Shen Shujiao walked into the secret room and saw dozens of chests piled high inside.
She had never known that beneath the bed she had slept on since childhood lay such a hidden world—a secret chamber this large.
As if guided by some intuition, before Shen Mom and Shen Dad left to purchase supplies, they told Shen Shujiao about the existence of the secret room beneath her bed.
Before departing, Shen Mom repeatedly reminded her that wealth must never be flaunted—not even to her own elder sister.
Shen Dad prepared identical dowries for both sisters. The assets stored in the secret room beneath Shen Shujiao’s bed were her share of the dowry.
Remembering her mother’s warnings, no matter how persistently her uncle’s family questioned her about the family’s wealth, Shen Shujiao kept her lips sealed and claimed she didn’t know.
When they pressed her too hard, she would clutch her head and burst into tears, saying she truly didn’t know where her parents had put the valuables.
But in her previous life, from Shen Xueman’s mocking words, she learned that in the first lifetime of the story, the wealth her parents left her was still tricked away by her uncle’s family. Under Huo Zhoubai’s protection, she lived a simple and peaceful life.
In her second lifetime, those assets were taken away by the transmigrator who possessed her cousin’s body.
In this lifetime, she would safeguard the wealth her parents left her with utmost care and never disappoint them in the afterlife.
Shen Shujiao opened the chests one by one. Inside were piles of gold and silver treasures, calligraphy and antiques, fine fabrics, and all kinds of precious supplements and medicinal herbs. Tears streamed down her face as she looked.
Parents who love their children plan for them far into the future.
In an era that favored sons over daughters, her parents’ love for her and her sister was truly profound, painstaking, and deeply moving.
Ten chests of silver dollars, ten chests of gold bars, ten chests of jewelry and diamonds, seven chests of antiques and calligraphy, more than a dozen chests of fabrics, and over a dozen chests of precious Chinese medicinal supplements.
It could be said that as long as she didn’t squander it recklessly, the dowry her parents gave her would last not just one lifetime, but three.
Facing a box filled with gold bars, Shen Shujiao used her mind to store it away. In an instant, the box vanished as if by magic.
She flashed into the space and saw that the box of gold bars had turned into a palm-sized chest, placed on a shelf on the first floor of the wooden house.
Even after storing dozens of chests, they only occupied the space of a single chest outside—truly miraculous.
Shen Shujiao didn’t store all the chests into the space. Instead, she selected the more valuable items or those she particularly liked. In the end, she stored only about half.
Because Huo Zhoubai’s identity was special, she needed to leave half the family assets to be handed over to the state in exchange for the officially recognized status of an orphaned “red capitalist.” This would prevent causing too much trouble for Huo Zhoubai during this sensitive period.
After leaving the secret room, Shen Shujiao tidied up her bedroom.
In her previous life, her soul followed Huo Zhoubai, and she knew how difficult it was to obtain ration tickets during the Great Movement—buying anything was inconvenient.
Even basic necessities like clothes became extremely hard to purchase.
Moreover, fabric colors were mostly dull shades like black, white, gray, and blue; wearing such refined clothing would no longer be possible.
Shen Shujiao’s bedroom was spacious, with three wardrobes just for clothes. One of them was filled entirely with brand-new outfits that Shen Mom had prepared for her marriage.
Her mother had wanted to see her beautifully dressed as she married into another family—yet in the end, it was a regret left unfulfilled.
In her previous life, a series of major events unfolded one after another. Shen Shujiao, who had never weathered any storms, never once thought deeply about the cause of her parents’ deaths.
In this life, recalling her uncle’s ugly face when he tricked her out of her assets, she knew that her parents’ deaths must be inseparable from him.
Suppressing the ache in her heart, Shen Shujiao stored half of her clothes into the space. She also stored several sets of jewelry she liked, along with the keepsakes her parents had bought her.
After finishing her own room, Shen Shujiao went to her parents’ bedroom.
She packed away a few sets of their clothes and some of their frequently used items as mementos.
Shen Mom was a woman who loved life and had refined tastes. Their room had several cabinets, most of them filled with Shen Mom’s clothes.
One of the cabinets was stuffed full of brand-new quilts, which Shen Mom had bought bit by bit for Shen Shujiao.
Whenever she saw a beautiful pattern or especially good cotton that felt warm and comfortable, she would stock it up for her daughter, hoping that when her daughter married, she would sleep well.
In her previous life, while following Huo Zhoubai in impoverished rural areas, Shen Shujiao witnessed countless people fighting over a single bowl of rice, and many freezing to death in winters with insufficient food and clothing.
Compared to gold, silver, and jewels, she preferred collecting supplies that could keep people fed, clothed, and alive.
Shen Mom’s clothes were exquisitely made and still very new. Shen Shujiao felt that after giving birth, she could wear her mother’s clothes, so she left only a small portion in the wardrobe and stored the rest away.
After clearing the upstairs, Shen Shujiao swept through the first floor—beautiful table lamps, clocks, antique ornaments, even Shen Dad’s ashtray—all went into the space as keepsakes.
After the Great Movement, all kinds of items were strictly controlled; pots, bowls, and knives became difficult to buy.
Especially pots—many families had only one. After steaming rice, they would scoop it out and then stir-fry vegetables, wasting a lot of time.
The Shen family kitchen had several large pots, various styles of bowls and dishes, knives, as well as oil and seasonings. Shen Shujiao collected almost everything, leaving behind only one basic set for cooking.
After that, she went to the granaries in the backyard.
Because news of the Great Movement had arrived early, her uncle was only interested in the lighter valuables and paid little attention to the grain stores.
At such a critical moment, he couldn’t take them away or sell them. Besides, his own family already had more grain than they could finish.
Looking at the granaries filled to the brim, Shen Shujiao thought of the first winter after Huo Zhoubai was sent down—three days without a single grain of rice, nearly starving to death—and her heart ached unbearably.
“Huo Zhoubai, in this life, I won’t let you go hungry again. From now on, I’ll cook you lots of fragrant rice.”
Cooking with the spiritual spring water from the space would not only be nutritious but also incredibly delicious.
In her previous life in the military camp, she had seen Shen Xueman rely on the spiritual spring water in her space to cook meals, winning over a crowd of rough military men—each one looking at her as if wishing she were their wife.
Everyone craved Shen Xueman’s cooking, except Huo Zhoubai. Every time, he firmly refused the loving meals she offered and went to the mess hall without fail.
After being sent down, when everyone else had left, Huo Zhoubai was left alone and became even less particular about food.
If something could be eaten raw, he wouldn’t bother cooking it. If it needed to be cooked, he would just toss in a few grains of salt and make do—eventually developing severe stomach problems.
In this life, with the space, she would take good care of Huo Zhoubai.
The babies in her belly seemed to protest at her words, as if complaining that she hadn’t mentioned feeding them. Shen Shujiao felt a slight pain in her abdomen.
“I’ll feed you too. After you’re born, Mommy will make delicious food for you every day, changing it up all the time.”
As soon as her words fell, a gentle warmth flowed through her slightly aching lower abdomen, as if infused with immortal energy. She could feel the little babies inside her growing and getting stronger.
Could it be that these intelligent, extraordinary lucky-koi babies—just a little over a month into pregnancy—could already understand their mother’s words?
This chapter ends here (please click the next chapter to continue reading).