Jiang Le never expected that Yu Hezhong would actually invite him into his home.  

In the original novel, Yu Hezhong was described as perpetually wary of others, never opening up to anyone, and certainly never allowing anyone to step foot inside the Yu household.  

Yet today—he, Jiang Le, had actually entered!  

Jiang Le: [Hehe…]

Guagua was unimpressed: [Is this really such a big deal, Host? You cured Yu Hezhong’s leg. Isn’t it only natural he’d let you into his home?]  

Jiang Le huffed: [You’re just a machine—you wouldn’t understand.]  

Guagua: […] How dare he attack the system personally!  

With an unhappy hum, Guagua made its displeasure known.  

Jiang Le placated it while discreetly observing Yu Hezhong’s home.  

The Yu family’s house had reportedly been newly built just before Yu Hezhong’s father passed away, so it was only about three or four years old. Since Yu Hezhong lived alone, the place was well-kept and tidy.  

The Jiang family’s old house didn’t even have a central hall, but Yu Hezhong’s did—the moment you stepped inside, you entered the main room.  

Most villagers used their central hall for receiving guests, but Yu Hezhong clearly didn’t follow that custom. His hall only held a table, a chair, and a few scattered items, all neatly arranged.  

Noticing Yu Hezhong’s gaze on him, Jiang Le cleared his throat and set down the basket of food he’d brought.  

This was the first time he’d gotten a proper look at Yu Hezhong’s face, and he couldn’t help but marvel—this was the original novel’s antagonist, whose popularity had surpassed even the male lead’s. Even in his current scrawny, childlike state, he was still an undeniably good-looking kid.  

Yu Hezhong’s features were sharp and distinctly Chinese. Jiang Le could already imagine just how handsome this little villain would grow up to be.  

Heart racing but face composed, Jiang Le calmly unfolded the cloth covering the basket, revealing a plate of spicy diced rabbit, a dish of scrambled eggs with greens, a bowl of steaming rice, and a few steamed buns.  

“Just made these. The spicy rabbit is really good—give it a try.” Jiang Le couldn’t help but feel a surge of paternal affection as he looked at the little antagonist.  

Yu Hezhong pressed his lips together. “I’m not hungry.”  

The moment the words left his mouth, a loud growl echoed through the quiet hall.  

Jiang Le: Pfft— Ahem.  

Yu Hezhong flushed with embarrassment: Stupid stomach—shut up! Acting like you’ve never eaten before?! 

To spare the prickly little wolf cub further humiliation, Jiang Le picked up the basket again. “I’ll head out then. Ahem… eat while it’s hot.”  

With that, he took his leave.

Yu Hezhong pressed his lips together and, out of courtesy, walked him to the door before closing it.  

Once outside, a cold gust of wind swept past, making Jiang Le shiver. Meanwhile, the grudge-holding Guagua giggled mischievously: [Host~, how about I tell you a ghost story~?]

The next moment, Yu Hezhong watched as Jiang Le bolted away like an arrow shot from a bow—whoosh!  

The scene was all too familiar. Yu Hezhong: “…” 

He stood in silence for a moment, lost in thought, until another chilly breeze snapped him out of it. He finally shut the door.  

His gaze fell on the table in the main room, where the food was still steaming. Let’s not waste food, Yu Hezhong thought.  

He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the spicy diced rabbit. Then, without hesitation, he pulled up a chair and dug in.  

Though Yu Hezhong had learned some trapping and hunting skills from his father, he’d been too young when his parents passed away to know how to cook properly. Over the years, he’d managed to teach himself enough to make edible meals—but flavor was out of the question.  

Granny Jiang was a skilled cook, and even the Jiang family couldn’t resist her spicy rabbit dish. How could Yu Hezhong, who hadn’t eaten a decent meal in years, possibly hold back?  

By the time he snapped out of his daze, he realized he’d eaten until he was full. Glancing at the still-generous portion of rabbit left, he set down his chopsticks and tidied up.  

Later, lying in bed, Yu Hezhong realized something—for the first time in who knew how long, his stomach wasn’t growling. And then there was… his hand drifted down to his injured leg. After just one day, the pain had already dulled significantly.  

His wound was healing at an unbelievable speed.  

In the darkness, Yu Hezhong smiled faintly. For some reason, his thoughts drifted back to Jiang Le.  

Maybe… he really was different from everyone else?  

….

Lately, Jiang Le had been making steady progress in his studies, settling into a good rhythm. But when it came to the system’s task, he was at a loss.  

On the surface, the mission seemed simple—but it wasn’t. The objective was to make Zhang Xiuhua’s husband realize that none of those children were his.  

How was Jiang Le supposed to do that? If he just blurted it out, the man might very well hack him to death with a hoe.  

Guagua: [This system can offer some assistance~]  

Jiang Le: [Can you just tell Uncle Zhang directly?] 

Guagua refused: [Host, that’s cutting corners! How could you? This is your task—if I do it for you, shouldn’t the rewards be mine too?]  

Jiang Le rubbed his nose: […I was joking.] 

Guagua huffed.

Jiang Le: Then what kind of help can you provide?  

Guagua thought for a moment, then its voice grew excited again: [Hehe, this system can give you some juicy details about this particular scandal~.] 

Jiang Le immediately forgot his worries and perked up: [Spill it, quick!]  

Guagua snickered, and the two of them huddled together like a pair of sneaky conspirators.  

Guagua: [Do you know who the biological father of Zhang Xiuhua’s seven children is?]  

Jiang Le gasped—this was explosive right out of the gate! [Who?! Who is it?!] 

Guagua: [It’s Wang Shitou’s younger brother, Wang Mutou!]  

Jiang Le’s eyes widened. [Holy—!]  

Guagua continued eagerly: [After Zhang Xiuhua married Wang Shitou, her belly never showed any signs of movement. You know how it is—in these times, if you don’t have kids, the pressure is unbearable. Zhang Xiuhua is a ruthless one. She suspected the problem was Wang Shitou’s, so she decided to… test things out with Wang Mutou. And sure enough, not long after, she got pregnant! After that, to have more kids, she kept secretly seeing Wang Mutou. Oh, and they even have a secret signal—I’ll tell you later. Anyway, that’s how all seven of Zhang Xiuhua’s kids came to be.]  

Jiang Le sighed. […Let me think about this.] 

Just as he was discussing this with Guagua, Jiang Le heard Jiang Huan’s urgent voice outside: “Grandma! Mom’s fighting with Aunt Zhang next door!”  

Granny Jiang: “What? How did that happen out of nowhere? Come on—let’s go see!”

Hearing this, Jiang Le immediately rushed out of his room to follow them.  

From a distance, angry shouts could already be heard. Zhang Xiuhua stood with her seven children and Wang Shitou behind her. The eldest, Wang Dazhu, was already in his twenties and had kids of his own. Towering over most villagers with his burly frame, he loomed behind Zhang Xiuhua, even taller than Wang Shitou.  

On Zhao Meilian’s side stood Jiang De and Jiang Junqing.  

Zhang Xiuhua, likely emboldened by her numerical advantage, grew increasingly smug. She lifted her chin like a victorious hen, waving her arms. “So what if I said it?! So what?! You dare deny your family’s been eating meat every single day? What kind of household can afford that? Everyone in the village knows your old man and your eldest son are dead—where’s the money for meat coming from?! 

I’ll tell you what—that meat’s gotta be from somewhere shady. Zhao Meilian, you’ve been dressing up all fancy lately—don’t tell me some wild man’s been giving it to you! Pah! I’d never stoop so low for a bit of meat!” 

Zhao Meilian trembled with rage. Beside her, Jiang De’s face was dark, but as a man, he couldn’t argue directly with a woman. Instead, he turned to Wang Shitou. “Wang Shitou, are you just gonna let your wife spout such nonsense? Can’t you control her?”  

But Wang Shitou didn’t dare to rein in Zhang Xiuhua. He glanced at her nervously, swallowed, then muttered, “…But your family really has been eating meat every day.”

Zhang Xiuhua grew even more smug upon hearing this. Planting her hands on her hips, she sneered, “See? My Wang Shitou is the most honest man in the village—would he lie? If it wasn’t some shady man giving it to you, then your little bastard must’ve stolen it!”  

Jiang De was so furious he nearly raised a hand to hit her, but Zhang Xiuhua wasn’t the least bit afraid. She even thrust her face forward, taunting, “Go on, hit me! Just try laying a finger on me—let’s see if my boys stand for it!”  

Jiang De’s face turned green with rage, but there was nothing he could do. Zhang Xiuhua was deliberately provoking him. If he threw the first punch, her seven sons would have every excuse to retaliate—and with the Jiang family outnumbered, they’d never come out on top.  

When Jiang Junqing lunged forward, ready to fight, Jiang De had no choice but to hold him back.  

Zhang Xiuhua spat in contempt. “Bunch of cowards.”  

The villagers watching the scene were divided. Some shook their heads at Zhang Xiuhua’s bullying.  

“Ugh, ever since the Jiang family’s misfortunes, Zhang Xiuhua’s been picking on them every chance she gets. Back when the Jiangs were doing well, she was all sweet and chummy with them…”  

“Still, she’s not wrong—how can the Jiangs afford meat every day?”  

Zhang Xiuhua gloated, relishing the sight of the Jiang family seething but powerless to act. She’d always resented Zhao Meilian—why did she get to bear a son right after marrying into the Jiang family, while Zhang Xiuhua was cursed as a “barren hen” by her mother-in-law? “Look at Zhao Meilan,” the old woman would snap. “Why can’t you be more like her?”  

Instead of blaming her abusive mother-in-law, Zhang Xiuhua directed all her hatred at Zhao Meilan. When she finally managed to have children, she thought she’d finally prove herself—only for the Jiang family to thrive even more.  

Jiang Guoqing enlisted in the army, becoming the most accomplished young man in the village. With one son like that, it didn’t matter if the others amounted to much—just one standout was enough to bring a family pride.  

And her own Dazhu? A simple-minded brute, good only for manual labor.  

Zhang Xiuhua burned with jealousy, praying for Jiang Guoqing’s downfall. Let’s see how high and mighty Zhao Meilan acts then!

And then it happened—Jiang Guoqing died, followed by the old man Jiang. Zhang Xiuhua felt like she’d finally triumphed.  

But now, the Jiangs were eating meat every day—meat! Even she didn’t get to indulge like that. How dare they? Zhang Xiuhua was determined to make a scene.  

Jiang Le, like the rest of his family, was fuming. The original Jiang Le had always hidden from conflict, so this was his first real taste of Zhang Xiuhua’s cruelty.  

With the Wang family’s numbers, a physical fight was out of the question. But a war of words? That he could do.