean, with rows of towering skyscrapers standing amid it.

"The bustling Metropolitan Area..."

Qin Shi sighed silently. Being born into the right family really was a skill.

Tai'an Metropolitan Area and the Old City District were only a few dozen kilometers apart on the map, yet they were separated by an enormous divide.

"The gym's gold-medal coaches are too expensive. They're not worth it. If I want to improve my Life Force, I might have to look elsewhere."

As Qin Shi pondered, text appeared in his vision once more—

[Total steps walked today: 17,240]

[Growth Value +2]

"What exactly grew?"

Staring at the floating box, Qin Shi scratched his head, desperately wanting to ask that question from the depths of his soul.

But to others, such behavior would undoubtedly look like he was talking to thin air.

He could easily be mistaken for a lunatic with suspected split personality disorder and sent to Qingshan Mental Hospital in the Northern Suburbs.

As the bus passed one stop after another, the bustling scenery was left behind, and vast abandoned factory zones came into view.

It was like two utterly different worlds, old and new.

Before long, the bus reached its final stop.

Outside, the night was dark as ink, and the streetlights were dim.

The rear door opened, then closed.

Qin Shi stepped down with his backpack and found his footing.

He looked up at the weathered stone gate arch.

"I'm home."

Qin Shi adjusted his backpack and headed toward the shabby old street, which stood in stark contrast to the brightly lit, prosperous Metropolitan Area.

There had always been a saying throughout Tai'an Metropolitan Area.

"East is poor, west is rich, south is wealthy, north is chaotic."

Dangyang Eastern Suburbs had once been the main industrial hub of the area. At its peak, there had been five or six hundred factories of all sizes, employing seven to eight hundred thousand people.

Famous places such as Leiyun Electronics Factory and the 420 Military Factory had once stood here.

Back then, Old Factory Street was incredibly lively whenever work let out.

Hundred Birds bicycles surged in like an army, flowing together over the smooth bluestone roads.

It was a spectacular sight!

The young workers in dark blue and army green factory uniforms were all high-spirited.

They deliberately rang their bicycle bells loudly, hoping to draw the attention of the street vendors and pretty girls on either side.

But after the Great Reclamation brought new development to Hengzhou New Star and industries relocated, the eastern suburbs rapidly declined.

In just ten years, it had become a dilapidated old street packed with abandoned factories and laid-off workers.

"Xiao Shi, you're back."

"Your sister just came home from buying groceries. She killed two fish and bought plenty of shrimp too. We're eating well tonight!"

"Working while studying—what a good kid..."

The neighbors greeted him warmly.

Everyone had lived on this stretch of Old Factory Street for years. They saw one another all the time, and their relationships were especially close. Whenever anyone had trouble, those who could help never hesitated.

"Thanks, Uncle Li!"

"Uncle Zhang, you're looking energetic again!"

"Grandpa Song, cooling off out here? You're listening to that story about Grand Tutor Jiang Baichuan battling Raging Vajra Kou Yunchao, right..."

Qin Shi responded politely, answering each of them in turn.

His home was near the snack street, where people came and went and the air was thick with everyday life.

"It's hard to imagine there are still shantytowns in the Great Universe Era."

As he entered Baogong Street, tangled wires stretched between utility poles. Streetlights plastered with small ads flickered on and off, illuminating rows of low houses piled closely together.

It was no different from the urban village Qin Shi had lived in during his previous life.

This shantytown had supposedly been slated for demolition and redevelopment for many years.

But it was just like Hengzhou New Star shouting slogans every year about striving to rise higher and becoming one of Eastern Xia's Top Ten Administrative Regions for economic development.

Mostly thunder, very little rain.

"Second Brother, how do you always manage to get home right in time for dinner?"

The moment Qin Shi stepped into the small house pieced together from tarpaulin and asbestos sheets, a slightly dim yellow light was switched on with a pull cord, casting a weak, hazy glow.

A small, low table held two dishes and a soup, meat and vegetables balanced together. A ponytailed girl was setting out the bowls and chopsticks.

In the cramped kitchen on the right, a tall figure worked the wok, making quite a racket as flames leaped and delicious aromas filled the room.

The former was the youngest sibling, Qin Lan.

The latter was their Eldest Sister, Qin Xiao.

Qin Shi set down his backpack and pretended to be displeased.

"How many times have I said it? Just call me 'Brother.' Don't add the 'Second'!"

His little sister Qin Lan gave a mischievous smile.

"Okay, Second Brother!"

Qin Shi let out a long sigh, his face full of regret.

"I was planning to use the money from my job to get you a new Tianzhou Computer..."

"Hey, Brother! You must be tired from your part-time job. Let me massage your shoulders!"

Qin Lan immediately gave in. Her pretty, youthful face was full of fawning flattery, like a kitten wagging its tail.

"At each other's throats the moment you meet, even though you miss each other when you're apart. You two really are a pair of enemies. The food's ready, so wash your hands and eat!"

The tall figure turned around. She had darker skin, strong arms, and neat short hair.

She wore a denim jacket over a white tank top stained with a few smears of engine oil.

She had a distinctly heroic air.

"Alright, Eldest Sister."

Qin Shi and Qin Lan immediately behaved themselves and answered in unison.

Faced with braised fish, stir-fried shrimp with scallions, and winter melon pork rib soup, the siblings dug in ravenously.

They were usually tortured by the school cafeteria's synthetic fast food. Now that they finally had a proper meal, they ate like starving ghosts reborn.

"You're both grown up already, and you're still fighting over food."

Eldest Sister Qin Xiao's eyes were full of contentment. The exhaustion and hardship accumulated from her intense work seemed to be swept away.

"Brother, rest. I'll wash the dishes!"

Still thinking about that Tianzhou Computer, Qin Lan voluntarily took over the chore.

"At least you know how to behave."

Qin Shi took out his phone and searched for coupons in the various bargain-hunting groups he had joined. After piecing together discounts and completing a pile of rebate tasks, he finally sent a Chop More link to Zhou Ning.

[Help me chop it once! Urgent!]

"You spoil Xiao Lan too much. She's only in her second year of high school. What does she need such a good computer for?"

Eldest Sister Qin Xiao shook her head.

"Keep the money for yourself."

Qin Shi smiled.

"I don't have any talent for machinery. After the College Entrance Examination, I'll definitely take the Martial Arts Track. The youngest is different. Theory of Machine Soul Communication, Compiler Principles, Structural Studies—just looking at them gives me a headache, but she studies them with relish.

"If we cultivate her properly, maybe the Qin family will produce a Female Engineer!"

Qin Xiao's expression softened.

"I heard from Uncle Zhou at the Billiard Hall that he plans to buy Zhou Ning a few Physical Training classes for Life Force Development, so he can push for the rank assessment exam.

"Xiao Shi, what are you thinking?"

Qin Shi scratched his head.

"The Martial Arts Class and its fitness courses are no different from those Health Supplements advertised on TV every day. Their actual effects aren't even a thousandth as good as they claim.

Eldest Sister, let's not join in the fuss."

Qin Xiao still wore a gentle expression and spoke softly.

"Xiao Shi, you're worried about spending money again, aren't you? It's fine. I just took a big long-distance order to deliver materials to Smoke City.

Here, this is the deposit I got in advance from Old Chen. Take it! Sign up for a Martial Arts Class or something. Your grades aren't bad, so you'll definitely get into a good university."

Under the table, Qin Shi's palm was stuffed with two thick bundles of banknotes.

He instinctively tried to push them back, but Eldest Sister hauled goods and did manual labor every day. She was strong enough that he could not budge her hand in the slightest.

"We're family. Don't keep pulling back and forth like strangers.

I've saved some money for Xiao Lan too.

You two just focus on studying. Don't worry, I can support you."

Qin Shi's lips moved, but no sound came out. Only after a long while did he manage to call out—

"Got it, Eldest Sister."

Qin Xiao looked at her younger brother, and all her usual fierceness and toughness faded away.

"Xiao Shi, you've always had your own ideas. This money is yours now. How you use it is up to you."

Qin Shi lowered his head and nodded dully.

The two bundles of brand-new bills in his hand carried the scent of fresh ink.

On closer inspection, the front bore a fluttering red flag, soaring dragons amid auspicious clouds above it, and a border of wheat stalks below.

So many hundred-denomination Dongxia New Currency bills—fifty in each bundle, a full ten thousand.

Qin Shi knew that driving freight trucks paid well, but he also knew how grueling the work was.

Whenever Eldest Sister went on a long trip, she would be gone for months at a time, sleeping rough and eating on the road. Everything she needed to do, she did in the truck, while staying alert for Highway Bandits and Road Hogs, fuel thieves, and robbers along the way.

The risks were extremely high!

"Most gyms in the Metropolitan Area, as well as training classes for Life Force Development, are all frauds. Not only are they expensive, but their results might not even be any good."

Qin Shi voiced what was on his mind.

"I'm planning to try my luck at No. 9 Vocational Middle School. Uncle Zhou introduced me to a Teacher Liang.

From what he said, this teacher used to compete in the Stellar Cup and had a fairly high level of Life Force Development.

Later, he offended someone and got sent to Old Factory Street to work as a PE teacher."

Qin Xiao gave a soft hum, indicating her agreement.

In her eyes, Qin Shi had always been obedient and sensible. He could come up with solutions, was smarter than she was, and was more reliable than the youngest.

"I'm heading out on a long trip tomorrow. As a student, your job is to study hard.

Stop always thinking about how to make money.

I can support both of you, and I'll make sure our family's life keeps getting better and better."

Qin Shi still did not raise his head. He only answered with one word.

"Mm."