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

Aunt Shen’s face lit up in a smile. "That would be wonderful! You went to such a good university. I’m not asking for Little Yu to get into the same one. I’ll be happy as long as he can just get into college."

It was just tutoring, after all. Tan You agreed immediately. "Sure. When is Little Yu getting back?"

A high school senior? Tan You was plenty confident. She’d been to university, after all. ’How hard could it be to tutor a high schooler? I know what I’m doing.’

Aunt Shen said, "This afternoon. Your uncle and I will head back this afternoon, and we’ll clear out a room for him. If you need to use the internet, just come over. We’re family; don’t be a stranger."

Tan You lowered her head with a small smile. "Okay. I’ll definitely be coming over to bother you and Uncle often then."

All in all, while Aunt Shen could be a bit petty, she wasn’t a bad person. Besides, in Tan You’s book, even relatives shouldn’t be expected to work for free. Tan You could understand why her aunt had looked displeased.

Hearing this, Fifth Uncle asked Tan You, "Are you confident?"

"Let’s try a two-pronged approach," Tan You said after a moment’s thought. "Can all these mountain treasures be stored for a while?"

Fifth Uncle sighed. "The mushrooms everyone gathered have already been dried. We also vacuum-packed all of them according to the old buyer’s specifications. Storing them for two or three months won’t be a problem."

Tan You understood. "Alright. In that case, Fifth Uncle, you keep looking for buyers as usual, and I’ll work on finding a solution on my end. Let’s... give it a week for now."

Fifth Uncle did a quick calculation. A week wasn’t very long. He didn’t have much hope for Ji Li, thinking he’d better run around more himself when he had time.

That afternoon, Shen Yu returned to Grandma Shen’s house with Shen Cunming and his mom. The young man was practically buzzing with excitement. "Sis, you’re the best! And you’re so gorgeous!"

"Compared to you, our school’s campus beauty is a total joke!"

Tan You found this amusing. "Your school has a campus beauty?"

"It’s just a case of being the tallest of the shorties," Shen Yu muttered. "Real beauties are rare. With your looks, Sis, you’d absolutely slay out there."

Aunt Shen took the opportunity to add, "Little Yu’s not wrong. Ali, you’ve graduated now. Are you seeing anyone? If not, how about your aunt introduces you to someone?"

Tan You answered without a second thought, "I’m not thinking about that right now. I want to establish my career first. Getting married can wait."

Aunt Shen said, amused, "What career does a girl need to establish?"

Tan You didn’t argue. "I’m planning to have my husband marry into my family. My future children will take my surname, and I’ll be the head of the household. He needs to be obedient, sensible, able to take care of the home, and not cause me any trouble."

Shen Cunming and Aunt Shen were dumbfounded. Shen Yu gave her a thumbs-up. "Sis, you’re amazing!"

He was shocked too, but after a moment, he was completely on board. "Mom, she’s not wrong. If Sis has a husband marry into our family, she won’t have to put up with any grief from in-laws."

Aunt Shen was vexed. "With us around, who would dare give her a hard time?"

But even as she said it, her voice trailed off.

Tan You said, "I know you mean well, Auntie. But given my current situation—with my parents gone and me having nothing to my name—if I were to get married now, his family would undoubtedly look down on me. It’s better if I go out and make something of myself first."

"Besides, I want to be the one to support Grandma in her old age."

Shen Cunming’s eyes widened. "I’m here to take care of your grandma! There’s no need for you to do it. You have your own struggles."

Tan You just smiled, not arguing with Shen Cunming. "Mm, anyway, I’m not thinking about marriage for the time being."

She was just giving her relatives a heads-up to prevent future trouble.

With that topic dropped, Tan You and Shen Yu chatted and laughed on the way back. It wasn’t like she had zero social skills; now was the time to put them to good use.

Grandma Shen was still spry for her age. At noon, she had reheated the breakfast Tan You made, and now she was busy getting dinner ready. The moment she saw Tan You return, Grandma Shen broke into a smile.

"You’re back?"

"Mhm, I’m back," Tan You said, taking the water ladle from her grandmother’s hand. "I bought some beef on the way. I’ll cook."

"Don’t buy such expensive things," Grandma Shen said, but Tan You didn’t understand her.

Shen Yu translated from the side, "Grandma’s telling you not to buy such expensive ingredients. You just graduated, so you probably don’t have much money."

Tan You just smiled. "Making money is the easiest thing in the world. It just depends on how you do it."

Shen Yu almost dropped to his knees. "Sis, what are you planning? We can’t do anything illegal!"

Tan You shot him a look. "I know that. Tomorrow morning, you’re coming up the mountain with me."

Shen Yu hesitated. "What for?"

Tan You replied, "To scout the area first. We’ll figure out the rest later."

Shen Yu asked tentatively, "Sis, are you thinking of becoming a streamer? That could be a good path. You’re so pretty, you’d definitely get famous fast."

"Something like that," Tan You said, not revealing her full plan. "First, I need to get familiar with the surroundings. We’ll see about the rest after that."

"Oh, right. Is there a fabric market around here? I need to buy some cloth. Doesn’t Auntie have a sewing machine at her place? Can I borrow it for a few days?"

Shen Yu immediately agreed. "No problem! My mom never uses it anyway. I’m sure she’d be happy to let you."

Tan You said, "I won’t borrow it for free. Once I have some money, I’ll definitely buy her a new one."

Uncle Shen came in, carrying an armful of firewood. "That sewing machine just sits at home collecting dust. It’s a good thing if you use it. It’ll keep the machine from seizing up from disuse."

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Your aunt... she can be a little petty, but she’s not a bad person..."

"I understand." Tan You smiled. "Do I seem that petty in your eyes, Uncle?"

"My niece is the magnanimous one," Shen Cunming said with a laugh. "Your aunt is a good woman. She’s filial to her elders, takes good care of her children, and gets along well with the neighbors. Look at how well this old house has been maintained—that’s all her doing."

Tan You’s smile widened. "I understand what you’re saying."

’Isn’t Uncle Shen just worried about friction between me and Aunt Shen? It must be tough for him to play mediator.’ Tan You didn’t actually think her aunt was a bad person. They were just relatives; it wasn’t as if they had to live under the same roof.

’To Aunt Shen, maybe I’m the real outsider.’

And so, Shen Yu started staying at the old house. Teenagers love to sleep in, and sure enough, Shen Yu still wasn’t up even after Tan You had steamed a pot of buns for breakfast.

Grandma Shen said, "I’ll go get him. He’s being too lazy."

Tan You waved her off. "It’s fine. I’ll just have him take a few buns to eat on the way."

Around seven, Shen Yu was hauled out of bed by his grandmother. He squinted, "Grandma, I’m still half asleep. Why’d you wake me up so early?"

Grandma Shen rattled off a string of words in her dialect, none of which Tan You could understand. But Shen Yu suddenly perked up. "My sister was up at four-something? That early?"

"Sis, what were you doing up so early?"