Chapter 16

At dawn the next day, there were sounds coming from the room next door.

Tian Mi immediately opened her eyes and, after lazily rolling around in bed for a moment, got up feeling refreshed.

Coming to this society had its benefits, like the habit of going to bed early and rising early.

She quickly tidied herself up and made her bed before heading to the kitchen to help Aunt Cuilan prepare breakfast.

“Are you going out again today?” Aunt Cuilan asked lovingly at the breakfast table, where the whole family was gathered. She served Tian Mi a bowl of thick white rice porridge and handed her a salted duck egg.

Because the Chen family had a son who became an officer, they had spent quite a bit of money over the years and called in many favors to arrange jobs for their children, even if it was just temporary work. As a result, their life was quite comfortable.

However, having such a good meal of white rice, white flour, and salted duck eggs wasn’t something they had often—only a few times a month—and that was because a relative was visiting.

Of course, not just any relative received such treatment.

It was mainly because Mi Yatou, though young, was a thoughtful girl. In the two days she had stayed, she always brought treats or fresh seafood, and even the children’s faces had brightened a little from the good food.

Relationships are reciprocal, after all. Since Mi Yatou was so generous, the Chen family wasn’t stingy either, and they had raised the quality of the meals during her stay.

Tian Mi was cracking open the salted duck egg. In this era, salted duck eggs weren’t like those in later times. These eggs were from Aunt Cuilan’s own ducks, and she had a secret recipe—every egg yolk was a deep red and full of rich, oily flavor. The taste was simply unparalleled.

She especially loved to scoop all the egg yolk into her porridge and mix it together. When she heard Aunt Cuilan’s question, she nodded, “Yes, I need to go out today.” If things went well, she could head home tomorrow.

But since that wasn’t certain yet, she kept quiet about it.

=

After breakfast, Tian Mi slung her small bag over her shoulder, hopped on the bus, and jostled her way to the town.

Today was the day Liu Shu was meeting with his mistress.

In the original story, unless something unusual happened, this man always chose Tuesday for his trysts.

This was because the woman had a family and could only come to the county town on Tuesdays.

Tian Mi wasn’t clear on the woman’s situation, but… Liu Shu’s affair was an open secret in the Liu household.

Liu Xiangdong’s mother, who was also Liu Shu’s wife, had long become accustomed to it. She had gotten used to being beaten and was completely entrenched in her husband’s ridiculous notion that “successful men always have several women.”

She didn’t blame other women or her husband. She only blamed herself for failing to keep his heart, so she humbled herself to the extreme, trying harder to please him.

Her own subservience wasn’t enough—when the original body married into the family, she brainwashed her into becoming another version of herself.

Thinking about this made Tian Mi furious. She didn’t feel sorry for Liu Xiangdong’s mother, but the original body was innocent, and that’s why she was determined to succeed in what she had planned for today!

=

“We’ve arrived at the station! Everyone off the bus!” The conductor’s loud voice jolted Tian Mi from her thoughts, and she quickly stood up, squeezing her way through the crowd to get off.

Feeling full of energy, she headed toward her destination, so focused that she didn’t even realize she hadn’t gotten carsick this time.

But she hadn’t gone far when she noticed a crowd heading toward the main street of the town, shouting something about “messing around with someone’s mistress.”

Tian Mi hadn’t expected such a coincidence. She followed them, not because she was interested in someone else’s scandal, but because the Liu family happened to be in the same direction.

It was her first time doing something like this, and even though Tian Mi had repeatedly thought it over and carefully considered it in the past two days, she still couldn’t help but worry about not doing certain aspects well.

She had to ensure everything went flawlessly; she absolutely couldn’t let anyone know that she was the one who had pried this information out.

Otherwise, with Liu Xiangdong’s meticulous and calculating nature, he would surely seek revenge if he found out she had ruined his father and son’s political prospects…

“Bang!” Just as Tian Mi was lost in her thoughts, someone bumped into her shoulder from behind with considerable force.

She gasped in pain, clutching her shoulder as she angrily looked around for the person who had knocked into her.

Only then did she realize that, without knowing when, she had somehow drifted along with the crowd to a scene of chaos, where people were shouting and denouncing a scandal.

Exiting her own mental space, the cacophony of the outside world surged into Tian Mi’s mind without warning.

It was too noisy. She instinctively furrowed her brow and raised her leg, wanting to leave.

But at that moment, her ears picked out a few bewildering remarks amidst the clamor.

“Ah, Liu Suo Zhang^[1]Head of an institute was such a respectable person, yet here he is engaging in this scandal…”

“Bah! What Liu Suo Zhang? He shamelessly took on broken shoes^[2]破鞋 – Whore/Loose woman. Just wait for him to be sent to a labor camp.”

“I think the Liu family is bound to fall; I wonder who set this in motion.”

“The Liu family is finished. Didn’t he have a son working at the supply and marketing cooperative?”

“Hey, I doubt he’ll last much longer.”

Although the words were vague, anyone who understood the situation knew that once Liu Shu was fully implicated, his family would be classified among the ‘black five categories’^[3]Classifications of political identity defined during the period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) in the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong, who ordained that people in … Continue reading. 

Unless Liu Xiangdong publicly severed ties with Liu Shu, his job would surely be at risk.

The chaotic chatter seemed to take on a life of its own, burrowing into Tian Mi’s brain, leaving her feeling dazed.

At first, she thought it was just a case of someone with the same name. But after listening closely for a while, she confirmed that it really was the Liu Shu she knew.

=

Perhaps she was too shocked, or perhaps a sudden surge of determination took hold of her. She quickly pushed through the crowd, ignoring the complaints around her, and reached the front.

When she finally saw the person kneeling in the middle of the crowd, disheveled and with his head bowed, wearing a sign around his neck, Tian Mi’s eyes, hidden beneath her scarf, widened in disbelief.

How could this be?

It was really Liu Shu?!

In the memories of her original self, she had seen Liu Shu a few times when she accompanied her parents to deliver grain at the supply station.

But now, he looked completely devoid of his former vigor, hardly resembling the same person. It was clear how greatly this incident had affected him.

Although she didn’t know which bodhisattva had done a good deed, that didn’t stop Tian Mi from reveling in the spectacle along with the crowd.

Of course, she wasn’t lost in her own glee; while watching the scene, she kept an eye out for Liu Xiangdong in the crowd.

After searching for a while without success, she realized she couldn’t linger too long—one, because she was worried Liu Xiangdong might find her, and two, because she was concerned about the situation with the gold.

With Liu Shu getting into trouble ahead of time, Liu Xiangdong was highly likely to use that box of gold to save him, even for his own future.

He wanted to help Liu Shu escape legal repercussions so that Liu Shu could continue to pave the way for Liu Xiangdong’s political ambitions.

Hah… what a dream.

Tian Mi decided to take advantage of this opportunity, embodying the principle of “taking advantage of a person’s misfortunes,” to move that box of gold.

With this thought in mind, she adjusted her scarf and slowly stepped back from the crowd.

Then she hunched over, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and quickly left the scene.

Honestly, with her figure and the patched-up old jacket she wore, she certainly looked like a typical rural aunt.

=

In the town, apart from the main street, most of the houses were independently built residences.

Tian Mi didn’t know the exact location of the Liu family. In the past, she would have to ask someone for directions, which might leave a witness.

But this time, the bodhisattva helped her out; all she had to do was head in the general direction, and she could see a few people discussing the Liu family’s situation as they hurried toward the southeast.

Seeing this, Tian Mi naturally blended into the crowd, following a group of aunts in triangular scarves as they made their way to the Liu family’s home.

The Liu family’s house was a typical tile-roofed building.

However, their house was clearly much larger than the others, with brick and tile that looked quite new, indicating it had likely been renovated not long ago.

“This Liu family’s tile house is really beautiful. I think they should check if their finances are clean; this house doesn’t come cheap.”

“It was just renovated a few months ago. How could it not be beautiful? I heard it was specially renovated for their son’s marriage.”

“If you ask me, there’s no good official among them.”

“Can’t say that; there are still good people.”

“…”

Tian Mi stood in the crowd, observing her surroundings.

The Liu family had already fallen into chaos, with people surrounding the entrance like a solid wall.

Once respected or envied, all of that was gone now.

After a downfall, some radical individuals weren’t just cursing; they were even throwing excrement at the Liu family.

The only one left in the Liu family was Liu Shu’s wife, who was curled up in the crowd, trembling. Tian Mi didn’t see Liu Xiangdong and couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety.

She immediately forgot about the time and hurriedly stepped out of the crowd, making her way to the fish pond behind the Liu house.

=

This place was situated between the north and south and, as previously mentioned, was a typical land of fish and rice.

In households with decent conditions, if the geographical location permitted, they would dig a fish pond behind their house, raising some fish. At the end of the year, whether for selling or personal consumption, it would be a good harvest.

The Liu family’s fish pond didn’t look particularly special; it was almost square, about thirty square meters in size.

If Tian Mi hadn’t read the original book, she would never have guessed that someone had hidden a box of gold inside for decades.

Tian Mi crouched among the dry and dense reeds for about ten minutes, confirming that there was really no one around before she took off her thick clothes and entered the water.

Once in the water, she immediately noticed the difference.

The Liu family’s fish pond was particularly deep; while a normal household’s pond would be around two meters, this one was at least four or five meters deep.

This realization brought a sense of relief to Tian Mi.

She widened her eyes and began searching throughout the pond.

Not knowing if it had been placed there for too long, she followed the muddy bottom of the pond in a circle but found nothing.

She stubbornly floated to the edge of the fish pond, broke a reed, and dived down again.

This time, after poking and prodding, she finally jabbed something solid near the center.

Found it!

Tian Mi’s eyebrows arched in delight. Not minding the muck, she reached down and rummaged until she finally touched a hard iron ring.

The object was heavy, and Tian Mi gritted her teeth, using all her strength to pull the box, which was already sunk in the mud, out.

Thanks to the buoyancy of the water, once it was free from the mud, she didn’t feel it was particularly heavy.

She dragged the box to the edge of the pond, set it down, and then returned to her previous spot to continue her exploration, demonstrating the principle of leaving no trace.

However, this time, she searched every inch of the pond, poking around thoroughly, but she couldn’t find a second box.

Satisfied that she had left the Liu family with no means to make a comeback, Tian Mi finally began to surface with the box.

Once out of the pond, the weight of the box became apparent.

It was about forty to fifty catties, heavier than she had guessed.

Tian Mi wasn’t sure how much of that weight came from the box itself, but this wasn’t the time for a detailed analysis. She struggled to carry the box into the reeds, enduring the cold as she carefully destroyed the footprints she had left behind before huddling into the reeds to change her clothes.

Now that she had gained some experience, and perhaps her physique was slowly changing, Tian Mi could clearly feel that she was becoming more resistant to the cold.

This change came inexplicably, as if she could suddenly breathe underwater and see things as clearly as she would on land.

=

Quickly tidying herself up, she used the axe she had brought to pry open the box.

Inside, she saw it was filled to the brim with small yellow fish and gold bars.

In her previous life, Tian Mi had been quite wealthy, though it was all thanks to her parents.

While she couldn’t be considered immensely rich, her total net worth was still in the tens of millions.

However, seeing so much gold all at once left her stunned.

How much was this worth?

According to the current gold price, even if it was only thirty catties, it would still be worth hundreds of thousands, right?

I’m rich!

She struck gold!

The poor Tian Mi’s face lit up with joy.

Even if she wouldn’t claim it as her own, just looking at the gleaming gold was enough to make her happy.

She quickly packed all the gold into her satchel.

Once she stuffed the last small yellow fish into her bag, she checked the box again to confirm it was truly empty before tossing the empty box back into the fish pond.

Her heart swelled with satisfaction; just thinking about the Liu family’s fury upon discovering the empty box made her want to smile for an entire year, wiping away all the frustrations she had felt before.

=

Carrying dozens of catties of gold, Tian Mi strode forward briskly.

At some point, someone once said that when holding a hundred catties of cash, even a delicate girl could move like the wind.

Tian Mi had never believed that before, but at this moment, with approximately forty catties of gold in her arms, she felt energized and didn’t feel tired at all.

Gleefully, she hurried along the narrow path. As she approached a cramped alleyway, she suddenly heard the sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps.

Her scalp tingled, and she quickly glanced around before tightly clutching her satchel and diving into a nearby haystack.

Less than half a minute later, she overheard an unexpected voice:

“Dong Ge, what should we do? Fuck, if I find out which son of a bitch is behind this, I’ll flay him alive.”

“Yeah, Dong Ge, what do you think we should do? We can’t let Uncle be branded as a bad guy like this.”

“Da Wei is right. Dong Ge, you need to think of a way.”

“Do you think it could be Tian Hongxing? He’s been searching everywhere for his useless son these past few days.”

“No… could it be?”

“Dong Ge, say something.”

If before Liu Xiangdong had appeared somewhat gentle and refined, now, after just a short time, he seemed completely dark and cold.

He remained silent, even when his former subordinates showed him less respect. He took a few deep puffs from his cigarette before coldly stating, “It’s not Tian Hongxing. He doesn’t have that much influence.”

Liu Xiangdong understood his own family matters well; with the connections the Liu family had, they wouldn’t let the situation deteriorate so badly over a little scandal.

“If it’s not the Tian family, then which family is it? Fuck, should we still go find that sister-in-law?”

Liu Xiangdong leaned against the wall, looking up as he exhaled another puff of smoke. “Yes, find her. My father is fine, and I can get him out. You guys need to locate her and keep her under control; we can’t let the Tian family stir up more trouble right now.”

The subordinates exchanged glances, and a youth named Da Wei hesitated. “What if we find her and she causes a scene?”

“Then we’ll tie her up. If she keeps causing a fuss, we’ll give her a beating until she behaves.” The man’s tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about a cat or a dog rather than someone he had once desperately wanted to marry.

Once these words were spoken, the subordinates felt a chill run down their spines, especially the two who had been contemplating. They quickly suppressed their thoughts, at least on the surface.

If Dong Ge could be so ruthless with sister-in-law, they knew better than to test his patience.

None of them were fools; after following Liu Xiangdong for years, they understood the cruelty behind his gentle facade.

=

Hiding in the haystack, Tian Mi heard just a couple of sentences and suspected that Liu Xiangdong’s plan was that box of gold.

She couldn’t help but grin silently, baring her teeth in delight, while also putting her hands together in a gesture of gratitude, sincerely thanking the kind-hearted benefactor who had helped her.

However, her good mood didn’t last long, as she was soon infuriated by what he said afterward.

Very well, scum really is scum.

It seemed that just taking the gold wouldn’t be enough to quell her hatred.

Didn’t he like to beat people up? As long as the fists weren’t landing on her, she would act in the name of justice today.

With this thought, Tian Mi held her breath, listening closely to the commotion outside. Once everyone had left and only Liu Xiangdong remained, she reached for the burlap sack…

=

“Achoo!” Over two thousand kilometers away, in a conference room, the most handsome man among a group of officers suddenly sneezed.

Zhou Jianshe raised an eyebrow. “Caught a cold? Or… is someone talking about you?”

“Yo! Even a tough guy like him can catch a cold?” an officer laughed, teasing him.

“Quick, quick, hurry up and go get a shot at the clinic! Those nurses have been complaining to me, saying it’s too hard to see our Regiment Commander Lou!” Another young officer laughed and teased.

As everyone joked and teased, Lou Luhui seemed to not hear a thing, not even twitching his brows.

Once the meeting was over, he finally had time to think about Tian Mi.

The matter he had asked his former squad leader to handle should have been resolved by now; he just didn’t know how things were going. Could that sweet, soft girl go home without worry?

Maybe he should make a phone call to check…

“By the way, Lao Lou, about my sister-in-law, did you help with that?” Chen Gang asked as he tightened the cap on his pen and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He closed his notebook and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered, turning back to ask.

God knew that he had called an acquaintance in the county yesterday for help, and this morning he unexpectedly received a reply that the matter had been resolved.

After some contemplation, Chen Gang felt that it was highly likely Lou Luhui had a hand in it.

Lou Luhui didn’t deny it; the moment he mentioned that girl, he couldn’t help but recall the term “male bodhisattva.” His ears began to heat up, but he tried to downplay it, saying, “I happened to know someone over there.”

Hearing this, Chen Gang felt a bit complicated. As family of the sister-in-law, he naturally appreciated Lou Luhui’s efforts, but… what if his sister-in-law didn’t like the cold demeanor of Lou Luhui?

“What… are you two whispering about?” someone leaned in, putting an arm around Chen Gang’s shoulders with a grin.

As for why they didn’t grab Lou Luhui instead, it was simple; he was too tall, and it would be a struggle.

Zhou Jianshe also leaned in. Knowing the inside scoop, he chuckled and teased, “Lao Lou is about to become a brother-in-law to Lao Chen.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Lou Luhui? 

So many people had tried to matchmake for him, wanting to pull him into their families, yet he hadn’t taken a single one of them seriously.

Now he was actually going to become related to Political Commissar Chen Zheng?

That girl… how beautiful must she be?

Men were all visual creatures, even officers were no exception.

Some quick-witted ones immediately protested, shouting at Chen Gang, “Lao Chen, this is where you’re wrong. You have a sister-in-law, so why don’t you introduce her to us?”

“Right? Is your sister-in-law particularly beautiful?”

“We’re all single here, Lao Chen, you can’t favor one over the other!”

“Exactly! What does your sister-in-law look like? Do you have any photos? Hurry up and show us! Since it’s a viewing, we don’t mind waiting in line!”

“Yeah, Lao Chen, we have a whole bunch of bachelors here!”

Zhou Jianshe hadn’t expected his offhand remark to escalate into this. At that moment, he felt a chill at the back of his neck; he didn’t even need to turn around to know the situation was dire. He was certain that if this wasn’t resolved, the likelihood of getting beaten up was at least one thousand percent.

So, fueled by the desire to survive, he had a brilliant idea and shouted at the group of hungry wolves, “I’ve seen the photos!”

Sure enough, his shout instantly captured everyone’s attention.

Zhou Jianshe didn’t keep them in suspense. Without waiting for them to speak again, he cleared his throat and said, “To put it in Tian Saozi’s words, she looks very much like her.”

He wasn’t lying; Tian Saozi had indeed told him this.

“…”

A silence fell for about ten seconds before someone finally spoke up. “Cough… Lao Lou has good taste. Uh, you guys chat. I have tasks to do.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot. I have to lead a team to patrol the village.”

“Me too…”

“…”

In just a few seconds, all the officers in the room had left, their speed rivaling that of an emergency assembly.

Chen Gang slammed the table in anger, “A bunch of little bastards, what’s the meaning of this? My wife is beautiful!”

Lou Luhui…

Zhou Jianshe…