Chapter 5
Trouble at the Village Well
Lin Tao woke up because she was hungry.
This was a perfectly normal and reasonable reason to wake up.
The afternoon sun had shifted across the courtyard, and the comfortable shade beneath the tree had grown cooler. Lin Tao stretched slowly in her chair before opening her eyes.
For a moment, she forgot she had transmigrated.
Then the Ambition Cultivation System spoke.
[Host has slept for two hours.]
Lin Tao nodded lazily and contentedly as if proud of herself.
"That's a very healthy nap."
[Host, the male lead already returned to the village.]
Lin Tao yawned.
"Ehhn-good for him."
The system was beginning to feel exhausted.
[Host, according to the original timeline, you should already be attempting to interact with him.]
Lin Tao sat up slowly.
"Is there any food involved in that interaction?"
[No.]
"Then it sounds totally unnecessary."
The system fell silent again.
Lin Tao stood up and stretched her arms. Her joints cracked softly as she looked around the courtyard.
The house was quiet.
Her parents were probably still working in the fields, and her younger brother was probably studying some where or in school.
Which meant…
Lin Tao needed to solve an important dangerous problem.
Food.
She walked into the kitchen and found a small plate of steamed sweet potatoes left on the wooden table.
Her mother clearly expected her to eat them later.
Lin Tao smiled in satisfaction and happiness.
"My mother is very thoughtful."
She grabbed one of the sweet potatoes and began eating as she walked outside.
The system watched helplessly.
This host had absolutely no sense of urgency.
Just as Lin Tao finished eating, she noticed the large water jar beside the house was nearly empty.
She stared at it for a few seconds.
Then she sighed in defeat.
"…This means I have to go to the well."
The system immediately became alert.
The village well was a very important location in the story.
[Host, the female lead often collects water there.]
Lin Tao paused and asked.
"Is the well far away?"
[Approximately three minutes walking distance.]
Lin Tao considered that information very seriously.
Three minutes was slightly inconvenient and exhausting.
But without water, cooking and drinking would be difficult.
Which meant…
She had no choice.
Lin Tao picked up the wooden bucket and slowly walked toward the village well.
---
The well was located near the center of the village, beneath a large tree. Several women were already gathered there, chatting while filling their buckets with water.
Lin Tao approached quietly.
The moment the villagers noticed her, their conversation suddenly shifted.
One woman whispered, slightly nudging the woman besides her with her shoulder
"see who decided to come out."
Another snorted softly.
"That lazy shrew finally decided to move."
Lin Tao ignored them completely.
She had lived long enough to understand something important.
Gossiping villagers were like annoying background noise.
Not worth the energy to respond.
She placed her bucket beside the well and began lowering the rope slowly.
At that moment, a soft voice spoke nearby.
"Let me help you."
Lin Tao looked up.
A young woman stood beside her holding a water bucket.
She had gentle features and wore simple but clean clothes. Her movements were calm and careful.
Lin Tao immediately recognized her.
Su Mei.
The female lead.
The system spoke quickly.
[Host, target detected: female lead Su Mei.]
Lin Tao felt slightly tired and silently cursing the plot god
"…Already?"
Su Mei smiled politely.
"The rope sometimes gets stuck. It's easier if two people pull."
Lin Tao thought about refusing.
But then she remembered and calculated something important.
If the rope got stuck, she would need to pull harder.
Which meant extra more effort.
Helping was actually the lazy and easier option.
So Lin Tao nodded.
"Okay."
The two of them pulled the rope together.
Soon, the bucket rose from the well filled with clear water.
Su Mei poured some water into Lin Tao's bucket before filling her own.
"Here," she said kindly.
Lin Tao blinked slightly, seemingly thinking about something.
In the original story, Su Mei was often bullied by her.
But right now…
The girl looked perfectly friendly.
Lin Tao nodded once.
"Thanks."
The surrounding villagers stared at the scenario in surprise.
One of the women whispered,
"…Did Lin Tao just say thank you?"
Another looked confused.
"I thought she hated Su Mei."
The system quickly reminded Lin Tao.
[Host, according to the original plot, you should insult the female lead here.]
Lin Tao lifted her bucket.
"…Why?"
[Because you are jealous of her.]
Lin Tao glanced at Su Mei again.
The girl looked thin but hardworking.
Lin Tao felt no particular emotion.
"Jealousy requires emotional energy."
She turned and began walking back home.
"I prefer conserving energy."
Behind her, the villagers stared in stunned silence.
Su Mei watched Lin Tao leave with a puzzled expression.
Something about today's encounter felt… strange.
Meanwhile, inside her mind, the system checked the world data again.
A small warning message appeared.
Plot Deviation: 5%
The system froze and pulled his imaginary hair in terror.
The host had only been in this world for half a day.
And the story had already begun to change.
Back at the Lin family courtyard, Lin Tao placed the bucket beside the water jar and sat down again under the orchid tree.
She leaned back comfortably.
Mission complete.
Water collected.
Energy minimally used and conserved.
The system asked slowly and carefully, not forgetting her earlier threat of beating it up
[Host… why didn't you bully the female lead?]
Lin Tao closed her eyes peacefully.
"Because that would require standing there and arguing, and this goddess doesn't have that time"
The system waited.
Lin Tao added,
"…I was tired."
The system felt a strange sense of dread.
If things continued like this…
The carefully arranged story of this world might completely collapse.
And the most terrifying part was that the host wasn't even trying.
She was just being lazy.