On the night after everything was laid bare, no one in the Su family could sleep.
Everyone was holding onto a fierce determination.
Before dawn, the whole family was already seated in the dining room.
“We don’t have much time. We split up.”
Su Hongyuan hadn’t slept all night, but the gloom from before was gone. The decisiveness of the head of the family had returned.
He looked at his wife.
“Manyun, you’re meticulous. Make a list—write down everything Qingqing might need in the countryside. The more detailed, the better. We’ll buy according to that.”
Shen Manyun nodded heavily, already gripping pen and paper tightly.
“Muyang.”
Su Hongyuan turned to his second son, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
“You go find out about joining the army—right now! In the dream, you staying home leads to trouble, so go into the military! Strict discipline, no one dares mess around. Use the fastest way possible—get out of Shanghai!”
“Do well in the army, earn promotions. Your sister won’t have it hard in the countryside either.”
Su Muyang clenched his fists until they turned pale. Looking at his father’s unyielding face and thinking of his sister who tried to change his fate—
“Alright. I’ll listen to you, Dad!”
Finally, Su Hongyuan’s gaze fell on his eldest son and daughter.
“Mufeng, you’re the most steady-minded. The files on that old Hengtong Shipping case are in the study. Sort them out. Starting today, continue investigating in secret.”
Then he looked at Su Wanqing, his eyes full of heartache.
In places he couldn’t see, what had his precious daughter—whom he had cherished for eighteen years—gone through? What had she endured alone?
“Qingqing, in this life, whatever you want, tell your brother. Let him get it for you. As for money and coupons, I’ll figure it out. Even if we have to sell everything, our Su family will make sure our daughter lives well in the countryside!”
“We will never repeat the same mistakes!!”
“Right!”
“We will never accept fate!”
Su Wanqing looked at her now vibrant family, her eyes red.
They would never again become stepping stones for others. They would never again be cannon fodder!
[I’m crying.]
[Everyone is trying so hard to live.]
[Qingqing, stay strong—you can do this, and you still have us!]
That same morning, Su Mufeng took Su Wanqing out.
The siblings first went to the supply and marketing cooperative.
In the 1970s, the shelves were fairly stocked, but everything required ration coupons. The clerks all wore sour expressions, as if everyone owed them money.
“Comrade, two bars of sulfur soap, one enamel basin, three towels.”
Su Mufeng handed over the money and industrial coupons. Ignoring the clerk’s eye roll, he checked the items carefully and placed them into a net bag.
Watching this, Su Wanqing clicked her tongue inwardly.
[Tsk tsk, with service like this, they’d be reported a hundred times in our era.]
[Don’t rush, host. Basic supplies are just the appetizer—the main course is coming.]
[Qingqing, take your brother to the black market.]
Su Wanqing didn’t speak. Only after her brother finished buying everything on the list did she tug at his sleeve and lower her voice.
“Second brother, let’s go somewhere else.”
Su Muyang didn’t ask questions. He nodded and led her away from the crowded main street into several twisting alleys.
This was the black market.
The bullet comments had told her.
A hidden underground world where money could be traded for life.
If caught, the consequences were unthinkable.
People around them kept their heads down, walking quickly—either with hats pulled low to hide their faces or cloth covering half their faces. The sounds of trading were low and buzzing, like mosquitoes.
Su Muyang immediately shielded his sister behind him, his whole body tense.
But Su Wanqing’s eyes were shining.
The barrage of comments in her mind was going wild.
[Here it comes! Treasure-hunting mode activated!]
[Qingqing, look to your left—that old man squatting there! His sack has freshly harvested northeastern rice and flour! Buy it! That’s hard currency!]
Su Wanqing immediately said to her brother,
“Second brother, over here.”
Su Muyang followed her gaze, stepped forward, and spoke to the man in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Very quickly—
Fifty jin of rice and fifty jin of flour—secured.
[To the right! That guy selling dried fish—there’s pork hidden at the bottom of his basket! Lots of fat—perfect for rendering oil!]
“Second brother, that uncle has meat—no coupons needed,” Su Wanqing whispered.
Without questioning how she knew, Su Muyang stepped forward and bought the pork hidden at the bottom.
[Quick! The one ahead wearing a straw hat—his basket has brown sugar and rock sugar! These are more valuable than money—rural women need them the most!]
[And matches! Matches! That inconspicuous box in the corner—it’s full of matches. Take all of them!]
…
If they ran out of money, Su Wanqing had more.
She didn’t lack money now.
Rice, flour, pork, brown sugar, cloth…
Anything the comments pointed out, she bought without hesitation.
Soon, the two large canvas bags they brought were stuffed to the brim, and Su Mufeng was carrying several heavy sacks in his hands.
“Qingqing, we can’t buy more.”
Sweat covered Su Muyang’s forehead as he panted.
“There’s too much. We can’t carry all this back. It’ll draw too much attention—too many people are watching our family.”
“Second brother, come with me.”
Su Wanqing led him to a small, rundown house.
She looked around carefully to make sure it was safe.
After closing the door, Su Muyang frowned at the pile of supplies stacked like a small mountain.
“With this much, even transporting it in batches will take days. It’s too conspicuous.”
“Second brother, it’s not that troublesome.”
Looking at his confused expression, Su Wanqing decided not to hide it anymore.
“What’s about to happen—don’t be scared. And you must keep this a secret. Don’t tell Mom and Dad for now. The fewer people who know, the better.”
Su Muyang looked at her serious face and nodded solemnly.
She walked to the pile of supplies, stretched out her fair hand, and lightly placed it on the top sack of rice.
“Collect.”
She said it silently in her heart.
The next second, Su Muyang’s eyes nearly popped out.
The mountain of goods vanished in an instant!
The room was left with only a stunned Su Muyang and a calm Su Wanqing.
“Th-this…”
His mind buzzed, going completely blank.
He pointed at the empty ground, then at his sister, his lips trembling, unable to say a word.
“Second brother.”
Su Wanqing walked over and held his cold hand.
“Don’t worry. This is a treasure I gained after waking up—a storage space. With it, I can safely take these supplies without anyone noticing.”
Su Mufeng stared at his sister.
All these unbelievable things had actually happened to his little sister.
After the initial shock passed, what flooded in was fear—and heartache.
If not for her…
He gripped her hand tightly, his voice hoarse.
“Qingqing, don’t worry. As long as you don’t agree, even big brother won’t hear a word of this from me.”
With his assurance, Su Wanqing finally relaxed.
Her storage space now filled with supplies gave her a huge sense of security.
She was just about to say they could call it a day when the comments in her mind popped up again.
[Urgent tip: In Tongren Alley in the west of the city, there’s an old traditional Chinese doctor surnamed Wang. He has a strange temper but miraculous medical skills. He also has lost medical texts and ancestral secret prescriptions!]
[But because of the times, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are labeled as “black elements.” Be careful.]
An old Doctor Wang?
Medical texts?
Su Wanqing’s heart skipped a beat.
But she didn’t have time to learn medicine!
In just three days, she would be sent to the countryside.
What should she do?
No matter—she would go take a look first.
“Second brother, there’s one more place we must go!”