Zhang Cuihua was trembling from head to toe, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
She didn’t dare utter a single word.
“Stand up straight.”
Shen Youchu suddenly raised her voice.
Her jade-like fingers pinched Zhang Cuihua’s chin, forcing the chattering to stop.
“Now tell me. Where are the things I’m looking for?”
This time, Zhang Cuihua finally gave in.
Shaking violently, she pointed toward the bed inside the room.
“I-It’s in the safe underneath the mattress. But I don’t know the combination…”
She wasn’t lying.
Despite spending all day glued to Zong Huaiyu’s side, he had never trusted her with anything valuable. Even if she wanted to spend three or five yuan, she had to ask his permission first.
Shen Youchu casually tossed Zhang Cuihua onto the floor.
With one kick she flipped the mattress aside.
Sure enough, a safe was hidden underneath.
Within moments she cracked the combination.
The ease with which she did it made it seem as though she were opening her own safe.
Inside was only a thick manila envelope.
The first item Shen Youchu pulled out was a bankbook.
Balance: 100,000 yuan.
The account holder’s name was none other than Shen Youchu.
Clearly, her mother had intentionally left it for her.
Inside the envelope was also a silk pouch stuffed full of military medals and commendations.
The rest consisted of:
Every beneficiary listed was Shen Youchu.
At the very bottom sat an old yellowed envelope and a household registration booklet.
Nothing else.
Seeing all this, Shen Youchu finally understood why her scumbag father had kept the original owner around.
There was simply too much money involved.
More importantly, Shen Youchu was only seventeen years old.
Had she transmigrated just one year later, someone as timid as the original owner would likely have lost everything to that old bastard.
“Perfect timing.”
Shen Youchu clasped her hands behind her back, thoroughly pleased.
While Zhang Cuihua wasn’t paying attention, she quietly stored everything inside her space.
She then closed the safe, put the mattress back in place, and casually shoved the broken lock back into the door.
Fixing it properly?
Not a chance.
As far as Shen Youchu was concerned, the cleanup job was flawless.
Then she turned toward Zhang Cuihua with a wicked grin.
“Hehehe… your turn.”
“W-What are you doing?”
Zhang Cuihua scrambled backward.
“You already got what you wanted! You can’t hurt me anymore!”
Shen Youchu cracked her knuckles.
According to the original owner’s memories, Zhang Cuihua was illiterate.
Perfect.
Today she’d suffer because of it.
“Nonsense.”
“You helped me tremendously. Why would I hurt you?”
Actions spoke louder than words.
With one chop, Shen Youchu knocked her unconscious.
Then she dragged Zhang Cuihua into the master bedroom and placed her beside the bald doctor.
Next came the setup.
She disheveled both their clothing.
Placed them together on the bed.
Then she grabbed a pillow and used a specialized technique to injure their vocal cords without leaving visible external injuries.
Neither would become mute.
But speaking for the next month or two?
Forget it.
That was one of the many useful tricks she’d learned over years of military service.
To prevent the bald doctor from writing anything down, she also manipulated the joints in his fingers.
Only after finishing did she thoughtfully tuck both of them under a blanket, close the bedroom door, and leave.
Just as Shen Youchu returned to her room, Zong Huaiyu arrived home with reinforcements.
Moments later, furious shouting echoed throughout the villa.
Words like:
“How dare you!”
“Adulterous dogs!”
filled the air.
Shen Youchu had no interest in watching the drama unfold.
She locked her door and entered her space once again.
The crops she’d planted that morning had already grown dramatically.
“Hmm. Looks like the spirit field really is miraculous for ordinary crops.”
The bigger problem was how to make use of these resources.
After all, she was living in an era filled with restrictions.
As a person from the future, she didn’t actually know enough history to accurately predict major events or capitalize on upcoming opportunities.
Her knowledge of this era came entirely from the original owner’s limited memories.
After thinking briefly, she decided not to worry about it.
At least survival wasn’t a problem anymore.
The future could wait.
Descending to the first level of her space, Shen Youchu sprawled comfortably atop the broad back of the Golden Bull.
One leg crossed over the other.
A stalk of immature wheat hanging from her mouth.
Life couldn’t get much better.
By now she understood the space fairly well.
With a single thought, Master Awesome Hermit could instantly deliver anything inside the space directly to her.
As expected, the old man soon approached carrying a yellowed envelope.
“Master, this is what you requested.”
Of everything she had obtained today, this old letter interested Shen Youchu the most.
Anything stored together with so many treasures had to be important.
The paper was incredibly old.
The sheets had nearly fused together with age.
After considerable effort, she finally managed to unfold it.
The contents were surprisingly brief:
Jiang City, No. 1 Zulong Street.
Any descendant of the Shen Family who presents this letter may request one favor from the descendants of the Long Family.
The Long Family shall spare no effort in fulfilling that request.
Signed: Long Aotian
Below the signature was a red seal bearing a dragon emblem.
“Holy crap. What is this?”
Shen Youchu sat upright immediately.
She had no idea how powerful the Long Family actually was.
Yet the letter somehow radiated the aura of something extremely important.
For someone to make such a promise—and for the Shen Family to preserve it like a treasure—it couldn’t be ordinary.
Carefully folding the letter, she handed it back to Master Awesome Hermit.
“This is important. Keep it safe.”
The old man accepted it respectfully.
“Rest assured, Master. Time does not exist inside this space. As long as the letter remains here, it will never suffer the erosion of age again.”
“Perfect.”
Shen Youchu nodded.
Just as she was about to leave the space, Master Awesome Hermit stopped her.
In his hands was something resembling a dried plum.
“Master, since today marks your first use of the storage function—and your harvest was exceptionally fruitful—the Awesome Plus Space hereby awards you one Mimic Fruit.”
“Please continue stockpiling diligently. Additional random rewards may be obtained in the future.”
Shen Youchu’s eyes widened.
“Now that’s a pleasant surprise.”
The moment she accepted the fruit, a system panel appeared.
[Item Description]
Mimic Fruit
Quality: Common
Ability: Perfectly imitate a designated person’s voice, handwriting, and appearance for five minutes.
Similarity: 100%
Cooldown: 30 days
(Cannot be used again until one month after activation.)
Turning the plum-sized fruit over in her palm, a sudden idea flashed through Shen Youchu’s mind.
A smile spread across her face.
She borrowed the household registration booklet from Master Awesome Hermit.
Then, with a thought, she exited the space.
Outside, Zong Huaiyu was still causing chaos.
He had even hung Zhang Cuihua and the bald doctor from a tree in the backyard.
Both were battered and bruised, eyes red from crying.
Yet neither could utter a single sound.
Breathing heavily, Zong Huaiyu brandished a belt.
Four burly thugs stood beside him.
“Speak!”
“Why aren’t you talking?!”
“Do you believe I’ll beat you two adulterous dogs to death?!”
Nearby, sisters Zong Sisi and Zong Xiaxia were sobbing.
They shook the suspended Zhang Cuihua desperately.
“Mom! What happened?!”
“Say something!”
“Dad’s really going to kill you!”
The entire Shen household had descended into complete chaos.
No one even noticed Shen Youchu calmly walking out the front door.
It was her first time leaving the house.
The streets were paved with uneven stone slabs.
Old mailboxes stood rusting by the roadside.
Glass display windows of state-owned stores reflected the afternoon sun.
Everything she saw was steeped in the heavy atmosphere of a bygone era.
Using the original owner’s memories and asking a few pedestrians for directions, Shen Youchu eventually arrived at her destination:
The Educated Youth Office.
Standing at the entrance, she lightly slapped the household registration booklet against her palm.
Looking up at the office sign, she smiled.
“A house full of parasites…”
“Today, this young lady is going to give you all a very special gift.”