Xu Mingzhu took a deep breath. Then another.
This catastrophic start? She’d accept it.
But where was the system? According to transmigration novel logic, if Heaven was going to entrust someone with a great mission, it should at least provide some benefits first. At the very least, she ought to have a cheat ability, right?
She had already ended up in such a miserable situation. Surely there should be a system to help her defy fate and change her destiny.
Once she got a system, she’d definitely be able to steamroll her way forward and reverse the tragic ending described in the original novel.
Without even bothering to wash her face, Xu Mingzhu spent hours in the tiny room trying every activation method she could think of.
She squatted, sat, stood, raised her hand, and silently recited commands. Every pose she could attempt and every password she could imagine, she tried them all. Yet the legendary crisp “Ding!” never sounded in her mind.
The cruel reality stood before her. She had transmigrated into the novel’s universally hated villainous supporting female character. And she had no cheat.
Heaven truly wanted her dead.
As hard as it was to accept, she had no choice but to face reality. Who told her to share the same name as the character, Xu Mingzhu?
She fetched a basin of water and carefully washed the layers of makeup from her face. Soon, a delicate reflection appeared in the bronze mirror. Her clear almond-shaped eyes and refined features looked much fresher and cleaner.
Next, she found a simple, clean outfit in the wardrobe. Crouching in a corner, she slowly sorted through the original owner’s absurd life memories.
By dawn, she slapped her thigh and made up her mind. Whether the ending could be changed or not, her immediate priorities were clear: Stay away from the male and female leads. Repay the debts. Get a divorce. Work hard to make money and increase her own worth. In short, make herself a little harder to kill.
Just as Xu Mingzhu finished planning her future, she heard Mother Xu cursing outside: “Old Eldest’s wife! Your husband is out there hauling stone and breaking his back working, but look at you. The sun’s already high in the sky and you’re still not up helping out. What, just because you’re pregnant, you expect an old woman like me to wait on you?”
“Mother, I’m getting dressed. I’ll be right there to make breakfast.”
Xu Mingzhu pushed open the door.
At that moment, her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Zhou, came out of her room. She shot Xu Mingzhu a glare before heading toward the kitchen.
Well then. Public Enemy Number One.
The novel explained that the original Xu Mingzhu had been introduced to a gambling den by Li Laizi, a man from the same village. After a few lucky wins at the beginning, she became addicted. Not only did she gamble away all of the family’s ancestral farmland, but when her elder brother went to work at the quarry to help repay her debts, she complained he wasn’t earning money fast enough and heartlessly sold his young daughter.
Because the villainous supporting character shared both her name and surname, Xu Mingzhu paid extra attention while reading the book. The little girl had suffered terribly in the Chen household.
Xu Mingzhu couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh inwardly.
Mother Xu glared back at Madam Zhou. “Why are you glaring at your little sister-in-law first thing in the morning? Don’t think I don’t know what you two are planning. You’re trying to push my Mingzhu into the Song family. Let me make this clear today: as long as this old woman is alive, my Mingzhu is a member of the Xu family. Nobody gets to drive her away, and nobody gets to mistreat her.”
Madam Zhou pressed a hand against her slightly swollen belly. The grievance she had been suppressing could no longer be contained. Her eyes reddened as she retorted unwillingly: “Mother, how can you say that? To pay off her gambling debts, my husband works himself to the bone hauling stone. My daughter was sold to the Chen family as a servant. Everything in this household revolves around her. Second Brother and I have always had no choice but to watch. Who would even dare mistreat her?”
As she reached the most painful part, Madam Zhou’s voice choked with emotion, and tears streamed down her face. “Mother, this family doesn’t have only Xu Mingzhu! You still have two sons! My eldest daughter isn’t even by my side anymore. I finally became pregnant again, and now we’re barely scraping by. The rice jar is practically empty. Second Brother is already getting older and still can’t arrange a marriage. Have you ever thought about us at all?”
The moment Mother Xu heard that, she exploded with fury. Planting her hands on her hips, she shouted: “I have only one daughter, Mingzhu! And my two sons have only one sister! The whole family dotes on her and favors her. So what? If you can’t stand it, then go back to your maiden family and have your own parents cherish you the same way!”
At the mention of returning to her parents’ home, Madam Zhou instantly fell silent. She lowered her head and began washing the cooking pot beside the stove, her shoulders trembling continuously.
Xu Mingzhu hurriedly stepped between them. “Mother, Sister-in-law, please don’t make yourselves sick with anger. I know I was wrong. From now on, I’ll never gamble again.”
Mother Xu stared at Xu Mingzhu in shock. Then she rubbed her daughter’s back repeatedly, her face filled with relief. “Good child, good child. I knew my Mingzhu was the best child.”
At that moment, Second Brother Xu Ming’an stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Mother Xu’s other side. “Mother, don’t be angry. It’s not worth harming your health over this. In a couple of days, I’ll go up the mountain to carry stone and earn money too. Every coin I earn will be for Little Sister to spend.”
After hearing that, Mother Xu’s expression finally softened a little. Patting Xu Ming’an’s hand, she earnestly reminded him: “You must remember this well. We only have one daughter in this family. If you brothers don’t cherish her and treat her well, who else can we count on to do so?”
Standing to the side, Xu Mingzhu quietly watched the three people in the courtyard, feeling a complicated mix of emotions.
Mother Xu, Madam Zhou, and Xu Ming’an were all painfully thin. Their clothes had been washed so many times that their original colors were long gone, with patch after patch sewn on. The entire courtyard looked run-down and impoverished. Yet when she thought of the original owner’s wardrobe, it was stuffed with colorful dresses and fabrics. They weren’t silk or satin, but they were still luxuries most farming families could never afford. And yet the original Xu Mingzhu had never appreciated any of it. Instead, she had used their love and indulgence to completely ruin what should have been happy lives.
Mother Xu glanced toward the main house. “Where’s A-Ci?”
Xu Mingzhu awkwardly rubbed her nose. After last night’s commotion, everyone must know what she forced Song Ci to do. She hurriedly explained, “He went back.”
Following her lead, Mother Xu said, “If that child Song Ci learns that you’ve truly decided to change, he’ll definitely be happy. He’ll live a good life with you.”
“Mother, I’ll help Sister-in-law cook.” Xu Mingzhu had no desire to talk about Song Ci. Provoking the male lead was a death sentence for the entire Xu family.
On the packed-earth stove sat a pile of wilted wild vegetables and half a bowl of coarse brown rice.
Even wanting to help, Xu Mingzhu had no idea where to start.
Mother Xu pulled her aside, lifted the pot lid, and scooped out a boiled egg from the steaming water. “Mingzhu, you don’t need to worry about these things. You must be exhausted after last night. Come eat an egg and get some rest afterward.”
Beside them, Xu Ming’an’s eyes never left the egg. The sound of him swallowing could practically be heard throughout the courtyard.
“Eat it while it’s hot.” Seeing that she hadn’t moved, Mother Xu urged her again.
Xu Mingzhu handed the egg to Madam Zhou. “Sister-in-law, you’re pregnant. You should eat it.”
Madam Zhou froze for a moment. Then her face turned deathly pale. She instinctively stepped back and covered her stomach protectively. “Xu Mingzhu, what are you plotting this time? You’ve already sold my daughter, Daya. Don’t even think about targeting the child in my belly. I wasn’t able to protect my daughter, but this time, even if it costs me my life, I won’t let you hurt my child!”
“No, I just wanted you to have an egg…” Xu Mingzhu was stunned. The rest of her sentence, ‘to nourish yourself,’ died in her throat. Suddenly, she remembered. The last time the original owner forcibly took Daya away, she had lured the little girl off with a single egg. There was no fixing this reputation.
Turning around, she offered the egg to Xu Ming’an. “Second Brother, you eat it. I don’t have much appetite this morning.”
Delighted, Xu Ming’an accepted it. But before he could even warm it in his hands, Mother Xu snatched it away. “If Mingzhu isn’t hungry right now, I’ll keep it tucked away for her. She can eat it whenever she gets hungry.”
Soon, three bowls of something dark and unappetizing were placed on the table. It looked like soup made from wild vegetables, with a few grains of brown rice floating here and there.
In front of Xu Mingzhu, however, sat a full bowl of brown rice.
The other three seemed completely accustomed to it and silently ate what was before them.
Since childhood, the original Xu Mingzhu had always enjoyed the best resources in the family. Even though Mother Xu had two sons, she couldn’t bear to marry her daughter off and have her suffer in another household. Instead, she had arranged for Song Ci to marry into the Xu family.
That kind of love made Xu Mingzhu envious. Good people like them shouldn’t end up dying tragic deaths because of her. So she scooped half of the rice from her bowl into Xu Ming’an’s. “Second Brother, eat.”
Xu Ming’an stared blankly, too shocked to react.
Xu Mingzhu then divided more rice between Mother Xu and Madam Zhou.
Mother Xu said weakly, “Mingzhu, your eldest brother won’t send his wages home for several more days. Bear with the brown rice for now. Once the money arrives, Mother will buy you white rice.”
Madam Zhou gritted her teeth, said nothing, and lowered her head to drink a large mouthful of the vegetable soup.
Xu Mingzhu gave a bitter smile. “Mother, that’s not what I meant. From now on, whatever you all eat, I’ll eat. There’s no need to prepare special meals just for me.”
Mother Xu immediately tried to push the rice back into her bowl.
Xu Mingzhu moved her bowl away first and pretended to be angry. “Mother, if you keep treating me differently, does that mean you don’t consider me part of the family?”
“My Mingzhu, you’re the treasure of my life. How could I not see you as family?”
“Then eat the rice.”
Worried that her daughter wouldn’t get enough to eat, Mother Xu secretly peeled the egg she had hidden and placed it into Xu Mingzhu’s bowl. “Mingzhu, eat the egg.”
Xu Mingzhu divided the egg into four pieces and placed one piece into each person’s bowl. Then, mimicking the original owner’s tone, she said, “If you don’t eat, then neither will I.”
“Well…” Mother Xu looked at the other two, whose eyes were shining as they stared at the egg, and sighed in frustration. “Fine, eat, eat. After you’re done, get back to work. Your little sister’s kindness to you today should stay in your hearts. If anyone dares treat my daughter badly, this old woman will be the first to make them answer for it.”
Just then, Song Ci knocked on the door and witnessed the scene. This woman usually considered it a good day if she didn’t snatch food from everyone else’s bowls. How could she possibly be sharing it with them voluntarily?