Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Money
"Really?"
Zhang Wenda looked at the rabbit before him, a bit surprised. An unexpected reward.
But it made sense. After all, if something had happened to so many children, this guy would have definitely been in trouble. You could say Zhang Wenda had helped him keep his job, so it was only natural for him to be grateful.
’What kind of reward will he give me?’ Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but wonder. In this bizarre world, it wouldn’t be strange for even more ridiculous things to appear.
The rabbit, clearly unaware of Zhang Wenda’s inner drama, continued, "But it’s getting late. How about this, Teacher will go collect the items first and let the other children go back to sleep? I’ll give you your reward separately later, so the other kids don’t feel it’s unfair."
Without waiting for Zhang Wenda’s reply, the rabbit turned and walked away.
’Items?’ Zhang Wenda then saw the other students emptying their bags. They were taking out all the things they had collected in various containers at the Youth Palace, including the white Go stones from the Go room.
The rabbit pulled a shoebox out from a pile of junk nearby and began collecting the items from the students one by one.
Watching this, Zhang Wenda suddenly remembered that their group had gone to the Youth Palace with a mission.
"Speaking of which, I think I have some too," Zhang Wenda said, placing his schoolbag on the ground and pulling out a plastic bag filled with white Go stones.
Compared to the other students, he clearly had the most white stones.
’By the way, if the black Go stones are the Youth Palace’s eyes, then what are the white ones? Taking them all away won’t affect anything, will it?’ Zhang Wenda felt a little worried for the Youth Palace.
There weren’t many students in line, so it was Zhang Wenda’s turn quickly.
When he saw the plastic bag in Zhang Wenda’s hands, Teacher Rabbit seemed a little surprised, his tone rising involuntarily. "So many? Did you collect all these yourself? You’re amazing."
Zhang Wenda didn’t respond. He remembered being told before entering the Youth Palace that there was a reward for this stuff too.
He then watched as the rabbit took the white Go stones, reached into the pocket of its plush body, and pulled out a crumpled 50-cent bill, handing it to Zhang Wenda.
Zhang Wenda stared, dumbfounded, at the 50-cent bill, then looked up at the rabbit, as if he were seeing his once-detestable old boss.
’I go through all that trouble to find this stuff, and all I get is fifty cents?! Does this rabbit know anything besides making empty promises?’
"Haozi, hurry and take it! You can buy two lollipops with fifty cents," Xiaopang said from the side. Hearing this, Zhang Wenda’s dissatisfaction eased slightly.
As long as it could be exchanged for candy, it was fine. By that logic, a big red lollipop that could heal wounds cost twenty-five cents. Zhang Wenda was beginning to get a preliminary understanding of the prices and currency in this strange world.
"Oh, right, I have some of this left." Zhang Wenda pulled a bottle of Liquid Happiness from his bag. He had already drunk more than half of the once-full bottle, leaving only about a quarter.
Still, operating on the principle that every little bit counts, Zhang Wenda handed it to the rabbit.
The rabbit took it with some surprise, uncapped it, held it near its tripartite lip to sniff, and then, to Zhang Wenda’s astonishment, handed it back. "You can drink this yourself."
"Why? You guys don’t want this?" Zhang Wenda was extremely surprised by its reaction.
"Liquid Happiness can only be harvested from happiness when one is happy. You can’t find happiness by seeking it with a utilitarian mindset."
"There’s a rule like that?" Zhang Wenda’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the rabbit. ’Sometimes, I really don’t get the logic of this world.’
But then, he suddenly grasped another line of reasoning. "So that’s why you specifically send students to have fun at the Youth Palace? Only they can find true Liquid Happiness?"
The rabbit just chuckled softly. It reached out, gave Zhang Wenda’s head a firm pat, and then continued with its work.
His head aching from the pat, Zhang Wenda took two steps back, clutching his head. He watched the rabbit collect things from the other students, occasionally giving out ten or twenty cents.
Right now, he had only one thought: his plan to monopolize the lollipop industry was a complete bust. Trying to be like his old boss and finding a bunch of college students to work as interns wouldn’t fly in this world. The Liquid Happiness they collected would probably be bitter.
He swished the Liquid Happiness in his hand, thinking resentfully, ’Why won’t they take it? It’s still effective. Drinking it makes you happy, too.’
Holding the small bottle up to the lightbulb, Zhang Wenda offered it to the black cat on his left shoulder. "You want a drink?"
The black cat cautiously leaned in, sniffed with its black nose, then disdainfully batted the bottle with its paw. PANG. PANG. PANG.
"Fine, you don’t want it. Neither of you wants it. I’ll just keep it myself and use it as a painkiller." Feeling indignant that the fruits of his labor were unappreciated, Zhang Wenda put the Liquid Happiness back in his bag.
Feeling tired, he sat on the floor and looked at the black cat on his shoulder. "Hey, what exactly are you? Why were you at the Youth Palace?"
The black cat twitched its ears but didn’t respond.
"Since you weren’t affected by Old Ding, you must not be a native creature of the Youth Palace, right? Otherwise, to me, you’d look like a chalkboard eraser or a trash can." Zhang Wenda reached out and gently scratched the cat’s chin.
The black cat immediately squinted, tilted its head back slightly, and let out a rumbling sound. PURRRRRR.
"You seem to know the Youth Palace pretty well. Do you come here often?" Zhang Wenda asked again. "How about I adopt you? Come home with me. My place isn’t big, but it’s more than enough for one cat."
Suddenly, the black cat’s body went taut. As if sensing something, its pricked ears swiveled back and forth.
Before Zhang Wenda could react, the black cat pushed off his shoulder with a powerful kick, turning into a black blur that vanished up the stairs and out of sight.
Watching the black cat leave without a backward glance, Zhang Wenda felt a pang in his heart. His offer of adoption had been ruthlessly rejected by a cat.
"Haozi, we’re leaving! See you tomorrow!" As the other students left in twos and threes, the basement started to feel much more empty.
When he saw that the moles had also left, leaving just him and the rabbit, the empty, cold surroundings made him feel a little creeped out.
He watched the plush rabbit organizing its goods. The thought that it wanted to give him something "separately" made his heart pound with suspense. ’He wasn’t speaking ironically, was he?’
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