The System’s voice paused, carrying a tone of blunt honesty: “Host, you were killed by a falling object from a high place. It was a gruesome death—your brain matter splattered several meters away. You were dead beyond any doubt. I only brought you here because I felt sorry for you.”
Mi Duoduo’s heart sank. She asked again, “What about the original owner?”
“When we arrived, the original owner’s soul was already gone,” the System explained. “The doctors were almost ready to declare her dead. Luckily, we arrived just in time, allowing you to survive in this era.”
Mi Duoduo fell silent for a moment before asking, “Do you have a name? I can’t keep calling you ‘Duplication System, Duplication System,’ can I?”
“Host, I am called the Duplication System, but you can give me a nickname!” The System’s voice instantly perked up with excitement.
Mi Duoduo thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “How about Xiao Fu? As in ‘fu’ for wealth and prosperity.”
The Duplication System hesitated. “I thought you meant ‘fu’ as in ‘duplicate.’”
“Think about it,” Mi Duoduo chuckled, her eyes curving into crescents. “My name is Mi Duoduo—if you have plenty of rice, aren’t you rich? Our names go perfectly together!”
“Great! Host, from now on, my nickname is Xiao Fu!” The Duplication System’s voice was filled with joy, and even the lines of its virtual avatar seemed to bounce twice. “I promise to make sure you have plenty of rice, plenty of money, and plenty of treasures in the future!”
“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Xiao Fu,” Mi Duoduo said, feeling a bit more at ease, but new worries soon surfaced. “Tell me, will I be different from the original Mi Duoduo? Will people realize I’m an imposter?”
“Don’t worry, Host!” Xiao Fu’s voice was firm. “It’s perfectly normal for someone who’s been through life and death to change a bit in temperament. Over the past couple of days, I’ve observed that the daughter of Deputy Director Chen from the textile mill nearly starved to death. After recovering, her personality changed drastically—she used to be a pushover who let everyone walk all over her, but now she’s fierce, even daring to wield a kitchen knife against her stepmother. The neighbors all say she was pushed to her limit—even a rabbit will bite when cornered. So, Host, you have nothing to worry about. After a serious illness, a little change won’t raise any suspicions.”
“Xiao Fu, are you talking about Deputy Director Chen’s family? The deputy director is named Chen Shimei—just hearing the name makes him sound like a bad person.”
“Yes, Host, that’s exactly the family. Do you know why his daughter doesn’t share his surname?”
“The original owner’s memories include this. Deputy Director Chen married into the Su family. The Su family were red capitalists, and they had only one daughter, Su Nuannuan, who married Chen Shimei. Auntie Su was very beautiful and gave birth to a daughter named Su Qingyao, who used to play with the original owner’s sister when they were young. Later, Auntie Su fell ill and passed away, and Chen Shimei remarried, bringing a stepmother and a son named Chen Guangzong into the household. Chen Guangzong looks exactly like Chen Shimei—anyone with eyes can tell he’s the illegitimate son Chen Shimei fathered while Auntie Su was still alive. The two-story house they live in originally belonged to the Su family, and Chen Shimei only became deputy director because of the Su family’s influence. Yet now, he mistreats the only remaining descendant of the Su family.” Mi Duoduo couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger as she spoke.
"Host, you haven't seen it, but this Su Qingyao is even thinner than you, frighteningly thin. People in the staff residential compound whisper that she's being starved by this family. To put it bluntly, if she dies, all the Su family's possessions will go to Chen Guangzong; if she lives, the house and other properties will eventually be hers. That stepmother wants to grind her to death, and even if she can't kill her, she'll ruin her health so she can't have children in the future."
"Last night while you were unconscious, Su Qingyao confronted them with a kitchen knife, saying if they dared torment her again, she'd take them all down with her. No one expected someone so thin to be so strong—she single-handedly took down three people. The meat her stepmother had stewed ended up being eaten entirely by her, while the stepmother, Chen Shimei, and Chen Guangzong could only watch. She even forced Chen Shimei to hand over two thousand yuan."
"Xiao Fu, is their family really that rich? Can we copy that money?"
"Of course, host. Once you can go outside, we'll go copy it."
"Second Sister, why didn't you finish this dough drop soup?" Xiao Sheng asked Mi Duoduo after washing the shoes and coming over to collect the bowl, noticing there was still about half a bowl left.
Mi Duoduo rubbed the back of her head and said softly, "My head still hurts a bit, and I don't have much appetite. If you don't mind, you can have it."
Xiao Sheng certainly didn't mind. He picked up the bowl and slurped it down eagerly. After finishing what was in the bowl, he dashed to the kitchen and polished off the remaining half bowl from the pot.
Soon after, the sound of water splashing as he scrubbed the pot came from the kitchen, along with the rustling of him wiping the stove with a cloth. Like a diligent little mouse, he bustled about in his own small world.
Mi Duoduo leaned against the headboard, listening to these mundane yet comforting sounds, and her eyelids gradually grew heavy.
The dull pain at the back of her head still lingered faintly, and combined with the drowsiness brought on by the Fuyuan Pill, she soon drifted into a hazy sleep.
She didn't know how long she slept before a hurried, soft voice called out beside her ear: "Second Sister, Second Sister, wake up!"
Mi Duoduo's eyes snapped open. Her mind was blank at first, but a few seconds later, the reality of her transmigration hit her—she was now Mi Duoduo from the 1970s, and the one calling her was her younger brother, Xiao Sheng.
She looked up and saw Xiao Sheng leaning close to the bed, carefully pulling something wrapped in oiled paper from the patched pocket of his clothes. He handed it to her, his voice lowered but tinged with barely concealed excitement: "Second Sister, look, it's a meat bun from the state-run restaurant! Eat it quickly, or it'll get cold."
As soon as the oiled paper was opened, a rich aroma of meat wafted over.
Only then did Mi Duoduo realize how ravenously hungry she was. The Fuyuan Pill had also made her feel much better, so she reached out, took the bun, and bit into it.
The filling, a mix of fatty and lean meat with savory broth, was wrapped in soft, fluffy dough. It was so delicious she almost swallowed her tongue—accustomed to all kinds of seasoned buns in the modern era, she had never imagined such simple meaty goodness could be so utterly captivating.
As she ate with relish, she caught sight of Xiao Sheng standing nearby. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he quickly swallowed, but he immediately averted his gaze, pretending to look at the propaganda poster on the wall.
"Here, Second Sister, have some water." Xiao Sheng picked up the enamel mug on the table, poured half a mug of warm water, and handed it to her. His eyes sparkled as if waiting for praise.
Mi Duoduo took the water, drank a sip, slowed her chewing pace, took two more small bites, deliberately leaving a small half, and handed the bun to Xiao Sheng: "I'm full, you can have the rest."
Xiao Sheng quickly took the bun with one hand: "Second Sister, have a sip of water and rest for a while. I'll put the bun away, and you can eat it after reheating it tonight."
"Silly boy," Mi Duoduo grabbed his arm, deliberately putting on a stern face, "It's still hot now, and it'll definitely spoil by tonight. Eat this bit of bun now, be good."