Closing the door on those memories, Liu Zhixia gently brushed the damp stain on the front of her clothes before opening the suitcase she had brought with her.
Inside was an impressive wardrobe.
Wool coats, sweaters, Dacron shirts and trousers, and more than a dozen Bragi-style dresses…
In this era, most people were grateful simply to have clothes to wear. Yet the Liu family had prepared so many outfits for their daughter in one go.
It was clear how dearly they had loved the original Liu Zhixia.
Looking at all these belongings, Liu Zhixia found herself wondering where she could possibly store them.
Then, all at once—
She froze.
“…Am I back at the mall?”
She found herself standing on the third floor of the shopping mall she had been inspecting before her accident.
This floor housed a massive fresh-food supermarket, spanning over 5,000 square meters and stocked with an enormous variety of produce, meat, seafood, and agricultural products.
But something was different.
The place was eerily silent.
Aside from herself, there wasn’t another soul in sight.
Did the entire mall transmigrate with me?
To confirm her suspicion, Liu Zhixia took the elevator and explored every floor from the third all the way to the tenth.
The once bustling shopping mall was completely deserted.
Which meant…
She really was still living in the 1970s.
This had to be the legendary “golden finger” she’d read about in countless transmigration novels—her cheat ability.
Thinking of her current predicament, Liu Zhixia couldn’t help smiling.
With a cheat like this, her immediate survival problems were solved.
After all, this was the largest shopping mall she had owned in her previous life.
Basement Level: School supplies, children’s clothing, and toys.
First Floor: Jewelry.
Second Floor: Household supermarket.
Third Floor: Fresh produce and groceries.
Fourth Floor: Bedding and home textiles.
Fifth Floor: Designer clothing and jewelry.
Sixth Floor: Watches and daily necessities.
Seventh Floor: Restaurants.
Eighth Floor: Everyday adult clothing.
Ninth Floor: Home appliances.
Tenth Floor: Her own private office and living quarters.
After touring all ten floors, she let out a long breath of relief.
Fortunately, the last place she’d inspected before transmigrating had been her shopping mall—not some empty plot of land.
Returning to the unfamiliar bridal room, she stored all of the original owner’s belongings inside her space.
Only then did she finally feel truly secure.
That same evening, at the Liu residence inside the Beijing Military District compound, Liu’s parents received the letter severing family ties.
The couple stood there in stunned silence.
Apparently anticipating that the Liu family would object, Elder Zhou had included a message:
“Zhixia requested this herself. As long as the green hills remain, there’ll always be firewood to burn.”
The words shattered Madam Liu’s composure.
Fresh tears welled up in her already swollen eyes.
“We’ve ruined Zhixia, Old Liu…”
“The Zhou family was never the right place for her…”
Her voice broke with sobs.
Liu’s father’s eyes were red as well.
“At this point… we have to let her go.”
“We’re her last line of retreat. We can’t all be dragged down together.”
Madam Liu covered her face.
“My poor daughter… She’s never suffered a day in her life. How is she supposed to survive this?”
Liu’s father sighed heavily.
“This isn’t really aimed at the Zhou family alone.”
“Our Liu family may hold respectable positions, but we have only one daughter.”
“Zhixia just graduated. She’s ordinary and poses no threat to anyone.”
“If she hadn’t married into the Zhou family…”
His voice trailed off.
Neither of them spoke again.
Liu Zhixia awoke the next morning to someone knocking on her door.
“Comrade Liu Zhixia, it’s time to leave.”
“I’ve left your clothes outside.”
She picked up the faded navy-blue outfit waiting by the door.
It was then she realized—
Today they were leaving for the countryside to undergo political reformation through labor.
Since fate had already brought her here, she might as well accept it.
Everything she’d achieved in her previous life had been earned through sheer hard work.
She knew better than anyone how to endure hardship.
So farm labor didn’t intimidate her in the slightest.
She had plenty of strength.
The three men of the Zhou family had also changed into coarse cotton clothes.
It wasn’t that they lacked better clothing.
They simply knew that anything valuable they brought would eventually be confiscated.
It was easier not to bring them at all.
Zhou Yunting spoke softly.
“How’s your head?”
“It’s fine.”
After several transfers, the Zhou family finally reached their destination for labor reform—
Fuchang County in China’s northeastern region.
From the county seat, a commune tractor transported them to Hongshan Village.
Since newcomers rarely arrived, many villagers gathered to watch.
When they learned these people were officials sent down for reform, their curiosity grew even stronger.
These had once been high-ranking people.
Now they would labor alongside the villagers—
Doing even more work while earning the fewest work points.
“That young lady is really beautiful. Such a pity.”
“The young man looks impressive too.”
“They must be a family of four. They all carry themselves so well.”
“…”
“…”
The villagers chatted among themselves.
No one noticed Zhou Yunting quietly lifting his eyes when someone praised Liu Zhixia’s beauty.
Village production team leader Xu Kaishan led them to a dilapidated thatched hut at the edge of the village.
“The Zhou family will stay here from now on.”
“I’ve brought your grain rations.”
“Tomorrow morning, settle yourselves in. In the afternoon, I’ll show you your work assignments.”
Liu Zhixia smiled politely.
“Thank you, Team Leader. We’ll work hard and reform ourselves.”
Seeing the sincerity in the eyes of the girl who looked as though she’d stepped out of a painting, Xu Kaishan nodded with satisfaction.
“No need to thank me. It’s my job.”
By this hour, everyone was hungry.
But the supplies the team leader had left behind consisted of only a sack of bran and roughly ten pounds of cornmeal.
There wasn’t even a drop of cooking oil.
Forget seasonings.
Zhou Yunting frowned.
He glanced at his grandfather, his father, and finally Liu Zhixia.
The men of the Zhou family seemed to have been born with absolutely no talent for cooking.
The best they could manage was food that wouldn’t poison anyone.
At the same time, they remembered what Liu’s father had said when Liu Zhixia married into the family.
“My daughter doesn’t know how to do housework.”
Zhou Yunting’s chiseled face stiffened slightly.
“I’ll… try making some porridge.”
As a soldier, he was exceptionally observant.
The moment he’d entered the house, he’d spotted a chipped cooking pot.
It was still barely usable.
His cooking might be terrible, but surely it wouldn’t starve all four of them to death.
Just as he steeled himself and prepared to march into battle—
He suddenly found Liu Zhixia standing in front of him.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ve cooked porridge before.”
She wasn’t volunteering because she wanted to work.
She simply remembered reading in the novel just how horrifying the Zhou men’s cooking skills were.
For the sake of her stomach, there was no way she could let Zhou Yunting cook.
He intended to refuse.
But when he met those bright, watery eyes that seemed capable of speaking for themselves, he found himself momentarily dazed.
Without another word, he handed her the cornmeal.
Then he turned around.
When he returned, he was carrying a bundle of firewood.
Dinner for the Zhou family was simple.
Cornmeal porridge.
Liu Zhixia didn’t actually want to eat it.
Her space contained countless gourmet dishes.
But this wasn’t the right time to reveal them.
Even the most capable cook couldn’t prepare a feast without ingredients.
Still, although she couldn’t work miracles, she at least managed to cook the food properly.
To the three Zhou men, that alone was an unexpected blessing.
When they’d first arrived, what worried them most was starving to death.
With four people in the household, someone had to know how to cook.
Thankfully, Liu Zhixia did.
As Zhou Yunting drank the perfectly normal bowl of cornmeal porridge, he shot Liu Zhixia a surprised glance.
Elder Zhou, however, thought further ahead.
“Zhixia, from now on, let’s mix some bran into the porridge.”
“Otherwise…”
Liu Zhixia smiled reassuringly.
“Grandpa Zhou, don’t worry.”
“You have to believe that Heaven never seals off every path to survival.”