An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 320 A Blessing or a Curse? (Part 1)
In mid-September, the summer heat had not yet completely faded.

Chu Yao was busy until after 3 p.m. before she finally had a moment to herself from the free clinic corner—Huo Qingshan had asked her to go to Zhou Xiaobei's house to check on things, saying that translator Meng had been gone for several hours and hadn't returned yet.

After Chu Yao agreed, she was delayed until now because of the continuous stream of villagers coming to seek medical advice.

Guided by the villagers, Chu Yao arrived at the fork in the road where Zhou Xiaobei's house was located. A narrow dirt road wound its way uphill, the foxtail grass on both sides wilted in the sun. Just as Chu Yao was about to step up, a figure walked quickly towards her.

She was a woman in her thirties, wearing black-rimmed glasses with the temples slightly askew. She wore a pale white polyester shirt, the fabric crisp but stained with dust, and the collar appeared to have been ripped open, which she clutched tightly in her hand. Her head was bowed low, and slightly messy bangs covered most of her face. She walked quickly, as if afraid of being seen, and hurriedly brushed past Chu Yao.

Chu Yao subconsciously glanced back. The outfit looked strangely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. But the other person walked too fast, and before she could see their features clearly, they had already turned into the path behind the cornfield, leaving only a hurried silhouette.

Forced to look away, Chu Yao continued walking along the earthen slope. The closer she got to the Zhou family's courtyard, the clearer the noise from inside became. When she reached the mottled wooden door, a sharp curse pierced her ears: "Zhou Xiaobei, you little beast, are you trying to rebel?"

Chu Yao's heart tightened immediately, and she hurriedly pushed open the half-closed wooden door in front of her.

The scene in the courtyard made her stop in her tracks instantly—the rice grains spread out on the threshing floor were trampled into a mess, and several bamboo winnowing baskets were overturned in the corner. A middle-aged woman wearing a blue cloth jacket and an apron was standing there with red eyes, one hand on her hip and the other raised as if to slap a little girl who was covering her head with her hands.

Meng Youyou stood between the two, her face slightly pale and her breathing unsteady: "Auntie, let's talk this out, don't hit the child!"

Seeing this, Chu Yao immediately ran over and grabbed the woman in the blue coat's raised arm. She tightened her grip, steadying the woman's posture, and quickly turned to Meng Youyou, whispering, "What's going on?"

"Xiao Bei's homeroom teacher came to give her a job introduction letter, but her mother kicked her out. After the teacher left, her mother started beating Xiao Bei, saying that she had grown wings and wanted to fly high," Meng Youyou explained succinctly.

Upon suddenly learning the crucial information of a "letter of introduction," Chu Yao's memory was instantly stirred, and she finally matched the woman she had just encountered on the dirt path with the real person.

...

Meng Youyou spent a lot of effort to barely appease the Zhou family mother and daughter and quell the next conflict, but it was very likely only temporary. By the time she picked up her bag and walked out of the courtyard alone, it was already late. On her way back, she saw Chu Yao in the distance—squatting alone by the dirt road next to the sorghum field, as if lost in thought.

Meng Youyou walked towards the person and asked uncertainly, "Did you suddenly run out just now to chase after Xiao Bei's teacher?"

"Hmm." Chu Yao slowly stood up.

"If you had caught up with that person, what were you planning to do?"

Chu Yao looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected her to ask that, and then asked her in return, "Don't you want to help her?"

"Help her?" Meng Youyou carefully considered the verb, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You mean the temporary job at the newspaper that her teacher mentioned?"

Chu Yao looked at her, nodded, and said seriously, "This spot may be her only chance in her life to leave this village and escape that home."

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou didn't rush to refute the other party. She wasn't the type to act arbitrarily. Instead, she gently asked, "If I go to the newspaper, does that mean I'll be set for life once and for all?"

She paused for a moment, then added, "Isn't such an idea too idealistic?" She still didn't draw a conclusion, but instead indirectly expressed her views and stance by asking questions.

"You're not planning to help her?" Chu Yao fully understood what the other person meant, her tone carrying nine-tenths certainty.

Meng Youyou pursed her lips, then said, "I think I have reservations about your choice of the word 'help'..." Noticing the girl's confused and meaningful gaze, Meng Youyou didn't delve into the implications, assuming she hadn't understood her words. Therefore, she calmly and objectively explained, "In this village, and in the neighboring villages, countless high school, middle school, and even elementary school girls drop out of school every year."

Many of them must have tried to sneak out of their homes to work in the city, or even larger, more economically developed cities, but how many returned dejected? Of those who stayed, how many truly thrived and established themselves?

"Whether it is a blessing or a curse for a girl with no background, no connections, a weak personality but good looks, to leave home alone to work as a temporary worker in the city is unknown."

While Beckham's family life may have its flaws, does that mean a utopia awaits her once she enters society? We can't know which situation will be worse, and wouldn't it be reckless to intervene so presumptuously in someone else's fate?

At this point, Meng Youyou glanced at the person opposite her—Chu Yao remained absolutely silent, her eyes growing increasingly deep and dark.

Seeing this, Meng Youyou suddenly smiled slightly, not continuing the previous topic, and instead asked, "Do you think I'm too cold?"

Hearing her question, Chu Yao instantly concealed the complex emotions in her eyes and shook her head at the other person very seriously: "How could someone who is willing to put in so much effort and travel around so that Xiaofeng can go to school be a cold-hearted person?"

It was precisely because of this that she was not a cold person, which made Chu Yao even more confused: "Why are you willing to go to great lengths to help Xiaofeng, but not intend to get involved in Xiaobei's life?" Chu Yao carefully avoided using the word "help" again.

“They’re different, they’re different,” Meng Youyou said softly. “Because I can see how continuing to go to school will benefit Xiaofeng, it’s almost obvious, and I trust my judgment. Besides, Xiaofeng himself wants to study, he longs to go to school, it’s just that his family doesn’t have the money.”

But can you be sure that temporary job is a stepping stone in Beckham's life? How sure are you?

Upon hearing this, Chu Yao's eyes trembled; undeniably, this question shook her consciousness.

She's very good at persuading and dismantling other people's viewpoints, yet she doesn't appear aggressive at all. "Very impressive," Chu Yao thought. She habitually guides you to consider previously overlooked flaws, then makes you overturn your own preconceived notions—very clever.

Meng Youyou continued, "We can't always be thinking about how to give someone a push, as if as long as we encourage Xiao Bei to take this step, she can jump up on a springboard. But is it possible that your gentle push will actually push her into a fire pit?"

"When deciding to intervene and influence the course of someone else's life, one should first consider the associated responsibilities behind it, as this is an extremely complex issue."

As Chu Yao listened, her thoughts began to wander. She suddenly thought of her last time seeing Zhou Xiaobei in her previous life—it was the autumn of the second year after their community assistance group left Jinsui Village, and also the second year Zhou Xiaobei went to the newspaper office. She was squatting alone at the entrance of the military camp, crying. Only after the sentry repeatedly questioned her did she stammer out her purpose for being there: "I want to find Sister Xiaomeng."

By then, Meng Youyou had completed her term of office abroad and had been back in the capital for more than half a year, so she was no longer at June 24th. If Chu Yao remembered correctly, it was Huo Qingshan who went out to meet Zhou Xiaobei in the end.

Did she encounter some difficulties that time? Was she having trouble at work? Was she being bullied? Otherwise, why did she look so desperate?
What did Huo Qingshan do afterward? Did he help her solve the problem? And how did he handle it? Chu Yao had no idea.

So, what will Zhou Xiaobei's future look like? Chu Yao fell into deep thought and even greater confusion.

"To be honest, I actually had similar thoughts to yours at first, but..." Meng Youyou glanced back at the long dirt road leading to the mountain village and slowly began to speak: "An hour ago, I was sitting in her house, next to her. After Teacher Wang arrived, her mother yelled at Xiao Bei, ordering her not to come out, or she would break her legs. So she obediently sat in the house and watched her teacher being chased out by her mother waving a broom."

During this time, she had countless opportunities to rush out and take it from the teacher, or snatch the letter of introduction before her mother could tear it up, but she didn't.

This is her own life, and she has repeatedly chosen to give up this opportunity. Therefore, there is very little others can do for her.

Personally, I don't like using the term "original owner." I hope that each character in the book has an independent personality and a sense of existence, and that they are not biased by the main or supporting characters. However, to reduce reading difficulties and avoid confusion, the character referred to as "original owner" will be identified by the tag "Meng Youyou."