Chapter 2: Employee Benefits

Jiang Pan Yu made her decision and received her compensation, but the Chen brothers, whom she had retaliated against, were not so fortunate.

The Educated Youth Office arranged for them to be sent to rural areas in northern Shaanxi and the southwest. For instance, northern Shaanxi was a place that truly tested one’s mettle. Initially, Jiang Pan Yu had no idea just how harsh the conditions there were.

It was only after listening to the explanations from the staff at the Educated Youth Office that she learned about the severe hardships of the region. Located on the Loess Plateau, the area was characterized by deep mountains and valleys, poor transportation, barren land, and scarce rainfall, making the natural conditions extremely challenging.

Even if you fast-forwarded a couple of decades, those regions would still struggle to develop, which gives you an idea of how tough life must be there now.

The farmers there toil all year round yet still struggle to fill their stomachs. Although the three Chen brothers were orphans, they had always stuck together, bullying others and stealing food and drink, so they had never truly experienced hunger.

They were always the ones bullying others, rarely the ones being bullied, so they had never really faced significant hardships.

Now, they were being sent to such a harsh rural area, where they would have to endure suffering as their daily bread.

Moreover, the staff at the Educated Youth Office informed Jiang Pan Yu that to prevent the three brothers from banding together again in the countryside, they would be sent to different locations.

Being sent alone to an unfamiliar place, if they didn’t learn to behave and continued their domineering ways, well… the staff didn’t finish their sentence, but Jiang Pan Yu knew they wouldn’t end up well. This thought satisfied her.

The Chen brothers were lectured again, filled with resentment, and upon learning that Jiang Pan Yu was being sent to a better place, they exploded with anger. Jiang Pan Yu was using them as stepping stones!

A fight broke out between them and Jiang Pan Yu. Being a girl with delayed development, she was no match for the three Chen brothers.

Fortunately, the incident occurred at the welfare home, and the Chen brothers were stopped after pushing Jiang Pan Yu down the stairs.

Jiang Pan Yu’s forehead was bleeding profusely, so the Director took her to the hospital for stitches and hospitalization.

It was this fall that triggered Jiang Pan Yu’s memories of her past life. Not only did she remember, but she also realized that the voice she heard before her death in her previous life wasn’t a hallucination—she had indeed gained a golden finger: the Gossip Civil Servant System.

The Gossip Civil Servant System told Jiang Pan Yu that it sought hosts who enjoyed gossiping and watching dramas. Back then, at the square, watching the old lady and the property owners fight, Jiang Pan Yu had been the most entertained, grinning so widely that her gums were visible.

That’s why she was chosen. However, just after binding with her, Jiang Pan Yu had died, so the system had to bring her along for a non-standard reincarnation, one without her past memories.

But due to severe rejection between Jiang Pan Yu and her new body, the Gossip Civil Servant System had been dormant for years. It wasn’t until Jiang Pan Yu recalled her past life memories that the system finally awakened.

Upon hearing the reason the Civil Servant System had chosen her, Jiang Pan Yu wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or angry.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the Gossip Civil Servant System’s explanation was subtly mocking her, but she had no proof!

Moreover, Jiang Pan Yu really didn’t want to recall how she had ended up reincarnating.

If she had known this day would come, she would never have bought that fifteen-yuan stick of candied hawthorn that day.

She wouldn’t have even gone to watch the old lady’s fight, which now fills her with nothing but regret.

The system was quite reliable. Upon awakening, it gave her a newbie package containing a Nerve Repairing Agent.

According to the system, this was tailored specifically for her body. After taking it, Jiang Pan Yu’s issues with slow neural responses would gradually return to normal levels.

Jiang Pan Yu was overjoyed. Without caring about the origins of the Gossip Civil Servant System, she immediately took the agent. She couldn’t stand her sluggish reactions anymore.

Not only did it frustrate others, but it also annoyed her to no end!

During her hospital stay, Jiang Pan Yu indeed noticed significant improvements in her physical responses compared to when she first transmigrated.

Her reactions and movements had become more than twice as agile. Given time, a full recovery seemed inevitable.

This was the happiest thing Jiang Pan Yu had experienced since her recovery. As for the rest, it was a mixed bag.

Jiang Pan Yu couldn’t help but sigh as she reflected on her life’s misfortunes. Alas, it seems she was never destined for wealth.

In her previous life, she was a grassroots nobody. In this life, she managed to secure an urban household registration, but her parents abandoned her. Now, she was about to return to rural life—truly, fate plays cruel tricks.

Fortunately, she had bound herself to the Gossip Civil Servant System, which offered some solace. With a golden finger and her past life’s experiences, surely she wouldn’t fare worse this time!

After finishing her meal and waiting for the doctor to check her condition, Jiang Pan Yu was prescribed some medication and allowed to leave.

She walked slowly back to the welfare home, her mind preoccupied with the upcoming rural assignment. She regretted letting the Youth Office dictate her choices.

Yes, the location chosen by the Youth Office was decent, but it was also too far away. Why had she blindly chosen such a distant place? Why couldn’t she have picked somewhere near Hongcheng?

That way, returning to the city would only take an hour or two. Even though she didn’t have a proper home in the city, at least it would be closer.

The northern province might be good, but it was thousands of miles away, with different customs and culture. Jiang Pan Yu would have to start from scratch there.

Moreover, she had no idea where she would be assigned. If she ended up in some remote mountain village, she wouldn’t even know how to cry.

Jiang Pan Yu was both worried and hopeful. Worried because she had let the Youth Office lead her astray, and now there was no turning back.

Hopeful because she had bound herself to a golden finger, even though she didn’t yet know what her system tasks would be.

Regardless, it was a golden finger. Surely, it would help her survive!

“Ding,” the Gossip Civil Servant System chimed in, making its presence known: “Dear host, by binding with the Gossip System and completing tasks to become a Gossip Civil Servant, you are guaranteed to reach the pinnacle of life!”

Jiang Pan Yu chuckled. The name “Gossip Civil Servant System” didn’t sound very serious, as if it wasn’t produced by a legitimate company.

“Still eating melons as a civil servant? Since when did eating melons come with a formal position? That sounds as unreliable as a second-rate diploma mill.”

However, Jiang Pan Yu could only accept this system with a mix of skepticism and hope.

The Melon-Eating System sensed Jiang Pan Yu’s deep-seated distrust and actually threw out a pile of certificates to prove that it was produced through legitimate channels.

Jiang Pan Yu remained unconvinced: “System, certificates don’t prove anything. If you want me to believe you, you need to show me tangible benefits. Without that, how can I trust you? Isn’t this just empty promises?”

The Melon-Eating System paused for a moment before responding: “Isn’t the beginner’s package a tangible benefit? You’ve already consumed the Nerve Repairing Agent, and you’ve clearly felt your body improving, haven’t you?”

“That’s not the same. The Nerve Repairing Agent is great, but if this body were healthy to begin with, I wouldn’t need such a thing. Besides, wasn’t it you who helped me transmigrate and be reborn? This body wasn’t my choice either. You didn’t pick a suitable body for me, leaving me in a daze for so many years. I haven’t even asked for compensation yet. Isn’t it you or your master behind the scenes who gave me the agent to help me complete tasks better? If I had no value, would you still give me such good things? Moreover, whether it’s a pig-butchering scam or a honey trap, you always have to give people some sweeteners to make them jump into the pit, right?”

Jiang Pan Yu’s barrage of words left the Melon-Eating System dizzy. It felt like what she said made sense, but something still seemed off: “But, but I gave you a chance to be reborn. Not everyone gets the opportunity to live a second life.”

“That’s because you think I’m suitable, that I have value, right? Since I have value, shouldn’t you try to make me willingly serve you? Providing some employee benefits isn’t too much to ask. Mutual benefit is the way to progress, isn’t it? You can’t expect me to work for you for free, feeling unwilling and resentful. That’s just not right!”

The Melon-Eating System was already so confused by Jiang Pan Yu’s reasoning that it stammered for a while before finally asking: “Then, then what benefits do you want? If your demands are too excessive, I might not be able to fulfill them.”

Jiang Pan Yu’s eyes lit up instantly. She knew that some benefits wouldn’t come unless you shamelessly asked for them. Look, the perks came just like that. These were the lessons learned from years of being a corporate drone!