A cool breeze drifted in through the window. Ye Qiuling, who had been sleeping soundly, felt someone shaking her arm. A childish voice rang beside her ear.
“Big sister, big sister, wake up. It’s time to eat.”
Thinking it was a coworker calling her for lunch, Ye Qiuling replied instinctively, “Got it, got it. Just wait a bit… wait a—”
Suddenly she realized something was wrong with the form of address and abruptly woke up.
The person standing before her was a skinny boy with a sallow face. His yellowish hair was tied back with a black hairpin, and his clothes were covered with patches. Yet he was calling her big sister.
She froze. Had she transmigrated? This was way too bizarre.
Lowering her head, she looked at her clothes and nearly screamed.
Ancient clothing.
She had stayed up several nights in a row working overtime and had only wanted to lie down for a short nap. Instead, she had apparently died from sudden exhaustion.
A sharp pain struck her head as memories flooded in like a tide.
The original owner of this body was the daughter of the third branch of the family, the least favored by the old madam. Every day she had to work nonstop. Even when she developed a fever, the old madam refused to spend money on medicine, saying that lying down for a day would make her better. She simply dismissed the girl.
The fever never subsided, and the original owner died directly from it.
Her mother and father knew nothing about it and were still toiling miserably in the fields.
Ye Qiuling could not help sighing. The original owner’s family were practically beasts of burden, and unpaid ones at that. Worse still, they were the kind that had to pay to work.
Ding!
A chubby little hamster suddenly appeared in her mind and spoke, “Hello, host. The Gourmet Recipe System is now online. I’m Number 66. As long as you complete tasks, you will receive gourmet recipes.”
Ye Qiuling screamed and immediately started swearing in shock.
“Holy—holy—holy! It’s a system! That’s amazing!”
After shouting, she carefully looked around in every direction. Her eyes burned with excitement as if she had discovered some priceless treasure. The hamster felt chills run down its fur under her intense stare.
Realizing she had frightened the little hamster, Ye Qiuling restrained her expression and coughed awkwardly.
“Haha… sorry, 66. I got too excited. It’s my first time seeing a legendary system. Haha. So… Do I have a task? In the novels I read, there are always tasks, and you get gourmet recipes after completing them.”
The little hamster, 66, answered briskly, “That’s right. Host, you’re very smart. Your task is to split the family from the old madam. Once you do that, you will receive the recipe for plantain herb and earn points. With points, you can purchase anything in the system store.”
It puffed out its tiny chest proudly, as if boasting that the recipes in its system were the best.
Ye Feng noticed that his sister had not responded and tugged gently at the hem of her clothes.
“Big sister…” he called again softly.
Feeling her clothes being pulled, Ye Qiuling snapped out of her thoughts. Searching through her memories, she realized this was the original owner’s younger brother.
“Oh, Xiao Feng. Let’s go eat.”
Taking his hand, she walked out with him.
Inside the guest room, the two tables were already filled with people. One large table was occupied entirely by men, while the other seated women and children.
Shen Wanru, the original owner’s mother, wore patched clothing as well. Her complexion was yellow and her body painfully thin. She stood up and pulled Ye Qiuling and Ye Feng to an empty seat beside her.
A chubby boy named Ye Wenqing was devouring food greedily. When he saw Ye Qiuling looking at him, he immediately grabbed the braised pork elbow in front of him and stuffed it into his own bowl like a hen guarding its chicks. He then glared fiercely at her.
Seeing Ye Qiuling staring, Ye Wenqing snapped viciously, “What are you looking at, useless girl? Look again and I’ll tell Grandma to sell you for a bride price!”
Searching the original owner’s memories, Ye Qiuling recognized him as Ye Wenqing, the son of the second branch whom the old madam favored the most.
At that moment, the old madam appeared to smooth things over. She was dressed elegantly in fine silks and brocades and looked graceful and wealthy.
“Xiao Qing, stop fooling around. Eat your meal,” she said with a smile.
Just when Ye Qiuling thought the meal would pass peacefully, the old madam spoke again.
“Third daughter-in-law,” she said probing, “yesterday I found a very good marriage prospect. The man is honest and hardworking.”
To Ye Qiuling, that simply meant old, unreliable, and capable of nothing except eating and sleeping. She rolled her eyes inwardly.
This wretched old woman had definitely taken someone’s money.
Shen Wanru forced herself to refuse, speaking timidly, “Mother… Qiuling is still young. Let’s wait another two years.”
Ye Dazhi had naturally heard the old madam’s suggestion as well. Being someone who doted on his wife, he immediately supported her.
“That’s right, Mother. Qiuling is still young. I want her to marry someone she truly likes.”
The old madam instantly became unhappy. She had already accepted the bride price, so how could the girl not marry? Besides, it was three taels of silver, enough to buy many things.
“How can that work?” she said anxiously. “In two years she’ll become an old maid and no one will want her. It’s better for her to marry while someone still wants her and enjoy some blessings.”
Ye Dazhi understood his mother’s character very well. She must have taken the money, otherwise she would not be pushing so urgently.
He did not want his daughter to jump into a pit of fire.
“Mother, I already said it’s impossible. Don’t bring this up again.”
A fair-skinned man who looked like a refined scholar stepped forward to argue. He was Ye Darong, the second son of the family, dressed in luxurious clothes.
Looking at Ye Dazhi, he said, “Third brother, Mother is right. If Qiuling becomes an old maid, she won’t be able to marry.”
Hearing such shameless words, Ye Qiuling was speechless.
Was this man sick? She was only sixteen. How was she already old?
She could not hold back any longer.
“She’s not getting married,” Ye Qiuling said. “Don’t you have a daughter? Your daughter is even a year older than me. Let your daughter marry!”
The second son’s wife had a fiery temper and immediately exploded without thinking.
“How could that work? Can you compare with my Qingqing? Qingqing will become the wife of a high official in the future.”
Ye Qiuling laughed in anger.
“Her? The wife of a high official? Are you dreaming? If she could become one, even pigs could climb trees. Maybe that’s the dream you have every day.”
Her words fired out like a machine gun.
Ye Qing’s face twisted with fury. Suddenly she screamed, “You wretched girl! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
Everyone was startled by her shout as she raised her hand and slapped Ye Qiuling’s face.
But Ye Qiuling was not stupid enough to stand still. She swung her hand back and slapped Ye Qing across the face.
Smack!
Ye Qing froze for a moment, covering her left cheek. Shock filled her eyes.
“You actually dared to hit me!”
She could not swallow this humiliation and rushed forward to grab Ye Qiuling’s hair.
Ye Qiuling dodged swiftly, grabbed her wrists, and kicked her away.
With a loud thud, Ye Qing crashed to the ground more than a meter away. Pain instantly brought tears to her eyes as she began to sob.
Everyone finally came back to their senses.
The second son’s wife saw her precious daughter being beaten and immediately burned with rage. She rushed forward, raising her hand to slap Ye Qiuling.
Shen Wanru quickly stepped in front of her daughter to shield her.
The second son’s wife grew even angrier and swung her hand toward Shen Wanru’s face.
Ye Dazhi, who always protected his wife, rushed over and stood in front of her.
The slap landed squarely on Ye Dazhi’s face.
Smack!
It was clear she had used all her strength. A bright red handprint immediately appeared on his rough face.
The old madam finally shouted to stop the chaos.
“Enough! No matter what, Ye Qiuling must marry. Nothing you say will change that. The matter is settled, and no one is allowed to argue further.”
Ye Dazhi stared at her in disbelief. His heart sank to the bottom.
After a long pause, he spoke with difficulty.
“Let’s split the family. There’s no point dragging this on. I only want one mu of land from the family fields.”
The old madam did not want to give him any land at all, so she quickly thought of a scheme.
“You can have land,” she said, “but only if you continue farming the rest of the fields for us. Everything harvested will belong to us.”
Ye Qiuling was completely disgusted by the old woman’s shamelessness.
“Old Madam, are you still dreaming? Since I can remember, my father and mother have always been working in those fields. My second uncle and aunt never helped even once. What right do you have to demand that my father keep farming for you? You’ve been exploiting us for years.”
The argument grew so loud that neighbors gathered outside to watch the spectacle.
When they heard Ye Qiuling’s words, a righteous aunt from the neighborhood immediately joined in.
“That’s right! I’ve watched Qiuling grow up all these years.” She pointed at Ye Qiuling. “Look how skinny she is from hunger. Now look at Ye Wenqing, fat like a pig. Your favoritism is ridiculous.”
Others began agreeing one after another.
Seeing so many people accusing her, the old madam snapped angrily, “This is my family’s business. It’s none of your concern!”
The aunt scoffed.
“Oh please. Old Madam, try accumulating some virtue for once. And have some shame.”
She even rubbed her own face mockingly.
Ye Darong could not bear the embarrassment. He stepped forward and quietly tugged at the old madam.
“Mother, just give it to them,” he whispered. “Your son’s imperial examinations…”
He did not finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
When the old madam thought about her son’s upcoming examinations, she finally stopped arguing.
Gritting her teeth, she glared at them fiercely.
“Fine, you can have it.”
She turned and walked away.
The surrounding neighbors, seeing the drama was over, gradually returned to their own homes.
Ye Qiuling called out to the aunt who had spoken up earlier and smiled sweetly.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
The aunt waved her hand and smiled back.
“It’s nothing. I just can’t stand that wicked old woman always bullying your family. I’m heading back now.”
After saying that, she left.
Ding!
Inside Ye Qiuling’s mind, Hamster 66 was munching sunflower seeds.
“Congratulations, host, for completing the task of splitting the family. The recipe for plantain herb has been issued. Take it to the town to sell and earn food value and drink value. You have received 40 points.”
Ye Qiuling examined the recipe in her mind.
Isn’t this just herbal iced tea?
With the weather so hot, maybe selling herbal tea could work.
Without hesitation, she immediately got to work. She grabbed a handmade basket that Ye Dazhi liked to weave, took a small shovel, and headed outside.
Ye Feng saw his sister leaving and followed after her.
“Big sister, where are we going?” he asked curiously.
“We’re going to pick plantain herbs,” Ye Qiuling replied.
Soon they reached an open patch of land covered in grass. Ye Qiuling crouched down and began digging the plants with the small shovel, placing them into the basket.
Ye Feng did not want to admit it, but the truth was obvious.
Their family was so poor they had reached the point of eating grass.
Without saying anything more, he picked up a sturdy stick from nearby and copied his sister’s movements, digging up the plantain herbs, shaking off the dirt, and placing them into the basket.
After a while, the small basket was full.
A breeze swept through, rustling the leaves of the trees and easing some of the heat.
Ye Qiuling noticed the dirt smeared across her brother’s face, making him look like a little kitten. She could not help laughing.
Though Ye Feng felt tired, seeing his sister smile happily made him smile too.
In the distance, the neighbor aunt was breaking corn in the field. When she grew tired and looked up, she saw them digging grass.
She guessed that the vicious old madam must not have given them anything to eat, forcing them to survive on wild plants. Feeling pity for the poor children, she hurried over with four ears of corn.
Stuffing them into Ye Qiuling’s hands, she said gently, “Take these back and eat them.”