Chapter 51

Later that day, Mu Yunchuan showed no unusual behavior.

Shen Cui, not daring to doze off again, sat in the corridor, straining her ears to listen to the sounds in the main hall all afternoon.

The morning has passed, and night fell.

Thanks to the good habits of ancient times, the system displayed that it was nine o’clock in the evening, the time when everyone should rest.

After enduring the day, Shen Cui felt completely exhausted when she lay down on the kang. It was far more tiring than being the main character, worshipping a master, or establishing a school!

The system had been with her for a while now, and all it had seen was her full of energy, unafraid of any difficulties, and eager to compete with it. This was the first time it had seen her so weak.

Comparatively, the previous host, who was always thinking about finding loopholes, was more likable.

【Host, don’t be so afraid. Although Mu Yunchuan is indeed the son of the heaven, you have the system with you. If we really compare, he is no match for you.】

【You also said that I have to count on you to compete with him.】 Shen Cui sighed weakly, 【I just feel terrified when he looks at me. It’s lucky that I didn’t make a mistake in choosing him as the cultivation target.】

If she kept this Buddha statue with her every day, even if Mu Yunchuan didn’t do anything, just the psychological pressure would be enough for her to go crazy.

Thinking about it, Shen Cui was also curious, 【You mentioned before that choosing Fatty as the cultivation target, the ultimate goal is to help him pass the exams. If he can become the top scorer, it’s a direct pass. So, if I had chosen Mu Yunchuan at the beginning, even if I did nothing, he was already a genius who had won six times. If the ultimate task was still the same, wouldn’t it be too simple?】

【If you had chosen that path, it definitely wouldn’t be that simple. But now that you ask me, I don’t know the answer.】

【What do you mean you don’t know the answer?】 Shen Cui realized, 【The system can collect all kinds of data. According to your big data analysis, you must have determined from the beginning that I would only choose Fatty and not him, Mu Yunchuan, so there was no preparation for that task line at all, right?】

Default setting.

After a while, Shen Cui asked again, 【Then what data are you collecting in this dimension? Data to counter the possibilities of the Main Protagonist?】

This time the system did not evade the question but told her directly, 【Host, stop asking. This is the core data of the system, and you currently do not have the permission to know.】

Recently, the system had rarely shown its official side to her. Many times, Shen Cui treated it unconsciously as a friend who loved to fight with her.

Since he said not to ask, Shen Cui didn’t dwell on it anymore, and continued to worry, 【I don’t know how many more days this big Buddha will stay at home. It’s only been one day today, but I can’t eat or sleep well. If it stays for a few more days, I’m afraid I’ll lose my life.】

Although the system could analyze data, it could not analyze human emotions, so it couldn’t predict Mu Yunchuan’s actions.

Seeing that she had been lying on the kang for almost two quarters of an hour and still couldn’t fall asleep, and her mood was indeed not good, the system tentatively asked, 【Do you want to listen to music?】

Shen Cui of course said yes. After she finished speaking, she paused and asked tentatively, 【Do… do you need money?】

” Yes..!! give me! “

Who would refuse money! It’s not easy to earn shopping points. Besides some essential daily necessities, she hadn’t even been willing to buy herself a pack of instant noodles in the system’s mall!

The system had just been its usual low, soothing, and calm voice, but when it heard this, it became a little impatient, 【No money! How can I just give it to you?】

After he finished speaking, a gentle lullaby played in Shen Cui’s ears. It was better than any headphones she had used in her past life, with true 360-degree surround sound. Music indeed had the power to heal the soul. It was like a soft hand that quickly brushed away all her worries and anxieties.

Shen Cui soon regained her sleepiness. Just before falling asleep, she asked him slowly, 【Is this music from your planet?】
【Yes.】

【Then… can I listen to music from my hometown? I want to listen to Jay Chou.】

【No,】 before Shen Cui could ask why not, he lowered his voice and chuckled, 【There’s no ‘copyright’.】

He really holds grudges! Shen Cui rolled over in laughter and tears.

But what the system said was true. She didn’t need to be afraid. From start to finish, she was never alone.

【Goodnight, 962464.】

【Goodnight, host.】

……

The western room of the Mu family was where Mu Yunchuan and Mrs. Zhou used to live, which was newer and more spacious than the old house.

After coming from the academy, the main house where Shen Cui lived and the east room where Fatty lived had both turned off their lights one after another.

In their room, Mrs. Zhou prepared hot water for Mu Yunchuan to wash up and took out newly sun-dried blankets from the cupboard. However, Mu Yunchuan still sat under the light, showing no signs of resting.

He casually picked up a book to read, and even if he only read a few words at the beginning, the rest of the content would automatically appear in his mind.

But his mind was not on the book at the moment; he was thinking about what he had seen at the Cuiwei academy during the day.

Leaving aside his stepmother Mrs. Shen, the changes in Fatty were also noteworthy.

They had briefly met at the tailor’s shop in the city before, and at that time, Fatty was already completely different from before. Now, he had become even more knowledgeable and reasonable.

In just half a year, what had caused such a great change in them?

Mu Yunchuan had only tasted the food prepared by his Stepmother for the academy, and he had also listened in on the academy’s classes all afternoon, finding nothing wrong or particularly noteworthy.

If it weren’t for his disbelief in ghosts and gods, Mu Yunchuan would have been tempted to think about strange powers and gods.

But it couldn’t be denied that although the two of them were heading in a strange direction, they were still developing in a positive direction, which didn’t require him to spend extra effort dealing with family issues while studying.

Hearing the howling of the night wind outside, Mu Yunchuan looked up from his book and saw Mrs. Zhou sitting on the kang doing needlework.

There was only one oil lamp lit in the room, on the square table. Mrs. Zhou was afraid of disturbing him, so she sat on the kang to work.

The flickering lamp light made Mrs. Zhou rub her sore and swollen eyes. She then noticed that her husband was looking at her.

She smiled at him, then shyly lowered her eyes and remained silent, not wanting to disturb him.

“It’s late, stop working and rest early,” Mu Yunchuan said as Mrs. Zhou finished her work and cut off the thread.

She was not doing the usual mending work, but making a pair of shoes with a thousand layers of soles.

“When you’re out, you always need to wear appropriate shoes. Husband, try these on,” Mrs. Zhou said as she was about to get off the kang to try the shoes on him.

“No need to try. The clothes, shoes, and socks you made for me before are all very suitable,” Mu Yunchuan stopped her, then blew out the lamp and went to bed.

The next day, when the family was having breakfast in silence at the academy, Mu Yunchuan mentioned that he was going back to the academy.

The exams were in June or July, and he already had little spare time. Coming home for a day was already considered very luxurious.
He was almost certain to pass the academy exam, and after that, he would be able to enter the prefectural school, so his next return home was really uncertain.

Shen Cui and the others were not surprised. Although Mrs. Zhou had been informed in advance, she still felt a bit lost.

After breakfast, Mu Yunchuan set off.

Fortunately, Shen Cui was an elder, and in this era, elders did not need to see off the younger generation, so there was no need for a farewell.

Mrs. Zhou reluctantly saw him off at the door. When there was no one around, she tried to give him money again.

When Mu Yunchuan mentioned that he would leave today, Mrs. Zhou had mentioned it once.

Although only three months had passed since the last time she sent money, she had saved up some more.

Mu Yunchuan refused this time and said, “I have enough money with me. After passing the academy exam, I can stay at the prefectural school, so I won’t need it anymore. You keep it for yourself.”

Mrs. Zhou’s eyes fell on the cuffs of his clothes. She had made this garment for him before she married him last year, when she was still a maiden.

Although it still fit him reasonably well, it had turned white from washing, and the sleeves were worn out.

He’s a candidates for the imperial examinations and about to take the provincial exam. Yet, he hadn’t even been willing to buy himself new clothes. How could it be considered enough money?

But since he didn’t want it, she couldn’t force it on him. She just said, “Take care of yourself, don’t skimp on food, drink, or clothes. If you encounter any difficulties… you can write to me. I’ve learned quite a few characters now.”

“Okay,” Mu Yunchuan replied earnestly.

Then the couple parted ways.

Mrs. Zhou returned home feeling lost. She continued with her work, thinking that since her husband refused to accept the money, she would save up some more and send him something he could use directly next time.

On Shen Cui’s side, once it was confirmed that Mu Yunchuan would leave today, her good mood immediately returned.

If she had a health bar like in the academy interface, she had just recovered from half health to full health.

But in front of others, especially Mrs. Zhou, she couldn’t show her happiness directly. She waited until she had finished her simple daily routine today, and everyone else had gone to do their own things, before finding a place to secretly enjoy herself.

Later in the day, Mrs. Zheng came over with a basket of eggs from the city.

Seeing her daughter, Mrs. Zheng immediately said, “I heard about Mr. Mu’s return to the city. Did he come back? Did he make things difficult for you?”

A series of questions made Shen Cui’s heart soft and sour. She said, “He came back yesterday and left this morning. He didn’t make things difficult for me. He was polite and respectful to me, just like before.”

“Hmph, I said he’s not normal from a young age. Although it’s annoying when he gets excited about happy events, that’s normal. If he doesn’t get excited at all, he’s either a living Buddha or hiding a sinister intention!”

Shen Cui held back her words. She and Mu Yunchuan were currently in a standoff, watching each other across an icy river. If she made a mistake, the thin ice would break, revealing the turbulent river water, and she would drown.

So even though the days were leisurely, she couldn’t forget herself. As the saying goes, she had to cultivate Fatty for her to be a successful also, so as not to hand over the initiative to others.

However, Mrs. Zheng’s reaction was somewhat unexpected to Shen Cui. According to the original book’s development, Mrs. Zheng should have urged her to stick to Mu Yunchuan because of her stepmother status.

Was it because Mu Yunchuan was about to become a xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examination), and their family was still not too prosperous?

Shen Cui was puzzled, and then Mrs. Zheng said, “By the way, there will be a grand competition at the academy after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Do you know about it? Will our family participate?”

As Mrs. Zheng’s words fell, the system on Shen Cui’s side also issued a prompt—

[System Task: Participate in the academy’s grand competition once.]

[Note: Participation is considered completing the task, with no rewards. The better the ranking, the more rewards.]