That auntie hurried off to report them, even bringing along a few gossip-loving neighbors from the family compound.
Left alone, Shen Zhiyi slammed the He family’s front door shut with a bang and began her scavenging spree. Never mind this or that—she flipped over the wardrobes, pried up the bedboards, and even checked every single pocket of every piece of clothing.
The He family had left in such a hurry that neither of the two rooms was locked, which made things all the easier for her.
All told, she dug out over three hundred yuan, plus a stack of ration tickets, and stashed them all away in her Island Warehouse.
But just taking the money and tickets wasn’t enough. Shen Zhiyi also helped herself to the big iron wok, the thermos, and other hard-to-buy household items.
Before leaving, she placed the small box containing the gold bars and money tickets inside the large wardrobe.
After leaving the He house, Shen Zhiyi headed straight to the post office and immediately mailed a letter of accusation about an affair between a brother-in-law and his sister-in-law to the military district where Liu Shize was stationed.
Next, she went to the educated youth office, pulled out her household registration booklet, and signed herself up for the rustication program.
She also slipped some perks to the staff member, asking her to assign her to the place where her parents were.
The middle-aged woman at the office secretly felt the wad of cash in her pocket. “Don’t you worry, dearie, I’ll make sure you’re all set!”
Shen Zhiyi smiled. “Then thank you, big sister.”
That “big sister” made the woman’s heart bloom with joy. “No need to be polite, not at all!”
Shen Zhiyi left with a smile on her lips. As for why she didn’t sign up her younger siblings at home for the rustication program?
Going to the countryside was nowhere near as satisfying as being sent down for reform.
Speaking of satisfaction, let’s swing by the hospital and take a look.
Today, the maternity ward at the hospital was unusually lively. It wasn’t because someone had given birth to a chubby boy, nor because twins had been born. No, it was because:
The moment Shen Zhiyi walked over, she heard the auntie’s booming voice.
“We can all testify! This Liu fellow is clearly the fiancé of the fourth daughter of the He family!”
“That’s right, we can all testify!”
Mother Liu was so scared she nearly pissed herself. “It’s called off! Called off! My son has already broken off the engagement with their fourth daughter!”
Auntie Liu opened her mouth and spat: “Pfft—”
“Aside from the engagement day, this is only the second time your Liu family has set foot in the He household.”
“When did you break it off? And where’s your witness?”
Mother Liu wiped the spit off her forehead with her hand. “I… I…”
Where the hell was she supposed to find a witness for that!
He Xiang’er, who had originally just wanted to make a fuss so the Liu family would value her and the baby in her belly more, was now turning pale with fright. And yet, she couldn’t utter a single word of defense.
A woman from the Revolutionary Committee pushed through the crowd and grabbed her by the hair. “Speak! Who’s the father of the child in your belly!”
Young and unmarried, knocked up without a matchmaker or betrothal—and with her own brother-in-law, no less. Disgusting!
He Xiang’er had no way out and could only grit her teeth and admit it. “It’s… it’s Liu Shize’s.”
Liu Shize’s face was as pale as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“I… I…”
Mother Liu let out a wail and burst into tears. “You’re lying! Lying!”
“Injustice! Injustice!”
“He Zhiyi was so beautiful, and my son still didn’t fancy her—how could he possibly fancy an ugly thing like you!”
He Xiang’er saw that even at a time like this, the woman wasn’t trying to pull strings to resolve the matter but was instead insulting her. She gritted her teeth and decided to throw caution to the wind.
“Pfft! You’re the ugly one!”
“Your son likes girls like me! None of your business!”
Mother Liu clutched her chest, breathing heavily. “You… you…”
He Si’er, who had come along with them, had already slipped away quietly the moment the Revolutionary Committee people arrived.
Not getting any advantage was fine—what mattered was not getting dragged into the mess.
Old Madame He, who already had one foot in the grave, had never dealt with officials before, let alone the Revolutionary Committee. She was scared half to death.
“I… we didn’t know anything about this!”
Liu Xiuxiang’s lips trembled. “I… I didn’t know either…”
He Xiang’er raised her head and shot them both a vicious glare. “Mom, Grandma, what do you mean by that?”
Liu Xiuxiang was startled by her gaze. “I… I don’t have a daughter like you!”
Old Madame He also gritted her teeth. “That’s right! From now on, the He family no longer has someone like you!”
The two of them turned and ran, afraid that if they lingered even a second longer, they’d be dragged down by that worthless girl.
The leader of the Revolutionary Committee waved his hand. “Take them all away!”
Mother Liu panicked. “Take them away? Where?”
This was her precious son!
Her son was going to be a general one day!
Liu Shize, a grown man, was sobbing like a child. “Mom! Save me! You have to save me!”
He Xiang’er kept her head down and let them bind her arms behind her back. No, she couldn’t die!
When she raised her head again, she happened to catch sight of He Zhiyi not far away, and her gaze turned even colder.
Unlike her viciousness, Shen Zhiyi even playfully winked at her and mouthed a few words in her direction.
[Don’t mess with the wrong person in your next life~]
He Xiang’er was furious, her molars nearly ground to dust. Bitch, just you wait—even as a ghost, she wouldn’t let her off the hook.
Watching the scumbag and the bitch get dragged off to the Revolutionary Committee, Shen Zhiyi whistled as she began preparing supplies for her trip to the countryside.
The Beijing Department Store had four floors, and the interior was quite nicely decorated—after all, it was one of the capital’s major landmarks.
Shen Zhiyi headed straight for the daily necessities section—shoes, socks, clothes, pants, all kinds of household goods, cotton cloth, and other essentials—buying two big bags full.
As for the rest, she could buy them later at the local supply and marketing cooperative once she arrived in the countryside.
That evening, Shen Zhiyi returned to the villa and took a shower before heading to the kitchen to make something to eat.
But just as she walked over, she noticed something was off—the dishes she’d left on the island counter before leaving that morning… where were they?
The dishes couldn’t have simply vanished on their own, and the villa didn’t have any self-cleaning function. That meant…
There was someone else here!
Without a second thought, Shen Zhiyi rushed back to the bedroom and pulled out the gun from under her pillow.
She stayed on alert all night but never managed to catch the intruder, so she could only leave the Spatial Dimension first.
After all, today was the day she was supposed to head to the countryside.
What she didn’t see was that the moment she stepped out of the villa, a slip of paper materialized out of thin air on the island counter, with some blue handwriting on it.
Before catching the train, Shen Zhiyi made a stop at the Revolutionary Committee.
“That family has been in constant contact with their relative who was sent down as a rightist, and they even received gold bars and money coupons from him, hidden in the wardrobe.”
“Me? I was once taken in by a rightist, and that’s exactly why I signed up to go to the countryside. From now on, I’ll work hard in the countryside and do my part to revitalize the villages—it’s my duty!”
As Shen Zhiyi received her train ticket and stepped into the carriage, over at the family compound, the Revolutionary Committee members grabbed hold of the sneaky Liu Xiuxiang.
“Where are you going?”
“What’s that you’re hiding in your arms?!”