Chapter 17

Xu Chuanchuan blinked her eyes multiple times to make sure she wasn't mistaken. However, no matter how many times she blinked, the fact that the other party had asked her to write "meat" as compensation did not change.

This wasn't the first time Xu Chuanchuan had encountered such a situation. Her readers would frequently demand "meat" in her books' comment section or reader group. They would even employ various methods to persuade her, such as view botting, writing absurdly long reviews, and drowning her in money—in other words sending her Deep-water Torpedoes.

Had Xu Chuanchuan never been tempted by these baits?

No, she had been tempted. She was a secular person. She also knew that she would receive a lot of donations if she wrote erotic scenes. However, the problem was that she didn't know how to write erotica!!!

She wasn't trying to act pure or noble. As a straight woman, she didn't know how two women were supposed to go at it on the bed.

After pondering for some time, Xu Chuanchuan gritted her teeth and made her decision.

I Love Malatang: "I don't know how to write meat. I swear I'm not lying. [Aggrieved]"

There Exists No Poem in a Girl's Feelings: "Up to you, then."

What did this statement mean?

Xu Chuanchuan grew confused at the other party's reply. She then heard Xu Xiangxiang calling out to her, "Hey, are you coming or not?"

Xu Chuanchuan set aside her doubts temporarily, put aside her phone, and walked over to her little sister.

Frowning, Xu Xiangxiang visually inspected her elder sister and asked, "What's with you today?"

Acting carefree, Xu Chuanchuan replied, "You know I don't like shopping."

Fortunately for Xu Chuanchuan, Xu Xiangxiang had a simple mind, so she did not dwell on the matter for long.

Eventually, the two of them finally made it to the cosmetics department. While choosing her sunscreen, Xu Xiangxiang would occasionally ask Xu Chuanchuan for her opinion. In turn, Xu Chuanchuan would make non-committal responses.

When Xu Xiangxiang stopped bugging her, Xu Chuanchuan took the opportunity to check her phone. However, she received no more messages from her reader.

Did I anger her?

…

Anger?

There was no such thing.

After tossing her phone aside, Murong Shi threw her conversation with Xu Chuanchuan to the back of her mind. She then took a shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and headed downstairs to the living room, only to find the place deserted.

Murong Mingshu wasn't home.

Murong Shi found a bowl of meat porridge in the kitchen, and it was still warm to the touch. There was also a plate of fried vegetables in the refrigerator. The vegetables looked fresh and bright, and barely any oil covered them. Murong Shi could tell at a glance that her mother had fried these vegetables. Ever since her mother had started believing in Buddhism, her diet had become as light as a monk's.

Murong Shi had slept for a long time, so she was starving now. Ignoring the bland taste, she took out the plate of vegetables and paired it with the porridge.

While eating, Murong Shi called Murong Mingshu. The call quickly connected, and she asked straightforwardly, "Where are you?"

"You're awake? Little He and I left to pick up someone. We'll be home soon."

"Pick up someone? Who?"

"You'll find out in a moment."

What was with the mystery?

Murong Shi suddenly grew curious.

Murong Shi didn't have to wait long to sate her curiosity. After several minutes of waiting, she heard movement coming from outside the front door.

Murong Shi had almost finished her food by now. After wiping her mouth, she went over to the door, only to be greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar woman.

The woman looked to be in her fifties. She had tanned skin, withered and yellow hair, and bright eyes. She dressed as if she was a farmer who had just come out of the fields.

"You are…"

The middle-aged woman beamed a smile at Murong Shi and said, "You're Little Shi, right? You've grown so big already. You're much more beautiful than when you were a child."

Murong Shi was surprised. Listening to the middle-aged woman's words, it would seem the other party knew of her.

"She's your Aunt Lian. Don't you remember her?" Murong Mingshu interjected from the side.

Murong Shi stared at the middle-aged woman's face. However, even after thinking about it for a long time, she still couldn't remember this woman's identity.

Murong Mingshu then added, "Little Shi, don't block the door. Little He needs to move something inside."

At this reminder, Murong Shi finally noticed the chauffeur standing behind Murong Mingshu. The chauffeur currently held several sacks in his hands and carried several large bags on his back. However, the "burdens" on his body greatly contrasted the black suit he wore.

Murong Shi opened the door.

The chauffeur was the first to enter the house, followed by Murong Mingshu and the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman revealed an awkward expression when she saw the polished floor. After Murong Mingshu said something to her, the middle-aged woman showed an honest smile before leaving her sandals outside the door and walking into the house barefooted.

Upon entering the house, the middle-aged woman curiously surveyed the bright living room, undisguised surprise and envy in her eyes. She also spoke in a dialect Murong Shi did not understand.

Seeing this, Murong Shi approached her mother and quietly asked, "Mom, who is she?"

Smiling, Murong Mingshu said, "Your memory is really poor. She's Aunt Lian. She's a close friend I grew up with. She even carried you when you were five years old."

Hearing this, Murong Shi replied sarcastically, "That was more than twenty years ago. How can I remember such a thing?"

However, despite her words, Murong Shi had indeed started recalling faint impressions of Aunt Lian after her mother's reminder. She also remembered telling her the following at one time: "Your Aunt Lian has led a difficult life. Her husband passed on early, and she had to work very hard to get her two children into university. She contracted dozens of acres of land to grow crops by herself. She's a capable woman."

While Aunt Lian was taking a bath, Murong Mingshu said, "I've given Aunt Zhang a sum of money and dismissed her. Aunt Lian will work in our house from now on. She can be my conversation partner when you and your father aren't home."

Although Murong Mingshu spoke with a smile on her face, Murong Shi still noticed a bit of heartache in her mother's expression. After thinking about it, Murong Shi said, "Mom, I—"

However, Murong Mingshu interrupted her daughter and said, "You don't have to feel guilty about it. I should be the one to apologize to you. You're a young girl; you should go out more often and mingle with friends. With Aunt Lian accompanying me, you don't have to come home straight away after getting off work in the future. Life is short, so you need to have fun while it lasts."

Chuckling at her mother's words, Murong Shi said, "Since you know life is short, why don't I see you having fun as well?"

Murong Mingshu sighed and said, "I'll be happy so long as I can see you happy. I'm not interested in the flowery world outside. I'd rather worship Buddha more."

Murong Shi had inherited her beauty from Murong Mingshu. However, her personality was more like her father's, Sun An's. Although Murong Mingshu looked meek on the surface, she was, in fact, stubborn to the bone. Hence, Murong Shi knew she couldn't persuade her mother.

After a moment of silence, the mother and daughter pair had their attention attracted by an odd sound.

Looking toward the kitchen, Murong Shi asked, "What's that sound?"

"That's probably the chicken."

"Chicken?"

When Murong Shi followed her mother into the kitchen, she was frightened by the sight she saw.

A plump, snowy-white chicken with a black crown had squirmed its way out of the sack that originally bound it, and it was currently fluttering its wings and struggling on the floor. If not for the rope tying its two legs, it would've probably made a mess out of the kitchen already.

Free-range chickens from the countryside were extremely fierce, so neither Murong Shi nor Murong Mingshu dared approach it. After the two of them exchanged awkward looks with each other, Murong Mingshu said, "Let's wait for your Aunt Lian to handle this."

Confused by this situation, Murong Shi asked, "Why did she bring a chicken with her?"

Murong Mingshu smiled and said, "She heard you got sick some time ago, and she knew you liked to drink black-boned chicken soup[1]. So, she brought one from home to make a tonic for you."

Murong Shi: "..."

She wasn't experiencing a postnatal period, so why would she need black-boned chicken soup?

Murong Shi closed the kitchen door and allowed the chicken to continue fluttering inside. She then returned to the living room with her mother.

Sat on the coffee table was a brand new dumbphone. Pointing at it, Murong Mingshu explained, "Aunt Lian had her purse and phone stolen on the way here. This phone is something we bought on our way back. I wanted to buy a smartphone for her initially, but she says she doesn't know how to use one."

Stunned, Murong Shi hurriedly asked, "Did you lodge a police report?"

"She didn't lose a lot of money. Her ID card has also long since expired, so we didn't go to the police," Murong Mingshu said. After a slight pause, she continued, "Fortunately, she came across a kind passerby, and she managed to borrow their phone to give me a call. Otherwise, I wouldn't have managed to pick her up today."

Murong Shi didn't expect there to be such an interlude. After taking a look at the dumbphone, she said, "There aren't many people who would do such a good deed nowadays."

"I know, right?"

…

After shopping for the entire morning and afternoon, Xu Chuanchuan felt that her legs were close to crippling. When she reached home, the first thing she did was to throw herself onto her bed. She did not have any thoughts of showering or writing her book, trying to move as little as possible.

Xu Xiangxiang, on the other hand, was in an excellent mood. By acting cute and pampered, she managed to get Xu Chuanchuan to buy her many things. Currently, she was joyfully applying her newly bought nail polish.

As the pungent smell filled the room, Xu Chuanchuan said breathlessly, "Can't you apply it after you return to school?"

Xu Xiangxiang said, "No."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

Lacking the energy to argue with her little sister, Xu Chuanchuan pulled out her phone and saw Ange replying to her plea for help.

Ange: "If you don't want to offend her, then give her the meat she wants. Don't tell me you intend on giving her a refund, right? It's obvious she doesn't lack money. If you refund her, she'll think you're looking down on her. If that happens, don't regret it if she floods you with point reductions."

Xu Chuanchuan; "Don't scare me! [Panic]"

Ange: "Don't believe me? Do you remember her giving Citrus a point reduction? Remember how she turned to give you a Deep-water after getting bashed by Citrus's fans? Capricious tycoons like her have unpredictable behaviors. It wouldn't be strange if she decides to give you point reductions."

Xu Chuanchuan paid no attention to Ange's words.

Several minutes later, Xu Xiangxiang finished applying the first coating of her nail polish. She then raised her hands and showed them off.

Xu Chuanchuan rolled her eyes at her little sister's actions. She then sat up on her bed, intending to get a shower. Before she left her bed, though, the sound of a "ding-dong" entered her ears.

Ange: "Dang it! I shot myself in the foot! This tycoon is really capricious! [Image][Image]"

Xu Chuanchuan was momentarily confused by Ange's message. When she saw the two pictures, though, she gaped in shock.

The two pictures were screenshots of jjwxc's donation banner, and her author ID and Passerby's ID occupied the top five positions. Passerby had sent her five Deep-water Torpedoes in one fell swoop!

Before Xu Chuanchuan could ask what was going on, Ange added: "She sent it to She's Sweet as well. It seems this tycoon really likes this book."

Xu Chuanchuan quickly opened jjwxc's application on her phone and visited She's Sweet's page. Sure enough, she found Passerby's donation record in the book's main comment section[1].

The last Deep-water Torpedo Passerby sent also came with a comment: "Author, you're a good person."

Xu Chuanchuan: "???"

TL Notes:

[1]black-boned chicken: This is referring to Silkie or Chinese silk chicken. All Silkies have black or bluish skin and bones and grayish-black meat; their Chinese language name is wū gǔ jī (烏骨雞), meaning 'black-boned chicken.'

The Chinese value silkie chicken for its tonic property, especially for those who just recovered from illness, surgery, after having a baby, or just as overall healthy soup for the family.

Image link: https://bit.ly/3sGRN5O

The review section, on the other hand, is generally for detailed reviews and ratings.