Chapter 4: The Unreliable Scumbag

The space was incredibly ancient, the kind you’d find in the oldest online novels.

It had that kind of water that, when drunk, purged the body of black mud, leaving one exceptionally healthy.

Not exactly the same, but with similar effects.

The vegetables and fruits from the space were all beneficial to the body, subtly curing illnesses.

This was the only thing Hua Yuanyuan acknowledged.

Other spaces, after upgrading, expanded their area several times over, with various automated functions. This one had none of that.

The first rule stated that the space’s area was fixed and wouldn’t upgrade.

Just this one small plot of land.

No automatic planting, no automatic harvesting.

In other words, Hua Yuanyuan had to bend over and do everything herself…

Hua Yuanyuan, who had traveled from a modern world of agricultural mechanization, had to undergo the most primitive form of labor reform. It was ironic.

Both Hua Yuanyuan and her (other self) were lazy. Was this system poisonous?

Without decent rewards, Hua Yuanyuan wasn’t planning to work.

She could simply not eat anything from the space; just drinking the water would be enough for longevity.

Someone who grew up on food additives wasn’t afraid of this.

Besides the harvest from the land, the reward for her hard work would be cash, but this didn’t tempt her either.

She had over a hundred yuan in savings hidden in her underwear, given to her bit by bit by her father after her marriage.

Added to the soon-to-be-received half of Wang Changjiang’s post-marriage income, it was enough for her to live comfortably for a while.

Then work again after spending it all?

She drank some “mountain spring water” dripping from a bamboo tube, kneeling and sticking out her tongue to catch the water…

She didn’t even have a cup. Although her hands were clean, drinking from her hands felt awkward.

However, no smelly black mud emerged from her pores as legend described.

Only a warmth rose from her feet, warming her entire body, making her feel particularly comfortable…

——

The next day, she was awakened by a knock on the door.

After getting dressed, she opened the door to find Wang Changjiang delivering breakfast.

Both of them were cold, matching the ghastly weather.

Hua Yuanyuan reached out to take the food box and wanted to close the door, finding his foot blocking the door particularly annoying.

“This is the income statement.”

“Did you miss anything? You’ll be the one losing face in front of the witness.”

Wang Changjiang took a deep breath and replied coldly, “Nothing is missing.”

“Good.”

“But I don’t have that much money right now. It will take time to raise the funds.”

“Good, I’m not in a hurry.”

“Can we finalize the divorce proceedings first? I’ll send you the money every month?”

Hua Yuanyuan… In Wang Changjiang’s eyes, what kind of person was Hua Yuanyuan?

He made this request confidently, without the slightest bit of guilt, his eyes clear. One might think he was reciting a script.

She didn’t know that in Wang Changjiang’s eyes, Hua Yuanyuan was a complete fool, blindly agreeing to everything he said.

Seeing her frown in thought, Wang Changjiang pressed on, “I really don’t have that much money. After paying for food, daily expenses, organizational fees, and newspapers, there’s nothing left.”

“There’s a little left over, but I need it for social interactions, holidays, and sending money home. I really can’t save any money.”

He was playing poor, something Wang Changjiang had mastered over his years in the army, using the same excuse he used at home.

Unfortunately, Hua Yuanyuan had changed, and she wasn’t falling for it.

The scumbag was being too dishonest, his calculations were wrong.

“Wang Changjiang, don’t try any tricks, I’m not falling for it. Give me all the money, and find a place for me to live; both conditions must be met. And we’ll have the person who broke up our fight yesterday as a witness, and sign an agreement.”

With that, she slammed the door shut, not wanting to hear any more nonsense from the scumbag.

Wang Changjiang’s eyes were red. He hadn’t slept all night, and the failure to reach an agreement made his anger simmer.

Every point Hua Yuanyuan had just made was a trigger, each one making him unhappy.

He was prepared to bleed, but he still wanted to struggle.

Even if he had to pay, he didn’t want to give it all away so easily.

It almost emptied his savings, making him a true pauper.

Hua Yuanyuan insisted on finding a place to live. Was she going to come back after the divorce?

Wang Changjiang didn’t understand. If they were divorced, why would she stay here?

And then there was the witness, Commander Hao…

Anyway, he was distracted during training that day. His comrades knew what was going on—his wife was still at the guesthouse.

Everyone felt sorry for Wang Changjiang. Wang’s career was on the rise, and his future promotion was limitless.

Why did he marry such a shrew? The sooner they divorced, the better. Luckily, they didn’t have children.

At noon, Wang Changjiang, being petty, didn’t send Hua Yuanyuan lunch.

Anyway, when he knocked on the door yesterday at noon, no one answered, so he turned around and left.

He shamelessly borrowed money from almost all his comrades, claiming he needed the money to get a divorce.

That afternoon, Hua Yuanyuan sneezed constantly, thinking she had caught a cold.

She became famous.

A ruthless woman.

Demanding so much money for a divorce was unprecedented.

If Hua Yuanyuan knew how others were talking about her, she would have a word or two with them.

She wouldn’t accept the blame for this.

When Wang Changjiang borrowed money from Hao Li, the result was unexpected.

Most of his comrades were poor, and those who had some money had already lent it to him.

A few who came from well-off families didn’t save much either; they were generous spenders.

Hao Li was in a different category. He didn’t spend much, but he hadn’t saved a lot of money like Wang Changjiang, only a small amount.

He had lent some money to comrades in need and sent some to injured and retired comrades.

In December, he had just sent most of last month’s money as gifts.

He only had ten yuan left, and it hadn’t even warmed up yet.

Then he ran into Da Zhuang, who was hiding and crying, missing his home, wife, and son, not having enough money for travel expenses and not having gone home for three years.

…

The big man was crying, wiping his nose and tears.

Everyone has been to a lonely place to secretly cry when missing home.

Da Zhuang’s son had been born, and he hadn’t even seen him yet.

Hao Li, in a moment of impulse, emptied his pockets.

At first, Da Zhuang didn’t want to accept the money from the commander. Ten yuan was a large sum.

Unable to resist the temptation of going home to see his wife and son, he took the money, tears in his eyes, and ran to apply for leave.

He heard there were still some visiting family quotas this year.

So Wang Changjiang got nothing. Hao Li didn’t lend him a cent.

Hao Li didn’t explain. It wasn’t that he had money and wouldn’t lend it; his conscience was clear.

That’s just how he was, and that was the fundamental difference between him and Wang Changjiang.

In the same situation, Wang Changjiang would definitely explain clearly to avoid offending anyone.

If he hadn’t lent the ten yuan to Da Zhuang, he would have lent it to Wang Changjiang.

He preferred to lend it to the former.

Their relationship wasn’t close enough to warrant using his savings.

Wang Changjiang’s expression was as bad as when he left Hua Yuanyuan’s place. Hao Li was really not giving him face.

He had asked, so at least a little show of goodwill would have been nice!

…

Wang Changjiang acted quickly. When he knocked on Hua Yuanyuan’s door that evening, he took her directly to see a house.

The money problem was solved; borrowing money was a pretext, and the shortfall was covered by his savings.

He would repay the borrowed money in a month or two with his salary, claiming that his family had given him money.

As for the house, a comrade was looking for a house these days.