CH 60

The breakfast of the coal owner’s family was also very arrogant, with big rolls, big buns, big bowls of porridge, and a big bowl of kimchi. Grandma Jiang’s tea eggs were also very large. At the moment, they were peeling the shells, the sound of knocking ringing through the house.

Seeing her going downstairs at the moment, the family was amazed at how she got up so early today, and quickly called her to eat.

Although Jiang Nian was wearing a long-life lock and a gold bracelet, she was actually the eldest child.1 She had just passed her fifteenth birthday this year and transferred to a famous private middle school in the city for her third year. Although she was younger, Jiang Nian was still very satisfied. After all, she was so smart and talented. Wouldn’t she be a child prodigy if she entered third year in middle school? She could step the group of little fart kids underneath her feet. Maybe she would even become famous in one fell swoop and be known as a peerless genius.

If she could live for a hundred years, she would be the winner of life that everyone envied.

It was a pity that, as the female lead, she would never be able to spend her life smoothly and peacefully; it would be an affront to her identity if she didn’t encounter any setbacks.

Jiang Nian died very early in her previous life and was mad she left before she could enjoy the blessing.

Unless this life had a big event like her family going bankrupt, she should be able to enjoy a rich life. Thinking this, she was very at ease, eating a big bun in the midst of the glittering. After drinking a large bowl of porridge, she took a look around her. Seeing the room of gold and glitter that was full of rich taste, her appetite increased, and she reached for the tea eggs. She was knocked by Mother Jiang: “OK, not allowed eat any more.”

Jiang Nian hummed. How could the daughter of the coal boss not eat tea eggs? How could she show her golden status then?

Dad Jiang was more kind. He stood up, chubby belly shaking, and said, “Look, you are fighting to eat now, and you will have to take medicine when you feel uncomfortable later.”

Jiang Nian’s body was not good. She was sick from birth; it was said Mrs. Jiang had a difficult pregnancy at the time. Later, she accidentally fell and ended up having a premature birth. Although she finally gave birth to her daughter with a single breath left, she was fine. But the child stayed in the incubator for two months before being able to come out. This was the root cause of her illness.

Later, Jiang Nian gradually grew up and went to the hospital many times. She was tossed about left and right with various home remedies. In the end, she finally learned she could only be cared for carefully and raise her health slowly.

There was really no other way. The Jiang family gave up tossing Jiang Nian and could only take good care of her every day. Because of this, Grandma Jiang and Mama Jiang bought longevity locks and gold bracelets and found a Taoist monk to bless them. They heard that they could not only keep the peace, but also ward off evil, and they had a special spirit. Jiang Nian had been wearing them until now.

Both Mother Jiang and Father Jiang were kind to their daughter. Although Grandma and Grandpa Jiang were stricter, they were not bad. Later, Jiang Xiaobao was born. Although the two old couples put more thoughts on their littlest grandchildren, they did not ignore Jiang Nian because of the new baby, so Jiang Nian’s small life was still good.

Today, Jiang Nian was able to sleep until she woke naturally as she was kept home because she didn’t adapt to the new school and suffered a minor illness.

Jiang Xiaobao was miserable and was beaten at school early in the morning.

After breakfast, Jiang Nian planned to visit her territory, which would make her comfortable and would be particularly helpful for her illness. Grandpa Jiang also came out wearing a straw hat and carried a hoe on his shoulder. The old man in his early sixties was quite energetic. At his age, he was still tilling the earth.

Her grandfather seemed to be afraid that the work would hurt the gold chain, so he removed it and put it in the cabinet.

“Grandpa, what are you doing digging this lawn?”

“I see that this large area is empty, and it’s a waste to plant flowers. I’m thinking about digging a bit of land to grow some cabbage and cucumbers, and then planting two green onions. Now, the vegetables in this city are too expensive. A few pieces of green onions are better if you grow them yourself. Besides, the vegetables you grow have no pesticides- what they now call green vegetables- and they are the healthiest.”

Jiang Nian can’t help but marvel. It really was the father of the coal boss. Too economical and business minded. A person who didn’t waste even one inch of the family’s resources was a qualified businessman!

“Grandpa, let me help you.”

****

In fact, the Jiang family was still out of place in this community that was either rich or expensive2. As a qualified upstart, outsiders may not understand their family’s love for glittering gold. They all felt that this family was vulgar with their special love of gold chains. Even their little fingers were covered in think gold rings— how tacky! It was not an exaggeration to say that it was spicy eyes. 3

What’s more, Jiang Nian was sick, not as cute and lovable as ordinary children, but still a child. Her character was too quiet and silent. She also didn’t play with classmates at school, and her grades were average. In contrast, Jiang Xiaobao was lively. However, he was too lively. On the first day of school, he had a fight with his classmates and had his parents were called in. Thus, the sister and brother became celebrities not long after they transferred to school.

The news that the old man of the Jiang family dug up good garden to plant vegetables spread around, which inevitably caused a lot of expensive ladies to shake their heads together. Upstarts were really upstarts. How could this yard be dug casually? Did you need to grow vegetables yourself? You only needed to contract a piece of land for some money, and someone would take care of it well for you. When the vegetables were ready, simply let people pick them up. Where did you need to do it yourself?

So, after watching for a while, many people labeled the Jiang family as tacky and stupid, and naturally no longer wanted to make friends.

Therefore, although the Jiang family moved in for some time, they did not have much contact with the other residents of the neighborhood. They only said hello and showed their faces every so often.

After Jiang Nian came, this situation did not improve at all. If it was not for her young age, Jiang Nian might be the tackiest one of the Jiang family. She would have worn ten gold rings on each of her fingers to show her wealth. Compared to her, her mother, grandmother, grandfather and father were unambitious.

It was a pity that she was still young and could only barely wear a long-life gold bracelet.

In the afternoon, Jiang Xiaobao came back from school. Jiang Nian found that he was actually the simplest one in their family. There were faint black and blue marks on his face and his school uniform was not messy but didn’t look particularly neat. He must have conflicted with his classmates again.

Jiang Nian was lying on the sofa and watching cartoons. She glanced at Jiang Xiaobao who rushed into the house.

“Xiaobao, are you fighting with people again?”

Jiang Xiaobao was only two years younger than Jiang Nian, but his body was much better than that of Jiang Nian. He was a chubby little ball that was almost as tall as Jiang Nian. He said angrily: “I don’t need you to care!”

With a roar, he dragged his schoolbag upstairs.

Jiang Nian snorted, ‘this little fart boy, his temper is quite big. I hope he can continue to maintain it and can also show this courage when protecting the family business in the future.’

After a while, Jiang Xiaobao, who had just rushed upstairs, came down again. The chubby ball stepped on the ground and he rushed out of the house without saying a word. Mother Jiang heard the movement and chased out with a spoon: “Xiaobao, where are you going before finishing your homework? We’re going to eat soon; you immediately come back for me!”

Jiang Nian stood up and said, “Mom, I’m going to see Xiaobao.”

Mama Jiang had to look at the pot, and there was no way but to let Jiang Nian go and come back quickly and pay attention to safety.

Jiang Nian responded well and turned off the TV before leaving to find Jiang Xiaobao. However, Jiang Xiaobao ran like a small cannonball while Jiang Nian strolled slowly. After all, she was a miserable female lead. Things that increased the physical load like violently running couldn’t be done. If she accidentally died a step early, wasn’t that equivalent to saying goodbye to the perfect world one step earlier? It had been so long since she started praying to the God of Wealth. Naturally, she had to hold her rewards firmly. So, when she arrived, she only saw the result: Jiang Xiaobao was fighting with people— no, he didn’t fight, he was just being beaten on the ground.

Jiang Nian was very angry and took two steps forward. The kid who beat Jiang Xiaobao saw Jiang Nian come over and immediately stopped his hand. He also shrank back with some fear and said, “I didn’t hit him, it was he who asked for a showdown!”

The few kids watching the show from the side also agreed. This was all initiated by Jiang Xiaobao and had nothing to do with them.

Jiang Xiaobao got up from the ground and still had anger in his eyes: “Sister, don’t worry about my affairs.”

Jiang Nian got angrier: “Do you know how tired I am after chasing you all this way? I thought you came out for something important, but it was just to fight?”

Jiang Xiaobao: “……?????”

The boy who hit Jiang Xiaobao and the children behind him: “……?????”

Jiang Nian crouched down: “Look, you see how hot it is? The sun is poisonous. And all these flowers attract mosquitoes. Do you know how much I sweat going all this way, how much dust I breathed? But now I learn I suffered this fate of terrible cruelty in order to see you being beaten!”

Puchi—

The little boys next to him almost spat out their saliva.

Jiang Xiaobao felt he was dazed and hesitantly said, “……Sister, it’s just coming out and walking around. It isn’t that serious?”

Jiang Nian raised her eyebrows: “Oh, are you shirking responsibility now?”

Jiang Xiaobao: “………No, no, I’m not!”

The little boy who beat Jiang Xiaobao and the crowd: “……?????”

Jiang Nian wiped the sweat beads on her forehead, her eyes looked sadly at her sweat as if she were looking at her passing life. Jiang Xiaobao said anxiously, “Sister, I’m sorry, it’s not good to fight, but I’m not wrong. They said that you are a sick seedling and can’t live long. They also said that our family is an upstart and scolded our dad and mom for being tacky wearing so much gold and silver……So, I came out to fight with them. They must apologize if I win, and they can’t talk nonsense in the future. I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Because of Jiang Xiaobao’s words, the expressions of the little boys standing next to him watching seemed a little cramped, like the embarrassment of being caught in person while talking about bad things someone. Of course, because Jiang Nian seemed to be a very small person and the threat she could pose was too low, the children who had already beaten Jiang Xiaobao didn’t want to show weakness, so one said, “I didn’t say wrong, I listen to a lot of people say this!”

Jiang Nian carefully thought then asked, “They aren’t wrong. I really am ill, who knows how many years I have to live? Now, our family is indeed an upstart, otherwise why would we suddenly be able to afford such a big villa? Our family really likes to wear gold and silver, and they are right about this.”

Jiang Xiaobao was angrier. How could this kind of thing be casually admitted? The boys gave him complacent glances again.

Jiang Nian: “Jiang Xiaobao, you only know these, then I ask you, do you know how many people there are in China?”

Jiang Xiaobao was still angry. He snorted; he didn’t know.

Jiang Nian glanced at the kid who beat Jiang Xiaobao just now, and the two little boys behind him. They didn’t look too big either. They were probably a year or two younger than Jiang Xiaobao.

She asked the little boy who beat Jiang Xiaobao, “What’s your name?”

“……Huo, Huo Ping.”

“Huo Ping? What about you?”

Jiang Nian soon knew that the one behind Huo Ping was Chen Yi. The shorter one was Xu Lihai; Huo Ping was their boss. Huo Ping and Jiang Xiaobao were classmates. Chen Yi and Xu Lihai were slightly younger, but they all lived in the same community, so there were naturally more contacts.

Jiang Nian said, “Now Huo Ping, I’ll ask you, do you know how many people there are in China?”

Huo Ping: “Of course I know that there are 1.4 billion people in our country.”

Jiang Nian: “Then do you know of all of them how many are the rich and how many are the poor? Let’s make an analogy. If half of the people in our country are very rich, then at least 700 million people are still working hard for their lives. Then do you know how many of these people dream to get rich overnight? Even if it is only 15 percent, it will be at least 100 million. In this way, our family has defeated 100 million people and stood at the top of the upstarts! What is there to look down upon? You don’t think this is very lucky?”

Jiang Nian asked seriously and solemnly. Huo Ping thought blankly, didn’t this seem really lucky? Not only Huo Ping, but Chen Yi and Xu Lihai behind him seemed to have this feeling, and even Jiang Xiaobao had a bit of this idea……

Jiang Nian bitterly said, “And is there something wrong with wearing gold and silver? You should know that each country has its own currency, right?”

Several little boys nodded together and said yes, they also traveled abroad with their families countless time and went abroad with school and summer camps. Of course, they knew each country had its own currency, so, every time they went abroad, they had to go through the trouble of exchanging currency.

Xu Lihai was a little dissatisfied: “What does this have to do with ‘wearing gold and wearing silver’?”

Jiang Nian said, “Because gold and silver have been in circulation since ancient times. Our country was in chaos decades ago. At that time, the bills and coins issued by the country were not recognized by some countries, but, if they were gold and silver, they recognized them. If you take gold and silver to any place in the world, they will recognize it as money. You tell me, is there any relationship?”

Huo Ping, Chen Yi and Xu Lihai were at a loss, and looked at the gold bracelet on Jiang Nian’s wrist. Wasn’t gold and silver tacky? Why was there such a big effect? Wasn’t it tacky even if it worked well?

Jiang Xiaobao admired his sister for the first time. Although he didn’t understand any of what she said, it seemed quite reasonable.

Jiang Nian shook her head helplessly: “You are too stupid, others say tacky, you believe it’s tacky. Such sacred things as gold and silver are actually considered tacky. You say, why do you look down on my Big Gold?”

“………!!!”

Huo Ping was scolded until he was red-faced and scared. He couldn’t say anything to refute.

Jiang Xiaobao’s admiration for Jiang Nian was beyond words. For the first time, he knew that his sick sister was so eloquent.

Jiang Nian sighed, “I know you are still not convinced, so, come on, we will compete with force. If you lose, you must apologize, not only to our family, but also to my Big Gold.”

Jiang Xiaobao was anxious.

“Sister, you can’t beat them. Let me do it. I will never let you down this time.”

Jiang Nian slapped Jiang Xiaobao and said to Huo Ping, “You also know that I am a sick seedling, my body is not suitable for heavy movement. It’s better we arm wrestle, the strongest wins. How’s that?

Even if she was a sick seedling now, she should still have some strength.

This was her fight for the honor of the Big Gold!

How could she flinch?

****

Huo Ping returned home with his head downcast. He didn’t expect gold to be so powerful, nor did he expect that he would actually lose to that sick seedling. Although Jiang Nian was two years older than him, she was shorter and thinner than him. But her strength was actually greater than him? Not to mention, both Chen Yi and Xu Lihai lost to her.

They couldn’t believe it. How could they lose to a sick girl? They wanted to play two more games, but Jiang Nian did not agree. She said that she was overburdened today, and she had to go home to recover. In the next ten days to half a month, she didn’t even want to lift her chopsticks or carry her schoolbag, much less arm wrestle with them. Of course, she must care of her body.

Jiang Xiaobao didn’t expect that he could still borrow his sister’s prestige. He was instilled with the idea of protecting his sister, protecting his sister, and protecting his sister. Because his sister’s body was very fragile, he had to protect his sister at all times, so he never expected he would be protected by her sister. Who would guess that this time……

Jiang Xiaobao couldn’t help but exaggerate his sister.

“Sister, you were so powerful!”

Jiang Nian waved her hand. What was this? She used to be able to take on five strong men. These little fart children dare to challenge the authority of gold; of course she couldn’t tolerate it.

“Don’t run around in the future, I’m hungry. I’m panicked when the meal is not on time. I feel that my life is draining…”

Jiang Xiaobao responded; the fat little ball was really stupid when he laughed. Then he immediately went home for dinner with his sister.

The little fatty was happy to death over here and, over there, Huo Ping couldn’t even taste what he was eating. His grandfather knocked his head: “Eat properly, is the food there for you to play?”

Huo Ping hummed, took a few bites of rice, glanced at his grandfather and then looked at his cousin. Grandpa was okay, grandpa would spoil him, but his cousin, Huo Ling, would not. Huo Ling’s character was too gao leng4. Huo Ping was particularly restrained in front of his cousin, the superior momentum of the Imperial Capital Huo family Huo Ling emitted could really suppress him. Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “Grandpa……”

“If you have something, then say it. What’s the hesitating for?”

“I just want to ask: upstarts are lucky, right?”

“………???”

……Upstarts are lucky?!

Master Huo coughed, and even Huo Ling couldn’t help but clench a fist over his lips, apparently surprised by this hypothesis.

Father Huo was startled: “What do you say they’re lucky?”

“The upstart family’s Yangzi jie said that there are a lot of people in this world who dream of becoming upstarts, but they don’t have that opportunity, only the particularly lucky people can get rich overnight! 5 And also, gold is very powerful, right?”

Grandfather Huo looked a little tangled: “……What’s this about gold?”

Huo Ping whispered, “It’s the same sick sister who said it. She said that wherever you go, gold is a universal currency all around the world. Is this true?”

Grandfather Huo nodded.

“It can be said that it’s true.”

The old man in the family opened his mouth, and Huo Ping was completely convinced, exclaiming in surprise, “So is it really sacred?!”

Grandfather Huo coughed a few times and almost choked on his food. Even calm as Huo Ling could not help shaking his eyebrows.

“Sacred? What is sacred?”

Huo Ping said, “Gold. Yangzi jie said that gold and silver are the most sacred things, not at all vulgar. It turns out it’s true.”

Grandpa Huo: “………”

Huo Ling: “………”

They shared a glance.

……This really was not ordinary vulgarity, ah.

Of course, Huo Ping was not the only one asking this question. Chen Yi and Xu Lihai couldn’t help but ask at home as well. The two people who got affirmative answers opened the door to a new world, as if all three views were refreshed.

****

Jiang Nian rested at home for a few days, and, soon, it was time to go to school to show her ingenuity. Dad Jiang personally sent the sister and brother to school. Jiang Xiaobao carried her school bag automatically. When Huo Ping, Chen Yi and Xu Lihai saw the two, they nodded to her awkwardly.

Huo Ping: “I asked my grandfather. He said yes, you didn’t lie to us.”

Jiang Nian nodded coldly. Of course, the status of her Big Gold was sacred.

Jiang Xiaobao raised his chubby double chin: “My sister never lies.”

Huo Ping scoffed at Jiang Xiaobao and turned to go. Jiang Nian said quickly, “Remember our bet.”

Yesterday, these few boys lost and gave her an apology, but they hadn’t apologized to her family yet. Sure enough, as soon as Jiang Nian mentioned it, the bodies of these boys stiffened and slid away even faster.

Jiang Xiaobao said, “Sister, wait for me after school today and I’ll march them home to apologize.”

Jiang Nian smiled: “No, they promised to come, and they will come. You don’t have to be embarrassed because of me.”

Jiang Xiaobao couldn’t help but argue: “How can I embarrass you? Yesterday was just an accident— I was too hungry and had no energy. As long as I eat dinner and go, I won’t be beaten.”

Jiang Nian said, “I’m so tired. Hurry, go to the classroom first, let’s rest for a while. It’s so dusty outside and the sun is so big.”

Jiang Xiaobao: “……………”

Jiang Nian thought about how to show her might in school. Then she found that she seemed to be wrong. This was a noble private school. Since kindergarten, it had been semi-English teaching. By this point, students’ English conversation and reading was not a problem. In addition to English, the competition among her classmates was also very fierce. The classmates around her were all learning madmen. The previous exam papers were returned during the first class. Her desk mate was crying disconsolately over a point lost due to careless calculation.

Jiang Nian was good and comforted her, “It doesn’t matter, it’s okay as long as you’re careful next time.”

Xiao Tong6 looked at her with tears in her eyes: “Next time? If this is the middle school entrance exam, will I have a next time? How can I make a sloppy mistake? This shouldn’t be wrong! I shouldn’t be wrong. Wooooooo.”

Her seriousness deeply shocked Jiang Nian.

……She touched the long-life lock hidden under her clothes and sighed, fortunately. Fortunately, her heart still belonged to the Big Gold. She was almost corroded by the god of learning.

Originally, Jiang Nian wanted to be a child prodigy and let the world admire! But she really underestimated the world. What they studied in the third year was the perverted subject of foreign language history. Although Jiang Nian had the memory of the original owner, she also knew that the background of these worlds would not be too different. If there was a difference, it would naturally be in history and politics. Subjects like physics and chemistry were better, and the textbooks had far fewer words. Jiang Nian still had to work hard to get 100 points in the mid-term exam. Plus, even if she scored a hundred points, there were still many hundred points in her classroom. The little girl beside her was crying for several minutes because she got ninety-nine on the test!

Jiang Nian only felt that the pressure was so great that she was both physically and mentally exhausted. She just wanted to be a sick seedling at home.

Maybe it was destined for her be a low-key person.

She no longer struggled. She decided to honestly accept destiny’s arrangement and be a slave to the Big Gold.

Jiang Xiaobao was happy he was only a first year. As soon as the mid-term results came out, he cried happily when he saw his sister’s results. His sister’s grades were already very good, and she was able to take the top three in the grade in their previous school. She naturally wouldn’t be too bad here, and those who bad-mouthed them in the dark wouldn’t dare talk nonsense.

Because Jiang Nian also made the top three this time.

Jiang Nian was pressed by the two little hairy children in front of her. Although they all had full marks, she was ranked lower because of alphabetical order. Jiang Nian could only be third.

This lesson told Jiang Nian that she was too high-minded. She should indeed be a low-key person first, and then go to the sky!

Although this result made Jiang Nian not too happy, the Jiang family was very happy. They also bought a cake to celebrate. Of course, Jiang Xiaobao was beaten again. His grades were not good. According to Jiang mother, he used the nutrition from his food to grow his body, not his mind.

While they were celebrating, two uninvited guests came.

Aunt Jiang came with her daughter Liu Yingying, a cousin two years older than Jiang Nian.

She was also the culprit of the death of ‘Jiang Nian’. 7

1. A long-life lock is a gold (sometimes silver?) and/or metal lock shaped jewelry (usually necklace/bracelet) given to infants as a way to bless them with a long life (aka ‘locking’ a long life to them) ^

2. Everyone there is either rich or powerful and rich ^

3. Wanted to translate to ‘hurting the eyes’ but that would be quite an exaggeration to follow the phrase ‘not an exaggeration’. So, I just kept the literal translation. Basically, it’s so ugly, it’s offensive. ^

4. High cold. See previous arc for in depth explanation ^

5. Just kept this term untranslated once to give the most meaning, I guess. Just know ‘Yangzi jie’ translates to ‘Sick seedling big sister’ or ‘big sister sickie’ if you want a more casual/endearing title. Simply put, it’s a nickname that 1. acknowledges that she’s older than him- big sis and 2. mentions that she’s congenitally sickly ^

6. Lit. translates to ‘little desk mate’ ^

7. Just a reminder in case you guys forgot: ‘Jiang Nian’ refers to the female lead from the original timeline- whether initially or after a character’s rebirth- and NOT our MC