As soon as Qingye said the accounts were wrong, Li Lanfang immediately interjected: “What’s wrong with them?”

Qingye glanced at her and said coolly: “I arrived on the 10th. Counting from that day until the end of the month, that’s 21 days, with total revenue of 4,620 yuan. This averages to 220 yuan daily income. Adding the nine days before the 10th that I haven’t calculated, the monthly income should be at least around 6,600 yuan. Moreover, from my observation, quite a few students are coming during summer break. Early July is when vacation starts, and if I’m not mistaken, there should be a peak in customer flow, so July’s actual income should be above this average, at least over seven thousand.”

After speaking, she looked at Liunian, and everyone else followed suit. Liunian thought for a moment and said: “It seems right, lots of students came in the first few days after vacation started.”

Li Lanfang immediately started shouting: “That’s such a big difference, several thousand yuan! Your accounts are wrong! Huh? Liunian, explain yourself!”

Liunian looked bewildered and said: “I don’t know either.”

Li Lanfang pointed at Liunian and accused: “You haven’t been pocketing it yourself, have you? You always seemed like such an honest person.”

Hearing this, Liunian immediately became agitated: “I’ve never taken money from the shop, Boss Li!”

As Li Lanfang was about to interrogate him further, Qingye held up her hand and, eyes fixed on the computer, said: “Wait, listen to the expenses after the 10th first. Liunian and Du Qiyan’s combined wages are 2,400 yuan. Water, electricity, and gas totaled 1,320 yuan. Other miscellaneous expenses totaled 329 yuan. You took 300 yuan on July 11th, 200 yuan on the 14th, another 300 yuan on the 17th, 126 yuan on the 18th saying it was for groceries, then 1,000 yuan at once on the 20th, 500 yuan on the 25th, and just now you took the remaining 1,205 yuan. That means since the 10th, you’ve taken a total of 3,631 yuan. Liunian, did the boss take any money before the 10th?”

Liunian glanced nervously at Li Lanfang and answered truthfully: “I think she took some a few times, but I’m not sure how much.”

Qingye made a sound of acknowledgment and looked at Li Lanfang: “I heard you take all the remaining money at the end of each month and start fresh accounts at the beginning. Not including what you took before the 10th, just the expenses after the 10th already totaled 7,680 yuan. So that earlier calculation of 5,380 yuan doesn’t add up.”

Hearing Qingye’s analysis, Xing Wu suddenly understood. Including the income from before the 10th, this month’s accounts must have reached nearly ten thousand yuan. No wonder Qingye had been so certain the accounts were wrong.

Li Lanfang never told Liunian when she took the money, and Liunian himself was confused about it all, so those missing thousands of yuan had been taken by Li Lanfang. As for her constant complaints about having no money, it was probably because she had gambled it away. Xing Wu knew Li Lanfang lost quite a bit on mahjong each month, but he never knew she could lose the equivalent of several people’s wages.

He stared coldly at Li Lanfang, who knew she was in the wrong. Having just suspected Liunian, she now had no leg to stand on and fell silent.

Yellow Hair exclaimed: “Awesome! Cousin, you’re so smart! You’ve only been here a few days and you’ve got the accounts so clear?”

Everyone gathered around to look, including Li Lanfang and Liunian. Xing Wu walked behind Qingye and saw her Excel spreadsheet with dates, descriptions, income, expenses, balance, and handlers all clearly laid out. She had even noted small purchases like twenty-some yuan for store candy. With just a few clicks, Qingye could filter out how much money came from haircuts, perms, or dyes. The functions calculated everything, making each data point crystal clear.

Though these operations seemed very basic to Qingye, they appeared impressive to these poor students and to Li Lanfang and Liunian, who hadn’t even finished middle school.

Xing Wu, the only one who understood functions, couldn’t be as meticulous as Qingye in keeping the accounts so clear. A thoughtful light flickered in his eyes.

Li Lanfang called them to eat and invited Liunian to stay. They moved the barbershop chairs to the backyard around the wooden table. Xing Wu went to feed his grandmother first – she had a better appetite in the evening and ate quickly.

When he came out a while later, Qingye was sitting at the table with her chin propped up, listening to Yellow Hair and Fat Tiger’s endless boasting. Liunian listened with admiration, while Qingye remained calm.

Xing Wu kicked a chair over and sat down. Li Lanfang didn’t join the young people, taking her food inside to watch TV after cooking.

Yellow Hair opened the beer bottles. Liunian absolutely refused to drink, complaining about the bitterness, which made Yellow Hair laugh at his cowardice.

So they poured three glasses and Yellow Hair asked Qingye: “Hey cousin, want some?”

Xing Wu gave him a sideways glance: “Does she look like someone who drinks?”

Hearing this, Qingye became defiant: “Why can’t I drink? Does this beer have a label saying it’s exclusively for your county’s high school students?”

She handed a disposable cup to Yellow Hair: “Fill it up.”

Yellow Hair had never seen a young girl leave Wu-ge speechless like that. He burst out laughing and filled Qingye’s cup. Fat Tiger was also grinning, while Xing Wu shook his head and let them be.

Qingye raised her glass spiritedly and said: “Let’s drink!”

She then threw her head back and drank first in respect. Xing Wu frowned and scolded her: “Why drink so fast?”

Qingye finished her drink in one go and looked at him challengingly: “Your turn to drink.”

As Yellow Hair and Fat Tiger raised their glasses, Xing Wu also lifted his head and downed his drink. His drinking style was powerful – unlike Qingye’s gradual sipping, Xing Wu perfectly demonstrated what it meant to down it in one go.

When Li Lanfang came out to put away her bowl after eating and saw Qingye drinking, she said with surprise: “Oh my, you’re drinking too?”

After putting away the bowl, she came back out and added worriedly: “I’m going next door to play cards. Wuzi, keep an eye on Qingye, don’t let her drink too much.”

Xing Wu lounged back in his chair, lifting an eyelid: “Go ahead.”

Finally, Qingye didn’t have to eat only Li Lanfang’s cooking today – there were even braised dishes. Though they didn’t look great and couldn’t compare to the crispy skin and tender meat of Beijing roast duck, at least they were flavorful.

She had a good appetite and ate quite a bit. Yellow Hair poured her more beer and pushed the peanuts toward her: “Cousin, eat these – they’re perfect with beer.”

Qingye picked up one peanut with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, leaving the boys staring in amazement. In their area, people drinking beer would grab handfuls of peanuts and toss them in their mouths – they’d never seen someone eat peanuts so delicately.

Different upbringings showed: even sitting on a broken wooden bench, Qingye kept her back straight and maintained elegant posture. Even her way of drinking was pleasing to the eye, making the 4-yuan beer look like 4,000-yuan wine. Unlike these rough guys who sat and stood without proper form.

Yellow Hair and the others found it interesting and asked: “Cousin, your surname is quite rare, and so is your given name. How did your family come up with it?”

“Clear skies for ten thousand miles, and words shall be good.”

“What? What does that mean?” Yellow Hair heard this explanation that sounded like classical Chinese and was confused. He understood “clear skies for ten thousand miles,” but couldn’t figure out why it was connected to “words shall be good.”

Xing Wu also turned his head to look at Qingye, who explained calmly: “When your life has clear skies for ten thousand miles and your mind is open, the words you speak and the things you do will be positive, and only then can you become a better person.

My father gave me this name. When I was little, he told me that to become the kind of person you want to be, you must set foot on the right path – only then can you reach your destination.”

Xing Wu lowered his head and took a drink, his thick eyelashes shadowing the flickering light in his eyes. Clear skies for ten thousand miles, and words shall be good – but first there must be clear skies. The question that had been bothering him these past few days suddenly became clear. Why couldn’t people here be kind? Why did they speak harshly to each other, resent the world, and quibble over small matters? Because here the yellow sand filled the sky, and even the blazing sun was filtered through a layer of haze – without clear skies for ten thousand miles, how could words be good?

Liunian, half-understanding, asked: “So Qingye, what kind of person do you want to become?”

Qingye smiled faintly: “Me? I haven’t thought about the specifics yet, but I’ll probably work toward the University of Toronto’s business school. I think I can make a lot of money in the future, so I need to systematically study economic structures and business concepts.”

All the boys at the table laughed – someone had the mysterious confidence to say they’d make a lot of money in the future. Even Xing Wu’s lips curled up.

Fat Tiger stuttered: “But, but isn’t To-Toronto abroad?”

“In Canada,” Qingye told him.

Fat Tiger and Liunian stared at her with open mouths. In Zhazha Pavilion, the poorest part of this eighteenth-tier small county where they could barely guarantee basic living standards, going abroad was like a dream. They’d seen it on TV but never imagined it could have anything to do with themselves or the people around them.

So the word “Canada” made them look at Qingye with sudden respect.

Xing Wu lowered his eyes, his whole person very quiet. This was also the first time he’d heard about Qingye’s plans to study abroad. Actually, after seeing her previous life photos, studying abroad didn’t seem surprising for someone like her. However, hearing Qingye mention it herself, Xing Wu suddenly felt they were from two different worlds.

By her third glass, Qingye’s cheeks were flushed. Her porcelain-white face was tinged with a light blush, and when she smiled, an adorable dimple appeared at the corner of her lips. She was like the sky after rain – brilliant and dazzling, with a touch of proud disdain. Under the yellow light bulb, her whole person seemed to glow.

The biggest difference between her and the girls of Zhazha Pavilion was that she dared to dream and speak her mind. Like a treasure chest of a girl, she had endless stories that seemed strange to them, like the thrill of crossing canyons in a helicopter, or almost hitting a bird while riding in a hot air balloon with her father. Fat Tiger and the others listened with relish, staring at her with complete admiration, as if she were a goddess.

After a while, Qingye’s voice changed from its usual tone, taking on a coquettish, proud young girl’s flavor. Xing Wu looked up at her and noticed her large, liquid eyes had become dreamy and sparkling.

When Qingye raised her glass again, preparing to drink with Fat Tiger and the others, Xing Wu finally couldn’t help but reach out and press down her wrist: “That’s enough.”

Qingye was in high spirits from their conversation, and Xing Wu seemed like a killjoy. She pouted dissatisfiedly and turned to glare at him: “I can still drink, don’t try to control me.”

Xing Wu was stunned, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. Qingye’s voice had just been soft and sweet, like she was acting coy with him, and she even pouted? Was she drunk? Or was he drunk?