Chapter 16: Dragged Down by My Family

Meng Jia realized she had been thinking in the wrong direction. After her rebirth, she had focused so intently on Lu Liqin and Tang Xin that she lost her original cunning. Why must she fixate on Lu Liqin, the future big shot? If she could snatch all the opportunities meant for the Lu family and become a female leader herself, wouldn’t she live even better than them?

Tang Xin was still unaware that her actions had unintentionally changed the fate of the heroine, who, enraged, abandoned her former reliance on men. Now, besides spending her free time tending, harvesting, and upgrading her Happy Farm, Tang Xin was wholly absorbed in figuring out how to win over that stubborn man, cold outside but warm within.

She had already harvested quite a lot of crops, all stored in her warehouse at the touch of a button. Of course, she could trade them for other items already in the warehouse, and occasionally, upgrading brought unexpected rewards. Daily tasks like weeding, watering, and pest control earned her experience points, while harvesting was a sign of abundance—only through labor could she gain experience.

At night, when everyone else was sound asleep, Tang Xin would enter her farm and study it carefully. This space farm was much like the Happy Farm she’d played in her previous life, relying on experience points to keep leveling up. The benefits of upgrading were many: more varieties of crops to plant, and the fruits of her labor could be used to buy more land. Once she reached a certain level, she could unlock a pasture, a fishery, a beehive, and even a restaurant.

So Tang Xin was exceptionally diligent. Though she was currently limited to growing white radishes, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and corn, her warehouse was already piled high with them. Once her farm upgraded to include a pasture, she could raise animals and fish, and even harvest honey herself—how wonderful that would be. The days of eating meat every day would be blissful, especially after gnawing on coarse cornbread for days at the educated youth station, with the occasional egg as a rare treat.

Tang Xin now deeply regretted her past dislike for pork, berating herself for such foolishness. How could she have been so silly as to dislike meat? No wonder this farm differed from the one she’d played before; when she first planted white radishes, a plot of land automatically grew them. At her next upgrade, she’d be able to plant wheat, rice, and sweet potatoes—real staples to fill her belly.

The farm already included a processing workshop. Tang Xin discovered that with enough experience points and crop products, she could buy vouchers to access it. Then she could grind wheat into flour and hull rice into grains—true wealth at last.

Her warehouse was astonishing; she had no idea how big it truly was, but it currently stored hundreds of pounds of radishes, carrots, cabbages, small cabbages, potatoes, and corn, with 95% of the space still unused. The vegetables had been stored for over a week, yet remained fresh and vibrant, as if the warehouse had a preservation function.

For grain and meat, Tang Xin resolved to forge ahead. After a week of daily sign-ins, she received ten drops of spiritual spring water. She didn't yet know its exact purpose—was it the same spiritual spring water from the cultivation world? If so, Tang Xin felt she would truly prosper. She didn’t care about immortality or martial arts; just strengthening her body would be wonderful. In this era of poor medical conditions, any serious illness might not be treatable.

Upon reaching level five, Tang Xin received a gift package containing fruit and a piece of brightly colored fabric, which she stored in her warehouse for later use. After watering the dry land and fertilizing where needed, Tang Xin, now owning eight plots, gazed proudly at her vast farm, her heart swelling with accomplishment.

This endless plain would soon be covered with her fields, surrounded by forests, mountains, and streams. One day, she would have her own farmhouse. Even in her sleep, Tang Xin wore a sweet smile—she was truly happy!

Early the next morning, Tang Xin rose and stood outside the educated youth station. Several children from the brigade ran over, grinning, to greet her. They adored Tang Xin, the educated youth: not only was she beautiful and unafraid of their dirt, playing with them, she also gave them delicious treats.

The small potatoes she’d given them were roasted in secret, and the aroma was so enticing that the children felt they'd never tasted anything better in their lives. Now Tang Xin still had a bag of milk candies; coming from the future, she didn’t think much of the sweets of this era, but for the children, they were rare treasures, not even available during the New Year.

Tang Xin took out one candy and sent her informant to relay a message to Li Sheng: she would wait for him by the river for an important discussion. The three children shared the small piece of milk candy, and even just a few licks brought them immense joy.

Tang Xin didn’t give each child a whole piece. First, she had only a limited supply, and second, she wanted them to understand that her gifts could be earned through trade and their own efforts. Things given freely were seldom cherished, and she wanted to avoid encouraging laziness or the habit of begging.

Standing quietly by the river, Tang Xin waited for a while before Li Sheng arrived. He greeted her directly, “Educated Youth Tang, is there anything left for us to discuss?”

Tang Xin sneered inwardly; he was deliberately distancing himself. If he truly felt there was nothing to discuss, why had he come?

“You’re not married, not engaged, and have no one you like. Neither do I—except, now, I like you. So, I want to discuss marriage with you. Isn’t that important?”

As she spoke, Tang Xin smiled, tilting her head playfully, “You always reject me—does that mean you don’t like me, or that you dislike me?”

Dislike? Impossible. Any man would struggle to dislike such a charming, seemingly spoiled yet genuinely adorable girl.

But precisely because he didn’t dislike her, Li Sheng was all the more aware: with his family background, he was not suitable for such a fairy-like beauty.

Tang Xin smiled sweetly at him. “In that case, isn’t marrying me the perfect match?”

Why did the conversation always return to this topic? Yet the fairy’s smile was so enchanting, Li Sheng found himself utterly unable to refuse.

His voice grew hoarse as he asked, “Are you truly not afraid of being dragged down by my family?”