Chapter 8

Jia Xueli, seeing Wu Anfei crying like this, felt anxious and tried to comfort her.

“Stop crying first and tell me—what exactly happened?”

“Xueli, that man was never single. He was married before—three times! And the worst part? He has four kids! Xueli, I’ve been deceived!”

Wu Anfei only discovered the truth after marrying Wang Qiang. He hadn’t even hosted a wedding banquet—he had just quietly brought her home.

When Wang Qiang introduced his family, Wu Anfei realized she had been tricked. Even the promised job in town was a lie. She wanted to confront the matchmaker, but they simply said, “You never asked.”

Now that the marriage certificate was already issued, even if she regretted it, it was too late. Jia Xueli didn’t know what to say, so she could only advise Wu Anfei to come to terms with it.

That morning, during breakfast, the whole village learned about Wu Anfei’s deception. But no one cared—after all, they weren’t the ones who got tricked.

After breakfast, the village chief arrived to announce that there were now two available spots for the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University. He encouraged the educated youth to behave well and compete for them.

Originally, there were three spots, but one was already taken by a local. The remaining two were given to the educated youth only because no villagers met the requirements.

After the village chief left, everyone at the educated youth residence had different thoughts—especially the older ones. Returning to the city was their dream.

Jia Xueli and Ye Qing exchanged glances. Both decided to compete for the opportunity.

As the weather grew colder, Gu Nian bought 200 pounds of Chinese cabbage from the villagers, along with two large jars. She pickled enough sauerkraut to last her, her parents, and two professors through the entire winter.

The rest of her time was spent collecting firewood. Stockpiling enough would allow her to spend a cozy winter indoors.

The village chief, seizing the opportunity before the heavy snowfall, organized a hunting trip. Once the snow set in, hunting would become difficult.

None of the educated youth wanted to go. Though they craved meat, they knew their own capabilities.

Besides, they would still get a share of whatever the village caught. Their lives remained uneventful.

Only one person was particularly happy every day—Sun Dantong.

A few days ago, Liu Shengjun told her that he had been promoted and would soon divorce his wife. That meant Sun Dantong could finally marry into the county.

Believing that her days of suffering were about to end, Sun Dantong eagerly awaited Liu Shengjun’s arrival.

One day, Jia Xueli told her someone was looking for her outside. Thinking it was Liu Shengjun, Sun Dantong happily rushed out.

However, when she stepped outside and saw the strangers, she felt uneasy.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“We’re from the county. Liu Shengjun’s true identity has been exposed. According to his confession, you are his accomplice. You need to come with us.”

“What? What identity?”

Sun Dantong was utterly confused. Could Liu Shengjun be making this up just to get rid of her?

“We’ve confirmed it—Liu Shengjun is a spy, and you’re his accomplice. Now, tell us where he hid the contraband in the mountains!”

Seeing their serious expressions, Sun Dantong realized this wasn’t a joke. Her priority now was to sever all ties with Liu Shengjun.

“No, no! You’ve got the wrong person! I have nothing to do with Liu Shengjun, and I don’t know anything about where he hid anything! I’m innocent!”

But Liu Shengjun had already betrayed her. After his arrest, he refused to expose his real accomplices and instead dragged Sun Dantong down with him.

The officials didn’t believe her denial.

“Take her away. She can talk once she decides to cooperate.”

“Understood.”

And just like that, Sun Dantong was taken away.

News spread quickly—Liu Shengjun, the eldest son of Accountant Liu, was a spy. Soon, everyone in the village knew about his relationship with Sun Dantong.

Accountant Liu’s family shut their doors and refused to go out. With Liu Shengjun gone, they had lost their only pillar of support, and their arrogance disappeared overnight.

At that moment—

“Ding! Host, this is the seventh transmigration mission. Please locate the contraband Liu Shengjun hid in the mountains and collect it into the system.”

“Accepting the mission.”

Gu Nian thought it over. If the contraband was hidden deep in the mountains, going alone would be too suspicious. Given Liu Shengjun’s background, he was likely under surveillance.

The only option was to join the hunting party and search while pretending to hunt. She immediately took half a pound of brown sugar to the village chief’s house.

The village chief had a good impression of Gu Nian—she had been hardworking and well-behaved since arriving.

“Gu, what brings you here?”

“Village chief, I’d like to join the hunting trip. Is that okay?”

“No way! A young woman like you can’t just go into the mountains like that!”

The village chief immediately refused. This was a dangerous matter—life or death could be at stake.

“Village chief, don’t forget—I killed a wild boar before! I promise I won’t cause any trouble or slow anyone down!”

The village chief hesitated. It was true that she had killed a boar before.

At that moment, Jiang Susu, his younger daughter, walked out.

“Father, let her go! What’s wrong with a girl hunting? I’m going too! Don’t underestimate women!”

Jiang Susu was twenty, reasonably pretty, but quite overweight—at least 200 pounds.

Her parents struggled to find her a husband, so they were always worried about her marriage prospects.

“Fine, fine! But safety first!”

“Got it!”

Gu Nian gave Jiang Susu a grateful glance before leaving.

On the day of the hunt, Gu Nian followed the team while secretly searching. After combing through much of the area, she still found nothing.

But she didn’t give up. She continued hunting while keeping an eye out.

When she reached a chestnut tree, the system suddenly spoke:

“Host, the contraband is here.”

“Got it.”

Gu Nian quickly marked the spot, deciding to return at night when no one was around.

The hunt was successful, and the villagers were thrilled when they saw the catch.

That night, once everyone was asleep, Gu Nian returned to the chestnut tree.

After storing the chestnuts in her system, she started digging.

After half an hour, she unearthed a metal box. Opening the lock, she found stacks of large-denomination bills—at least 100,000 yuan.

There were also ration tickets for grain, meat, sugar, bicycles, and even televisions—all nationally valid.

In total, there were over 30,000 tickets.

After confirming the contents, she locked the box and stored it in her inventory.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the seventh transmigration mission. Trading Space unlocked!”

With the Trading Space now open, Gu Nian listed some food and fruit for sale.

A few days later, Liu Shengjun and Sun Dantong received their sentences.

Liu Shengjun got what he deserved. Sun Dantong was sentenced to 20 years of reform labor at a farm.

Accountant Liu’s hair turned white overnight. The village gossiped—some said Liu Shengjun’s wife had turned him in, as she had now inherited all his wealth.

Before the matter was settled, news about the educated youth returning to the city progressed.

Early in the morning, Jiang Dashan arrived at the residence to announce the selected names.

“The final city returnees are: Female—Jia Xueli. Male—Xu Zhixing.”

Everyone was shocked.

“Why not Ye Qing and Jia Xueli?”