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

It wasn’t just the children who felt this way; most of the clan members shared the sentiment. Take Chen Tianshui’s family, for example. As the Clan Leader, he naturally received a hefty year-end bonus. Add to that his wife, who also worked in the workshop, and their combined bonuses were quite substantial.

To celebrate, Chen Tianshui’s eldest son, Chen Sen, even made a special trip to bring back a few jars of wine. The family sat on the heated brick bed, eating and drinking around the small bed-table. With good food and the occasional sip of wine, it was pure bliss.

"Father, it’s snowing," Chen Lin said, pushing the window open a crack to see snowflakes drifting down outside.

Chen Mu, not yet fifteen, had been wolfing down the meat dishes the moment he sat at the table. After swallowing a large slice of meat, he smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Before, whenever it snowed, Father would worry about people freezing to death."

"Things are better now. We don’t have to worry about that anymore."

Chen Tianshui took a satisfying sip of his wine. "Indeed. Since we got the heated beds and heated walls, the death rate in the clan has dropped significantly this year. Even when the elderly pass away, it’s from illness. That’s already a very good outcome."

Chen Sen poured Chen Tianshui more wine. "It’s partly thanks to the great lady’s brilliant ideas, and partly thanks to the strong support from you and the clan elders, Father. Without your support, who knows if we could have even built these heated beds."

Chen Tianshui clearly enjoyed his eldest son’s praise. He took another sip of wine. "Speaking of which, the great lady really has changed a lot. Who would have thought she had so many methods..."

The Clan Leader’s wife said softly, "It’s like she’s become a completely different person."

Chen Tianshui narrowed his eyes. "I think it’s because she was so heartbroken before. She walked to the gates of hell and back, and was enlightened by an immortal."

The Clan Leader’s wife quickly agreed. "That would make sense. I remember when her husband and eldest son passed away, she couldn’t catch her breath. We all thought she was going to follow them."

Chen Tianshui poured himself another drink. "Let’s not talk about the great lady. Let’s talk about you boys. Sen, you’ll be twenty after the New Year. It’s time to start looking for a match. In the past, our Miao Gou Village was poor, so no one wanted to marry their daughters to our men."

"Things are different in our clan now. We’re building new houses, so after you boys get married, you’ll all move out on your own."

The Clan Leader’s wife was a little reluctant. "Move out? But the family shouldn’t divide while the parents are still alive..."

"Short-sighted," Chen Tianshui chided gently. "Why do you think the great lady is having so many houses built? Our clan will keep growing. If we don’t separate the households now and claim the houses first, where will our children live when they get married? Are they supposed to squeeze into one house with us?"

Chen Sen quickly raised his hand. "Father, I want to live separately with my wife after we get married. We’ll still be in the clan, just a short walk away."

The Clan Leader’s wife considered it. "That’s true. It’s just that if we separate the households, we’ll have to pay more taxes..."

Chen Tianshui was unconcerned. "We all work in the workshop; we can always pay the taxes. The important thing is to claim the houses now. As the clan grows, it’ll be impossible to get a house assigned like this again."

The Clan Leader’s wife stroked her young daughter Taohua’s head. "Taohua will be fourteen after the New Year. It’s time to start looking for a match for her, too."

Taohua pressed her lips together. "Mother, I don’t want to marry out. How about I find a husband who will marry into our family? No other place is as good as our own village."

The Clan Leader’s wife sighed helplessly. "What family’s fine young man would be willing to marry into his wife’s home?"

"Then there’s no hurry. The great lady said that if getting married doesn’t make my life better than it is at home, then there’s no point in marrying. And she also said that even if we girls don’t get married, the clan can afford to support us."

The Clan Leader’s wife poked her on the head. "You listen to everything the great lady says. Why don’t you just ask her to be your mother?"

Taohua looked a little dejected. "I’d like to, but the great lady has several daughters. I’m a few years older than Ming Guang, but there are so many things she knows that I don’t. The great lady is really good at teaching her children."

The Clan Leader’s wife couldn’t help but laugh. "Now you’re feeling wronged? I’m just a lowly worker in the workshop. I’ve let you down, haven’t I?"

"No, that’s not it. My mother is wonderful too," Taohua said, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. "I just think it’s great to be like the great lady. Anyway, I don’t want to marry out."

Chen Tianshui doted on his daughter as well. He put down his wine cup and said, "There’s no rush for Taohua’s marriage. It’s not like the family can’t support her. The daughters of our clan won’t have trouble finding a husband. When others come asking for their hand, who knows what their true intentions are. If they ask Taohua about the clan’s workshop business, should she tell them or not? The child would be put in a difficult position."

The Clan Leader’s wife thought for a moment. "That’s true. I went back to my parents’ home the other day, and my sister-in-law was subtly and not-so-subtly asking about our clan’s workshop. She even asked if the workshop was hiring, implying they wanted to come work here too."

Chen Lin’s eyes widened. "We can barely arrange jobs for all of our own clan members, how could we possibly hire outsiders? If there are job opportunities, our own people must come first."

"Lin, calm down," Chen Tianshui said, putting down his wine cup. "This is why I say not to rush the girls’ marriages. But Sen, it really is time to start arranging yours."

"And you too, Lin, and Mu. We need to start looking for matches for all of you. Even though our lives are better now, you must marry a virtuous wife. If you bring home a troublemaker, the whole family will suffer."

Chen Sen suddenly grew bashful. "Father, you know how I went out with the other clan members to build heated beds for people before the New Year? I think... Xingzi, the eldest daughter of Yang Desheng from next-door Sweet Water Village, is very nice."

Chen Lin glanced at his older brother. "The Yang family has two daughters and their youngest is a son. Big Brother has his eye on Xingzi, but I think her younger sister, Hehua, is pretty great."

Chen Sen glared at him. "You little brat, how come I didn’t know about this?"

Chen Lin replied, "When you were in Sweet Water Village, Big Brother, your eyes were glued to her face and couldn’t look away. How could you have possibly noticed anyone else? Hehua has a bit of a fiery personality. Because her younger brother is so doted on and Xingzi is the eldest sister, Hehua is always ignored at home. That’s why she has to fight and scrap for everything herself."

"I quite like her personality," he said with a smile. "Maybe it’s because we’re both the second child. Even though Father and Mother aren’t obviously biased, they still don’t pay as much attention to me as they do to Big Brother and our third brother."

The Clan Leader’s wife sighed. "Since you’ve put it that way, how can I possibly object?"

’She really didn’t like fiery personalities, but since her second son had put it like that... they were kindred spirits, suffering the same fate. Both were the overlooked second child in their families. Perhaps they would have more in common.’

Chen Tianshui said, "Since you’ve chosen them yourselves, I’ll have your mother make some inquiries. If all goes well, we’ll arrange the marriages after the New Year. What about you, Old Three?"

Chen Mu looked up. "Father, I’m only fifteen, I’m not in a hurry. Besides, if the family holds weddings for Big Brother and Second Brother at the same time, will you and Mother have enough silver on hand?"

Chen Tianshui thought for a moment. "That’s true. Alright, we’ll see about it later. You can wait a few years. We’ll get your big brother and second brother married off first."