Chapter 2: Koi Painting of the Seventies 2

Liu Xin was taken aback; she had never encountered someone so blunt. Only a simple-minded person like this would speak so directly, yet this woman happened to be incredibly lucky. Despite Liu Xin’s deliberate efforts to avoid her this time, she had ended up being the one saved by her anyway.

Thinking of the tall man who had carried Chen Ying to the shore, Liu Xin was filled with frustration. She had plotted and calculated everything, yet the outcome remained unchanged. Could she not change her destiny? At this thought, a momentary look of ferocity flickered across Liu Xin's face, causing Chen Ying to knit her brows in annoyance.

"Since we’ve said our piece, you should leave. I haven't had breakfast yet," Chen Ying said, realizing she had no desire to deal with this person.

Liu Xin had not expected such a sudden turn of attitude. "Sister Ying, it was my fault for implicating you yesterday. You have every right to be angry, but..."

"It’s not just anger. Saving you was my decision, but this ordeal frightened my parents and made them worry, which is a sign of my lack of filial piety. I have made up my mind to protect myself and honor my parents. From now on, you must handle your own affairs. I have helped you for so many years, but from here on out, I need to consider myself and my family," Chen Ying interrupted, making her position clear.

She had resolved to keep her distance. Looking back at her memories, she realized she had shielded the other girl time and again, which not only nearly caused her own accidents but also offended many people in the village. She had always played the part of the weak and helpless one, and to defend her, Chen Ying had frequently clashed with gossiping women and shrews, ruining her own reputation. Before, she had thought nothing of it, believing it was right to protect the weak. Now, however, she felt she had been foolish. Why play the hero? With every household struggling to have enough to eat, it would be better to earn more work points and supplement the family income.

With things laid out so plainly, even someone as thick-skinned as Liu Xin could not stay. Besides, there was no benefit in remaining; she had only come to avoid the villagers' gossip.

After Liu Xin left, Chen Ying washed up and ate breakfast—porridge with plenty of dried sweet potato strips. Sweet potatoes had a high yield during this era. While other regions might have different ways of consuming them, their village mostly had two methods: storing the good ones in a cellar, or washing, grating, and drying them. When eaten, they were cooked like rice and didn't cause the heartburn associated with fresh sweet potatoes.

After breakfast, Chen Ying prepared to head to work and sent Chen Wen to school. Her younger brother, Chen Ting, had already left for school, as an eight-year-old boy couldn't do much labor. "Sister, why don't I just quit school too?" Chen Wen asked.

"Why wouldn't you go?" Chen Ying looked at her. Chen Wen was only twelve, just starting middle school.

"The teachers don't teach anything anymore; it's just reciting quotations all day," Chen Wen said with a bitter expression.

"Just keep going for now. This situation will pass eventually." Chen Ying didn't know what else to say. She herself had stopped studying after middle school graduation earlier that year because the schools were in chaos, but she firmly believed this phase would end.

"Fine," Chen Wen replied. "I already took a leave of absence for today, so I’ll just go tomorrow."

"That works. Stay at home and remember to cook lunch. I’m heading to work," Chen Ying said, nodding.

"Okay, I’ll bring it to you later."

Following her memory, she found the work site. She bumped into her grandmother on the way, who asked after her health and sent her off to work once satisfied. Upon reaching the fields, Chen Ying collected a basket of sweet potato vines for planting. It was the peak of the farming season; the rice seedlings had just been planted in the paddies, and now they were working the dry fields. These were used for either sweet potatoes or corn, though mostly the former. Being in the southern region, they were quite busy.

At noon, Chen Wen brought the meal. After eating quickly, Chen Ying returned to work. They weren't paid by the hour, but by task completion. For instance, planting a certain area of sweet potatoes could earn ten work points. However, with many villagers and limited land—most of which were hilly fields rather than the easily irrigated paddies—earning those ten points was difficult.

After working all day, she earned seven points. Chen Ying felt exhausted, and her efficiency wasn't high. In her memories, she was a skilled worker who regularly earned eight or nine points, but she had wasted time helping Liu Xin in the past. Now that she was working for herself, she was much slower.

"Sister Ying, are you feeling better?" Liu Li, Liu Xin’s cousin, greeted her on the way home.

"I'm feeling better," Chen Ying nodded. Liu Li was the daughter of Liu Xin’s third uncle and was very spoiled at home; even her grandmother, who favored boys over girls, doted on her. There was a rumor that Liu Li was a "lucky star" incarnate, as the family’s fortune had improved significantly after her birth.

Liu Xin had often been jealous of this and frequently tried to goad Chen Ying into targeting Liu Li. However, Chen Ying’s original personality had been one of chivalry; she would protect the weak, but she would never bully anyone. She had refused Liu Xin’s requests and even suspected her motives, though Liu Xin had always managed to talk her way out of it.

Seeing Liu Li now, the thought "koi-fish female protagonist" popped into Chen Ying's head. She felt speechless. What even was a "koi-fish female protagonist"? Why did it feel like so much information had appeared in her mind since she woke up from falling into the water?

"That’s good. You should take care of yourself, Sister Ying," Liu Li said. She had a decent impression of Chen Ying. Although Chen Ying often protected her "white lotus" cousin, she had never used that to bully others. In fact, there were a few times when her cousin had made snide remarks, and Chen Ying had spoken up for her. Chen Li was straightforward, so she had been genuinely worried when she heard about Chen Ying’s accident, though she hadn't gone so far as to visit.

"Yes, I will. Thank you for your concern," Chen Ying nodded and prepared to walk past.

"By the way, Sister Ying, did you know? My cousin Liu Xin is currently discussing marriage with the Zhao family," Liu Li said, unable to resist.

"Oh? Does that have anything to do with me?" Chen Ying blinked, confused.

"The person they are talking about... it’s the soldier who saved you yesterday, Zhao Linjun," Liu Li reminded her.

"Oh, well, congratulations to them." Chen Ying still didn't see how this concerned her.

"But the whole village knows you were carried back by the elder Zhao brother yesterday. Isn't that a bit awkward?" Seeing her still looking oblivious, Liu Li could only drop a hint. She had just realized that this was a world from a book she had once read, and the person before her was the cannon-fodder supporting character whose military officer husband would be stolen by the reincarnated female lead.

She was a "transmigrator from birth" whose memories had been hazy, but the incident of falling into the water and the strange behavior of her cousin Liu Xin had triggered the memory of the story she had read about a spoiled girl in the 1970s.