“Knock, knock, knock~” came a knock at the door. Lin Qianyi got up and went to open it.
“Qianyi, you’re back,” said Sister Lanxiang from next door, holding a basket.
“Oh, it’s you! Come on in,” Lin Qianyi said, letting Sister Lanxiang into the room.
“I’m fine, just brought some vegetables from my home for you,” Sister Lanxiang said, taking some out of the basket.
“No need, you keep them for yourselves. I can’t eat that much alone,” Lin Qianyi said, trying to return them.
“Take them, it’s nothing special. I brought quite a lot,” Sister Lanxiang insisted, refusing to take them back.
“All right, thank you then,” Lin Qianyi said, giving up on pushing them back. She took a bag of sponge cakes from the cupboard and put it into Sister Lanxiang’s basket.
“Hey, don’t give me this,” Sister Lanxiang quickly protested.
“It’s for Xiao Jun to snack on,” Lin Qianyi said, holding Sister Lanxiang’s hand to stop her from taking it back. They tugged a little, and when Sister Lanxiang saw she couldn’t win, she accepted it.
“Qianyi, don’t worry. There’s always a way out of difficulties,” Sister Lanxiang comforted her. She felt helpless too—everyone wanted to help this girl but didn’t know how.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine now. I’ve found a solution,” Lin Qianyi said. She didn’t mention Meng Junchuan yet, since he hadn’t made his move publicly.
“Really? That’s great!” Sister Lanxiang said happily. Seeing Lin Qianyi didn’t elaborate, she didn’t ask further—solving the problem was enough. With things to do at home, she didn’t stay long.
Lin Qianyi returned to her room and began inventorying the original owner’s assets. According to the original’s memory, she found a cookie tin in the cupboard. Inside were several bankbooks.
Opening one, she found 10,000 yuan—compensation from Lin Jiancheng and his wife. This was a huge sum now, but it had cost two lives, both senior engineers. In that context, it wasn’t really a fortune.
Another contained 16,000 yuan—savings accumulated by Lin Jiancheng and his wife. One had only 200 yuan, probably deposited by the original owner. There were also scattered coins and bills, adding up to a few dozen more.
No wonder people coveted the original owner—not only was she pretty, but she also had money. Even without knowing the exact compensation, the parents were senior engineers. After over twenty years of work with few expenses, people could easily guess they had savings.
Lin Qianyi gathered all the money and put it in her space. She didn’t intend to spend the larger sums—Lin Jiancheng and his wife had been orphans of war, educated thanks to patriotic benefactors. Luckily, being war orphans educated in that way kept them safe in a society not always friendly to intellectuals. They had no other children and devoted their lives to their work. Lin Qianyi planned to donate the money later in their name.
She didn’t lack money now. With her space, she had enough to eat and wear. Any future earnings would be extra. Spending the money earned with their lives didn’t feel right—it belonged to Lin Jiancheng and his wife.
The original owner’s 200 yuan and the extra few dozen were left for her own use; otherwise, she’d be penniless.
After checking, she felt a bit tired and went to her room for a nap.
When she woke up, it was already dark. Lin Qianyi closed the doors and windows, drew the curtains, and slipped into her space.
Once inside, she lay on her luohan bed. Ah, her own little nest was still the most comfortable. After lounging a bit, she got up and went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
Opening the fridge, she saw a big pile of ingredients and thought about what to make. Lunch at the state-run restaurant had a lot of meat, but the flavor wasn’t great. Not bad, but her palate was picky, so she hadn’t eaten much.
She decided to fry a steak with some red wine—celebrate her arrival in this world, a “welcome feast” to wipe away the dust of travel. Lin Qianyi chuckled at her own idea. Steak and red wine it was!
She thawed the steak, washed some mushrooms and broccoli, then heated a pan, melted butter, and seared the steak to medium-rare. She cooked the mushrooms and broccoli alongside and plated everything neatly. The red wine had also been properly decanted. She poured a glass, raised it, and said:
“Lin Qianyi, welcome to this era. May you be happy, joyful, and fulfilled. Wherever you are, enjoy life and be grateful for all that you encounter and possess!”
She took a sip of wine, put down the glass, and happily enjoyed her meal. Her cooking skills were solid—the steak was perfectly tender and melted in her mouth. Lin Qianyi ate to her heart’s content.
Satisfied and full, she returned to the main room, sprawled on the luohan bed, and browsed her tablet. She decided to watch more cooking videos—she’d need to rely on herself now, no more aunties to cook for her. Lin Qianyi loved good food, and she used to download cooking videos for the house staff to follow and prepare for her.
Feeling inspired, Lin Qianyi often liked to cook a few dishes herself. After digesting her meal, she went to the west wing of the house—her room.
She entered the bathroom, filled her comfortable bathtub with water, and added a bit of the spiritual spring water. She opened a glass jar filled with dried flowers, took a handful, and sprinkled them into the water. Then she began a luxurious soak. It was incredibly comfortable—maybe it was the spiritual spring water—but once she submerged herself, her whole body felt relaxed and all fatigue vanished.
After the bath, Lin Qianyi noticed her skin had become even smoother and more delicate. She was overjoyed. No matter where a woman is, the love of beauty never fades.
She took out a needle and thread to make minor adjustments to the outfit she planned to wear tomorrow. The original owner’s clothes were all loose, shapeless styles. But the original owner had a well-proportioned figure, much like Lin Qianyi’s in her previous life. That’s why the original owner always wore oversized clothes to hide her body.
Lin Qianyi had no intention of compromising herself. She had always been accustomed to beauty and couldn’t tolerate looking ugly. She didn’t plan to wear overly revealing clothes in this era, but she also didn’t want to wear a giant sack. Adding a bit of tailoring to accentuate her waist was perfectly fine.
After trying on the modified outfit, Lin Qianyi was quite satisfied. The style was the same, but now it fit her body better, looking elegant and giving her a taller appearance. She wasn’t short—her height was 1.68 meters.
After finishing, Lin Qianyi looked at her comfortable bed and hesitated—should she sleep in her space or go out to sleep? She decided to go out. Safety came first; she needed to get used to life here.
Lin Qianyi tidied up, slipped out of her space, and obediently slept on the bed in her room.