Zuo Cao had become completely invisible in the Wei household.
It seemed as though everyone treated her as if she didn’t exist in this home.
During the day, Zuo Caiyun went to work, and Wei Changzhi was nowhere to be found.
Wei Mu held the child, occasionally making pointed remarks: “If I kept a dog in the house and fed it scraps every day, it would at least wag its tail at me. A girl who doesn’t work in the house deserves to be beaten to death by her in-laws…”
“Beating people is illegal, and killing someone requires paying with one’s life,” Zuo Cao said. “If your mindset isn’t up to par, you should study. If you can’t learn, go parade through the streets.”
Perhaps realizing she could no longer gain any advantage from Zuo Cao,
Wei Mu never spoke another word to her, even avoiding eye contact.
When Zuo Caiyun returned from work, she would occasionally glance at Zuo Cao with silent disappointment and deep sighs.
Although Zuo Cao still lived in this house,
everything about her seemed detached from the family.
She no longer ate meals with them and took care of the cleanliness of the storage room herself.
Her world suddenly became extremely quiet—solitary and isolated. Amidst the harmony and joy of the Wei family, her surroundings were silent.
If Zuo Cao were truly just a child under six years old,
she would have been terrified by this change.
She would have reflected on what she had done wrong, apologized, and begged for forgiveness.
After being forgiven and reintegrated into the family, she would have been overjoyed,
and thus worked even harder, willingly taking on all the chores of the Wei household.
Later generations would describe such a situation as emotional abuse.
But Zuo Cao was no longer the same Zuo Cao.
Even though her memories were hazy, certain common-sense knowledge remained in her mind.
She went to work for Aunt Mo every day, earning a fixed wage of two yuan.
Zuo Cao even learned how to fry oil cakes.
However, hot oil was dangerous, so unless they were extremely busy, Aunt Mo wouldn’t let Zuo Cao handle it.
Feeling somewhat guilty about this, Aunt Mo raised her wages to three yuan.
The daily payments were prompt.
With this steady three yuan a day, Zuo Cao was already living quite comfortably.
Aunt Mo’s work ended early, so after finishing there, Zuo Cao went to help Aunt Qin.
On one hand, this solved her lunch problem, but more importantly, she used materials from the recycling station to make simple toys to sell to elementary school students.
Playing with iron hoops had become a popular trend in the area, highly sought after by children.
Zuo Cao’s savings steadily grew.
Within a few days, they surpassed the fifty-yuan mark.
Calculating it, Zuo Cao’s daily income was even slightly higher than Zuo Caiyun’s.
This was also because there were few self-employed individuals at the time, and not many were willing to take risks.
Zuo Cao was quite satisfied with herself.
Carrying this money, she chose a sunny day to visit the state-run restaurant.
She never shortchanged herself.
Looking at the menu, she ordered braised pork, stir-fried greens, and a serving of rice.
This meal cost nearly half a day’s earnings for Zuo Cao.
While the Wei family treated Zuo Cao as invisible and she ran around outside every day, the System remained silent.
But when Zuo Cao treated herself at the state-run restaurant, the System became unusually angry.
“If you gave this money to the Wei family, they would surely treat you well.”
“You’re living under someone else’s roof—isn’t it natural to endure some grievances? Even if you don’t give them the money, inviting them to this meal would definitely change their opinion of you.”
Zuo Cao scoffed.
The System had been silent for so many days that she thought it had died.
“Why should I support them? I don’t owe anyone anything. The money I earn myself, I can spend however I want.”
“Host, indulging in pleasure is wrong. Enduring hardship and working diligently are the true virtues.”
“What you say isn’t wrong,” Zuo Cao said calmly. “But you make me sick.”
The food arrived slowly.
The braised pork was a large, generous bowl, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, made with solid ingredients.
Zuo Cao remembered she used to dislike fatty meat, but whether it was because this body lacked oil and nourishment or because the chef at this state-run restaurant truly had exceptional skills, she couldn’t tell.
Zuo Cao couldn’t detect any greasiness in the meat at all—it simply melted in her mouth, leaving a fragrant taste on her lips and teeth.
She wished she could shove the entire bowl into her mouth.
In fact, she did just that, pulling the bowl directly toward herself.
Since she was the only one at the table, there was no need to worry about table manners.
She devoured the food ravenously. Even the stir-fried greens, meant to balance the meal, were unprecedentedly tender and fresh.
The portion was indeed generous. Even after Zuo Cao had eaten her fill, there was still some food left. She looked at the leftovers, calculating in her mind.
She certainly wouldn’t bring it back for the Wei family—that would be nothing but trouble.
Zuo Cao sat at the table for a while longer before asking the waiter to pack it up.
Then, carrying the takeout box, she strolled along the street to walk off the meal. After a few rounds, the sky had turned completely dark. Zuo Cao ate the leftovers as a midnight snack before finally heading back.
Before even entering the door, Zuo Cao caught a whiff of a fermented, sour stench.
The extra household chores hadn’t been clearly assigned by Wei Mu and Zuo Caiyun, but they had reluctantly reached an agreement.
Taking care of the child during the day could only fall to Wei Mu, while Zuo Caiyun would cook dinner for the whole family after returning from work.
When Wei Mu was washing the diapers, she nearly slipped again, so the task of washing them piled up and also fell to Zuo Caiyun.
The weather was hot, and if these dirty things were left for even a short while, the smell would permeate the entire house.
When Zuo Cao returned, Zuo Caiyun was holding a diaper, her gaze directed at Zuo Cao with encouragement and expectation.
It seemed as though she was offering Zuo Cao a way out—if Zuo Cao would just take the dirty diaper, they could sweep the previous unpleasantness under the rug, act as if nothing had happened, and the Wei family could return to its harmonious state from top to bottom.
Zuo Cao walked over.
Zuo Caiyun’s eyes lit up, her hand almost ready to pass the diaper over.
Zuo Cao didn’t take it. Instead, she smiled at her aunt and said, “Auntie.”
A long silence followed.
After so many days, Zuo Cao had grown accustomed to the family’s cold treatment. Without waiting for Zuo Caiyun’s response, she simply walked past her.
A while later, she came out after changing her clothes.
She didn’t even heat water for her bath—using the Wei family’s gas to heat water would prompt Wei Mu to secretly unplug the line.
Zuo Cao took a cold shower.
As the weather gradually warmed up, it was just barely manageable.
Zuo Cao washed the clothes she had changed out of and hung them on the clothesline.
Zuo Caiyun’s gaze followed her the entire time, but she didn’t say a word.
Zuo Cao pretended not to notice. After hanging the clothes, she went back to sleep.
Over the next few days, she tried the braised crucian carp, mushroom stewed chicken, and other hearty dishes at the state-run restaurant, eating until her mouth was slick with oil.
In less than half a month, she had visibly gained weight, her face rounding out.
Even her hair seemed glossier.
The chef at the state-run restaurant made Zuo Cao feel that her trip had been well worth it.
Aside from the System’s incessant nagging, the authentic flavors of the food in this era made her feel as though she were living in a real world.
She always found ways to make life as comfortable as possible.
The System was furious about this but utterly powerless.
Zuo Cao said, “You seem to dislike seeing me live well.”
The System declared with conviction, “A good family is what truly matters. Why are you always so selfish?”
Zuo Cao pinched the newly grown flesh on her cheeks. “My well-being is what truly matters.”
She found the texture quite pleasing.