After returning to their room, Ye Xiu’e told Su Wanwan everything that had happened.
Mother and daughter couldn’t help laughing together.
But after laughing for a while, Ye Xiu’e suddenly became serious.
“Wanwan, where did all those things come from?”
Earlier, to deal with the visitors, Su Wanwan had produced cosmetics and artificial blood.
None of those items belonged in this era.
Ye Xiu’e had never even heard of cosmetics like those before.
The makeup looked incredibly realistic.
It had almost fooled her too.
Su Wanwan knew she couldn’t keep the laboratory secret forever.
After spending time together, she completely trusted Ye Xiu’e.
This woman loved her daughter more than her own life.
There was no way she would betray her.
Still, Su Wanwan couldn’t reveal the whole truth.
“Mom, would you believe me if I said I met an immortal while I was sick?”
Ye Xiu’e looked doubtful.
As a barefoot doctor, she firmly believed in practical reality.
Su Wanwan continued,
“The immortal not only cured my illness, but also gave me treasures and taught me many things.”
At the mention of healing, Ye Xiu’e started to believe her.
She was a doctor.
She knew how serious her daughter’s condition had been.
Yet overnight, the illness had completely vanished.
Who else besides an immortal could accomplish something like that?
As a rural woman, Ye Xiu’e would never imagine something as bizarre as soul transmigration.
In her eyes, the child before her was still her daughter.
If Wanwan had truly encountered an immortal, then her changes and strange possessions suddenly made sense.
Thinking of this, Ye Xiu’e felt grateful.
She silently thanked the immortal for curing her precious daughter.
The matsutake chicken soup began to boil.
Steam rose from the enamel mug with cheerful bubbling sounds.
Even with the doors and windows tightly closed, the rich aroma drifted outside.
Old Madam Su was carrying firewood to prepare lunch when she caught the scent.
In the past, whenever Ye Xiu’e brought home game or wild mushrooms, she would cook them in the communal kitchen and share them with everyone.
Now?
She was secretly cooking a private meal in her own room.
Su Wangcai nearly drooled when he smelled the soup.
It had been ages since he’d tasted meat.
Technically, since the family hadn’t divided households yet, anything caught should be shared.
But he couldn’t exactly barge in demanding food.
He had already tried something similar yesterday and got thrown out.
Clearly, he wasn’t getting any chicken soup today.
Still…
Those mother and daughter wouldn’t be around much longer.
Once his wife became the village barefoot doctor and started receiving subsidies, the first thing he planned to do was buy meat from the supply cooperative.
That thought made him feel slightly better.
Meanwhile, Maodan and Goudan kept whining for chicken until Xu Shi harshly scolded them.
Su Cuifen stared into a mirror at her frightening burns.
The thought of becoming ugly filled her with hatred.
She wished she could chop Su Wanwan into pieces.
The soup was finally ready.
Ye Xiu’e filled a bowl, carefully blew on it until it cooled, and handed it to her daughter.
Su Wanwan eagerly took a sip.
It was so delicious she nearly swallowed her tongue.
Now she understood why people in modern times said:
“Fish and meat are easy to find. Wild delicacies are priceless.”
The two happily feasted on pheasant and matsutake mushrooms.
Together they finished the entire large enamel container of soup.
In the past, whenever Ye Xiu’e caught something, it went straight to the communal kitchen.
Su Wanwan often couldn’t even get a chicken drumstick.
Thinking about it now, all those good things had been wasted on black-hearted people.
Previously, Ye Xiu’e had never considered splitting from the family.
She worried that she and her daughter would be bullied.
But these past two days had opened her eyes.
Whether they separated or not, they were being mistreated anyway.
Now people were even trying to force her into marriage.
She had made up her mind.
This afternoon, she would go to the brigade leader and formally request a household division.
Before that, however, she needed to visit Su Hongxia in the neighboring village and recover those two hundred yuan.
If she and Wanwan were going to live independently, that money was essential.
After telling Wanwan she was heading out, Ye Xiu’e hesitated by the doorway.
She worried about leaving her daughter alone.
But taking her along meant exposing her to mockery and insults.
Seeing her concern, Su Wanwan smiled reassuringly.
“Mom, don’t worry.
The immortal will protect me.”
Truthfully, Wanwan simply didn’t want to go.
Transportation in the 1970s was painfully inconvenient.
Su Hongxia’s village was far away.
She had no interest in making the trip.
Remembering the supposed immortal’s protection, Ye Xiu’e finally relaxed.
After spending one jiao on a donkey cart ride, she headed toward the neighboring village.
It didn’t take long to reach Su Hongxia’s home.
Hongxia warmly welcomed her but was puzzled by the unexpected visit.
After hearing the story, she finally understood.
Su Wangcai had used her name as a shield.
The moment Ye Xiu’e heard the truth, her heart sank.
Hongxia would never lie to her.
That meant the money had definitely been spent by Su Wangcai and the others.
All five hundred yuan of the compensation money.
Not a single cent had been left for her and Wanwan.
This matter was entirely in her favor no matter where it was discussed.
She quickly bid farewell and prepared to find the brigade leader.
But Su Hongxia insisted on returning with her.
She wanted to testify on Ye Xiu’e’s behalf.
After thinking it over, Ye Xiu’e agreed.
That would be even better.
Meanwhile, Su Wanwan was bored at home.
She entered the laboratory and found various nutritional supplements and vitamins.
This body’s health was terrible.
It was also severely deficient in vitamins.
She needed to nourish herself properly.
While grabbing the vitamins, she noticed something strange.
The nutritional drink she had already consumed…
was still there.
Not one bottle was missing.
Startled, she rushed over to check the cold medicine she had opened earlier.
The package looked brand new.
There wasn’t the slightest sign it had ever been used.
Could the laboratory restore its own supplies?
Unsure, she decided to test it.
Opening a box of vitamins, she swallowed one pill.
Then she stared at the box.
Nothing happened.
After watching for a long time, she felt disappointed.
Eventually she wandered around the laboratory.
Still curious, she returned to check again.
Her eyes widened.
The vitamin bottle had returned to its original place.
Completely untouched.
As though she had never opened it.
Su Wanwan finally understood.
The laboratory simply refused to restore things while she was watching.
That meant all its supplies were effectively endless.
Infinite medicine.
Infinite supplements.
Infinite resources.
She felt dizzy with excitement.
Wasn’t this the equivalent of possessing billions in assets?
No mountain of gold could compare.
She was rich!
Absolutely rich!
Then reality struck.
She was living in the 1970s.
None of these things could be casually revealed.
If the wrong people discovered them, her peaceful life would be over.
No.
She needed to quietly grow wealthy behind the scenes.
First, she would focus on improving her own life.
After spending a long time inside the laboratory, Su Wanwan reluctantly returned to the mud house.
The laboratory was spacious, bright, and comfortable.
Far superior to this damp little room.
Still, she couldn’t stay away too long.
If someone noticed she had disappeared, there would be no way to explain it.
Coincidentally, she had barely returned when she heard loud voices outside.
Someone had arrived.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The door rattled from heavy knocking.
A voice called from outside.
“Is Ye Xiu’e home?”
The tone didn’t sound friendly.
They were looking for Ye Xiu’e.
But Ye Xiu’e wasn’t home.
Su Wanwan had no idea who these people were.
What if they had come looking for trouble?
She was only a seven-year-old child.
Even with the laboratory, she couldn’t use it openly in front of strangers.
For the first time, Su Wanwan found herself hesitant to open the door.