Lu Qingqing did not immediately start packing her things. Instead, she climbed over the backyard wall and slipped out to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some dry rations before hurriedly returning home.
Once she got back, she began packing. Bedding was definitely necessary, but all the quilts had been slashed by the Red Committee, and the cotton inside was torn into a mess.
She searched through several rooms but could not find a single intact quilt. With no other choice, Lu Qingqing picked up a needle and thread to mend them herself.
In her previous life, she had never done any sewing. It was only in the apocalypse that she learned how to patch things up.
Lu Qingqing did not dare sew too neatly; she only needed to stitch them together roughly so the cotton wouldn’t fall out.
Cotton-padded jackets and pants also needed mending. She stayed busy until dusk, the time when lamps were lit.
Her stomach growled, and only then did Lu Qingqing stop working and go to the kitchen to cook herself a pot of porridge.
Her appetite was not large now; she ate a bowl and felt full. The rest was stored into her space to be taken out whenever she wanted.
Her infinite space was not only vast but also could preserve freshness—whatever went in came out exactly the same.
Lu Qingqing had tested this using hot water.
After eating and drinking her fill, she packed clothes, quilts, and other items into two large bundles, waiting for Wei Guangming to arrive.
Around seven in the evening, Wei Guangming sneaked over. He took the bundles from her hands, and the two carefully made their way to the back entrance of the Red Committee office.
Wei Guangming lowered his voice and said, “I used up a lot of favors just to get you five minutes of meeting time. Remember to get straight to the point.”
Lu Qingqing nodded firmly, indicating she understood.
Wei Guangming reminded her a few more times before knocking on the back door. The one who opened it was Huang Ergou.
He had a sharp, rat-like face, darting eyes, and looked anything but decent.
Seeing Wei Guangming, the two exchanged a subtle glance. Huang Ergou put on an act of impatience before leading Lu Qingqing inside.
On the way, Huang Ergou threatened harshly, “Speak quickly, say what you need to say, don’t waste my time, or I’ll make you regret it.”
As he spoke, his lewd eyes swept over Lu Qingqing, making her feel disgusted to the point of nausea. She wanted nothing more than to smash his head in.
Forcing down her anger, Lu Qingqing let out a suppressed sound and followed behind with her head lowered.
The Lu family—old, young, and children—were all locked in a large room. Their condition was terrible; aside from the three small children, everyone had been tortured.
Before even reaching the room, Lu Qingqing could already hear the sobbing of her nieces and nephews, mixed with adults trying to comfort them.
Huang Ergou suddenly stopped and said coldly, “Open the bundle. I need to inspect it.”
Lu Qingqing suppressed her anger again and, gritting her teeth, opened the bundles.
Watching Huang Ergou tear the clothes and quilts apart and take away most of the dry rations, she nearly shattered her teeth from clenching them.
This bastard—he really was a dog.
Under Huang Ergou’s hostile gaze, Lu Qingqing stepped into the room where her family was being held.
Men, women, the elderly, and children were all crammed together. Under the dim light, the first thing she saw were the injuries on their faces.
Even her five-year-old little niece had abrasions on her face.
These inhuman beasts deserved to die!
“Qingqing, why are you here?”
Her mother’s voice interrupted her rising rage.
“Qingqing, y-you weren’t also captured, were you?”
Grandfather Lu hurried forward to check on her, forgetting his own injuries and stumbling heavily to the ground.
The family immediately split into two groups—some worried about Lu Qingqing, some helping the old man up, while the three small children cried even louder.
Lu Qingqing quickly explained that she was fine and had come to visit them and bring supplies.
She gave everyone a meaningful glance, signaling that someone was watching outside, then pushed the bundle into her mother’s hands before rushing to her grandfather.
“Grandfather—” Her nose stung, and tears fell in large drops.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Why did you come? Who let you come?” Grandfather Lu held her hand and examined her carefully.
Only after confirming she was uninjured did he finally relax.
“Grandfather…” Lu Qingqing burst into loud sobs, all the longing from two lifetimes turning into tears.
The rest of the Lu family’s eyes reddened as well, tears falling silently as they comforted her.
After crying for a while, Lu Qingqing gradually calmed down. However, she did not stop pretending to cry. Instead, she raised her head and made a “shut up” gesture, then grabbed her grandfather’s hand and quickly wrote words on his palm.
After each sentence, she looked into his eyes, and only after seeing him give a slight nod did she continue writing.
Their interaction did not escape the notice of the others. The Lu family immediately cooperated—some crying, some comforting—making the room noisy and chaotic.
Outside the door, Huang Ergou and Wei Guangming frowned as they listened.
They had been crying for so long—were they even able to communicate?
If Lu Qingqing failed to get the location of the hidden treasure, wouldn’t their trip tonight be wasted?
Huang Ergou glanced at Wei Guangming and thought that this young man really was inexperienced and unreliable.
Inside the room, Lu Qingqing briefly and clearly relayed the Lu family’s current situation, while also pointing out the relationship between Zhang Shan and Wei Guangming’s family.
She warned her grandfather not to trust the Wei family under any circumstances. They must protect themselves here, while she handled things outside.
Lu Qingqing said she would find a way to rescue them. If she couldn’t, she would at least try to secure a better relocation environment for them.
In short, they must not give up. As long as hope remained, the Lu family would one day be vindicated.
Grandfather Lu understood how dangerous the situation was. It seemed someone had set their sights on the Lu family’s wealth.
Sigh. Even though he had already donated most of his fortune, it still could not satisfy their greed.
Not to mention others—even he himself did not believe he would give away everything, so how could outsiders believe it?
The sobbing inside the room made Huang Ergou increasingly impatient.
It had already been nearly ten minutes. Wasn’t this going on too long?
At this rate, even if they gave Lu Qingqing another hour, she still wouldn’t get the location of the hidden treasure.
Women really were short-sighted, unable to tell what mattered most, only knowing how to cry.
Huang Ergou banged on the door and shouted, “Lu Qingqing, hurry up! Time’s almost up!”
Lu Qingqing rolled her eyes hard.
Almost ten minutes? That wasn’t “almost up”—that was already overtime.
She sniffed, forced her tears to stop, and took out the items she had brought, instructing her family to eat them and not to be frugal.
She also secretly slipped oral medicine for injuries to Grandfather Lu, worried they might suffer internal injuries or infection.
“Qingqing, the severance letter is buried under the big tree behind the house. Remember to dig it up.
With that letter, you won’t be dragged down by us anymore. Make sure you get it out, understand?”