Chapter 2

Upon learning that she could exchange it for living necessities, Luo Lan immediately jumped up in excitement. The small shed was barely tall enough for her, and in the dim light, she happily hummed a tune.

“The clear water and the sparkling blue sky…”

Life suddenly seemed to hold so much promise that she even laughed out loud in her sleep. The next day, before dawn, she heard people arguing. The voice in her head reminded her about the melons eating, and she quickly scrambled up and dashed toward the commotion.

It was still dark, and the moon hung low in the sky. In the dim moonlight, she quickly reached the source of the noise. It was her former in-laws’ place, where her ex-mother-in-law was angrily scolding someone, likely the wife of the fourth brother. The fourth brother’s wife was soft-spoken and had always been the most oppressed among the four daughters-in-law.

“Getting up early brings good fortune, sleeping in brings ruin. Is this how your family taught you? You don’t even know to prepare breakfast early, the yard is a mess, your hair isn’t combed, and your face isn’t washed. You look nothing like a proper woman. What kind of sin have we committed to have married you into this family?”

The fourth brother’s wife had her head down, wiping her tears, her exhausted face showing signs of fatigue. She looked as if she hadn’t rested in a long time, shriveled up like a withered cucumber from a drought, lacking any moisture.

“Mother, I was sewing shoe soles late into the night…”

“You wretched woman, how dare you talk back!” The old woman was fierce, pointing at her son and scolding him, “Hit her, you hit her. As a junior, when her mother-in-law says one thing, she has ten things to say back. Back then, I was completely obedient to your grandmother. If she told me to beat a dog, I wouldn’t dare to chase a chicken. She’s like this now because you haven’t disciplined her enough.”

The man’s gaze darted between his wife and his mother. Seeing that he didn’t do anything, his mother sat down on the ground. He sighed and then turned around to give his wife a resounding slap.

Luo Lan stood by, quietly asking the system, “Hey, do we just watch the fun, or do we need to do something else?”

“It’s best to make the commotion bigger, the bigger, the better.”

“Oh, I see. So, watching the fun means the more chaos, the better?”

During this time, domestic violence was particularly rampant, and many mothers-in-law bullied their daughters-in-law. Most young wives wouldn’t dare utter a word at home. Her former mother-in-law was extremely fierce, and back then, Luo Lan was the only one who could stand up to her. The others, especially the youngest, were soft and easy to bully.

Ah, why don’t you join in and hit him back? As long as you don’t die from it, just keep fighting. It’s normal to have friction in life. Arguing is fine, but how can you allow yourself to be hit?

Feeling anxious, she stepped forward, squatting in front of the fourth brother’s wife, pretending to support her while actually leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t be afraid. Those who are scared will lose.”

The fourth brother’s wife looked up in surprise, momentarily forgetting her tears. Luo Lan helped her up and brushed off the dirt from her clothes.

“Stop crying. Crying won’t solve anything.”

Meanwhile, her former mother-in-law, feeling triumphant, shoved a broom into the younger daughter-in-law’s hands. “Hurry up and sweep the yard and cook. Everyone will be up soon.”

“Okay.”

Perhaps she had grown accustomed to being submissive. After crying, the younger daughter-in-law took the broom and got to work. Luo Lan shook her head silently, feeling both pity and anger. If a man dares to hit you and you just take it, there will surely be another time. Sigh, this isn’t the first time she’s been hit.

“System, do I get points for this?”

“Congratulations, host, you have earned fifteen points.”

“What can I exchange them for?”

“Two steamed buns or one pound of flour.”

On her way home, she turned around in a hurry, leaving her former brother-in-law curious. Just a moment ago, she had seemed ready to meddle, but now she suddenly looked like she wanted to leave quickly.

Oh, right, his wife is useless and can’t be relied on at all.

Being looked down upon by her own man, the fourth brother’s wife dragged her heavy body to sweep and work. The combined physical and emotional exhaustion made her shed tears of grievance, and Luo Lan’s earlier words echoed in her mind.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Luo Lan had been married for several years without giving birth, and her mother-in-law didn’t dare bully her because she was formidable. Even when her husband died, she took everything with her, including the rations. That was truly impressive. Perhaps she should learn from her.

Luo Lan quickly ran back to her little shed and eagerly told the system she wanted to exchange for something. She chose flour over steamed buns—one pound of white flour could be exchanged for two pounds of corn. If she made porridge, it could last for several meals. If she made steamed buns, it would be filling enough.

“Exchange for flour.”

As soon as she said this, she stared at her hands. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest like a drum, afraid that this system might be playing tricks on her.

“Ding! The flour you exchanged for has been credited. Please confirm the receipt.”

With the mechanical voice, a small package appeared on the ground. She eagerly squatted down to check it, and upon opening it to see the pristine white flour, joy exploded within her. It felt like a stone had been tossed into her heart’s lake, creating ripples of happiness.

“Ah!” She couldn’t help but exclaim in delight, quickly covering her mouth. Glancing around, she opened the door just a crack to look outside. After confirming that no one was around, she safely stashed the flour away.

With food on hand, and such an inexhaustible source, she made herself a large bowl of thick porridge for breakfast, enjoying it with pickled vegetables.

Her stomach was full, and the sense of satisfaction radiated from her belly to her brain, uplifting her mood. Hearing the bell signaling work hours, she locked her little shed securely.

In the work team, they gathered their tools and headed out, and on her way, she bumped into her former mother-in-law and former second sister-in-law. The two of them had always been at odds with her, and upon seeing her, they whispered to each other.

In the past, as long as they weren’t saying anything to her face, she wouldn’t bother confronting them. But now that she has the melon eating system, she had to jump on any melons, and if there was none, she had to create some. So, instead of hurrying away, she carried her farming tools and walked right up to the pair.

“Hey, if you have something to say, say it to my face. Isn’t it more exciting than whispering behind my back?”

“You…” The former sister-in-law stepped forward, trying to curry favor with the mother-in-law. “I heard you moved into that rundown shed? You have twenty-five pounds of rations each month, yet you still have to do heavy work. Don’t let yourself get too thin. We’re just concerned for you, after all, we were family once.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. You’re the one who’s skinny as a rail, surviving on half a bowl of watery porridge each day. Aren’t you starving yourself while pretending to care about me?”

“You…”

Trying to pick a fight with me? Do you think I’m that soft and easy to squish? I’m a tough nut to crack, you’d better be careful, or I might just knock your teeth out.

“What about me?” As a crowd gathered around, it turned into a classic melons eating scene. “Let everyone see who’s healthier, me or you. You’re nothing but skin and bones, and yet you dare mock others for not having enough to eat? You must be so bored that you’re getting into trouble. Just wait until your husband gets home and tightens your belt.”

The woman instinctively turned to look at her husband, who rolled his eyes at her, making her shrink back. She didn’t dare argue with Luo Lan any longer and scurried away with her hoe, looking like a rat running along the wall.

“Tch, look at this…”

“Just looking for a fight. Hahaha.”

As everyone discussed the incident, Luo Lan joyfully asked the system if this gossip could be exchanged for points. If it could, she would definitely stir up trouble whenever she saw that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair. If not, she wouldn’t bother wasting her energy.

“Exchange for ten points.”

“Yay!”

Those familiar with her couldn’t help but gently nudge her, noticing her unusual cheerfulness. “Hey, are you really okay? Even though he didn’t die honorably, you were still husband and wife for a significant time.”

“You also know he died in an unseemly way. He was out there with other women. His death was his own retribution.”

With that retort, the woman fell silent. Luo Lan picked up her hoe and went to work. She didn’t bother to greet anyone along the way, and kept her head down in silence. Everyone thought she was still grieving for her husband, but in reality, she was being driven crazy by the so-called system, chattering away like a noisy sparrow.

System: Hey, hey, such a big melon. Tell me what’s going on!

Luo Lan: Can I exchange it for points?

System: Of course.

Luo Lan: How many can I exchange?

System: Not… you’re really all about practicality, huh?

Luo Lan: I need to live. Eating, drinking, and everything else are practical concerns. I’m not a paper doll living in a story.

System: You can exchange it for forty points, but you have to tell me the whole story in detail.

Luo Lan: Okay, don’t worry.

As long as she could earn points, she didn’t mind sharing the gossip with others. She immediately began to work while gossiping with the system, which was eagerly listening. Occasionally, the system interjected with questions, its tone no longer flat.

“We’ve been married for almost four years, and I haven’t gotten pregnant. I went to see a doctor before, and they said there was nothing wrong. But I just couldn’t conceive. He used to say he didn’t mind, but his mother—she was just afraid we’d live too well. She kept bringing it up. Earlier this year, I noticed something was off with him…”

“What was off about him specifically?”

“You really love eating melons, don’t you? You want the juicy details.” Luo Lan whispered her thoughts but continued to share, “He started getting impatient when talking to me, and he lost interest in intimacy at night.”

“Intimacy at night? What do you mean?”

“Hey, you’re eating too much melon.”

“Be specific, and I’ll give you ten more points.”

“One hundred points.”

“Alright, one hundred it is.” In this era, just the words “food and clothing” could be used to manipulate people. It was just about food and clothing, and she wouldn’t mind any points.

Luo Lan felt she might have undersold herself, but since she’d already said it, she wouldn’t dwell on it. She casually explained that indescribable matter, easily gaining a hundred points.

“If he doesn’t want to go home to eat, then he must be hunting for food. I closely observed him and found he was messing around with a widow from another village. I’m not the type to suffer in silence, so while they were busy, I took all their clothes away.”

“Then what happened? Then what happened?”

“Then I called a bunch of people to watch the show, cornering the two of them naked in the small woods. Since they loved to fool around, I let them have their fun. The funniest part was that they were fighting over a pair of underpants, covering their fronts while exposing their backsides in front of everyone. It was quite a sight—no eyes could bear to see it.”

“Ha ha,” the system chuckled lewdly, clearly enjoying the melon. “Then what? What happened next?”

“After that, the two of them got into a huge fight over the underpants. The man accused the woman of seducing him, while the woman cursed him for not owning up to his pants. They were like two dogs fighting, shouting at each other until one of the underpants got torn in half.”

“Hurry up and tell me! You’re really good at building suspense. I paid for these points, so you better spill it.”

“What else could happen? In front of everyone, they made complete fools of themselves. The woman said she couldn’t bear to see anyone and wanted to jump into the river. The scoundrel only cared about snatching the underpants to cover his shame. They were a mess, huddling together, and the woman probably thought it was too humiliating and feared she wouldn’t be able to show her face again, so she really acted like she was going to jump. But when she was about to leap into the water, she surprisingly grabbed the man, and they both fell in with a splash.”

“What happened next? What happened next?”

“The woman held on tightly, dragging him down into the water. When the people came to save them, he was already gasping for breath, eyes wide open and unblinking.”

“Did the woman drown him? What happened to her?”

“She was saved.”

“Good for her.”

“Right?”

She spoke as if recounting someone else’s story, detailing it clearly. Looking at her points balance, she had one hundred fifty points.

“Ha ha! That’s one hundred fifty points! I can exchange that for ten pounds of fine flour or twenty pounds of corn. My monthly rations are only twenty-five pounds, and with this, I’ve got more than half of what I need.”

With the extra income, she planned to sell some of it for money. The public commune was having a market in a few days, and she decided to sell the flour in exchange for pots and bowls. Yes, that’s what she’d do.