After Shen Baoguo left, Wang Xiulan’s face lost its earlier gentleness and meekness. She stared gloomily at the door, then angrily turned and threw her apron on the ground.
“Useless thing! If he weren’t so spineless, we wouldn’t have thrown away a thousand yuan. A thousand! That could’ve rented a nice courtyard for your wedding.”
“Mom, don’t worry. Even if Feng Wan and Shen Mingzhu have money, it’s useless. One is about to go to the countryside, and the other has been under your thumb since childhood—what trouble can they possibly stir up?”
Wang Xiulan was quite taken by this reasoning. Yes, Renyi was right—she shouldn’t rush.
Turning to Jia Renyi, her expression suddenly changed. She raised her hand and gave him two hard thumps on the back. “You, you! How old are you? Barely twenty, and you’re already fooling around all day. You should be properly courting the department head’s niece. Stay away from that widow!”
Jia Renyi shrank his neck from the blows and hurriedly covered the marks near his collarbone, too guilty to even lift his head.
Inside the room, Shen Mingzhu was restless, frequently opening the door to check if anyone had come in. Grandma Liu noticed this and called her over. In her memory, this girl was an honest one.
“Sit here for a while. Your sister seems like a sensible one—she won’t run off and leave you behind.”
Shen Mingzhu blushed slightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum. “I… I wasn’t thinking that.”
Hearing this, Grandma Liu didn’t say more. This girl’s temperament was too soft. If she returned to the Shen family, she’d likely have no way out. Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Once this child is married off, even seeking help from the neighborhood committee or the women’s federation might not be of much use.
That so-called logistics director was no pushover either.
When Feng Wan arrived at Grandma Liu’s house, carrying large and small bags, Shen Mingzhu was nervously chatting with Grandma Liu while clutching an enamel mug. The moment she saw Feng Wan return, she sprang up and dashed toward her like a cannonball.
“Sister, you’re back! Let me help you carry these.”
“Alright.” Feng Wan didn’t refuse—the load was indeed heavy, even though she hadn’t carried it for long.
After the two of them placed everything in the room, Feng Wan took out two cans of preserved fruit, a bag of malted milk powder, and two yuan from her bag. She then brought Shen Mingzhu back to the main room.
“Grandma Liu, thank you for taking us in last night. This is a small token of our gratitude. I… I’d also like to trouble you for a couple more days with my sister. This money can serve as our rent.”
Grandma Liu took a sip of water, neither accepting the items nor agreeing outright. Only after setting down her cup did she look steadily at Feng Wan.
“So you’ve made plans?”
Feng Wan chuckled. “Yes, I plan to take Mingzhu to the countryside. I’ve already bought everything we need. Here, Mingzhu and I have no way out. No matter what, the word ‘filial piety’ alone is enough to crush us both. Even if someone stands up for us, it won’t be a long-term solution.”
“Life in the countryside is very tough.”
“We’re not afraid. I’ve lived in the countryside for over a decade, and so has Mingzhu. We’re not afraid of hardship—we’re only afraid that even hardship won’t give us a way out.”
Grandma Liu slapped the table and exclaimed, “Good! Well said! I really like your spirit, girl. Hahaha… Keep your things. Stay here with peace of mind. No one will dare bully you here.”
Feng Wan responded with an “Aye,” pulling Shen Mingzhu along as they repeatedly bowed to Grandma Liu in gratitude. That evening, she personally cooked a pot of vegetable and egg noodles for Grandma Liu as a token of thanks.
After dinner, they returned to their room, where Feng Wan and Shen Mingzhu took out all their belongings and organized them into categories.
“We’re heading to Heilongjiang Province. Without thick quilts and padded clothes, we won’t make it. I bought two eight-catty cotton quilts and two six-catty ones, along with a thermos, lunchboxes, thick padded clothes, shoes, socks, snowflake cream… I’ve got everything covered. Take a look and see if there’s anything else we need to add.”
Some items were taken from the Spatial Dimension, while others were purchased from the supply and marketing cooperative. Besides daily necessities, there were also snacks like malted milk powder, canned meat, and candies—rare treats. Feng Wan had basically bought everything they could possibly need.
Shen Mingzhu had never owned many decent clothes in her life. Seeing that Feng Wan had bought her two sets of clothes for each season, with shoes and socks mostly for her as well, she was so moved that her eyes turned red.
“Sis, you… you’re so good to me.”
“Silly girl, don’t start crying. Going to the countryside isn’t something to look forward to. You’ve lived there before—you know how hard farm work is. There’ll be plenty of tough days ahead. Are you really sure about this?”
Shen Mingzhu nodded firmly. She wasn’t afraid of hardship; she was only afraid of being unwanted.
“Alright then. Rest well these next two days. We’ll head to the countryside the day after tomorrow.”
Late at night, once Shen Mingzhu was sound asleep, Feng Wan quietly slipped out. She made her way to the textile factory compound, squeezing through a hole in the wall of an abandoned warehouse—a spot she had accidentally discovered earlier.
She peeked outside a couple of times before stealthily darting out, heading down the alley toward the Shen family’s house.
She stood at the entrance of the courtyard for a while. Everything was quiet; the lights in all the rooms were off, and no one came out to use the outhouse. Only then did she walk up to the Shen family’s door.
Retrieving a spare key, she entered and gently closed the door behind her.
Feng Wan scanned the room, not holding back at all. Everything she saw, even a single sunflower seed shell on the floor, was swept into her Spatial Dimension—leaving not a single coin behind.
Shen Baoguo and Wang Xiulan were sleeping like logs. Coincidentally, Jia Renyi was also there, his bicycle parked outside!
She moved through the Shen family’s rooms for a while, and by the time she left, only the bare walls remained. On her way out, she even took Jia Renyi’s bicycle parked outside.
After leaving the Shen family’s place, she headed to the logistics director’s home. When she arrived, the household was in an uproar.
The big fool had eaten something that gave him diarrhea, and the whole house reeked. Two people were dragging him toward the toilet in a hurry, leaving the door wide open. The fool’s parents followed behind, exclaiming “Aiyo!” in distress every now and then. Feng Wan’s eyes lit up—this was the perfect opportunity for her.
Following the same approach as at the Shen family’s, she cleared out everything in the logistics director’s home into her Spatial Dimension, except for the pile of feces on the floor. Not long after she left, a shrill cry erupted from behind her: “Help! Thieves! There are thieves in the house!”
Feng Wan turned around with a mocking smile and hurried away.