Carrying a swirl of complicated emotions, Zhou Yu finally felt a little warmth return to her body after finishing a bowl of porridge. She gradually recovered somewhat, no longer feeling quite so weak.
After setting down her bowl and chopsticks, Zhou Yu noticed that Lu Cheng, who was barely taller than the table, was standing nearby with his head tilted up, staring at her without blinking.
Caught off guard by the child’s intense gaze, Zhou Yu jumped slightly. When she came back to her senses, she asked in confusion, “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you still want more porridge?”
At her words, Lu Cheng immediately shook his head like a rattling drum, terrified that if he showed even the slightest sign of wanting more porridge, his stepmother Zhou Yu would beat him mercilessly the next moment.
Besides, he had already drunk a large bowl of porridge just now. Even though it had been so thin that it was practically porridge water, Lu Cheng still felt certain he wouldn’t escape a beating afterward.
Carefully, he took two small steps backward, hoping that when the beating came, he might be able to dodge a few blows. Of course, he couldn’t make it too obvious. Otherwise, he would only end up receiving an even harsher beating.
Seeing Lu Cheng’s strong reaction, Zhou Yu was puzzled at first. But then she recalled the extra memories that had appeared in her mind and immediately understood.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hit you anymore in the future,” Zhou Yu said with a smile.
Hearing her words, Lu Cheng showed little reaction. He didn’t believe that his stepmother would actually keep such a promise just because she said so.
Seeing the disbelief on his face, Zhou Yu did not try to explain further. The terrible impression the original host had left on Lu Cheng could not be erased with a few words. It would take time.
“Is there still any porridge left in the pot?” Zhou Yu asked.
“Mhm… there are two small bowls left…” Lu Cheng replied softly, his voice so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, and the area around their house was exceptionally quiet. Zhou Yu still managed to catch his answer.
A faint smile curved her lips as she said, “Then could I trouble you to go to the kitchen again and bring those two bowls over?”
Although Zhou Yu felt somewhat better now, she still didn’t have much strength. That was why she was asking Lu Cheng to help serve another bowl of porridge.
The porridge had already cooled for quite a while, so there was no need to worry about it scalding him.
This little Lu Cheng looked so timid and submissive that it was hard to imagine he would grow into the ruthless villain described in the story. The thought felt strangely unreal to Zhou Yu.
Meanwhile, after hearing her words, Lu Cheng frowned.
He raised his head in confusion, unease stirring in his heart. He couldn’t understand why Zhou Yu had suddenly become so gentle. What exactly was she planning?
His mouth opened slightly as though he wanted to ask something, but in the end, he said nothing.
Taking the bowl Zhou Yu handed him and picking up his own bowl as well, Lu Cheng got to his feet and headed for the kitchen.
Before long, he returned with two bowls of porridge.
Lu Cheng handed the thicker bowl, rich with grains of rice, to Zhou Yu. As for the bowl he kept for himself, it was so watery that hardly a few grains of rice could be seen floating inside.
Originally, Zhou Yu had intended to continue eating as soon as she received the bowl of porridge. She had only finished a small bowl earlier and was still hungry. But just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, the corner of her eye caught sight of the bowl in front of Lu Cheng.
The contents of Lu Cheng’s bowl could hardly even be called porridge. It was little more than a bowl of clear water with a few grains of rice floating in it.
Zhou Yu frowned slightly.
Could it be that this was what the child had been eating earlier as well?
She hadn’t noticed it before. Seeing the thick porridge Lu Cheng had handed her, she had assumed he had simply used a bit more rice when cooking. She had never expected the truth to be this.
Looking at Lu Cheng’s frail little frame, Zhou Yu let out a quiet sigh.
The original host in the novel had truly been heartless. The child was still so young, yet she hadn’t shown him the slightest kindness. No wonder Lu Cheng’s personality became so twisted in the future.
Although Lu Cheng appeared to be staring at his own bowl, his attention had actually been fixed on Zhou Yu’s expression the entire time. Now, seeing her face darken and hearing her sigh, he was so frightened that he nearly started trembling.
Then he saw Zhou Yu reach out her hand.
Lu Cheng immediately set down his bowl and instinctively leaned backward. However, he did not dare retreat too obviously, afraid that trying to dodge would only earn him a harsher beating.
Terrified, Lu Cheng squeezed his eyes shut.
But after several seconds passed, the pain he expected never came.
Confused, he slowly opened his eyes, only to discover that the bowl in front of him had disappeared.
A trace of disappointment flashed across his face.
Before he could dwell on it, however, the bowl was placed back into his hands.
The porridge that had been so watery only moments ago was now much thicker. It had been a very long time since Lu Cheng had eaten porridge this rich.
Puzzled, he looked up at Zhou Yu.
“In the future, when you’re serving food, you don’t need to deliberately give me the thicker portion while you eat the thin porridge yourself. Just serve it normally,” Zhou Yu explained. “Go ahead and eat.”
Lu Cheng carefully studied her expression, repeatedly trying to determine whether she truly meant what she said.
In the end, however, temptation won out.
He lowered his head and began drinking the porridge.
Earlier, he had only eaten a bowl of porridge so thin it was practically water. His stomach was still empty. If Zhou Yu had some other scheme in mind, then he would deal with it after finishing his meal.
After Zhou Yu and Lu Cheng finished eating together, Zhou Yu only left him with a simple reminder.
“Go to bed early.”
Then she returned to her room to sleep, leaving Lu Cheng standing there alone in a daze, lost in thought.
After quite some time, seeing that Zhou Yu made no further moves, Lu Cheng gradually lowered his guard.
He carried the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen, washed them clean, and then returned to his own room to sleep.
Inside Lu Cheng’s room, there was nothing except a bed and a small wooden stool.
The bedding on the bed was old and worn, offering almost no warmth at all.
But today, Lu Cheng had eaten a full bowl of porridge.
A thick bowl of porridge.
His stomach felt pleasantly warm, and somehow even the cold night seemed a little less harsh than usual.
The next morning, as the distant sky was just beginning to brighten, Zhou Yu woke naturally.
After a full night’s rest, she felt much better. Most of the weakness in her body had faded.
【This is Life-Saving and Healing System 088. It is a pleasure to serve you.】
A mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Zhou Yu’s mind.
Having just woken up, Zhou Yu was still somewhat groggy. She assumed she had imagined it and simply shook her head, paying no attention to the voice.
When the mechanical voice received no response, it assumed Zhou Yu hadn’t heard it.
A few seconds later, it repeated itself:
【This is Life-Saving and Healing System 088. It is a pleasure to serve you.】
This time, Zhou Yu heard it clearly, but she was puzzled.
What exactly was a Life-Saving and Healing System?
【It’s a system that can help you treat illnesses and save lives. By completing missions assigned by the system, you can also receive a large number of rewards.】The mechanical voice sounded again.
Zhou Yu hadn’t voiced her question aloud, yet the system had somehow detected her thoughts and answered them directly. It was surprisingly high-tech.
Back in the modern world, Zhou Yu hadn’t read many novels herself, but her classmates often discussed them, so she wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the concept of a system.
If this had happened before she transmigrated into the novel, she certainly wouldn’t have accepted it so quickly. But after experiencing something as fantastical as being transported into a book, the existence of a system was no longer that difficult to believe.
“Why bind yourself to me?” Zhou Yu asked, confused. “I may have been a top student at medical university, but I have almost no clinical experience. Most of what I’ve learned is theoretical knowledge. If you expect me to save lives and heal the sick, I’m afraid I’m not really capable of that.”
【After calculation, Host, you are the most suitable candidate in this world for binding with the Life-Saving and Healing System.】
【And there’s no need to worry. The system will assist you in completing missions. In addition, the system contains a vast collection of medical references and academic literature that you can access and study at any time.】System 088 explained patiently.
The moment Zhou Yu heard that there was a large collection of medical materials available for study, she felt tempted.
Even if she had been thrown into this unfamiliar world, she would still have something to devote herself to. She could continue pursuing her medical studies and research.
“All right, then.”
A more important question suddenly occurred to her.
“What happens if I don’t want to complete certain missions assigned by the system? Or if I fail a mission? Is there any punishment?”
【No. Please rest assured, Host. If you don’t want to complete a particular mission, you may simply choose to refresh it. If you fail a mission, there are no penalties. At most, you just won’t receive any rewards.】System 088 explained.
Zhou Yu nodded.
As long as there were no penalties, she had little to worry about.
Still, she was naturally cautious. Unless she was reasonably confident, she would never accept missions that seemed likely to fail. Although failure carried no punishment, delaying someone’s treatment or worsening their condition would be unacceptable.
After chatting with the system for a while longer, Zhou Yu got out of bed and prepared to make breakfast.
The two bowls of porridge she had eaten the previous night had long since been digested, and she was beginning to feel hungry.
Guided by the original host’s memories, Zhou Yu quickly found her way to the kitchen.
The moment she saw the dirty, cluttered room, she suddenly lost the desire to step inside.
But then she remembered that she had no idea how long she would remain in this world.
Rubbing her forehead, she hesitated for a moment before finally walking in.
She decided to clean the entire kitchen before making breakfast. There was no way she would have any appetite for food prepared in such conditions.
After drawing a basin of well water, Zhou Yu began cleaning.
She carefully scrubbed the stove inside and out several times. Once both the stove and cooking utensils had been thoroughly washed, she cleaned the kitchen floor as well.
By the time she finished, two or three hours had passed.
Only then did the kitchen finally look much tidier.
Satisfied, Zhou Yu washed her hands and began preparing porridge.
When she scooped out the rice, she discovered that the rice jar was nearly empty.
It seemed she would need to visit the market and buy more rice as soon as possible.
She also noticed that aside from some vegetables and sweet potatoes, there was hardly any other food in the kitchen.
Eating that way for a few days might be manageable, but if they continued living on nothing but vegetables, malnutrition would become inevitable sooner or later.
It looked like she would have to buy more groceries as well.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, Zhou Yu’s hands never stopped moving.
After placing the rice and vegetables into the pot, she walked behind the stove and prepared to light the fire and start cooking.