The two of them were tidying things up while talking, and before they knew it, it was late at night.
Qiao Qingqing glanced at the time and said to Chen Liping, “Mom, you should get some rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring—we should save some energy now.”
Chen Liping nodded in agreement.
She changed into her cotton pajamas, let her hair down, and rubbed some snow cream in her palms before gently applying it to her face.
Though these were ordinary actions, she performed them with elegance. She was actually very simple at heart—she never wore jewelry and usually wore either military uniforms or plain cloth garments—but she always kept herself neat and tidy, spoke softly, and carried herself with perfect propriety. To Qiao Qingqing, she embodied the ideal of feminine beauty and grace.
Qiao Qingqing leaned against her and fell asleep, her mind occupied with thoughts of what needed to be done the next day.
Perhaps the excitement of having been reborn made it difficult for her to sleep.
She also sensed that Chen Liping wasn’t asleep either. Though lying still, her body was tense and her breathing a little hurried.
Qiao Qingqing sat up and asked, “Mom, is something weighing on your mind?”
Chen Liping was surprised that her daughter had seen through her so quickly and paused for a moment.
“Yes… there’s something. I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“You must tell me,” Qiao Qingqing insisted. “Time is precious now. Anything that can be done must be done before the reassignments begin.”
Chen Liping was silent for a moment before speaking. “Actually, before your grandfather passed away, he entrusted me with the most important asset of the Chen family.”
She spoke slowly, deliberately.
Grandfather Chen was such a wise man—surely he saw that his sons were incapable.
What he entrusted to Chen Liping was the location of an underground storage. Inside were mostly precious antiques and calligraphy, treasures of our nation’s culture. If they were taken abroad, they might never return.
The valuables left at home were either fakes or insignificant.
Besides that, he had also stored a sum of money in an overseas bank through a friend, and the key was kept in the underground storage.
The storage was hidden in a mountain in Wucheng, secretly constructed long ago during some engineering work, over five meters underground, difficult for outsiders to discover.
He required Chen Liping to promise that the money could be used personally, but the cultural relics must be handed over to the state. Chen Liping agreed.
After hearing this, Qiao Qingqing was a little puzzled. “Since it’s so well-hidden, wouldn’t it be fine just to leave it there? That mountain area won’t be developed for at least twenty years.”
Chen Liping gently tapped her forehead. “If it were that simple, why would I worry? I just remembered that besides me, the steward also knows about the storage. He went abroad a few years ago. People’s hearts are unpredictable. I’m afraid that if we’re far away in Hei Province and can’t return, the valuables will eventually fall into their hands, and that would betray your grandfather’s trust.”
Qiao Qingqing finally understood. “That’s easy! I can just go retrieve it.”
Chen Liping frowned. “Even taking the train to Wucheng takes hours. You’re unfamiliar with the area and would have to find it in the mountains. A round trip would take at least two days. At this critical moment, I can’t let you take that risk.”
Qiao Qingqing knew her mother was meticulous and thoughtful but sometimes overthought things, carrying worries in her heart that led to internal tension. She, on the other hand, was decisive.
“Anyway, the outcome is that we’ll be sent for re-education. What’s there to fear? I’ll be careful. Don’t worry. I’ll hide myself, and no one in the world will be able to find me.”
Seeing her daughter’s confident expression, Chen Liping smiled slightly and patted her head. “Yes, my good girl has grown up. You can go, but be safe.”
The next morning, heavy knocks woke everyone from their sleep.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The door seemed as if it would be smashed in, accompanied by shouting and cursing.
“Inside are all capitalist dogs!”
“It’s time to eradicate them for the people!”
Even though Chen Liping was prepared, her heart sank. But when she looked up, she saw Qiao Qingqing already dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Mom, go open the door. Remember what we agreed.”
Chen Liping nodded. “And you?”
“I’ll hide myself,” Qiao Qingqing said.
With that, she disappeared from sight.
Although Chen Liping had seen her daughter’s abilities multiple times the night before, she still felt a little dazed. But she couldn’t linger and went to open the door.
As people poured in, the Qiao family—Qiao Yimin and his two sons—dressed and came out as well.
They couldn’t see Qiao Qingqing, but she watched them from her space.
In her previous life, at this moment, she was still at school, unaware of anything, only realizing the chaos after being expelled in the afternoon.
Now, seeing her family being bound and taken away, her heart ached slightly, but she didn’t look away.
The intruders wreaked havoc in the house.
At this stage, it wasn’t a full-scale raid yet—some people opportunistically took small items. But in her previous life, within a few days, the house would be completely ransacked.
They put a large lock on the Qiao family’s door, locking it tight.
People from nearby dormitories gathered—some to gawk, some out of fear.
“The Qiao family is finished.”
“Old Qiao shouldn’t have married her. There were other options, but he picked a capitalist girl. Now it’s ruined…”
“Don’t speak without knowing. This matter is complicated…”
Qiao Qingqing listened intently to the bystanders. When the revolutionary committee members left and the crowd dispersed, she used the maximum walking distance of her spatial ability to move and leave the university.
Walking the streets of the 1970s, Qiao Qingqing felt light on her feet.
The city reflected the simplicity and order of a planned economy era. Bicycles weaved between low-rise buildings, and red slogans were everywhere on the walls.
No skyscrapers, no traffic, no internet.
But Qiao Qingqing truly felt alive. Compared to the future’s bustling world, this was her era.
In her previous life, after being expelled today, she would have had nowhere to go and quietly returned home, only to be discovered by Lin Chaohai in the corridor and taken in.
Now she wasn’t in a rush. Chen Liping had given her almost all the money and tickets the night before, keeping only a small portion at home. She intended to get some more supplies.
Riding a bicycle to the west side of the city, she wandered a bit before entering an alley.
Following vague memories, she knocked on a door.
A woman in her early forties answered, wearing a slightly worn cotton shirt and with short hair, looking capable.
A wooden sign hung by the door reading “Tailoring.” A sewing machine stood outside, with scraps of fabric piled on a table.
“I want to have clothes made,” Qiao Qingqing said. “Aunt Liu, do you have time?”
“Yes, yes, I do,” the woman hurriedly replied. “What style?”
“Just jackets,” Qiao Qingqing said. “I need quite a few—twenty in total.”
She put down two large bundles: one of cloth, one of cotton.
Hearing the number, Aunt Liu was a bit stunned. The cloth looked plain but thick and soft—good quality—and she hesitated.
She asked nervously, “Are these materials legitimate? Not from the black market, right?”
Qiao Qingqing smiled. “Don’t worry. They’re from the supply and marketing cooperative.”
She showed her two handwritten invoices for proof.
All of Chen Liping’s supplies had been given to Qiao Qingqing. She had bought many things before and easily found two recent invoices for the tailor to see—some cloth, some cotton.
Aunt Liu relaxed.
Qiao Qingqing then handed over a note detailing her requirements: ten jackets for men, ten for women, specifying size and amount of cotton for each.
Aunt Liu frowned. “If you want long jackets, the cotton might be too little. They’ll be too thin for winter.”
“It’s fine, make them like this. Three layers of fabric. You have three days. Rough work is okay; I only need dense stitching so the clothes won’t break. Appearance doesn’t matter. They’re meant for giving to people in the countryside. Going to a state-run shop would take forever—that’s why I came to you.”
Aunt Liu nodded eagerly. She wasn’t a professional tailor but had a sewing machine at home and occasionally did work for friends to supplement her income. She was happy to take this order, especially since the girl prioritized quantity over quality. Working with her daughter-in-law, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Each jacket cost 1.5 yuan to make, totaling 30 yuan. Qiao Qingqing provided the fabric and thread. She left a 5-yuan deposit and rode off on her