I Tied Up the Travel Check-In System - Chapter 20

“I’ve been doing okay lately. I’ve gotten a few orders, and things are better than before.” Tang Siqi naturally wouldn’t tell her father she’d been linked to a strange clock-in system, and that the dishwasher was a free gift.

“Even if it’s better than before, you can’t spend money recklessly. This dishwasher is so expensive, like a month’s salary, right? You should save some money at the beginning for emergencies. Also, your profession doesn’t have stable incomes, after all. If you’re a teacher or a civil servant…” Tang Ruiqing had thought about this before returning home. His daughter didn’t like him bringing up these things, but once he started, he couldn’t stop, and unknowingly swung back to the subject.

Hearing this, Tang Siqi felt a headache. “Okay, Dad, I’m not going to take the civil service exam, and being a teacher isn’t for me. I have something else to do. I’m going out for a while. You can try the dishwasher and see if it works. If there’s any problem, we can call someone back to fix it.”

Hearing his daughter leave again, Tang Ruiqing quickly stopped her, “Hey, dinner’s almost time. Where are you going?”

“I’m not going to finish dinner. I’m going to have pig offal noodles,” Tang Siqi said, and then she left.

Tang Ruiqing cursed angrily, “Go away, I’m too lazy to cook for you.”

But despite his stubbornness, he couldn’t help but walk over to the living balcony to examine the dishwasher.

It was the model he’d always dreamed of, but he’d never been able to afford it. Partly because he was truly strapped for cash, and partly because of pressure from his wife.

“Tell me, what do you usually do at home? Just wash dishes, and you need a dishwasher! Is it dirty or tiring? Why don’t you try cooking, washing clothes, and doing housework?”

Tang Ruiqing looked at the dishwasher, and when he remembered that his daughter had bought it for him, he felt a surge of joy and pride. Humming a little tune, he pulled out his phone and called Old Xu.

“Hey, how do you use this dishwasher? Young people are so clueless. Why buy such an expensive thing? It’s a waste of money, isn’t it? And why do we need a dishwasher? We’re an old couple at home, and we only have a few dishes. And you’re making us throw the pots in there too? Don’t you think we know how to live?”

…

Tang Siqi, who had already left, was naturally unaware of this scene. She went to her favorite noodle shop and ordered a bowl of pig’s intestine noodles, which she had longed for.

Pig’s intestine noodles are a famous Wenzhou snack, and many people who have left their homes yearn for this bowl of pig’s intestine noodles no matter where they go.

The noodles looked ordinary: noodles at the bottom, topped with pig’s intestines and blood, and a few scallions.

But the taste was undeniable. One bite and Tang Siqi felt completely refreshed.

The most amazing thing about pig’s intestines and blood is that they are tender and flavorful. Many people are resistant to pig’s intestines because they’re considered unclean, but this pig’s intestine noodles don’t need to worry about that; they’re washed super clean.

Not to mention the tender, springy pig’s blood—

it’s irresistible. Another sip of the noodles drizzled with the broth is simply intoxicating!

The price is quite reasonable compared to Shanghai prices, too: a bowl of pig’s organ noodles is only ten yuan—a steal.

With one final sip of the soup, Tang Siqi felt like she was on a limb, her earlier minor annoyance vanishing.

She’d been mentally prepared for this conversation with her father. It was a good thing, since he wasn’t very active. If her mother were home…

even with the triple gold coin card, she might not have dared to come back.

The blind date banquet she’d been arranged to attend during the Lunar New Year had left a deep scar on her young mind.

This time, she only dared to sneak back after hearing that her mother was on a group tour for those in her twilight years.

Tang Siqi glanced at her WeChat Sports app and was amused.

Her usually energetic father had only walked less than 20,000 steps today, and his step count hadn’t increased since last night. He must have been poring over the dishwasher’s manual with his reading glasses.

After finishing a bowl of pig’s organ noodles, Tang Siqi continued to check in.

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully checked in for “Cangqiao Pig’s Organ Noodles” and received an A-level rating. The system rewards you with 24 hours of health, 300 gold coins (using a triple gold card), a total wealth of 427 gold coins, and remaining health: 133 hours.]

After finishing a bowl of pig’s organ noodles, Tang Siqi stood up and burped.

She’d eaten a bit too much today. Today was the last day of her seven-day challenge to be the number one in WeChat Moments exercise. She hadn’t walked many steps today, so to unlock all sorts of delicious desserts, Tang Siqi decided to give it her all and began frantically racking up her steps throughout the streets of Wenzhou.

After nearly two hours of racking up her number, she finally secured her spot at the top. Before heading home, she stopped by for another bowl of fish ball soup.

Despite the name, fish ball soup is actually made of long, thin strips of fish.

This place is open from 8 a.m. to midnight and is incredibly popular. Whenever she passed by, she could always see a long line.

Tang Siqi had wandered around for a while and felt hungry again. It was all just an excuse; she’d just been craving something while passing by.

Luckily, the line wasn’t too long today, and Tang Siqi waited just over ten minutes before getting in line.

Besides fish ball soup, this place also offers fish cakes, fish jelly, lean meatballs, and more, but she happily opted for the fish ball soup, its signature dish.

Holding her bowl of fish ball soup, Tang Siqi didn’t rush to eat the balls, but first savored the broth. The broth was still incredibly delicious.

Made from catfish, the fish balls had a springy texture that only grew more flavorful with each sip.

While the place was busy, it was small, and everyone was sitting crammed together. The table next to her had even ordered ice cream and egg yolks. As she ate her fish ball soup, Tang Siqi watched longingly as the table next to her ate their dessert.

But forget it, it was already evening; ice cream was too sinful.

After finishing her bowl of fish ball soup, Tang Siqi left immediately, not wanting to linger any longer, as she’d otherwise have wanted to order something else.

[Congratulations to the host! You’ve successfully clocked in at “Chen Hui Fishball Shop” and received an A-level rating. The system rewards you with 24 hours of health, 300 gold coins (using the Triple Gold Card), a total wealth of 727 gold coins, and 155 hours of remaining health.]

Wow, her life balance is now over 6 days. This means she’ll basically avoid sudden death as long as she keeps clocking in. That’s awesome!

And the Triple Gold Card is awesome! When she bought the dishwasher, her gold balance was almost gone, but now she has over 700 gold coins back. Keep working hard today and try to get both the high-performance laptop and the king crab.

[Congratulations to the host! You’ve completed the “Achieve the Most Steps in WeChat Moments for a Week” mission. The system rewards you with 300 gold coins, a total wealth of 1027 gold coins, and you’ve unlocked the ability to redeem various desserts in the Gold Mall.]

Wow, done!

She’ll finally never miss out on any desserts she encounters!

Tang Siqi returned home contentedly, and her father was still tinkering with the dishwasher on the living room balcony.

“Dad, I’m back. What’s wrong with the dishwasher?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. It cleans pretty well.” Tang Ruiqing pulled a glass from the dishwasher.

It was just a little too clean, and he was still tinkering because he had never seen a glass at home so clean. No matter how hard he washed it himself, there would always be water stains.

However, after the initial excitement, Tang Ruiqing still felt uncomfortable. With his hands behind his back, he paced to the living room and caught Tang Siqi who was about to slip back to her room: “Siqi, come here and sit down.”

Tang Siqi walked over with her head held high.

“How do you like the textbooks for the civil service exam I sent you earlier?” Tang Ruiqing asked.

Tang Siqi’s heart skipped a beat. What she feared was coming true.

But at this point, she had no plans to take the civil service exam, so she could only tell the truth: “I don’t want to take the civil service exam. It would be a waste to keep those textbooks lying around. I sold them online. I didn’t lose much money, but I sold them at 20% off the original price.”

Tang Ruiqing choked. Although he had been mentally prepared, he couldn’t help but get angry when he heard his daughter say that she was going to sell all the textbooks.

“What are you planning on doing?” He held his breath.

Tang Siqi knew that she could not avoid her father’s questioning when she came back this time, so she could only bite the bullet and say, “Dad, I’m doing pretty well as a painter now.”

“Pretty well!? But you are a freelancer. After all, your income is unstable, you don’t have five social insurances and three housing funds, and you have no security. What will you do in the future? Who will provide you with retirement?”

Tang Siqi quickly said, “Dad, I have thought about it. I will get myself a flexible employment social security and buy medical insurance later. You can rest assured. In terms of income, my current situation is indeed not very good, but I have been working hard these days.”

Tang Ruiqing snorted coldly, “I have watched you grow up since you were a child. Don’t I know what kind of personality you have? You are usually slow in doing things. You don’t want to stand when you can sit, and you don’t want to sit when you can lie down. I’m afraid that you will be bored at home all day, and you don’t have the ability to be self-disciplined. What’s wrong with being a civil servant? It’s easier, and your life is guaranteed. It suits you better than any freelance job.”

Tang Siqi and her father have had similar conversations many times, but they always ended in a bad mood.

The reason was that Tang Ruiqing felt Tang Siqi lacked the self-control to succeed as a freelancer, and Tang Siqi, in turn, lacked the ability to prove herself.

This time, as the conversation was about to reach another impasse, Tang Siqi suddenly remembered something. She pulled out her phone and pulled out some of her recent drawings. “Dad, look, I haven’t been relaxing lately. These are all the works I created while traveling. This Wusongkou sunrise painting got me a cover commission, and these amusement park paintings, the boss saw them and gave me 2,000 yuan as a reward. Dad, I’ve been really working hard lately. Can you please be more supportive and stop constantly nagging me?”

Tang Ruiqing had a plan in mind, but he was unknowingly drawn to his daughter’s recent work.

From her work, he could see that his daughter’s life wasn’t as isolated as he’d imagined. Instead, it was much better than her previous homebound existence. She had not only traveled extensively but also created artwork inspired by those places.

Furthermore, Tang Siqi had indeed used her own earnings to buy him a dishwasher, so he suddenly found it difficult to object.

“Anyway, you should think about what I said. Dad is also thinking about you.” Tang Ruiqing’s tone softened, which was rare.

Tang Siqi did not give in at all: “Dad, I know you are thinking about me, but I have grown up. I have things I want to do. I hope you can support me.”

Tang Ruiqing was silent, with a dark face, and was led into the bedroom.

The conversation ended.

Tang Siqi breathed a sigh of relief. With this reaction, did her father temporarily convince her to stop asking questions, or did he just let it go and continue tomorrow?