"Second Sister, it's bad—that troublemaker is back again! I'll go stop her and hide our Si Yi away. You quickly put away all the food and drinks at home, so she doesn't sweep through everything like bandits raiding a village again."
Lin Fengyu, the younger cousin from Second Uncle Lin Shaoxun's family, had heard that her eldest cousin's wife—who had stirred up the whole family without a single day of peace—was finally getting a divorce from her eldest cousin. She had even threatened to take Lin Siyi, whom she had never cared for, back to her own family. So, Lin Fengyu immediately took leave and went to her aunt's house, hoping to discuss with her second cousin Lin Fengyi, who had just returned from a business trip last night and was resting at home today, about secretly bringing Lin Siyi back and hiding her.
Unexpectedly, just as she reached the front gate and was about to knock, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Zhang Yun'an carrying Lin Siyi, who seemed to have fallen asleep, returning once again. She could only shout through the gate toward the courtyard.
Only Lin Fengyi was home alone; her parents had gone to work, and the housekeeper Liu Yi had gone grocery shopping and hadn't returned yet.
Hearing from inside the house that Zhang Yun'an was back again, Lin Fengyi felt a chill run down her spine, but she hurried out nonetheless.
From a distance, Zhang Yun'an saw the two younger sisters-in-law standing hand in hand at the gate, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy. She sighed sympathetically, carried the child over to them, and turned the sleeping Lin Siyi toward the gentle and pretty Lin Fengyi, gesturing for her to take the sleeping child off her back.
Lin Fengyi snapped out of it and carefully took her nephew. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Zhang Yun'an say to her, "Fengyi, please tell Mom and Dad that I won't fight for the child anymore from now on. I entrust her to you to raise. If anyone from the Zhang family comes to say anything, don't believe them, don't hand the child over to them, and don't give them any more money. In short, it was Zhang Yun'an who saved your eldest brother back then, not anyone else from the Zhang family. The Lin Family has long repaid any debt of gratitude over the years. There's no need to pay attention to any unreasonable demands from the Zhang family."
After saying this, she took out two thick stacks of money from the brown leather shoulder bag she was carrying and placed them in the luggage bag containing Lin Siyi's belongings. Then, she handed the bag to Lin Fengyu, who was standing empty-handed nearby, and still addressing Lin Fengyi, she said, "I don't need this money anymore. Please give it to Mom and Dad."
After giving these instructions, Zhang Yun'an left before the two could react.
"Second Sister, do you think Zhang Yun'an got into another fight, or did a donkey kick her in the head?"
It took Lin Fengyu a while to process Zhang Yun'an's unusual behavior. She couldn't believe that money that had ended up in Zhang Yun'an's hands could actually be returned, and that she had finally spoken like a reasonable person. Noticing a bruise on Zhang Yun'an's forehead, she guessed that she must have either been in a fight or had her head kicked by a donkey.
"Fengyu, don't talk nonsense. No matter what, she did save our eldest brother."
Although Lin Fengyi didn't quite agree with Lin Fengyu's words, Zhang Yun'an's behavior today was indeed too unusual. While she also found this sister-in-law, who had turned the family upside down, a headache, she didn't wish for anything bad to happen to her. Zhang Yun'an's strange actions just now gave her a feeling as if she were settling her affairs before leaving.
After pondering for a moment, she said to Lin Fengyu, "Follow behind our sister-in-law and see where she goes."
Lin Fengyu wasn't particularly keen on going, but seeing how unusually Zhang Yun'an was behaving—and considering she had saved her eldest brother, was the biological mother of their family's Si Yi, and had even spoken reasonably for once today—she reluctantly agreed to follow and take a look.
Originally, Lin Fengyi had intended to go herself, but Lin Siyi had fallen asleep, and someone needed to stay behind to care for her, so she sent her cousin instead.
Lin Fengyu first took the bag Zhang Yun'an had earlier shoved at her into the house before hurrying after her.
The Lin Family lived in the city center, and it took over an hour by bus to reach the Military Compound where Lin Shaoxun resided. There was a direct bus route, but by the time Lin Fengyu reached the alley entrance, she saw Zhang Yun'an had already boarded that direct bus. Unable to follow further, she turned back.
After getting off the bus, Zhang Yun'an noticed the young soldier standing guard at the main gate giving her several furtive glances.
Recalling the original host's title as the "Scourge of the Compound" and the absurd things she had done in the past, Zhang Yun'an—who in her previous life had never lowered her head even when criticized to her face—now felt an overwhelming urge to walk with her head down.
If she had any money on her, she would have turned and left without hesitation. But whatever spare cash the original host had would always be taken by her father and brother under various ridiculous pretexts. As for the alimony she had just received, she had already returned it to the Lin Family. Since she had no intention of taking over the original host's husband and children, it didn't feel right to keep spending the Lin Family's money.
If not for the fact that she had no money left except for the change from the bus ride, and Lin Shaoxun happened to be away from home, she wouldn't have returned to the Military Compound to stay temporarily.
Lack of money forces not only heroes but also young ladies to lower their heads—otherwise, they'd end up sleeping on the streets.
The adaptable Zhang Yun'an ultimately raised her head with feigned composure and walked through the gate.
"Wan Dajie, it's bad! Zhang Yun'an is back! Don't leave those pig's trotters you bought this morning braising outside—quickly move the stove inside to finish cooking them!"
The young wife who had gone grocery shopping with Wan Dajie that morning spotted Zhang Yun'an from afar, walking with her head held high. Though there seemed to be a bruise on her forehead, she somehow appeared more presentable than before. Who would have thought that someone with a face prettier than a movie star's could never do anything decent?
The young wife's shout not only startled Wan Dajie on the first floor, nearly causing her to knock over the pot of Braised Pig's Trotters, but also prompted several neighboring households preparing lunch to close their doors—and even their windows. The sound of a falling pot lid echoed from a recently shut window.
Having heard the young wife's exclamation, Zhang Yun'an thought to herself, "Is this the price of Soul Transmigration?" But the transmigration was beyond her control, so she steeled herself, slowed her pace, and waited for the flustered Wan Dajie to safely move the pig's trotters and stove braising in the hallway back into the kitchen and securely close her door before quickening her steps upstairs.
The building where the original host lived was a four-story red-brick structure. The original host's home was on the third floor, at the easternmost end—a two-bedroom unit with a living room, and both the bathroom and kitchen were indoors.
According to the original host's memories, this layout was considered quite ideal for housing in this era. Many urban residences at the time didn't include private bathrooms or kitchens.
But for Zhang Yun'an, who was accustomed to living in large mansions, this house was pitifully small. In contrast, the house of the original owner's mother-in-law was quite decent, mainly because of its good location. However, since she had no intention of getting involved in the original owner's karma, she naturally had no right to enjoy the conveniences it brought. She couldn't bring herself to shamelessly move into the original owner's mother-in-law's house.
Even this house, which she considered pitifully small, would no longer be hers to live in once Lin Shaoxun returned and divorced her.
Soon enough, however, Zhang Yun'an's focus shifted from the size of the house to the fact that the entire home looked as if it had been ransacked by bandits. Clean and dirty clothes were jumbled together, piled haphazardly on the bed and sofa.
In the kitchen, a stack of pots, pans, bowls, and dishes sat soaking in the sink, covered in a greasy, bubbling layer of scum.
Fortunately, it was already autumn, and the weather had cooled considerably. If it were summer, the place would likely have reeked long ago.
Thankfully, the bathroom was relatively clean, with nothing particularly unpleasant to be found.
Although the young lady wasn't overly fastidious, the dreadful state of the kitchen left her at a loss. After a quick glance, she retreated, standing in the hallway outside the door. She took off the leather bag slung over her shoulder and meticulously checked every compartment, hoping to find some overlooked money.
To her surprise, she actually managed to fish out a ten-yuan bill from a torn inner lining she hadn't noticed before.
The young lady, who had never worried about money before, was nearly moved to tears of joy. However, this ten yuan belonged to the original owner. Once she earned some money herself, she planned to buy plenty of paper money, paper houses, paper horses, and the like to burn as compensation.
After that, she began searching through the original owner's memories to understand the cost of living in this era. She wondered if ten yuan would be enough to rent a place to live. If not, she intended to hire someone to clean up at least once. For now, she simply couldn't bring herself to tackle the kitchen sink filled with pots and dishes that had been soaking for who knows how long.
Just then, a head suddenly popped out from the stairwell, peering curiously in the direction of Zhang Yun'an's home.
Drawing on the original owner's memories, Zhang Yun'an recognized the owner of that head as the young married woman who had shouted downstairs earlier, announcing her return.
The original owner's memories included this person. She seemed to be named Zhao Xiaoli and lived next door to Wan Dajie on the first floor. Zhang Yun'an couldn't understand why, despite being so afraid of the original owner, she had come upstairs to peek around like this??