Chapter 3 – The Collection System

Song Zhenzhen knew all too well how Zhao Lanhua doted on her only son, Song Hongwei. Whatever it took to protect her “precious boy,” Lanhua would do it.

Sure enough, the moment Zhenzhen mentioned marriage, Li Shulan’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes! You’re right. This is a good chance. Let’s think it through. Next month Jianye will come home from the army—perfect timing.”

Originally Li Shulan had agreed to let Song Yun marry Ding Jianye to secure her son’s future. Now that the Dings were breaking the engagement, Li Shulan was sorry to see it end—and Zhenzhen’s suggestion appealed directly to her maternal instincts.

While mother and daughter plotted, Song Yun slipped out of the workers’ compound and found herself by the roadside. She spotted a patch of wild grass and, seeing no one around, held up her wristwatch and scanned the greenery.

After a flicker of blue light, the watch’s tiny screen displayed:

“Target valid. Exchange for 5 star coins. Confirm exchange / Cancel exchange.”

Song Yun’s eyes brightened and she tapped “Confirm.” The tuft of grass shimmered and vanished.

That’s it! she thought. There’s plenty of that grass here—just collect it and become rich!

But reality hit hard: when she tried to scan the same grass again, the watch warned,

“Identical item cannot be exchanged again.”

Her hopes dashed, Song Yun set to scouting the roadside for different plants. After a long search she found only two other varieties, netting a mere 15 star coins.

Fine, she thought. I’ll look elsewhere—maybe something more valuable.

Rifling through her memories, she recalled that the local supply and marketing cooperative sometimes sold farmers’ produce—and, if she was lucky, live chickens or ducks.

At the co-op, however, she found nothing alive for sale.

“Xiao Yun?”

She turned to see a face full of joy. “My gosh—it really is you!” The girl rushed over and hugged her.

Song Yun recognized her from her memories: Yang Lifen, her best friend from high school.

“Lili, I thought you lived way out east. What are you doing here?”
The textile mill residential compound was north of the city; Yang’s home was in the east.

Lifen released her and beamed. “My mom got transferred to the street office out here.” She leaned in and whispered, “She’s now the director.”

Song Yun smiled. “That explains it. No wonder you look so happy.”

They chatted briefly outside the co-op. When Lifen learned of Song Yun’s predicament, she was furious. “No wonder they treated you badly—they must’ve realized you weren’t blood. And that Ding Jianye—what was his deal? He chased you so hard before, and now he dumped you like a book on a shelf. What a jerk!”

Song Yun gripped Lifen’s hand and smiled wryly. “None of that matters now. Lili—can you do me a favor?”

“Of course! Tell me what you need, and I’ll help.”

“I want to find out what happened to my biological parents.”

Lifen’s parents both worked in local government—her father at the municipal committee, her mother as the street office director. Finding out such information would be easy. She didn’t even need her dad—just her mother.

Lifen led Song Yun to the street office and told her to wait outside. Half an hour later, she hurried out, her face grave.

“What’s wrong?” Song Yun asked.

Lifen pulled her aside and whispered, “Your real parents were both sent to a small village in Hei Province after their purge. Here’s the address,” she handed over a slip with the location. “Also—do you know you have a younger brother?”

Song Yun stared in shock. “A brother? Song Zhenzhen never mentioned him.”

Lifen nodded. “That Zhenzhen isn’t a good person. When she left your parents’ house, she took your brother with her. But by the time she got here, she was alone. What do you think she did?”

Song Yun’s face turned stone-cold. “My brother—what’s his name? How old is he?”

“His name is Song Ziyi, eight years old. He was in second grade and had excellent grades.”

Song Ziyi… eight years old…

Her heart thundered. She remembered her own little brother in her past life—also named Song Ziyi, lively and bright, whose life tragically ended at eight. The pain remained her greatest wound.

“And my parents… their names?” she whispered.

Lifen squeezed her hand, tears in her eyes. “Your mother, Bai Qingxia, is a history professor at Jingbei University. Your father, Song Hao, is a foreign languages professor there.”

The same names as in her past life—her parents in that timeline had died in that same tragic accident.

Was it coincidence?

When her brother was eight and she fifteen, her talent for ancient medicine had won her a place at the Academy of Traditional Healing. On her fifteenth birthday, her parents and brother—driving from the county to take her to a park—were caught in a road collapse. All three perished instantly.

Even after all these years, it remained an unthinkable nightmare.

Song Yun took a steadying breath, wiped her tears, and faced Lifen. “Thank you, Lili. Truly. You’ve done so much. From now on, if there’s anything I can do for you, I will.”

Lifen patted her shoulder. “Compared to everything you’ve done for me, this is nothing. Xiao Yun, no matter what happens, come to me—always.”

As if to prove it, she reached into her pocket, intent on giving Song Yun all the money she had.

Song Yun shook her head and started off. “Go home now. If I need you, I’ll come find you.”

She made her pace brisk, eager to return to the compound and learn the truth about her brother.

Back at the tenement building, Song Weiguo happened to be returning from work. Seeing Song Yun hurrying home, he rushed up to her and frowned. “Where have you been?”

Song Yun didn’t reply.

He looked around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice. “Think about your status now—running off like this. Do you want to get us all killed?”