Xia Wan put away the money she had just received.
“That’s all. I’ll have someone come to move the rest of the things another day.”
Carrying her suitcase, Xia Wan left the Lu family with her head held high under everyone’s gaze.
The place Xia Wan had lived before was not far away, in the family housing compound.
She fished out a key from her bag that she hadn’t used in a long time and opened the door. A heavy musty smell rushed toward her, faintly mixed with the scent of something burnt.
Ever since the last fire in the housing compound, the original owner had never dared return here.
Even now, as she stepped inside and saw the familiar furnishings, her nose still stung.
It was precisely because of that fire that she had lost her father.
Her mother had gone mad as a result.
Back then, people had seen Lu Jingxing’s father, Lu Xiangyang, helping her mother down the stairs.
Everyone said her mother survived only because Lu Xiangyang had sacrificed his own life to save her.
Because of that, she had been pressured into repaying the favor, and combined with the grief of losing her father, she had muddleheadedly married Lu Jingxing.
Not long after the marriage, Lu Jingxing joined the army and never came back.
But having read the original novel, she now knew the truth all too well!
When the fire broke out, it was clearly Yang Shufen who had insisted that Lu Xiangyang go back inside to retrieve the valuables from the house!
While escaping, the original owner’s parents encountered Lu Xiangyang heading back inside.
After learning what was happening, her parents tried to dissuade him but failed. In the end, her kind-hearted father told her mother to leave first while he accompanied Lu Xiangyang back to retrieve the items.
Ultimately, both men died in the stairwell from inhaling too much smoke.
Yet at that moment, Yang Shufen turned the story on its head, claiming that her husband had died saving the original owner’s mother.
All so she could swallow up the Xia family’s assets leading to the marriage that followed.
Xia Wan’s eyes darkened. Thinking of Yang Shufen’s behavior today made her feel sick.
Now that she had taken control of this body and become the present Xia Wan, she would settle both old and new grudges on behalf of the original owner!
Taking a deep breath, Xia Wan adjusted her heavy emotions.
She opened her apocalypse system and activated the one-click cleaning service.
With a “ding” in her mind, the dust in the room seemed to lose gravity. The thick layers of dust that had settled on the furniture floated into the air and, in the blink of an eye, all fell neatly into the nearby trash bin.
The room was now spotless. Even the dull curtains regained their former color.
She couldn’t help but marvel at how powerful future technology was in this era.
She glanced at her fully stocked storage space.
Not only did it contain everything she needed for food, clothing, and daily use—even the armory had anything one could ask for!
Xia Wan glanced at her armory with satisfaction. If she weren’t worried about drawing too much attention and getting into trouble, with this level of capability, wouldn’t she be able to swagger through this era without fear?
She had just placed her suitcase on the sofa when Yang Shufen, Lu Hongmei, and Su Lijuan walked in one after another.
All three stared at the refreshed room in disbelief.
Hadn’t Xia Wan just returned?
How could the place be cleaned so quickly?
She hadn’t been back for over a year.
It was as if someone had been cleaning the place regularly.
Thinking of this, Yang Shufen felt a chill creep up her neck.
Could there really be ghosts in this world?
Her eyes involuntarily scanned the room again.
Seeing the mockery flash through their eyes, Xia Wan said sarcastically, “You couldn’t wait to kick me out just now—so why are you chasing after me now?”
Seeing Yang Shufen nervously staring around the room without speaking, Su Lijuan had no choice but to step forward herself, putting on a gentle smile.
“Xia Wan, Aunt Yang was just worried that with so many things going on, you might forget something important. So we came to remind you.”
Yang Shufen snapped back to her senses and said to Xia Wan, “That’s right! Tomorrow you go find the factory director and tell him you’re not capable of doing this job, so it should be handed over to Lijuan.”
A trace of amusement flashed in Xia Wan’s eyes. Her face suddenly turned pale, her brows knitting together as she staggered back a few steps, nearly losing her balance.
Luckily, there was a table beside her. She grabbed its edge tightly and barely managed not to fall.
Holding her forehead, she said weakly, “I think I hurt my head earlier maybe a mild concussion. I feel dizzy, my head hurts, and I feel a bit nauseous… I’m afraid I won’t be able to go find the factory director for the next couple of days.”
Seeing her affected manner, Lu Hongmei’s anger flared. “Say it what do you want?”
Xia Wan raised her eyes to look at them. “I want to go to the hospital for a checkup, get some medicine, and rest for a night. I’ll probably be fine the next day. It’s just that the medical expenses might not be cheap. But I’m a frugal person so I won’t go to the hospital. Resting at home for a few days will do.”
Hearing this, all three were instantly furious.
Su Lijuan, both anxious and angry, urgently tugged at Yang Shufen’s arm, pouting pitifully. “Aunt Yang, if the job gets confirmed after a few days, how can we still switch people?”
Yang Shufen’s eyes bulged with rage. She slammed the table hard. The loud bang made it feel as if her hand had gone numb.
“Xia Wan! Don’t push your luck!”
Xia Wan staggered over and sat down on the sofa, clutching her injured forehead. “I really can’t take loud noises just hearing that makes my head throb.”
“If I go out again to find the factory director, I’m afraid I’ll pass out before even reaching the factory.”
“Come to think of it, the injury on my forehead was caused by you pushing me, former mother-in-law!”
Seeing Yang Shufen about to lash out again, Su Lijuan quickly grabbed her hand and whispered urgently, “Aunt Yang, we’ve already given her 3,500 yuan for this job. Why don’t we add a bit more medical money and send her off? The job is more important!”
Yang Shufen glanced at Su Lijuan. Grinding her teeth in anger, she still pulled out one hundred yuan from her bag and threw it in front of Xia Wan.
“This is medical money. Take it! Just treat it as buying the job from you. If you keep stirring up trouble, I, Yang Shufen, will drag you down with me even if it means mutual destruction!”
Sitting on the sofa, Xia Wan held her forehead and looked at the money thrown onto the table, curling her lips into a smile. “Then I’ll accept the medical money from my former mother-in-law. Tomorrow I’ll go find the factory director.”
Only then did the expressions of the three finally relax.
Su Lijuan put on an ingratiating smile and tugged at Yang Shufen. “Aunt Yang, let’s not disturb Xia Wan’s rest anymore. Shall we head back?”
Yang Shufen glared unwillingly at Xia Wan, snorted coldly, and left the Xia family home.
From outside, they could still hear Lu Hongmei’s indignant complaint: “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come we even gave her an extra hundred!”
Su Lijuan laughed awkwardly. “We just wanted to remind Xia Wan, so she wouldn’t leave and then refuse to see the factory director.”
Lu Hongmei shot Su Lijuan a sour look. “My mom treats you really well. For this job of yours, she let go of the servant girl and paid out 3,600 yuan!”
Su Lijuan quickly went over and affectionately linked arms with Lu Hongmei. “Hongmei, don’t worry. Once I get this job, all the money I earn will be used to support Aunt Yang. I promise it’ll be more than 3,600 yuan! Besides, with someone in the office, won’t your life at the factory be more comfortable too?”
Lu Hongmei snorted. “You’d better mean what you say.”