Chapter 6: Blatant Favoritism

It was hard to describe the feeling, but she just felt a sense of total physical refreshment.

Ever since the apocalypse, Gu Xue had never encountered anything she considered troublesome.

This space was the key to Hei Ya's transformation and was also the female lead's greatest "golden finger."

It could be said that the reason Hei Ya went from being a dark, soot-colored girl to a beautiful maiden later on was entirely due to the so-called Spiritual Spring; even the various skincare products she used later were all thanks to the Spiritual Spring inside.

Now that this thing belonged to her, she wanted to see how the female lead would undergo her transformation in the later stages.

"A-Xue, Grandpa has finished cooking. Come over and eat quickly."

Gu Qianshan's voice drifted over from the kitchen, followed immediately by the aroma of food.

It was the smell of stir-fried pork, incredibly fragrant.

Gu Xue's mouth began to water involuntarily; it really did smell delicious.

When she went out, a meat dish and a vegetable dish were already laid out on the table in the courtyard. Both dishes looked very appetizing.

In Gu Xue's memory, Gu Qianshan's cooking had always been excellent. According to him, after being injured, he had served as a squad leader in a cooking unit for a period of time.

During that time, he had specifically studied under a descendant of an imperial chef. Even if he hadn't mastered the essence, the food he made tasted better than most people in the village.

As she sat down, Gu Qianshan's originally stern and hard features softened into pure kindness when he saw Gu Xue.

"A-Xue, Grandpa didn't come back early today. From now on, Grandpa will definitely come back early. I won't let anyone bully you again."

Thinking about how, when he returned home today, he saw a courtyard full of people bullying his A-Xue, Gu Qianshan felt as if his heart were breaking.

Gu Xue enjoyed the old man's care, a sweet smile on her face.

The happiest thing for her in this world was having a grandfather like Gu Qianshan, who stood by her side no matter the circumstances.

Anyone would be addicted to this kind of blatant favoritism.

"Grandpa, don't blame yourself. A-Xue isn't that easy to bully. Look, didn't we get so many more work points? We'll be able to get a lot of grain by the end of the year."

Gu Xue said cheerfully, while also trying to soothe Gu Qianshan's emotions.

She secretly used her superpower to check Gu Qianshan's body, secretly repairing his old injuries.

"Hmph! That's only because it's now. If it were before, Grandpa's family..." At this point, he suddenly stopped talking, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Gu Xue looked at Gu Qianshan, her eyes flashing, but she didn't say anything.

The grandfather and granddaughter ate their meal, both eating quite quickly. Gu Qianshan didn't eat much meat, always placing the meat into Gu Xue's bowl instead.

In a whole plate of chili stir-fried pork, he barely took a few bites of the meat.

Gu Xue truly couldn't stand to watch, so she picked up a large piece of meat from her bowl and placed it in Gu Qianshan's.

"Grandpa, eat more meat so your body can get better." As she spoke, she placed another large piece of meat into his bowl.

"A-Xue is so good. Grandpa doesn't really like meat. You eat more; your body is too weak. You need to eat more meat to grow strong."

As he spoke, he tried to give the meat in his bowl to Gu Xue, but seeing her expression, he set it back down.

After the meal, Gu Xue took the initiative to clean the dining table and the kitchen, which brought tears to Gu Qianshan's eyes again.

A-Xue was truly too sensible.

Once Gu Xue finished cleaning, she and Gu Qianshan each returned to their respective rooms.

Perhaps because he was too tired, Gu Qianshan fell asleep very early, while Gu Xue lay in bed thinking.

Here, she didn't have to worry about zombies or mutant plants; she didn't have to remain vigilant at all times.

Unconsciously, she drifted off to sleep amidst the sound of the wind.

By the time she woke up, Gu Qianshan had already risen early.

He was holding a hoe, looking as though he was heading to the fields to work.

In this era, it was still a period of collectivism; even the way people ate had only just transitioned from communal dining to individual households last year.

Gu Xue specifically checked the calendar; it was currently the year '69, a rather difficult time.

Various disasters had just passed, and the college entrance exams had been suspended for a while.

However, this was also a time full of hope. Resources were abundant, and as long as one was hardworking, they could eat their fill.

The original owner of this body didn't usually have to do field work. Only Gu Qianshan went to the fields, while she usually went to the village primary school to teach.

Because education was not highly prioritized at the time, classes were not very frequent.

There were no Saturdays or Sundays either; generally, they had four days of classes and three days of rest.

Gu Xue was the only teacher in the entire village; sometimes, if the original owner didn't want to go to class, she simply didn't have to.

In any case, it just meant no work points.

Gu Qianshan's pension was enough to support the two of them.

After Gu Qianshan left, Gu Xue tidied herself up, intending to go out for a look.

She wanted to scout the surrounding environment. Even though she possessed all of Gu Xue's memories, she still felt a sense of unreality.

She wore clothes that Gu Xue usually wore—a grey-green long-sleeved shirt and long pants. The clothes were originally somewhat dusty, but wearing them made her feel as though the colors had brightened significantly.

The Gu family home was the only house made of blue bricks and tiles in the village. Due to the size of the plot, it was located near the edge of the village.

Unlike many other homes where houses were very close together—where one could easily hear everything anyone was doing—this type of earthen house offered absolutely no privacy whatsoever.

Walking along the road, she saw many children. When they saw Gu Xue, they all stopped politely and called out to her in innocent voices.

"Hello, Sister Gu Xue!"

"Hello, Teacher Gu Xue!"

Gu Xue would smile and nod to them. Fresh life was a lovely thing to behold.

It was completely different from the apocalypse, where one might not see a person for ten days or half a month.

These children had been taught very well by the original Gu Xue; they were polite and well-spoken.

According to Hei Ya's original memories, Gu Xue had always been the village teacher, and even after the restoration of the college entrance exams, she had proactively led the village high school students in their revision.

Several children from this village had even been admitted to junior colleges and normal universities.

Unfortunately, in the plot where Hei Ya was the female lead, because the village children lost a responsible teacher like Gu Xue, Hei Ya was the only one who made it to university.

Hei Ya had indirectly changed many people's fates.

Is this what they call a "female lead"?

So far, Gu Xue had only seen selfishness, malice, and stupidity in Hei Ya.

So, what exactly were her qualifications to be the female lead, making everyone clear a path for her?

Just as she was pondering this question, she saw Hei Ya being whipped with a broom by Wang Dahua.

Hei Ya was being beaten, rolling on the ground, looking utterly wretched.

However, when Hei Ya saw Gu Xue, the jealousy flashing in her eyes was almost enough to blind Gu Xue.

"You wicked girl! Hiding so many good things just to enjoy them yourself, without knowing your parents are at home! You heartless brat, see if I don't beat you to death!"

Wang Dahua cursed while she struck. From Gu Xue's perspective, it was clear that Wang Dahua was truly holding nothing back.

Hei Ya was being held by Wang Dahua's large hands, constantly begging for mercy.

"Mom, I beg you, stop hitting me, I'm going to die!"

"I won't do it again, I really won't!"

"There's nothing left, there's really nothing left..."

(End of Chapter)