Ruan Yue's day began with a rooster's cry and the icy wind sneaking through the cracks in the wooden window frame.
She sat up slowly, staring at the unpainted beams overhead, the simple bamboo wardrobe, and the battered enamel basin on the table. In her past life, she'd wake up to an air conditioner humming and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Now, it was damp quilts and the faint scent of cabbage from last night's dinner.
> Host, please note: Original Ruan Yue begins her morning by scolding the neighbor's child for "breathing too loudly." Would you like to proceed with the same behavior?
Ruan Yue rolled her eyes. "I'd like to proceed with washing my face before the water freezes solid, thanks."
She lit the coal stove with some difficulty, heating water in the blackened kettle. While she worked, she noticed a corner of the thin quilt hanging off the bed — mended so many times it looked like a patchwork map.
She sighed. This life wasn't just inconvenient; it was poor.
By the time she stepped outside with her enamel washbasin, the village path was already busy. Women in padded jackets carried baskets to the fields, kids in cotton trousers chased each other barefoot despite the chill, and men in faded army coats smoked while checking their bicycles.
That's when she saw her.
Zhao Xiuxiu — the heroine of the story.
Eighteen years old, bright eyes, white scarf, hands red from the cold but still pretty enough to make city girls jealous.
She was standing at the communal well, struggling with the rope. A half-full bucket of water swayed dangerously over the stone rim.
And right behind her, smirking, was Wang Shouguo — the village's small-time troublemaker. In the novel, he'd spill water on her dress, accuse her of seducing him, and start a rumor that would nearly ruin her reputation.
Ruan Yue stopped in her tracks.
If she let things go as they did in the book, Xiuxiu would eventually be rescued by the reborn male lead, which would kickstart their romance. That meant the "task" to prevent their marriage would fail from the start.
But if she interfered… she'd be messing with the plot and possibly angering both the system and the original male lead.
> Reminder: Current task — prevent heroine from marrying male lead. Sub-task opportunity detected: stop "Well Incident." Reward: +5 survival points.
Ruan Yue pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, but I'm not doing this to be nice. I'm doing this to not die."
She strode over, heavy steps crunching the frost.
"Wang Shouguo!" she barked.
Both Xiuxiu and the boy froze.
Wang Shouguo gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, Widow Ruan. Just helping Xiuxiu here fetch water—"
"Helping?" She gave him a glare sharp enough to slice tofu. "Since when does help mean standing there grinning like an idiot while she does all the work? Go home before I tell your mother you've been loitering again."
He muttered something under his breath but shuffled away.
Xiuxiu looked at her, wide-eyed. "Sister Ruan, I… thank you."
"Don't thank me," Ruan Yue said gruffly, grabbing the rope and pulling the bucket up with practiced strength. "If you fall into trouble, the whole production team has to waste time on it. Just be careful."
She handed over the bucket, turned, and left before Xiuxiu could say another word.
But as she walked away, she heard the girl whisper to herself,
"She's not… as bad as they say."
> Ding! Reputation +1. Survival points: 5/50.
Ruan Yue groaned inwardly.
Great. Now people were going to think she was trying to be nice.