Shen Ruoxi nodded, "I promise to do it."
Ding!
Congratulations to the Host for activating the Favorability System!
The current accumulated Favorability Points are one point. Favorability Points can be exchanged for items; the more Favorability Points, the more valuable the items you can exchange for.
Several lines of text suddenly appeared in Shen Ruoxi's mind. She thought it was an illusion and shook her head, but the text remained.
Could this be the legendary System?
There was no System in the original story; how did one suddenly appear?
Could it be a hidden function?
A wave of joy surged into Shen Ruoxi's heart!
She had just been worrying about how to earn Ten taels of silver within three days. This Favorability System was practically sent to save her—she was set!
The Old Man walked toward the Matchmaker, "Matchmaker Zhang, can you come back in three days to finalize the marriage?"
Matchmaker Zhang's face showed disdain, "Do you really believe your granddaughter, who causes trouble every day, can earn Ten taels of silver in three days? Let me tell you, once this village is passed, there won't be another shop like it. I can't guarantee I'll find someone willing to pay Ten taels of silver for your granddaughter in three days."
The Old Man smiled apologetically, "Look what you're saying. How could you not find someone in three days? With Matchmaker Zhang's ability, finding anyone is easy, isn't it?"
Matchmaker Zhang's expression softened slightly from the flattery, "Fine, three days it is. I will come back to find someone in three days. If you go back on your word again then, I won't concern myself with your family's affairs anymore."
The Old Man bowed slightly, speaking softly, "Yes, yes, we will listen to you."
Matchmaker Zhang flicked her handkerchief and walked away, swaying her hips.
The Old Man walked back to the Creditor and said humbly, "Brother, could you grant us an extension of three days?"
Since the Ten taels of silver was secured, the Creditor wasn't in a hurry. He picked his ear with a finger and said dismissively, "An extension is possible, but the daily interest must still be calculated."
The Old Man looked distressed, "Brother, as you can see the situation of our family, we can't afford to pay even if we wanted to. Please be merciful and give us three days?"
The Creditor glanced around the Courtyard, then pointed, "I can agree to come back in three days, but I must take that old hen with me then."
Without waiting for the Old Man to refuse, he clapped his hands, called his thugs, and left.
"This is a disaster!" The Old Woman stomped her foot heavily and angrily returned to the room.
The villagers, full of anticipation to see Shen Ruoxi married off, never expected that an event that was practically set in stone could be stalled by her for three extra days. This Young Lady's ability was truly astonishing.
Filled with regret, they silently returned to their homes.
The Young Man who had been beating the gong at the start walked home dejectedly, muttering, "Sigh, I got my hopes up for nothing."
The Old Man encouraged her, "Ruoxi, you only have three days, you must hurry."
Shen Ruoxi felt a warmth in her heart, "Grandfather, I know."
The masked Young Lady snorted coldly, "If she can earn Ten taels of silver in three days, I'll wash her clothes for a month. She's utterly ridiculous."
The lame Young Man patted his Younger Sister's shoulder, "It's fine, just three days, endure a little longer."
The masked Young Lady looked at her brother, her eyes suddenly turning red. She ran into the room crying, "Wuwuwu, wuwuwu, not even marrying Shen Ruoxi off today! She's truly a menace that lasts a thousand years!"
The frail, thin Young Woman standing nearby wiped away a tear and went back to her room.
The Old Man sighed and also left.
Shen Wan Ni stared at Shen Ruoxi, her gaze probing. Where did things go wrong? Why was she different?
She had been reborn just Half an hour ago.
At that time, she was preparing for her wedding, but she fell asleep from exhaustion right before Get Married. When she woke up, she had returned three years in the past.
At this time, the family was not yet wealthy, she was still an ordinary Village girl, and everything was back to its original state.
The family's improvement happened after her cousin got married, which was after this very day.
In her previous life, her cousin was taken away by Matchmaker Zhang today, but now her cousin was safe at home and had even made the promise to earn Ten taels in three days.
Shen Ruoxi absolutely did not have such an ability!
A bad thought suddenly popped into her mind—could her cousin also have been reborn?
Shen Ruoxi found Shen Wan Ni strange. The way she looked at her was flickering and full of probing, wondering if her transmigration identity had been seen through? Even though she was the female lead, she shouldn't have that kind of ability, right?
"Cousin, what are you looking at?"
Shen Wan Ni immediately withdrew her gaze. For some reason, she instinctively disliked this cousin. She said coldly, "Nothing. You should focus on how to repay the debt. I'm going back."
She turned toward the Second Branch room, confirming one thing in her heart: this cousin did not have such a steady and clear gaze; this cousin had a problem.
She quickly changed her thinking: whatever the problem was, the priority was to marry her cousin off. Only then could she ensure the future remained consistent with her previous life and that her own destiny would not be changed.
Having made up her mind, Shen Wan Ni's steps became lighter.
The Old Man had three sons. Shen Ruoxi belonged to the First Branch, Shen Wan Ni was a Young Lady of the Second Branch, and the Third Branch was in the County Town.
Because of Shen Ruoxi's immense ability to cause trouble, the Old Man worried about harming everyone and divided the family early on.
It had to be said that the Old Man had foresight; the Second and Third Branches were living much better lives than the First Branch now. The First Branch was truly poor; the family of seven went hungry every day, and the youngest child cried from hunger.
The rooms of the First Branch and Second Branch were next to each other; the First Branch was on the left, the Second Branch on the right, and the two elders lived in the middle.
The Third Branch managed a shop in the County Town and owned a room there. They were usually very busy and rarely returned to the Village.
As noon approached, shortly after the people from the Second Branch returned home, a fragrance of cooked food drifted over.
In their First Branch, the room remained quiet.
Shen Ruoxi, who was contemplating her future path, heard the fragrance and her stomach rumbled in response. She glanced toward the Second Branch and walked toward her own Kitchen.
As soon as she stepped inside, she heard crying sounds of "Wuwuwu."
Shen Ruoxi's footsteps paused at the Kitchen door. She was momentarily caught between staying and leaving. After thinking it over, she walked in anyway. The sins caused by the Original Owner, she was now occupying that Body, so she had to bear the consequences no matter what.
She called out softly, "Sister-in-law..."
Xu Qinglan raised her wet eyes and glared fiercely at Shen Ruoxi, saying coldly, "What are you doing coming in here?"
Shen Ruoxi never entered the Kitchen; she acted like a Young Lady every day, waiting to be served. Whenever she came to the Kitchen, it was to steal Eggs from the coop. She was extremely malicious.
"I..." Shen Ruoxi was speechless. Due to the Original Owner's recklessness, the family only ate two meals a day; they skipped lunch.
Xu Qinglan snapped, "The hen didn't lay an Egg today. Get out!"
"Sister-in-law, don't be angry, I'm leaving, I'm leaving..." Shen Ruoxi raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and slowly backed out.
Xu Qinglan burst into loud sobs.
Leaving the Kitchen, Shen Ruoxi wiped her face. No one in the family liked her, and there was no food. She could only go outside to figure something out.
Thinking this, she walked toward the Village.