Street thugs can’t pretend to be noble!
The vendor nicknamed “Uneven Eyes” shivered and fumbled out another wrinkled roll of tickets, trembling as he stuffed it back into the battered basket in front of him.
“Tch, what a filthy bunch.”
Ruan An’an curled her lips in disdain, casually tapping the gun muzzle, and said, “Scram, next!”
Search them? She didn’t want to touch their filth. Who knew what lice or fleas might be hiding in these rotten people’s pants?
With “Uneven Eyes” as a living example, all the other vendors who had sold to Ruan An’an turned pale and scrambled to shove money into the basket to buy their lives.
Afraid that if they were even a second too slow, the black muzzle would press against their heads.
Ruan An’an flicked her toe at the limp “Uneven Eyes,” crushing his shoulder lightly with her embroidered shoe.
She lifted her chin toward the basket full of money, her voice cold as shards of ice: “Count it. How much in total? Hurry up!”
Ten minutes later, Uneven Eyes reported the total.
A cold smile tugged at Ruan An’an’s lips.
She had spent just over three thousand, and now had thirteen thousand in return.
This deal—making a fortune with nothing invested—was even sweeter than catching fish with bare hands!
Her first taste of “profit without capital” in the 1970s.
With a wave of her hand, the money in the basket vanished without a trace.
“Wha—what… it’s really gone?!”
Someone screamed, eyes wide as saucers.
“A ghost… a female ghost! Definitely a debt-collecting ghost!”
Panic spread through the crowd like a plague.
Uneven Eyes, being stepped on, saw it most clearly: the money had disappeared right before his eyes.
He trembled violently, a heat spreading in his pants, an unmistakable stench filling the air.
Ruan An’an: “…………”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust and nudged the collapsed slimeball aside with her toe.
“Such pathetic little tricks, and you dare to try playing black-on-black?”
“Goddess! Goddess, spare me!”
Uneven Eyes fell to his knees with a thud, bowing and kowtowing furiously, snot and tears smeared across his face.
“I didn’t know who I was messing with! I didn’t realize a celestial being like you would come to this filthy place to shop! Had I known, I wouldn’t have dared try scheming against you even with a hundred lives!”
Ruan An’an, bored with his cowardice, glanced at the items she’d bought and deliberately dragged out her tone: “Alright, consider yourself lucky. I’m in a good mood today, feeling merciful, so I’ll let you live.”
She paused, her voice suddenly dropping: “But… I’m going to cast a spell to collect my things. Mortals who watch may, at best, lose their minds; at worst… hehe, their souls will scatter! Anyone who doesn’t want to die, turn around! And whoever dares to peek…”
She stretched the last word, and the gun’s bolt clicked lightly, full of threat.
“Y-yes! Don’t dare!”
Uneven Eyes spun 180 degrees on the spot, face pressed against the wall.
The others shivered like autumn leaves and did the same, all obediently facing the wall.
Seeing this flock of cowards turned into wall-facing quails, Ruan An’an wasted no time.
Her hands moved swiftly, her mind calculating, and all the goods on the floor vanished into her space in an instant.
Thought that was it? Think again!
Ruan An’an sneered and pulled out three heavy old copper locks from her space—the very same three Li Ying had used to lock her family’s basement!
She had seen them clearly while “wandering” inside earlier.
The back doors and windows had been nailed shut with thick planks from the outside, leaving only the main gate as an opening.
Now, locking the main gate? Perfect—trap set, fish caught in a jar!
These days, running a black market was “speculation and profiteering”: at best, you lose everything; at worst, you get eaten alive.
Especially a place like this, with Uneven Eyes and his obvious gang occupying the abandoned factory—a cancer in Haishi!
Today, Ruan An’an acted as heaven’s justice.
She locked the door, found a quiet corner, and pulled out paper and pen from her space, quickly drafting a report.
She detailed the time and scale of Uneven Eyes’ gang operating the black market in the abandoned factory.
Then, covering her face, she stepped lightly and slipped the report into the security team’s mail slot.
After leaving, she took a convoluted route, slipping into a dead-end alley.
The red cotton coat, green scarf, and coarse shoes vanished in an instant.
She changed into a fine cashmere coat, polished shoes gleaming, and briskly headed to the militia corps, handing in a “lost dowry inventory.”
At the end of the list was the Zhou family’s gold-stamped seal.
The Zhou family’s seal was gone!
Even if Uneven Eyes’ gang somehow got out and tried to retaliate later, they would never be able to trace it to the Zhou family.
As for the fierce “Auntie”? Who knows which divine being that was…
Once everything was settled, she went to Zhou’s house to collect the keys to Boss Zhou’s suburban villa as agreed.
This villa held half a lifetime of wealth accumulated by Boss Zhou, said to be even more lavish than the Ruan family’s.
Zhou Huai’an looked much healthier, the ashen look of a dying man gone, his complexion a warm, healthy tan.
Ruan An’an knew why—this old man had clearly been sneaking her plum wine!
Otherwise, with just a few doses of azithromycin, he couldn’t have recovered so quickly.
“An’an! Finally, you’re here!”
Zhou Huai’an beamed, waving affectionately. “Your medicine is miraculous! You really helped me a lot! But… sigh, knowing you’ll soon leave with the army, my heart feels empty…”
“Uncle Zhou…”
Ruan An’an immediately switched to her sweetest smile, taking small steps over, patting his shoulders gently, voice soft and melodic: “Don’t worry. In a few years, I’ll definitely come back! By then, you have to cook your famous plum spareribs for me! I’ve been craving them!”
“Alright! Alright! I’ll make them for you!” Zhou Huai’an’s heart soared with joy.
“I’ll steam a fresh sea bass for you too! I remember you’ve loved it since you were little!”
The original owner not only shared her name but also her tastes.
Plum spareribs, steamed sea bass… just thinking about it made Ruan An’an’s mouth water.
“Pfft…”
Hearing her audible slurp, Zhou Huai’an couldn’t help laughing, shaking his head indulgently. “You greedy little girl, just like when you were a child! But today, you won’t find any fresh sea bass!”
“Brother,” Zhou Huaquan interrupted, “it’s late. An’an still has important matters to handle.”
“Right, right! How forgetful of me!”
Zhou Huai’an patted his head, hastily handing Ruan An’an a heavy bunch of keys, his expression serious.
“An’an, be careful moving things! Money is dead, people are alive! Losing items doesn’t matter, but you must stay safe!”
Ruan An’an nodded vigorously, her gaze clear and sincere: “Don’t worry, Uncle. I know what’s important. Once the situation settles, I’ll return everything intact. I’ll even stock the villa with the best plum wine and my handmade pickled radish and cucumbers. You and uncle can collect them yourselves!”
Her words were perfect—expressing loyalty while subtly reassuring them of the safety of the items and her future filial offerings.
Zhou Huai’an and Zhou Huaquan exchanged glances, deeply moved.
They had worried she was too young to handle such matters, but seeing her flawless handling of the Xu family, they realized—this girl had grown up!
Ruthless, precise, leaving no loose ends.
Her mind was even sharper and more meticulous than the old Master Ruan’s had been!
Handing the Zhou family’s estate to her, they could rest easy.
Ruan An’an rode the Zhou family’s “28-inch Da Gang” bicycle to the suburban villa.
Opening the thick locks on the warehouse doors, even she, confident in her experience, was stunned.
What greeted her were neatly stacked sandalwood crates, almost reaching the ceiling.
Prying open a corner of one crate, the golden glow nearly blinded her.
Packed full—small yellow croakers!
One crate, two crates… just a rough glance, not less than a hundred crates!
Ruan An’an gasped, finally understanding why in the original story the Zhou brothers were so easily manipulated by the female protagonist.
This wasn’t just hoarding; it was a live target!
A death warrant! A lever that could cost the entire family their heads!
No time to waste.
She focused, her mind enveloping the entire warehouse.
Moments later, the massive warehouse was empty, even the dust meticulously cleared.
By the time she finished, dusk had just fallen.
Ruan An’an drank several sips of cool, sweet spirit spring water to relieve her fatigue and hopped back on the sturdy “28-inch Da Gang.”
Turning the handlebars, she rode home.
The night wind brushed against the collar of her cashmere coat, carrying a sharp chill.
Now… it was time to deal with Su Qingyue.
Old grudges and new, all settled at once.