Xiao Hongmin lowered her head and fell silent.
Although Grandma Xiao was getting on in years, she was not confused. She stared at her granddaughter. “Second girl, you’ve known about Song Kuoyang’s family situation for a long time. It’s not something you just found out. Why are you only picking faults with him now? Is there something else you’re hiding from us?”
Seeing that Xiao Hongmin still refused to tell the truth, Xiao Yuanyang could not hold back any longer. “She and Liang Tian have gotten back together. I went out to look for her this afternoon and found the two of them arguing and pulling at each other in an alley…”
The Xiao family members looked at one another. They were silent for several seconds, seemingly unable to understand how Second Sister could possibly go back to such an unreliable ex as Liang Tian.
“Xiao Hongmin, you have no sense!”
“Things ended so badly between you two before, and now you’re shamelessly getting back together with him? You’re not afraid of embarrassing yourself, but I am!”
“His whole family dotes on his younger brother, and he’s a gambler. You can marry anyone, but you absolutely cannot marry a gambler!”
“Second girl, for a woman, marriage is like being given a second chance at life. Marry the wrong man, and you’ll suffer for the rest of your life.”
…
Xiao Hongmin’s eyes turned red from all the criticism. “He’s not a gambler. He was just driven to it because his family made him angry. He only gambled a couple of times. He promised he’ll never gamble again. He’ll hand over his entire salary after we get married, and everything at home will be up to me.”
Xiao Yuanming stood up helplessly. “You actually believe what a gambler promises?”
It was already getting dark, and Xiao Yuanming did not want to get involved anymore. He took the bag of fried peanuts his mother had prepared for him and a jar of fried spicy pickled vegetables, then rode his bicycle away first.
Half of the Xiao family continued scolding her, while the other half tried to persuade her, hoping she would change her mind.
Xiao Hongyao remained silent. This was not really a situation where she had any say. According to the original story, Xiao Hongmin eventually stubbornly married Liang Tian.
Fortunately, Liang Tian behaved fairly well after they married and did not gamble again. As for whether they were truly happy, the original novel never mentioned it.
The Fireworks Factory Family Compound of the 1980s mainly tells the story of how several families connected to Anyang City’s fireworks factory experienced changes in their lives. The daughter of the Third Uncle and Third Aunt, who was still in university, was one of the main characters, and their family received considerably more attention in the novel. The other members of the Xiao family were supporting characters.
In the original novel, Xiao Hongmin’s broken engagement was mainly used to introduce the novel’s biggest antagonist, Song Kuoyang.
Song Kuoyang was not a traditional villain. Readers called him an antagonist because he eventually drove the state-owned Anyang Fireworks Factory, which the protagonists depended on for their livelihoods, into bankruptcy.
In 1986, according to the novel, Song Kuoyang was framed by a malicious colleague and angrily resigned. He went south to Dongguan and became a technician at a large local fireworks factory.
By 1989, after accumulating enough resources, Song Kuoyang left his job and started his own business. He opened a privately owned fireworks factory. Because he possessed a secret formula, he later developed and produced unique specialty fireworks that became extremely popular, making him very wealthy.
In 1992, Song Kuoyang returned to his hometown and opened a branch factory, becoming the biggest competitor of the state-owned Anyang Fireworks Factory.
Unfortunately, under Song Kuoyang’s fierce competition, the Anyang Fireworks Factory eventually went bankrupt, forcing its workers to leave their jobs and find new ways to make a living.
In the end, the land occupied by the family compound was sold to Song Kuoyang. The protagonists gradually moved away and began new lives elsewhere.
Song Kuoyang was the villain—and also the biggest financial winner.
“We’re suddenly demanding to break off the engagement. How are we supposed to explain this to Aunt Liu and Song Yanzhen?”
The Aunt Liu mentioned by her eldest aunt was the matchmaker, while Song Yanzhen was Song Kuoyang’s aunt.
Xiao Hongmin said matter-of-factly, “Just return the betrothal gifts to them.”
Third Aunt clicked her tongue. “That sounds easy when you say it. Song Yanzhen is rushing to find Song Kuoyang a wife because they’re planning to get married and qualify for a new apartment before the end of the year.”
The fireworks factory had built a new residential building for its employees, but young workers could not qualify for an apartment unless they were married.
During this era, housing was a top priority for every family.
“Liang Tian is probably rushing to get back together with you for the same reason—to qualify for housing! Don’t be foolish, Second Sister.”
But Xiao Hongmin refused to listen.
There was nothing the family could do about it.
*
Xiao Hongyao lay in bed, unable to sleep.
The image of her older sister being swept away by the tsunami kept flashing through her mind.
When Xiao Hongyao was six, both of her parents died. Her older sister, Xiao Hongjin, was six years older than her, and the two sisters were raised by their grandmother.
When their grandmother died, Xiao Hongyao was still in high school. By then, her older sister had already started working and had protected her so well that Xiao Hongyao had never suffered much hardship in life.
Her sister was cheerful and innocent, sometimes even a little clueless. When they were young, she had no idea how to protect her own interests, so her sister often teased her by calling her a useless little fool.
Not long after Xiao Hongyao graduated from university and started working, disaster struck. Under extreme cold weather, the apocalypse descended upon the world.
At the time, she and her sister were hiding in an emergency shelter. With supplies extremely scarce, they relied on her sister’s formidable abilities to obtain some provisions. They survived the extreme cold and eventually faced a drastic reversal in the weather.
After the extreme cold came severe drought. The sisters endured countless hardships before finally reaching the coast, where water was still available, and struggled to survive by moving between various survivor bases.
During those years, Xiao Hongyao grew rapidly. Although her sister would sometimes still affectionately call her a useless little fool, she had already transformed from an innocent young woman into a ruthless little wolf beside a sharp-fanged, battle-hardened one.
She mastered all kinds of survival skills in order to obtain more supplies.
During this time, her sister suffered a serious accident. Her right leg was fractured, and she lost hearing in her right ear, leaving her partially disabled.
They had barely survived the drought and had not even had time to catch their breath when the tsunami came without warning.
It struck so suddenly that her sister was swept away before either of them could react. Xiao Hongyao was thrown against a stone pillar.
There was no fresh water, no food—only an endless ocean and swollen, floating corpses.
She endured for five days.
On the sixth day, when the sun rose, she suddenly discovered that the seawater churning beneath the stone pillar had turned into milk!
It was milky white, rolling toward her in waves and giving off a rich, creamy aroma.
Filled with hope, she crawled toward the milk, eventually tumbling off the stone pillar…
Just when she thought she was finally going to drink the milk, she choked on water and was tossed helplessly about in the raging waves.
A man as beautiful as a heavenly deity swam toward her and grabbed her.
Like someone clinging to the last straw of salvation, she held on to him tightly.
Not long afterward, she passed out.
At the moment she lost consciousness, a virtual screen appeared in her mind. Chinese characters floated across it.
【Welcome to the Transmigration Bureau.】
【Because you once rescued our bureau’s special envoy, the Fox Ambassador, we are giving you a small gift.】
Rescued a fox fairy?
The only thing Xiao Hongyao remembered was a husky she and her sister had rescued at the beginning of the apocalypse.
That husky had been a fox in disguise?
No wonder her adorable husky had suddenly disappeared without a trace. So that was what had happened…
【You may now enter the novel you once read, The Fireworks Factory Family Compound of the 1980s, and become Xiao Hongyao, a character in the story. Would you like to accept this gift?】
Not sure whether she was dreaming, Xiao Hongyao did not think too much about it and happily accepted.
After she clicked the “Yes” button, several more lines appeared on the virtual screen.
【To thank you for your kindness, the Transmigration Bureau is giving you another benefit. If your personal assets exceed three million US dollars within three years after entering the novel, you may return to your original world with 30% of your assets.】
【The timeline in your original world will be one month before the apocalypse begins. You will have the opportunity to change the fate of yourself and your family.】
Xiao Hongyao read those two paragraphs several times.
In other words, as long as she could earn three million dollars within three years, she could return to her original world and save herself and her sister before the apocalypse arrived.
With enough time and money, she could stockpile sufficient supplies and find a suitable place to use as a shelter. Then she and her sister might be able to avoid the disasters that would come later.
There was no need to think about it.
She could do it!
Xiao Hongyao was ecstatic. She only prayed that this was not a dream.
【If your personal assets reach ten million US dollars within three years after entering the novel, you may return to your original world with 50% of your assets.】
There was no button to choose from.
Xiao Hongyao could only silently repeat, “I accept. I accept.”
Not long afterward, Xiao Hongyao regained consciousness and discovered that she was lying on the shore, surrounded by many people.
“She’s awake! She’s awake! Goodness, that silly girl from the Xiao family is really lucky to have survived.”
She had not been dreaming.
She had really transmigrated into the novel.
After the initial excitement faded and her rationality returned, Xiao Hongyao realized that the “benefit” given by the system was almost impossible to achieve.
During this era, even people with ten thousand yuan in savings were extremely rare. For an ordinary person, saving ten thousand yuan was already incredibly difficult.
How could an ordinary person possibly accumulate three million US dollars?
How much was three million US dollars in RMB? She did not even know what the exchange rate was during this period.
But no matter what the exchange rate was, it was still an astronomical amount.
In her original world, she had been a useless little fool protected by her sister, with absolutely no experience in making money. Although she had grown tremendously alongside her sister after the apocalypse began, most of what she had learned involved survival skills and dealing with people—not how to make money.
She had no confidence that she could ever earn that much.
This system was way too heartless! What kind of reward was this?
After mentally cursing the system to pieces, she could not help thinking that having hope was still better than having none.
Perhaps she really could see her sister again.
At least, after today’s “battle,” she already had more than three thousand yuan in her hands.
Was that considered a pretty good starting point?
But compared with three million dollars, the gap was still unbelievably huge.
She could not help cursing the heartless system hundreds of times in her mind.
Beside her, Grandma Xiao was sleeping soundly.
Xiao Hongyao turned over and faced the wall.
*
Early the next morning, Xiao Hongyao went into her eldest aunt and second sister’s room to persuade her second sister.
After all, Song Kuoyang would become the richest and most successful man in the original novel. Xiao Hongyao felt that she had to persuade her sister not to miss this opportunity.
It would not only benefit her second sister—it could benefit Xiao Hongyao herself as well.
If Song Kuoyang became her brother-in-law, perhaps she could benefit from his success and find a way to earn those three million dollars.
“Second Sister, Song Kuoyang is actually a pretty good person,” Xiao Hongyao said.
She had never met Song Kuoyang, so she could not really say what was good about him. She could only bluff half-seriously, “A fortune-teller said he has an extraordinary destiny. He’s definitely going to become rich and successful in the future…”
Xiao Hongmin, who was combing her hair, glanced at her. “Are you very familiar with him? How do you know the fortune-teller said he would become rich?”
The original Xiao Hongyao had absolutely no connection with Song Kuoyang, either at work or in her personal life.
Xiao Hongyao could only make something up. “I heard it from some coworkers at the workshop.”
“You really believe everything people tell you. You’re so gullible. Since you think Song Kuoyang is so good, would you marry him if you were asked to?”
“Huh?”
Xiao Hongyao had never considered that question.
Marry Song Kuoyang?
She still had not figured out a way to make money. If she married someone who knew how to make money, the temptation was certainly strong.
Without hiding her thoughts, Xiao Hongyao answered, “I could marry him.”
In theory, she could.
But there was one problem: she only planned to stay in this world for three years. The future was full of too many unknowns, so she could not casually get married.
Xiao Hongmin glanced at her.
She assumed her younger sister had been hurt by Pan Yunsong’s betrayal and wanted to marry anyone just to get over it.
She reached out and gently rubbed Xiao Hongyao’s head.
“If you’re going to get married, marry a man you truly love. Just like I want to marry Liang Tian. It’s not because Song Kuoyang is good or bad. It’s because I love Liang Tian. Do you understand?”
Xiao Hongyao shook her head slightly.
She did not understand, nor did she want to.
At this point, she did not need love.
“Don’t worry about my affairs anymore. You should get a good night’s sleep tonight. In the future, find a man who is ten thousand times better than Pan Yunsong and marry him. Live a happy life.”
Xiao Hongyao smiled and nodded.
She stopped trying to persuade her.
Her second sister wanted to marry for love, and there was nothing Xiao Hongyao could say to change her mind.