The third cannon fodder control group in the "lucky koi stepmother" story - First update, mwah...

Ever since Jiang Ning, who had the aura of a lucky koi fish, came to the family compound, Chen Xia sent her little system there to observe and monitor the koi fish jade pendant on her body, which could absorb other people's luck and bring her good fortune, 24 hours a day.

After a period of close monitoring, Chen Xia and the small system confirmed that the jade pendant was indeed controlled by Jiang Ning's consciousness and could actively absorb the luck of those around it to store energy.

The small system took direct action, capturing the koi jade pendant and eliminating its spirit. They then discovered that the koi jade pendant had already been used by dozens of different hosts.

Every host initially enjoys immense prestige and good fortune, but without exception, they all ultimately meet a tragic end, having their fortunes completely drained by the greedy jade pendant and dying miserably.

This is not a lucky koi jade pendant at all, but an evil artifact that attracts bad luck.

Following the suggestion of the small system, Chen Xia spent some points to buy a purification array plate from the system space. After purifying the enormous energy accumulated in the jade pendant, he gradually integrated it into his own system space.

This energy was enormous, and the originally calm space immediately began to shake and churn violently.

The area of ​​the black soil is spreading wildly in all directions at an astonishing speed, expanding more than a hundredfold in the blink of an eye.

The space that was once clearly visible is now filled with dark, fertile land, and in the distance, it is shrouded in mist, with no end in sight.

The space was no longer flat. Accompanied by a deep rumble, the ground in the distance rose up, forming a series of undulating mountains. Although they were not particularly towering, the layered peaks looked quite imposing.

A crystal-clear river appeared out of nowhere, meandering like a jade ribbon across the black soil and passing at the foot of newly emerged mountains.

The river water exudes a rich and refreshing spiritual energy, making the air in the entire space exceptionally invigorating; every breath feels refreshing and invigorating.

The little system flashed several times, and the data stream rushed merrily: "Upgraded! Upgraded twice! That's awesome! Xiaxia, Xiaxia! We've really hit the jackpot this time, we're rich!"

Xiaxia, can you feel it? This energy is so pure!

If you can find and absorb a few more energy sources of the same level, your space will definitely evolve again and upgrade to a higher level space!

Who knows, there might be mineral veins, spiritual springs! Even... even the legendary top-tier blessed land isn't out of the question!

Oh dear, what a pity. Such opportunities are truly rare and depend entirely on luck.

"Sigh, I hope you'll have enough permissions to go do missions in the cultivation world; there must be plenty of these energy sources there!"

Chen Xia was stunned by the space before him. The changes were too great; it was as if he had entered a completely different world.

The black soil stretches as far as the eye can see, with mountains and rivers, and is filled with spiritual energy. We've already upgraded our lives, so what more could we ask for?

The cultivation world is easy to go to, but for someone as weak as her, going there would just be suicide. She should just stay in this small, safe world and slowly level up.

When Jiang Ning woke up, the sky had fallen. Just before her afternoon nap, she had happily used her jade pendant to steal one-fifth of the luck of Commander Song's wife, Li Aihong.

It won't kill her, but it will make her exceptionally unlucky lately.

Who told her to get so close to Wang Li next door, yet treat her with such indifference? She deserves her bad luck!

But when he opened his eyes, the jade pendant he always wore was shattered into eight pieces.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tried to communicate with the jade pendant's space with her mind, hoping to retrieve the tens of thousands of yuan she had earned from trading in the black market back home.

However, they found that no matter how they tried to communicate with the koi jade pendant, it was like throwing stones into the sea; they couldn't sense even a trace of the koi jade pendant's aura.

Jiang Ning was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. If she could only temporarily lose contact with the space, that would be fine. But if she lost the space altogether, wouldn't all her efforts since transmigrating have been in vain?

In her panic, she stumbled into the living room without even bothering to put on her shoes.

He roared at his stepsons and stepdaughters, "Who came into my room at noon? Who broke my jade pendant?"

The five children were startled by her roar; it had been a long time since their stepmother, Jiang Ning, had spoken to them so harshly.

The oldest, Chen Shan, stood up tremblingly: "No, no one came into your room... Xiao Si and Xiao Wu were napped by me and Xiao Er."

I swear, absolutely no one went into your and Dad's room at noon.

Jiang Ning's legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, muttering, "It's over...it's all over..."

She suddenly jumped up and rushed back to her room, pulled out a pair of scissors, and stabbed her palm hard. Blood gushed out, and she pressed her hand against the broken jade pendant, letting the blood soak into every fragment.

No matter how much blood she squeezed out, or even soaked the fragments in the blood, the vanished space never responded again.

Jiang Ning's vision went black, and she fainted.

The five children were terrified by their stepmother, who was lying on the ground with blood on her hands, and a table covered in bloody broken jade. They burst into tears.

Wang Li, who was kneading dough in the kitchen, heard the crying and commotion across the street getting louder and louder. She wiped her hands in confusion and decided to go next door to see what was going on.

As soon as she stepped out of the yard, she ran into several of her neighbors, who had also come after hearing the children crying.

The door to Jiang Ning's house wasn't closed properly; it opened with a gentle push. As soon as everyone stepped inside, they were startled by what they saw.

Jiang Ning lay flat on the ground, her face pale, one hand a bloody mess, and several pieces of broken jade pendants stained with blood on the table next to her.

Five children stood around, their faces covered in snot and tears from crying.

"Oh my God! What's going on?!"

Commander Guo's wife, Ma Cuifang, reacted the fastest. She rushed in, knelt down, and checked Jiang Ning's breathing. Finding that her breathing was steady, she breathed a sigh of relief: "It's alright, it's alright, she just fainted."

"Shanzi, stop crying! Go to the army camp and call your dad back! Go now!"

Chen Shan then seemed to wake up from a dream and stumbled out to call for help.

Ma Cuifang called to the others, "Come on, everyone, lend a hand. Let's lift Xiao Jiang onto the bed first."

Wang Li leaned closer to take a look at Jiang Ning's still bleeding hand, and felt a chill run down her spine.

She grabbed a clean towel from the chair next to her and handed it to Li Aihong: "Sister-in-law, let's bandage her wound with this towel first. It looks quite scary."

Li Aihong took the towel and carefully wrapped it around Jiang Ning's injured hand.

Wang Li glanced at the few pieces of jade soaked in blood on the table and couldn't help but mutter to herself.

She vaguely remembered this fish-shaped jade pendant; she had once seen it fall out of Jiang Ning's collar and tied with a red string.

Jiang Ning was showing off at the time, saying that the jade was given to her by her elders and that she had worn it since she was a child. How come it's broken like this now and soaked in blood? It's creepy.

Judging from this, could it be that Jiang Ning cut herself on the hand? Just to feed this koi jade pendant her blood? Could Jiang Ning be possessed by some evil spirit? This jade pendant doesn't look like a good thing either!

Wang Li felt increasingly uneasy, so she pulled her best friend Li Aihong aside and muttered a few words while pointing at the blood-stained broken jade on the table.

Li Aihong looked at the few pieces of broken jade and also felt something was off. She subconsciously pulled Wang Li back a few steps, wanting to get away from them.

Not long after, Chen Mo came running back with his eldest son, panting. When he saw the scene inside the house, his face turned ashen.

"Xiao Ning, Xiao Ning, wake up! It's me, A Mo. Don't scare me..." He rushed over, hugged her tightly, and shook her frantically.

Wang Li watched awkwardly from the side. She had fainted, so why didn't you take her to the hospital right away? Shaking her around would only make her condition worse.

At this moment, Dr. Tang from the clinic also rushed over with his medicine kit. Upon seeing the scene, he quickly asked Chen Mo to lay the person flat, checked Jiang Ning's pupils and heartbeat, and then untied the towel to treat the wound.

"The wound is quite deep, and there's been a significant blood loss. We need to get him to the hospital quickly for cleaning and stitches, otherwise infection could be a serious problem." Dr. Tang frowned. "How did this happen?"

Chen Mo stared blankly at the blood-stained broken jade on the table, then at the unconscious Jiang Ning, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

He had no idea how his usually lucky and always smiling wife had suddenly caused such a scene.

Wang Li sidled up to help Dr. Tang by handing him gauze, but her eyes kept drifting to the pile of blood-stained broken jade.

She always felt that Jiang Ning's madness today was inextricably linked to that broken jade pendant.

She had always thought Jiang Ning was a bit eccentric, and only that idiot Li Mingliang thought Jiang Ning was perfect in every way.

Wang Li tugged at Li Aihong: "Sister-in-law, let's go back first, the dough in my kitchen hasn't risen yet."

Li Aihong nodded, and the two left Chen Mo's yard together. Wang Li pulled Li Aihong into her kitchen and whispered her discovery to her.

Li Aihong nodded: "I also think Jiang Ning's luck is a bit abnormal, and I've also noticed that I tend to have bad luck whenever I'm close to her."

I talked to my husband about this, and he said I was being superstitious, but I always feel that anything out of the ordinary must be suspicious. From now on, let's stay away from her. If we can't afford to mess with her, can't we at least avoid her?

Wang Li agreed. Anyway, what happened to Jiang Ning was none of her business. Her only goal was to raise Qianqian well.

As for that idiot Li Mingliang, let him do whatever he wants, as long as he earns money to support his family, that's all that matters.

Wang Li remarried, frankly speaking, just for peace and stability. A widow's life is full of gossip, and raising her daughter Qianqian alone, she endured countless rumors and lived in constant fear at night.

I'm thinking of finding a man, at least someone to rely on, someone to support the family, so life will be a little easier.

But after marrying Li Mingliang, she truly understood what it meant to have "lofty ideals but harsh reality".

What kind of companion cares about your well-being? Li Mingliang is a hands-off manager; his only concern is his two precious sons.

He wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle at home, yet he'd nitpick over things like demanding that Qianqian treat all three of us equally.

His two sons, the elder stubborn and the younger unruly, treated her like an outsider from the first day she entered the house, their guarded gazes never changing.

She had tried to be completely open and honest, bringing hot meals and new clothes and shoes to serve her, but all she got in return was criticism or being taken for granted.

My heart just gradually grew cold.

Wang Li had seen through it all. In this blended family, she and her daughter were outsiders, and Li Mingliang and his two children were ungrateful wretches who couldn't be fed. No matter how much she gave, it was all in vain.

What Li Mingliang wanted wasn't a wife, but a nanny who could serve him and his son for free and also bring him a good reputation.

Okay, if that's the case, then she'll just focus on doing this superficial job well.

She still cooked the meals as usual, but if her two stepsons didn't like them, it was none of her business.

She washed the clothes as usual, but as soon as she finished washing them, her two stepsons dirtied them again. What business was it of hers?

She maintained a flawless public image, leaving no room for criticism. When neighbors talked about her, they all praised her, saying, "Wang Li is a really good stepmother; she's been excellent to her two stepchildren."

Li Mingliang occasionally felt that she seemed less enthusiastic, but seeing that she had done everything she was supposed to do, the house was in good order, and the children were not hungry or cold, he couldn't say anything.

On the contrary, many times people feel that she is generous and does not mind the children's little temper.

Only Wang Li herself knew that her initial enthusiasm and expectations had long been worn away by Li Mingliang's neglect and her two stepsons' indifference.

She devoted all her energy to saving money and raising her daughter, Qianqian.

Touching the savings book hidden at the bottom of the box, and watching her daughter Qianqian grow up and become more sensible every day, she finally felt that there was some hope for the future.

Jiang Ning remained unconscious in the hospital for a day and a night before finally waking up.

She had barely opened her eyes when she tried to sit up abruptly, crying out, "My koi jade pendant... my jade pendant..."

Completely disregarding the fact that she still had an IV drip in her hand, she was in a hurry to get out of bed and go home to find her jade pendant.

Chen Mo quickly stepped forward and gently pressed her shoulder, whispering, "Ningning, don't move. You're getting an IV drip. Don't pull the needle out."

He slowed his speech, trying to calm her down, "Your jade pendant is at home, just kept on your bedside table. Nobody has touched it. You'll see it when you get back after your IV drip."

Jiang Ning paused for a moment, looked up at him, her eyes filled with panic: "Really at home? But, I dreamt it... shattered..."

"It's just a dream." Chen Mo's tone was calm and reassuring. "You'll be able to see it when you get home after your IV drip is finished."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning's tense body relaxed slightly, and she lay back down on the pillow, muttering to herself, "It's good that it didn't shatter... It was just a dream..." Her voice gradually lowered, as if she were repeating the words to comfort herself.

After lying in the hospital for two days, Jiang Ning couldn't stay in bed any longer. Despite Chen Mo's objections, she insisted on being discharged. Chen Mo couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he completed the discharge procedures and took her home.

As soon as she entered, Jiang Ning's gaze was fixed on the jade pendant fragments on the table, which were still stained with dried blood.

The last vestiges of hope—that "maybe it's a dream" or "maybe it can be restored"—were utterly shattered.

Jiang Ning's legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the cold cement floor with a thud. Unable to control her emotions any longer, she covered her face and burst into tears.

She felt a tightness in her chest, a mix of panic, hatred, and fear. Without this jade pendant, how was she supposed to survive in this era where everything required ration coupons and everything was scarce?

Being a stepmother to five children who are not yet adults? Just thinking about the possible future made her feel dizzy and cold all over.

Even if all five children become successful in the future, either achieving great success in government or becoming shrewd business owners.

But now all they do is beg for food and clothes, causing headaches every day.

Even if she's from another era and has knowledge far beyond this time, now that she's lost her money and her koi jade pendant is ruined, how is she going to survive the rest of her life?

Jiang Ning felt increasingly aggrieved, but she dared not tell anyone about it.

Faced with Chen Mo's concern, she could only tell him that the jade pendant was left to her by her deceased grandmother.

She had promised her grandmother that she would keep it safe, but she never expected the jade pendant to suddenly break. She couldn't accept it and that's why she did such an extreme thing.

Chen Mo knew that Jiang Ning valued that jade pendant highly, always keeping it with him and forbidding him from even touching it. Now that this treasure had suddenly broken, it was no wonder that Jiang Ning was devastated.

All I could do was offer a dry, empty consolation: "I know you're upset, but no matter how fine the jade pendant is, it's just an inanimate object. If it's broken, it's broken. Out with the old, in with the new. I'll find you an even better one when the opportunity arises."

Jiang Ning slumped her head and listlessly hummed in agreement: "I'm tired, I want to rest for a while, we'll talk about the future later."

Her heart was bleeding. What future was there? Did she really think the koi fish jade pendant was so easy to obtain?

She transmigrated into the book and knew the plot, which allowed her to steal Jiang Fubao's golden finger, the koi fish jade pendant.

In this world, there isn't really... no, there are still cheat codes.

Jiang Ning suddenly remembered in the middle of the night that after Jiang Fubao married Chen Mo, she came to the island with the army.

One day, she went beachcombing with some of her sisters-in-law and found a quaint brass key on the beach.

She picked up the key because she thought it was pretty. By chance, she discovered that the brass key was actually a key to any door, which could take her anywhere.

As long as you silently think of your destination, you can reach that place by opening the door with the key.

Jiang Fubao used this key to travel to Hong Kong, exchange gold bars for Hong Kong dollars, and make a big purchase every time he went, living a more and more comfortable life.

Thinking of this, she hurriedly got up, grabbed a flashlight, and ran to the beach.

Her spirit was commendable, but she hadn't been searching with her flashlight for very long when the tide came in...

If Chen Mo hadn't been startled by her movements, chased her to the beach, and decisively dragged her to shore, Jiang Ning would probably have been swept away by the rising tide.

The next day, after breakfast, Chen Xia, as usual, took the unfinished sweater she was knitting and went to chat with her neighbor, Aunt Zhao.

There were already people at Sister-in-law Zhao's house. When they saw Chen Xia come in, the sisters-in-law quickly waved to her, saying, "Xiaxia, come quick, there's big news!"

Chen Xia quickly ran over, took out a small bag from her pocket, and handed it to the middle: "Come on, come on, these are pumpkin seeds I roasted myself. Let's eat and chat!"

The women smiled and each grabbed a small handful of pumpkin seeds. They loved listening to Sister-in-law Zhao gossip with Chen Xia, and there were pumpkin seeds to eat!

Zhao Dasao is the wife of Zhao Lianping, the political commissar of the regiment. Her surname is Du and her given name is Du Xiaohua, but everyone is used to calling her Zhao Dasao. After Chen Xia arrived, she also started calling her sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law Zhao is

Upon hearing about this, I immediately called upon the little system in my mind.

"Tongzi, go and investigate. I have a feeling that Jiang Ning is looking for something. Is there some kind of cheat code in this small world that we don't know about?"

The little system gets excited at the mere mention of a cheat code, disappears excitedly, and returns somewhat dejectedly half an hour later.

"It's been investigated. It's true that this little world is derived from a sweet and doting stepmother novel, but in the first playthrough, the lucky stepmother is not Jiang Ning, but her cousin Jiang Fubao."

Jiang Ning wasn't originally called Jiang Ning; her original name was Jiang Zhaodi. It was this time-traveling woman who changed her name to Jiang Ning after she arrived.

She picked up the koi jade pendant before Jiang Fubao could, and used it to drain the luck of her biased grandmother, causing her to slip and fall down the hillside while gathering firewood, where she died.

She then plotted to steal Jiang Fubao's official partner, Chen Mo, and encouraged her unreliable second aunt to marry a lame old widower, who then suffered domestic violence every day.

The koi jade pendant was broken, so she lost her cheat ability. Suddenly, she remembered something like this from the book.

In the first playthrough, after Jiang Fubao married Chen Mo, she brought her stepsons to the military base to join her. One day, while going beachcombing, she dug up an antique-looking brass key on the sand.

Jiang Fubao thought the key was pretty, so he washed it and took it home to keep as a treasure. Later, he discovered that it was a key to an Anywhere Door.

Use it to open doors. Just think of your destination in your mind, and opening the door will take you directly to that place.

Chen Xia: "So she went to the beach in the middle of the night to find that Anywhere Door key?"