When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds

Tan You smiled. "The last time I took Tan Yue for barbecue, she must have been thinking about it ever since. Kids shouldn’t eat too much of that stuff, though. So when Dad mentioned it this time, she naturally couldn’t resist the temptation."

’Tan Lin must be ecstatic today.’ She had given Tan Lin 200 yuan before she left as a reward for helping entertain her classmates. His eyes had crinkled into slits from smiling so much.

If spending money could make Tan Lin and Cheng Wenhui happy, Tan You really didn’t mind the small expense. It wasn’t like she couldn’t earn more. Once school started and her studies were on track, Tan You planned to start writing a new book.

’I can’t just sit around and spend all my savings, can I?’ Tan You had her own stubborn drive when it came to making money. ’Besides, the grand villa I promised Tan Deming is still just a fantasy. And who doesn’t want to enjoy the finer things in life?’

As the two were chatting and laughing, Wang Hunv returned carrying a basket. Inside were two cucumbers, some loofahs, and cowpeas.

Tan You looked at the cowpeas. "I’ll prepare the dough tonight, and we can make cowpea buns for breakfast tomorrow."

Wang Hunv couldn’t have been more pleased. "Okay! Have your grandpa buy some extra meat tomorrow morning. We’ll steam a big batch of buns."

She usually made breakfast by just grabbing ingredients from the fridge, such as the zongzi, steamed buns, and dumplings that Tan You had made before. The old woman could just get up in the morning, put them in the steamer, and have a meal without any trouble.

Tan You found it amusing. "Alright, we’ll make a big batch in the morning while it’s not so hot. If you really like buns, I can have Dad bring some back from town."

Wang Hunv was tempted, but after a moment’s thought, she pouted. "Forget it. If we ate buns from town every day, your dad would think it’s too extravagant. He’s very frugal. Even if it’s your money, he wouldn’t want to spend it."

Tan You didn’t bring it up again. ’When it comes to the mindset of a petty person, no one understands it better than another petty person.’ Like her grandma, for instance. Or her dad.

Tan Deming said, "Just buy them every now and then. If you want to eat them, just go buy them."

Wang Hunv waved her hand dismissively. "The ones you buy aren’t as good a value as homemade. Tan You is a good cook, and her steamed buns are delicious. We still have some flour at home. Besides the meat, we have everything else we need."

At the mention of "good value," Tan Deming fell silent. Of course, homemade was more economical. He just felt that Tan You should be resting more now that she was home. Besides, who could stand steaming buns in the kitchen in this sweltering heat?

Tan You reassured the old man, "I don’t have much to do at home anyway. As long as you all enjoy eating, that’s what matters. I won’t have time to do this stuff once I go back to school. And we have so many cowpeas at home, it would be a waste not to eat them."

Now Tan Deming had something to say. "Your grandma planted so many cowpeas! I’ve been eating them every single day, for every single meal. I really can’t eat any more."

"I sent a bunch to your dad these past two days. Yesterday, I even went to the town market and sold some, earned ten yuan." Tan Deming said with a touch of pride. "Too bad I can’t charge your dad for the ones I gave him."

Tan You shook her head with a laugh. "If we can’t finish them, let’s dry them. Grandma knows how to make dried vegetables, right? In the winter, rehydrated dried cowpeas stewed with meat or pork trotters are absolutely amazing."

"Since we’re not farming the fields in the second half of the year, Grandma can just plant more vegetables. Dry some green beans, and we’ll have an extra dish for the winter."

Wang Hunv agreed. "Alright. How about pickling some vegetables?"

Tan You immediately waved her hands. "I’ll make the pickled and sour vegetables when I get back. Grandma, you don’t have the knack for it; the last batch of pickled vegetables you made went bad. If you’re up for it, you should make some Meigan cai. That stuff is delicious."

"Make a big batch. I can take some back to school to have as an extra side for breakfast."

Wang Hunv said, "Okay. I’ll get started once I buy some mustard greens."

The old woman wasn’t skilled in the kitchen, but her Meigan cai was genuinely good. Tan You knew this. Unfortunately, the old woman found it troublesome. She wasn’t a patient person to begin with, and since Meigan cai required being steamed and sun-dried three times each, she was even more reluctant to make it.

Tan Deming laid a trap for his wife. "Why don’t you just grow some yourself? We’re not farming the fields in the second half of the year anyway."

Wang Hunv actually started to consider it. Tan You looked at Tan Deming and saw him smiling with narrowed eyes. ’Could he admit he also wanted to eat his wife’s Meigan cai?’

Tan You lowered her head and smiled. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the Beauty System—the little pup—which had been stuck for ages, suddenly kick its legs as if it had come back from the dead. "Host, the system is back!"

A smile immediately touched Tan You’s eyes. She stood up at once. "I’m going back to my room first. Don’t open the pot in the kitchen. If you lift the lid, the flavor will escape."

Tan Deming waved his hand. "Go do your thing. I’ll watch the stove for you."

Seeing that Tan You was about to say something, Tan Deming added with a smile, "I’ll just check on it in a bit. I won’t be sitting behind the stove the whole time."

Only then did Tan You feel at ease. After returning to her room, she glanced at the little system, whose tail was wagging so fast it looked like a propeller. "So happy? Did something good happen?"

The little pup’s mouth was wide open. "Host, something good happened to *you*! Host, lottery draw, lottery draw!"

Unfortunately, it couldn’t talk about the high-level system summit it had attended, which the little pup found a bit regrettable. Thus, the little system could only hint at it to Tan You.

Hearing about something good, and that she had a lottery draw, and seeing the system’s indescribably smug expression, Tan You’s eyes narrowed slightly. She paused. "Let’s not rush. Settle the mission first."

The Beauty System deflated a little. "How can you not be in a rush? This is the most important thing!"

But since Tan You had insisted on settling the mission, it could only go along with the procedure. Soon, an electronic voice sounded: "Congratulations, Host, for completing your first intermediate mission. Mission rating: 3S. Host receives 25 base Energy Points. An additional reward is granted for ratings of A or higher. System reward: 6 Energy Points."

"Client Adina has given a 3S rating. Main System reward: 6 Energy Points. Host’s available Energy Points balance: 92."

"Host, you have so many Energy Points."

That last sentence was purely the Beauty System’s personal commentary. A single intermediate mission had earned Tan You 37 Energy Points. The Beauty System was truly envious of her ability to earn points.

Tan You stared at her Energy Points balance for a long time before frowning. "I remember I usually get a rating of A or higher on my initial missions. For a beginner mission, I earn about 12 Energy Points."

"But for an intermediate mission, I only get 37 Energy Points. That’s only three times as much. In terms of cost-effectiveness and risk, I personally think it’s not as good as the beginner missions."

The Beauty System hurriedly explained, "That’s not how you should calculate it! That’s because you perform exceptionally well on beginner missions, Host. Generally, very few mission-takers can achieve a rating of S or higher. They usually only get seven or eight Energy Points per mission."

"The base reward for a beginner mission is 5 Energy Points. See? The base reward for an intermediate mission is five times that of a beginner one. That multiplier is already very high."

"As for the extra rewards, there’s no distinction between intermediate and beginner missions. As long as you achieve a rating of A or higher, the algorithm is the same."

Tan You understood. She paused for a moment. "Alright. Show me the status bar."