(This is an alternate history; do not scrutinize it too closely.)
[Also, emphasizing three times: no male lead, no male lead, no male lead.]
1969, Shanghai
Inside a luxurious villa.
“Comrade Cheng Junyi, first of all, please accept my condolences.” A middle-aged woman in her fifties looked at Cheng Junyi, who was sitting upright on the sofa, with a face full of sorrow.
Seeing no reaction from her, the woman continued, “I’m here to notify you that you are to be sent down to the countryside.”
Cheng Junyi flicked her eyelids up and then lowered them again, her tone gentle. “I’m the only one left in my family, and I didn’t sign up for the program. How could there be a notice?”
Hearing this, the woman also looked conflicted. She looked at Cheng Junyi and gave her sincere advice. “I know this isn’t according to the rules, but… it’s better if you just go!”
“Give me a reason!” Cheng Junyi looked at the woman. She found it strange; the woman harbored no ill will toward her, but rather showed a sense of kindness.
The woman sighed. “I’ll be honest with you! I was the one who took the liberty of putting your name down.”
Cheng Junyi was surprised. She really hadn’t expected that. This woman shouldn’t be very close to her, nor did they have a grudge. Why would she do such a thing?
She remained silent, simply looking at the woman and waiting for her to continue.
The woman’s expression became dazed, her eyes losing focus as she looked off into the distance. She was reminiscing about something.
“I’ve lived here since I was a child. When my family fell on hard times in my youth, your grandfather was the one who kept helping us and even gave my parents jobs.”
She looked at Cheng Junyi. “So, I cannot stand by and watch something happen to you!”
Cheng Junyi asked in surprise, “What could happen to me?”
The woman gave her a reproachful glare and said crossly, “Do you have no idea what you look like? And this house—do you know how many people are eyeing it?”
When she put it that way, Cheng Junyi thought about it seriously. In this era, living in a villa like this all by herself really was quite eye-catching.
“Is someone planning to take the house?”
“Not just the house—they’re after you, too.”
“Me? Someone wants a forced marriage? Then I can report it to the police. As for this house, the state agreed it belongs to my family. Would someone really try to seize it by force?”
The woman looked at her, seeing how she understood nothing, and her heart grew even more worried. Although the policies had changed, many people still held old mindsets.
This was especially true of those who loved to gossip and couldn’t stand to see others doing well.
More importantly, the current situation was very dire.
“Forced marriage really isn’t allowed now, but if someone pestered you and used some underhanded tactics, even if you reported it to the police, your reputation would be ruined.”
“Furthermore, regarding the house, housing is tight right now. The villas like this one are mostly occupied by officials and their large families. You living in such a large villa alone is too conspicuous.”
The key was that she was alone now, with no one to protect her!
“I reckon people from the Street Office will come looking for you soon, demanding that you rent out the extra rooms. Would you be happy living with so many strangers?”
“Besides, even if you aren’t happy about it, you’ll eventually be forced to rent them out. Although the old master donated a lot of property, the rest of your family fled abroad. That’s considered treason—a massive stain on your record. Many people are calculating and plotting against you. Do you think you can live in peace if you stay in the city? Especially now that the old master is gone, it’s far too dangerous for you to be alone.”
Cheng Junyi frowned. It was indeed a major hassle.
“Is the only way to go to the countryside?”
The woman nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve made arrangements for you. The place you’re going is in Jilin Province, Baoshan Commune. It’s not poor there, and the climate is decent. Also, don’t worry about living expenses. After you leave, I’ll rent out this villa and send the monthly rent to you. That will be enough for you to live on, so you won’t have to work yourself to death for work points in the village; just find some light labor to do.”
Cheng Junyi thought about it and decided it was fine. It was just changing locations. She wasn’t worried about money because she knew where the Cheng family treasure was hidden.
What surprised her even more was the location in Jilin Province. In her memory, one of the treasure troves was right there.
Since the original owner of this body turned ten, the old master had taken her to three different hidden treasure locations.
He had also instructed her, “These are all yours. Don’t give them to those unfilial descendants.”
Since they were given to the original owner and she had now taken over this body, the treasures were naturally hers. Taking the treasures would be very convenient for the transmigrated Cheng Junyi because she had a Spatial Dimension.
She looked at the woman. “Alright, I agree to go. When do I leave?”
Hearing her agreement, the woman showed a relieved smile. “There are seven days left. Use this time to deal with the things in the house so they don’t get ruined by the tenants.”
Cheng Junyi nodded. As she walked the woman to the door, she asked, “What is your name, elder sister?”
The woman laughed and chided her gently, “You should call me Auntie. My name is Liu Datao.”
Cheng Junyi smiled softly. “Auntie Liu, I’ll have to trouble you a lot regarding the rental of the house in the future.”
Liu Datao waved her hand dismissively. “It’s no trouble. It’s what I should do.”
It really was what she should do, because she was a family servant the old master had specifically left for her. It was just that the old master wouldn’t allow her to reveal her identity or interfere too much in Cheng Junyi’s affairs; he had only instructed her to send her to the countryside and help secretly if anything happened.
After seeing Liu Datao off, Cheng Junyi returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed. She missed her parents.
She wasn’t from this world. She came from another world—a world that had been ravaged by an apocalypse, which then ended and gave way to a Spiritual Qi Recovery. it was a vibrant, brand-new world.
She was born after the apocalypse had ended.
Her parents were survivors of the twenty-year apocalypse, members of the elite powerhouses. They had her in the second year of the Spiritual Qi Recovery, when they were both in their forties.
With the Spiritual Qi Recovery, everyone practiced cultivation. Naturally, she could cultivate as well, and her aptitude was excellent. She surpassed her parents at eighteen, reached Foundation Establishment at thirty, and achieved Core Formation at fifty-six. Her Immortal Path was bright.
Who could have expected that an exploration of a Secret Realm would bring her here without warning? She was fifty-nine at the time.
She didn’t mind changing her environment, but she missed having her parents by her side.
She sat up at the desk, spinning a pen as she began to organize the memories she had received.
The Cheng family was a prominent clan that had flourished for over three hundred years, accumulating countless wealth. During the war years, the old master donated a vast amount of property to support the resistance. Because the family assets shrank significantly, many in the family were dissatisfied, but they could do nothing against the old master.
After the liberation, policies were not friendly toward capitalists and wealthy peasants.
The Cheng family descendants were filled with anxiety and tried to persuade the old master to move to Hong Kong. Naturally, he refused. Later, they secretly took a vast amount of wealth and fled, leaving him behind.
Only the two-year-old Cheng Junyi and the old master remained.
The original Cheng Junyi was an illegitimate child, the product of the old master’s second son, Cheng Bowen, and a one-night stand.
Her mother, Bai Ling, was an ordinary university student. She was young and naive, dreaming of Prince Charming. Cheng Bowen had the word for “literature” in his name, but his appearance had nothing to do with being scholarly or refined. He wasn’t weak at all; rather, he was handsome, rugged, and extremely masculine.
Bai Ling was won over by a few of his sweet words. After getting pregnant, she became afraid and woke up from Cheng Bowen’s sweet talk.
She approached the Cheng family, not because she wanted to gain anything, but because the new marriage law mandating monogamy had just been enacted that year.
She went to the Cheng family simply hoping to quietly deal with the child in her womb.
Cheng Bowen had many romantic affairs, so his wife, Jiang Man, wasn’t surprised at all when Bai Ling showed up. She only coolly asked what she wanted.
Upon learning her intentions, Jiang Man actually thought a bit better of her and agreed to help her handle the pregnancy.