The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, a cold wind blew through. Zhang Xue turned over on the icy floor, instinctively wrapping the quilt around herself for warmth—but her hands grasped nothing.
Startled by the chill, she sneezed. Opening her eyes, she saw the empty room and thought she must be dreaming. But when she looked again, the room was still completely empty. Terrified, she screamed and shook Cheng Daqing.
“Daqing! Daqing! Wake up! Something’s happened!”
Her sharp, piercing voice cut through the early morning quiet.
Cheng Daqing, already annoyed at being woken up before he was ready to get up, was about to curse, but when he opened his eyes and saw the empty room, he was also shocked.
He shot upright. Having slept on the cold floor all night, his bones ached, and he nearly threw out his back.
His eyes went wide. “W-what’s going on?! Did someone break in? And they… they cleaned us out completely?!”
The scariest part? The house had been robbed so thoroughly, and neither of them had heard a thing.
Cheng Daqing instinctively rushed to the hiding place where he kept his secret stash of money. His trembling hands pried off the loose brick, only to find it empty. He slammed his fists on his chest and cursed loudly: “Who the hell did this?! They even took my secret money!”
At this point, Zhang Xue couldn’t care about his stash. She scrambled up in a panic. “Quick, see what else they took!”
She flung open the bedroom door and froze. The living room and dining room were completely emptied—anything that could be moved was gone. The house was stripped bare; not a single curtain remained, not even the door panels.
“Damn it…” Zhang Xue rubbed her eyes in disbelief and staggered to the kitchen. Not only was the cupboard where she stored food and eggs gone, but even the built stove and iron pots had vanished!
The cupboard had contained the latest canned goods and malted milk powder that Cheng Yifeng had brought back for her on his recent leave—delicacies she hadn’t even touched!
Sure, she could buy more food, but the pots had been taken, and even the bricks used to build the stove had disappeared. How were they supposed to live now?!
Her heart nearly stopped. She steadied herself against the doorframe and turned toward the storage room where Wen Yining had been staying.
Reaching the door, she banged on it. “Wen Yining! Wen Yining! Are you still sleeping? Why don’t you just die in your sleep? Get over here and open the door!”
Wen Yining rubbed her eyes and opened the door, still looking groggy from being woken. Seeing the empty yard outside, she drew a sharp breath, widened her eyes, and feigned surprise. “Oh my! What… what happened? Did someone break in?”
Zhang Xue scrutinized her suspiciously. “Yeah! And this thief is bold—they even dismantled our stove! You were so close to the kitchen—didn’t you hear anything last night?”
Wen Yining shook her head. “I was sleeping too soundly… didn’t hear a thing…”
Zhang Xue stepped closer. “You really didn’t hear anything?”
Wen Yining took a step back. “Really didn’t hear anything.”
Zhang Xue noticed the storage room where Wen Yining had stayed—once piled with junk and scrap—was now empty, except for the two benches used as a makeshift bed.
Seeing the storage room emptied, Zhang Xue’s heart sank. This wasn’t a thief—it was like a hurricane had swept through!
“The storage room’s empty, and you didn’t hear a thing? Are you kidding me?” Zhang Xue shouted, leaning on the doorframe and pointing at Wen Yining. “You jinx! What good is having you in our Cheng family? You can’t have a son, and now you can’t even guard a door!”
Wen Yining wrapped Yaoyao in a small blanket, holding her close, and mocked, “I’m not a dog—why should I guard your doors? Besides, having a son isn’t something I can do alone. If your son isn’t home and I gave birth to a son for the Cheng family, then that would really be unlucky for your house!”
“You dare talk back?” Zhang Xue lunged to pull Wen Yining’s hair. She had to teach her a lesson today.
“All I’m saying is the truth!” Wen Yining dodged nimbly, holding Yaoyao, and ran into the yard. “Or do you want me to give your old Cheng family more grandchildren while your son’s away, so you and your father-in-law can have the whole family around you?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, you really are Cheng Yifeng’s mother! You’d let his wife cheat on him!”
“Shut your mouth!” Wen Yining dragged Zhang Xue along by the nose. “You little brat, let’s see if I don’t tear your mouth apart today!”
Wen Yining ran ahead with Yaoyao in her arms, Zhang Xue chasing after her. Even though the child—the little “bad luck” she had given birth to—was right in front of her, Zhang Xue couldn’t catch her.
Out of breath, Zhang Xue shouted weakly, “You little troublemaker! Since you joined the Cheng family, nothing good has happened! It’s all your fault!”
Wen Yining snorted disdainfully. “If my fate is unlucky, shouldn’t you treat me better? Today it’s just losing some stuff. Maybe tomorrow you’ll die from bad luck!”
Zhang Xue’s face twisted in rage. “You dare curse me? I’ll report you for superstitious practices!”
“Ha, so only you have a mouth, but I don’t?” Wen Yining chuckled. “I could also say you’re being superstitious, not uniting with revolutionary comrades!”
“We’re both sleeping at home. I didn’t hear the thief—so I’m evil? You didn’t hear anything either, did you?”
Wen Yining looked at her calmly, speaking slowly and deliberately: “That’s double standards!”
Zhang Xue was silenced by her words.
Cheng Daqing listened to their shouting and felt a headache coming on.
He was wearing just a tank top and shorts, shivering in the empty house, worried about his secret stash, and yelled irritably: “What are you shouting for? Will yelling bring the stuff back?! Call the police already!”
In a house facing the west gate, someone should have heard something. Cheng Daqing suspected they had long been targeted, and maybe even drugged last night.
If it was a theft, the thief couldn’t leave no traces.
If they didn’t call the police soon, once the neighbors woke up, any remaining evidence would be destroyed, making it even harder to recover the stolen goods.
Zhang Xue shrank back at his shouting, glaring at Wen Yining as if it were her fault. With nothing else to do, wearing only her thin nightgown, she had no choice but to go knock on a neighbor’s door, hoping to borrow something to wear and report the theft.
As she walked, her heart ached. The thief had stolen with such precision—how would they survive from now on?