A group of people dressed in grass-green uniforms stood at the entrance, completely blocking the way out.
The middle-aged man leading them spoke first.
“We have received a report accusing your family of retaining remnants of the old society and hiding large quantities of gold and silver, seriously disrupting national order. We have therefore decided to conduct a search of your home.”
Li’s Mother looked nervous. She glanced at Li’s Father as though she wanted to say something, but ultimately held back.
Li Lezhi’s expression darkened as well.
This day had finally arrived.
Although the original novel never clearly identified the person who reported the Li family, their downfall and relocation had always been inevitable.
Doing his best to remain calm, Li’s Father replied, “Comrade, hello. Our family has always been loyal citizens. We have never done anything that harms the country or violates national policy. As for these so-called hidden fortunes, they are nothing but baseless rumors. We are willing to accept inspection by the Party and the state, and only hope that our innocence can be proven.”
After speaking, he let out a heavy sigh.
Seeing their cooperative attitude, one of the Red Guards pretended to be reasonable.
“Don’t worry. We won’t wrong any citizen.”
Then he waved his hand.
“Begin the search.”
Li Lezhi watched painfully as the group flooded into the house, overturning and damaging furniture and belongings one after another.
However, after half an hour of searching, the Red Guards found absolutely nothing.
The middle-aged leader could only tell his subordinates helplessly, “That’s enough.”
Then he turned to Li’s Father.
“Even so, you and your wife must come back with us for further investigation.”
Li’s Father had long expected this outcome.
He took out the newspaper he had prepared in advance, along with the certificate of honor issued by the state.
With unwavering determination, he said, “My wife and I are willing to cooperate with the investigation. However, my children have already severed ties with us. Especially my daughter, who is leaving today as a Sent-down Youth to contribute to the construction of our nation.”
As he spoke, he handed over the newspaper and certificate.
After examining them, the man found no grounds to object.
Li’s Father’s reasoning was sound, and no evidence had been discovered during the search. Forcing the issue further would be difficult to justify.
The leader ordered his men to take Li’s Father, Li’s Mother, and the remaining valuables from the house before departing.
Filled with reluctance, Li’s Father and Li’s Mother looked back at Li Lezhi one last time before following the Revolutionary Committee personnel away.
Watching their retreating figures, Li Lezhi felt her eyes redden.
But this was not the time to wallow in sorrow.
Pulling herself together, she returned to her room and stored all the remaining pots, bowls, and household items inside her space.
Other than the house itself and the flooring, almost nothing remained.
She knew that Li’s Father and Li’s Mother would likely not return here for many years.
Li’s Mother’s background was already politically sensitive, while Li’s Father was considered one of the so-called “stinking intellectuals.”
People like them held little status in this era.
Although her grandfather had already donated all of his assets to the state, he was still regarded as a Red Capitalist.
Their relocation was unavoidable.
Fortunately, once she reached the countryside, she could secretly help take care of them. At the very least, they would not die as early as they had in the original memories.
Perhaps this was the beginning of a new future.
Carrying her luggage alone, Li Lezhi stepped out of the house.
Ignoring the distant and peculiar looks from the surrounding neighbors, she firmly made her way toward the train station.
The station was bustling with noise and activity.
Everywhere she looked, there were Sent-down Youth preparing to board trains and family members seeing them off.
The crowds were overwhelming.
Fortunately, she was now nearly 170 centimeters tall. Otherwise, simply squeezing through the crowd would have been a challenge.
Holding her ticket, she struggled for quite some time before finally boarding the train.
After finding her seat and preparing to put away her luggage, she discovered that Shen Yueyue was sitting directly across from her.
Beside Shen Yueyue sat a thin, sharp-looking girl with a neat student haircut.
The train seats were hard benches. Six people shared each compartment section.
Three people were already seated there, while a young man sat alone opposite Shen Yueyue. His features were ordinary but pleasant, giving off an honest and dependable impression.
The moment Shen Yueyue saw Li Lezhi approaching, her eyes widened in disbelief.
Li Lezhi paid no attention to her reaction.
After settling her belongings, she turned to the honest-looking young man and asked, “May I sit by the window?”
The boy instantly blushed.
“Y… yes, of course.”
Li Lezhi squeezed past him and took the window seat.
Directly opposite her sat Shen Yueyue.
“How are you here?” Shen Yueyue asked.
No sooner had Li Lezhi sat down than the Female Lead spoke up.
Rolling her eyes, Li Lezhi replied casually, “Why can’t I be here? Who are you? Do we know each other?”
The response immediately left Shen Yueyue speechless.
A wronged expression appeared on her face. To anyone unaware of the situation, it might have looked as though Li Lezhi were bullying her.
The other passengers nearby also remained silent, unwilling to get involved.
About ten minutes later, a sudden cry erupted from the train entrance.
“I don’t want to go to the countryside! I already have a job! What right do you have to force me? Ahhh!”
The sobbing was so pitiful that anyone hearing it would feel sympathy.
Following the sound, Li Lezhi looked toward the door and saw Shen Ruoruo being escorted by two women from the neighborhood office.
Shen Yueyue also recognized the familiar voice.
As she watched her stepsister being dragged aboard, hatred flashed through her eyes.
But the moment she noticed Li Lezhi looking at her, she immediately resumed her usual gentle and obedient appearance.
Shen Ruoruo struggled fiercely, but the two women held her firmly.
Once they delivered her to the train compartment where Li Lezhi was seated, they turned around and left, abandoning Shen Ruoruo on the floor regardless of her protests.
No one nearby stepped forward to help.
When traveling, most people preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible.
After crying and making a scene for several minutes without receiving any sympathy, Shen Ruoruo lifted her head.
The moment she spotted Shen Yueyue sitting nearby, her eyes blazed with fury.
“You vicious woman!”
Without another word, she lunged forward.
Her hands grabbed at Shen Yueyue’s hair and clothing as she attacked wildly, looking as though she wanted to tear her apart alive.
Even the girl seated beside Shen Yueyue was caught up in the chaos.
While dodging the attack, Shen Yueyue cried out, “Ruoruo, have you gone crazy?”
At the same time, she shielded her face with her hands.
Her entire demeanor radiated helplessness.
She had never expected her stepsister to suddenly lose control like this.
Shen Ruoruo shouted furiously, “Shen Yueyue, stop pretending! If you hadn’t secretly reported my name, why would I be here? Before leaving, you even stole all the valuables from the house! You evil woman! Why don’t you just die? I’m never letting this go!”
Shen Yueyue protested weakly.
“I didn’t! I…”
As she retreated, she cast pitiful glances toward the nearby male passengers.
Eventually, several young men could no longer bear to watch.
One of them wanted to intervene but hesitated because of the difference between men and women.
Standing where he was, he shouted loudly,
“This is a train! We’re all comrades going to help build our country. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll call the conductor!”
The shout snapped Shen Ruoruo back to reality.
She knew continuing the fight would accomplish nothing.
Reluctantly, she stopped.
After sitting down on the outermost seat of the compartment, she pointed at Shen Yueyue and spat out a final threat.
“Just wait.”
Then she wiped away her tears.
At that moment, her mother finally squeezed into the compartment carrying luggage.
The instant she saw Shen Ruoruo’s tear-stained face, she burst into tears herself.
“My poor daughter! Oh, my poor daughter!”
She wrapped her arms around Shen Ruoruo and began sobbing uncontrollably.