This matter was indeed her fault.
The original owner of this body had been a constant troublemaker who never did anything decent. Seeing that Song Yubai ignored her after their marriage, she had tried every means possible to crawl into his bed.
Song Yubai, of course, was unwilling, but the original owner's layers of fat weren't just for show. In a moment of negligence, he was tackled to the ground. She had sat down heavily right into his lap, and the sheer force of it had actually snapped his left leg…
Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Xu, was so overcome with rage that she fell ill. Her already frail health took a turn for the worse, leaving her bedridden to this day.
The Song family was impoverished. It was already difficult enough for Mrs. Xu to manage the household alone while supporting her eldest son's studies. Suddenly, both had fallen ill, but the family's money was only enough to treat one person.
Mrs. Xu wanted to treat her son's leg, but Song Yubai refused. In the end, they used the money to give both mother and son a rudimentary checkup. It eased their pain slightly, but neither fully recovered.
Mrs. Xu remained unable to leave her bed, and Song Yubai was left with a limp.
What was truly detestable was that even after the original owner had done such a stupid thing, Mrs. Xu still pitied her for being alone and helpless in Shuozhou, advising her son not to divorce her.
And yet, the original owner, holding onto her dowry money, had been unwilling to spend a single cent on the Song family.
The Song family's current plight was inextricably linked to the original owner.
…
Having clarified the cause and effect, Yu Wanzhu felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. She didn't dare look Song Yubai in the eye.
After a long silence, she swallowed hard and tested the waters carefully. "You… must hate me, right?"
Song Yubai didn't even look at her, saying indifferently, "Our marriage was a transaction where we each sought our own ends. We didn't reach this point solely because of you. If I am to hate someone, I hate myself for treating marriage as a game and marrying you so rashly, resulting in a restless household. Once I divorce you, we will be even!"
"You want to divorce me, but will Mother agree?"
Song Yubai snapped his head up, glaring at her fiercely.
He had thought this wicked woman’s strange behavior today meant she had repented, but it turned out she was just like before—using his mother to threaten him!
Seeing his expression, Yu Wanzhu knew he had misunderstood. She quickly explained, "It's not what you think. I mean to say… can the divorce be put on hold for a while?"
Song Yubai said coldly, "My mind is made up. Don't think of playing any tricks!"
Yu Wanzhu thought for a moment and pointed gently at his leg. "Your leg is like this because of me. I accept that debt. And Mother—she fell ill because of me, too. I still have some of my dowry left. Can we wait until I've seen both of you healed before the divorce?"
"When that time comes, you won't even have to say anything. I will request to leave the household myself. Consider it my way of making amends."
If not for her, Song Yubai wouldn't have broken his leg. He would have been able to go to the capital after the New Year for the imperial examinations. With his abilities, achieving high honors wouldn't have been difficult. But as things stood, his mother was ill and his own leg was unhealed. If the injury dragged on, a cripple would lose the qualification to enter officialdom for life.
The Song family had been dragged down this far by her; how could she selfishly just walk away?
She wasn't the original owner and had no desire to be Song Yubai’s wife, but she had to repay the karmic debts the original owner had incurred.
Only after the Song family's situation improved and Song Yubai could successfully head to the capital could she leave without a guilty conscience.
Once she left the Song family, Yu Wanzhu didn't plan on returning to the Yu family either. Thinking of her stepmother's hypocritical face made her skin crawl. They had abandoned her in Shuozhou under the guise of "fulfilling her wishes"; there was really no point in going back, especially as a divorcee.
It was actually a good opportunity to travel through the Great Zhou Dynasty. She had her combat skills for self-defense, and since her appearance wouldn't change anytime soon, she wouldn't have to worry about attracting the attention of bandits.
Song Yubai never expected her to say such things. Was this wicked woman retreating only to advance, trying to make him go soft-hearted?
However, on that pig-like face, her eyes were clear, bright, and honest.
Song Yubai had never seen her like this. For a moment, he couldn't tell if she was lying. He merely pursed his lips and said, "Our Song family has never coveted your dowry."
Even when they had no money for treatment, they hadn't considered touching her dowry, not to mention how she had guarded it like a hawk, terrified the Song family would use a single cent of it.
Yu Wanzhu didn't mind his attitude. She continued to smile and said, "I know you don't believe me. Tomorrow, I'll go to the prefectural city and hire the best doctor to treat you and Mother. Your leg can definitely be healed."
"Tonight…"
She remembered what was happening when she first arrived and her face flushed. She spoke quickly, "Let's just leave it at that for tonight. It's cold out. If you're not feeling uncomfortable, then rest early. I'm going back to sleep, too."
With that, she turned and walked out on her own.
Song Yubai was somewhat stunned. Was this still that fool, Yu Wanzhu? Since when did she have such a gentle tone?
Since when was she this reasonable?
He watched the stout figure leave, a trace of scrutiny flashing in his eyes.
Yu Wanzhu had a separate room in the Song house. This had originally been the younger sister Song Xiaolan’s room, but because Yu Wanzhu had married in and Song Yubai was unwilling to share a room with her, the room was vacated for her. Song Xiaolan moved into Mrs. Xu’s room to care for their sick mother.
Back in her room, she looked around before skillfully pulling a clean piece of cloth from a chest to bandage the wound on her hand.
Exhausted after the night's turmoil, Yu Wanzhu lay down fully clothed, adjusted to a comfortable position, and prepared to drift off.
Just as she closed her eyes, an electronic screen suddenly flashed in her mind.
A line of large characters was displayed.
—Congratulations, Host, on unlocking the Beauty Enhancement System. Would you like to bind?
Yu Wanzhu’s spirit jolted. Was it here? The essential "golden finger" of a transmigration protagonist? It had arrived?
Beauty Enhancement System?
She hadn't heard of this specific one, but given her current appearance, she definitely needed a change. Yu Wanzhu clicked "Confirm" without hesitation.
Instantly, fireworks went off on the screen, and a brightly colored gift pack popped up in the center.
The feeling was much like a gacha pull from her previous life. With a mix of excitement and curiosity, Yu Wanzhu clicked open the pack.
—Congratulations, Host, on receiving your welcome gift: one weighing scale!
What??
Yu Wanzhu had been quite the bookworm in her past life. Other people got Wealth Systems, Learning Systems, or Gourmet Systems—providing money, food, and resources.
In her case, "becoming beautiful" apparently meant getting a scale so she could weigh herself every day and die of anger at the numbers?
What kind of Sucker System was this?
All that excitement for nothing!
Yu Wanzhu’s expression instantly soured. With a dark face, she reluctantly clicked to claim it.
A small electronic scale appeared out of thin air on the floor. After a thought, she took off her thick cotton coat and stood on it in just her thin undergarments.
Yu Wanzhu stood there shivering, her arms wrapped around herself, but when she saw the numbers, she nearly choked on her own breath.
The cold white light of the display flickered rapidly before stopping firmly at 100kg.
Exactly two hundred jin!
Yu Wanzhu’s breath hitched. She knew this body was fat—her hands and legs were so thick that walking was a chore—but the weight of a full two hundred jin still shocked her!
Just as she was feeling despondent, another dialog box popped up.
—Current Mission: Lose 1 jin. Mission Reward: 3 Wild Yams (Low-calorie staple food).
Only then did Yu Wanzhu’s expression soften slightly. She was going to lose this fat anyway; if she could trade it for food, then this system wasn't entirely useless.
…
Early the next morning, Yu Wanzhu was woken by the sound of ducks quacking.
It was currently the end of the eleventh lunar month, the height of winter. Every morning, Song Xiaolan would drive the family’s chickens and ducks to the empty, fallow fields in the village.
The fallow fields had weeds and insects; letting the poultry forage there during the day saved a lot of grain.
In the past, if Yu Wanzhu was still asleep it was fine, but if she were woken up, she would scream at the fourteen-year-old Song Xiaolan until she cried.
She once again felt a wave of disdain for the original owner. Rubbing the swollen, aching back of her head, she got up and pushed open the window.
She happened to lock eyes with Song Xiaolan, who was herding the ducks out.
Song Xiaolan froze for a moment, expecting to be scolded, but she saw the fat woman just glance at her without saying a word. Who knew what kind of wicked scheme she was cooking up now!
If she wanted to scold, then scold; if not, then forget it. She wasn't afraid!
Song Xiaolan let out a cold snort and walked past her with her head held high.