Liu Laosan and his men trembled under Yu Zhaozhao’s shout. They knew that if they didn’t give up something today, they wouldn’t be leaving.
With shaking hands, Liu Laosan pulled out a handful of cash and ration coupons from his pocket. It looked like a lot, but most of it was in small denominations—one or two fen—so altogether it wasn’t much.
“You’re not being honest.”
Yu Zhaozhao smiled faintly. She stepped forward, picked up the iron rod from the ground, and swung it lightly, hesitating for a moment.
If she didn’t control her strength well, this thing could kill someone.
Forget it.
She tossed the rod aside and walked toward Liu Laosan instead.
Sitting on the ground, Liu Laosan slowly backed away.
“Sis… sis, don’t act rashly. Is it not enough money? I still have more, more…”
Before he could finish, Yu Zhaozhao struck the back of his neck with a precise chop, knocking him unconscious.
“A grown man, and so talkative—asking for a beating.”
Muttering to herself, she crouched down and began searching his pockets.
Sure enough, the coat had an inner pocket. Inside were ten “Great Unity” bills. In another outer pocket, she found 53 yuan.
As for whether he had hidden money in his shoes, Yu Zhaozhao didn’t bother checking.
If she were truly desperate, she wouldn’t care how disgusting it was—she’d check anyway.
But she wasn’t short on money, so there was no need.
After stuffing the money and coupons into her pocket, she turned to the others.
They were already shaking in fear and didn’t dare play any tricks. They hurriedly handed over everything they had.
Yu Zhaozhao counted the loot—altogether, they scraped together only 48 yuan, four liang of grain coupons, and a one-jin sugar coupon. Compared to Liu Laosan, it was pitiful—but still better than nothing.
She tucked everything away and slung her basket over her back, preparing to leave. After a couple of steps, she turned back.
The lackeys, who had just gotten up, immediately sat back down in fright. But Yu Zhaozhao didn’t even glance at them—she simply picked up the iron rod from the ground and took it with her.
They felt a pang of regret but didn’t dare say a word. Liu Laosan’s bloody lesson was still fresh in their minds.
After all that, Yu Zhaozhao felt tired and lost interest in going to the state-run restaurant. She found a secluded corner and entered her space.
She first checked the popsicles in each room. As expected, aside from the one in the kitchen that had melted, the others were perfectly preserved—just like they had been in the freezer.
It seemed that the space didn’t just preserve temperature—it preserved the original state of items. Whatever you put in stayed exactly the same.
That was incredibly convenient.
She took an intact popsicle to the fridge, opened it, and put it back. These were her favorite flavors—brands she might not see again for decades—so she had to treasure them.
Then she grabbed two eggs from the refrigerated section.
For lunch, she’d just cook some instant noodles.
After finishing everything she needed to do, she could have a proper meal.
But just as she closed the fridge door, something felt off.
She opened it again and looked closely.
Yesterday, she clearly remembered taking a carton of milk. So why was there still a carton sitting in that exact spot?
Yu Zhaozhao had mild obsessive tendencies—everything in her fridge had a fixed place, arranged neatly.
Now that one carton was gone but the row had no gap, she immediately noticed.
“Could it be… things in the space can regenerate?”
The thought excited her.
If that were true, she could live comfortably without lifting a finger.
With that in mind, she decided to test it. She emptied the entire fridge, moving everything to an empty room on the second floor. Since she could control things with her mind inside the space, she didn’t have to physically carry anything.
In no time, the fridge was completely empty. She then moved the rice and flour from the cabinets upstairs as well, wanting to test whether those supplies would regenerate too.
After finishing all this, she finally had time to eat her noodles.
In the afternoon, she only needed to visit Mao Cuizhi’s workplace—no rush. After eating, she even took a nap in the bedroom of the space.
Ever since the villa had been renovated, she had been busy purchasing and organizing supplies, barely having time to truly live in it.
Now, she was finally enjoying the pleasure of owning a large villa.
When she woke up, it was already three in the afternoon. After tidying up, she checked the surveillance—no one nearby—and quickly exited the space.
Back then, when Mao Cuizhi took over the job originally meant for Yu Zhaozhao, the factory leaders were all aware of it. The job had originally been registered under Yu Zhaozhao’s name.
From the original girl’s memories, she clearly recalled that the deputy factory director was a former soldier. He had treated her kindly and even told her she could come to him if she had any difficulties.
But the original girl, having been brainwashed for years by Yu Wangshan’s family, never dared to seek help on her own.
Now, selling the job—this leader should be able to help.
Yu Zhaozhao arrived at the factory gate and explained her situation to the guard. The old gatekeeper readily took her to the deputy director’s office.
Normally, visitors had to be announced first. But Yu Zhaozhao was lucky—the guard on duty today happened to be the deputy director’s father-in-law, so things were much more casual.
After escorting her to the office, the old man left.
When the deputy director heard her introduction, his expression softened.
“It’s been a few years—you’ve grown so much. What brings you here today?”
“Hello, Deputy Director. I do have something I’d like to ask your help with.”
“No need to be so formal. Just call me Uncle Ma. Sit down and tell me.”
Yu Zhaozhao sat and briefly recounted the original girl’s experiences, emphasizing the abuse she had suffered.
“This is outrageous! Over the years, whenever I saw Mao Cuizhi, I asked about you. She always said everything was fine. Since she worked right under my nose, I didn’t think she’d lie about this. I didn’t expect her to be so bold.”
“Uncle Ma, being sent to the countryside is already decided. I’m willing to follow the country’s call and contribute, but I’m not willing to let them keep exploiting what my parents left behind.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Back then, it was agreed that the job would be returned to me after I graduated. Now that I won’t be using it, I don’t want her to keep it either. If possible, I’d like to transfer the job.”
“That’s no problem. Who do you want to transfer it to?”
“I haven’t chosen anyone yet. Uncle Ma… do you have any relatives who might be interested?”