Chapter 146: You’re Fine Just the Way You Are
Tan Deming played along. "And you can get me a dog..."
The grandfather and granddaughter pair let their imaginations run wild about the future. Even someone as quiet as Tan You couldn’t help but become more talkative when she was with Tan Deming. Her offer to support him wasn’t just empty words; after all, the old man had always been genuinely good to her.
In the past, Tan You had followed him around, eating meals at neighbors’ houses. Later, when she started school, Tan Deming would still buy her all sorts of snacks from time to time. When Tan Lin hit her, Tan Deming would protect her. In the entire family, Tan Deming was the one who treated her best.
Tan You pursed her lips. ’As for Grandma, if she’s willing, she can come live with me in the future. Given how she and Mom are like oil and water, having them under the same roof would just lead to endless arguments. It’d be better for her to be with me.’
’At least I can handle Grandma. This could be considered me fulfilling my filial duty in place of my parents. If I take on this responsibility, it should make things a lot easier for Tan Lin and Cheng Wenhui. Perhaps this is something I can do for Cheng Wenhui. Her life has been genuinely hard.’
Perhaps the river snails from the day before had successfully infuriated Tan Ying, because she didn’t come over the next day. Tan You was pleased. "I didn’t expect them to be so effective. Looks like I’ll have to keep more river snails stocked at home from now on."
Wang Hunv was the first to agree. "Sounds good. I’ll go to the river this afternoon and gather some snails."
Tan You glanced at her grandma, who was not even five feet tall. "Is everyone else going to the river today? If they are, you can go. But if it’s just you, then don’t."
Her grandma couldn’t swim, so Tan You was genuinely a little worried. ’Speaking of which,’ she wondered, ’how did Grandma, who’s not even five feet tall, give birth to my dad, who’s five-foot-nine?’
Wang Hunv replied, "Everyone’s going. Someone even caught a fish yesterday. Too bad I didn’t get one."
Tan You said, "It’s fine if you didn’t. River snails and clams are good too. Each has its own unique flavor."
Wang Hunv smiled too. "Yes, each has its own unique flavor. I heard Tan Ying is going to J City tomorrow."
"I know, she mentioned it yesterday." Tan You put away the snail meat she had picked out and gathered up the empty shells. These snail and clam shells were useful too; they could be crushed and mixed into the chicken feed. It was said to prevent the chickens from laying soft-shelled eggs.
Tan You didn’t know if that was true or not, but it was what everyone did.
Wang Hunv rolled her eyes. "Why has she been coming over so often lately? What does she want from you?"
"It’s nothing, really. She just sees I’m not trailing after her like I used to, and I guess she’s not happy about it," Tan You said nonchalantly, not mentioning the little tiff between her and Tan Ying.
"I see," Wang Hunv said, dropping the subject. Seeing that people from the south side of the village were already heading toward the large river to the north, she grabbed her basket and bucket and hurried to catch up with the main group.
Quiet returned under the persimmon tree. Tan You washed her hands, then began her studies for the day. Every time she returned from a mission, Tan You would review her high school textbooks. Even with a great memory, things were bound to fade after so many years.
The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve applied to her, too. So, whenever she had time, she would flip through the books to reinforce her memory. Only after confirming she had mastered the material again would Tan You move on to studying something else.
’After all, for me right now, the most important thing is to get through these three years of high school smoothly.’
Tan You didn’t see Tan Ying again before she left for J City. Of course, she couldn’t care less if Tan Ying was angry. In fact, it only made her happy. By the time Tan Ying returned for the summer holiday, school would have already started.
They wouldn’t necessarily be in the same class for the pre-semester military training. Once regular classes began, everyone would be so busy that they’d have even less time to meet up. The thought put Tan You in an excellent mood.
Seeing her good mood, the Beauty System seized the opportunity. "Host, let’s go do a mission! You’re just sitting around anyway."
Tan You was ice-cold. "No. I’ve only been back for a few days. Isn’t there a two-week interval between missions? I’m already being very diligent, yet you still pester me every day."
The Beauty System let out a listless "Oh..." and didn’t dare say anything more. ’What leverage do I have over the Host? None. I have no way to control her. She’s the one supporting me.’
The little system fell silent, which improved Tan You’s mood even more. She thought for a moment and randomly drew a mission from the pool. The moment she did, the Beauty System immediately perked up.
’The Host said she wouldn’t go, but in her heart, she was still thinking of me~’
It stayed out of Tan You’s way, obediently going off to the side to play. ’As long as the Host draws a mission, she’ll eventually go do it.’
Once the mission was drawn, the client’s memories unfolded before Tan You. After viewing them in their entirety, Tan You sighed in resignation. "It’s all just petty romance. So boring."
The Beauty System suddenly piped up, "It’s purely a matter of luck! The system isn’t asking you to conquer the world, you know."
Tan You sounded unenthusiastic. "I know. You just want me to wreak havoc with my good looks. Am I that kind of person?"
The Beauty System fell silent. ’At this point, I feel like I’m just holding the Host back. If she had been matched with one of those tycoon, tech, or world-conquest systems, would things be different now?’
It had spoken the thought out loud unconsciously. Tan You found it amusing. "Although I don’t approve of you encouraging me to wreak havoc with my good looks, I understand that’s your core programming. I understand it, but I can’t accept it."
"Honestly, you’re fine just the way you are, because I don’t need to use you for much. If I had to rely on others or a system for everything, it would just make me feel insecure."
"Because you never know when those things might be taken away. Only what I gain through my own hard work gives me the confidence to face the world."
"And having you around like this is very comforting. Even if you can’t do much, you can keep me company and chat with me, so life isn’t so lonely. You know I place a high value on emotional support, and you’ve always been great at that."
The Beauty System, moved to tears, hugged Tan You’s finger and started bawling. It was the kind of loud, tearless crying—all thunder and no rain—that made Tan You feel like her eardrums were about to burst.
The Beauty System sobbed, "H-Host... you’re... you’re really... the best..."
Tan You teased, "If I’m so great, does that mean you won’t charge me the Energy Points for locking my Intelligence Value?"
The Beauty System immediately looked up. "No way! At the very, very least, I’ll give you a fifty-percent discount! 10 Energy Points. I can’t go any lower."
Tan You smiled. "Then just deduct it after I get back from this mission."
’Getting it down to 10 Energy Points was pretty good,’ she thought. Unfortunately, Tan You had no intention of paying the Beauty System just yet. It was like the old saying goes: cash in hand, no panic in the heart.
Tan You didn’t say anything else. Her gaze seemed to drift into the distance for a long while before she mentally poked the system. "Are you done with the waterworks? Let’s get to the mission."
"Huh? Host, you’re going on the mission this early?" the Beauty System asked in surprise, which was quickly followed by a wave of delight. "This system will send you over right away!"