When Gan Li got home, she plopped down on the doorstep, feeling a tightness in her chest and her mind filled with the unpleasant things she had just witnessed at Gan Tao's house.
I was thinking that although Gan Tao Niang was a formidable person, her children should be sensible, since Gan Tao had said she would never marry for their sake.
But now it seems that those brats have been influenced by Gan Tao Niang, and none of them treat Gan Tao as a human being at all!
It is said that children from poor families mature early. Even if they are young and cannot do heavy work, they can still help with some housework, right?
But to their dismay, Gan Tao is the one who does all the work inside and outside the house, while they have the nerve to enjoy themselves without a care in the world. Even when they finally get to eat meat, no one thinks of leaving a single bite for Gan Tao.
Gan Tao, that silly girl, thought they were a family supporting each other through thick and thin, little did she know that she was just a bloodsucking bag!
When she's no longer of any use, these ingrates will probably devour her until there's nothing left but bones!
Gan Li finally understood why the system's rewards were so generous this time—because this task was damn difficult!
Gan Tao is a smart girl, and judging from her expression today, she has clearly realized this herself.
Even if she realized it, what could she do? She simply couldn't abandon her family.
But here's the problem: Gan Li accepted the system's mission to help Gan Tao escape her current predicament, but what's trapping Gan Tao is her entire family...
How can this be resolved?
She called Gan Tao here for this reason; if Gan Tao was willing to jump out of that pit herself, she could give her a hand.
But if she still insists on being diligent and willing to act as the blood bank... then I'm afraid I won't play along.
Even if she couldn't complete the task, she didn't want to deal with this mess anymore.
The following afternoon, Gan Tao came to visit, bringing a pile of handkerchiefs she had embroidered and a pair of small cloth shoes. She handed the shoes to Gan Li and said awkwardly:
"That day I noticed that Sweetie's feet were about the same size as my younger brother's. I happened to have a pair of shoe soles left over, so I made a pair of shoes for Sweetie. I'll let her try them on when she comes back, and if they don't fit, I'll alter them."
Ganli took a look and saw that although the cloth shoes looked simple, they were actually embroidered with some patterns, making them look very exquisite.
Gan Tao'er only took a ride the day before yesterday. Even if she started making them as soon as she got back, it would only take two days. Making a pair of shoes in two days requires not only cleverness but also time.
Gan Tao'er is constantly busy at home; she must be working late into the night.
Sure enough, when she looked up at Gan Tao'er, she saw dark circles under her eyes and felt a surge of emotion. She sincerely praised her:
"These shoes are beautiful, and the craftsmanship is superb."
Ganli stroked the intricate embroidery on the shoe's surface, her tone sincere: "Tao'er, this must have taken a lot of effort, right? You have so much work to do at home, don't overwork yourself."
Gan Tao hurriedly waved her hand, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment: "Not tired at all, it's just simple needlework, I do it whenever I have free time."
"You don't need to coax me." Gan Li put down the cloth shoes she was holding, her tone serious.
“I know a little about your family situation. Your mother is in poor health, and your younger brothers are still young. The burden of the family rests on your shoulders. It’s no wonder you’re exhausted.”
Gan Li paused, observing Gan Tao's expression, and softened her voice:
"I know you're a good girl, filial to your parents and loving to your brothers, but you also need to think about yourself."
As women, we must learn to cherish ourselves and not ruin our lives for people who don't care about us.
Gan Tao's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up but stubbornly refusing to fall. She bit her lower lip tightly, her voice choked with emotion:
"Aunt, I understand what you mean. But... but what can I do? If my mother weren't sick, I would have my own plans."
But now my mother is sick, and my younger brothers are still young. If I don't take care of them, then... I can't just watch them die!
Upon hearing this, Gan Li understood Gan Tao'er's decision and stopped wasting her breath trying to persuade her. She simply said some empty words like "there's always a way out."
After seeing Gan Tao off, Gan Li's mood remained heavy.
In fact, she could understand Gan Tao. From Gan Tao's perspective, although her relatives' selfishness hurt her, it wasn't to the point where she would abandon them or watch them die.
So all I can do now is drag myself along, enduring each difficult day.
But when will it end?
Gan Li didn't know, nor did she intend to know. She could understand Gan Tao's despair, but that didn't mean she would suddenly become a saint and interfere.
She felt sorry for Gan Tao, so if there was a suitable opportunity, she would find Gan Tao a job, but as for solving her predicament... well, forget about it!
"[Maria! Come out quickly!]" Gan Tao cried out in her mind.
Maria responded: "[What's wrong, host? Have you thought of a way to solve the Sweet Peach dilemma?]"
Ganli gave a dry laugh: "I've figured out a way to solve my predicament—I'm going to abandon the mission!"
She has figured it out: nothing in this world is difficult if you are willing to give up.
This task is so difficult, she won't make it harder on herself.
Maria was shocked upon hearing this: "Abandon the mission? Why? Do you know that abandoning the mission...?"
[They'll deduct 100 merit points! And if my merit points are negative after a year, they'll confiscate all my real-world assets! I understand, I understand!]
But that's a year from now! In a year, surely I can accumulate at least a hundred merit points? Are you looking down on me?!
Maria: [...] She was speechless.
It said helplessly, "Host, let me remind you, there are still eleven months left. And, although what you said isn't wrong, how can you guarantee that the next mission won't be even more difficult?"
If you abandon every task, you'll never accumulate merit points.
But to everyone's surprise, Ganli wouldn't listen to a word of its earnest advice:
【We'll talk about the future later, but I'm not doing this anymore!】
Maria was almost going crazy, but seeing that Ganli was unmoved, she knew that force wouldn't work, so she had to try a softer approach.
It resorted to a conciliatory approach: "How about this? This mission won't have a time limit. Don't give up yet. Think it over. If you really can't find a way, then it's not too late to give up."
"Don't forget, there'll be a mystery gift pack when you complete the mission!" it said in a tempting tone.
Believe it or not, it really understands Ganli. Its originally firm attitude became slightly hesitant after hearing about the unlimited time and the big gift package.
Well, Maria is right. If there's no time limit, it won't hurt to leave it there for now.
If a solution is found, all the better. If there's really no solution, then it's not too late to give up!
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