Xia Chuhe picked out a few iron blocks and quoted a price of thirty catties of food.

The black woman remained unfazed.

Xingxing whispered, "Mom, I'll write it down."

Xingxing took out the ledger and winked at Xia Chuhe.

Xia Chuhe went over and took a look; the ledger was filled with entries:

White fox, copper, twenty catties of food

Yellow flowers, wood, and fifteen catties of food

Meili, paper, fifty pounds of food

...

Xia Chuhe understood. This wasn't an account book at all; it was clearly a list of people who had sponsored Xingxing!

Xia Chuhe said in a low voice, "Remember this, farmer."

The star noted: [Farmer, Iron, 30 jin of food]

After Xingxing finished writing, she handed the ledger to Heiniu: "Mom, take a look."

The black girl glanced at it casually and nodded.

Xia Chuhe: "..."

When Xingxing handed over the ledger, the words were displayed upside down in front of Hei Niu! Hei Niu couldn't read at all!

But did Blackie really not know the oddities involved?

She's been scavenging for trash near Dream City for two or three decades. She's only kept the star she found for about ten years; how could Blackie be completely unaware of the normal price of recyclables?

Xia Chuhe did not expose this.

Xingxing's actions were like painting a huge pie in the sky for everyone—her mother, her siblings, and all those who invested in her.

If Xingxing loses in the Dream Star election, she will be seen as a complete fraud.

...

That night, everyone stayed at the white cat's house.

Li Yue found a small trading market in Dream City where people were selling energy converters.

Li Yue didn't know the model of the machine, and the seller's price was too high, so she asked Xia Chuhe to take a look again tomorrow to avoid buying the wrong thing.

Xia Chuhe: "How many does the seller want?"

Li Yue: "The hard currency here is food; he asked for 100 jin right off the bat."

Li Qiusheng interjected, "A hundred catties can be exchanged for an energy converter, as long as it doesn't break. You don't know, today there was a young girl who asked for a hundred catties of food as a donation."

Li Qiusheng embellished the story about the stars.

Li Yue was taken aback: "Are you talking about someone I've met before?"

She had only met Xingxing once, and she never imagined that beneath the girl's well-behaved appearance, she was so intelligent, greedy, and ambitious.

Thinking of what the stars looked like, Li Yue smiled self-deprecatingly, realizing that she was the only fool who had been someone's kept bird for decades.

As the group was chatting, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the White Cat's house.

"Ms. Bai, are you home? I have a favor to ask!"

The door opened.

Two people stood outside. One was a middle-aged woman, dressed in worn but decent clothes, carrying a bulging cloth bag. The other was an androgynous boy, with delicate features and brand-new clothes. He wore a fine shirt with the collar slightly open, two long ribbons hanging loosely from the collar at his chest. He wore slim-fitting trousers that resembled jeans, accentuating his round and pert buttocks.

The woman shoved the cloth bag into the white cat's hands: "Ms. Bai, I'm so sorry to bother you so late. But Xiao Mi's father, Captain White Weasel, hasn't returned to the city yet, and Xiao Mi is worried that he might encounter danger outside."

I vaguely heard the word "weasel." This person was the representative of Dream City who had repeatedly made things difficult for Xia Chuhe and the others, and was eventually trapped in a sand pit by Li Qiusheng.

Li Qiusheng perked up, dove into the ground, quietly crept to the door, and secured the best spot to eat melon seeds.

Xia Chuhe and the others leaned silently against the door, listening to them talk.

Bai Xiaomi caught a glimpse of Xia Chuhe and the others, and subconsciously pulled her collar up, wrapping the ribbon around her neck and tying it into a bow.

The ribbon was cleverly designed, just enough to cover Bai Xiaomi's Adam's apple.

The white cat asked, "What happened?"

Woman: "Captain White Weasel's car is stuck on the road, and all the tow trucks in the city are busy. Could you please go and talk to him?"

The white cat did not answer.

Bai Xiaomi called out softly, "Auntie."

Its voice was hoarse and shrill, not even as pleasant as a duck's quack.

White Cat sighed, "I'll call the construction team and have them tow the weasel's car out on their motorcycles."

...

"aunt."

Li Qiusheng deliberately lowered his voice and imitated Bai Xiaomi's speech in a hoarse tone.

"I thought he was mute. Turns out he's going through puberty. He must be carrying a lot of mental burden."

Xia Chuhe laughed and said, "Did you see what he looks like? We can't see him clearly from here."

Li Qiusheng: "I saw it, it's no less beautiful than the stars."

Bu Yi said, "We're making two preparations, but Ms. White Cat has probably made more than a dozen."

The group realized that no matter who it was, as long as they had some looks, the white cat would lend a hand. They wondered what benefits Mengxing could bring her.

...

The next morning, the group got ready and prepared to go to the market to buy an energy converter.

The white cat then called the group into the hall.

There was a large blackboard in the hall, on which little figures were drawn in chalk. With just a few strokes, the spirit of Xia Chuhe and the others was fully captured.

The white cat, holding a long pole, pointed at the bald, handsome little man and looked at Lu Dangui: "Go buy a wig, at least past your shoulders, black or brown."

Pointing to the burly little man, he looked at Xia Chuhe and said, "Go and buy some loose-fitting clothes that will cover your upper arms."

"..."

The white cat gave everyone some pointers, stuffing them all into the white, thin, and delicate shell.

Finally, she looked at Zhu Guanshan and said, "If you have nothing else to do, don't go out. I'm going to reform you properly."

Zhu Guanshan looked to Xia Chuhe for help.

The white cat darted forward, blocking Zhu Guanshan's view, and said sternly, "You are stars I've invested in. From today until the Dream Star Election ends, I have the right to transform you. And every bit of effort I put into you must be rewarded. Understand?!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!