Chapter 2

Chen Suihuan had placed an order online and bought some precious medicinal seeds—ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, dendrobium orchids, and the like—and scattered them over the mountain land.

At present, these seeds were growing quite well, especially the ginseng, which had already sprouted more than a dozen roots.

She used her mind to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese in her space, then harvested some crops like wheat, which she replanted immediately.

After finishing all this, Chen Suihuan felt extremely exhausted, and there was a sharp, twitching pain.

She quickly scooped a cup of Spiritual spring water and drank it, which made her whole body feel much more comfortable and eased the headache somewhat.

Although Chen Suihuan’s Spiritual spring water couldn’t completely cleanse the marrow or rebuild bones, it was still beneficial to the body; just a single sip could strengthen physical constitution and increase strength.

After drinking the Spiritual spring water and resting for a while longer, Chen Suihuan hurriedly exited her space.

Outside, Chen Sui’an was still there, and it wouldn’t be good if he saw her suddenly transformed.

When Chen Suihuan reappeared on the bed and lay down again for a while, Chen Sui’an came over holding a bowl and helped her sit up.

“Sis, there isn’t much food left at home. I found two eggs and some brown sugar in the place Mom used to hide things. I made you two brown sugar eggs—eat them quickly to replenish your energy.” Chen Sui’an said as he offered the bowl to Chen Suihuan.

In recent days, Grandmother Chen and her group had frequently come by and taken whatever food and supplies they could from the house.

The two siblings hadn’t eaten anything for more than a day now.

Chen Suihuan had been an orphan in her previous life and had never felt the warmth of family before.

Now, seeing how much Chen Sui’an cared for and took care of her, tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.

That warmth came straight from her heart—it was the feeling of having family.

“Sis, why are you crying? Are you in pain? Maybe we should still go to the hospital to check.” Chen Sui’an said with concern.

Looking at Chen Sui’an’s worried expression, Chen Suihuan shook her head. “No need to go to the hospital. The wound doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Chen Sui’an probably didn’t believe her, but they had almost no money left. Even if they wanted to go, they couldn’t. He could only look at the frail Chen Suihuan with some heartache and sighed.

“Sis! Eat quickly. If they come to cause trouble again, you won’t even be able to get these two eggs into your mouth.” Chen Sui’an hurriedly pushed the steaming bowl closer, his words carrying resentment toward Grandmother Chen and the others.

Chen Suihuan responded with a soft “Mm.” then took the bowl and ate one egg and drank half the brown sugar water. After that, she couldn’t eat any more.

Probably from grief and hunger over the past few days, she felt some stomach pain after suddenly eating something.

“An’an, here, you eat these. I can’t eat anymore.” Chen Suihuan handed the remaining half bowl to Chen Sui’an.

There were still some ready-to-eat foods stored in her space, so if she got hungry later, she could prepare a small meal. Chen Sui’an was still hungry.

Seeing that his sister really didn’t want to eat, Chen Sui’an hesitated a moment and then said: “How about warming it up and eating it tonight? There’s not much good food at home anyway. Sis, you lost so much blood, if you don’t go to the hospital, you can only rely on this to nourish yourself.”

Looking at her so thoughtful little brother, Chen Suihuan’s eyes grew moist again. She thought for a moment, reached under the mat, and took out two coins along with a grain coupon and a meat coupon.

These were secretly hidden away before and had not been discovered by Grandmother Chen and the others.

“Take this money. Go to the state-run restaurant and buy two meals to bring back.” she said.

Seeing Chen Sui’an about to shake his head, Chen Suihuan said: “If I tell you to go, then you go. When you bring the food back, I have something to tell you.”

Chen Sui’an hesitated for a moment, then took the money and coupons and opened the door to leave.

Since she had taken over the body completely, she was now truly Chen Suihuan. She wanted to live a better life with her younger brother.

Grandmother Chen clearly didn’t want to acknowledge Chen Suihuan and Chen Sui’an as her grandchildren. Staying here meant the job, the house, and the pension—these three were a big prize that would always attract her and her group.

For the sake of living peacefully in the future, Chen Suihuan thought it was better to settle the job position and the house and then move to the countryside.

Far from the central authority and eyes, no matter what schemes Grandmother Chen and the others had, they wouldn’t be able to interfere.

It was now 1975, and in two years, the college entrance exam would be reinstated. When that happened, the educated youth could return home, and at that time, the two siblings would come back to Beijing.

Since they were going to the countryside, they had to find a relatively better place. Her move was to avoid people, not to truly suffer hardship.

Northeast China was the first choice. There, they only planted one season of crops and then rested for six months. Chen Suihuan did not like farming.

Chen Sui’an returned soon after, bringing two portions of rice, one serving of braised pork, and a dish of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.

They had spent two coins on all this and still had half left.

“An’an, if they keep causing trouble like this, we’re definitely going to suffer. I’ve already thought it through—tomorrow I’ll go to Mom’s factory and find Director Ji to sell the job position.

Then we’ll sell the house, exchange everything for money, and head to the countryside. Life in the countryside might be tough, but it will definitely be freer than here.

What do you think?”

People like Grandmother Chen were like glue; once stuck, it was hard to shake them off. Besides, she had two strong men backing her up, and if they got ruthless, they could even wipe them out completely.

In short, the farther they were from here, the better.

Chen Sui’an looked hesitant when he heard this. He glanced at Chen Suihuan a couple of times, opened his mouth a few times, but in the end said nothing.

“An’an, are you unwilling to go? If you have anything to say, just tell me. It’s just the two of us left in the family. If there’s something on your mind, don’t hide it from me.” Chen Suihuan asked immediately, looking at her brother’s expression.

Chen Sui’an scratched his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to go. It’s just… I want to join the army.

I already told Uncle Qian, and Uncle Qin agreed, saying they’ll take me to the military unit in half a month.

Sis, joining the army has always been my dream. I want to be a great hero like Dad.

But if you go down to the countryside alone, I’m worried. How about I go with you?”

“I thought it was something else. Since you want to join the army, then go. They won’t be able to find you at the military unit anyway.

As for me, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of myself.”

At this point, the siblings were still too young, not strong enough to confront Grandmother Chen and the others directly, so they chose to avoid conflict.

Chen Sui’an wanting to join the army was also a way to get away from here, so Chen Suihuan didn’t intend to stop him.

“Being a soldier is very hard. Do you think you can really hold on?” Chen Suihuan looked at her brother with some concern.

Chen Sui’an was already 18 years old this year, about 1.7 meters tall. Since he was in a growth spurt, he was somewhat thin.

Moreover, ever since their mother died, the siblings were constantly troubled by their grandmother, eldest uncle, and little uncle. They couldn’t eat well or dress well, which made Chen Sui’an even thinner.