While the system was pondering how to bring it up, several low calls suddenly came from outside the woodshed window, “Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao, are you asleep?”
The little girl on the bedboard sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked toward the small window of the woodshed.
“Zhaozhao?”
The familiar voice sounded again. After confirming that she had not heard wrong, Zhaozhao hurriedly got up and replied, “Lin Lan Jiejie[1]姐姐 (jiějie) – an affectionate term for an older sister or an older girl. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3335780_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3335780_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, I’m not asleep.”
She brought over a wooden stump and placed it beneath the window, then stepped on it to look outside. The window was not big, and there was not even any window paper on it. The cold wind whooshed in, without the slightest bit of obstruction.
At this moment, a hand reached through the gap in the window, holding a hard, coarse-flour mantou[2]馒头 (mántou) – a plain steamed bun made from wheat flour, usually without a filling. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3335780_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3335780_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, “Zhaozhao, here. My mother told me to bring this to you. When I passed by your house earlier, I heard them saying that they would not let you eat. You must be starving, right? Quickly, take it.”
Zhaozhao hesitated a little, “Did Lin Lan Jiejie save this from her own food?”
“No. My mother just gave birth to my little sister. These past two days, my father went into the mountains and gathered lots of chestnuts, and he also caught two wild pheasants. We all ate our fill. This is extra, so hurry and take it. I can’t delay any longer. I have to hurry back and help my mother take care of my little sister.”
After saying that, Lin Lan stuffed the mantou into Zhaozhao’s hand, giving her no chance to refuse, then turned around and left.
Zhaozhao did not dare call out to her loudly. She could only take the coarse-flour mantou and climb down from the wooden stump.
Looking at the cold, hard mantou in her hand, her stomach began to stop obeying her, and her mouth also began frantically secreting saliva.
After a while, she still brought it to her mouth and cautiously took a bite. The mantou was bland and tasteless, but to Zhaozhao at this moment, it was as if it were the most delicious food in the world.
Unable to restrain herself, she ate two more bites. Only after eating one-third of it did she stop, then carefully put it away.
She did not have to work today. Once she went to sleep later, she would not feel hungry anymore. The rest of this could be kept for tomorrow.
After putting the mantou away, Zhaozhao took a tree branch and walked to the corner. She moved aside the straw covering it, revealing the ground.
Under the illumination of the moonlight outside the window, many deep scratches made by a tree branch could be seen on the dim ground. Now, she put a little more force into it and added another one at the end.
The system was curious when it saw this and could not help asking, 【What kind of mark are you making?】
Zhaozhao instinctively replied, “I wrote down everyone in the village who has helped me. When I grow up later, I can repay them. Lin Lan Jiejie gave me…”
Before she could finish speaking, the tree branch in Zhaozhao’s hand clattered onto the ground. She widened her eyes in terror and quickly looked left and right.
No. There was still no one. Just like during the day, this voice had suddenly sounded inside her head.
At night, everything was pitch-black, and this voice sounded much more creepy than it had during the day.
Zhaozhao trembled, “Are, are you a ghost?”
The system,【……】
The woodshed was frighteningly quiet. Little Zhaozhao took a deep breath, and her body began to tremble from fear.
The system hurriedly spoke, 【Zhaozhao, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. No, I’m not a person. Ah, that’s not right either. I, um, anyway, I’m not a ghost. I won’t hurt you. On the contrary, I’ll help you.】
Zhaozhao pressed her lips together. After the system said such a long string of words, it did seem less frightening. It really did not sound much like a ghost. Thus, she hesitated before asking softly, “Then you, who are you?”
【I’m a system, a charity system.】
Zhaozhao did not understand, “What is a system? What is charity?”
This… how should it explain this?
The system had a headache. Its host was too young. If it explained it too profoundly, she would not understand either.
After thinking about it, the system could only explain it in a way she could understand, 【As for a system? It means I have the ability to speak inside your head. Other people cannot hear me. Only you can hear me. Of course, you cannot let other people know. As for charity, well, it means doing good deeds. My appearance is to teach you to do good deeds.】
Zhaozhao, “Oh.” So it wasn’t an auditory hallucination ah. And it wasn’t a ghost either ah.
The system let out a breath, and the words that followed came much more smoothly, 【Little Zhaozhao, you are my host now. As long as I accumulate enough energy, I can send you home. By then, no one will ever beat you, scold you, or bully you again.】
“G-Go, go home?” Zhaozhao’s little face was full of bewilderment, “I… have a home?”
She had stayed in Shangliu Village for two years, and many things had gradually been forgotten amid the Hu couple’s daily mistreatment. Not to mention that she had been so young back then, so there were truly only a limited number of things she could remember. Now, every day, her mind was filled with what chores she had to do, as well as how she could find something to eat.
Moreover, Madam Zheng kept telling her all day that she had been abandoned by her parents at the foot of the mountain. No one wanted her anymore because she was a disaster star. There was simply no place for her in this world. Only the Hu family was willing to take her in, and they had even saved her life. She had to be grateful and serve Baodun well in the future. Otherwise, she would suffer retribution and be struck by Heaven’s lightning.
Now, this thing called a system was saying it would send her home? Could she go home? Would her Father and Mother drive her out when she went back? At that time- at that time, where would she go ah?
Seeing this, the system’s heart ached terribly, and it hurriedly said, 【Of course you have a home. Your mom and dad… your Father and Mother dote on you very much.[3]Mofu’s Note: Just a little bit of context to share. Zhaozhao has been using 娘 (niáng) for “Mother/Mom,” and naturally, 爹 (diē) for “Father/Dad,” which are traditional terms used in … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3335780_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3335780_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); It’s just that your home is in a very, very faraway place. I need a lot of energy to send you back. Right now, I’m just a little short. As long as you do one more good deed, just one, my energy will be enough.】
The charity system’s energy needed to be accumulated bit by bit through its host doing good deeds.
It was just that during these two years, Zhaozhao had neither the time, the energy, nor the ability to do good deeds. Fortunately, her parents had never stopped their charitable work. Especially after Zhaozhao disappeared, when they were helpless, they could only place their hopes in metaphysics, thinking that doing more good deeds could accumulate blessings for Zhaozhao. At the very least, this merit could keep her safe and sound.
It had to be said, this direction really was correct.
Even though the one doing the good deeds was not the host herself, Zhaozhao’s parents did them in their daughter’s name, so part of the cause and effect fell upon Zhaozhao. In addition, the scale of their charitable work was extremely large. Even though they were separated by different times and spaces, it still allowed the system’s energy to slowly accumulate, although this process took two years.
Now, it was only a little short. As long as Zhaozhao herself did a good deed, the energy bar could rise by a large amount, enough to send her back to modern times.
Zhaozhao somewhat dared not believe it, “Are you telling the truth? My Father and Mother didn’t abandon me?”
【Of course not!】 the system said decisively.
Zhaozhao sat on the straw, hugged her knees, and rested her chin on them. A trace of a smile slowly appeared on her face, “Then, then that’s good.” So it turned out she wasn’t unwanted. Her Father and Mother loved her very much. Knowing this was enough.
As for going home, Zhaozhao did not dare think about it. To her, that was a very distant matter. As long as she knew she had not been abandoned, she was happy.
But the system still heard the longing revealed in her tone. It sighed and said softly, 【Zhaozhao, you have to believe me. In a little while, I’ll teach you what to do. At most, you only need to endure for two more days, and it’ll be fine.】
Zhaozhao paused and recalled what the system had said. Right, it had said she needed to do a good deed.
“Then, what should I do?” She looked at her own small hands and feet and began counting the things she could do, “Right now, I can feed the chickens and ducks. I can gather firewood. I can also wash clothes, sweep the floor, tend the fire, wash dishes, wipe the table, water the vegetables, harvest rice, pound someone’s back, carry water…”
【That’s enough, that’s enough. You don’t need to do these.】 The more the system listened, the worse it felt, and it hurriedly interrupted her. Helping others wash clothes and sweep the floor of course counted as good deeds too, but they were too small. After doing one, the energy would only rise by +1, +1. At this rate, when would it ever finish rising ah?
It had to take advantage of these two days to look around and find a good deed that could make the energy directly fill up. After all, if Zhaozhao continued being abused, it might not be able to hold back from self-destructing.
However, before the system could even start looking around, the matter came up that very night.
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