Chapter 7 Can I still be the Empress?
A gleam flashed in Song Wu's eyes, and without even thinking, she voiced her wish: "I want to open a big restaurant!"
She smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled somewhat shyly: "Madam Lu, please don't laugh at me. Although I had some reputation in Lin'an when I was alive, it was just a mediocre eatery, far inferior to grand restaurants like Fenglelou and Xichunlou."
Moreover, Fenglelou Restaurant was not far from her family's eatery. Every time she saw its magnificent buildings and throngs of customers, Sister-in-law Song was filled with envy. If her family had managed it well, perhaps it could have become a grand restaurant in another ten years or so. Unfortunately, she passed away from illness before that day came.
It's a lifelong regret.
When Lu Xiaoqi first heard this, she was taken aback. How much money would it cost to open a big restaurant? But she immediately remembered that she now owned a small town. Once the town opened, there would have to be a restaurant inside, right?
So she said with great confidence, "No problem, you'll be in charge of the big restaurant in the ancient town."
Book the chef first.
Song Wu's wife was overjoyed: "Then I'll thank you in advance, Madam Lu."
The two turned to Zhao Feiyan.
Zhao Feiyan sighed softly and said quietly, "I don't even know what my wish is..."
She was somewhat bewildered.
At first, she practiced dancing diligently every day, simply to support herself and her younger sister. Later, she wanted a better life for the two sisters. Then, she wanted to become empress; only by becoming empress could she secure her life and a good life in the palace. Finally, she wanted a child; only by having a child could she maintain her position as empress...
One thing leads to another; just when you think you can finally stand firm and relax, the people around you pull you up and forward.
When will this finally end?
Even after she was demoted to a commoner and committed suicide in the cemetery, she remained in a daze.
So now, when Lu Xiaoqi asks her what her wish is, Zhao Feiyan is just at a loss.
Her brows furrowed slightly, evoking pity, as she slowly said, "Actually, all I want is to be a peaceful and stable empress..."
But things didn't go as planned.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaoqi's vision went black, and she immediately withdrew the pity she had just felt.
Damn it!
The system notification, though delayed, will eventually arrive:
"Ding-dong. You have two new side quests to complete."
"Task 1: The wish of Song Wu Sao, a character from the SR card game - to open a grand restaurant that is always packed with customers."
"Task Two: The wish of Zhao Yizhu, an SSR card character—to become the empress."
"After completing the first task, the card character has a chance to be upgraded to SSR, and the player will receive a restaurant construction blueprint."
"Upon completion of Task Two, the card character will gain a related ability. Players will also receive a corresponding reward—1/3 of the 'Qinghe Ancient Town' building heart."
Lu Xiaoqi had already forgotten the ecstasy of hearing about the million-dollar cash prize. She frantically tapped the system: "I want to appeal! This is an impossible task! Is this reasonable? Is this reasonable?!"
How could she possibly keep Zhao Feiyan as empress?! Killing her wouldn't do it.
System: "In a sense, SSRs are merely an obsession they held in real history, not their actual physical forms. And their wishes are often related to these obsessions. Therefore, this is reasonable."
This is why Zhao Feiyan looks so young, as if she's still at the peak of her youth. It was just an obsession she held onto.
Lu Xiaoqi was exasperated: "No matter how determined she is, there's nothing I can do!"
"Player, rest assured, the system won't give you impossible tasks. Sometimes, what you need to overcome an obsession isn't fulfillment, but resolution." The system seemed to be implying something, then changed its tone and began to cheer her on, though it sounded rather sarcastic: "It's all about human effort, I believe in you, you can do it!"
Can it be resolved?
Lu Xiaoqi took a deep breath, finally calming down a bit, and looked thoughtful.
Becoming an empress... After recovering from the initial shock, her mind started to work again... According to the system, could she try to take a shortcut?
Seeing the unpredictable changes in her expression, Zhao Feiyan cautiously asked, "If it's difficult, how about... I choose another wish?"
Lu Xiaoqi hurriedly waved her hand: "No need, no need, this is fine."
What if they switch to an even more difficult one?
Looking at it from another angle, Yuwen Kai's obsession was architecture, Song Wu Sao's obsession was her career, and Zhao Feiyan's obsession... well, who can help but praise her for her strong work ethic?
"If my wish is fulfilled, I will obtain the skill 'Dance of the Beauty'," Zhao Feiyan replied truthfully after glancing at the system. Although she didn't understand its meaning, she roughly knew it must be something good, which made her feel a little less guilty.
Song Wu Sao wasn't quite familiar with her system yet. After frantically looking at it for a while, she was a little frustrated: "It only gave me a hint that there's a chance I'll upgrade to SSR." However, she was an optimist, and after looking at her current abilities, she was quite satisfied: "I am indeed quite good at cooking fish and shrimp."
Lu Xiaoqi comforted her, "That's good. Take it slow. Maybe there will be other opportunities later."
After giving the two a few instructions, Lu Xiaoqi brought them toiletries, making several trips back and forth to make sure they had mastered the basic uses of some of the items in the room before finally going home with peace of mind.
It's already late at night.
Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan were fascinated by everything in the room, even the simplest light bulb, which they switched on and off several times.
The security guard on patrol noticed that the light in a room on the tenth floor kept flickering on and off, repeating this several times. He thought the light was broken or there was a problem inside the room, and was about to go up and check when the light finally stayed on.
He was relieved; the child was probably just playing.
At that moment, Lu Xiaoqi was immersed in the joy of receiving the mission reward. Just as she stepped inside her house, a message arrived from the system:
"Congratulations, player! Your weekly task: Select three NPC characters and settle them properly has been completed. Task rewards are being distributed."
Almost simultaneously, she received a new bank text message on her phone, showing that 10,000 yuan had been deposited into her account, and her current balance was 30,350 yuan.
Lu Xiaoqi was so excited that she urged the system, "What about the next weekly task?"
I can't wait!
System: "...Weekly tasks are issued every seven days on a seven-day cycle."
Lu Xiaoqi: "Okay."
His tone was full of regret.
She remembered something and asked the system, "What are the criteria for judging whether a character is SSR or SR?"
Yuwen Kai and Zhao Feiyan are both SSR characters, while Song Wu Sao is only an SR character.
The system replied: "It's based on the marks and impact they left on history during their lifetimes."
It was vague, but it matched what Lu Xiaoqi had guessed—Yuwen Kai and Zhao Feiyan were both recorded in historical books, with considerable coverage, while Song Wu Sao was just a character in folk tales, so her mark on history was probably not as deep as the former.
However, what they have in common is that each of them is a leader in their respective fields, an absolute master-level professional.
Lu Xiaoqi recalled her initial exchanges with the "Multiverse Technology Promotion Committee." Their original intention was to promote traditional Chinese culture, so was that the standard for their selection of card characters?
And R-cards might be those ordinary people who possess exceptional skills but remain historically unknown, disappearing without a trace. They represent the majority of the world's population.
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but fall silent.
However... she thought again, if she could really open up Qinghe Ancient Town, let these wonderful skills reappear in the world, and let these drawn card characters continue to play their remaining role, that would be a very dreamy and fulfilling thing.
After being pumped up, Lu Xiaoqi felt full of fighting spirit and was ready to go to Qinghe Ancient Town tomorrow to make a big splash.
Her ambitions came to an end with a phone call from the agent.
Upon hearing the price quoted on the other end, Lu Xiaoqi nearly slammed her fist on the table: "This is outrageous! This is highway robbery!"
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