People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 47

Xu Manqiu did not take the egg.

If it had been a year ago, she would have been deeply grateful for the small acts of kindness that Xu Huijia occasionally showed her. But now, she no longer felt that way. She had come to realize that there was no place for her in this family.

She no longer needed it.

Now fifteen years old, in two more years, she would be able to marry. Once married, she would completely separate from the Xu family, and she would never return to this family again.

“I don’t want it. You keep it and eat it,” Xu Manqiu said, then walked away.

She did not have much contact with her grandfather, Xu Huijia. He was the typical patriarch, who ruled the household with an iron fist. However, he rarely spoke. When Grandmother Xu (Xu’s wife) did something or said something, he hardly ever disagreed.

The same applied to his relationship with his granddaughter. If he truly wanted to be kind to her, had he ever stopped her from being beaten or scolded? Had he ever spoken up when she went hungry and couldn’t fill her stomach? When she went out in the winter to wash clothes, her hands covered in frostbite, did he, as the head of the family, ever give her some ointment for her frostbite?

He turned a blind eye to her suffering, and he pretended not to hear her complaints, acting deaf to her pain.

Living under the same roof for more than a decade, there were few words exchanged between the two of them. Xu Huijia was talkative with Xu Baozhu, though. Every time Xu Baozhu came back from school, he would ask her about her grades.

Let that continue. These cheap, cost-free gestures of kindness could be given to Xu Baozhu; Xu Manqiu no longer wanted them.

Xu Huijia watched as Xu Manqiu’s figure disappeared into the mountains. He slumped down on the roadside, his head in his hands.

With Xu Huijia’s appearance, Xu Manqiu’s good mood had diminished greatly. But the further she walked toward the young intellectuals’ station, the better she felt.

She knew she had earned the reputation of being a “bad omen” in the village. She, Jiang Yutao, and Gu Nianwei were often criticized. So, she took the path behind the mountain, circling the village’s back to approach the dormitory where Jiang Yutao and the others stayed.

The distance from Jiang Yutao’s house was only about two meters. Xu Manqiu didn’t want to shout and attract attention. After sitting on the mountain ridge and thinking for a while, she found a long rope and used it to knock on Gu Nianwei’s window.

Gu Nianwei was lying on the bed reading a novel. When she heard a sound at the window, she quickly put the book into her space, pulled back the curtain, and looked outside. She immediately saw Xu Manqiu holding a branch.

Xu Manqiu waved at her.

Gu Nianwei smiled and said, “Wait a moment, we’ll be right out.”

Gu Nianwei rolled off the bed, and Jiang Yutao, hearing Gu Nianwei’s voice, called from inside the room, “Wei Wei, who are you talking to?”

“Manqiu’s here,” Gu Nianwei replied.

Jiang Yutao’s eyes lit up. “Really? Where is she?” She ran to the window and looked outside, but couldn’t see Xu Manqiu in the young intellectuals’ area.

“She’s in the back,” Gu Nianwei said.

Jiang Yutao quickly grabbed a coat that was lying on the bed, threw it over her shoulders, and, along with Gu Nianwei, headed toward the backyard.

Xu Manqiu was still squatting on the mountain ridge, with a basket and rake beside her.

Jiang Yutao quickly called out to her, “Hurry down!”

Gu Nianwei added, “Give me your basket and rake.”

They showed no sign of disdain for Xu Manqiu, and she smiled slightly, pressing her lips together. “No need, just toss it down,” she said, dropping the basket and rake to an empty spot. She braced her hands on the mountain ridge, then leaped down in one swift motion.

Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei were startled and quickly ran toward Xu Manqiu, worried that her luck might not be on her side and hoping she wouldn’t hurt herself from the jump.

Xu Manqiu, unaware of their concerns, paused to catch her breath after landing, then stood up and smiled at them.

Both women let out a relieved sigh.

Gu Nianwei picked up her basket and rake, and Jiang Yutao took her hand, leading her toward their dormitory. “Next time, just come through the door. It’s so cold on the mountain, and there’s nothing to eat now. What would you do if you ran into wild animals? You can’t jump like that again, that ridge is so high. It would hurt if you fell.”

Zhangjia Village wasn’t far from Liushu Village, and their village’s back mountain had wolf packs. It was possible there were wolves in the mountains behind Liushu Village too.

Xu Manqiu let Jiang Yutao pull her along, feeling the warmth and softness of her hand, which was completely different from her own rough hands from years of work. She didn’t dare to pull away, worried she might hurt Jiang Yutao with her cold hands.

Her hands were ice cold, and Jiang Yutao immediately pulled her into her room, pushing her onto the bed. “Sit here for a bit. Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”

Jiang Yutao slept alone, so she was too lazy to make the bed every day. She used two comforters as mattresses and covered them with a green checkered sheet. A six-pound cotton quilt of the same pattern was neatly folded at the head of the bed, with matching pillows placed on top.

Although Jiang Yutao wasn’t picky about food or living conditions, having her own private space still gave her a touch of middle-class flair. These items were all purchased from the system’s mall.

She bought two sets for 5 melon coins, and there was another set in a purple-red floral pattern. It might have been a bit tacky, but the quality was good.

Xu Manqiu had never sat on such a soft bed before. Sitting on it felt like sitting on cotton. Even Xu Baozhu’s bed wasn’t this soft. The room smelled pleasant, a fragrance that Xu Manqiu had never smelled before. She couldn’t quite describe what it was.

Jiang Yutao handed her a cup of warm water, and her entire body started to warm up.

Gu Nianwei brought in a bowl of rice. “I don’t think what we ate was enough to fill us up. We still have some leftovers from lunch. Autumn, you’re here, so it’s perfect for you to help us finish some. Otherwise, we’ll have to eat leftover food at night.”

For lunch, Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei had dry-baked shredded potatoes and spicy eggplant with pork slices. The eggplant had green peppers and pork in it, oily and very tasty.

Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei had lived together for a long time, and there was something slightly mystical between them. Gu Nianwei had some guesses about Jiang Yutao’s background, but both of them had tacitly avoided addressing it. Over time, Gu Nianwei had become more casual in her words and actions.

Xu Manqiu stared at the large bowl of rice and the neatly arranged vegetables on the side, her mouth watering.

She hesitated to reach for it, but Gu Nianwei directly took the water cup from her hand and placed the bowl in her lap. Xu Manqiu, worried she might spill the food, quickly hugged it close.

“Eat, eat,” Jiang Yutao urged.

Xu Manqiu hesitated, feeling like Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei were giving her so much, and she couldn’t repay them.

Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei exchanged a glance. Gu Nianwei said, “How about this? You eat this bowl of rice, and then take us up the mountain to gather some firewood. You see, our room is so warm, but the firewood is running low, and if we keep going like this, we’ll run out before winter…”

After Gu Nianwei finished speaking, Jiang Yutao immediately chimed in, “Quick, eat, eat. If you don’t eat, it’s like you’re not treating us as sisters.”

Hearing Gu Nianwei’s words, Xu Manqiu was about to argue, but when she heard Jiang Yutao’s comment, she immediately grabbed the spoon and took a mouthful of rice.

What did rice mixed with the fragrance of oil taste like? Xu Manqiu had never been to school, she couldn’t read, so she couldn’t describe it. But she thought to herself that she would never forget the feeling of eating rice for the first time.

After the first bite, the second and third bites felt no different, and she carefully finished the whole bowl of rice.

Only after finishing did she remember her original purpose. “Sister Tao Tao, Sister Wei Wei, did you refuse Xu Baozhu?”

“Yeah, what’s the matter? Did she go home and complain?” Jiang Yutao said indifferently. “So what if she complains? What can Xu Baozhu do to us if she does? Is she going to have Xu Kuai-ji cause trouble for us? Even if Xu Kuai-ji did get involved, what could he do?”

Xu Manqiu nodded. “Sister Tao Tao, Sister Wei Wei, Xu Baozhu is a really weird person. Anyone who refuses her will end up in bad luck.”

Xu Manqiu spoke with a worried expression.

Not everyone in the Xu family treated Xu Baozhu well. Her aunt, after marrying into the family and having her fourth brother, had gone wild, especially upset about how the family favored Xu Baozhu. She’d picked fights a few times, but every time she did, she ended up suffering.

The worst incident was when she pushed Xu Baozhu once, and then she immediately fell to the ground and knocked out her front teeth. Now, whenever she speaks, her two missing teeth are visible. To be honest, it looks awful.

Afterward, she tried it several more times, and whether it was her or anyone else, anyone who harbored ill intentions toward Xu Baozhu or treated her badly always faced some misfortune.

It seemed particularly severe for her. The last time Jiang Yutao encountered her, she ended up falling into the water. That was because when she was going to wash clothes, she purposely stepped on Xu Baozhu’s red coat.

She did it intentionally. After all, they were identical twins—why should Xu Baozhu have such a good life?

Jiang Yutao laughed. “Don’t worry, we’re not afraid.” Everyone has their own golden finger.

She had the “Melon-Eating” system, and if it could influence a female protagonist in a collapsing little world, then the system wouldn’t need to bother anymore.

Besides, who isn’t a female protagonist? Isn’t Gu Nianwei one too? Though she had separated from the little world’s plot, she was still the female lead, wasn’t she? She had to have some of that protagonist aura, right?

Xu Manqiu was about to say more when Gu Nianwei poured her a cup of water. “Here, have some water. Are you cold? Come sit on the kang with your Tao Tao Jie for a bit.”

Xu Manqiu couldn’t refuse Gu Nianwei and Jiang Yutao’s kindness. She tugged at her pants and socks. She liked being clean—though her clothes were worn, they were washed well, and she didn’t have any bad odor on her. She hadn’t even gone to collect manure this morning, so she didn’t smell.

Under Jiang Yutao’s urging, Xu Manqiu took off her shoes and climbed onto the kang, where Jiang Yutao spread out the blanket and covered her with it.

“Qiu’er, tell me about Xu Baozhu. Is her luck really that good?” Gu Nianwei asked. Before her transmigration, she had read a few novels about lucky female protagonists, and she increasingly felt that Xu Baozhu resembled those female leads—her luck was almost magical.

Xu Manqiu didn’t hide anything from them. She told them all about Xu Baozhu’s achievements from childhood.

Aside from the events Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei already knew about, she also mentioned that when Xu Baozhu was one year old, she accompanied Xu Zhqiang on a trip to the county. As soon as they entered the county, they saw a child being carried away by someone. Xu Baozhu, noticing how pretty the child was, asked Xu Zhqiang to follow. They eventually discovered that the child was the son of a county official, and he had been kidnapped. Xu Zhqiang ended up rescuing the child.

As a result, Xu Manqiu’s mother became a temporary worker at the Water Conservancy Bureau’s cafeteria. After many years, she was officially hired.

There were also other incidents. For example, Xu Baozhu went to play at a neighbor’s house and discovered that the neighbor’s grandfather had collapsed on the ground. She quickly ran out to get help, saving an elderly person who later proved to be beneficial to their family.

There were countless such events. Of course, as much as Xu Baozhu’s luck was good, Xu Manqiu’s luck was the opposite—terrible.

In those years, Xu Manqiu’s luck was at rock bottom. She was so unlucky that she could choke on her saliva or get stuck while eating peanuts. As they grew older, Xu Baozhu’s luck didn’t shine as brightly, and that was when Xu Manqiu’s luck began to improve.

On the warm little bed, Xu Manqiu’s soft voice gradually shared the events of the past years. The more she spoke, the more Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei’s hearts ached for her.

Xu Manqiu fell asleep as she spoke. Today was the first time she had eaten a full meal, and it was also the first time she realized that when people are full, they get sleepy.

Jiang Yutao saw that she was asleep and exchanged a look with Gu Nianwei. The two of them quietly got off the kang, gently adjusted Xu Manqiu’s position, and covered her with the blanket.

After quietly closing the door to Jiang Yutao’s room, Gu Nianwei took a sip of water and softly muttered to Jiang Yutao, “Don’t you think Xu Baozhu’s luck is too good? It’s almost unnaturally good!”

Even for an ordinary person, no matter how good their luck is, it’s impossible for so many lucky events to happen one after another in just a year or two, and every single one of them is a major event, a life-saving favor!

The only son of the county leader, the grandfather of the neighbor’s young man, the factory manager—each person she saved is a heavyweight, someone whose life was worth saving.

“Yeah, it’s really too good to be true.” Being a “lucky carp” (someone with extraordinary luck) does have some luck attached, but Xu Baozhu’s good luck comes alongside Xu Manqiu’s bad luck, which makes the whole thing a bit suspicious.

“You think so too? I feel like Xu Baozhu is just like the female protagonist in a novel. What do you think?” Gu Nianwei said this while staring directly into Jiang Yutao’s eyes.

Jiang Yutao knew this was Gu Nianwei’s way of testing her. She smiled at Gu Nianwei, showing her eight perfect white teeth. “I think you’re right.”

The two exchanged a glance, and finally, Gu Nianwei pursed her lips, snorted, and walked away with her cup.

After returning to her room, Gu Nianwei immediately slipped into the space, running around for a while before throwing herself onto a large Sealy bed, covering her eyes.

In this unfamiliar era, she wasn’t alone. How wonderful.

After Gu Nianwei left, Jiang Yutao returned to her seat, crossed her legs, and began smiling as she looked into the cause of Xu Manqiu’s little world collapse.

But then she stopped smiling.

In that white-and-red world-collapse report, the details of the outcomes for both Xu Baozhu and Xu Manqiu were written out clearly.

Because of Xu Baozhu’s good luck, she had a particularly close relationship with the son of the county leader, whom she had saved when she was young, and with the only son of the neighbor’s young man. When she first experienced romantic feelings, Xu Baozhu found herself caught between these two men. Before she could choose the winner, the college entrance exam was reinstated, and she naturally decided to participate.

Her usual academic performance was poor, but as the protagonist of a “lucky carp” novel, she always managed to turn things around at the critical moment. During the exams, she was surrounded by top students, and one by one, they broke the exam rules, with their papers always within Xu Baozhu’s view.

The invigilating teacher didn’t say a word about her cheating and continued reading their own book at the podium.

Relying on cheating, Xu Baozhu was accepted into one of the top universities in the country.

At university, she met several men with very powerful family backgrounds, who were also exceptionally capable. After much painful decision-making, she married a young officer in his twenties from a prominent red family in the capital. From then on, she was pampered by both her in-laws and her own family.

She became the happiest woman.

As for Xu Manqiu, when she was seventeen, she was sold by Xu’s wife to a family in the mountains. The man was over forty, had never married, and it was unclear how he had made contact with Xu’s wife. He used all his savings to buy Xu Manqiu.

His home was in the deep mountains, where it was difficult for villagers to find a wife. Xu Manqiu could not escape; for four or five years, she struggled between being beaten, being pregnant, giving birth, and enduring more beatings.

Eventually, she learned to accept her fate. Like the other women in that mountain village, she took care of the child, served the man, and worked in the fields. The man who had bought her began to let his guard down around her.

A few years later, when she was able to go out on her own, she returned to Liushu Gou. By that time, life had already worn her down to the point where she no longer resembled a young woman. The Xu family had flourished thanks to Xu Baozhu, and Xu Accountant, Xu’s wife, and the others had all moved away with Xu Baozhu.

Only Old Son Xu’s family remained, as they had offended Xu Baozhu when they were young and had not been taken away. Xu Manqiu did not go to see them. As she was leaving the village, Xu’s aunt caught up with her.

Xu Uncle and Xu Aunt had been arguing because they hadn’t been taken to the big city to enjoy a better life. Xu Uncle would often bring it up with Xu Aunt, and when drunk, he would even hit her over it.

Xu Aunt hated Xu Baozhu’s whole family.

She dreamed of telling Xu Manqiu everything. By coincidence, one day, after watering the fields, she ran into Xu Manqiu. Although Xu Manqiu was no longer the same as when she was a child, Xu Aunt still recognized her at once.

Xu Manqiu knew that her life had turned out so tragic simply because of a fortune-teller’s words from back then. She couldn’t even cry about it. What she also learned was that she had been sold because Xu Baozhu had returned and said that two particularly good men were courting her. She feared that if she didn’t get a good dowry, she would be laughed at.

So, Xu’s wife had the idea to sell Xu Manqiu in exchange for a higher bride price. Everyone in the Xu family knew about it, but neither Xu Accountant nor Xu Zhiqiang nor her mother, Li Yinfen, objected. The anger and sorrow Xu Manqiu felt in her heart was something only she understood.

She couldn’t understand. She couldn’t comprehend. Xu Baozhu had good luck, bringing benefits to the family, and their love for her was normal. But did it really require such degradation of her?

Xu Manqiu ran away. She begged along the way to the city where Xu Baozhu lived, and, following the location Xu Aunt had mentioned, she found Xu Baozhu’s home. It was quite a coincidence that Xu’s family was looking for a nanny, and from Xu Accountant to Xu Baozhu, none of them recognized her.

Xu Manqiu spent the little money she had left to create a fake identity and became Xu Baozhu’s nanny. She waited… and waited… until finally, when the Xu family was all gathered together, she put four bottles of sleeping pills, which she had saved up over time, into the soup while she was cooking. Afraid that some people might not drink the soup, she also added it to the other dishes.

She was good at cooking, and the Xu family, including Xu Baozhu’s military husband, ate a lot. That day, dozens of people were drugged. She set fire to Xu Baozhu’s house and fled. After hiding for almost five years, she was finally found by the police. On the day of her arrest, after confessing everything, she committed suicide in the prison cell late at night.

At the time, she was still under forty. It was only during those five years of fleeing that she truly lived like a person.

In the police statement, she said that she didn’t regret burning down Xu Baozhu’s family. If it weren’t for fearing Xu Baozhu’s terrifying, constantly favorable luck, she would have found a way to sell Xu Baozhu into the mountains and let her experience being a breeding machine for once.

Jiang Yutao hated the Xu family to the core.

“Damn it, the Xu family is just too inhuman.”

[System, come out, I need to ask you something. Why is it that in these small worlds, most of the male and female leads have flaws in their character?]

Lin Jianzhong was like that, Xia Heyu and Su Zhengtang were like that, and now Xu Baozhu is like that!

The “Melon-Eating System” replied with confidence: [If the male and female leads were perfect and virtuous, could the small world collapse?]

Jiang Yutao was silent. The words were crude, but the “Melon-Eating System” had a damn good point.

Jiang Yutao felt that she needed to calm down, so she put the “Melon-Eating System” in a small dark room.

It had been a long time since the system was blocked by its host. For some reason, it suddenly got blocked again, and it kind of missed that feeling.

··········

In the warm, fragrant bed, Xu Manqiu slept the best sleep she had ever had in her life.

When she woke up, the sky outside was dark, as if it were going to rain. The room was empty, and neither Gu Niangwei nor Jiang Yutao was in sight. Xu Manqiu felt a little embarrassed. She got up, stepped off the bed, and neatly stacked the cup Jiang Yutao had given her before placing it back in its original position. She quickly smoothed out the wrinkles in the bed sheet.

She opened the door and walked out. In the hallway, the pot on the stove was releasing puffs of white steam. Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei were sitting at the dining table, holding pens and notebooks, calculating something, occasionally pausing to discuss.

Xu Manqiu envied them immensely.

Jiang Yutao saw her first and waved her over. “Are you awake? Does your head hurt?”

It was already 4 p.m., and Xu Manqiu had slept for more than an hour. After such a long nap, she was sure to have a headache.

Xu Manqiu shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt, it actually feels really good.” She walked over to the chair next to the table and sat down, staring at the beautiful, neat handwriting in the notebook with curiosity and envy.

Her eager gaze almost made Gu Niangwei curse.

She had already found out that Xu Baozhu was never good at studying; she never passed any exams at school. Xu Manqiu had never attended school, and the Xu family never even let her attend a literacy class.

Jiang Yutao also noticed and thought about what Xu Manqiu had gone through, as detailed in the small world report. A wave of heartfelt sympathy rushed over her.

She looked at Xu Manqiu and said, “Qiu’er, would you like to learn how to read and write? How about I teach you along with your sister Wei Wei?”

Xu Manqiu suddenly looked at Jiang Yutao, her eyes shining brightly. “Really? Can I really do it?”

Xu Manqiu had always dreamed of learning to read and going to school. When she was young, she saw Xu Baozhu carrying a schoolbag and going to school, and she wanted to go too. She bravely brought up her idea to Xu Accountant, but before Xu Accountant could say anything, Grandmother Xu grabbed a broom and hit her.

Later, when the village started a literacy class, she secretly went, but as soon as she got close, Grandmother Xu found out and dragged her back, beating her again. That beating left her foot sore for half a month, and she never dared to bring up the idea of going to school in front of Xu Laowazi again.

However, privately, she would always beg Xu Accountant every time a new school term started.

She was fifteen years old and had been asking Xu Accountant for nine years, but he never gave in, not even showing any interest in teaching her to read.

The villagers still praised him as the most cultured person in Liushu Village. As for reading and writing, Xu Manqiu had long since given up hope.

“Forget it,” she said, lowering her head, her fingers nervously twisting together. “My grandmother says I’m thick-headed and can’t learn it. I’ll just embarrass myself.”

She was afraid that she was as stupid as Grandmother Xu said and would make a fool of herself in front of Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei. She feared that if she seemed too slow, Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei might stop being friends with her.

Jiang Yutao took Xu Manqiu’s hand in hers. “How could that be? Our Qiu’er looks so smart. How could you be thick-headed? Your grandmother must have been wrong. Come on, let me teach you some simple characters.”

Jiang Yutao’s hand was warm, and her voice was gentle, making Xu Manqiu feel like there was no way she could refuse.

Gu Niangwei also said, “That’s right, Qiu’er, you can definitely learn. And even if, just in case, you don’t learn right away, that’s okay. If you can’t learn once, we’ll try again. Look at Xu Baozhu, she never passed any exams. She wasn’t embarrassed, so why should you be?”

Gu Niangwei’s encouragement gave Xu Manqiu a glimmer of confidence.

Xu Baozhu often failed her exams, yet she never felt ashamed of her poor studies! If she wasn’t afraid, why should Xu Manqiu be?

Jiang Yutao opened a blank notebook and carefully wrote Xu Manqiu’s name, stroke by stroke: “Look, this is your name. This is Xu, this is Man, and this is Qiu.”

Xu Manqiu stared intently at the characters, as though trying to carve them into her memory.

She knew the meaning behind her name, but at that moment, she felt that seeing her name written out was beautiful beyond words.

Gu Niangwei went back to her room and brought an extra pencil and notebook. “Here, let’s learn together with your Tao Tao sister.”

Xu Manqiu, unable to resist the temptation of learning, followed Jiang Yutao’s lead, writing each character carefully.

Outside, the sound of light rain began to fall, and the warmth in the room made their learning feel especially earnest.

The rain lasted for two hours. When it stopped, Xu Manqiu reluctantly left. She first went to gather some manure outside the cave before returning home.

As expected, she was scolded as soon as she entered the door. Her uncle’s son, Xu Lianhui, was at the age when he liked to imitate adults. When he heard Grandmother Xu scolding her as a “broom star” and a “little slut,” he began to mimic her. Xu Manqiu paid no attention to it.

She had already learned not to care.

She came home late, so there was no food for her, but she wasn’t hungry at all. Before she left, Wei Wei gave her two steamed buns, and Tao Tao gave her a covered cup. She ate and drank, already feeling full. She didn’t take the cup back; she left it in the cave.

The cave was filled with all her important belongings.

When Xu Baozhu saw Xu Manqiu return, she was very displeased. She ran up to her and said, “Manqiu, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for so long. Hurry up and come inside. I bought a set of clothes, but they don’t fit me. You go change into them.”

…

Not long after Xu Manqiu left, Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei began eating. They hadn’t finished yet when Zhao Yonglan rushed in, flustered.

“Stop eating, stop eating! Hurry up, we need to go to the Xu family. There’s a fight, a fight!”