You Should Learn More from My Cuicui

Fang Shuwen loosened his grip, and Liu Mang's corpse collapsed limply to the ground.

This was his first time killing a man.

But strangely, His heartbeat was steady, his hands were steady, and his mind was clearer than ever.

In his past life, he hadn't even killed a chicken.

Now, two lives had ended by his hand.

He felt none of the nausea, fear, or other negative emotions described in the novels of his past life.

Instead, he felt remarkably calm.

He was different now.

And this world was different, too.

The old dynasty had crumbled, and the Great Flame New Kingdom had been established.

The world was in turmoil, plagued by warring factions.

Within, demons and evil spirits devoured men; without, foreign powers lurked.

A sycophantic lackey had tried to kill him for a mere chance at a study-companion position.

Another street thug had sought his life for a dozen silver dollars.

Human life in this world was simply worthless!

Fang Shuwen crouched down, searched Liu Mang's body, and pulled out a worn wallet.

He weighed it in his hand, hearing the crisp clinking of silver dollars inside.

Without checking the contents, Fang Shuwen tucked it directly into his cloth satchel.

Afterward, He dragged the two corpses to the nearby Clear Water River and, under the cover of night, pushed them in.

With two dull splashes, the water churned for a moment before swallowing them whole.

Having done this, Fang Shuwen confirmed that no traces remained in the alley before turning to leave.

He did not head straight home, instead winding through seven or eight turns in the county town's alleys.

Only then did he head toward the Zhao Estate, slowing his pace once he caught sight of the old locust tree by the back gate from afar.

Just as he turned into the alley, Fang Shuwen caught a glimpse of two figures standing at the corner ahead.

One was slender and delicate, wearing a thick braided ponytail; one look at her back was enough to know it was Mother Wang's daughter, Cuicui.

Opposite Cuicui stood a young man in a short jacket, the two of them standing very close.

Before he could hear what was said, the young man reached out and pulled Cuicui's waist toward him, and the two kissed.

So this is the "good student" Mother Wang keeps talking about!

Fang Shuwen's heart remained unruffled, his footsteps pausing only slightly.

He hugged the wall and slipped into another side path, pretending he had seen nothing.

Entering the Zhao Estate through the back gate, he caught the scent of food wafting from the kitchen.

Walking along the covered corridor, he hadn't yet reached his own door.

Fang Shuwen heard Mother Wang's booming voice.

"Old Fang, you wouldn't believe it, but my Cuicui is truly diligent. She gets up before dawn every day to study, and at night, she even tutors her classmates at the school."

"Not only does she tutor them and feed them, but they even give her a few extra copper coins for her hard work!"

"Tell me, what do you call that? That's called talent! A young girl, earning her own copper coins—who else can compare to that?"

Fang Shuwen shook his head slightly, remaining silent as he continued to walk forward.

Old Fang, who had been dealing with Mother Wang with a wooden expression, saw Fang Shuwen enter.

His cloudy eyes instantly lit up, and the corners of his mouth pulled back to reveal a few missing teeth.

"Shuwen, you're back? Are you tired? Are you hungry?"

"I'm alright."

Fang Shuwen took off his cloth satchel and handed it to Old Fang.

At this moment, Mother Wang spotted Fang Shuwen, her wrinkles bunching up like a chrysanthemum as she asked in a clearly smug tone:

"Little Fang, school starts the day after tomorrow. How are your preparations coming along?"

"They're alright," Fang Shuwen replied.

He then brushed past Mother Wang and returned to his room.

"Auntie, I still need to go find Hu Da to get some food for Little Fang, so I'll be going now."

Old Fang turned and left, leaving Mother Wang alone in the courtyard.

"Pah!"

"That Old Fang spoils Fang Shuwen so much; he'll have a hard time of it later."

"My Cuicui is better, she knows how to get ahead. Once she gets into the elite class, she'll surely marry into a wealthy family and live a good life."

Mother Wang muttered to herself, the gloom from having her bragging about her sensible daughter interrupted dissipating as she twisted her waist and walked away.

Fang Shuwen returned to the room.

He took out a flask of wine and two roasted chickens wrapped in oil paper, placing them on the table.

Old Fang's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He looked from the roasted chickens to the wine flask, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, yet he didn't reach out.

"Shuwen, this... where did this come from?"

He looked up at Fang Shuwen, his lips moving twice.

"Dad, I bought this for you. Eat."

Fang Shuwen sat down opposite him, tore off a glistening chicken leg, and handed it over.

Old Fang took the chicken leg but didn't eat it.

He turned the chicken leg over and over twice, then carefully wrapped it back up in the oil paper.

His cloudy eyes grew moist.

Just now, Fang Shuwen had called him "Dad," just like he used to when he was a little boy.

Back when he had just learned to walk, babbling and calling out "Daddy" this and "Daddy" that.

But later, after Fang Shuwen started school, he gradually stopped calling him "Daddy."

He just called him Old Fang.

He knew that Fang Shuwen was destined for greatness.

Wearing a suit, a fountain pen in his pocket, destined to be an official, a high-ranking official.

It was a good thing Fang Shuwen stopped calling him "Daddy," so as not to lose face for him.

And now.

Fang Shuwen called him "Dad."

That was what those wealthy families who studied Western culture called their fathers.

Today, not only did Fang Shuwen buy him roasted chicken and wine, but he also called him "Dad!"

"I've already eaten. Save this chicken for yourself to eat tomorrow."

Fang Shuwen shook his head as he watched him act so reluctant to eat.

He was not the original owner of this body, that guy who only knew how to leech off Old Fang while looking down on him.

However, he knew what kind of person Old Fang was.

He immediately put on a stern face, his voice turning cold:

"Dad, I told you to eat it, so eat it, or I'll throw it away."

Sure enough, Old Fang immediately picked up the chicken leg.

He ate it blissfully.

After finishing, Old Fang spat the chicken bone onto the table, picked up the wine flask, unscrewed the cap, and took a sniff.

But he couldn't bear to drink it, so he screwed it back on and placed it at the corner of the table.

"Shuwen," Old Fang wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his voice a bit dry.

"Mother Wang came by just now and said Cuicui has been reviewing very well this time and will definitely get into the elite class. Why don't you stop setting up your stall for the next two days and study more..."

Old Fang's voice grew lower as he spoke.

It wasn't that he didn't know Fang Shuwen's grades had always been poor; he just didn't want to believe it.

He thought to himself that Fang Shuwen was so smart, having learned to speak earlier than other children since he was small.

He must be working hard this time; there would definitely be no problem.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

Fang Shuwen replied, picked up his cloth schoolbag, pulled back the curtain, and went inside.

Seeing this, Old Fang stopped talking, tidied up the table on tiptoe, and hid the wine flask and chicken in the cupboard.

Then he went out to find Hu Da, not staying in the room so as not to disturb Fang Shuwen's studies.

After Old Fang left, Fang Shuwen took the money pouch out of his cloth schoolbag and poured out its contents.

"Twelve yuan and seven jiao. This guy really had money."

After counting the money, Fang Shuwen discovered there was even a copper coin among it.

The copper piece was slightly larger than a standard coin and felt quite heavy in his hand.

The front of the copper piece was engraved with a few lines of crooked characters, their strokes coarse and imbued with a primitive aura.

They were neither the standard script used in the Great Flame New Kingdom nor the seal script common to the previous dynasty; they looked more like incantations.

He flipped the copper piece over, and a vertical pupil was cast onto the back.

The pupil was a thin slit, resembling that of a snake.

Fang Shuwen's brows furrowed.

He stared fixedly at the vertical pupil.

The next moment, amidst the dim, yellowish halo, the vertical pupil seemed to blink!

Immediately following, a wave of dizziness struck him violently.