CHAPTER 264: CHAPTER 264 DON’T LOOK BACK AT THE PAST, HERE’S TO THE FUTURE

When their crying had stopped, she said, "I only got out over a year ago, more desperate than all of you because I was burdened with a huge penalty.

"I’ve experienced the despair of life after prison. Now that I feel I have some capability, I couldn’t let you suffer as I did.

"I’m offering you free housing, cell phones, and ten thousand yuan each.

"I’m giving you a month to adapt to life outside and to think about how you’ll make a living in the future.

"I hope you can leave the despair and suffocation of the past behind. You’ve been punished as you deserved. Now, live well.

"Otherwise, it would be a disservice to the suffering you’ve endured."

Finally, she turned her gaze to Shen Yao. "You’re still young. If you want to study, you can take the adult college entrance exam."

Shen Yao lifted her small face. "Can I still study? But I want to help you."

Back then, when she was bullied, it was Sister Bing who taught her to fight back. She had always wanted to repay Sister Bing. But upon her release, it was Sister Bing who gave her so much.

"You need to expand your horizons."

Fu Bing looked at Aunt Zhang and Sister Liu. "Both of you are skilled and hard-working. If you’re mentally prepared to partner up and start a small restaurant, I can lend you the capital. You can pay me back when you have the money."

Aunt Zhang hurriedly waved her hands. "You’ve already helped so much. Little Liu and I will figure something out on our own. We can’t have you arrange everything."

Sister Liu’s eyes reddened. "Yes, it’s already incredibly kind of you to help us take this first step. We can’t be greedy."

Shen Yao also nodded repeatedly. "Sister Bing, just you coming to pick us up the moment we got out and giving us such a nice place to stay is enough. We can walk the rest of the way ourselves."

Zhang Jing looked at Fu Bing. "Sister Bing, if you ever need us to do anything in the future, just say it. We’ll try our best to help you. I’m not as smart as Xiaoyao, nor do I have skills like Aunt Zhang and Sister Liu. I know how to fight; I can protect you up close."

Fu Bing smiled. "Thank you for wanting to protect me."

She looked around at everyone. "If you can build stable lives for yourselves, then what Aunt Ning and I have done will have been worthwhile."

As they spoke, hotel staff entered to set out the meal—a lavish spread of dishes none of them had ever tasted. Once everything was prepared, the staff departed with utmost professionalism.

Shen Yao and the others quietly teared up again as they took their seats at Fu Bing’s gesture.

Once the drinks were poured, Fu Bing stood up, holding her glass.

"Don’t look back on the past. To the future!"

"To the future!"

The group shouted loudly.

The potent liquor burned their throats as they looked at each other.

The long-missed sense of freedom permeated their bodies.

The shackles of their past seemed to vanish completely in that moment.

Their lives were beginning anew.

This beginning excited them and filled them with anticipation.

Shen Yao, still young, couldn’t help but start crying again.

After eating with them, Fu Bing left with Aunt Ning.

It was only once they were in the car that Aunt Ning voiced a hint of her concern.

"Xiaobing, aren’t you afraid they’ll become greedy in the future?"

"If one does nothing for fear of betrayal, that would be a real shame," Fu Bing said, watching the road ahead as she gripped the steering wheel.

"I still prefer to have control over my own life."

Seeing her determination, Aunt Ning said no more.

Xiaobing had been both fortunate and unfortunate over the years. The people she truly accepted had, in turn, been very good to her.

Shen Yao was the quickest to get the hang of using a cell phone. Fu Bing had arranged for Jian Si to check in on them occasionally.

Shen Yao planned her time well, spending half of each day riding the bus around, getting to know Jiangcheng. The rest of her time was spent reading.

Under Jian Si’s guidance, she learned to use various apps proficiently.

She briefly lost herself in various movie, novel, and shopping apps but soon snapped out of it.

She discovered many novel apps that offered a vast array of books for free.

She had decided on her future direction.

She would study.

She realized that the more she read, the better she could assist Sister Bing and the further she could accompany her in the future. But she couldn’t rely on Sister Bing to support her indefinitely.

She found out she could write novels.

Once she had a goal, she shared it with Aunt Zhang, Sister Liu, Liu Erni, and Zhang Jing.

Aunt Zhang immediately said, "Alright, alright! From now on, you don’t need to do any chores. Just focus on reading and writing every day. We’ll take care of everything else."

「The next day.」

Sister Liu chatted with the older women in the neighborhood, mentioning that her family needed an old computer.

As luck would have it, one of the women’s sons was upgrading his computer and sold them his old one at a favorable price.

Shen Yao began writing her first book that very night.

At first, she didn’t have much hope. She’d be happy just to secure a contract.

She was eager to sign a contract quickly. With her clear outline and a few online web novel classes she’d taken, she knew the barrier to entry in this field was quite low.

Every day, she devoted all her time, except for eating and sleeping, to her novel.

During her years in prison, she had mostly watched patriotic films and war movies.

Therefore, she chose this genre for her writing.

Each story ranged from ten to thirty thousand characters in length.

In six days, she wrote three short stories.

After reviewing them, the website signed her to a contract with a minimum guarantee.

As a newcomer, her rate was only 20 yuan per thousand characters.

But Shen Yao was very happy.

Three stories, totaling sixty thousand characters, earned her a manuscript fee of 1,200 yuan.

If they were popular, there would be more manuscript fees to come.

The computer had cost her 2,000 yuan.

Worried about being taken advantage of, Shen Yao didn’t dare to commit to just one company.

So, after reading hundreds of long-form novels, she started writing one herself.

She found that most long-form novels were quite similar, with many recurring plot points.

After organizing her direction and goals, she began her first long-form novel.

She wrote in the "CEO" genre.

Data showed that this topic was the most profitable.

She immediately rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

For long-form novels, one typically writes ten to thirty thousand characters first, then seeks a contract with a company.

If she couldn’t find a submission portal, she would directly publish it on the website.

When her character count reached thirty thousand, a staff member from the website contacted her about signing a contract.

After signing the contract via the website’s backend system, she began updating the story at a rapid pace of twenty thousand characters a day.

Sometimes, when inspiration struck, she’d write even more.

Seeing her work so hard, Aunt Zhang and the others took care of the household chores to prevent her from getting distracted.

When Shen Yao’s novel reached five hundred thousand characters, it received a good promotional feature.

The promotion was very effective. When Shen Yao saw her daily earnings in the site’s backend, she couldn’t help but cry.

She... It seemed like... she could actually make money!

The daily earnings displayed in the backend read: 1,023.45 yuan.

She didn’t dare to dream of earning this much every day.

Even if she only had a few such days a month, she could support herself through her own efforts and pursue her studies with peace of mind.

Shen Yao’s progress also motivated others.

Zhang Jing knew she wasn’t cut out for academics, so she bought a used electric scooter and started delivering food.

She was quick on her feet and naturally bold. Delivering food was strenuous, but she earned a decent amount.

She also hoped this physical labor would build her strength and improve her combat skills, so she could accompany Sister Bing in various situations in the future.

Aunt Zhang and Sister Liu, on the other hand, started with a small food stall.

They went to the second-hand market and bought a food cart.

They made snacks like lemon-phoenix claws, duck feet, salt-and-pepper duck heads, and savory crepes.

Initially, they did small trial batches, sharing their food with neighbors in the complex, who all raved about it.

Prompted by their neighbors and the residents’ committee, they applied for and received their hygiene permit and business license.

And so, their small food cart officially began operations.