To give them a deep and unforgettable lesson, Sang Zhi didn’t untie them, letting the two of them sober up outside. As night fell, the temperature dropped, and the cold wind cut through everything, as if it could drill straight into the bones. At first, the aunt and sister-in-law could still shout curses, but soon their teeth chattered, noses ran, and they couldn’t speak, only hoping someone would come to save them.
Sang Yun returned four hours later. The flames in the stove flickered over their pale, blue-tinted faces. Wrapped in quilts and holding hot water, it took them a long time to speak. Liu Meili asked her daughter if things at the Cai household had been settled. Sang Yun’s face showed pride.
“All settled. That little wretch Sang Zhi really tried to sabotage me, but everything works on a first-come, first-served basis, and the old man didn’t pursue it. At worst, I can still get a proper job.”
Liu Meili wiped her nose. “Thank heavens! And marry into a good family too. Mom’s counting on you.”
Sang Yun nodded, but thinking of Sang Zhi made her irritated again. “Aunt, you only reminded her because she has no parents. But she not only didn’t appreciate it—she even fought with you! If it were up to me, I’d treat her like the eldest cousin and make sure she ends up in labor reform for thirty years.”
Recalling past glories, the aunt and sister-in-law looked wistful. But the snapping of matchsticks brought them back to reality. “No, using the same trick too much will raise suspicion. But…” Back then, she married into a powerful rebel family and gave birth to two sons in one go—she wasn’t a fool. Today’s loss was just carelessness. After catching so much cold, her mind was clear. She thought of a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone and quickly gestured for the other two to come over. They huddled and whispered for a long while. Upon hearing the plan, mother and daughter’s eyes lit up; their gloom vanished. They praised the old fox, Jiang, for his cunning.
Because Jiang Yan temporarily stayed at the military compound, Sang Yun could only return home daily. The eldest brother was in prison, and the youngest was sent to their maternal grandmother. So she didn’t pull the curtains at night. Seeing Sang Zhi a meter away, back turned, she feigned a sigh.
“Sang Zhi, I really envy you. Even in the countryside, you don’t worry about food or drink, unlike me—I still have to supplement my brother and little brother’s rations.”
Getting no response, she continued as the caring elder sister: “Captain Cai has a strange temper; even his own kids don’t like returning. I stayed there the first two nights, and his nighttime coughing kept me from sleeping upstairs.” She emphasized his odd temperament and poor health—really, she just wanted Sang Zhi not to compete with her.
Sang Zhi found this petty and turned around. “So bad? Then go. Why are you lingering at my great-uncle’s place?”
“I’ve already fallen into the dragon’s den and can’t get free. But you’re my sister, and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. Also, that deputy regiment commander, always with a dark face—rumor has it he’s killed people. Someone like you, he could strangle three of you at once.”
Saying he was scary was a lie. She was probably just afraid Sang Zhi would notice him. Makes sense—the deputy commander, good family, only 26 this year; such conditions are hard to come by. Sang Yun spoke animatedly, but the other side remained eerily silent. Turning her head, she saw Sang Zhi resting her chin on one hand, a faint, knowing smile on her lips. Fine strands of hair clung to her smooth forehead. Her black hair framed a seductive, captivating face, like a spirit drawing souls in the darkness.
This face, this figure—Sang Yun, even as a woman, felt pulled in. How much more would a man be?
The plan involving the little aunt had to be executed quickly. If it weren’t for fearing that striking someone late at night would excite her and keep her awake, her cousin would probably have gotten another beating.
“Sang Yun, when I treat you as human, I ask you to act like one. If a soldier isn’t brave on the battlefield, does that mean someone can ride over him? You’re so dumb that hitting you makes my hands feel dirty. And turn off the lights—two bulbs are keeping me awake.”
Two bulbs? Sang Yun glanced at the ceiling, confused. Then she touched her head, anger rising—this was sarcasm! But she was bald… and whose fault was that? Killing the heart and mind… killing the heart and mind!
Last night, she had used cookies to extract information from Sang Weiguo about Sang Bei’s whereabouts. That kid was drooling, so he spilled everything he knew. But that had been three or four years ago. Back then Sang Weiguo was too young to remember details. The only useful clue was that during that time, her little aunt had come very often. Later, when someone disappeared, the little aunt stopped coming. It seemed Sang Bei’s disappearance was inseparable from that cheap little aunt; otherwise, why deal with her so harshly?
She asked the system if she could use merit points to find out her brother’s whereabouts. The answer was no. Searching like that involves living people, which requires reaching Level Two. Her current level was too low. Upgrading requires completing novice tasks.
Daydreams during the day, dreams at night. That night she dreamt of an emaciated little boy lying at the bottom of a cliff in a pool of blood. His dying eyes were still looking toward her, as if questioning her, yet also blaming her. Sang Zhi woke drenched in sweat, heart pounding violently.
This was no ordinary dream. She had no memories of the original person, so she shouldn’t have dreamed so vividly of the child’s appearance, clothing, or body shape. But this boy’s features had been especially clear. Whether through a backdoor in the system or some other reason, she knew she had to seize this opportunity.
Sang Zhi sketched while recalling details. The cotton-padded clothes, the bare trees—she only knew it had been colder than now. Unfortunately, there were too few reference points to directly pinpoint the location on a map. Still, knowing what it looked like was helpful. She had to get the person back before the accident occurred.
…Naturally, to enlist help, she needed to show some sincerity. The book mentioned that Captain Cai missed the childhood flavor of the Wu family braised pork in town the most. Later, when he joined the army and left his hometown, scattered from family, he never found that taste again.
Sang Zhi pulled up video material from the system and studied it repeatedly before feeling confident enough to try. She wanted to save her merit points for upgrades, so she only exchanged for some seasonings, using her meat ration tickets to buy the pork. Pigs in this era weren’t fed feed or fattened artificially, so the meat was delicious. At only seven mao per jin, she spent all the tickets that Uncle Sang’s family had saved for New Year’s meat. Under everyone’s admiring gaze, she carried back two jin of raw pig’s head.
She cooked it according to the age and tenderness of the meat, adding more than twenty ingredients, including Tianqi, galangal, and white angelica. Boiling over high heat for two hours, the aroma made all the kids in the alley drool.
After a busy morning, when she arrived at the Cai household, it was just in time for lunch. Jiang Yan had just returned from the hospital after changing his bandages and saw her smiling brightly at the door.
“Big Brother Jiang, you came back just in time. Lunch is ready.” Her dimples curved in a sweet smile.
Memories of yesterday, awkward and untimely, surfaced in her mind. Sang Zhi didn’t know what happened afterward, but since she needed help, she played the part well, smiling sweetly.
Once her cousin had served the dishes, she also took out an aluminum box.
“This is the braised pork I made at noon, to add a dish for everyone.”
Wu family braised pork was classic—sliced thin, served cold. The slices were best large and thin, dressed with a sauce of salt, chopped chives, ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, and sesame oil. The flavor was priceless, even for immortals.
Captain Cai’s expression changed after tasting it: golden color, savory and rich, fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry, with an aftertaste that lingered. It was exactly the taste from his memory! After finishing, he even exclaimed in delight.
Sang Yun’s face twisted in frustration—after all her efforts, someone else had taken the credit. Sang Zhi, sensing the resentment, mischievously made faces at her.
The old man had a habit of taking an afternoon nap, so he asked her to come see him later. Since she had agreed to help take care of the children, it was time to ask about her plans for the future.
Taking advantage of the break, Sang Zhi went to see Jiang Yan. He had wide knowledge and connections; if he could help, the chances of success would be greater. She quietly went up to the second floor and saw him examining the view outside. After several consecutive days of rain, the leaves outside had already turned yellow and dry, soon to fall completely—what was there to look at in such bleakness?
She tapped his shoulder, but before she could speak, her wrist was grabbed. Her body was yanked to the left front, and in her peripheral vision, she saw his right elbow bent in an attack stance.
“It’s me!” she shouted in time. The elbow hadn’t hit her chest; otherwise, with his strength, two of her ribs would have broken. The attack had already been launched, and such force couldn’t just be retracted immediately. At the critical moment, his bent elbow pushed her away and hooked her waist.
The world spun, and Sang Zhi fell forward like a pulled scallion, landing in front of him. Jiang Yan’s reflexive attack came from long-trained muscle memory. Seeing her terrified and staring blankly at him, he realized how soft and delicate her fingers were.
He released her as if shocked, frowning.
“You okay?”
Sang Zhi had never experienced this. After being released, her legs felt like cotton, collapsing uncontrollably to the ground. It was like someone close to drowning, instinctively grabbing for support. The closest thing was Jiang Yan himself.
Hearing the commotion, Captain Cai rushed out. He saw Sang Zhi kneeling on the ground, eyes red and panicked, clutching tightly to Jiang Yan’s leg.