Chapter 5 – Departing for Guangcheng

When she returned to Wutong Lane, Qin Muhan and He Cuizhi were both at home. Upon seeing An Minghua come back, a subtle shift flickered in Qin Muhan’s gaze, as if a secretive smile passed through his eyes.

He Cuizhi looked at An Minghua with a face full of concern. “Minghua, Qin Lie will be alright. You still have Ping’an to care for, you must take care of your own health.”

“Sister-in-law, my train to Guangcheng is at six tomorrow morning.”

“Ah—alright, alright.” He Cuizhi paused, nodding repeatedly. “It’ll take three days to get from here to Guangcheng, right? You must bring more food with you for the road, and food coupons too—make sure they’re national coupons! I’ll get them ready for you.”

“Sister-in-law, don’t trouble yourself. I went back to the old residence today and packed some clothes. As for money and food coupons, I already took some with me before I went out yesterday—it’ll be enough.”

She pulled out the money and coupons she had prepared in advance and handed them to He Cuizhi. “Sister-in-law, I won’t speak as an outsider with you. Once I leave, my parents and Second Brother will still need you and Big Brother to worry about them. Whether it’s managing affairs or anything else, this money must not come from you and Big Brother.”

He Cuizhi hesitated for a moment, but An Minghua was quick and deftly stuffed the money and coupons into her pocket. He Cuizhi gave a helpless smile. “Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

There were no fools in the An family. Though the little sister-in-law looked fragile now, who knew where she might be hiding her wealth?

Truth be told, their household was indeed tight on money and coupons. As He Cuizhi thought of this, she let go of the faint discomfort in her heart.

She glared angrily at Qin Muhan, who just stood there stupidly—what a useless blockhead!

Qin Muhan looked at An Minghua’s figure, screaming in his heart: Minghua, Little Uncle is going to die soon—going there is pointless!

…

After dinner, she arranged with Qin Zhao to leave home at five in the morning. An Minghua returned to her room and picked up a book to quietly teach Ping’an how to read.

As night gradually deepened, Ping’an insisted on counting from one to a hundred for her. But by the time he reached thirty-two, he had already drifted into sleep and continued counting in his dreams.

An Minghua entered the space.

Inside the herbal compendium space, there were endless medicinal prescriptions, all kinds with all kinds of effects. What she urgently needed now were the ones that would be useful for her parents and Second Brother after being sent to the countryside.

Prescriptions for fever, colds, diarrhea, and external injuries were the basics. There were also things like foot soaks that relieved fatigue, pills that enhanced physical strength with daily use… and so on.

One set had to be prepared for her parents, another for her Second Brother, and a third for her Big Brother and Sister-in-law, who hadn’t contacted them much since starting work.

Although her Big Brother and Sister-in-law couldn’t return home, they occasionally managed to send letters. Maybe someday she could send them a package.

She stayed busy in the space until one in the morning, then changed into black long sleeves and pants, and slipped out quietly.

The night was as dark as thick ink, and the autumn wind already carried a piercing chill.

Flower Branch Alley No. 56—a very run-down house. In the past two days, An Minghua had been taking elixirs from the spring, and had adjusted her body well. Coupled with the rock-climbing techniques she had learned during masterclasses in her past life, getting over the wall was no challenge at all.

But as she looked at the dilapidated house, An Minghua hesitated. The place was so small and run-down that a single glance could take in its entire layout—there wasn’t a spot big enough to hide anything!

This kind of shabby house, complete with a thatched roof, might have a cellar or two at most, but a hidden chamber? Impossible.

She walked a full circle around the front and back yards. Could it be hidden in an underground cellar inside the house?

Or perhaps this Director Zhou was simply a true believer in the movement, without any ulterior motives?

Why was it so hard to believe that?

Maybe she really was just lucky—because suddenly, she heard faint rustling sounds coming from inside the house. An Minghua quickly crouched down and hid herself behind a nearby object.

Soon after, she heard the sound of the courtyard gate opening and closing. She followed quietly and saw, in the darkness, a hunched man carrying a bundle walking away.

So the infamous Director Zhou was actually a hunchback.

An Minghua didn’t hesitate for a second—she followed him.

The alleyways twisted and turned. She watched as the hunchback entered a small house. She crouched outside and waited patiently.

About half an hour later, the door opened and closed again. The hunchback came out empty-handed.

So he was playing that “a crafty rabbit has three burrows” game, huh?

An Minghua stayed perfectly still.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, the hunchback returned again, swinging his empty hands.

She waited nearly another hour, and when he didn’t come back this time, An Minghua yawned, stood up, and made her way toward the house.

After entering the courtyard, she was startled by the sight of a coffin placed right in the middle!

She took a moment to calm her nerves. Upon closer inspection, An Minghua saw that the coffin had already been split open down the center. She clicked her tongue in regret.

The wood of the coffin wasn’t anything special, but the craftsmanship was truly exquisite.

Unfortunately, in these times of destroying the old and praising the new, even the most finely crafted coffin couldn’t escape destruction.

She stepped into the main room and immediately noticed four round marks on the Eight Immortals Table.

She glanced at the four-legged round chairs and chuckled to herself. Didn’t even bother to clean up the evidence, huh?

She moved one of the chairs onto the table, climbed up, reached toward the beam—and felt something.

It was a bundle.

She pulled it down, jumped off the chair, and opened the bundle. Inside were ten-yuan notes—ten stacks of them.

Well then, he sure had skimmed plenty off the top for himself!

She stored everything into her space, put the chair back in place, wiped off the footprints on the table and chairs, and continued searching the house.

It didn’t take her much effort. In the bedroom, after some tapping around, she found a loose brick. She lifted it and twisted—

The entrance to the underground chamber was opened.

Descending the stairs, An Minghua widened her eyes in astonishment.

There were no boxes—everything was just laid out directly on the floor. Porcelain vases, calligraphy scrolls, gold bracelets, rings, necklaces, and other jewelry were piled into several mounds. Gold beads and pearls were scattered everywhere.

Small gold ingots were heaped into stacks, and right beside them were much larger gold ingots. There were also bundles upon bundles of silver dollars, some with torn packaging, leaving silver coins rolling all over the ground.

This overwhelming visual impact of pure gold and silver strewn about was simply too much for An Minghua, who in her past life had slaved away and only acknowledged the value of gold!

Who in their right mind could resist gold bars?

In a corner, her attention was caught by some papers tossed on the ground like trash.

She walked over and picked up one. The large characters “Special Commodity Supply Certificate for Overseas Remittance” jumped out at her—it was an Overseas Remittance Coupon. No wonder this person had the privilege to access a basement like this.

Looking more closely, the words “Guangdong Province” at the top leapt out, bold and arrogant. No wonder it had been cherished enough to hide in an underground chamber, yet thrown out in a rage like garbage.

Without hesitation, An Minghua gathered up the considerable pile of Overseas Remittance Coupons and stored them in her space!

What a coincidence—it just so happened she was heading to Guangdong Province. She was leaving first thing in the morning!

She couldn’t help but let out two smug chuckles and swiftly ransacked the underground chamber until it was completely empty.

After cleaning up all traces she’d left behind, An Minghua returned to Wutong Lane, still feeling unsatisfied.

It was already past 4 a.m.

She simply didn’t bother going back to sleep. She reorganized the luggage she had packed openly, tossed the clothes and shoes she had worn earlier into the space, and changed into a fresh outfit.

A dark blue top and black trousers. Then, she braided her hair into two thick plaits and flipped them back over her shoulders—they hit her back with a sting!

Once she finished tidying herself up, it was time to get Ping’an ready.

Luckily, he wasn’t hard to wake up. The moment she mentioned they were going to see his father, the little guy’s eyes popped open, his sleepy voice still raspy but filled with excitement:

“Ping’an wants to find Daddy!”

“Minghua.” He Cuizhi knocked and came in: “once you’re packed, come eat. I boiled ten eggs, and there’s malt milk powder and formula milk—bring them so you can make drinks for Ping’an on the road.”

“Little Aunt, bring these two enamel cups too.” Qin Mianmian brought over two brand-new enamel mugs. “They’ll be useful whether for drinking water or mixing formula for Ping’an.”

An Minghua accepted them with a bright smile. Then, turning away, she secretly tucked away an amount of money and food coupons of equivalent value beneath the bedding.

Qin Muhan didn’t show up all morning.

With Qin Zhao escorting her, An Minghua enjoyed a bit of special treatment. Carrying Ping’an in her arms, she was personally guided into the hard sleeper carriage.

“Comrade An, my name is Yao Ni, I’m responsible for this carriage today. If you need anything, feel free to call me directly. Meals will be served by a food cart, and the dining car is in Car No. 7. Please keep an eye on your luggage.”