Chapter 3: The System
Qian Shi stroked Man Bao’s head. “Clearing wasteland is no easy task. The crops grown may not even cover the taxes. Your nephews are still young – we have enough farmland for the family.”
“But what do we do about fourth uncle’s grave mistake? We can’t kill him, but what if he idles and gambles again?”
Qian Shi pondered. Not punishing Fourth Zhou’s transgression would displease the other sons and daughters-in-law. Yet crippling him was another matter – she could not bear it, and medical treatment would cost more money, truly heartbreaking.
Finally she said, “Alright, tomorrow we’ll have your fourth uncle clear wasteland.”
Man Bao cheered up. “I’ll supervise fourth uncle.”
“I think you just want to go play. There are snakes and insects in the fields. Don’t tag along causing trouble – let your elder nephews go instead.”
“No, I want to go too.”
Previously, Man Bao had found their family quite well-off – never lacking food or clothes, always getting candies on market days, though she did not particularly enjoy sweets.
Back then, she simply wanted to recognize characters and found reading deeply satisfying. But Ke Ke had no books, only candies to offer.
While the candies Ke Ke gave were sweeter than those her second brother brought from the market, she still did not like them much.
Now, however, she realized they were actually quite poor. She needed to earn money. Too young for fieldwork or outside labor, the only way for her to make money was selling candies.
Except due to her laziness in digging vegetables for Ke Ke, it had been a long time since she received any candies.
Ah yes, Ke Ke was something that had suddenly appeared in her mind last spring after she finally memorized the Thousand Character Classic in its entirety. Deeply moved, Teacher Zhuang gifted her his handwritten drafts of the text.
Overjoyed, she had run home hugging the drafts, and upon entering, Ke Ke manifested, introducing itself as a branch of the Encyclopedia Pavilion’s Botanical Department that had accidentally gotten lost here.
It needed to collect many species to exchange for energy to depart.
At first, Man Bao did not understand, simply delighted to have a new friend to tell her mother about.
But Qian Shi dismissed it as a child’s fantasy, humoring her for a while.
Intelligent, Man Bao gradually realized others could neither see nor hear Ke Ke, so she stopped mentioning it, treating this friend as solely visible and audible to her.
Ke Ke constantly urged her to collect more plants, but Man Bao had already dug up all the vegetables from their garden and wild grasses outside. Too lazy to venture farther, she refused.
For her friend’s sake, she reluctantly sought some unfamiliar grasses for Ke Ke. However, her family never let her roam far, her nephews and nieces freely playing while she remained under her sister-in-law’s watch.
At most, she could only play within the village boundaries, absolutely forbidden from leaving or entering the fields.
Man Bao pleaded incessantly until Qian Shi, physically and mentally exhausted, realized her daughter was at the prime playing age. Unwilling to overly restrict her, she relented, “Fine, fine, go. Just listen to your fifth and sixth uncles. Don’t run off or stay in the sun too long, understand?”
Man Bao happily agreed.
That night, she had a full bowl of rice, jostling with her fifth and sixth uncles and nephews to devour all the vegetables.
Except for these mischievous children, the adults’ appetites were poor. Having scrimped and saved only to instantly return to destitution crushed their spirits.
The old patriarch Zhou picked at a few morsels, for the first time finding food stuck in his throat, unable to swallow.
Recalling the fifteen taels of silver made his heart painfully constrict, his eyes reddening until he could no longer resist smashing his bowl to beat his fourth son once more.
After their father disciplined Fourth Zhou, the other Zhou brothers could only glower silently as they ate.
Qian Shi and the daughters-in-law ate porridge, as only the men and Man Bao could digest plain rice now that autumn harvest concluded. The others ate gruel, though quite thick and filling.
Yet after putting down her chopsticks, Qian Shi declared, “We don’t have a single cent left. Such days make my heart race. From tomorrow, we’ll only make gruel – no more plain rice. Elder daughter-in-law, use less rice. Winter is coming, and spring and summer still follow.”
Xiao Qian nodded obediently.
Glancing at Man Bao, she asked, “What about the little aunt? Her body is frail – should she eat gruel too?”
Furrowing her brow, Qian Shi replied, “Tomorrow, take six pounds of grain to the school. Have the eldest ask Teacher Zhuang if Man Bao can have lunch there, using our garden vegetables. Just bring a couple extras each day.”
Xiao Qian agreed, quickly finishing her meal to clean up with the other daughters-in-law.
Dissatisfied, Man Bao asked, “Mom, what about older nephew and niece?”
Qian Shi stroked her head with a smile. “Their bodies are strong, no need for plain rice. You’re frail, so eat more. Otherwise if you fall ill, we’ll need money for medicine.”
From young, the older nephews and nieces had been taught that the little aunt’s body was weak. Grandparents and parents instructed them never to push or bully her, to let her eat more and grow sturdier to avoid illness.
For if she fell sick, they would need money for medicine, leaving none for the children’s candies.
So they never objected to the little aunt joining their grandparents and fathers for plain rice while they had gruel.
Moreover, the little aunt was quite good to them, younger yet always offering her candies. They adored her.
Thus when their grandmother glanced over, they eagerly nodded in agreement for the little aunt to eat more, content with just gruel at home.
“There are still some unharvested grains in the fields we can find and roast to eat.”
“No, tomorrow we’re going to help fourth uncle clear wasteland,” Man Bao said. “But we can find wild berries to eat.”
The old patriarch Zhou turned to Man Bao. “Clear wasteland?”
Qian Shi explained, “Forgot to tell you – tomorrow we’ll have the fourth son clear wasteland to earn money and repay his debts to the family.”
The patriarch did not think much could be earned from clearing wasteland. But it was better than that son idling and gambling again – best to keep him occupied.
So he instructed, “Fifth and sixth sons, go with him tomorrow. If he slacks off, beat him up for me.”
Man Bao volunteered eagerly, “Dad, let me go. Fifth and sixth uncles definitely can’t beat fourth uncle.”
The old man chuckled, stroking her head. “Alright, you go. If your fourth uncle dares disobey, you can hit him with a stick.”
Delighted as if given an imperial decree, Man Bao went to bed early, promising Ke Ke in her mind that tomorrow she would definitely find plants it had never seen before, demanding, “But you must prepare more candies for me to sell.”
The system was exasperated – all the plants Man Bao had logged were extremely common. Over a year had passed with no benefits, forcing it to exchange what little remaining points it had for candies.
It had no choice – she was just a child. Without enticement, she would never play this game.
Indeed, Man Bao had always treated it as merely a game, never considering using it to reach life’s pinnacles or achieve extraordinary goals.
After over a year, the system’s lofty ambitions had long been ground down. Fortunately, being bound to a host allowed it to continue operating in this space, even without energy to return to its original realm.
Things would improve once the host matured.
That was the system’s consolation.
At worst, upon the host’s death, it could simply select a more ambitious new host.
The system discreetly calculated its remaining points to determine how many candies it could still provide.
Thinking their deal was set, Man Bao snuggled into her little quilt, closing her eyes for a blissful sleep.
The next morning, before the rooster’s first crow, noises arose from the courtyard. Man Bao rolled over, burrowing her little butt deeper into the covers to keep sleeping.
Farming families awoke early. Even with autumn harvest concluded, the fields still needed tending.
Moreover, Zhou Dalang, Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang all had work at the Bai landlord’s estate, requiring an early start.
Only when shouts and thumps echoed from the yard did Man Bao finally rub her eyes and crawl over to push open the window. Seeing her father dragging Fourth Zhou out by force, kicking his bottom to send him off to work, she immediately recalled her promise to Ke Ke last night.
Too impatient to linger in bed, Man Bao quickly dressed and scampered out. “Fourth uncle, wait for me! I’m coming too!”
Qian Shi grabbed her. “Not so fast, wash your face first.”
Breakfast would not arrive until the sun was overhead. Xiao Qian instructed the little aunt to wash her face before serving her a bowl of plain hot water, then mixing in a beaten egg.
Making a face, Man Bao drank the egg water before dashing off to follow her fourth uncle.
Fifth Zhou and the others awaited her at the gate. The morning egg water was Man Bao’s privilege – even the old patriarch Zhou and Qian Shi did not receive any.
Rumor said the little aunt had nearly died as a baby, only surviving by drinking egg water. Ever since, she unfailingly received one egg daily, no matter who else went without.
The family did not expect Fourth Zhou to clear any decent land, so only deployed the children to assist, including Fifth and Sixth Zhou, as well as the older nephews and nieces from the first, second and third houses.
Fifth Zhou was fourteen, Sixth Zhou twelve – both strapping young lads, old enough to court matches and start families of their own in just a couple years, as the villagers said.
Older Nephew(Da Tou) and Second Nephew(Er Tou) were Man Bao’s nephews, aged nine and six respectively. Older Niece(Da Ya) and Second Niece(Er Ya) were her nieces, eight and seven.
Youngest was San Tou(San-Third) from the first house, Man Bao’s four-year-old nephew who also wanted to join but was stopped by his mother to weed the vegetable garden with San Ya(San-Third) and Si Tou(Si-Fourth) from the second and third houses, both also four – too little to navigate the mountain trails.
The paths were too rugged for Man Bao as well, so Fifth and Sixth Zhou took turns carrying her, unlike Fourth Zhou with his injuries, just able to make it to the fields.
