After seeing her second brother off, the taut string in Su Wanqing finally loosened.
The room felt empty.
She lay on the bed, but her mind was racing.
She had managed to fool her second brother.
Tomorrow’s “surprise” at the ruined temple in the south of the city—that was the real priority.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Su Wanqing woke up.
At the breakfast table, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead.
Shen Manyun’s eyes were red as she kept piling food into Su Wanqing’s bowl.
“Eat more, baby.”
She repeated the same sentence over and over.
Su Hongyuan said nothing, smoking one cigarette after another, his brows tightly knotted.
Her throat tightened, but this wasn’t the time to be weak.
The switch that could change the Su family’s tragic fate was in her hands.
“Dad, Mom, if you’re like this, Qingqing will get worried,” Su Muyang said, giving his older brother a look.
Su Mufeng immediately chimed in.
“Yeah, Dad, Mom. Qingqing already cries easily—if this keeps up, she’ll start shedding pearls again!”
Su Wanqing shot her two brothers a grateful look.
“Dad, Mom.”
She put down her chopsticks and spoke in a light tone.
“I want to go out today.”
The table instantly fell silent.
Four pairs of eyes fixed on her at once.
“Where to?”
“I want to go to the supply and marketing cooperative, buy some necessities, and… say goodbye to a few close classmates.”
Su Wanqing smoothly delivered the excuse she had prepared, without a hint of hesitation.
[Good grief, I’m seriously impressed! Our Qingqing can lie without even drafting a script—where did she learn that?]
[That’s called strategic misdirection, got it? Big plans don’t sweat the small stuff!]
Shen Manyun was worried.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No need, Mom.”
Su Wanqing quickly grabbed her hand and started acting cute.
“I’ll just go by myself. You stay home and get some rest. Besides, I want to talk privately with my classmates—it’d be awkward if you’re there.”
She even winked, trying to lighten the mood.
Seeing that their daughter seemed in good spirits, Shen Manyun and Su Hongyuan exchanged a glance and finally nodded.
“Go early, come back early. Be careful,” Su Hongyuan said in a muffled voice as he stubbed out his cigarette.
“Got it, Dad!”
Su Wanqing slung a worn canvas bag over her shoulder—inside was a small shovel used for loosening soil at home—and left the house.
The streets of 1970s Shanghai were far from the bustling scenes of later years.
The roads were filled with the constant ringing of “Yongjiu” and “Phoenix” bicycles.
Occasionally, a bus would pass by like an old man struggling to breathe, spewing black smoke from behind.
She squeezed onto a bus heading south.
Inside, people were packed tightly together. The smells of sweat, vegetables, and all kinds of indescribable odors mixed together and hit her nose.
Su Wanqing managed to grab a window seat.
The scenery outside slowly slid backward.
The further south they went, the lower and more rundown the buildings became, and fewer people could be seen on the streets.
[You are about to enter Beginner Dungeon—Ruined Temple. Please prepare.]
[Reminder: No minor enemies inside, but stay hidden and avoid being spotted by NPCs.]
As the voice sounded in her mind, her nervousness strangely faded.
After getting off the bus, relying on vague memories and asking an old man by the roadside for directions, she finally found the ruined temple at the end of a narrow alley.
Calling it a temple was generous—it was just a pile of broken bricks and tiles.
Half the courtyard wall had collapsed, and the red-painted wooden gate was badly rotted.
A rusty lock hung on the door.
But there was a large hole in the wall beside it—easy to slip through if you crouched.
The alley was empty, with only the wind howling through the bare branches.
She looked around. No one.
Crouching down, she slipped through the hole.
Weeds in the courtyard had grown up to her knees.
A big hole gaped in the roof of the main hall, and several crows perched on the beams, cawing.
It felt eerie.
Su Wanqing ignored it, her eyes quickly scanning the courtyard.
Soon, she fixed her gaze on the four crooked-neck locust trees in the corner.
She hurried over.
Counting from the right—
“One, two.”
This was it!
This tree was thicker than the others, with a dark lightning scar on its trunk—easy to recognize.
[Here it comes! Treasure compass locked on target—three feet below the tree!]
[Dig, Qingqing! My blade is thirsting!—No, I mean my shovel!]
Su Wanqing glanced back toward the alley entrance to make sure no one was around.
She pulled out the small shovel from her canvas bag and began digging at a patch of loose-looking soil by the roots.
It was winter, and the ground was frozen solid.
Each strike numbed her hands.
After just a few digs, her soft palms were already reddened from the rough wooden handle, and sweat formed on her forehead.
She gritted her teeth and didn’t stop.
The Su family’s future was in every scoop of dirt.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out.
The shovel hit something hard.
Not a stone!
Her heart leapt, and she worked faster.
A square package wrapped in oilcloth emerged.
Ignoring the dirt, she used her hands to scrape it free and pulled the heavy bundle out of the pit.
She tore off the tightly bound rope and peeled away the layers of oilcloth.
When she uncovered the innermost cloth—
Her heartbeat skipped.
It was a bundle stuffed full!
On top were stacks of crisp “Big Unity” banknotes, their red color glaringly bright—at a glance, at least several thousand yuan!
Beneath the money was a thick stack of ration coupons.
National grain coupons, local grain coupons, cloth coupons, cotton coupons, meat coupons, oil coupons… all kinds, piled thick.
[Holy—We’re rich! Who’s been blessed by their ancestors? Oh, right—it’s Qingqing’s family.]
[666! With this stash, forget going to the countryside—you could live like a local emperor there!]
[With these, Qingqing can eat and drink well even in the countryside—those brats will be so jealous!]
Su Wanqing’s heart pounded like a drum.
She had suffered enough in her previous life without money or coupons.
She knew better than anyone what these things meant.
This wasn’t just money and coupons.
This was life.
The foundation for the Su family to survive the coming years of hardship.
She quickly packed everything into her space, not even leaving behind the dirty oilcloth.
Then she filled the pit, scattered some fallen leaves over it, and made everything look seamless.
Only after finishing did she dust off her hands and let out a long breath.
Sunlight streamed through the hole in the temple roof, falling right onto her.
With this money, she finally felt secure.
On the way home, her steps felt light.
She even had the mood to line up outside a state-run store, using the few coins and ration coupons she had to buy a pound of sponge cake.
Carrying the paper-wrapped cake, she entered the house, and Shen Manyun immediately came to greet her.
“Why are you back so late? Did you buy everything?”
“Mm, all done.” Su Wanqing handed her the cake and smiled.
“Mom, look what I got. Let’s have a little extra tonight.”
Seeing the long-lost smile on her daughter’s face, Shen Manyun’s anxious heart finally eased.
Su Wanqing returned to her room and shut the door.
With a thought, her consciousness entered her space.
Looking at the newly appeared bundle on the ground, along with the antiques and jewelry she had collected before, she smiled.
The first step was complete.
Next came shopping.
Life in the countryside wouldn’t be easy—she needed to prepare food, clothes, and daily necessities.
Especially medicine.
In an era with scarce medical resources, that could save lives at critical moments.
She needed to make a list and spend the money and coupons wisely, putting together a “luxury countryside survival package.”
As she was planning, the voice in her mind sounded again.
[Stockpile! Stockpile! I want to see an adrenaline-pumping hoarding session!]
[If you don’t go now, it’ll be too late!]
[Qingqing, go to the black market first—get pork, rice, and flour. Your space can preserve them—they won’t spoil!]
[Yes, yes! And antibiotics and common medicines—those are the most important! I remember there’s an old doctor in the west side of the city—highly skilled but a bit eccentric. You might be able to get something from him!]
Black market?
Old doctor?
Su Wanqing’s eyes lit up instantly.