“Oh?” Jiang Fuseng turned her head, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Thank you for the compliment, Brother Changhe. I love hearing that.”
“Mm.” Xiao Changhe’s ears turned slightly red; in the direct sunlight, it was particularly noticeable.
Jiang Fuseng fished out the 500 yuan and handed it to him. “Here you go!”
“What?”
“I’m not taking your betrothal gift, and I’m giving you a dowry on top of that. I promised you just now!”
“No need.” Xiao Changhe shook his head. “I’ll support you.”
“Of course you’ll support me, but I’ve made a promise, and I’ll keep it! ” Jiang Fusheng shoved the money straight into his hand, a sweet smile on her face. “Comrade Xiao Changhe, remember to provide room and food from now on!
Seeing this, Aunt Xiao was overjoyed; she was grinning from ear to ear. She hurriedly fished out the little change she had in her pocket and handed it to her daughter standing beside her,
“Changhong, go into town and call your dad and your brother back. Tell them we’ve got good news! While you’re at it, buy some tasty treats for your sister-in-law, and keep the rest as pocket money.”
“Thanks, Mum!” Xiao Changhong took the money with a look of delight and turned to Jiang Fusheng. “Sister-in-law, are there any snacks you like? I’ll buy some for you.”
She could tell that by hanging around her sister-in-law, she’d get to eat plenty of tasty treats!
“No, no, it’s not necessary.” Jiang Fusheng was flattered, “Just buy whatever your family likes—I’m not fussy.”
“Right then!” Xiao Changhong cheerfully left the house.
Auntie Xiao came over and took Jiang Fusheng by the hand. “Come on, let’s go inside first.”
In the end, only Xiao Changhe was left standing in the wind, looking dishevelled, clutching a wad of banknotes.
To marry a wife without a betrothal gift, and to receive a dowry in return?
He couldn’t help but feel as though he were on the verge of becoming a kept man!
……
Meanwhile, Mother Xiao led Jiang Fuseng into the living room.
The living room was clean and tidy, with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the white walls.
A kerosene lamp and a hot-water flask sat on the floor cabinet.
In the centre of the room stood a set of furniture arranged in a ‘U’ shape: a long, four-seater wooden sofa against the back wall, flanked on either side by single wooden armchairs, all fitted with fabric seat cushions and backrests.
In the centre of the ‘U’ stood a rectangular rosewood coffee table, upon which sat a bamboo basket and a tea set.
Adjacent to a floor-to-ceiling wooden window, a small area served as the dining space, furnished with a round table and six high stools.
“Come in, Lai Di, sit down.” Mother Xiao pulled Jiang Fuseng to sit on the large sofa and poured her a glass of water.
“Thank you, Aunt Xiao.” Jiang Fuseng took the glass and gulped down two mouthfuls.
“Lai Di, our home may be humble, but rest assured, we won’t let you go without!”
“As long as I have food to eat and a place to stay, that’s enough.” Jiang Fuseng smiled wryly, thinking to herself that once things settled down, she would start figuring out ways to make money.
The male lead in the book she was reading was that scumbag Qian Weidong.
As for the female lead, it wasn’t the person he currently fancied, but someone else.
The entire book was about how the scumbag male lead made his fortune, then met the female lead, and how the two of them sparked a romance in this era, playing out all sorts of heart-wrenching love and hate…
Suddenly, Mother Xiao took Jiang Fu Sheng’s hand, slid a solid gold bracelet from her own wrist onto the other’s, and smiled gently. “Come now, my dear, this is an early wedding gift for you.”
Jiang Fusheng looked at the gleaming, intricately patterned bracelet and hastily declined, “Aunt Xiao, this is a gold bracelet—it’s far too valuable. I really shouldn’t accept it.”
“Now, now,” Aunt Xiao said, holding Jiang Fusheng’s hand. “This bracelet was given to me by my mother-in-law—Changhe’s grandmother—who said it was to be passed down through the generations to the eldest daughter-in-law. Changhe is my eldest son, and since you’re marrying him, this bracelet is rightfully yours!”
“Auntie…” Jiang Fuseng’s nose grew tingly; it felt as though sand had got into her eyes, causing a stinging sensation.
Mother Xiao patted Jiang Fuseng’s hand gently. “My dear, once Changhe’s father and his younger brother return, we’ll set a date and hold a wedding banquet.”
“Actually, there’s no need to go to all that trouble. We can just go into town tomorrow and get a marriage certificate!”
“You’re marrying into the Xiao family, not selling yourself. We must follow the proper procedures.”
“But…”
“That’s final! Just sit here for a while; I’ll go and make you some porridge.” Mrs Xiao rose and hurried out of the living room.
Jiang Fuseng sat alone in the living room, her right hand unconsciously twirling the gold bracelet on her wrist. Her gaze swept around the room, finally settling on Xiao Changhe, who was sitting on a bench by the door, sorting green beans.
Having returned to the 1980s from a world of the internet and all manner of entertainment devices, although the surroundings were identical to those of the old storage shed back home, she still felt out of place.
Especially having to marry someone right at the start just to change her fate—it was far too melodramatic!
And altering the opening plot—who knew if it might trigger a butterfly effect…
“Ouch!”
The pattern on the bracelet had cut a small slit in her finger, and a drop of blood emerged.
In that instant, the bracelet emitted a dazzling golden light.
As the golden light faded, an interface materialised before her eyes.
[Congratulations, Master, on activating the bracelet. System 007 is online and at your service!]
A golden finger!
Jiang Fusheng rubbed her eyes and glanced nervously at Xiao Changhe, who was standing nearby. Only after confirming he hadn’t noticed did she turn her attention back to the interface, filled with astonishment.
Wasn’t this the bracelet Aunt Xiao had given her?
How could it be hiding a modern system?
“007, you’re not from this era. Can you take me back to the modern world?”
[Apologies, Master. 007 is a kitchen management system capable of providing you with anything from the kitchen, provided you redeem initial access rights using points.]
“I can’t go back… All right, then, what exactly do you mean by ‘points’?”
【Please look, Master.】
A beam of light appeared, and her consciousness entered a vast space. It was organised like a warehouse, with everything categorised and arranged—without exception, everything was kitchen-related.
For instance, electrical appliances such as rice cookers and induction stoves, tools like chopping boards and knives, kitchenware including pots and spoons, and even every conceivable seasoning available on the market!
However, they were all a dull grey, with numbers floating above each item.
【Master, you can earn points by completing tasks. There is a fixed minor task every three days, with points ranging from 10 to 1,000. Weekly tasks yield 1,000 to 10,000 points, monthly tasks 10,000 or more, and annual tasks 100,000 or more. Each task remains available for acceptance for seven days, and there is no limit to the number of tasks you can accept. From time to time, some interesting limited-time tasks will also appear!】
“Oh! What happens if I accept a task but don’t complete it?”
【Nothing will happen, but these tasks are random. If you miss one, it’s unlikely you’ll get the same one again, so 007 recommends that you actively complete tasks once accepted! I’ll now send you a mystery box starter pack.】
Good grief, even the starter pack is a mystery box? They’ve gone mad!
“The one in the middle, please!”
【Congratulations, Master. You’ve won a 12-inch black-and-white television.】
“A… television?” Jiang Fusheng’s eyes lit up. “My luck is just too good!”
In the 80s, a television cost four or five hundred yuan!
There’s no television in the Xiao family’s living room—this will come in handy, won’t it?
However…
“007, are the items I’ve redeemed kept with you?”
【Yes. Whenever the Master needs them, just give the word and 007 will fetch them.】
“They’re still in their original packaging, aren’t they?”
【Yes.】
“Since I’ve got nothing better to do, why don’t you come up with a task for me to have a look at?”
She’d just had a quick look at the items on the shelves: a packet of iodised salt cost 30 points, and a bottle of light soy sauce cost 100 points.
If you went by modern supermarket prices, a packet of salt would be 2.90 and a bottle of light soy sauce 9.90, meaning the points required for items in this system were ten times the modern market price.
[Mini-Quest: Perform a dance routine in front of someone within 10 minutes, complete with your own background music. 999 points.]
“……007, have a look for yourself—is this quest even legitimate? Suddenly singing and rhyming in front of someone? Do you want me to look like a complete madwoman?”
[Master, don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if you accept it and fail to complete it—it’s all about taking part! And if you happen to complete it, wouldn’t that be 999 points? That’s enough to buy 10 bottles of oyster sauce! In this day and age, a bottle of oyster sauce costs 4 yuan! Do the maths—just by dancing and providing the music, wouldn’t that save you 40 yuan?”
“I think you’ve got a point!”
【So, this task…】
“I’ll take it!”
【Brilliant!】
But now that she’d accepted the task, who was she supposed to find as her task partner?
Being new here, she didn’t know anyone else. Her original self did have a close female friend, but she lived in the city—it would take at least ten minutes just to get to her doorstep.
So, for the time being, her only option was the Xiao family.
But behaving like this in front of an elder… surely that wouldn’t be quite right?
Jiang Fuseng suddenly raised her eyes and glanced towards the doorway, only to unexpectedly lock eyes with Xiao Changhe’s shifty gaze.
At that moment of eye contact, Xiao Changhe was so startled he quickly turned his head away, his face turning beetroot red at a speed rivalling a factory assembly line.
Goodness me.
Such a towering figure, and yet he’s so easily flustered!
Time ticked by, second by second.
[Master, you don’t have much time left.]
“I know, I know!”
Jiang Fuseng stood up, stretching her limbs as she walked towards Xiao Changhe.
“Brother Changhe, look at me.”
Xiao Changhe turned back, puzzled.