The Beijing Daily published all kinds of official news, along with interesting local stories from around the capital. Almost everyone in Beijing read it every day.
Shen Niao’s demand was no different from throwing the Shen and Wu families’ disgrace before the entire city.
The moment she made the request, every member of the Wu family turned deathly pale.
Even Shen Su’s expression twisted.
She had no intention of letting the whole city know what she had done. Once she started working at the hospital, who knew how much gossip she would have to endure?
Wu Zhenshan cared most about his reputation, so he immediately refused.
“Niao, this is a family matter. There’s no need to make such a public spectacle of it… Uncle is asking this favor of you.”
Father Wu did his best to persuade her gently. He had expected Shen Niao to refuse, but to his surprise, she nodded with a troubled expression.
“Fine. For Uncle Wu’s sake, I won’t publish it in the Beijing Daily. But Shen Su still has to write me a letter of apology.”
“Since she and Wu Chengzu have already become husband and wife, I don’t want someone else’s used rotten cucumber anyway.”
She glanced toward Wu Chengzu’s crotch before quickly looking away as though it had burned her eyes, even making a gagging sound.
Everyone instinctively followed her gaze.
Most of the residents in the compound were intellectuals. They didn’t say anything outright, but the looks in their eyes carried all sorts of subtle meanings.
Wu Chengzu finally understood what she meant.
His entire body trembled with rage.
“Shen Niao!”
Shen Niao ignored him completely, putting on an expression of magnanimity.
“Dad, since the brides have already been swapped, I’m willing to marry Elder Brother Wu instead.”
“That way, when I go find him, I can show him Shen Su’s apology letter and let him know that none of this was my doing. At least he won’t misunderstand me as some scheming woman.”
“Elder Brother Wu and I are the biggest victims in this whole mess.”
“How about this? Four thousand yuan in compensation, cash or ration coupons are both acceptable. Shen Su and Wu Chengzu pay half, while Uncle Wu’s family pays the other half. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?”
How could Wu Zhenshan possibly say no?
So many people were watching.
Just as he was about to agree, Mother Wu suddenly interrupted.
“That’s far too much money! How can you even ask for such an outrageous amount?”
Half from them?
The bride had already been swapped.
So what if they simply refused to pay?
Shen Niao chuckled twice.
“Then let’s report it to the Public Security Bureau.”
“There was definitely something wrong with the sweet rice wine I drank last night. It had to have been drugged.”
“If the police investigate, this won’t just be about compensation anymore.”
“It’ll be about going to prison.”
The moment those words fell, Mother Wu’s face changed dramatically.
She had been the one who cooked the sweet rice wine.
To ensure everything went smoothly, she had personally mixed in the drug Shen Su had brought her.
Seeing her reaction, Wu Zhenshan immediately understood everything.
He shot his wife a furious glare, silently cursing her for being an idiot before making the decision on the spot.
“Of course… of course you deserve compensation. You’ve suffered such a great injustice.”
Thus, the farce finally came to an end.
Shen Niao returned inside to wait for Shen Su to finish writing the apology letter and hand over the money.
As for everything she had exposed…
It quickly became the hottest topic at every breakfast table throughout the residential compound.
“Shen Niao, I never imagined you could be so vicious.”
Shen Su handed over both the apology letter and the money.
She didn’t care about writing the apology.
But the money and ration coupons were another matter.
They were supposed to be part of the dowry her parents had prepared for her.
Now Shen Niao had taken all of it.
She was already planning to complain to her parents during her return visit after the wedding and have them teach Shen Niao a lesson—
Smack! Smack!
Two sharp slaps landed across her face.
Clutching her burning cheeks, Shen Su glared hatefully at Shen Niao.
Shen Niao sneered.
“I slapped your man but almost forgot to slap you too.”
“Say one more word and see what happens.”
Wu Chengzu rushed over to shield Shen Su, glaring at Shen Niao as though he wanted to devour her alive.
“Shen Niao! What are you doing?”
“I’m teaching a couple of shameless bastards a lesson.”
Shen Niao folded her arms.
“What? Husband and wife singing the same tune? Want a few slaps yourselves?”
Shen Su tugged gently at Wu Chengzu’s sleeve, looking pitiful.
“It’s alright, Chengzu.”
“Niao only lost her mind because I took you away from her.”
“She has every reason to hate us.”
Deep down, however, Shen Su was feeling smug.
She knew exactly how much her cousin had liked Wu Chengzu.
Now that she’d stolen him away, of course Shen Niao had gone crazy.
Hmph.
Did she still think she was the precious young miss who had parents protecting her?
Now all she can do is throw tantrums.
And things would only get worse for her.
Soon enough, Shen Niao would have to follow Wu Qingchuan to Yacheng.
There she’d have endless seaweed to eat, a house that leaked whenever it rained, typhoons that never seemed to stop, scorching sunlight that could roast a person alive, and even fresh water would have to be rationed carefully.
As for herself…
All she had to do was stay by Chengzu’s side, quietly support him, and wait for him to become the nation’s richest man.
Then she’d live the luxurious life of a wealthy madam.
Shen Niao couldn’t even be bothered looking at Shen Su’s increasingly smug face.
After accepting the money and ration coupons that Mother Wu reluctantly handed over, she turned around and walked out without another word.
…
Leaving the university staff compound, Shen Niao headed straight to the state-owned restaurant.
She ordered two steamed buns and a bowl of soy milk.
Even after finishing everything, she was only half full.
Since she intended to lose weight anyway, she didn’t order any more food.
Instead, she bought one extra steamed bun to take with her.
After leaving the restaurant, she found a secluded corner where no one was around.
With a thought, both the bun and herself entered the dimensional space.
A moment later, she stepped back out.
Her hands were empty.
The bun had remained inside the space.
Seeing that the space truly could store items, joy flashed across Shen Niao’s eyes.
She hadn’t been lying when she said she intended to find Wu Qingchuan.
Although the original owner’s background appeared simple, it actually wasn’t.
Her mother had once been a wealthy young lady from Shanghai’s elite circles before marrying Shen Niao’s father and moving to Beijing.
The novel mentioned that once the political purge began, someone reported Shen Niao as the descendant of a capitalist family.
She was arrested and imprisoned for a period before eventually being exiled to Beidahuang together with Wu Chengzu’s family.
Wu Qingchuan, meanwhile, was a regiment commander stationed in Yacheng.
It was a remote island surrounded by sea on all sides, making transportation difficult and news slow to arrive.
Furthermore, his unit guarded the nation’s front-line coastal defenses and maintained extremely strict discipline.
No matter how chaotic things became outside, the military base remained as impenetrable as an iron fortress.
Being descended from a capitalist family was a serious liability.
Aside from marrying Wu Qingchuan and receiving the military’s protection, Shen Niao couldn’t think of any better solution.
Besides…
He would die in battle one year later.
As the widow of a fallen hero, she would continue receiving care and protection from the army.
It was easy to understand why Shen Su had insisted on swapping brides.
First, the novel’s Wu Chengzu eventually became the nation’s richest man.
Second, Wu Qingchuan was destined to die.
Third…
Life in Yacheng was genuinely difficult.
Yacheng was a small island with extremely inconvenient transportation.
Every year from July through September, typhoons swept across the island.
Roofs being blown completely off houses was considered perfectly normal.
All military supplies depended on transport ships.
Whenever the weather turned bad, supply ships couldn’t sail, forcing everyone on the island to tighten their belts and endure shortages.
Even though the soldiers reclaimed land to grow crops, life during typhoon season remained incredibly harsh.
Not to mention that in just a few years, nationwide shortages would worsen, and almost everything would require ration coupons.
Living on an isolated island like Yacheng would only become more difficult.
Now that she had confirmed her dimensional space could store supplies, Shen Niao knew exactly what she needed to do next.
Stockpile as many necessities as possible to ensure she would never lack food or clothing.
It was true that the space allowed exchanges between worlds.
However, every trade required both parties to agree.
She couldn’t simply throw random items at someone and expect them to accept.
Shen Niao had no idea what she could successfully trade, nor what the people in other worlds might actually need.
She would have to explore that slowly.
For now…
Her top priority was purchasing supplies.