Five nights ago, Ye Xia had a dream that predicted the future.
In the dream, she had obeyed her parents’ arrangements and went to the countryside.
Although life in the countryside was bitter—waking up and going to sleep surrounded by the drab, grey rural landscape—she had managed to live quite well compared to other educated youths, thanks to the supplies her family had prepared in advance and the money and ration coupons that her third sister, Ye Qiu, sent her every month.
It wasn’t until later that she defied her family’s objections and married the son of the local brigade leader. For his sake, she had a falling out with her parents and even cut off contact with her family.
Even when she decided to participate in the college entrance exam, her intention was to bring her family to live in the city once she was accepted.
But she had overestimated that man. Once she revealed her plans to take the exam, although he didn’t say anything to her face, he created trouble for her behind her back, leaving her with no time to study or review.
As expected, she failed.
That bastard actually had the nerve to put on a fake, hypocritical facade to comfort her!
If it weren’t for the fact that she returned to the city later, she would never have known that the review materials her family had gone to such great lengths to send her had all been burned by her husband!
Upon learning the truth, she divorced him regardless of the consequences and even snatched their daughter away.
But by then, she was already over thirty. She had missed the college entrance exams, failed to get hired for any jobs in the city, and was forced to work as a temp to make ends meet…
It was a pity that when she woke up, she only remembered that the college entrance exams would be reinstated in a few years. As for when, or what would be on the exam, she remembered nothing at all. She couldn’t even remember what that man looked like, let alone any other opportunities.
In any case, she was determined: she would rather die than go to the countryside!
Ye Xia clenched her fists firmly. As long as she didn’t have to go to the countryside, she would do anything!
Ye Qiu, who had been observing in silence from the side, noticed her second sister’s strange expression, and the system in her mind began to chime incessantly.
“Anomaly detected. Would you like to proceed with energy collection?”
Ye Qiu was multitasking; while thanking her sister, she declined the system’s prompt: “Wait a moment.”
After some discussion, the Ye family finally reached a consensus.
Ye Qiu would head to the countryside, while Ye Xia would take over the job and send five yuan to Ye Qiu every month for three years.
However, Zhao Li’s job wouldn’t belong to Ye Xia forever. It was only an arrangement for her to take over the position to avoid the outcome of both daughters heading to the countryside. The job was still intended to be passed down to the fourth child, Ye Dong. Ye Xia could also take advantage of the years she was working to find a good husband; once married, she would naturally leave the job within the Ye family.
Ye Qiu offered no opinion on this. After listening, she returned to her room. The Ye family, understanding her mood, left her alone and went about their own business.
“Click—”
Ye Qiu locked the door, fell backward onto the bed, and stared at the grey-white ceiling, calling out in her heart.
“System? System?”
A moment later, a mechanical voice sounded in her mind: “02314 at your service.”
02314 had followed her through the transmigration, claiming to be an “Alien Energy Collection System” that could collect anomalous energy around her to exchange for the supplies she needed.
Ye Qiu asked, “What kind of anomalous energy did you just detect?”
02314 answered mechanically: “Detected space-time rift energy on Ye Xia. It is recommended that the host collect it.”
Ye Qiu sat up abruptly. “Space-time rift?”
“Yes, it is suspected to be caused by the space-time fluctuations during the host’s transmigration, which led to Ye Xia coming into contact with traces of space-time.”
Ye Qiu rubbed her chin. Based on the transmigration, rebirth, and novel-world novels she had read in her past life, and linking it to Ye Xia’s sudden change of heart, she speculated: “So, did my second sister transmigrate? Or was she reborn? She couldn’t have fallen into a novel, could she?”
02314 denied Ye Qiu’s guess: “Neither. Based on the intensity of the detected space-time fluctuation energy, Ye Xia can only obtain a vague future regarding herself.”
Ye Qiu nodded in understanding: “Similar to an incomplete precognitive dream?”
“Yes. Please collect the space-time energy in a timely manner, Host.”
Ye Qiu thought for a while before asking: “What happens if I don’t collect this anomalous energy?”
It felt a bit unethical.
Ye Xia had foreseen her future and avoided a potentially bad outcome; it was an opportunity she had gained. As an outsider, for her to inexplicably steal someone else’s opportunity—what if Ye Xia’s future turned out badly because of the damage caused by Ye Qiu and the system?
As if guessing Ye Qiu’s concerns, the system replied calmly: “Nothing will happen. The known memories will not disappear. The existence of the system is merely to record energy fluctuations. We are a legitimate system hired by the World Consciousness; we will not cause any harm to humans.”
Ye Qiu played devil’s advocate: “Really?”
02314 said solemnly: “It is true. These are the contracts we signed with the World Consciousness before we carried out our missions.”
As the system spoke, it opened a massive, infinitely long contract.
Ye Qiu felt her brain was about to be filled with text, and she rubbed her temples in frustration. “Fine, I believe you.”
“So, what do I need to do?”
“Host simply needs to make physical contact with Ye Xia to complete the collection.”
Ye Qiu said, “Oh,” and lay back down on the bed.
She shared a room with Ye Xia. Last night, Ye Xia had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and given the recent psychological pressure, Ye Qiu had suffered from insomnia as well.
Now that everything was settled, Ye Qiu felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and before long, she drifted into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, it was already dusk.
The warm golden sunset shone through the small window, falling onto her body, and for a moment, Ye Qiu couldn’t tell where she was.
It wasn’t until the low voices from next door reached her ears that her daze was broken.
“Old Ye, I remember you have an apprentice whose family has someone working at the supply and marketing cooperative. Go ask if they can help exchange for some cotton. Third Child is afraid of the cold, and the cotton we prepared before isn’t enough.”
After a while, she heard Ye Weijun’s response: “Fine, I’ll go ask. Are the other things all prepared?”
Zhao Li let out a heavy sigh: “I’ve checked; I’ve prepared everything that needs to be prepared. I’m just worried. That Third Child of ours—she’s so timid, she wouldn’t make a sound even if you hit her three times with a stick; she wouldn’t even know to speak up if she were bullied!
And the Second Child, too—so disobedient! She knows what her sister’s situation is! How could she, how could she…”
She grew angrier the more she spoke, but she remembered that Ye Qiu was in the next room and didn’t dare to speak too loudly.
Ye Weijun cut off her grumbling: “Stop talking! The policy is laid out as it is. If the Second Child doesn’t look out for herself, what can she do? You aren’t allowed to say things like that anymore; don’t make the child overthink it.”
The discussion between Ye Weijun and Zhao Li quieted down until it vanished.
Ye Qiu rolled over, wrapped in her quilt.
Just as Ye Weijun had said, having seen so many people go mad after being sent to the countryside, who wouldn’t look out for themselves?
At the very least, Ye Xia’s proactive offer to send three years of wages was already not bad.
Just like Ye Weijun and Zhao Li—even though they favored sons over daughters, they tried their best to plan for their two daughters, and the supplies they prepared were genuine. No outsider could find fault with that.
But the ones they valued most were still their two sons.
They weren’t that good, but they weren’t that bad either; they were just ordinary people.
Ye Qiu understood their way of thinking, but there was no way she could share her heart with them.