The kerosene lamp illuminated both of their profiles.
Tang Chen’s shadow was cast upon the wall, outlining a handsome silhouette.
“Can you stay, A-Yu?”
Su Yu raised her head slightly.
Their shadows overlapped on the wall.
Looking at Tang Chen’s gentle and refined face, she found herself nodding before she even realized it.
The kitchen was small.
A large stove sat in the middle, with stacks of chopped firewood piled behind it.
Tang Chen brought in a larger stool from the main room.
Tonight’s meal consisted of corn buns and tofu egg soup.
Naturally, he filled a bowl for Su Yu as well.
Su Yu swallowed nervously.
She didn’t even dare look up.
After a while, she could hear the sound of him eating.
The noise echoed throughout the kitchen.
Tang Chen kept his head lowered and, before long, had already finished three large bowls of soup.
“Why are you just staring at me?”
“You should eat too.”
Looking at the oversized bowl in front of her, Su Yu didn’t even know where to start.
Usually, that bowl was only used for serving soup.
“Um… I…”
She twisted the corner of her clothes, about to come up with an excuse to leave.
Before she could speak, Tang Chen suddenly stood up.
He scooped her into his arms and sat her directly on his lap.
The movement was so sudden that Su Yu’s mind went blank.
Her hands instinctively grabbed his shirt.
The next moment, a spoonful of warm tofu egg soup touched her lips.
When she looked up, she saw Tang Chen’s gentle face.
The evening breeze drifted through the window again and again.
Sitting in Tang Chen’s embrace, Su Yu felt like a three-year-old child.
She wasn’t particularly short.
She was about 165 centimeters tall.
But Tang Chen worked manual labor year-round and had a sturdy build.
Curled up in his arms, Su Yu suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of security.
Perhaps this was why children loved being carried by their parents.
The moonlight was beautiful.
That night, they lay in bed holding each other for warmth.
By now, Su Yu had gradually become accustomed to this arrangement.
The only problem was that Tang Chen’s body temperature was ridiculously high.
He was like a human furnace.
Combined with the thick hand-made cotton quilt, sleeping together felt like being steamed in a bamboo basket.
“Tang Chen, can you move a little farther away?”
The more she protested, the tighter he held her.
Soon she couldn’t move at all.
Helpless, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Nobody knew how much time had passed.
Outside, a rooster climbed onto a pile of firewood.
Its loud crow announced the coming sunrise.
A new day was beginning.
Everyone would soon be busy again.
When Su Yu finally woke up, Tang Chen was already gone.
Tangtang was curled up in a corner.
Apparently dreaming about something delicious, she was happily sucking on her fingers.
Watching her, Su Yu smiled from the bottom of her heart.
No matter how many times she looked at Tangtang, she would never get tired of it.
Around noon, Su Yu entered the space.
As usual, 001 was already waiting for her.
“Host, you’re here. Take a look at the newly released missions.”
Hearing this, Su Yu smacked her forehead.
She had forgotten again.
Non-mandatory missions had to be checked manually.
“Alright, alright. I’ll look now.”
When she opened the mission panel, several options appeared.
Sell vegetables grown inside the space.
When she read the last sentence, Su Yu widened her eyes and stared at 001.
“Isn’t that deduction way too harsh?”
“The reward is only seventy points, but the penalty is double?”
001 merely narrowed its eyes and said nothing.
Su Yu could only accept her fate.
Since she was already bound to the system, she had no choice but to endure its merciless exploitation.
Pay attention to the village secretary’s daughter.
She was expected to return tomorrow afternoon.
There was a river near the village entrance.
Successfully rescue her:
Failure:
Visit the supply and marketing cooperative and try selling some mature vegetables from the space.
Seeing the third option, Su Yu smiled.
Anyone with common sense knew which one to choose.
Just as she reached out to select it, a sharp tingling sensation shot through her finger.
It felt like a tiny electric shock.
“001, explain this!”
“You told me to pick a mission, so why are you electrocuting me?”
Hearing her complaint, 001 floated in front of the mission panel.
The words FORCED MISSION suddenly appeared in large characters.
“Host, Mission 1 is a mandatory mission.”
“If you refuse to accept it, 300 Reward Points will be deducted.”
001 sounded completely professional.
But at this moment, Su Yu felt a strong urge to smash the little square-faced system.
She wasn’t someone who liked meddling in other people’s affairs.
She didn’t even know the village secretary.
What if she rescued his daughter and they accused her of pushing the girl into the river?
“Host, there’s no need to worry.”
“The village secretary’s daughter will play an important role in future events.”
“Saving her will benefit you.”
Fine.
Without hesitation, Su Yu accepted the first mission.
Immediately, a countdown timer appeared.
“What’s this now?”
Why did the system seem more complicated every day?
Why was there suddenly a countdown?
Seeing the nervous expression on her face, 001 smiled.
Or rather, its narrow eyes turned into triangular shapes.
“Host, every completed mission upgrades the system.”
“It’s similar to how your human software receives bug fixes.”
“The higher your level becomes, the more advanced and complex the system will be.”
So that was how it worked.
For a moment, Su Yu felt like she didn’t want to cooperate with this system anymore.
The entire afternoon, she was distracted.
Since her rebirth, less than a month had passed.
Every day was spent either taking care of Tangtang, tending crops in the space, or chatting with neighbors.
She had never even met the village secretary.
She didn’t know his name.
She didn’t know what he looked like.
“The secretary’s daughter is supposedly important…”
“Does that mean I’m going to run into some major trouble later?”
The thought immediately soured her mood.
But there was no turning back now.
She had already accepted the mission.
It had to be completed.
The next day at noon, she finished lunch early.
She even checked the door bolt several times to make sure it was secure.
If she wasn’t home, Su Jianguo might decide to break in and steal something again.
“Tangtang, stay at Auntie Li’s house and play nicely.”
“Mommy has something important to do today.”