Chapter 4: Moving Out Overnight
When Long Yin left the recycling station, he headed straight for the Federal Branch Bureau. In this small town, the Federal Branch was the grandest, most imposing building. He pushed open the door and saw an older woman slumped over the counter, sound asleep. It made sense—while other places might have plenty of business, here, one case in ten days was considered a lot. Long Yin had no intention of disturbing her and walked instead to the intelligent self-service machine.
Standing before the machine, the platform automatically lowered. Long Yin placed his palm on it, and in less than three seconds, his information appeared on the screen.
Long Yin. Male. Four years old. Family members: parents deceased. Eldest sister, Long Qin, twenty-five. Second sister, Long Qi, fifteen. Family situation: no housing, no vehicle, outstanding loan. Currently residing in a low-grade rental in Reck Village, District D, Yunzhou. Rental contract: five years.
Seeing this information, Long Yin couldn't help but rub his brow. The rental contract had only one year left. They were just a step away from being exiled from Yunzhou. Both his sisters were buried in debt, and the contract’s final year was upon them. Had they forgotten this crucial detail? They lived in Yunzhou’s worst rental; if they failed to pay rent, they'd be expelled. Once exiled, they would never be allowed back, and their black mark would be posted on the Federal Central Computer across all state networks. Many faced this fate each year, but Long Yin had no wish to become famous this way.
He sighed deeply. What else could he do? He was their little brother, after all. He tapped open the debt details, and his eyes widened instantly. Someone explain to him why the screen showed a debt of 45,400 gold coins. He rubbed his eyes and looked again—now it was 49,999! Trembling, he opened his eldest sister’s debt record. Well, she’d bought a handkerchief for three thousand gold coins? A handkerchief? Three thousand gold coins? With that much, you could make a scarf out of gold. When he got home, the handkerchief had better be made of crystal, or else... or else... Well, he’d lost his temper. And what about the 1,599 gold coins? He checked his second sister’s debt: as expected, compensation for breaking the village chief’s son’s head—medical expenses, 1,599 gold coins.
49,999, huh? At least one gold coin remained—which meant a hundred silver coins, ten thousand copper coins. But how did the previous 45,400 come about? He opened the details one by one, and his eyes almost popped out. His sisters had lived in Yunzhou’s District A, in a high-grade rental? For three years! Thirty thousand gold coins! His arrival had bankrupted them, forcing them to move to District D. Or perhaps there was no “bankruptcy”—maybe his sisters had tried to dodge rent and ended up in District D? The record showed thirty thousand gold coins of unpaid rent. Not a single coin paid! Thirty thousand gold coins, gone. Well, Long Yin didn’t want to look further; he feared he’d cough blood. Forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine in loans? Pay it all, and be done!
He still had ten thousand copper coins!
When he inserted his silver card into the self-service machine, the balance instantly dropped to zero, leaving Long Yin speechless. How could he forget the machine’s handling fee was one gold coin?
He withdrew his card and walked out of the Federal Branch, feeling the cold wind biting. Had he become penniless in a second?
With deep resentment, he returned to that broken place, and as soon as he opened the door, he was smothered by two soft, white, ample chests.
“Dear Little Yin, did you go to District A to perform a strip dance? You actually cleared all the debts, amazing! Come, sister wants a kiss. Don’t be shy—dancing is actually a fine profession!” Long Qin hugged Long Yin tightly, showering his face with kisses.
“Big Sister, move aside. There’s no way Yin went to dance. He must’ve robbed the governor’s treasury, right, Yin?”
His two sisters pulled and tugged him between them, tormenting him until he wailed, “You’re both right—I danced for the governor, and robbed his treasury too! Can you let go of me now?”
“So that’s it! Little Yin, show Big Sister your dance—she’ll give you some pointers.”
“No way! Yin, tell Second Sister how you robbed the governor’s treasury first.”
“Can I dance and tell the story at the same time?” Digging his own grave, that’s what this was. Long Yin wept inwardly—why had heaven given him two such extraordinary sisters, who accepted even the most absurd reasons without batting an eye?
So Long Yin danced an absurd, seductive routine while narrating an equally absurd heist. He was deeply helpless; his eldest sister was stunning and seductive, his second sister pure and adorable, but both were eccentric—one a collector, the other a violent maniac. From the moment he opened his eyes, these two absurd sisters had pulled him out of the shadows of his previous life, given him a childhood he’d never properly experienced. Now, he suffered joyfully, making up for lost time.
After watching his dance, Big Sister frowned, “Little Yin, you really are... uniquely talented!”
The violent Second Sister, after hearing the whole tale, looked doubtful. “Would that really work?”
Of course not! Well, at least his sisters’ judgment still bordered on normal.
Long Yin collapsed on the floor, weakly raising his head. “We’re moving tonight! I’ve already bought spaceship tickets to Texas.” Of course, Uncle Li had been the one tricked into paying for them.
“Texas?” Long Qin twirled Long Yin’s hair between her fingers, her lips pouting prettily. “Little Yin, I don’t mind moving, but I get motion sick on spaceships~”
“What would help, Big Sister?” Long Yin was helpless.
Long Qin immediately pulled a postcard from her pink purse, pointed to a cufflink design on it, her eyes shining. “Designed by Jian Shui’er, limited edition of ten thousand. They say Texas still has one left, and in three months, it’ll be auctioned at the largest venue in District A—De Yi Auction House!”
Long Yin’s eyes widened. Who was Jian Shui’er? Only the most famous celebrity in the states—bar none! Her personally designed cufflinks, limited edition, would cost tens of thousands of crystals. Among rich and privileged youths, the price could soar to hundreds of thousands. Big Sister was really no fun at all!
Long Yin looked at Long Qin; her slender fingers poked the cufflink illustration, her eyes misty, tears threatening to fall. Long Yin was speechless. “Three months, right? I’ll try my best, okay?”
“Dummy~~” A big kiss landed on Long Yin’s forehead, and Big Sister pinched his still babyish cheeks. “Big Sister knows you’ll bring back those cufflinks!”
Then Long Yin watched as his sister sashayed away, disappearing with grace.
Second Sister, with a look of shared sorrow, ruffled Long Yin’s hair. “Big Sister’s always like that, Yin. Don’t take it to heart.”
Long Yin looked up at Long Qi. “Second Sister, do you get motion sick too?”
She raised her delicate brows, a heroic energy in her eyes, brushing aside her fringe. “I’m not like Big Sister, always making trouble for you. It’s just...”
“Just?”
Second Sister suddenly grew bashful, then slapped her thigh. “Just some buddies I can’t let go of! I’ll go tell them not to cook for me tonight—I won’t be home for dinner!”
Long Yin blinked. Did Second Sister just blush for a moment? As soon as she left, a piercing scream erupted from Long Qin’s room, startling Long Yin, who had just stood up; his heart raced. Oh no, Big Sister must’ve discovered something. Long Yin slipped away at lightning speed, practically flying for his life.
When the three of them finally boarded the spaceship bound for Texas, they made quite the spectacle for the other passengers. The tallest, a stunningly seductive woman, traveled light but looked busy, holding blush in one hand, an eyebrow pencil in the other, dissatisfied with her makeup. The younger girl carried a huge bag on her back, so large it blocked the aisle, and another big bag hung from her chest. She held two massive suitcases, and most strikingly, she shielded the other two, forcefully pushing away any passengers crowding them, leaving the men amazed and embarrassed. At the front, the smallest—a little boy—carried two big bags marked with food logos, full of edible supplies.
When the three finally took their seats, many passengers breathed a sigh of relief. This bizarre trio, just looking at them caused pressure; those following behind felt even more stressed!
These three were none other than Long Yin and his two sisters, bound for Texas.
Long Qi finished arranging her luggage. Long Yin took out a tissue, about to hand it to Long Qi, when suddenly he changed direction and offered it to Long Qin. “Big Sister, wipe your sweat!”
Long Qin accepted it with satisfaction, stroked Long Yin’s head, “Good boy!”
Long Yin sighed, took another tissue, and handed it to Long Qi, who accepted it without hesitation. This was how things had always been since birth—Long Qi never thought anything amiss. It was just this silly brother; in the past, he always put her first and got punished for it. This time he was clever, changed midway, or else Big Sister would’ve punished him again!
The three sat down. Long Yin was between them. He looked at Big Sister Long Qin, then at Second Sister Long Qi. Suddenly, Big Sister pulled him over, placed him on her lap, held him protectively, and patted his back lazily. “Little Yin, you should sleep now!”
Long Yin glanced at Second Sister Long Qi, already snoring. He looked again at Big Sister, who was half asleep, eyes barely open.
Long Qin noticed Long Yin wouldn’t stop moving and gave him a light, disciplinary slap on the bottom, scolding softly, “Sleep!”
A big hand landed on his bottom, and Long Yin reflexively shut his eyes. A suspicious blush crept across his face. Getting spanked like this—how embarrassing!
Drowsy and drifting off, Long Yin thought: pits dug by that little devil, he’d have to find a way around them! As for his sisters, their pits—he would gladly fall into them, every single one.