Chapter 60 – The Self-Pitying Stepsister in a Historical-Era Novel (Part 8)

Wu Yu had no idea someone was eyeing her dorm room. After all, the onlookers from earlier didn't know her personally, so none of them had bothered to warn her.

So the next morning, when she was startled awake by loud, urgent knocking on the door, she was a bit dazed—especially since she'd had the best night's sleep in ages, thanks to finally having a room of her own.

She immediately used her psychic ability to scan the outside and discovered an elderly woman in her fifties with bound feet, accompanied by a short, slightly plump man. The furious pounding on her door was coming from the scowling old woman. Just from her face alone, Wu Yu could tell this was no friendly visit.

The aggressive knocking spoiled Wu Yu's post-Sun-family peace of mind. She was in a good mood, and now this? She was determined to find out who these people were and why they had come to stir up trouble so early in the morning.

So she calmly got dressed and opened the door at her own pace.

By now, the loud knocking had also disturbed her neighbors on that floor. Several of them came out, treating it like a morning drama performance.

The moment Wu Yu opened the door, the elderly woman—Granny Qian—lost her balance. Fortunately, her son caught her in time.

Embarrassed by her near fall, Granny Qian glared at Wu Yu with venomous eyes, as though looking at a mortal enemy.

But Wu Yu's expression was calm and composed, as if entirely unfazed by the theatrics. That made the old woman even more agitated. She bared her yellowing teeth and lashed out with her mouth.

"You lazy brat! Still sleeping at this hour? I came here today to give you a chance—give up this dorm room for my son, or I'll be here every day making your life hell!"

Wu Yu dodged the woman's spittle just in time—she had been waiting for that move. She'd even leaned aside on purpose. Today's outfit was a new one she'd secretly made herself; no way was she letting it get ruined by the old hag's spit.

Unfazed by the threats, Wu Yu spoke firmly and righteously:"I was assigned this room by the textile factory management. And let me remind you—I'm a martyr's family member. I suggest you find out the facts before coming here to cause trouble."

The moment Granny Qian heard the words "martyr's family member," her whole body went rigid, and she froze in place. Of course she knew what those words meant. But now that she'd come this far, she was stuck.

Luckily, her son had quicker reflexes. He immediately bowed and apologized to Wu Yu:"Sorry, miss… My mom didn't know what was going on. We'll go now, we'll leave right away!"

He grabbed his mother and dragged her off without looking back, as if a vicious dog were chasing them.

The other neighbors, disappointed that the drama had ended, gradually went back to their rooms. But a few people's eyes gleamed—they now looked at Wu Yu like she was a rare treasure.

After all, in this era, being a martyr's family member was the best shield one could have. Any guy who married someone like that would never have to worry about getting reported or targeted.

Not to mention—Wu Yu had a job. That made her a hot commodity. More than a few people had their eyes on her now, though Wu Yu herself hadn't noticed it yet.

The reason she'd deliberately revealed her identity just now was to deal with the matter quickly. She didn't want to tangle with someone like Granny Qian.

Because in front of a crowd, if you so much as pulled or shoved an elderly woman, and she decided to pull a "technical tumble," you'd be the one in trouble.

Wu Yu preferred a clean break—get it over with and move on, before things escalated.

On a deeper level, she also hoped to use this moment to intimidate any lurking troublemakers with bad intentions.

Company-assigned dorm rooms were in short supply. Even a ten-square-meter single room like hers was in high demand. Many families were squeezing multiple people into one small space.

It couldn't be helped—most workers were from rural areas and didn't want to live apart from their families, so they crowded into whatever dorms they had.

Granny Qian had targeted this dorm because she wanted to live with her son and experience a taste of city life.

But Wu Yu had now smashed that dream to pieces.

And thanks to this morning's confrontation, word quickly spread. Everyone now saw Wu Yu as a thorny rose—beautiful, but not to be trifled with.

Wu Yu had deliberately shown a tough side today. Her past experience living alone had taught her that if a girl wanted to survive in the outside world, she had to assert herself early—otherwise, people would see her as an easy target.

Back in the day, when she first stepped into society, she had been bullied. It wasn't until she learned to toughen up that others finally stopped treating her like a pushover.

After things settled down, Wu Yu returned to her dorm and tied her unruly, straw-like yellow hair into a thick braid.

Her hair was so dry and frizzy that letting it loose made her look like a golden-haired lion. Braiding it made her appear more decent.

Truthfully, she had considered just chopping it all off into a short bob—easier to manage. But in this world, even getting a haircut required a haircut coupon.

So she gave up on that idea. Fortunately, the system's shop had recently refreshed and stocked Black Hair Pills—one pill cost 100 points and would improve her hair quality in a little over a month.

She bought it without hesitation. After all, she didn't really like herself with short hair.

After a quick wash-up in the communal bathroom, she returned to her room and applied some ointment to her chilblained hands.

The original Wu Yu had done a lot of housework, and her hands were covered in old frostbite scars. In winter, her skin would scab at night and crack open again by morning. Even now, in early spring, the damage was still visible.

Thanks to a few days of consistent treatment, they were healing, but traces of old injuries remained.

Just then, the system popped up without warning and began to pitch its product:

"Dear host, the system shop currently offers an excellent scar-removal cream. One use and you'll have soft, white, delicate hands! Only 50 points! A deal you can't miss!"

Wu Yu sighed in her mind. The system, which once acted like the coldest, most high-and-mighty existence—now sounded just like a back-alley street vendor.

As it turned out, every time Wu Yu made a purchase from the shop, the system would earn bonus points. Those points could be used for system maintenance, upgrades, or even entertainment, which explained its recent sales enthusiasm.

Of course, Wu Yu had long guessed that her spending benefited the system. But since she got value from the purchases too, she didn't mind.

So she bought the scar cream—but warned herself silently: Next time, resist the temptation. Don't fall for the system's sales tactics. Every point counts! Even mosquito-sized meat is still meat!

She stayed inside for the rest of the day, sewing a cloth bag to use for work tomorrow and preparing an extra outfit.

Her space had plenty of clothes, but none suited the era's fashion or fabric. Luckily, in one of her previous mission worlds—a refugee setting—she had learned to sew. That came in handy now, as she could tailor her own clothes to match the current world.

It all confirmed what she had always believed: learning a skill was the best long-term investment. She would continue to work hard and improve herself.