The ease with which she completed the task left Fu Yurou feeling unsettled.
Song Zhishu, unaware of her inner thoughts, sighed with a melancholy expression. "My sister ran into some trouble in the countryside a few days ago. The family couldn't get her back, so we had to watch helplessly as she suffered alone. Now that every household is only allowed to keep one child, my father, being a cadre, has to lead by example. There’s only my sister and me left at home, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle life in the countryside. It would be better if I went instead."
Is he really such a good person? Thoughtful toward his sister, yet not chauvinistic—he’s simply perfect.
Song Zhishu continued, "Now that you’re going to the countryside too, I’m worried about you as a girl. I’ll go with you so I can make sure you don't get hurt."
He cares so much for the original owner, and he has everything—a good family background, good looks, and a considerate nature. He really is an exceptional man; even she felt a little tempted. Why not start a relationship? Besides, in this era, it’s impossible to be a maverick and remain unmarried. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Fu Yurou quickly convinced herself. She absolutely refused to admit that she was just swayed by his looks and had taken a fancy to him.
"Alright."
[Congratulations to the host for completing the task of persuading Song Zhishu to go to the countryside together to help build our country's beautiful homeland. Task reward: 5,000 Points. Please claim them.]
Hmm? "System, why are there as many as 5,000 points for this task?"
System: "Task points are awarded based on the importance of the task and the difficulty the host faces in completing it."
"In other words, persuading Song Zhishu to go to the countryside is a relatively important task, but I completed it quite easily." After all, she hadn't even opened her mouth yet, and Song Zhishu had rushed to complete the task for her. The difficulty rating for this was zero stars.
Oh, if only Song Zhishu hadn't agreed so easily! If she had to do some persuading, perhaps she would have unlocked the store by now. What a loss!
"Yurou."
As Fu Yurou was lost in thought, a girl's voice came from ahead.
Fu Yurou looked up. It was someone else from the original owner’s memories.
"Wang Fangfang."
This was a classmate of Fu Yurou’s from elementary school, born into a family that valued boys over girls and raised amidst constant verbal and physical abuse. Her schooling was cut short after elementary school. In their primary school days, she had always trailed behind the original owner like a lackey, acting endlessly grateful whenever the original owner tossed her scraps of food or small items. Over the years, she had continued to try to curry favor with the original owner, though the original owner had never cared for her.
Wang Fangfang, sallow and gaunt, without an ounce of excess flesh on her frame, trotted up to Fu Yurou. She looked at the delicate, beautiful Fu Yurou and the tall, handsome Song Zhishu standing beside her, then lowered her head in inferiority, her hand gripping an empty soy sauce bottle tightly against her patched clothes.
"Yurou, I haven't seen you in a long time. I didn't expect to run into you here."
"You're here to get soy sauce, right? You'd better hurry; it’s hard to queue when it gets crowded." Fu Yurou replied casually, not wanting to say much. It wasn't that she was being prejudiced, but the two of them simply lived in different worlds. Getting involved was just asking for trouble. She didn't like trouble.
Ding-dong!
[Host has triggered a task: Persuade Wang Fangfang to go to the countryside to help build our country's beautiful homeland.]
Fu Yurou: (??w??)???
Is this a "Persuade People to Go to the Countryside" system?
"System, have you ever heard a saying?"
"What saying, host?"
"Those who persuade others to go to the countryside will be struck by lightning."
The system went silent.
"Yurou, there's actually something, I... I don't know what to do." Wang Fangfang’s eyes turned red as she spoke.
Here it comes—trouble. If not for the task, Fu Yurou wouldn't have let her speak, but for now, she would listen.
"What is it? Tell me, maybe I can help," Fu Yurou said, her tone softening.
Wang Fangfang looked at Fu Yurou with gratitude. "My parents are forcing me to go to the countryside, but I heard that life there is very hard—that there’s no food or basic necessities, and I, I..."
Fu Yurou thought: *Looking at you now, you don't seem to be well-fed or well-provided for even here, and you're still being squeezed by your family.*
"So that's the trouble. I'm actually going to the countryside myself; I already signed up today. And it’s not just me—Song Zhishu is going too. With so many of us going together, it’ll be fine."
*Yeah, right.*
To her surprise, Wang Fangfang was instantly delighted. She looked up and reached out as if to grab Fu Yurou’s hand. Fu Yurou quickly dodged.
Wang Fangfang didn't mind; she was still very excited. "Really? Yurou, can I go to the countryside with you?"
Fu Yurou nodded with a forced smile. "Mhm."
"I'll go sign up right now. I have to go with you!" She then shot a shy glance at Song Zhishu but didn't dare to speak to him. "Then I’ll go get my soy sauce first."
"Go ahead."
After Wang Fangfang left, Song Zhishu looked at her with eyes full of tenderness. "Yurou, you truly are a kind girl."
Fu Yurou felt a tiny twinge of shame as she accepted the compliment. "She just looked so pitiful, I thought I’d help if I could?"
Once she said it, she suddenly felt extremely hypocritical, and she felt like something was off. But before she could figure it out, the system announcement chimed in.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the task of persuading Wang Fangfang to go to the countryside to help build our country's beautiful homeland. Task reward: 3,000 Points. Please claim them.]
Yes! She had nine thousand points now; a little more effort and she could open the store. However, the third task didn't seem very difficult either; it appeared that getting Wang Fangfang to go to the countryside was also considered quite important. What was the purpose of these three tasks issued by the system? There had to be a reason.
Fu Yurou pressed the system for answers, but unfortunately, it remained tight-lipped and wouldn't reveal a single thing. Fu Yurou had no choice but to give up.
Song Zhishu walked Fu Yurou to the area not far from the furniture factory's residential compound. Fu Yurou walked the rest of the way carrying her items. Once she was sure no one was around, she left only one bag in her hand and stored the rest in her space.
When she returned home, the Fu family was empty. Fu Aiguo, Huang Meifeng, and Zhang Pan were all at work, and as for what Fu Jianye and Fu Yuqing were up to, she had no idea, nor did she care. She had been busy all morning and was starving. She went into the kitchen, only to discover that she didn't know how to cook. In her previous life, her body wasn't suited for cooking, and she had never even stepped into a kitchen. Let alone her, even the original Fu Yurou had never cooked.
Zhang Pan and Fu Yuqing, on the other hand, had been taught by Huang Meifeng, especially Fu Yuqing, who was forced to do it even when she didn't want to. Because of this, Huang Meifeng had built up a reputation as a "good stepmother." But now, thinking about it, wasn't this just raising the original owner to be helpless? She knew nothing, and now she was being driven off to the countryside—it was a death sentence!
Huang Meifeng was truly a ruthless woman who killed without drawing blood, all while maintaining a pristine reputation. No, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Fu Yurou opened the cupboard and saw a jar containing a dozen eggs. She shoved the jar and the eggs into her space. She cleared out the flour, took the coarse grains, the fine grains, and even the pickled vegetables. She swept the place clean, leaving absolutely nothing behind, and only then did she feel a sense of relief. As for lunch, she simply ate some egg cakes she had bought at the supply and marketing cooperative.
When the family returned in the evening and Huang Meifeng faced the completely empty kitchen, she could barely contain her restraint. Fu Yuqing screamed, "Mom, our house has been robbed!"