"They're doing very well, don't worry."
Liz nodded. Before, she still couldn't completely let go, but her mother's words today woke her up.
Since she already belonged to this world and couldn't change the situation, why let something impossible hold her back?
In her past life, her parents had the System Chlo.8's arrangements to take care of them in her place. Now this ending was already the best one.
She looked at Mr Xu reading the newspaper, then at Madam Yuna with her gentle smile, and finally relaxed, smiling too.
"Liz, go to bed early."
"Okay."
That night, Liz slept very peacefully. The next morning, after breakfast, her parents went to work.
She slept in late, then went to the kitchen. Madam Yuna had left her breakfast warm in the pot.
While eating, she noticed ten yuan and some food coupons on the table. Her parents weren't coming home for lunch, so they left money and coupons for her to eat at the state-owned restaurant.
After breakfast, feeling bored, Liz walked outside in the courtyard.
Madam Yuna grew some flowers and plants there, and when she had nothing else to do, she watered and trimmed them.
"System Chlo.8, I'm so bored."
"Then go play."
System Chlo.8's mechanical reply didn't understand why humans felt bored.
"I've already explored everything in Haishi."
Before her blind date, she had wandered around Haishi for several days and already visited all the places worth going.
"You could read about parenting concepts."
System Chlo.8 pulled out a professional book on parenting for her. Liz felt helpless.
"System Chlo.8, I'm not even married yet. Aren't you being too impatient?"
System Chlo.8: "..."
Weren't you the one who said you were bored?
It sighed helplessly. Women's thoughts were impossible to figure out.
"Forget it, I'll just go out for a walk."
"Find a place where no one's around later, I'll take out some grapes for you to bring home."
"Okay, Host."
System Chlo.8 put away the parenting book and continued reading it itself. If the host didn't read it, it still had to, because it had to be responsible for the baby in the future.
Liz took her camera and went out. With nothing to do, she could only take photos. Haishi still had many alleys worth capturing.
She strolled alone along the streets, and before long, she reached the entrance of an alley.
"Host, don't go in."
"Why?"
"That's the black market."
She looked around. At the entrance of the alley, a thin young man stood leaning against the wall, clearly there to keep watch.
Liz's dress was fashionable, her looks stood out, and with a camera hanging from her neck, she immediately caught his eye.
Even though Haishi had lots of imported goods, not many young women could afford to use a camera, especially one as young as her.
Her appearance and temperament didn't look like a girl from an ordinary family—more like a cadre's daughter.
As soon as she heard it was the black market, Liz turned and left. Even though she had plenty of supplies, she had never thought of mixing with the black market.
The black market was messy, full of all kinds of people. Her father was the deputy mayor. If someone saw her hanging around there, it could easily cause trouble.
That black market was famous for selling imported goods, which cadres' children in Haishi loved.
The thin man thought she had come to buy things there, and just as he was about to approach her, she suddenly turned away and left.
The thin man hurried to inform the boss of the black market. The boss thought for a moment and then asked,
"Did she just take a look and leave?"
"Yes, very young, wearing the latest clothes, and holding a camera."
"Seems like she was just passing by."
Hearing this, the boss knew she was probably the daughter of a high-ranking official in the coastal city. She must be a well-protected girl from a good family.
"Probably a mistake. Our people don't need to follow her."
"Yes."
Liz knew someone was following her. She had accidentally entered the black market and, without buying anything, turned to leave. It was natural that the people inside would be suspicious.
But those who could run a black market in the coastal city were not foolish.
"Host, the person is gone."
"Okay, let's go eat."
Liz went to a state-run restaurant. The restaurant was made of red bricks, with a red star on top and the words "State-Run Restaurant" below.
On both sides of the door were inspirational phrases of the era: "Self-Reliance" and "Hard Work."
Inside was the ordering and payment area. A board showed the dishes available that day.
There were two big tables and six small round tables. After ordering, you found a seat yourself, and when the food was ready, the staff would call out.
Today's dishes were fresh meat dumplings and meat buns. Liz ordered a portion of fresh meat dumplings.
"What will you have?"
The restaurant worker looked at her. The attitude wasn't great, but not rude either.
"I want a portion of fresh meat dumplings."
"One portion of fresh meat dumplings costs eight mao in food tickets."
Liz handed over the tickets and found a seat. Luckily, she came early. If she came later, she would have had to wait for a table after the workers finished their shifts.
Eating in a state-run restaurant depended on both your legs and your speed in speaking.
When the staff called out a dish, they only shouted the dish name, not the order. If it was your dish, you had to respond quickly, or you might miss it.
Choosing a good seat was important. Sitting near the serving area was best so you could know immediately when your food arrived.
Liz arrived before the busy hours. Only a few tables were occupied, so she could pick a good spot.
"Fresh meat dumplings are ready!"
"Mine!"
She quickly responded, and the staff placed the dumplings on her table.
There were clean chopsticks in a bamboo holder on the table. She picked one up and started eating.
She bit into a dumpling and it was full of fresh meat. The filling was rich and tasty.
Liz's eyes lit up. She had to admit, the food in this era was really well-made.
No artificial additives, delicious flavor, and no corners cut in preparation.
Chlo.8 watched her eat and was confused. Why did humans love food so much?
Since bonding with the host, it had to handle three meals a day, plus afternoon tea and occasional late-night snacks. It couldn't understand why, after all these years, humans still couldn't resist good food.
Liz: "...You wouldn't understand."
After eating, she left. Before returning to the government compound, she found a quiet spot and picked up a bunch of grapes to take home.
Liz didn't have much contact with people in the government housing compound, but everyone there knew that Mr Xu's daughter was looking for a husband.
Many families recommended their sons because having this connection would secure their son's future.
But Liz's parents rejected all of them. They weren't considering anyone, no matter whose child it was.
They only arranged a marriage for their daughter to keep her away from the conflicts in Haishi.
If she married someone from the government compound, it would be like sending a sheep into a tiger's den.
In that case, it was better not to arrange a marriage at all.
On her way home, many aunties in the compound stopped her to chat, all trying to find out if she had a boyfriend.
"Oh, let me tell you. My youngest son works in the government," one said.
"He's very good-looking and very capable."
"It would be great if you married into our family. You'd be close to your parents and could visit anytime."
"And I'm not the type to treat a daughter-in-law badly. We'd treat you well."
Liz quickly shook her head. She didn't interact much with the people in the compound, but she had heard plenty of gossip from her mother.
This aunt's youngest son had joined the government, but she had moved her oldest son's whole family into the government housing.
Normally, only government employees who got married or whose parents also worked in the government could get a house.
But this aunt got her youngest son to ask for a house, claiming she wanted to bring her parents to live there.
The government agreed, since there were empty houses.
But then the aunt moved her eldest son's whole family in as well.
A 30–40 square meter house now held seven people, old and young.
You could say they were all together as a family, or you could say the aunt was just sending the eldest son to live off the youngest.
In the countryside, the eldest son could work in the fields, but in Haishi, how could he support himself?
Liz also knew the youngest son was overly obedient, brainwashed by his family.
They told him that because they supported his education, the family was poor and his brother couldn't study. Now that he had a good job, he had to help his brother.
So every month he sent his salary to support his eldest brother's family and their children.
Thinking about all this gave Liz goosebumps. She quickly pulled her arm away.
"Auntie, my marriage is decided by my parents," she said.
"And my date is on the way."
She refused politely. The aunt tried to argue, but Liz continued:
"Nowadays, people support free love."
"Yes, but I'm a mama's girl," Liz said seriously, her eyes full of love and honesty for her mother.
The aunt had no words and her smile disappeared. Liz gave a polite, official smile.
"My mom will be home from work soon. She'd worry if she didn't see me, so I have to go."
With that, she picked up her grapes and went home, leaving the flustered aunt behind.
"What? She listens to her parents? Then she won't help her in-laws later. I don't care," the aunt grumbled, stomping home.
Liz didn't know people were gossiping about her after she left.
Looking at the time, her parents would be home at six. Usually, her parents cooked, but today she wanted to try cooking and let them taste her skills.
"Host, are you going to cook?"
"Yes. Chlo.8, can you find me a recipe?"
Chlo.8: "...."
I knew you were just learning and trying it out.
Chlo.8 silently found her the simplest home-cooking recipe. Liz looked it over and finally decided to make only a few simple dishes.
She would make scrambled eggs and some vegetables, and cook rice. As for meat dishes, she couldn't handle them and would wait for Madam Yuna to come back to cook.
Liz cut all the meat for dinner and set it aside. Even though she was learning as she went, she had Chlo.8 with knowledge and tools to help her.
She made full use of all the tools available.
"Chlo.8, is this much salt enough?"
"Chlo.8, is it cooked?"
"Chlo.8, is the vegetable okay like this?"
Chlo.8 rolled its eyes silently. It was a system for having children, yet its host treated it like a chef!
"It's enough."
"It's cooked."
"It's fine."
Liz heard Chlo.8's slightly annoyed tone and laughed to herself. She couldn't blame herself for this.
She could only blame Chlo.8 for not telling her in advance that returning to this era would require learning these skills.
Before, her family had a dedicated maid, or at worst, they could order takeout.
But this era had no such convenience. If you wanted something tasty to eat, you had to cook it yourself.
Chlo.8: "....." made a mental note.
"All done."
Liz served the food. As for the pork, she really didn't dare touch it. If she messed it up, she was afraid Madam Yuna would scold her.
When Mr Xu and Madam Yuna came home from work, they smelled the food and had to check several times to believe their daughter had actually cooked.
"Liz, is the kitchen okay?"
"Mom....."
Liz looked at Madam Yuna silently. Madam Yuna smiled and went into the kitchen to check.
Seeing that except for a little mess, the pots and pans were fine, and the iron pan wasn't damaged, Madam Yuna relaxed.
"Mom, I don't know how to cook the meat."
"I'll do it."
"You worked hard cooking. Go rest."
Madam Yuna skillfully cooked the meat. Then the three of them sat at the table. Liz looked at her parents with anticipation.
"Mom, Dad, try my cooking."
Her parents smiled and picked up a piece of egg. While it wasn't extremely delicious, it was decent and tasted like home-cooked food.
"Tastes good. I didn't expect our daughter to have some talent for cooking."
"Yes, the taste is quite good."
Mr Xu agreed too. Liz was happy, her face lighting up with a smile.
"If it's tasty, I'll cook for you again tomorrow."
"I promise you can come home after work to a hot meal."
Her parents smiled at her words. It was enough that their daughter was thoughtful; she didn't need to cook every day.
"No need. Your dad and I can handle cooking after work."
"You just stay home and rest."
"Today your grandpa called. He said Henry has already left for Haishi."
Hearing that Henry was coming to Haishi, Liz felt a strange excitement. If nothing went wrong, he would be her future husband.
She was curious about what Henry looked like and what kind of person could earn such praise from her elders.