“Goose, goose, goose!With a curved neck, it sings to the sky!”
Lu Xiangbei bellowed the poem “Ode to the Goose” with a voice like a broken gong—loud enough to sound like a battle charge.
The noise shook dust from the ceiling beams.
After finishing, he puffed out his chest proudly, staring at Su Ci with blazing eyes.
He stretched out his hand.
“Candy!”
Su Ci dug her pinky into her ear.
So loud.
She lazily lifted her eyelids and jerked her chin toward the corner.
“Learn from your second sister.”
In the corner—
Lu Xiangnan hugged a tattered book bigger than her face, reciting in a soft, mosquito-like voice:
“The boundless grass upon the plain,Withers and thrives year after year…”
Though quiet, her pronunciation was clear and steady—pleasant to the ear.
Su Ci crossed her legs in a new position.
“Third gets first place—reward priority.”
“Second gets second—participation bonus.”
Her gaze landed on Lu Xiangbei, scanning him from top to bottom like defective goods.
“You? That’s just following the trend. No creativity.”
His face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
So reciting poems had rankings now?!
This woman was way too much!
Su Ci pulled out her little notebook and scribbled a couple of lines.
“Fine. For your volume, I’ll give you 2 points.”
Lu Xiangbei stared at the number “2.”
A whole point less than that sickly little brother!
Utter humiliation.
His cheeks puffed up—he wanted to explode, but couldn’t bear to lose the points.
In the end, he squatted back into the corner like an aggrieved child.
Su Ci closed the notebook, stood up, and dusted off her skirt.
The point system was just the beginning.
She really couldn’t stand this house anymore.
Not even a proper place to sit.
The benches creaked like they’d collapse at any moment.
Her backside was practically going numb.
“Lu Xiangbei.”
The boy looked up warily like a spiky hedgehog.
“What now? I’m not washing underwear! Not even if you kill me!”
Su Ci rolled her eyes.
As if.
“Come out with me.”
“Where to?”
“Collect junk.”
…
Half an hour later—
Seagull Island Recycling Station.
Located west of the docks, tucked into a wind-sheltered dip.
Before they even got close, a mix of moldy rot and fishy sea stench hit them.
Broken chairs, rusted metal sheets, piles of blackened cotton scraps—
Trash everywhere.
Lu Xiangbei covered his nose, retreating in disgust.
Meanwhile—
Su Ci looked like she was strolling through a department store.
She even held a sandalwood fan, casually waving it.
The faint fragrance around her pushed the stench back by several feet.
Old Man Wang, the station keeper, sat smoking at the entrance.
Seeing her, his eyes widened.
This pretty young woman did not belong in a garbage heap.
“Miss, what are you looking for?”
“Just browsing.”
Su Ci stepped lightly through the piles—
Until her gaze settled on a heap of rotten wood in the corner.
A sofa frame.
Likely pre-liberation furniture.
The fabric had long rotted away in the humid climate, exposing blackened springs and wood.
It looked disgusting.
“This, that cabinet, and that table.”
She pointed with her fan.
“I’ll take them all.”
Old Man Wang froze, then broke into a grin.
“Sure thing! Twenty yuan total—I’ll have someone deliver it!”
Twenty yuan?!
Lu Xiangbei nearly jumped.
He stared at the pile of junk—barely fit even for firewood—his heart bleeding.
Was she insane?
That was twenty yuan!
How much rice could that buy?!
And she traded it for this?!
“Are you… burning money for fun?”
he whispered through gritted teeth.
“What are we supposed to do with this? Raise bugs?”
“This is called ‘foundation.’”
Su Ci didn’t even look at him as she turned to leave.
“Keep up. Watch it—don’t let them damage my stuff.”
Lu Xiangbei’s head throbbed.
Watch it?!
Even dogs wouldn’t pee on this trash!
But then he remembered the promised “5-point fieldwork bonus.”
He endured.
For braised pork—
He would escort garbage if he had to!
…
Back at the Lu courtyard—
The movers dumped everything in the middle and ran off quickly after getting paid, afraid she’d change her mind.
The gate closed.
Three children stared at the junk pile.
Lu Xiangnan asked timidly, “Sister-in-law… are we opening a firewood shop?”
Su Ci ignored these country bumpkins.
She walked to the broken sofa frame.
In her eyes—
This wasn’t trash.
It was a perfect “prop.”
“Lu Xiangbei.”
“What now?!” he snapped, still heartbroken over the money.
“Fetch water. Bring a rag.”
“And you two—”
She pointed at the younger ones.
“Turn around.”
They froze.
“Face the wall.”
Her tone wasn’t loud, but carried authority.
“Until I say so, no one turns back.”
“If anyone peeks…”
She paused, voice laced with threat.
“Tonight’s sweet-and-sour ribs are mine alone.”
Sweet-and-sour ribs!
Those words were like an imperial decree.
Whoosh!
Three heads snapped toward the wall instantly.
Standing straighter than flag-raising soldiers.
Lu Xiangbei felt like ants were crawling in his chest.
Cleaning furniture required secrecy?
Was there gold hidden inside?
Or some weird habit?
The courtyard fell silent.
Only rustling leaves—
And…
Strange friction sounds.
Even a faint hum, like air being sliced.
Lu Xiangbei’s ears twitched.
Something wasn’t right.
This didn’t sound like cleaning.
It sounded like…
Magic.
He tilted his head slightly, trying to sneak a glance—
“Lu Xiangbei.”
Su Ci’s lazy voice exploded beside his ear.
“Want plain boiled vegetables tonight?”
His neck snapped straight.
Did she have eyes on her back?!
For the ribs—
He wouldn’t look!
Not even if he died!
Su Ci watched the obedient backs and smiled.
Her palm pressed against the broken sofa.
Her mind moved.
Connected to her storage space.
“Swap.”
No sound.
No effect.
In a blink—
The moldy, rotten heap vanished.
Replaced by—
A dark brown leather sofa.
The leather gleamed like chocolate.
Though she had chosen a slightly worn style to avoid suspicion—
It still radiated luxury.
Even the air changed—
From moldy rot to faint leather scent.
Then—
The broken cabinet became a carved rosewood dresser.
The cracked table turned into a polished round hardwood table.
Su Ci clapped her hands.
Done.
She wiped the sofa casually.
“Alright. Turn around.”
“See if twenty yuan was worth it.”
The three turned—
And gasped in unison.
Lu Xiangbei’s eyes nearly popped out.
He stared at the sofa, mouth wide open.
This…
This was that junk?!
That smooth leather—
That grand shape—
He couldn’t even dream of it!
He rubbed his eyes.
Still there.
“B-big sister-in-law…”
His finger trembled.
“Y-you know magic?!”
Su Ci tossed the rag aside and sat down calmly, testing the softness.
Finally—a proper seat.
She glanced at the stunned children.
“Magic? Superstition.”
“This is called…”
Her eyes flickered playfully.
“Cleaning powder.”
“Bought in the provincial capital. Restores things instantly.”
“And the base was good—just covered in dirt.”
“Ever heard of treasure hunting?”
Her confident nonsense completely stunned them.
Lu Xiangbei swallowed.
Cleaning powder?
Something like that existed?
It sounded ridiculous—
But the sofa was right there.
Real.
Could it be…
She really had golden hands?
Lu Xiangdong, the boldest, stepped forward.
He poked the armrest.
Soft.
Smooth.
Fragrant.
His eyes lit up like bulbs.
“Sister-in-law!”
“This is better than the best chair at the supply store!”
Lu Xiangbei moved closer too.
Touching the thick leather—
It felt unreal.
Then he thought about the twenty yuan.
Worth it.
So damn worth it!
This wasn’t wasteful—
This was bringing home a mountain of gold!
The way he looked at Su Ci changed.
Before—
He endured her for the sake of food.
Now—
He genuinely felt respect.
This woman…
She was something else.