Tang Jin looked around carefully. Only after confirming there was no one nearby did she quickly shut the courtyard gate and step into the dusty little wooden shed.
Long ago, this place had been where the Tang family stored raw materials. The Tang family had operated a cosmetics and perfume business for generations and had even supplied fragrant powders to imperial consorts in the palace.
As for Tang Jin’s maternal grandfather, his ancestors had once been imperial physicians. Growing up under the guidance of her grandfather and grandfather on her father’s side, she had learned many skills.
Unfortunately, she had once been naïve, always longing for a father’s and mother’s love. Many of the valuable things her two grandfathers had left her had been coaxed and tricked away by her parents.
Not anymore.
Shaking her head, Tang Jin pushed those thoughts aside. She found a hammer hidden by her grandfather on a roof beam.
Then she strode to the shed’s stove and began smashing it with the hammer.
No one would ever have guessed that the old man’s treasure was hidden inside a stove full of wood ash.
Soon, the stove collapsed, revealing a passage large enough for one person to crawl through. The tunnel was pitch-black.
Remembering her grandfather’s instructions, Tang Jin didn’t rush in. She waited for fresh air to circulate before carefully climbing inside.
What lay beneath was a large cellar.
Feeling her way along the entrance, she found a fire starter and lit it.
The sight before her made her eyes widen.
Rows upon rows of camphorwood chests were stacked together.
So many!
Tang Jin covered her mouth, afraid she would scream.
Although Tang Zhiyuan was a scoundrel, he hadn’t been wrong about one thing.
Their family was rich.
Very rich.
Suppressing her excitement, she located Chest Number One. According to her grandfather, it contained the emergency items she could access first.
Inside was a jade token engraved with her name.
Without hesitation, Tang Jin bit her fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto it.
The cheat belonged to her now!
The next second, her vision blurred.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing on a vast grassy field. In the distance stood a small courtyard.
Time was short.
Tang Jin immediately exited the space and waved her hand.
More than a hundred chests her grandfather had left her disappeared into the space.
Afterward, she crawled back through the tunnel.
Worried someone might discover something amiss, she carefully sealed the entrance before leaving and scattered ashes over the top.
Then she rushed toward the secret treasury left by her maternal grandparents.
The Du Family Ancestral Hall.
A place her mother, Du Qingfeng, would never think to look.
Because of the political climate, no one had visited the ancestral hall in a long time, and a thick layer of dust covered everything.
With cloth wrapped around her shoes to avoid leaving footprints, Tang Jin went behind the hall.
Hidden gold within a false wall.
Following the method her grandfather had described, she activated the mechanism.
The wall opened.
Inside were entire walls lined with gold bricks and silver bricks.
At least a thousand of them.
With a wave of her hand, Tang Jin stored every single one in her space.
After collecting those, she opened the underground storeroom beneath the hall and stored another fifty or so camphorwood chests.
Her two grandfathers truly had been close friends.
Even the chests they used were identical.
After erasing all traces of her visit, Tang Jin headed straight for the neighborhood office.
It was nearly the end of the workday.
Taking out the address Song Yunli had left her, Tang Jin said,
“Aunt Ling, could you help me issue a letter of introduction?”
As neighbors, Aunt Ling naturally knew Tang Jin.
She froze for a moment before her eyes filled with sympathy.
“Xiao Jin, did your father hit you again? Child, why are you always so submissive? If your grandfather were still alive, his heart would break. If you can’t beat him, then run!”
“Thank you for your concern, Aunt Ling. This is actually the marriage candidate my grandfather chose for me. I’m going to join him at his military post.”
Tang Jin put on her trademark pitiful smile and said sadly,
“I overheard my father and my stepmother talking yesterday.
They want me to marry Wang Bin from the Committee.
I’d rather marry the man my grandfather chose.”
There was no helping it.
Her grandfather’s reputation carried weight.
Everyone knew how much he had loved her.
As expected, Aunt Ling was both shocked and heartbroken.
“Wang Bin is already in his thirties! More than ten years older than you.
And I’ve heard he beats his wives. His first wife might even have been beaten to death by him.
You’re your father’s biological daughter. How can he be so cruel?”
“Aunt Ling, Meiyu is the daughter he truly cares about.”
Tang Jin looked like a bullied little white rabbit, making Aunt Ling even more indignant on her behalf.
“Your father is a fool. He treats his own daughter like grass and treasures someone else’s child.
One day he’ll regret it.
Thankfully, your grandfather planned ahead. I’ll write the letter of introduction for you right away.
It’s good that you’re leaving. Go live a good life in the military. Don’t ever come back.”
“Thank you, Aunt Ling.”
Taking the letter, Tang Jin lowered her voice.
“Aunt Ling, could you keep this secret for now? If my father finds out, I’m afraid he’ll rush to send me to the Committee.”
“Of course. I’ll keep it secret. Poor child.”
Aunt Ling even stuffed a few White Rabbit milk candies into Tang Jin’s hand.
If she had such a beautiful daughter, she’d treasure her like the apple of her eye.
Tang Zhiyuan truly was a fool.
After obtaining the letter of introduction, Tang Jin stored it in her space.
She then wrapped another layer of bloodstained white gauze around her head before returning to the family compound.
The moment people saw her, whispers spread throughout the compound.
The looks they gave her were full of sympathy.
Surprisingly, Tang Zhiyuan and the others had not yet returned.
Even Tang Meiyu wasn’t home.
She was probably off complaining to her father.
Tang Jin didn’t care.
Before she left, she had to empty everything…
“Xiao Jin, you’re home?”
A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.
The woman approaching wore an ordinary blouse, yet her beauty was breathtaking.
This was her mother, Du Qingfeng.
She had already remarried her first love.
Every time she came to see Tang Jin, it was always for the same reason:
She wanted her father’s inheritance.
“What do you want?”
Unlike before, Tang Jin didn’t eagerly rush forward to greet her.
The change instantly angered Du Qingfeng.
If that old man from the Tang family hadn’t been protecting her, Tang Jin would have handed over her grandfather’s inheritance long ago.
“Xiao Jin, I heard from the people in the compound that you argued with your father again.
As his daughter, you should be more understanding. He’s actually a very good person.”
“If he’s so good, why did you divorce him?”
Tang Jin snorted.
“Can’t you see my head is covered in blood?
You can’t even pretend to care properly.
Get lost.”
Du Qingfeng’s eyes widened in shock.
She looked as though she had seen a ghost.
Was this really her daughter—the decorative vase-like girl who never resisted?
“Xiao Jin, have you lost your mind? I’m your mother.”
Taking a deep breath, Du Qingfeng forced out a smile.
“Fine. I won’t try to make you reconcile with your father.
But you should give me some of the things your grandfather left behind.
We’re barely able to put food on the table.”
Whenever she ran short of money, she came looking for Tang Jin.
The old man had never trusted her and had left all the good things to his granddaughter.
Du Qingfeng hated it, but there was nothing she could do.
Fortunately, Tang Jin had always been easy to manipulate.
Unfortunately for her, this Tang Jin was no longer the same Tang Jin.
In a cold tone, she replied,
“I don’t have anything.
Besides, Grandfather already left plenty for you.”
“That’s being saved for your younger brother’s future marriage.”
Du Qingfeng said it as though it were perfectly natural.
Tang Jin laughed in disbelief.
“Your son? What younger brother?
Sometimes I think you and Tang Zhiyuan really are a perfect match.
You both raise other people’s children as your own.
Pathetic.
Though I suppose that’s one way of showing devotion.”
Du Qingfeng’s face flushed red from the ridicule.
Annoyed, she said,
“Xiao Jin, you’ve misunderstood me.
How could I not think about your future?
Actually, I came today for another reason.
Your Uncle Xu’s nephew is about your age and has a stable government job.
If you marry him, our families will become even closer.
It would be a wonderful match.”