Chapter 9: Doing Tasks Like It's a Game

Lu Dezhao took the phone. Realizing it was his wife calling, his temper softened slightly. "What is it?"

An Hui rattled off a long explanation.

In short, Lu Cheng had said he wanted to get married, the woman's name was Jiang Moli, and she had asked Lu Dezhao if he knew anything about Jiang Moli's background.

Lu Dezhao knew absolutely nothing. After An Hui gave him a scathing lecture in frustration, she hung up.

Despite his high position, Lu Dezhao was powerless against his own wife. He could only suppress his anger and direct it all toward Lu Cheng.

...

Mother Zhang was extremely satisfied with the fact that her son had broken off his engagement with Jiang Moli to marry Jiang Qing instead.

"She's lazy and shiftless herself, yet she has the nerve to look down on our family! I'm the one who looks down on her! Xiao Qing is so much better than her—diligent, virtuous, and capable of enduring hardship. Only by finding a wife like that can the family business prosper."

Zhang Jiaming agreed with his mother.

He also felt that Jiang Qing was better than Jiang Moli in every way.

Being stationed in the military for years, he was unable to fulfill his filial duties to his parents. Marrying a virtuous and capable wife like Jiang Qing, who could help him care for his parents and look after his younger siblings at home, would give him much more peace of mind while serving.

The three siblings—Zhang Jianquan, Zhang Er-mei, and Zhang San-mei—were equally delighted that Jiang Qing would become their eldest sister-in-law.

Jiang Moli was fierce and unruly; every time she returned to the village, she bullied them. Jiang Qing never bullied them; instead, she brought them delicious snacks and helped them with their chores.

Watching his happy family, Zhang Tiesheng felt a surge of resentment.

As a man, he saw things more deeply than the elderly, the weak, and the children. No matter how good Jiang Qing's character was, she was merely a stepdaughter; once she married out, she would have nothing to do with the Jiang family.

Jiang Peng had joined the army. If he stayed in the military in the future, wouldn't the job at Jiang Dahai's machinery plant belong to Jiang Moli?

Furthermore, Jiang Dahai had worked hard in the city for many years and had wide social connections. Zhang Tiesheng had even hoped that Jiang Dahai would help pull his own children up. Now that things had turned out like this, he feared his decades-long friendship with Jiang Dahai was over.

...

Jiang Moli slept until evening.

She had slept well, but her body felt uncomfortable and sticky with sweat. After getting up and washing her face with cold water, she headed to the small grocery store, clutching the 5 cents she had used to return a soda bottle.

"Boss, do you have popsicles?"

"Yes, 5 cents each."

"Boss, how about a deal? Can you give me one for free?"

The shopkeeper's wife pulled a sour face. "If you don't have money, don't eat!"

"I have money, I just don't want to spend mine because my money is useful."

*Ha, your money is money, but other people's money isn't? What kind of person is this!*

『Disdain Value +1, 10,000 yuan credited.』

Hearing that the disdain value had been credited, Jiang Moli handed over her 5 cents. "Boss, I was joking. Give me a popsicle."

With a dark expression, the boss took the money and handed her a popsicle.

As she ate the popsicle, Jiang Moli's mind cleared, and she remembered the 10 yuan Jiang Peng had swindled from "Zhang Jiaming."

After wandering aimlessly for a while, she ran straight into Jiang Qing returning home.

Although Jiang Qing didn't have a formal job, she was very hardworking. She worked odd jobs at the match factory every day and returned home to cook at mealtime.

Jiang Moli approached her brashly. "Why are you back so late? The sun has already set. Are you trying to starve me to death?"

Jiang Qing glanced at the popsicle in her hand and tried to walk past, but Jiang Moli reached out to stop her.

"I want fried eggs for dinner."

Jiang Qing scoffed lightly. "The eggs at home were all eaten by you long ago."

Jiang Moli lifted her chin. "Then don't you know to buy more? Do I have to teach you such a small thing? Did you leave your brain at home?"

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"

Jiang Qing stared at her coldly for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Fine, I'll go buy them."

"Go and come back quickly. Cook early, I'm starving!"

Jiang Moli felt no guilt whatsoever about enslaving Jiang Qing to do her chores. It was only because that dog of a man, "Zhang Jiaming," had played her; this was merely collecting interest.

"Xiao Qing, what are you buying?"

Just as Jiang Qing reached the entrance of the grain and oil shop, she ran into Zhou Xiaoqing, who was returning from work.

"Buying some eggs," Jiang Qing replied as she entered the shop.

Zhou Xiaoqing followed her in. "Didn't you use up all your egg coupons for this month?"

"Jiang Moli insisted on having eggs. If I don't give them to her, there's no telling how much of a scene she'll make."

"She really thinks she's some grand lady. She does nothing productive all day and is nothing but picky and difficult. She only does it because she thinks you're easy to bully. Why do you indulge her?"

"Forget it. It's better to avoid trouble than to cause it."

It was peak after-work hours, and many neighbors were shopping in the store. Jiang Moli's reputation for being lazy and shiftless was well-known to everyone. While they felt sympathy for her step-sister Jiang Qing, they held nothing but contempt and disgust for Jiang Moli.

And all of this was within Jiang Qing's calculations. The more Jiang Moli acted out and the worse her reputation became, the less condemnation Jiang Qing would face for stealing Jiang Moli's engagement.

『Disdain Value +1+1+1, 30,000 yuan credited.』

The "Everyone Hates You" System was becoming numb. Its host was completing tasks as if they were child's play.

"System, what is my task progress?"

『Task Progress: 46/10,000』

It had been about 24 hours since she transmigrated into the book yesterday. In one day, she had collected 46 disdain points. At this rate, achieving the "Everyone Hates You" status within a year would definitely be no problem.

But Jiang Moli didn't want to stay here for a year. Her grandmother's health had been poor these past two years, and her mother had quit her job to focus on caring for the elderly. If something happened to her, not only would her grandmother and mother be heartbroken, but their source of income would also be gone.

Although she had over 100,000 yuan in her bank account, that money had to cover mortgage and car loans, medicine for her grandmother, and living expenses for both elders. It wouldn't last more than a few months. Therefore, she had to complete the task as quickly as possible to return to her original world.

...

Jiang Qing bought ten eggs on credit.

Jiang Dahai was a senior technician at the machinery plant, earning 68.5 yuan a month, not including bonuses and various subsidies. With such a middle-class income, buying a few eggs on credit was no problem.

On the way back, Jiang Qing proactively brought up Jiang Moli's marriage.

"I heard from her that the Zhang family is very satisfied with her and will come to propose in three days."

"She can only marry a country person now. If you ask me, she might as well go to the countryside. Uncle Jiang has good relationships with several leaders in the factory; in a couple of years, they can probably get her back to the city."

"Isn't that the truth?"

Zhou Xiaoqing looked at Jiang Qing. "If you get married and she gets married, won't that mean no one from your family has to go to the countryside?"

"Well, isn't that a good thing?"

"It is a good thing."

Zhou Xiaoqing played along, but her heart was extremely unbalanced. Her two older sisters had both been sent to the countryside, and they wrote letters back every few days to complain and beg to return to the city. If she hadn't been lucky enough to get a job, she would be suffering in the countryside right now.

Yet Jiang Moli and Jiang Qing could take a shortcut to avoid it. It was simply too unfair.

...

Jiang Moli was also pondering the matter of going to the countryside. It was impossible for Zhang Jiaming to marry her. If the marriage route was blocked, the only option left was finding a job. But in these times, finding a job was much harder than finding a man. Otherwise, the government wouldn't be forcing all the unemployed single youth to go to the rural areas for construction and development.

As she was thinking, she saw Jiang Peng swaggering toward her from the street.

Jiang Moli called out from a distance, "Jiang Peng!"

Jiang Peng scurried over to her. "Sis, what are you crouching here for?"

"What do you think?"

"How should I know?"

Jiang Moli spread her hands with a knowing smile. "Hand it over."

Jiang Peng played dumb. "Sis, I didn't take anything of yours."

"I'll count to three. One, two, three!"

With lightning speed, Jiang Moli reached out and precisely grabbed Jiang Peng's ear.

"You said you'd count to three, but you only counted one!" Jiang Peng protested.

Jiang Moli gave a hard twist, and Jiang Peng immediately screamed and begged for mercy.

"Sis, I was wrong! Ow, easy! My ear is going to fall off!"

"Are you going to give it to me or not?"

"Giving it, giving it!"

Jiang Peng hurriedly fished all the money out of his pocket.

Jiang Moli took it and counted. There was only 7.5 yuan left.