Rags to Riches: The Rise of a Dual-Talent Prodigy
Chapter 29: Qian 7 Naughty

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Qian 7 Naughty

The main building of this orphanage has a total of five floors.

On the first floor, there are several multifunctional rooms. Some are filled with toys whose origins—donations or purchases—are unknown, and others are stocked with educational books for various age groups. Yet, all are neatly arranged without a hint of chaos.

There is also a rather special room, the nursery, with soft mats laid on the floor. Three toddlers, seemingly just one or two years old, crawl around, occasionally letting out bursts of happy laughter.

An elderly lady is in the nursery, taking care of them. Upon seeing Qian Qi, the old woman’s eyes clearly show a bit of resistance, but she still nods at her.

Qian Qi responds briefly, ignoring the old woman’s surprised expression, and goes directly to the second floor.

The second floor is the activity space for children of kindergarten age. At that moment, they sit upright in their classroom, all silent, yet their adorable little eyes can’t resist glancing toward the door.

Especially upon seeing Qian Qi, their pure and innocent eyes are filled with fear and excitement.

The teacher in the classroom is calling roll, "Xiao Min? Xiao An? Where did these two kids run off to? I hope they did not run into Qian Qi..."

Just after saying this, they see Qian Qi standing at the door.

Teacher: ...

The teacher quietly lowers their head, pretending not to see.

Qian Qi: ...

Qian Qi turns around silently, intending to check out the third floor. As soon as she leaves the children’s line of sight, she hears them burst into a flurry of chatter, "Is that the Qian Qi the older kids talk about?"

"Really scary indeed! Looks like a villain!"

"She won’t eat us, will she?"

"Silly, demons eat people, humans don’t!"

"What if she’s a demon that can transform into a human! She might eat us!"

"Wow! That’s quite possible!"

Qian Qi, having heard it all: "..."

Don’t be mad, don’t be mad, children’s words are without malice!

Qian Qi ascends to the third floor in frustration.

The third floor consists of classrooms for children of different ages. The fourth and fifth floors are accommodation rooms. There are a total of 5 staff members and one chef responsible for dining, and there are no additional personnel.

Compared to the second floor, the children on the third floor appear much more composed, especially those at the junior high school level. Their gazes toward Qian Qi are filled with both fear and undisguised disdain.

When dealing with junior high-age children, Qian Qi is not that kind. She makes a menacing face and then fiercely draws her hand across her throat.

"What are you looking at? Look again, and I’ll beat you!"

The children instantly scatter like frightened birds.

[Wow...you’re so childish.]

Qian Qi snorts, ready to go downstairs, when she suddenly notices two little heads peeking around the stairwell corner, precisely those two eavesdropping children from before.

Curiously staring at her, they promptly lift their small feet and run downstairs once discovered.

Qian Qi scratches her head and can’t help but ask the system, "Tongzi, do they fear my face, or..."

Did the original host really do something outrageous that made them so afraid?

[Please be more self-aware; whether the original host or you, you are both rascals ^_^]

Qian Qi: ...

Qian Qi descends the stairs, feeling down, about to check out the canteen, when she discovers the three children from earlier have returned to the wash tubs in the courtyard, vigorously scrubbing clothes not belonging to them.

She takes a bite of her banana, squats beside them, and tilts her chin up to ask, "Hey, guys, need a hand?"

Qian Qi’s sudden appearance startles the three children, and they instinctively clutch their clothes, their bodies visibly tensing, unsure of what to say.

Only one boy, slightly bolder, hastily shakes his head in refusal, "No, no, we can do it ourselves."

Who in this big yard doesn’t know that Qian Qi has great strength? If she does the laundry, who knows how many children’s clothes might get ruined! And besides, she can’t wash them as clean as a washing machine!

The three kids silently drag the large wash tub backward, scrubbing even harder, hoping to finish washing their younger siblings’ clothes quickly and then hide.

"Tsk, alright then," Qian Qi sighs, saying with pride intact, "I was just asking out of courtesy."

She takes another bite of her banana, "Got a question for you guys, is the director nice to you?"

As if pondering a foolish question she asked, they looked up at Qian Qi with complex expressions before lowering their heads again and scrubbing the clothes while saying, "The director mommy is the best."

"No bad side at all?" Qian Qi, accustomed to their attitude, grows thick-skinned and even directly rubs their heads, "Tell me, explain in detail, and I’ll give you candy."

She pulls out a handful of candy from her pocket, which she bought on her way here.

The three children again look at Qian Qi with complex expressions.

[Wow, you scumbag... What kind of morals are you teaching these children!]

"The director mommy is not bad at all, you’re the bad one!" A little boy, clearly upset by Wen Yun being badmouthed, glares at Qian Qi with reddened eyes, "The director mommy is the nicest to you and even sent you to college, yet you still want to speak ill of her!"

"Qian Qi is truly awful, not even visiting during New Year! The director mommy cried!"

"Don’t talk to us! Hit us if you must; we hate you the most."

One by one, the three children stubbornly raised their eyes, rebuking Qian Qi, each with a pair of bright red eyes, seemingly laden with grievances so immense that even Qian Qi felt a moment of regret for asking so bluntly earlier.

"Alright, alright, Qian Qi is bad, Qian Qi made a mistake, sorry." Qian Qi rubs their heads, noticing their instinctive flinch and tightly shut eyes, feeling a sigh in her heart.

"Here, sister was wrong; this is your compensation." Qian Qi hands them the candy and gets up to wander elsewhere.

Behind her, the three boys stare at the candy in their hands, unable to help but exchange puzzled looks.

"Did Qian Qi just apologize?"

They blink, eyes filled with disbelief. In their impression, Qian Qi was always short-tempered, often making kids cry and never apologized.

However...

"Could these be chili candies?" Child A asks worriedly.

Child B: "You try it first..."

Child A: "No, no, no, the youngest goes first..."

Child B points at Child C: "He’s the youngest, let him have it first!"

Child C: "..." I may be young, but I’m not dumb!

A few minutes later, Child C cautiously pops the candy into his mouth, and his big doe eyes suddenly squint in delight.

"So sweet."

"Wow, it really is candy~"

"It’s delicious, so sweet!"

The three children look up at the bright blue sky, feeling that today is especially sweet.

If only...every day could be as sweet as today.

————

The orphanage consists of two buildings in total, the main building and the dining area. The front yard is used for drying clothes and bedding; the east side has a small playground, while the backyard has a sizable garden, meticulously tended, filled with fresh greens and tomatoes.

Seeing the garden, Qian Qi feels an added sense of familiarity. In her previous life, the backyard of the Bright Orphanage was also a garden. After she outgrew the mischievous childhood years, she often helped the director mother manage it, gradually developing an interest in gardening.

After her college entrance exam results came out, she wanted to apply to an agricultural university. However, farming couldn’t make one rich quickly and wouldn’t help the orphanage financially. It was the director mother who said that if she could enter an agronomic research institute after graduation, the Bright Orphanage would have a better reputation and attract more donations. That’s why she decided to pursue agricultural studies.

Thinking back now, it was just an excuse to attend a school she liked.

Back then, it was also the director mother who financed her education. Fortunately, she worked hard and often earned scholarships. Her mentor even said that with her talent and effort, entering an agronomic research institute in the future would not be a problem.

Thinking of this, Qian Qi couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness; she strolled through the garden, and thinking about the director mother hearing the news of her sudden death made her heart ache.

Lost in thought, she neglected her steps, stumbled on something on the ground, and stumbled forward, face diving toward Mother Earth.

But lying on the ground was a sharp black object protruding from the earth, pointing directly at Qian Qi’s face!

Oh crap!

Her face was already in disarray and couldn’t stand further disfigurement!

In the nick of time, Qian Qi kicked her leg, pushed forward again, and successfully made the sharp object target her chest instead.

Not forgetting to add sound effects: "Ah, it hurts, it hurts—going to die!"

However, the expected pain never came.

The fall actually transported her into another space.