Everyday Life in the Sixties: I Thrive with My System, Little Riches Bring Contentment

When I woke up, I had landed inside a period novel as a background character who didn't survive past chapter three. Being poor? I accepted it. Life being hard? I endured it. But my “Little Riches, Contentment” System wouldn't let that stand.

“Ding! You successfully got to eat an egg. Reward: one industrial coupon!”

“Ding! Peaceful relations with the neighbors. Reward: one pound of milk candy!”

With the System in one hand and the plot in the other, I quietly improved my life. While the male and female leads were fighting tooth and nail over a spot on the return-to-the-city list, I made a secret fortune trading “lucky” goods and became the first person in the courtyard to buy a sewing machine. Zhou Shiyan, the demobilized soldier next door who was always sizing me up, suddenly stopped me. “Shen Xi, I think I've figured out your secret.” My heart skipped a beat. But he smiled. “Don't panic. I just wanted to ask, next time you make braised pork, could I have an extra piece?”