I Became Rich by Eating Melons in the Era of Literature (1970s)

　　She can watch the plot later, but now Accountant Xu's wife was here and she has no choice but to stop her. After one of her sticks missed, another one came right after.

　　Jiang Youtao quickly grabbed the stick of Old Lady Xu and said, "Auntie, if you have something to say, please talk to her nicely. Why are you hitting her?"

　　Old Mrs. Xu's surname is Xu. She was the child bride of Accountant Xu. After she came to the Xu family, she took the Xu family surname.

　　Mrs. Xu is 62 years old this year. She stopped working in the fields to earn work points five or six years ago and has been content to be a well-fed and retired lady at home. She doesn't like to go out. She doesn't know Jiang Youtao, but she probably guessed that she was an educated youth.

　　Old Lady Xu squinted her presbyopic eyes and looked Jiang Youtao up and down. "Little girl, I advise you not to meddle in other people's affairs. Just take care of yourself."

　　Old Mrs. Xu has the final say in the Xu family. In her life, she has never listened to anyone else except Accountant Xu's parents and Accountant Xu.

　　Jiang Youtao asked her not to beat Xu Manqiu, so she expect her to not beat Xu Manqiu? Who is she?

　　Jiang Youtao still didn't let go of the stick held by Old Lady Xu, with a smile on her face: "Yes, Auntie, you are right, but I can't just ignore it now that I have seen it. It's so cold in this cold weather, and the water in the river is so cold. I believe you know it, Auntie. It's not appropriate to let such a young girl wash clothes in the cold river water, right? There are not many people washing clothes in the ditch in Liushugou on such a cold day."

　　Jiang Youtao knew that she was meddling in other people's business, and Xu Manqiu might not appreciate it. If the villagers knew about it, they might not stand on her side.

　　But sometimes, when people do something, they don't need so many reasons. She helped Xu Manqiu today because she wanted to help.

　　It was just because she remembered what an elder sister who used to take care of her when she was a child warned her. The elder sister said that girls must take good care of themselves and avoid cold water in winter when they reach puberty, otherwise it will be very painful when menstruation comes.

　　Jiang Youtao always remembered her words, so from the time she had her first period until now, whenever the weather got cold, she would never use cold water to wash things that could be washed with warm water, and if things couldn't be washed with warm water, she would find a way to use warm water.

　　Old Lady Xu looked at Jiang Youtao for a long time, finally let go of the stick in her hand, looked at Xu Manqiu with a gloomy look, and turned away.

　　Xu Manqiu trembled all over when being stared at by Old Lady Xu. After her footsteps faded away, Xu Manqiu raised her head and said, "Thank you, Jiang Zhiqing."

　　Jiang Youtao discovered that Xu Manqiu was actually very good-looking, with a small and delicate face and dark round eyes. However, the timidity between her eyebrows made her appearance drop from a perfect score to a perfect five.

　　Jiang Youtao had met Xu Baozhu. They were twins, but they did not look alike.

　　"Do you know me?" Jiang Youtao had seen Xu Manqiu every day since the day of the hemp stalk cutting, but no matter what time it was, she had never seen Xu Manqiu speak to anyone on her own initiative.

　　Very timid.

　　Xu Manqiu pursed her lips, as if she was smiling, and said, "I know you. The wind is quite strong, Jiang Zhiqing, you should go back soon."

　　Jiang Youtao glanced at the bucket of clothes next to her: "Do you want to wash more clothes?"

　　Xu Manqiu struggled to lift the wooden bucket filled with water to the side: "Wash it. If I don't wash it, I won't have any food to eat today, and I will be beaten."

　　This was an answer Jiang Youtao had never thought of. Their orphanage never abused children, and even the worst workers could get a meal.

　　She had been hungry before, but it was rare.

　　Jiang Youtao was silent for a while: "The river water is so cold, come with me to the educated youth camp, I will boil some hot water for you to take a bath."

　　Xu Manqiu still shook her head: "No need, Jiang Zhiqing, I'm used to it. It's nothing, you can go back soon."

　　This was the second time Xu Manqiu urged Jiang Youtao to leave.

　　Her obstinacy and stubbornness can be heard from her words. Before Jiang Youtao left, she said to Xu Manqiu: "If you have any problems, come to the educated youth site to find me."

　　"Okay."

　　Jiang Youtao walked away, looking back at Xu Manqiu as she walked.

　　After Jiang Youtao left, Xu Manqiu bent down and washed clothes as usual.

　　The river water is very cold, and your hands will turn red and purple after a while if you put them in, but Xu Manqiu doesn't care at all. She is fifteen years old and has been washing clothes in this river since she was ten years old.

　　She had gotten used to it after all these years. How cold could the river water be?

　　When winter came, a thick layer of ice formed on the surface of the river. If she wanted to wash clothes, she could only use a stone to smash a hole in the ice and then scoop out water to wash.

　　The water was really cold at that time.

　　But she was still grateful to Jiang Youtao, because since they knew she was a jinx, no one in the village was willing to approach her, and Jiang Youtao was the first person to help her.

　　It feels so good to be helped by others, and it makes people feel strong from the bottom of their hearts.

　　·····

　　Jiang Youtao was still in a bad mood when she returned to the dormitory. Gu Nianwei was making breakfast. Their breakfast today was multi-grain steamed bread and corn porridge.

　　Seeing her like this, she asked curiously, "What did you do so early in the morning? Why do you look listless when you come back?"

　　The two of them lived in the same room, and Gu Nianwei knew when Jiang Youtao went out. She also calculated the time when Jiang Youtao would come back and started making breakfast.

　　Jiang Youtao moved a stool and sat by the stove. "I got up early today, so I took a walk up the mountain. When I came back, I walked from Accountant Xu's house. I saw Accountant Xu's girl Manqiu carrying a bucket of clothes to the ditch. She accidentally spilled the clothes, and Accountant Xu picked up a big stick to beat her."

　　Jiang Youtao gestured: "If a piece of wood as thick as your wrist hits someone, how painful would it be?"

　　Gu Nianwei glanced at her wrist and said, "Indeed, this old woman is a piece of shit. Her second granddaughter is always beaten by her. Don't help her. If you don't help her, she might just get beaten a few times. If you help her and make old woman Xu lose face and get angry, then Xu Manqiu will have a hard time in the future."

　　When Gu Nianwei just went to the countryside, she saw Old Lady Xu beating Xu Manqiu several times. She used all kinds of tools and was ruthless and vicious. Once, she couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to help, but was stopped by the members of her group.

　　Their words made Gu Nianwei dare not stop them.

　　Fortunately, Liushugou Village is big enough, and the place where the Xu family works is not in the same place as where they work, so they just pretend to be out of sight and out of mind.

　　Jiang Youtao was stunned: "What should I do? I stopped her."

　　Gu Nianwei already knew what kind of person Jiang Youtao was. When Jiang Youtao told her about this incident, she had anticipated this outcome.

　　"Let's take a walk over there later. If we meet Xu Manqiu, give her a can of frostbite cream." The frostbite cream was in Gu Nianwei's space. It was a star product of a certain big brand company. She packed a lot of it in shell boxes. After the weather turned cooler a few days ago, she gave a shell to everyone in the educated youth center except Zhou Zhenfeng.

　　After dividing it all, she still had a lot left.

　　"That's fine." Jiang Youtao said, "I have some ointment for treating bruises and sprains. I'll give her some later, and also give her two steamed buns. She said that if she doesn't wash her clothes, she won't have anything to eat."

　　The ointment for bruises and sprains that Jiang Youtao mentioned was something she had seen in the system mall before. It cost 20 melon coins, but Jiang Youtao had no need for it before, so she didn't buy it. Now she has a balance of more than one thousand, making her already a wealthy woman.

　　She don't feel bad about spending twenty coins.

　　"OK."

　　That's settled.

　　After dinner, Jiang Youtao returned to her room and packed the ointment for bruises and sprains she had bought from the system mall into a small medicine box she had bought with melon coins from the system. She reached in and rubbed it inside, pretending that it had been used. After clearing the smell, she went out to meet Gu Nianwei.

　　"I bought four boxes of plasters in total. I forgot about them and put them in the cabinet without using them before I got injured. This box is for you. It's unopened and the effect is very good." Jiang Youtao has never used the medicine in the system space, but that doesn't stop her from bragging about it.

　　The quantity system does not dare to fool her with inferior products.

　　Gu Nianwei still has the memories of the original Gu Nianwei, but neither she nor the original Gu Nianwei has ever come into contact with ointment for sprains and bruises. She casually glanced at the name of the medicine Jiang Youtao gave her, and when she found that she didn't recognize it, she didn't think much about it and put it in her clothes pocket.

　　Among the popular brands these days, very few can survive into the future. This brand is just an inconspicuous one that has been submerged in the long river of time.

　　The two walked from the back mountain towards Accountant Xu's house. When they arrived at Accountant Xu's house, Jiang Youtao saw Xu Manqiu twisting hemp rope in the backyard. Jiang Youtao waved to Xu Manyu. Xu Manqiu looked to the side in disbelief and pointed at her nose with her finger.

　　When she saw Jiang Youtao nod, she suddenly felt a surge of ecstasy in her heart.

　　Since she was old enough to understand, no one has ever taken the initiative to come and play with her. Xu Manqiu has only seen situations like today in people who came to visit Xu Baozhu.

　　Old Lady Xu was watching her by the window in the house. If she left, she would definitely be scolded. If she happened to meet Old Lady Xu in a bad mood, she would definitely be beaten.

　　But Jiang Youtao was waving at her. No one had ever come to see her like this before. Xu Manqiu made up her mind, put down the half-twisted hemp rope, grabbed the frame and rake beside her and walked outside.

　　As soon as she moved, Mrs. Xu's scolding came out: "You are a jinx, you lazy guy, you can't even twist a piece of hemp rope, where are you going to hang out!"

　　Xu Manqiu clenched the rake in his hand and said, "I just saw Grandpa Wang driving the ox cart up the mountain. I'm going to pick up manure."

　　Manure was extremely important to farmers of that era. Old Lady Xu was the type who would hold her urine if she had to pee outside. After hearing what Xu Manqiu said, she stopped talking. But she stopped scolding her for being lazy and found other reasons to scold her.

　　Her mouth has never been clean.

　　Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei felt uncomfortable listening to this on the mountain behind. They really couldn't imagine that Xu Manqiu had lived in such a language environment for so long, day after day, for ten years.

　　Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei are both very kind, and they feel sorry for the little girl Xu Manqiu.

　　Xu Manqiu trotted towards them.

　　Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei each held one of her hands and walked towards the mountain behind.

　　When the Xu family was no longer in sight, Jiang Youtao couldn't wait to ask, "Manqiu, did your grandma beat you after I left? Did you eat?"

　　Xu Manyu shook her head and said, "No, my sister came back from school today with her report card. She ranked tenth in the class. My grandmother was very happy and didn't beat me. She even gave me half an extra steamed bun made of 300 grams of flour."

　　Xu Manqiu's biggest wish in her life is to not be beaten and to eat more.

　　Today both of these things were achieved, and she was very happy and satisfied.

　　The satisfied look was expressed through her words and her expression, but it made the two girls whose souls came from the future feel sad. What a simple wish, but such a small wish could not be satisfied in the richest family in Liushugou.

　　No matter what Xu Manqiu is like, she is just a 15-year-old girl. How much can she eat? The Xu family has Xu Baozhu, the lucky star, and their life is thriving. Why should they mistreat Xu Manqiu like this?

　　Jiang Youtao suppressed her sadness and stuffed the frostbite ointment, sprain ointment and two fist-sized steamed buns from her pocket into Xu Manqiu's hands.

　　Her hands were just as Jiang Youtao had imagined, red and swollen. It was only late autumn, but she had already developed frostbite.

　　At this moment, Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei's disgust towards Accountant Xu's family reached its peak.

　　"This shell contains frostbite cream, and this small white and blue bottle contains ointment for sprains and bruises. No matter how painful it is, rubbing it with this will make it go away. This is the steamed corn bread we made ourselves."

　　Xu Manqiu looked at the things in her hands, and there seemed to be warmth rising in her heart and in her eyes. She did not say no. She held those things tightly, not daring to speak, nor was she willing to push them back.

　　Xu Manqiu knew she shouldn't take them, because they were too precious and she couldn't afford to pay them back. They all had frostbite cream and sprain cream at home, but they had never been related to her. Whenever the children of her uncles and aunts got frostbite or got hurt, her aunts would apply these things to them while talking about how much they were worth.

　　The two steamed buns were also very big, orange with a hint of white, and you could tell at a glance that they were made with white flour.

　　This kind of steamed corn bread would only be eaten at home when her sister came back, and she could never eat it.

　　As soon as Jiang Youtao saw Xu Manqiu's expression, she knew what she was thinking, so she said, "Take it, and return it to me when you grow up."

　　Xu Manqiu has many aspirations for her future. She thinks that in the future she will not be unable to pay for even two bottles of medicine and two steamed buns.

　　"Thank you Jiang Zhiqing, thank you Gu Zhiqing." The little girl's voice was delicate and soft.

　　Gu Nianwei said, "You are younger than all of us. If you don't mind, just call her Sister Taotao and call me Sister Weiwei."

　　How could Xu Manqiu mind? She wouldn't mind. Xu Baozhu didn't like her. When she called her sister, Xu Baozhu wouldn't agree with her five out of ten times, and she would scold her impatiently for the remaining five times.

　　Many times, Xu Manqiu would have an absurd illusion that Xu Baozhu was not her sister.

　　"Sister Taotao, Sister Weiwei."

　　Jiang Youtao touched her head and said, "Since you call me sister, if you have any problems in the future, just come to the educated youth camp to find us."

　　Gu Nianwei also nodded: "If you can't find us, you can ask others, they will all help you."

　　Xu Manqiu nodded, indicating that he had taken note of it.

　　Jiang Youtao raised her hand: "Let's go, we'll go pick up manure with you."

　　They still remember the excuse Xu Manqiu just made for coming out.

　　Xu Manqiu shook her head: "No, no, I have collected a lot of manure and left it on the mountain. I will carry some back later. It's windy, you guys go back."

　　Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei looked at each other and nodded.

　　"Okay, we're leaving. If you have anything to say, come find us. Even if you don't have anything to say, you can come and stay with us for a while." Jiang Youtao reminded again and again.

　　Xu Manqiu watched them go away, then carried her backpack and walked into the mountains. She arrived at a cave, where there were many things Xu Manqiu had picked up, and in the haystack outside the cave, there was a pile of manure she had picked up in her spare time.

　　She sat in the cave, carefully wiped her hands with water, and then took out the frostbite cream that Jiang Youtao pointed to her.

　　Rub the goose yellow paste evenly on the red and swollen hands, and the hands that were itchy and stinging all the time seemed to feel much better.

　　Xu Manqiu hugged her knees and cried.

　　This was the only time in her fifteen years of life that someone brought her medicine. She had never felt such warmth before, and she had never imagined that one day someone would give her such warmth.

　　She was moved but also terrified.

　　Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei returned to the dormitory together, neither of them wanted to chat.

　　Jiang Youtao was half lying on the kang and clicked on the third book on the bookshelf.

　　The cover background of this third book is white, and koi fish of varying sizes appear vividly on the cover.

　　Jiang Youtao opened the book and read the introduction, then finished reading the book at a very fast speed and then made a summary.

　　The book begins with the story of the 1959 years of internal and external troubles. One day in that year, a Taoist priest dressed in a fairy-like manner came to the Xu family to ask for water to drink. He accidentally saw Xu Baozhu and Xu Manqiu's mother, who were pregnant. He stared with wide eyes and counted on his hands.

　　Finally, he told Mrs. Xu that a great lucky star would descend upon their Xu family, but at the same time, a jinx would also be born. The fortunes of these two children would increase as one increased while the other decreased.

　　If the lucky star wants to gain power, then the unlucky star must be suppressed and not given the slightest chance of turning things around. From then on, the Xu family will be able to take advantage of the lucky star's fortune and soar to the sky.

　　If the jinx gains power, the Xu family will be in big trouble, and all their descendants will be suppressed by her and unable to make a name for themselves.

　　The method to distinguish who is the lucky star and who is the unlucky star is also very simple. Whoever comes out first is the lucky star, and whoever is born later is the unlucky star.

　　What makes Jiang Youtao speechless is not this.

　　What made her speechless was that after Xu Manqiu's mother became pregnant, Old Lady Xu always dreamed of a red koi entering her house, and after hearing the Taoist's words, she believed it without a doubt.

　　The first born, Xu Baozhu, was pampered to the sky, while Xu Manqiu was trampled into the dirt.

　　What's even more amazing is this Xu Baozhu. She was reincarnated with her memories. Before she was born, she was a koi that had practiced for hundreds of years. The reason she was born into the Xu family was because she calculated that being born in the Xu family would allow her practice to reach a higher level.

　　After reincarnating into the Xu family, she lost her past memories and thought she was really Xu Baozhu. It was not until the last chapter of the article that she awakened her memory and realized that she was a koi, and all her good luck was explained.

　　However, Xu Manqiu was beaten to death by her domestic violence husband when Xu Baozhu was successful and had a happy family.

　　After reading it, Jiang Youtao couldn't find anything to complain about for a while.

　　The last time she was so speechless was just now.