After a good night’s sleep, the mother and daughter woke up and began planning the supplies and itinerary for heading south.
Everything had to be prepared with a backup plan. After all, it was uncertain whether her father’s old friends could still manage to buy train tickets at this time.
Food and clothing had to be arranged in advance. Money couldn’t be kept in boxes—it would be too easy to steal—so it needed to be sewn into the corners of their clothes.
The two gold hairpins in her hair couldn’t be worn anymore either. They were too beautiful and eye-catching. As for the cloak they had brought from the residence, they could sew an extra layer onto it so it could double as both a cloak and a blanket.
Some of the gold and silver were sewn into the cloak, and some into the lining of the daughter’s padded jacket. As for the shoes, they tucked entire silver dollars (Yuan Datou coins) into the soles, using them as makeshift height-increasing insoles.
After a full day of busy work—sewing and patching—they distributed their money and valuables into various hidden spots in their coats, clothes, and pants. To avoid drawing attention, they even patched up their decent clothes until they looked worn and shabby.
He Youyou kept six silver dollars for herself and gave two to her daughter as pocket money, telling her to buy any snacks she wanted. After that, she headed out.
She planned to wait until evening, when there were fewer people on the streets, to go look for her father’s old friend. Though she wasn’t at ease leaving her daughter alone at home, it was already dusk, and taking a young child out would be inconvenient. She had no choice but to lock the doors tightly from both inside and out.
Looking at the key in her hand, she suddenly remembered—they were about to leave, yet the house hadn’t been sold. She would have to plan carefully and see if that “uncle” could help sell it.
The money from selling the house could be used to buy train tickets, while the money she had originally set aside for tickets could serve as travel expenses for the mother and daughter.
Ping City had textile factories, a power plant, a thermos factory, a soap factory, a battery factory, and a meat processing plant. Most of these had originally belonged to the Qu family. During the war, Old Master Qu—Qu Weiwei’s grandfather—had wisely handed them all over to the state.
The title of “richest family in Ping City” had been established during the old master’s lifetime. He had thoughtfully paved the way for his son before passing away.
But who could have expected that his son wouldn’t follow that path? Instead, he spent his days taking concubines, supporting opera performers, and indulging in a life of pleasure.
In just a few short years after the old master’s death, more than half of the family fortune had been squandered by this prodigal son. Recently, upon hearing that liberation was coming, he even planned to abandon his ancestral roots and flee abroad with his family.
But fate had other plans. His carefully laid scheme was ruined by one of his concubines and the steward. When he saw the family home burning, he didn’t hesitate—he turned and ran.
Within days, he had used his connections to secure a ticket to go abroad. Taking whatever valuables he had already moved out, he abandoned his wife and children and boarded a ship, leaving the country behind.
A complete coward and scumbag.
And yet, he had a handsome face. Back then, the main wife had fallen for that very face, even going against her family to marry him.
In Ping City, society still resembled the old hierarchical structure—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants at the very bottom. So even though the Qu family was the richest in the city, the Zhang family still looked down on them.
If Zhang Sumei hadn’t fallen for his looks and insisted on marrying him, the Qu family would never have been able to climb into that social circle, no matter how wealthy they were.
Zhang Sumei loved his face, but he despised her, often calling her ugly. Still, no matter how she looked, she was a member of the Zhang family.
After all, the Zhang family controlled Ping City—the equivalent of a provincial governor today. Many people sought to curry favor with them; they didn’t lack for suitors. The Qu family just happened to be the richest among them.
Of course, marrying a daughter of the Zhang family meant offering substantial tribute every year. After all, the Qu family still carried the title of the richest in Ping City.
Now that liberation was coming, the head of the Zhang family had been demoted and exiled. Their influence in Ping City had collapsed, and political enemies seized the opportunity to suppress them.
Taking advantage of a chance to alter records, Zhang Sumei changed the identities of her two nephews and took them away, along with a portion of the family’s wealth—though none of it could be displayed openly.
With the family under pressure, the younger generation would inevitably be implicated. Changing their identities and taking them away would spare them trouble and preserve at least some of the family line.
When Qu Weiwei heard that the Zhang family had fallen from power and been imprisoned, she felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
The main wife had always put on airs in the household. Once, just for talking back to her eldest legitimate daughter, the young girl had been forced to kneel in the freezing snow for over an hour—her knees nearly crippled.
There were many such incidents. Whenever something went wrong, it was always blamed on the children of concubines. The main wife used contracts of servitude to control the concubines and frequently extorted offerings from them.
Before the arrival of the Fifth Concubine, her own mother had suffered the most. Among all the women in the household, she was the youngest and the most beautiful.
The main wife had always been jealous of younger, prettier concubines and constantly made life difficult for them. After all, that philandering man would leave home for one or two months at a time, sometimes even forgetting where his home was. With no one to restrain her, the main wife bullied others without mercy.
Earlier that day, Qu Weiwei had overheard gossip on the streets that members of the Zhang family had been thrown into prison. It made her itch with curiosity—she wanted to go see the Zhang residence for herself.
After all, they had been the city rulers for so many years. They must have accumulated plenty of valuables. It would be a waste to let those things fall into others’ hands.
So after her mother left, she planned to secretly make a trip to the Zhang residence. She had already asked around for its address when they returned from eating earlier. As the home of the city’s ruler, it was surely grand and luxurious—easy to find.
In Ping City, there were two most beautiful mansions: one belonged to the city governor, and the other to the richest family—the Qu family.
Now that the Qu residence had been burned to ruins, the most magnificent one left was the Zhang residence.
As soon as her mother left, Qu Weiwei quickly climbed over the courtyard wall and slipped out. Since it was evening, there were few people on the streets. The occasional passerby hurried along, paying no attention to this little figure dressed like a ragged beggar.
She made her way smoothly to the most beautiful mansion in Ping City. The residence was a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with large courtyards enclosing smaller ones.
Just like the Qu residence, each wife had her own courtyard. Naturally, those of higher status had larger and more luxurious quarters.
For example, the main wife occupied the largest courtyard in the rear, lavishly decorated and the most splendid of all.
After the Zhang family was brought down, they were immediately arrested and taken away. Since the official responsible for their downfall hadn’t yet arrived, no one dared to enter the Zhang residence or touch anything inside.
— Provided by the author Jun Yaling