Chapter 253: Chapter-253

She’d created similar improvements for sweeping and other tasks.

’I’m not going to waste my entire day doing work in the most inefficient way possible,’ she’d decided firmly.

As for washing the utensils—well, she still had to do that by hand. No shortcuts there.

As for washing clothes at the river—same thing. That was just a necessary task she had to endure.

But at least through these daily excursions for water and firewood, she was learning the layout of the surrounding village.

And what she learned was… depressing.

She understood now why that old Master was considered “rich” in this area.

From what she observed, this was a literally impoverished village. Most families were barely scraping by, living in crude houses, wearing threadbare clothes, eating simple food when they could afford it.

By comparison, the Master’s household—with its proper brick construction, multiple rooms, ability to hire servants, and regular meat on the table—was practically wealthy.

’That makes sense now,’ Heena thought grimly.

She also discovered something that made her blood boil: the people here were absolute bastards when it came to how they treated servants and the vulnerable.

No one had been shocked when they saw the original Seera being beaten by Granny Wang.

No one was surprised now when they saw fresh injuries on Heena’s body as she worked.

They just accepted it as completely normal.

Even worse—during her trips to gather firewood in the areas outside the village, Heena had seen multiple children’s lifeless bodies.

Most of them were infant girls.

Abandoned. Left to die. Discarded like trash.

Because even in her original modern world, female infanticide and gender-selective abortion had been serious problems well into the 21st century. In ancient times like this? It was completely normalized and accepted.

Families who couldn’t afford to raise multiple children would simply… dispose of the daughters.

One day, while gathering firewood, Heena came across a particularly small body—an infant girl who couldn’t have been more than a few days old, wrapped in dirty rags and left under a tree.

She looked at the tiny, still form and wanted desperately to just walk away.

’It’s not my problem. This world isn’t my responsibility. I’m just here to complete a mission.’

But how could she?

She sighed deeply, set down her bundle of firewood, and began digging a small grave with a piece of wood.

It took almost an hour of hard work to dig deep enough in the hard ground.

She carefully placed the infant’s body in the grave, covered it with earth, and then planted a small flowering plant on top that she’d found nearby—something to mark the spot.

She looked at the small mound and said quietly, “Try to be reborn into a good family next time. One that will value you.”

As she was about to stand up and return to gathering firewood, she suddenly felt someone’s eyes on her.

She looked up sharply.

Standing about twenty feet away, partially hidden behind trees, was Samuel.

That person—who looked exactly like Larus but was completely different—had apparently been there for quite a while, watching her.

She quickly composed her expression and greeted formally: “This servant greets the young master.”

Hearing that, he nodded acknowledgment, then looked at the small grave mound, then back at Heena.

He said in that cool, emotionless voice: “You know that no matter how many graves you dig, the bodies will not stop piling up, right? This is a systemic problem, not something one person can fix.”

Hearing that coldly logical observation, Heena just sighed and said respectfully:

“Even if that’s true, my lord, letting these bodies be further insulted by animals and the elements when I can do a little work to provide basic respect—I don’t think it’s wrong to honor the dead, even if I can’t save them.”

Hearing that response, Samuel actually laughed out loud—a brief, sharp sound with no real humor in it.

He looked at her with something like sardonic amusement and said, “Respect the dead? Here people don’t even respect the living, and you’re talking about respecting the dead?”

Hearing that cynical response, Heena looked at him directly—more boldly than a servant probably should—and said in a calm tone:

“Weren’t you here for the same purpose, my lord?”

Hearing that observation, Samuel froze completely.

Heena had noticed something he’d thought was hidden.

She glanced deliberately at his hand, where he was holding a small shovel—the kind used for digging.

She then looked back at his face and said evenly, “Maybe you’re right, my lord, that in this place even the living don’t receive proper respect. But the funny thing is, unlike the living who might deserve judgment for their actions, these small children didn’t do anything wrong. They were simply born wrong—born female in a world that doesn’t value them.”

She paused, then added with a slight smile:

“Anyway, I’ve spoken too much, my lord. Please forgive this servant’s loose tongue.”

With that, she bowed respectfully and began to walk past him to return to her firewood gathering.

As she passed, Samuel spoke up: “I never knew that you could speak so eloquently.”

Hearing that comment, Heena paused and turned back slightly with a soft, enigmatic smile.

“Well, you assumed incorrectly, my lord.”

And then she simply left, walking calmly back toward the village with her bundle of firewood.

—

’’[The Lesson in Distance]’’

The System, who had been beside Heena the entire time, waited until they’d walked a good distance away before asking:

“Host, why didn’t you talk more with him? He clearly took the initiative to engage in conversation! That’s a perfect opportunity!”

Heena looked at the System and gently ruffled his fur—and for a moment, she genuinely missed her previous System from earlier worlds. That one had been more experienced and wouldn’t have asked such naive questions.

She looked at this younger System with an indulgent smile and said, “Remember this lesson carefully, because it’s important: The moon that you catch easily in your hand never looks as precious as the moon that stays just out of reach.”

Hearing that metaphorical statement, the System tilted his head in confusion and asked, “Who catches a moon in their hand? That doesn’t make sense, Host.”

Hearing that literal interpretation, Heena sighed deeply and said, “This is why you’re still inexperienced. Let me explain the meaning: Something you obtain too easily will never be cherished for long. Once the novelty wears off, it loses its value.”

She set down her firewood bundle to rest for a moment and explained more thoroughly:

“Just think about it logically. If I were to eagerly talk to Samuel right now, showing interest in him, being available whenever he wants conversation—maybe today he would find me interesting. He’d enjoy talking to me. He’d think I was intelligent and engaging.”

She held up one finger.

“But after a few days, or a few months, when he meets another woman who is ALSO interesting and intelligent and good at conversation, what happens? He’ll start comparing us. He’ll start finding my flaws. He’ll start thinking, ’Actually, she’s not that special. She talks too much. She’s too available. She’s too eager.’”

She held up a second finger.

“He would shift his focus to the new interesting person and start wondering why he ever found ME fascinating. Because humans—especially men, especially in romantic contexts—naturally devalue things that come easily and overvalue things that remain just out of reach.”

The System was listening carefully now, his confusion clearing.

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