Chapter 414: One month, fifty thousand – to work or not?

Thus, the next morning at dawn, Lin Meng entered the training room full of vigor.

She first checked the condition of the white egg.

To her delight, the white egg's surface had already sprouted several faint cracks, indicating that hatching was imminent.

Lin Meng then placed some spirit stones into the Spirit Gathering Array for the white egg to absorb, after which she sat cross-legged nearby and began cultivating.

Her previous Foundation Establishment breakthrough had been effortless, so her talent should be fine.

As long as she made a little effort, she could soon reach Foundation Establishment perfection, then ask Ye Fan what to watch out for when breaking through to Golden Core, and only then start in earnest after being fully prepared.

Lin Meng either didn't cultivate at all, or when she did, she would forget sleep and food to the point that even when her aunt's family of three returned, she wouldn't notice.

After five days, she really didn't want to take any more Bigu pills, thinking of the vegetables in the fridge, and finally left the training room; as soon as she reached the living room, she saw Xu Yixiao.

"Sis! You're really in the basement!"

"They had come three days earlier; when they couldn't reach Lin Meng by phone, Lin Cuihua thought of that mysterious basement level two."

"Upon going down, they indeed found the heavy steel door tightly shut, with a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging on it."

"This was one of Lin Meng's habits."

"Since she had taken in her aunt's family, she had been thinking that she couldn't keep disappearing; if one day she went into closed-door cultivation and forgot to say anything, she would make her aunt and uncle-in-law worry."

"So she developed a habit: whenever she entered the training room, she would hang a sign on the door."

"Her aunt would see it and know she was inside."

"This time was the same: when Lin Cuihua returned and couldn't find Lin Meng, she immediately went to the basement, and indeed saw a sign hanging on the door—Xiao Meng was inside."

"After waiting three days, Lin Meng finally came out."

"Sis, what have you been doing in there for three days? Can I come take a look?"

"Sis, you couldn't really be cultivating immortality, could you? My sister would be amazing—this would make her the first modern cultivator!"

"..."

"The house had been pretty quiet, aside from Xiao Jinzi's occasional barking; normally no one chattered, but now that her cousin had returned, his talkativeness instantly made the whole house lively."

"Lin Meng was about to speak when she saw her aunt kick her cousin squarely in the butt with a flying leg."

"You brat, stop nagging—just got back and you're bothering your sister; scram to the side."

"Lin Cuihua somewhat disliked her good-for-nothing son, but when she looked at Lin Meng, her face softened with kindness."

"Are you hungry, Xiao Meng? Uncle will whip up another soup, and then we can eat."

"Lin Cuihua knew Lin Meng harbored many secrets; the fact that the basement's second level could be fitted with a door of that specification already proved it was anything but simple."

"She wouldn't go probing unless Lin Meng herself was willing to tell them."

"Just now, seeing her own son spouting more and more nonsense, Lin Cuihua feared he would annoy Lin Meng, so she quickly spoke up to stop him."

"Hearing this, Lin Meng covered her stomach and laughed:"

"I am indeed a bit hungry; it's great that you, Aunt, could come back, otherwise I wouldn't have eaten well these past few days."

"What Lin Meng said was true; her cooking was hit-or-miss, she couldn't make many dishes, and while takeout was convenient, the meals her aunt and uncle made had a flavor you couldn't find outside, making her feel more at ease."

"After the meal, Lin Meng summoned her cousin to the study."

"Cousin, have a seat."

"Xu Yixiao sat down opposite Lin Meng, somewhat excited, his eyes fixed on her without blinking."

"When he came back, his parents had mentioned that his older sister wanted him to join her after graduation."

"Others might not know, but he was absolutely willing!"

"Sis, tell me what it is—I'm all ears!"

"Her cousin was lively; during his time in Yun Cheng, they had gotten along for a while, and it was clear he wasn't hasty in his actions—rather, he was rough but meticulous, not some clueless hothouse flower."

"Anyway, they'd eventually need to hire help, so it might as well be family."

"Lin Meng thought for a moment, then said to Xu Yixiao:"

"You've graduated—what are your plans?"

"Xu Yixiao didn't beat around the bush; since his sister had asked, he frankly shared his thoughts."

"Sis, I want to follow you!"

"Having said that, without waiting for Lin Meng to ask for details, Xu Yixiao recounted his experiences during the graduation season."

"Sis, I went to every campus recruitment drive, sent out many resumes, and got internship offers from two or three companies, but I turned them all down."

"It's not that I dislike their low pay; I just feel that even if I went in, I'd end up as a lifelong beast of burden—this kind of dead‑end job makes me hesitate whether to take it."

"Xu Yixiao lowered his head, scratched his hair, looking a bit sheepish."

"Sis, am I being overambitious and underqualified? I'm just an ordinary college graduate with no ability or experience, good for nothing, yet I keep demanding this and that."

"Lin Meng heard this, laughed, and shook her head:"

"Being overambitious and underqualified is something most young people go through; when I first graduated, I also dreamed of making it big, but only after starting work did I realize how harsh reality is."

"Cousin, then just follow me—I won't let you lose out, and I'll bring you, your aunt, and uncle-in-law along to grow stronger."

"Grow stronger?"

"Upon hearing those two words, it was as if a switch inside Xu Yixiao had been flipped, and he instantly became full of vigor."

"Sis, are you really cultivating immortality? Last time you shut yourself in your room for three days without coming out, I knew you were meditating!"

"That room on your basement second level is called the training room—it sounds like a cultivation chamber; sis, are you really aiming to cultivate and ascend?"

"Saying this, Xu Yixiao was already extremely excited."

"The people of Xia Country all harbor dreams of cultivating immortality, of flying and escaping the earth to seek longevity; Xu Yixiao, being a young man, has even less resistance to the two words 'cultivate immortality'."

"Lin Meng gave no clear answer, only a mysterious smile."

"Don't ask about anything else—just remember this: no matter what happens in the future, sis will have your back."

"What you need to do now is to quickly study things like administration, management, finance, law, and so on; I plan to open an unprecedented university, unlike other colleges, where only martial arts will be taught on this campus."

"When the time comes, I'll have you nominally hold a senior position at the school, and you'll be responsible for helping me manage operations."

Lin Meng's words made the originally hot-blooded Xu Yixiao instantly feel as if the sky had collapsed.

He had just graduated, and with great difficulty he had pulled himself out of the books, but his older sister now wants him to dive back in, and on top of that he has to learn how to manage a university?

"This is too much for a person to handle, sis! Actually I studied pastry; looking at studying it's fine, but when it comes to actual use, I'm not up to the task."

Lin Meng: "……"

"You don't have to take full responsibility; you just need to know the ins and outs here, and I'll hire a professional team to take over, while you just oversee from the sidelines."

"A tentative salary of fifty thousand per month, bonuses separate—just say whether you'll take it or not!"

As soon as the words fell, Xu Yixiao jumped up instantly, afraid Lin Meng might change her mind, and immediately agreed.

"I'll take it! This grunt work is mine!"

My goodness, a job paying fifty thousand a month that's just grunt work—older sister is the boss, the job is supervision, the actual work is done by someone else; such a cushy job, not taking it would be foolish, right?

Their first job as fresh graduates, even at best, pays before-tax five thousand, and it's still 996.

Those who have been grinding for four or five years after graduation, even if they're doing well, only make one or two ten thousand a month salary, yet they still often brag in the alumni group.

His older sister immediately offered him a fifty-thousand monthly salary—if word got out, people would suspect he's doing some shady work!