The Supporting Female Character Refuses to be Cannon Fodder Chapter 76

Qingyuan added, “Little girl, you truly are a kind person.”

Jiang Chan was silent for a moment, “No, actually, I’m not a kind person. I just think that they’ve paid the price and wished for you to help them. But once their lives change, as they go through this new life, what will they do?”

This was Jiang Chan’s surface explanation, but she didn’t voice the deepest thought in her heart. In such a world, the longer she stayed, the more she feared she might not be able to return.

Most importantly, she was still young and didn’t want to watch herself turn from a young girl into an elderly woman on the brink of death again. Plus, going through life without getting married might be manageable in one world, but it was impossible to be single in every world.

Jiang Chan didn’t think she could avoid feeling emotionally attached during the next missions, and once feelings were involved, attachments were inevitable.

So, to be safe, it was better to complete the tasks and retreat quickly. As for things like marriage and having children, she would leave that for the person who made the wish to deal with.

“Alright, starting from the next world, you can return immediately after completing the task,” Qingyuan agreed after a moment of silence. Jiang Chan had performed well on this task, though it was only a drop in the bucket for her.

But there was finally a glimmer of hope, so Qingyuan didn’t mind agreeing to Jiang Chan’s small, harmless request. Besides, the faster Jiang Chan completed tasks, the more it benefited her. She’d be foolish to refuse.

“How do I return? You won’t be accompanying me to the task world.”

Qingyuan thought it over. “I’ll think it over a bit more.”

Jiang Chan rolled over, and the bed creaked again, the sound grating on one’s nerves, but to her, it felt incredibly real. She waved her hand. “You think about it carefully. I’m going to sleep now. We can discuss it tomorrow.”

Qingyuan, who had more to say, was stunned. Looking at Jiang Chan’s thin, dark face, she quickly slipped back into the jade cicada around Jiang Chan’s neck.

She still wanted to ask when Jiang Chan would start the second task, but it seemed better to let the girl rest for now. The dormitory fell silent, leaving only the ceaseless sound of the electric fan.

It was not yet five o’clock when Jiang Chan woke up drenched in sweat. Don’t expect an orphanage to have something like air conditioning. Even if it did, the orphanage would never turn it on to save costs.

Despite the sweat soaking her body, Jiang Chan felt very real. She was used to going to bed early and waking up early. Seeing the faint morning light outside, she quietly got up and went to the yard.

In the courtyard of the orphanage, there was a grapevine with lush branches and leaves. Jiang Chan washed her hands and feet by the well, then sat under the grapevine, lazily fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan.

Her gaze was almost greedy as she looked at every blade of grass and tree in the yard. Only by seeing these things with her own eyes could she be sure that she was no longer in the ancient world and had truly returned to her own time.

Life here might not be as pampered as it was in the ancient world, but everyone was equal here, and there was no need to be so constrained. Although things were a bit poor now, Jiang Chan believed it would only get better in the future.

“Xiao Chan, up so early?” A kind voice sounded in the courtyard as Dean Fan, the head of the orphanage, sat down beside her. “Is something on your mind? I’ve noticed you’ve been sitting here for quite a while.”

Jiang Chan turned her head slightly to look at Dean Fan and pursed her lips. “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I decided to sit out here.”

The dean waved her fan and, after a few seconds of silence, asked, “What’s the status of your tuition? How much have you raised so far?”

If a girl didn’t have a good education, it would be even harder for her to make a living in this world. So the dean supported Jiang Chan going to school, but she was powerless to help. It would be best if Jiang Chan could solve the issue on her own.

“It’s alright, I’ve saved a bit of money, but it’s still far from enough. I’ll think of other ways.”

The dean sighed. “As long as you’re aware. The orphanage has had some donations recently, but most of them are items, not money. I really have no way to help.”

Jiang Chan patted the dean’s hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way.”

As the sun rose, Jiang Chan returned to her room and pulled out the 1,400 yuan she had hidden away. It seemed clear now that relying solely on Uncle Mo’s fast food wasn’t enough, especially since there was more competition.

So the only option left was to make the money work for her. Jiang Chan pursed her lips, planning to go out today and scout the market to see how best to use the 1,400 yuan.

She was still inclined toward business. But what kind of business could 1,400 yuan start? It seemed she’d have to focus on food. After spending so many years in the first world, Jiang Chan had constantly been honing her culinary skills.

The sun had fully risen, and the orphanage came alive as the children woke up and gathered in the yard. From the window, Jiang Chan watched the children, her eyes flashing with a glimmer of light.

There was no way she could do this alone. It would be best to get the children involved. If she could really get a business going, it could also provide income for the orphanage.

Setting aside her thoughts, Jiang Chan opened the door and walked out. Just as she stepped into the yard, a little one clung to her leg, “Sister Xiao Chan, where’s the candy you promised to get for An An?”

“I want some too! I want some too!”

As soon as candy was mentioned, the children gathered around. There were only seven or eight kids in the orphanage, with the oldest being Jiang Chan, who was fourteen, and the youngest only about three.

The one clinging to her leg was An An, the child with the cleft lip, while the youngest was standing on the outer edge, grinning foolishly. Looking at their eager faces, Jiang Chan felt a pang of sourness in her heart.

If only there was a world where the old could be cared for, and the young had a place to thrive, how wonderful that would be. But here, these small children had to band together for warmth, which was truly heartbreaking.

Jiang Chan rubbed An An’s head. “It’s on the cupboard in my room. You can all go and get it yourselves.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the children immediately took off running, except for the youngest one, who remained standing in place, grinning at Jiang Chan.

Jiang Chan picked up the youngest child and headed to the kitchen. This child had congenital heart disease, and the hospital had recommended surgery before the age of five. But the orphanage had no money, so the surgery kept getting delayed.

This little one was frequently in and out of the hospital, something even adults would struggle to endure. The dean took care of this child personally and never let anyone else handle him.