Things are chaotic everywhere now, and even the school is in disarray. Even the teachers have been dragged into criticism sessions, and the original host hasn’t attended school for quite a while.  

But going to school wouldn’t do much good anyway—this guy wasn’t there to study in the first place.  

The book he transmigrated into wasn’t exactly the same as his original world. It felt more like a parallel universe, likely altered by the original author for the sake of the plot.  

However, the major historical events were no different from his previous world. For example, the college entrance exam would be reinstated in 1977.  

It was currently 1973, which meant he still had four years.  

In his original world, Jiang Le’s grades hadn’t been outstanding—just above average—because aside from studying, he’d had to work part-time to support himself. After the college entrance exam, he’d asked his teacher to estimate his score, and it seemed he could make it into a second-tier university. Unfortunately, he’d transmigrated before seeing his actual results.  

But now, he had another chance. Four years was more than enough.  

As he mulled this over, Jiang Le began sorting through the original host’s textbooks. The curriculum was definitely different from what he’d studied in his own time—after all, so many years had passed. So even though he’d already taken the college entrance exam once, it wouldn’t give him much of an advantage. He’d have to start from scratch.  

He wasn’t too bothered by this, though. Getting a second chance at life after dying from overwork was already an incredible stroke of luck. You couldn’t have your cake and eat it too.  

Just as Jiang Le was about to skim through the original host’s textbooks—which were all middle school level—he realized he’d need to find a way to get his hands on high school materials later.  

Before he could dwell on it further, Jiang Huan’s voice rang out from outside: “Jiang Le! What are you doing? Hiding in your room to sleep again?”  

Then came Grandma Jiang’s voice: “Huanhuan, keep your voice down. If the little one wants to sleep, let him sleep. Aiya, my poor darling has suffered so much…”  

Jiang Le: “…” Just how lazy was the original host?  

Jiang Huan: “…Fine. But I still have something to tell him.”  

Jiang Le stepped out of his room and looked at Jiang Huan. “Sis, what’s up?”  

Jiang Huan studied him for a moment. “Hearing you call me ‘sis’ feels weird.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that this brat was up to no good.  

Jiang Le: “…”  

He could only maintain a stiff smile.  

Luckily, Jiang Huan didn’t dwell on it and quickly changed the subject. “I just went to the educated youth settlement!”  

Jiang Le immediately asked, “Why’d you go there?”  

Those educated youths were nothing but trouble, and the female lead was among them. If possible, he felt his whole family should stay as far away from them as they could.  

“I went to find Xu Youcai, of course! Did he really think he could bully my little brother and get away with it?” Jiang Huan lifted her sharp, delicate chin like a feisty little chick ready for a fight.

Jiang Le was momentarily stunned. In the original host’s memories, his relationship with Jiang Huan hadn’t been good—bickering and fighting were daily occurrences.  

Jiang Huan was close in age to the original host and the only one in the family who didn’t indulge him, which was why the original host had always disliked this sister.  

Yet, despite that, this same sister had gone out of her way to confront Xu Youcai at the educated youth settlement after hearing Jiang Le had been beaten—even though she herself was just a skinny, petite girl.  

Jiang Le turned his head away, unsure how many times his nose had stung like this already.  

Jiang Huan, being her blunt self, didn’t notice her brother’s emotional state and continued chattering excitedly: “Turns out Xu Youcai wasn’t at the settlement. So I asked around, and guess what? He got assigned to haul manure! Hahaha!”  

She was absolutely delighted that the guy who’d bullied her brother had been stuck with such a filthy job and eagerly went into detail: “I even went to the east side of the village to check it out. That Xu Youcai was carrying two buckets, his face all red from exhaustion. He’s so scrawny and weak—he couldn’t even keep the manure from sloshing onto his pants. I could smell the stench from miles away—”  

Jiang Le, who had just been deeply moved, now had an overactive imagination and couldn’t help but gag. He raised a hand to stop her. “Sis, please… just stop.”  

Jiang Huan rubbed her nose. What was the big deal? It was just manure. Since when had her brother become so squeamish? When they were kids, he used to roll around in mud pits.  

Still, she dropped the subject.  

Once Jiang Le finally recovered, he exhaled deeply. “Sis, do you know where there’s a mirror?”  

Jiang Huan was gradually getting used to him calling her “sis” so often, and her tone softened slightly. “There’s one in Mom’s room. Why, you need it? It was part of her dowry, and she treasures it. Don’t you dare sell it.”  

Jiang Le: “…” At this point, he had zero expectations left for the original host’s past behavior.  

“I just want to use it,” he said.  

Though still wary, Jiang Huan saw nothing suspicious in Jiang Le’s expression. Even if the brat had only been pretending before, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and led him to Zhao Meilian and Jiang De’s room.

(“Benefit of the doubt” means trusting someone even if you’re unsure whether they deserve it.)

Their room wasn’t large, but it was tidy, clearly reflecting the couple’s hardworking nature.  

Jiang Huan went straight to the big trunk beside the kang bed and pulled out a red mirror—round, with thick wire frames on either side so it could either stand on a table or be hung up.  

The back was decorated with a landscape painting, and it was obvious Zhao Meilian had taken great care of it.  

Jiang Le curiously examined the vintage item before nervously flipping it over to look at himself.  

Holy crap, I’m ugly!  

His heart sank as he took in his reflection—a scrawny figure with dark circles under his eyes and a sallow complexion.  

Upon closer inspection, the features weren’t bad—it was just that malnutrition made him look rough.

Moreover, Jiang Le noticed that this face looked very much like his own. The only difference was that although he had been an orphan in his previous life, kind neighbors had helped him, so he had never gone too hungry. His complexion couldn’t be called rosy or healthy, but at least it was normal.  

After a closer look, Jiang Le sighed in relief. Perhaps if this body got proper nutrition, it would improve. He had a feeling that the original owner of this body probably looked just like him.  

Not to boast, but in his previous world, quite a few female classmates had confessed their feelings to him during school. But Jiang Le had never had time to consider such things.  

Besides, he wasn’t even interested in girls. He wasn’t sure when he had realized it, but he had always known—he liked boys.  

Ah, he used to fantasize about what kind of partner he might find in the future, but now he might as well stop thinking about it altogether.  

Jiang Le returned to his room, his mind wandering for a while before he shook his head and pushed those thoughts aside. While he wouldn’t mind having a sweet romance, emotions weren’t a necessity in life.  

Right now, he needed to focus on improving his living conditions first. Everything else was secondary.  

With that in mind, Jiang Le finally remembered to check out the Melon-Eating System.  

The system had also transformed into a ball of light, appearing in Jiang Le’s consciousness:  

[Host, host! You finally remembered me! I was so bored I could die!]

Jiang Le rubbed his nose and communicated with the system mentally:  

[If I don’t call you, can you not appear?] 

Melon-Eating System:

[Not really! I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to remember me.]

Jiang Le: […]

Well, might as well get to the point.  

Jiang Le was still thinking about the rewards the system had mentioned earlier. He hadn’t had a chance to check before, but now he finally had time:  

[System, what can the Melon Coins be used for?]

Melon-Eating System:

[Melon Coins are super useful! You can exchange them for anything you want. Also, host, you can call me “Guagua”! I have a name, you know.] 

Jiang Le:  

[Okay, Guagua. Then can you send me back?]

Guagua:  

[…Host, your question is so tricky. Although this system is omnipotent, even the cleverest housewife can’t cook without rice. You’re already dead in your original world, and your body’s been cremated. Even if you went back, you’d just be a ghost.]

Jiang Le listened to Guagua’s cheerful tone and thought: …You are really humorous

Deep down, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to return, but he couldn’t help asking anyway. Now, he had given up. Compared to going back as a ghost, staying here as a human wasn’t so bad.  

Noticing Jiang Le’s silence, Guagua awkwardly changed the subject:  

[Host, your current level unlocks the Beginner’s Mall! If you want to know what Melon Coins can do, you can check it out there. You don’t have to keep asking Guagua~]

Sure enough, Jiang Le’s attention was diverted. Beginner’s Mall? Could Melon Coins really be used to buy things?  

As soon as Guagua finished speaking, Jiang Le noticed a transparent panel appearing in his consciousness, displaying the following information:

Name: Jiang Le  

Age: 15 years old  

Physique: Weak  

Points: 50 (1 spin on the grand lottery wheel)  

Mall Level: Beginner (Click to view)  

Jiang Le’s gaze landed on the “Click to view” option, and the interface instantly changed—he had entered the Beginner’s Mall. The layout looked strangely familiar… Wasn’t this just Pinduoduo?  

Pinduoduo’s great! Pinduoduo’s cheap!  

Jiang Le happily browsed through the selection and found that the Beginner’s Mall was quite practical, mostly selling essential daily necessities.  

There were staples like rice, flour, cooking oil, eggs, meat, and other food items. There were even clothes, but Jiang Le was more focused on things that could fill his stomach right now.  

As he scrolled further down, the options turned gray, locked behind a massive padlock.  

A notification popped up:  

[Host does not currently have permission to view items in the Intermediate Mall. Keep working hard!] 

Honestly, the Beginner’s Mall already had plenty of useful supplies. Still, curiosity got the better of him, and he asked Guagua:  

[What’s in the Intermediate Mall? And is there an Advanced Mall too?]

Guagua:

[Guagua can’t tell you~ But yes, there is an Advanced Mall, and it’s full of amazing stuff! Host, work hard to unlock it!]

Jiang Le pressed further:  

[How do I unlock the Intermediate Mall?] 

Guagua:  

[Host will have to figure that out on their own!]

Jiang Le: […] Fine.  

Still, the Beginner’s Mall had everything he needed for now. There was no point obsessing over the Intermediate Mall—even if he knew what was in it, he didn’t have enough points to exchange for anything there anyway.  

His attention returned to the food prices:  

– Eggs: 1 point for two  

– Pork: 3 points per pound  

With his current 50 points, he could get quite a lot!  

Hmm… In that case, might as well exchange for some stuff first.