Wang Ershen was an honest woman who had always disliked the Su family’s old household for their cruelty and lack of compassion. Previously, when Su Wanxing and her siblings were sent to the ancestral hall, she had secretly helped them twice. Now, hearing that they planned to sell Su Wanxing and get rid of the two children, she hurriedly quickened her pace to leave. Her mind was conflicted—she wanted to warn Su Wanxing but feared retaliation from the old household. After deliberation, she decided to first seek advice from Li Aunty in the village—since Li Aunty was close to Su Wanxing, perhaps they could come up with a plan.
Meanwhile, Su Wanxing was busy organizing her new home with Su Wanfeng and Su Wanyue. After tidying up, the new house felt especially spacious and bright. Looking at the two wide main rooms, Su Wanxing said to her siblings, “Wanfeng, Wanyue, we have two main rooms. I’ll stay with Wanyue in one room, and you can stay in the other. How does that sound? This way, you’ll have your own space for reading and practicing martial arts.”
Su Wanfeng’s eyes lit up, and he jumped with excitement. “Really? Sister, I can have my own room?” At the ancestral hall, the three siblings had crammed into a dilapidated side room, and he had never imagined having a room of his own.
“Of course it’s true.” Su Wanxing smiled and ruffled his hair, then looked at Su Wanyue. “Wanyue, you’ll stay with sister, okay?”
Holding onto Su Wanxing’s arm, Su Wanyue replied in her babyish voice, “Okay… stay with sister…”
Without delay, Su Wanxing brought out three brand-new wooden beds—two for her and Su Wanyue’s room, and one for Su Wanfeng’s room. She also placed two wardrobes, one in each room, for storing clothes. In Su Wanfeng’s room, she added a small desk and chair, smiling as she said, “Wanfeng, you can read and write here. I’ll continue teaching you your letters.” Their parents had taught them some literacy when alive; although they didn’t remember everything, their mother had been particularly knowledgeable.
Su Wanfeng ran to the desk, carefully touching its surface, his face full of joy. “Thank you, sister! I’ll read well and learn all my letters!”
Su Wanyue ran around the room as well, her face full of curiosity. She reached out to touch the new furniture and muttered, “New… so pretty…”
Watching her siblings happy warmed Su Wanxing’s heart, but she remained vigilant. She knew the old household’s nature too well—greedy and malicious. After being taught a lesson last time, they would not let it go easily; they were surely scheming something. To counter them, she needed to know her enemy, prepare in advance, and never allow them to harm her siblings.
“Wanfeng, take your sister and play in the yard. Don’t run outside, and don’t open the door for anyone. Sister will just go to the outhouse and be back soon,” Su Wanxing instructed.
“Okay! Don’t worry, sister. I’ll take care of my sister!” Su Wanfeng nodded vigorously, holding Su Wanyue’s hand as they obediently went out to the yard.
Su Wanxing entered the outhouse, ensuring no one was around, then focused her mind to enter the Intelligent Omni-Space. Searching the modern area’s interface, she quickly found what she needed—four ultra-high-tech miniature cameras from the 23rd century. These cameras were extremely small, only the size of a fingernail, all black, hard to detect, and didn’t require charging. They had extremely long battery life and could connect directly to her consciousness via the space’s signal, allowing her to monitor in real time and even record audio.
Carefully, Su Wanxing placed the four miniature cameras into her pocket. She also put on an inconspicuous coarse cloth jacket over her clothes to avoid drawing attention. She planned to place the cameras at key positions in the Su family’s old house—such as the hall, the grandmother’s bedroom doorway, and the courtyard corners—allowing her to monitor their every move and anticipate any plots.
Emerging from the outhouse, Su Wanxing told Su Wanfeng, “Wanfeng, sister has to run an errand in the village but will be back soon. You watch over your sister at home. Remember, don’t open the door for anyone until I return.”
“I understand, sister!” Su Wanfeng said seriously and even shut the main gate of the yard.
Su Wanxing nodded and left the courtyard. Instead of going straight to the old household, she took a quiet side path along the edge of the village fields. Along the way, she met Uncle Li, carrying a hoe to the fields. Seeing Su Wanxing, he smiled and greeted her: “Wanxing, moved into a new home? Congratulations! Where are you headed?”
“Thank you, Uncle Li,” Su Wanxing replied with a smile. “I have some business in the village and want to familiarize myself with the surroundings.”
“Alright, come to me if you need anything,” Uncle Li said warmly.
“Thank you, Uncle Li,” Su Wanxing said, continuing along. She knew Uncle Li was honest and had helped the original owner before; a brief friendly chat would avoid suspicion.
Soon, she arrived near the Su family’s old house. Hiding behind a large tree, she carefully observed her surroundings. The gate was ajar, and voices could be heard from inside, but the courtyard was empty. After checking for villagers passing by, she quietly approached the courtyard wall.
Taking a deep breath, Su Wanxing used her martial arts skills to lightly scale the wall, then silently leapt into the courtyard like a cat. The yard had stacked firewood and farming tools, which concealed her figure. Using the cover, she slowly approached the hall and peeked through the door gap. Inside, everyone was seated around a table, with Su Baozhu gesturing animatedly while the others listened eagerly, their faces full of greedy smiles.
Su Wanxing’s eyes narrowed. She pulled a miniature camera from her pocket and carefully attached it to the inside of the hall’s door frame. This spot was very concealed, difficult to detect, yet could clearly capture the hall’s interior and record sound.
Next, she moved to the window, gently pushed a narrow gap, and placed the second camera on the inside. This captured the side view of the hall, complementing the first camera’s angle. She then went to the grandmother’s bedroom door, attaching the third camera under the lintel to monitor activity at the doorway, preventing secret plotting. Finally, she placed the fourth camera at a corner of the courtyard to watch for any movement outside and prevent them from contacting outsiders.