The money was gone!
Shen Changhe’s teacup slipped from his hand, scalding his legs as the hot tea splashed all over him. He didn’t even care about the burn and asked anxiously, his face pale.
“All… all of it?”
“What money was stolen?” Shen Jia asked, still completely confused.
“It’s gone! Even the box is gone!”
Qiao Fengying wailed as she slapped her thigh.
Besides the wages she and her husband had saved, most of that money had originally belonged to Shen Niao’s parents. They had already spent two thousand yuan as Shen Su’s dowry, and the rest had been carefully saved for their son’s future marriage and their retirement.
Now… everything was gone.
Shen Changhe rushed upstairs and flung open the wardrobe. The hidden compartment where the box had been was completely empty.
“It’s over… it’s all over…”
he muttered weakly.
Standing at the doorway, Shen Jia looked at his sobbing mother and then at his father, who looked as if disaster had struck.
“Dad, Mom, what’s wrong? It’s just stolen money. Can’t we report it to the Public Security Bureau?”
“Yes! Report it—”
“We can’t report it!”
The two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Shen Changhe’s face stiffened.
“We absolutely cannot report it. It’s gone, so let it be. None of you are allowed to tell anyone.”
He absolutely couldn’t call the police.
That sheet of paper recorded everything he had done. If it fell into the authorities’ hands, the comfortable life they enjoyed now would disappear overnight.
All he could do was pray that whoever stole the money couldn’t understand what was written on that paper.
Right… anyone desperate enough to steal money probably wasn’t educated enough to read it.
Thinking that, Shen Changhe finally relaxed a little.
Looking at his bewildered son and unwilling wife, he barked sternly,
“Listen to me! Under no circumstances are we reporting this. If you don’t want to die, do exactly as I say!”
His face was hidden in the darkness, his voice cold and ruthless.
Shen Jia nodded blankly.
No matter how unwilling Qiao Fengying was, she didn’t dare mention calling the police again.
Because of the theft, Shen Jia lost all interest in treating his friends to dinner.
The family ate a hurried meal before going to bed.
Darkness enveloped the entire little villa.
In the silent night, a crisp child’s voice suddenly echoed downstairs.
Thump… thump… thump…
The sound of a ball bouncing drifted through the house.
“Grandma’s head is like a ball…
Kick it all the way to the department store…”
Meanwhile…
March in Beijing still required thick padded jackets.
But in Lucheng, short sleeves were already enough.
After spending three full days on the train, Shen Niao finally arrived.
Fortunately, she had bought a hard sleeper ticket instead of suffering through three days in a hard seat.
When the conductor announced that Lucheng Station was approaching, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing fair wrists as smooth as jade, and leisurely packed her suitcase.
In just three days…
She had gone from 180 jin (90 kg) to 140 jin (70 kg).
All thanks to successfully exchanging for a Marrow Cleansing Pill.
Obtaining that pill had taken considerable effort.
She had tried placing almost everything she owned into the exchange system, but every trade failed.
Finally, out of options, she listed all the books she had taken from the original owner’s room.
Unexpectedly…
A single Chairman Mao badge was exchanged for an entire bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills.
Shen Niao guessed that cultivators in the cultivation world had little desire for worldly possessions.
What they sought instead were objects containing spiritual faith.
The Chairman Mao badge symbolized the purest faith of this era, and cultivators could probably sense that power, making it valuable to them.
Her guess proved correct.
After the first successful trade, the other party repeatedly requested exchanges until every Chairman Mao badge had been traded away.
Even the Little Red Book had been exchanged for two bottles of Mid-Grade Vitality Pills and two bottles of Mid-Grade Healing Pills.
As for those pills…
She simply stored them away.
She had no immediate use for them.
The bottle contained ten Marrow Cleansing Pills.
They weren’t nearly as miraculous as the ones described in fantasy novels where a single pill completely transformed the body.
Over the past three days, Shen Niao had taken four pills.
Each time, her body expelled foul black sludge-like impurities, and afterward she would lose around ten jin (five kilograms).
Her skin also became smoother and fairer each time, making her overall transformation astonishing.
Fortunately, when she first boarded the train, the weather had been cold enough that she wore thick layers of clothing.
As the train traveled farther south toward Lucheng, the weather gradually warmed, allowing her to remove layer after layer.
She also intentionally kept her face covered with a scarf, revealing only her eyes.
Passengers came and went constantly.
Unless someone deliberately watched her, no one would notice the dramatic changes happening to her body.
After packing her luggage, Shen Niao picked up her suitcase and prepared to leave.
Someone suddenly blocked her path.
Song Tianyao raised her chin and frowned at Shen Niao.
Her gaze lingered on Shen Niao’s flawless fair face.
“Hey.”
“What did you put on your face?”
They had boarded the train on the same day.
Back then, Shen Niao had been bundled up like a giant ball, wrapped from head to toe, making people laugh.
Song Tianyao hadn’t paid much attention at first.
But they occupied opposite bunks.
Over the past three days, she had secretly observed Shen Niao.
Every time Shen Niao briefly lifted her scarf…
Her skin became noticeably fairer.
Noticeably smoother.
The acne marks and redness she’d had before gradually disappeared until nothing remained.
Initially, Song Tianyao had mocked how fat Shen Niao looked, even laughing about it with her friends.
She never expected that once the heavy winter clothes came off…
The woman wasn’t actually fat.
She was simply curvy.
In fact…
Her figure was exceptionally attractive.
Now she wore a white blouse tucked into high-waisted black wide-leg trousers.
Her full bust accentuated her slender waist, and whether standing or sitting, she naturally exuded an alluring charm.
Combined with her stunning facial features—
Peach blossom eyes slightly upturned at the corners.
A tiny black beauty mark beneath one eye.
A delicate nose.
Naturally rosy lips.
Though her cheeks still retained a youthful softness, making her look somewhat innocent…
Together with her snowy skin, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Song Tianyao considered herself one of the prettiest performers in the cultural troupe.
Yet standing beside Shen Niao…
She couldn’t compare.
Suppressing the jealousy in her eyes, she inwardly cursed,
What a vixen.
Still…
What concerned her most was what Shen Niao had applied to her face to achieve such dramatic results in only three days.
Song Tianyao herself had suffered from acne throughout puberty, leaving visible scars behind.
Her complexion was naturally dark.
Even after applying Snowflake Cream every day, her skin never became fair.
She was convinced Shen Niao had some miraculous skincare product.
Seeing Shen Niao ignore her, Song Tianyao forced a smile.
“Comrade, would you be willing to sell me some of whatever you’ve been using on your face?”
Shen Niao merely glanced at her indifferently.
Although they hadn’t exchanged a single word over the past three days, Shen Niao had already learned quite a bit.
Judging from her uniform and conversations with her companions, she knew Song Tianyao belonged to a Beijing cultural performance troupe.
They were traveling to various military bases around Lucheng to perform.
The troupe was large enough to occupy several train compartments.
Only Song Tianyao had been assigned to this compartment alone.
Shen Niao still remembered the arrogant look Song Tianyao had given her when they first met.
In this era, both male and female soldiers were highly admired, and female performers in military troupes even more so.
She knew Song Tianyao’s arrogance wasn’t directed solely at her.
She simply looked down on everyone.
So Shen Niao hadn’t cared.
But while Shen Niao didn’t care…
Song Tianyao certainly did.
Back when Shen Niao was bundled up like a bear, Song Tianyao constantly looked at her with obvious disdain.
Once, when the train stopped and Shen Niao stepped outside for some fresh air, she passed the compartment where the troupe members were staying.
From inside…
Laughter erupted.
With Song Tianyao at the center.
Through the train windows, they all stared at Shen Niao with barely concealed malice.
Shen Niao didn’t think she’d done anything to provoke them.
They were simply riding the same train.
Who was inherently more noble than anyone else?
Yet these people acted as though their identities made them superior.
Still…
They had never openly insulted her.
So she couldn’t be bothered wasting time on them.
Now that Song Tianyao had stopped her so rudely…
Shen Niao had no intention of indulging her.
She brushed Song Tianyao’s hand aside and gave her a proud sideways glance.
Song Tianyao cried out in surprise.
Her face immediately twisted with anger as she chased after Shen Niao.
“How can you be so rude? I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me?”
Shen Niao stopped abruptly and turned around.
She was considered tall for women of this era.
Song Tianyao was barely five-foot-three (about 1.6 meters).
Looking down at her with calm, crystal-clear eyes, Shen Niao asked coldly,
“And who exactly do you think you are?”
“Why should I sell it to you?”
After saying that, she rejoined the line of passengers leaving the train.
Behind her…
Song Tianyao’s face twisted with rage, making her otherwise pleasant features look almost ghostly.
“Tianyao! Hurry over and rejoin the group!”
Someone from the troupe called out.
Song Tianyao ignored them.
She rushed forward, grabbed Shen Niao’s suitcase, and shouted loudly,
“You stole my watch! It’s hidden inside your suitcase!”