Chapter 399: The 90s Contrast System (2)

Although Zhu Weiguo was a peasant, he looked refined and had a junior high school education, which definitely qualified him as an intellectual in the countryside where illiteracy was rampant.

Zhou Ru first saw his photo at the matchmaker's, then heard that the brick-and-tile house his family had newly built was spacious and bright, and only then decided to go and meet him.

She took a fancy to him at first sight, married into the Zhu Family with her daughter in tow, and became Zhu Meijiao's stepmother.

As for saying Zhou Ru doted on her daughter, that was absolutely not the case.

The reason she took her daughter along when remarrying was nothing more than a demand made by her sisters-in-law back home:

If she did not take her daughter with her, she would have to pay twenty yuan a month to her maiden family for child support.

That was back in '85, and the monthly wage of an ordinary worker in their County was only fifty or sixty.

How could Zhou Ru bear to shell out twenty yuan a month to raise her daughter?

Once she obtained Zhu Weiguo's permission, agreeing to let her bring her daughter along to keep Meijiao company, Zhou Ru happily remarried with her daughter in tow.

In order to prove she was a conscientious stepmother who could tolerate a stepdaughter, Zhou Ru did everything in her power to be good to Zhu Meijiao:

Whatever good food was in the house, it was prioritized for Zhu Meijiao.

Whatever useful things were in the house, they were prioritized for Zhu Meijiao.

If there was new Fabric in the house, it was used to make new clothes for Zhu Meijiao first.

As for her own daughter, she only deserved to pick up what Zhu Meijiao left over or wear what Zhu Meijiao had discarded and worn out.

Nominally a companion for Zhu Meijiao, she was actually just her little maid.

Zhu Meijiao went to school wearing new clothes and carrying a new schoolbag, and even during the busy farming season, she would hide in her room under the pretext of studying, being raised fair and tender.

The original owner, who was one year older than her stepsister, was also fortunate enough to attend five years of primary school and obtain a primary school graduation certificate.

This was because Zhu Weiguo cared about his reputation and was terrified that people in the village would say he mistreated his stepdaughter, but the housework that belonged to her during her schooling was not reduced by a single bit:

Getting up early to feed the pigs and chickens and wash the family's clothes; picking firewood, cutting grass, and cooking the family's dinner after school; and having to work in the fields during the busy farming season.

Exposed to the wind and sun, she was both dark and thin.

Junior high school required going to the town, which was far from home, and it was unrealistic to commute every day; other children all lived at school, so Zhou Ru took the initiative to suggest that her biological daughter drop out and stay at home, which not only saved on boarding fees but also allowed her to help with chores at home.

The saved boarding fees were instead used to buy a bicycle for Zhu Meijiao, making it convenient for her to travel between home and school on weekends.

From then on, Zhu Meijiao studied in junior high for three years, while the original owner did farm work for three years, and on weekends, she still had to wash a large bag of dirty clothes and changed bed sheets and quilt covers that Zhu Meijiao brought back from school.

Three years later, Zhu Meijiao was going to the County to attend high school.

The tuition and book fees for high school were much more expensive than junior high, and the cost of living in the County was also higher than in the town.

Zhou Ru felt conflicted inside, but as a conscientious stepmother, she could not bring herself to say she wouldn't let her stepdaughter continue her studies.

If she really got into university, wouldn't she also have something to be proud of?

Who in the surrounding villages didn't praise her for being a good stepmother?

Thus, after her biological daughter turned sixteen and received her ID card, she had her go south to work with other girls from the village, with her wages sent home to support her stepdaughter's high school education.

It could be said that every expense of Zhu Meijiao's after starting high school, including but not limited to tuition, book fees, and living expenses... there wasn't a single thing that wasn't paid for by the wages the original owner sent back.

Every month, when the day for receiving wages arrived, the letter from home would arrive right on time.

As soon as the wages came in, they had to be sent home before they were even warm.

The original owner lived frugally herself, and her side dishes for rice were either chili sauce or pickled vegetables.

Occasionally eating a meal with meat was a rare reward she gave herself when her overtime pay exceeded her expectations.

Just like that, she went south to work year after year, supporting her stepsister's studies, supporting her through high school and then university, and after university—

Her stepsister stayed in the big city with a decent job, married, and had children; while the original owner was called back to her hometown and married to a lame man in the village who was nearly forty and hadn't found a wife, with the high bride price received in exchange being "borrowed" by her stepsister to buy a commercial property.

The original owner's whole life was spent laboring around this stepsister, Zhu Meijiao, dedicating her own humble life to her:

Being a maid when she was young, going out to work when she grew up, and being traded by her family for a high bride price when she reached the age to marry; after marriage, she was still occasionally exploited by Zhou Ru, but the benefits extracted were sent to Zhu Meijiao's family in the city, who lacked neither food nor clothing.

This led to her husband becoming estranged from her, and her children not being close to her either.

Depressed, coupled with years of physical depletion, she passed away from stomach cancer in her early thirties.

The key was that she wasn't even at peace after death—

Her perfectly fine corneas were generously taken by Zhu Meijiao and used for her husband's younger brother, who suffered from an eye disease.

And Zhu Meijiao's life was smooth and satisfactory—

Before five, she was doted on by her parents; after five, her stepmother, in order to win her favor and make her happy, did not hesitate to exploit her own daughter to work like a beast of burden for her, supporting her studies and life; after marriage, her husband was promoted and her children were successful; and because of the cornea matter, she became a great benefactor to her in-laws.

The parents-in-law, who were originally not very satisfied with her because she was a country girl, now had not a shred of resentment and treated her even better than their own daughter.

Her brother-in-law was also very grateful to her, and for the rest of his life, he treated her, his sister-in-law, with the utmost respect.

Her status in her husband's family was as stable as a rock, and she lived a life of ease and success.

Xie Yang, who had finished skimming through the original owner's memories of her past life: "..."

The profanities in her heart were endless!

As she cursed, she felt something was wrong and summoned the Main System to ask: How could the original owner have a complete set of memories from her past life?

Main System: 【That's right! Because she was reborn, just a moment ago, but under the double stimulation of great sorrow and great joy, her heart stopped.】

Xie Yang: "..."

After calming down, she reviewed the original owner's memories of her past life again and suddenly had a rather ominous premonition.

While she appeared to be resting with her eyes closed, she was actually communicating with the Main System in her sea of consciousness: The Sub-system that this plane needs to recover, it wouldn't have anything to do with being a contrast, would it? Is the original owner Zhu Meijiao's contrast group?

The Main System glitched for a moment: 【Host, how did you know? The Sub-system to be recovered in this plane is indeed called the 'Female Supporting Character Contrast System'.】

Xie Yang: "..."

Good grief!

She had really hit the nail on the head.

Who let the original owner live her past life so much like a contrast group.

Every part of her life after the age of five was a contrast to Zhu Meijiao.

The more miserable the original body's life was, the smoother Zhu Meijiao's life would be.

However, now that the core has been replaced by her, Xie Yang, it is impossible to let Zhu Meijiao continue to cling to her and suck her blood.

Xie Yang: Come! Elaborate on what exactly this "Female Supporting Character Contrast System" is.

Main System: 【...】

It always feels like the Host is being sarcastic toward their System Realm again, but it has no evidence.

To avoid being the target of the Host's displaced anger, it had better cooperate honestly:

【Host, the Female Supporting Character Contrast System was developed at the request of the Main Star of a Level Six Civilization; its original intention was to help those female leads who possess a protagonist halo but are temporarily trapped in dire straits.】

【After a Sub-system binds with such a female lead, it will have her choose a female supporting character as a contrast group. The more the female supporting character pays or loses, the more the female lead gains, eventually allowing her to escape her predicament and live a smooth life.】

"..."

Damn it!

Isn't this just a disguised way of sucking the luck of the female supporting character?

Why does your System Realm always like to develop things that lack intelligence?

Is there really no one to regulate this?

【...】

Isn't, isn't this here to regulate it now?