Chapter 409: The 90s Contrast System (12)

Although Zhu Weiguo did not hear the whispering of the villagers outside clearly, he knew without thinking that everyone must be laughing at him in their hearts for using his stepdaughter's money to support the family, which made him look so spineless.

He was both ashamed and annoyed; in a fit of anger, he flung his hand, didn't even finish his meal, and stormed into the bedroom, not coming out again.

He also didn't say anything about letting Zhou Ru return the money Xie Yang had sent back to her.

Because he knew that the family had indeed used the money she sent back, and they were even planning to use the salary and year-end bonus she hadn't sent back yet to buy a toilet, a bathtub, and pay for his daughter's tuition and miscellaneous fees for the next semester.

These past few days, he had said with his mouth that Xie Yang was sick and that this money should be kept for her own medical treatment, and that if the family lacked money, he would find a way. In reality, where would he find a way?

Not to mention paying the money back; with no money, what would he use to pay it back?

Zhu Meijiao had a dazed expression; she had just been startled by the sudden "ding" sound of the Female Supporting Character Contrast System.

The Contrast Energy progress bar not only hadn't risen, but it was actually shrinking bit by bit.

This discovery made her both angry and anxious; she looked at Xie Yang with a wronged expression:

"Does Sister really have to be so calculating with us? You said it yourself, you came to this family with Aunt Ru when you were five. This family has sheltered you from the wind and rain, and all these years you've eaten and lived with us. Have I or my dad ever said anything? I thought we were a family, that you and I were closer than biological sisters, I never expected that this is what you were thinking in your heart... If I had known, I wouldn't have studied either, and would have gone to work with you, so as not to add a burden to the family."

"Oh my, Meijiao, why are you getting so worked up with her!" Zhou Ru quickly coaxed.

She was terrified that her stepdaughter would really make a scene about not going to school, and that her husband would think she was the one stirring up trouble.

"It's not like it's your fault she isn't striving; it's because her studies aren't as good as yours that we didn't let her continue. With her grades, even if she studied, she wouldn't get into university, so why waste that money! You're different, your grades are good, you'll definitely get in, and if you work hard, you can even get into a key university. How desirable university students are! High wages, sitting in an office—if you study well, you'll be earning money all the same!"

Zhu Meijiao curled the corners of her lips, pleased by the coaxing.

But as soon as she thought of the instantly shrinking Contrast Value energy, her upturned lips drooped back down.

If it kept shrinking like this, the Props she had redeemed would be taken back by the system.

No!

She had to think of a way.

"Sister, my stomach hurts so much."

Early the next morning, Xie Yang's attic door was knocked on with a loud thudding.

Zhu Meijiao clutched her stomach, holding back two pools of tears, and called out to Xie Yang inside while pressing against the door panel:

"Can you help me boil a bowl of Brown Sugar water? My period is here."

With the Contrast Value progress bar shrinking instead of rising, Zhu Meijiao suspected it was because Xie Yang wasn't helping her with anything, so she wanted to use her period as an excuse to call her to boil some Brown Sugar water, or do something else, to see if it could rise back up.

However, Xie Yang didn't even open the door to help her boil the Brown Sugar water; she didn't even make a sound, letting her stand on the ladder and knock on the door.

She had barely slept all night, tossing and turning, pondering how to make the progress bar rise.

If it kept shrinking, the Props she had obtained would be taken back by the system.

But she was unwilling to use her only chance to change the target, because the system said that once the Task target was changed, the progress bar would reset and start from 0.

Before Xie Yang returned from Shencheng, the progress bar had already risen to 80%; although it had dropped 25% in just a few days, that was still better than starting from 0.

So unless it was a last resort, Zhu Meijiao did not intend to change the Task target.

But no matter how she knocked on the door or begged, Xie Yang simply wouldn't take the bait.

Instead, because she hadn't slept well the night before, she stood for so long that her vision went black, and she nearly fell off the ladder.

"Oh my, Meijiao, what's wrong?"

Zhou Ru hadn't slept well these past few days either and had gotten up late today. Hearing the commotion, she opened the door and came out to see Zhu Meijiao holding onto the ladder, looking like she was about to fall, and was startled.

She hurriedly helped her down from the ladder: "What's wrong?"

"Aunt Ru, I'm dizzy."

"Then hurry and sit down. Is it because the final exams are coming up and the revision is tiring? When you get home, just rest well; why get up so early?"

Zhu Meijiao said aggrievedly: "My period is here, my stomach hurts, and I wanted Sister to help me boil a bowl of Brown Sugar water."

When Zhou Ru heard this, she looked up and shouted toward the attic: "Xie Yang! Xie Yang, you get down here! Didn't you hear your sister say her stomach hurts and she wants to drink Brown Sugar water? How can you, as a sister, be so selfish and only care about your own sleep? Your sister studies hard, and when she comes back on the weekend, can't you take care of her a little more?"

After shouting for a long time without seeing her daughter open the door, Zhou Ru felt she had lost face in front of her stepdaughter. With a face full of rage, she was about to rush up the ladder to pound on the door, when she suddenly remembered the harsh words that dead girl had left her the last time she pounded on the door—

"Don't provoke me, or I'll burn this little shack down, and no one will have it easy."

She forcibly held back her leg.

She turned to Zhu Meijiao sheepishly and said: "Your sister probably needs more sleep after being sick; forget it, let her sleep a while longer, I'll go boil it for you."

"..."

Up in the attic, Xie Yang was woken up even if she hadn't been awake. Too lazy to deal with this stepmother and daughter, she threw on a down jacket, put on her hat and scarf, opened the attic window, ducked out, and stood on the platform breathing in the fresh air, stretching her limbs.

"Xie Yang!"

Yang Taohua was sweeping her own courtyard. Seeing Xie Yang doing radio calisthenics on the platform, she asked aloud:

"Why are you up so early today? Are you going to the market?"

Ever since she learned that Xie Yang was truly sick, and that it might be cancer, Yang Taohua's attitude toward Xie Yang had improved quite a bit compared to before.

Xie Yang only then learned that there was a big market today, and also the liveliest material exchange fair before the New Year.

Since she was idle anyway, she went to the market with Yang Taohua and the others.

Zhu Meijiao, who was holding a bowl and drinking the Brown Sugar water, saw Xie Yang open the door and come down, and her mind stirred: "Sister, you're up? Aunt Ru boiled some Brown Sugar water, you should have a bowl too. After we finish, let's do some spring cleaning; the New Year is almost here, and the teacher asked us to write an essay about cleaning before the New Year."

She paused here, looking a bit troubled: "But I have exams next week, and there's so much homework for the weekend, I don't know if I can finish it before going back to school..."

"Since you have exams and so much homework, why bother coming back?" Xie Yang lazily interrupted her, "Meifang's sister didn't come back this month, saving several trips' worth of bus fare. Aren't you short on money? Why don't you learn from her?"

"..."

"How are you talking to your sister! She studies so hard, what's wrong with her coming back once a week? She didn't ask you for bus money."

Zhou Ru came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of rice porridge and happened to hear these words from Xie Yang, and immediately looked annoyed.

She was both angry and cowardly toward this daughter now; she didn't feel better if she didn't scold her, but if she scolded her too harshly, she was afraid this dead girl would go crazy.

"Forget it, you go to the village entrance and buy a few Fried Dough Sticks back; if there are fried dough cakes, buy two of those too," Zhou Ru said, "One for you and one for your sister, that's enough, right?"

She said it as if giving her one fried dough cake would be enough to make her run errands and do chores.

Xie Yang laughed in anger: "I'm not going."

After saying this, she went off to wash up on her own.

She lavishly used up the two thermoses of hot water that Zhou Ru had just boiled that morning, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then filled her own health thermos, tucking it into her quilt.

When she returned, the quilt would be warm, and the water would be just the right temperature to drink.

As for the fact that there was no hot water left at home for Zhu Meijiao to wash her face, brush her teeth, or make Brown Sugar water? Couldn't it just be boiled again?

For the past ten years, the original owner had chopped wood, boiled water, done laundry, and cooked for the Zhu Family every single day; had she ever complained?