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“Everything’s settled,” someone said decisively. “Three days from now, Momo will take the train. Tingjie will meet her there. Let’s get her luggage ready and send her off in a sleeper berth.”
“Good, good. Make sure all the money and ration tickets go with Momo. We’ll keep just enough for one month’s expenses.”
Grandma Su, as always, acted with swift efficiency. Once the decision was made, she mobilized the entire household.
This parting might be the last time they saw one another for a long while. Better that Momo have money and tickets in hand; those were the only things that brought real security.
While the family bustled about, Su Momo sat quietly on the sofa in her room, her fingers brushing against her neck. To her surprise, the jade pendant necklace she had once bought on a whim was still there.
As a doctor, she had rarely worn jewelry. Yet one day at a flea market, she had been drawn to a necklace with a jade pendant. She’d paid two hundred yuan for it and had worn it ever since. And now, impossibly, it had come with her into this new life.
If that isn’t special, then what is?
She was a veteran bookworm; when she wasn’t studying medicine, she read novels. So though she was startled, she wasn’t entirely unprepared for the possibility that fiction might bleed into reality.
Picking up a small knife, she nicked her finger. In all the novels she’d read, blood usually activated such artifacts.
A drop of blood fell onto the jade. Instantly, a vision of a small space bloomed in her mind.
It worked. A storage space.
But it wasn’t quite like in the novels. There were no fields to plant, no systems to trade with. Just a plain storage room, about ten square meters in size.
Still, even that was useful. With it, she could hide valuables away safely. The Su family possessed plenty of gold, silver, and jewels. Left in the house, they were a danger. In her space, they would be untouchable.
Her family could be trusted completely, so she felt no need to keep this secret from them, especially Grandpa and Grandma, who were both wise and shrewd.
Grandma Su had once been the country’s first female diplomat. Back then, the word diplomat hadn’t even existed, but she had done the work nonetheless. Grandpa Su was a founding general of the nation, a man who had once wiped out entire bandit strongholds. Many of the treasures in the family had come from those years. Though they had handed much over to the state, loyal brothers had ensured some remained.
With this in mind, Momo went downstairs and pulled her grandparents into the study.
“Grandpa, Grandma,” she said seriously, “I have something very important to tell you.”
Seeing her solemn expression, the two elders sat up straight and listened carefully.
“Grandpa, Grandma… our family has many valuables. We can’t let others know. But, I have a way to hide them.”
The study was the most secure place in the compound. If anyone could eavesdrop here, then the entire family of soldiers might as well resign.
“Child,” Grandpa asked calmly, “what way do you have?”
It didn’t surprise them that she knew about the family’s wealth. Within the house, it was no secret. Only outsiders were unaware.
“I once bought this necklace by chance,” Momo explained, touching the jade at her throat. “At the time, I only thought it was pretty. But when I accidentally cut my finger and touched the stone, I discovered it held a storage space. It isn’t large, maybe ten square meters, but it’s enough.”
Grandma’s eyes softened with pride. “Our Momo truly is a blessed child. This is your fortune, your opportunity.”
Neither elder looked shocked. Both had weathered storms far greater than this.
“Good,” Grandpa said firmly. “Then only the three of us will know. Not even your parents. All of the family’s things are in hidden compartments. We planned to move them soon anyway. From now on, they’ll be entrusted to you.”
With a practiced hand, Grandpa turned a concealed mechanism. The wardrobe slid aside, revealing another hidden switch. The wall shifted, opening a secret chamber.
Momo couldn’t help but gape. This isn’t a hidden compartment; it’s practically a room.
Inside were three neat camphorwood chests, each about a meter square.
“This is part of the family’s wealth,” Grandpa explained. “The rest is in our room, your grandmother’s dowry.”
Grandma Su had been born into a southern scholarly family that had produced both civil and military champions for generations. In the Republican era, her family turned to business and flourished. During the war, they gave generously to support the army, becoming what people called “red capitalists.”
When she married Grandpa Su, no one knew how much dowry she brought. It had all been given quietly.
“Grandpa, can I open them?” Momo asked eagerly.
“Go ahead,” he chuckled. “But your grandfather is a rough man. What’s inside is all practical.”
One by one, she lifted the lids.
Her eyes widened. Gold bars. Three chests filled to the brim. She had never seen so much gold in her life, not even a jewelry store could compare.
“See?” Grandma sniffed. “Your grandfather has no taste. So many antiques and jewels, and he only wanted gold. If not for my sharp eyes, even that imperial-green jade bead necklace would’ve been lost.”
She shook her head, but her voice held affection. “Gold has a price. But jade… jade is priceless.”
Grandpa only smiled sheepishly. “I admit it. I have no eye for such things. I only know what’s practical.”
Momo laughed softly as she placed the chests into her space. Seeing them vanish into thin air, even her battle-hardened grandparents were stunned. Hearing her describe it was one thing; seeing it with their own eyes was another.
“Come,” Grandma said at last. “Let’s go to our room. My dowry is what truly holds value.”
Together, they heaved out two enormous trunks. When the lids were opened, Momo drew in a sharp breath.
Inside were treasures beyond measure: a delicate phoenix coronet, the jade bead necklace Grandma had mentioned, ornaments inlaid with pearls and gemstones, boxes filled with smaller jewels.
The second trunk held antiques: jade ruyi scepters, vases, scrolls, and paintings. In the twenty-first century, these would be priceless.