Xie Zheng gripped the steering wheel, the veins on the back of his hands taut.
“I went to see Old Master Cui.”
Ruan Shujin adjusted her posture, her gaze fixed on Xie Zheng’s face.
“You’re not from the capital, so why do you know Old Master Cui? I remember my maternal grandfather saying that Old Master Cui is a native of Shanghai and has never left the city.”
Xie Zheng thought for a moment, sorting through his memories.
“My mother always wanted a daughter. On top of that, her health was good, so she gave birth to four children. I’m the second in the family—I have an older brother and two younger brothers. I don’t even remember how old I was. Overnight, I left them and became someone else’s child. Only when I grew up did I learn that I had actually been adopted by distant paternal relatives here in Shanghai. That decision was made by my grandfather and my father.”
“Life here wasn’t as good as people imagine. They vented all their resentment toward my biological family onto me. One night, I worked up the courage to drug them with laxatives and ran away. By chance, I ran into Old Master Cui. I thought I’d finally met someone who would save me, but instead he locked me in a dog cage and treated me like a toy, teasing me whenever he felt like it. When my family from the capital sent people to look for me, Old Master Cui verified my identity ahead of time and inexplicably became my family’s ‘benefactor.’ On top of that, he had previously saved my grandfather, so this marriage alliance came about as a matter of course.”
“After I returned to my biological parents, I underwent psychological treatment for a period of time. But no matter what, I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud—about being adopted here and what I went through. In fact, I remember everything very clearly, but once the words reach my mouth, I just can’t say them.”
Ruan Shujin’s eyes reddened slightly. When Xie Zheng turned his head, he looked a little at a loss.
Ruan Shujin quickly shifted her gaze away.
“So… everyone has it hard.”
“Yes. Actually, I want to tell them that I don’t really blame them. But I can’t pull myself out of those memories, to the point that it feels like I’m sick—and not lightly.”
The temperature inside the car seemed to plummet, like a night in the black market, so cold it felt as if the blood in one’s body had frozen.
Ruan Shujin thought for a moment.
“Xie Zheng, then why did you still come to Shanghai? As for me, the reason I haven’t wanted to go back to Longquan Town all these years is because I’m a girl. When my biological grandmother was still alive, there was a period when she went almost mad and tortured me, saying my birth chart was bad and that I was the reason my parents couldn’t have a son. After my parents finally did have a son, she found other reasons to blame me. I really hate that place. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t have been willing to go back this time.”
Xie Zheng raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly light.
“A secret.”
Ruan Shujin felt a little helpless, but she didn’t press further.
Xie Zheng dropped Ruan Shujin off at the entrance of the compound and didn’t drive inside.
“Get ready and pack your things. There’s no need to buy too much—official documents will be issued soon. I’ll arrange everything then, and you can just head over directly. I don’t know who will arrive there first, but don’t be afraid. Someone will be there to receive you.”
Ruan Shujin hummed in response.
Even though Xie Zheng told her not to buy too much, looking at the empty space still made her feel uneasy.
After all, those dozens of large boxes were filled with gold and silver treasures, but in this era, it wasn’t like she could spend them freely.
After thinking it over and sleeping on it for a night, Ruan Shujin dragged Ruan Feng and Ruan Yu out the door.
She herself hadn’t really suffered in terms of food, clothing, housing, or transport, but once she followed the army and left the place she’d grown up in, she still needed to prepare properly.
Xie Zheng had long since handed over all his savings to her. Ruan Shujin couldn’t be bothered to spend it and planned to save it all for him.
Xie Zheng had given her a life of safety. As for daily expenses, she could manage them herself.
After all, she didn’t know how things between her and Xie Zheng would ultimately turn out.
With a stack of ration coupons in hand, Ruan Shujin first went to the Grain Bureau to exchange them for white flour, rice, and even some coarse grains. Then she went to the Textile Bureau to exchange the limited types of fabric available, determined not to waste a single coupon.
She also made a trip to the Shanghai Department Store, buying a bicycle, soap, toothbrushes… necessities for food, clothing, housing, and transport—nothing could be missing. She stocked up on the maximum allowed quantity of every brand.
She even bought chicks, ducklings, piglets, and other livestock that needed raising, along with various seeds.
Not a single inch of space could be wasted.
Ruan Shujin spent almost the entire day “sweeping through” the shops with her younger siblings before finally returning to the compound, satisfied.
Late at night.
Ruan Shujin entered the space and herded the chickens, ducks, and geese into a fenced area, not forgetting the pigs and sheep either.
Then, looking at the native dog in her arms, Ruan Shujin generously tossed it straight into the villa inside the space—chosen by the ancestors themselves, how could she miss out?
As for the seeds she’d bought, she stored them properly. But the seedlings’ seeds were planted directly into the soil.
The next day, when Ruan Shujin entered the space again, she found that the animals had all grown noticeably larger, and the vegetable seedlings were lush and full of vitality.
After leaving the space, Ruan Shujin heard urgent knocking at the door. She went out and saw her uncle looking extremely anxious.
“What’s wrong?”
“I went out today and heard that the family members of those arrested capitalists are going to be sent immediately to labor reform sites!”
Ruan Shujin frowned.
She muttered to herself, “That fast?”
Before Ruan Dong could say much more, he saw Ruan Shujin rush out.
The higher-ups were extremely strict in handling people like them. When Ruan Shujin sent them in, she already knew what their fate would be—she just hadn’t expected things to move this quickly.
They’d only been locked up for a few days, and now they were already being sent to the countryside for reform.
When Ruan Shujin arrived at the place where they were being held, she found that she wasn’t the only one there to watch.
From afar, she saw her so-called family members wearing the most ordinary blue coarse cloth uniforms. Even their hair was no longer meticulously done—uniformly cropped short.
Inside, without all kinds of skincare products, their faces looked much rougher.
Ruan Shujin stared straight at them, her hands hanging at her sides tightly clutching her clothes.
In this lifetime, it was finally their turn to taste that feeling of living worse than death.
Ruan Humei naturally saw Ruan Shujin as well. She wanted to step forward and cry her grievances, but her son held her back tightly.
“Mom, you’re not still counting on your precious daughter to save you, are you?”
“It’s been this long already—stop daydreaming!”
After speaking, Zheng Chaojie pulled Ruan Humei over to Zheng Shuya’s side.
Ruan Shujin simply stood there quietly, watching as they boarded the large truck.
Around her were the murmurs of others.
“Have you heard? These people are being sent even farther north. Won’t they freeze to death over there?”
“They deserve it. They’re all capitalists—living far more comfortably than us before. Going to those places now is exactly where they belong.”
“Shh, don’t talk nonsense. The situation’s not good lately. Be careful someone with ulterior motives hears you—then we’ll all be finished.”