The improved female villains regained their memories.

The crisscrossing dirt roads are dotted with large clusters of thatched huts, and Su Murong's home is one of them.

As she walked down the main street carrying the food, a heavy feeling inexplicably settled over her. The mud relentlessly gnawed at her straw sandals, and she walked lightly, as if reluctant to leave.

Some children lingered around her, their eyes fixed on the food in her arms with ill intent. She did not back down, but stared back at them.

A pitiful child came up to her begging, but she kicked him away and cursed him. This wasn't just directed at those who were eyeing her covetously, but also at those who were pretending to be pitiful.

We're all in this together, so we all know what kind of person the other is.

She walked into the innermost thatched house, which had a small courtyard. The wooden planks at the entrance to the courtyard had been blown down by the wind and snow, but she stepped over them as if they didn't exist, walked through the messy courtyard, and pushed open the wooden door inside.

The wind and snow kept pouring in from the roof, the windows, and the cracks. The temperature inside and outside was the same. The light was terribly dim, and the air was filled with a strange smell. A woman, dressed in hemp clothing, leaned against the bed with her eyes closed.

The snow cast a long shadow of Su Murong as she tiptoed over, placed the food on the table, and then called out softly:

"mother."

The woman stirred; she turned her face toward the sound and laughed.

"Xiao Rong, you're back!"

"Ah."

She agreed, walked over, and took the woman's hand:

"Mother, are you feeling any better?"

"Mom is much better, don't worry. How was business today?"

“Good, very good. It’s cold, and many people like the straw sandals that Mother makes.” Su Murong said with a smile, “We sold a lot today, business is incredibly good. Then I bought a lot of delicious food. Mother, you should have some too.”

"You're still growing, so you should eat more." The woman smiled, reaching out to touch Su Murong's hair. "It's just a pity that my eyesight is failing. Do you still have straw sandals? If not, I'll think of something else."

The woman's name was Su Rouxue, and she was Su Murong's mother.

She took her mother's surname, and the two lived in this thatched hut. Originally, they made a living by selling straw sandals, but this year, Su Rouxue suddenly went blind. From initially seeing things blurry to now being completely blind, Su Rouxue can no longer make straw sandals.

Fortunately, she had done a lot beforehand, and Su Murong used this as an excuse every time he brought money back from outside.

"Mom, don't think too much about it. I'll learn to help out. You should eat something first."

Su Murong didn't know anything about treating illnesses, and she didn't know how her mother had gone blind. She just thought that as long as she ate more, she would get better.

So she bought a lot of things for her mother to eat.

"Eat up, Mom. Look, here's a hot steamed bun and a roast chicken."

Su Murong handed over all the food, and Su Rouxue took it with a smile, took a small bite of the bun, and breathed out hot air: "It's delicious."

"Then please eat more."

"Xiao Rong, you eat too, you need to grow."

"it is good."

As the sun sets, its rays fall upon the vast expanse of white snow, as if draping a layer of gold dust over the white snowflakes.

Su Murong walked along the city wall, kicking the pebbles in the snow with frustration.

The image of her mother eating today still echoed in Su Murong's mind; it was the first time she had ever seen her mother so happy.

Su Murong's mother was abducted.

She heard from others that her mother was once the daughter of a family in the Central Plains. When she went out to visit her relatives, she was robbed by bandits and many people were killed. Because of her gentle temperament and good looks, she was sold to the Northern Border and married to a military officer in Liuyun City.

Later, the officer's embezzlement of military pay was exposed, and his soldiers wanted to settle accounts with him. In addition, Su Rouxue had already given birth to Su Murong, a daughter, so the officer had no hope and fled to the barbarians overnight, leaving the mother and daughter to depend on each other for survival.

From then on, Su Murong took his mother's surname and grew up with her, right up to this day.

She had heard little from her mother about her past, but she guessed that her mother was probably from a scholarly family. She could compose poems, write calligraphy, and embroider. Her style was very different from that of the people in the North. Many of Su Murong's characters were taught to her by her mother.

Her mother often told her stories of the Guan family army protecting the country, and told her that one should be upright, protect the country, and take responsibility. She said these things every day, and she did so again today.

"Xiao Rong, your mother hopes you can become a person of integrity, so don't lie to your mother, where did you get so much money?"

Perhaps it was the abundance of food that far exceeded her expectations that made her suspicious.

However, Su Murong didn't want to say too much. She would just make a few excuses and let it go. But now, as she walked here, she thought about it again and couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"Defending one's country and standing tall is none of my business!"

She saw someone had built a snowman by the roadside and kicked it over.

"You're so blind yourself, yet you're still spouting all that high-sounding wisdom at me. You're sick, you're sick!"

She was cursing, but she was heartbroken.

She had rarely seen her mother smile since she was a child, but today, she saw her mother smile.

Mother, you must be very happy too.

Since then, I haven't eaten anything good, and any food I have has been given to her.

Stealing, robbing, and cheating are not the right way to go; she needs to think of a solution.

She stopped and looked up at the recruitment notice on the city wall as she walked past it.

Because her mother had taught her to read, she could barely understand the meaning of the notice. She didn't pay attention to what it meant to be a soldier; she only focused on the pay.

As long as she enlists in the army, she will immediately receive three taels of silver as a resettlement allowance, along with monthly rations and pay. If she enlists, she can get her mother a better place to live, allowing her to eat well every day and take care of her health.

"I wish I could join the army..."

Su Murong sighed. She was too young and a girl, so many people were unwilling to hire her, let alone let her join the army.

The old ghost at the tavern kept asking her to help out, but perhaps because her mother kept nagging her about protecting the country, she heard that the old ghost openly ran a business but secretly sold some kind of large item to the barbarians. She didn't know what the item was, or even if it was true, but that's just how she was—she liked what the old ghost had, and hearing about his bad reputation made her reluctant to go.

"What should we do?"

She frowned, sighed, and turned away from the conscription notice. Her footsteps crunched through the snow as she pondered a solution.

As she walked, she stopped.

Someone blocked her way.

It was Yang Pingsheng. He stood in front of her, looking at her calmly.

Chapter 130 Simplicity

Yang Pingsheng first informed the old Chinese medicine doctor before finding the system.

The old Chinese medicine doctor was a miser, and he set extremely harsh conditions for Yang Pingsheng. Yang Pingsheng was more like a handyman than an apprentice.

But whatever, since it was all for the sake of changing the female villain, Yang Pingsheng didn't care too much.

Beneath the snow, he stood there looking at the female villain before him. Just as he was about to speak, she suddenly widened her eyes, clutched her heart, and fell to the ground.

"Ah...ah!!"

It twitched a few times, then stopped moving.

Yang Pingsheng: "She's faking it, isn't she?"

System: "Yes."

There's really nothing we can do.

The system instructed him to show goodwill towards the female villain, but he didn't know how to do so in a reasonable way. After all, unless someone is stupid, it's hard to calmly show goodwill to a girl who not only stole his money but also insulted his intelligence.

But whatever, I'll just go along with it.

Yang Pingsheng sighed, walked over, and asked gently, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Ouch, it hurts, it hurts so much..."

Where does it hurt?

"My heart aches! Ahhhhhh, it hurts so much!!"

The female villain suddenly shouted, startling Yang Pingsheng. Then she grabbed her hair and started rolling around.

"It hurts so much! It hurts so much! Ughhhhhhh!!!"

I don't know why she was pulling her hair because of heart pain.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Yang Pingsheng patted her hand. "Let me take you to see a doctor."

"No, no..." The girl closed her eyes tightly and pointed ahead with a trembling finger: "I just need to eat something sweet, anything is fine, as long as I eat it, I'll be fine."

"Then I'll go buy it."

Although he knew it was a lie, Yang Pingsheng still stood up and ran to a nearby grocery store. He bought a few pieces of candy with the little money he had in his pocket and then ran back.

There was no one in the snow.

The earth was a vast expanse of white, covered only in pristine snow.

"Now that the first step is complete, the next step is our first phase."

System opening:

"Just like this snow, Yang Pingsheng, go ahead and show your innocence and kindness."

Flowing Cloud City is a city on the fringes, filled with thugs, thieves, cheaters, and prostitutes. It is a city of pure white, but also a city of sin.

However, the system's first step was to let him show his innocence and kindness in such an environment.

Yang Pingsheng shook his head: "I'm no longer innocent."

Having lived through three lifetimes, he was by no means simple.

"Then let's pretend."

The system's voice sounded like it was coming from a dream.

"Pretend to be innocent, just like this snow, quietly floating in this city, waiting to melt away together when spring comes next year."

-----------

This person is too easy to fool.

Su Murong thought as he ran away.

Her acting skills weren't great, and she never expected to fool this person. Her initial plan was that the person would either mock her or get furious, and in short, he wouldn't believe her. When he made a mistake, Su Murong would throw the pebbles hidden under the snow at him and run away in the chaos.

But he believed it.