Chen Xiaolin went to the head of the bed and opened the entrance to the secret room according to the method she remembered. Worried that the space below had not been ventilated for too long and that going down too soon might cause oxygen deprivation, she waited upstairs for about ten minutes before descending.
Inside, Chen Xiaolin saw more than twenty large chests packed tightly together, filling the entire secret room of over twenty square meters.
She opened every chest one by one. Inside were ten chests of gold bars, three chests filled with diamonds and gemstones of various colors, ten chests of calligraphy and paintings, and five chests of jade jewelry.
Chen Xiaolin picked up a pair of emerald jade bangles and slipped them onto her wrists. In her previous life, a pair of imperial green jade bangles like these could fetch an astronomical price at auction. She really had struck it rich—this life was truly a free win.
After wearing them for a while, she put the bangles back, then stored all the chests into her spatial storage in one go.
Coming back up from the space, Chen Xiaolin destroyed the switch to the secret room. She planned to rent the house out before returning to her hometown.
Her family home was a small single-courtyard siheyuan. Even now, it was a rare and valuable property. Renting it out would bring in ten yuan a month. Although she was no longer short of money—without even counting the supplies in her space, the cash she had on hand alone was enough to let her live comfortably in this era.
“Enter.” After arriving in the 1970s, this was Chen Xiaolin’s first time entering her space.
She looked at the lush crops and fruit growing on the black soil, which gave her greater confidence about surviving in this unfamiliar era.
Chen Xiaolin went into the villa inside the space, planning to drink a cup of spiritual spring water and take a bath. She had been sweating all day and felt sticky and uncomfortable.
After soaking in the bath, she felt much more relaxed. Having just transmigrated into this body, suffered a fever, and sorted through supplies all in one day, she was truly exhausted. She decided to get a good night’s sleep first—whatever else could wait until tomorrow.
The next day, Chen Xiaolin woke from her sleep and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar room, letting out a deep sigh. She knew she truly couldn’t go back. Although she missed the good life of modern times, since she had transmigrated here, she would live well on behalf of the original owner. As for the original owner’s grandparents, she would also fulfill her filial duties to them.
The first thing Chen Xiaolin did after getting up was boil a pot of water in the kitchen, then take out a serving of rice noodle rolls and a bottle of pure milk from her space for breakfast. The meal was simple, but suitable for someone who had just recovered from illness.
The weather was good that day. It was early June in the capital, and the sun was already quite strong.
Chen Xiaolin planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things and spend all the local ration coupons she had on hand. Otherwise, once she returned to her hometown, those local coupons would be useless.
She slung a bag over her shoulder, locked all the doors at home, and set off.
Her house wasn’t far from the cooperative—only about a ten-minute walk. This was a route she often took, and following her memory, she soon arrived at her destination.
The capital’s supply and marketing cooperative was a three-story building. The first floor sold various daily goods and food, the second floor sold fabric and ready-made clothes, and the third floor carried luxury items such as bicycles, watches, radios, and sewing machines.
Chen Xiaolin already had a watch—a Shanghai-brand one. It was a gift from the original owner’s father when she was accepted into high school.
As for the family bicycle, her mother had ridden it to the research institute, and it was destroyed in the explosion along with everything else. However, Chen Xiaolin did have “three-turns-and-one-sound” coupons, which her parents had saved as her dowry.
These coupons had no time or regional restrictions, so she planned to wait until she returned to her hometown before buying a bicycle for transportation. She didn’t plan to buy a sewing machine or a watch—she couldn’t sew, and she already had a watch. She could sell the coupons later or use them as favors.
A radio, though, would be a good gift for her grandfather. In her memories, her grandparents had been very fond of the original owner.
Chen Xiaolin went to the counter on the first floor and pointed out what she wanted to the clerk.
“Miss, I want two pounds of walnut pastries, two pounds of egg cakes, five pounds of brown sugar, two pounds of White Rabbit milk candies, and five pounds of fruit candies.”
“Walnut pastries, three yuan and two pounds of pastry coupons; egg cakes, three yuan and two pounds of pastry coupons; brown sugar, seven yuan fifty and five pounds of sugar coupons; White Rabbit milk candies, four yuan, no sugar coupons needed; fruit candies, four yuan and five pounds of sugar coupons. That’s a total of twenty-one yuan fifty, four pounds of pastry coupons, and ten pounds of sugar coupons.”
The clerk quickly wrapped the items in oiled paper.
“I also want two enamel cups, two toothbrushes, two enamel basins, a large iron wok, a kettle, and a clay pot,” Chen Xiaolin added. She wasn’t sure if her industrial coupons would be enough—if not, she’d have to buy less.
“Two enamel cups, three yuan and two industrial coupons; two toothbrushes, one yuan, no coupons; large iron wok, ten yuan and five industrial coupons; kettle, three yuan and two industrial coupons; clay pot, three yuan, no coupons. That’s twenty yuan and nine industrial coupons.”
Chen Xiaolin took out forty-one yuan from her bag, counted out four pounds of pastry coupons, ten pounds of sugar coupons, and nine industrial coupons, and handed them to the clerk.
Looking at the few coupons left in her hand, she decided to take the items home first. It seemed she would need to make a trip to the black market to exchange for some national coupons—otherwise, even with money, she wouldn’t be able to spend it.
After leaving the cooperative, Chen Xiaolin found a secluded spot and stored all her purchases in her space.
On her way back, she happened to pass by a state-run restaurant. She noticed she still had coupons for two pounds of meat and five pounds of grain. Since that was the case, she decided to go in and have a big meal. How could she miss the famous braised pork from the novels?
“Well, if it isn’t Chen Xiaolin. I heard you’re an orphan now. How about I introduce you to someone? Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t have money to eat and might starve to death.”
As soon as Chen Xiaolin walked into the restaurant, she saw her classmate He Yingying. Because Chen Xiaolin always ranked first in exams while He Yingying could only ever come in second, He Yingying was secretly delighted that Chen Xiaolin had lost her parents. She wanted to see if Chen Xiaolin could still act so aloof.
“He Yingying, you should keep whoever you’re introducing for yourself! With someone as troublesome as you, you probably won’t be able to get married anyway. Hmph!”
Chen Xiaolin was really fed up with He Yingying. No matter what she did, He Yingying always had something to say. She had no idea where He Yingying found the time to pay so much attention to her life.
“Chen Xiaolin, do you really think you’re still such a hot commodity? You poor little orphan with no parents—if someone’s willing to take you, you should be grateful!”
He Yingying glanced at Chen Xiaolin disdainfully. From now on, she wanted to see how Chen Xiaolin could still compete with her.