Shen Zhao's expression turned cold. As she dodged to the side, she grabbed a cup and threw it backhand.
"Ah!"
With the sound of the glass shattering, something rolled off the stool.
"Dad! Dad!"
Shen Zhao stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind her, shutting out the curious onlookers.
She saw Father Shen lying on the ground with blood all over his head. A young man was squatting beside him.
Shen Wan stood to the side, wearing a blue and white gingham sundress, with bangs and two shiny, well-groomed braids. Her face was fair and delicate.
"Sister, how could you, to hit Dad? He was only trying to help you, and so late at night... Ah!"
Before Shen Wan could finish, Shen Zhao kicked her three meters away. She crashed into a washbasin stand and couldn't get up.
She had seen plenty of these "white lotuses" who appeared delicate but falsely accused the original owner of stealing in her previous life. She couldn't be bothered to waste words on her.
Turning, her condescending gaze met Shen Jie. The young man was momentarily stunned, then suddenly furious, "Bitch, how dare you... dare..."
Shen Zhao slowly picked up the bench, her eyes cold as she looked at him.
"Dare..." Shen Jie swallowed the rest of his words, licking his lips. "You, you can't hit me, or Mom won't let you off when she gets back."
How did this bitch suddenly become so terrifying...
"Bang!"
Shen Zhao didn't hold back, smashing the bench onto Shen Jie's head, making the whole family dizzy and lined up.
They never treated the original owner like a person, making her do the most work, endure the harshest beatings, and never get enough to eat.
Then she didn't need to treat them like people either.
Shen Zhao put down the bench, bypassed the three unconscious people, and returned to the original owner's room—the storage room.
The Shen family's house was a standalone courtyard with only three rooms. The storage room and kitchen were additions built by themselves with wooden planks.
The storage room had no windows, was dim and cramped, and didn't even have a heated brick bed. Bricks and a door panel served as the bed, and it was cold in winter and hot in summer.
Shen Zhao glanced at it with disdain, collected all the miscellaneous items inside into her space, and then went to Shen Wan's room.
This room was much more normal.
The heated brick bed was covered with a gingham bedsheet, and there were two wooden chests at the foot of the bed. The window was bright and clean, a hundred times better than her dim storage room.
But she still found it unsatisfactory; it couldn't compare to her imperial bed.
Still, she had to sleep in it despite her dissatisfaction.
Shen Zhao first searched everywhere and took away Shen Wan's hidden private savings. She took out her own brocade quilt from her space and spread it on the bed.
Only then did she begin to apply medicine.
The stepmother never hit the face when she beat people. There were no visible injuries on her face, but her thighs and chest were all bruised and purple, with hardly any good flesh left.
This family truly deserved to die.
A cold glint flashed in Shen Zhao's eyes.
After applying the medicine, she took a health-nourishing pill.
This was prepared by the male concubine who was skilled in medicine. It could condition the body and heal hidden ailments.
After tidying up, Shen Zhao went out and gave each of the family members another kick, ensuring they would be too dizzy to wake up until tomorrow morning.
Lying back on the bed, she sank her consciousness into her space to organize the items within.
Her space was very large. It could only store things, but it could keep them fresh. Items came out looking exactly as they went in.
Inside were various treasures she had collected during her years as Empress: gold, silver, jade jewelry, agate, pearls, coral, and the most abundant were various brocade fabrics.
Each item was priceless, all rare treasures.
However, in this world, any one of these items could easily earn her the label of "old ninth."
The powers that be... Forget it, perhaps she didn't understand this country.
Besides these, there was a large batch of grain, she didn't even know how much herself.
Anyway, it was enough to feed an army for three months.
Secondly, there were pastries and various finished dishes made by the imperial chefs.
As she finished organizing, Shen Zhao realized she was missing various fresh meats, fish, and vegetables, as well as clothes and shoes that fit this era.
She hadn't stored meat and vegetables before because she thought they would dirty her space.
Now, not only was meat rationed, but meat coupons were also required. Even with money and coupons, it wasn't guaranteed she could get any.
Before dawn the next day, Shen Zhao's biological clock woke her up.
Lying with her eyes open, she remembered she didn't have to attend the morning court today, so she rolled over and went back to sleep.
When she woke up again, it was eight in the morning.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the young girl's face. Her long eyelashes hinted at how beautiful she would be once her complexion recovered.
After washing up, Shen Zhao went to the main hall and saw the family of three still lying on the ground, having been unconscious all night and their faces turning blue from the cold.
..Never mind, if too many of them died, the Public Security Bureau would get suspicious.
She picked up three people, one in each hand, and laid them out on the bed. She also fed each of them a handful of aphrodisiac to fill their stomachs.
Then, she washed her hands with disdain and swaggered out with a basket.
She deliberately left the courtyard gate open, allowing the neighbors in the alley to see directly into the yard.
Shen Zhao went to the Revolutionary Committee and dropped off the report letter accusing Father Shen of hooliganism and stealing public property, then headed to the department store.
Yesterday, she had happened to find a watch coupon.
She spent 128 yuan to buy a Shanghai brand women's watch, a Tiger Head brand flashlight, and four batteries.
In addition, she bought a barrel of oil, some fruit, and tea leaves.
She also bought clothes and shoes suitable for the era, and cold cream for her face and hands.
What surprised her the most was a small, square item used by women during their monthly cycle. Each piece was used once and then discarded.
It was more convenient than the cloth strips she used before, and it was absorbent.
However, it was very expensive, costing one yuan per pack, with only sixteen pieces in a pack.
But for Her Majesty Shen Zhao, who was accustomed to good things,
money was not a problem!
"I'll take the rest."
"There are thirty packs left. Pay first," the salesclerk said, shrugging with dead eyes.
These items were from Hong Kong. They had been gathering dust here for half a year with few sales. If they could sell them all this time, it would be perfect to make space for other goods.
Shen Zhao was used to their attitude and handed over 30 yuan.
By the time she left the department store, it was already 11 AM.
Her train ticket was for 6 PM, so she still had time.
Based on the original body's memories, she found the so-called black market in a small alley and bought three catties of meat, 20 eggs, and one chicken.
She then went to the State-run Restaurant and bought 20 steamed buns to go.
At 1 PM, Shen Zhao returned near the Shen family's house and stood at the corner, looking at the surrounded Shen residence not far away.
The neighbors were all discussing Father Shen and his two children... It wasn't just "having an affair" anymore, it was *that* kind of thing!
Their voices were so loud and intense.
Now, the three of them wouldn't just be going to the countryside; they would be sent down.
Shen Zhao's lips curved slightly. They owed the original owner a life, and repaying it with being sent down was letting them off easy.
When the crowd dispersed, Shen Zhao wrapped her scarf tighter and turned to go home.
She didn't even have the desire to gloat in front of the three of them.
To her, dealing with these people was like dealing with disobedient cats and dogs—a trivial matter, not worth dwelling on.
The house was assigned by the work unit. After Father Shen's incident, it would be repossessed.
Therefore, Shen Zhao collected everything within her sight into her space, leaving not a single hair behind, intending to send the three of them to the farm penniless.
Two o'clock in the afternoon!
Shen Zhao dragged two bags and went to meet the others who were going to the countryside.
Each person wore a large red flower, and after a simple farewell ceremony, they boarded the train.
Once she squeezed onto the train and found a seat, she almost fainted.
The train was filled with the smell of livestock, stinky feet, mixed with various food odors. It was noisy and chaotic, more lively than a market.
She leaned against the car window with a look of despair, regretting it immensely.
If she had known earlier that taking the train would be such an ordeal, she would have found a way to stay, no matter what.
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