Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University.

At 9 a.m., Qiao Jiuru was in the lecture hall, earnestly teaching her students.

She was in the middle of her lecture when she suddenly heard a commotion—footsteps and loud voices echoing through the corridor outside.

Even though Qiao Jiuru had mentally prepared for this moment, her heart still skipped a beat. After all, whether in her past life or in this one, the date March 25, 1972, was etched into her soul.

“Is it her?”

“Yes, it’s her.”

“She’s Su Huaiyuan’s wife.”

“Qiao Jiuru from the Chinese department of Peking University—that’s who we’re looking for.”

“Yeah, she’s the one.”

“No mistake.”

“Good. Grab her.”

“Take her away.”

…

More than ten people stormed into the classroom, pointing at Qiao Jiuru and shouting.

A few of them rushed forward and grabbed her by the arms.

Unlike in her previous life, Qiao Jiuru didn’t resist this time—because it was pointless and only ended up hurting herself.

Instead, she pretended to be stunned and frightened, letting them drag her away with a face full of panic.

They took her straight to the residential compound, to the small courtyard assigned to the Su family.

The same thing happened to Su Huaiyuan, Su Ze, and Zhou Wanwan—each was caught off guard and terrified.

Not long after Qiao Jiuru was brought back home, Zhou Wanwan was also pushed and pulled back into the Su residence by a group of people.

Qiao Jiuru cowered in a corner, watching those people ransack every part of her house.

“There are two watches here.”

“Where? Let me see—this one’s a Montblanc, a luxury brand, worth a fortune.”

“And this one? Doesn’t look cheap either.”

“Come on, the Su family is rich—they wouldn’t wear cheap watches. Look at all this cash and ration tickets.”

“I found several jade and gold bracelets, and some other jewelry too.”

“There’s not much here—they must’ve hidden the good stuff somewhere else.”

“No matter where they hid it, we have ways to make them give it up.”

“I heard the Su family has two kids, right? Unless they don’t care about those children, they’d better cooperate.”

…

Just as Zhou Wanwan was shoved into the house and heard those words, her face went even paler, and she nearly collapsed.

Qiao Jiuru quickly pulled her daughter-in-law into the corner and held her tightly.

The two women looked like fallen leaves in the autumn wind—terrified, disheveled, huddled in the corner…

The Su home wasn’t big—just three rooms, a living room, a kitchen, a washroom, and a small courtyard.

Despite the chaos unfolding inside, not a single person from the residential compound came to check on them.

It wasn’t that the neighbors didn’t hear the commotion—they had, and some had even peeked out.

But as soon as they realized who those people were, they slammed their doors shut in fear, afraid they’d be taken too.

“This house doesn’t have much stuff—they must’ve hidden it all.”

“Keep looking. They’ve hidden it for sure.”

“Tear apart the beds, wardrobes, and desks.”

“Check the floor and walls for hidden compartments.”

“Search…”

Soon, bedding and clothes were thrown out into the living room.

Then came the sounds of boxes being rummaged through, beds and wardrobes smashed, drawers and desks yanked open…

About three or four hours later, the entire Su household had been ransacked.

Even the beams and roof weren’t spared.

When there was nothing left to find and their stomachs were growling, the nearly twenty people finally left—carrying things with them.

The house now looked like a garbage dump: broken dishes, torn and trampled clothes, destroyed furniture, books ripped to shreds…

“Mom…”

The fear Zhou Wanwan had been suppressing finally exploded once those people were gone.

She collapsed into Qiao Jiuru’s arms, trembling and crying silently.

Even in her breakdown, she didn’t dare cry out loud.

Only after the intruders left did Qiao Jiuru’s fear fade from her face.

With a cold, blank expression, she held her daughter-in-law and gently patted her back.

Just like in her past life, both Su Huaiyuan and Su Ze had been taken away.

Their motives were obvious: to get their hands on all the Su and Qiao family’s wealth.

Fortunately, this time she and her husband had a plan.

They wouldn’t suffer as they had in the previous life.

That helplessness, that fear and uncertainty—they would never experience that again.

And those who had stolen from them today—tomorrow, she’d make them pay it all back.

What the Su family endured today, those people would endure tomorrow.

This time, she wouldn’t let a single one of them go.

After a long while, Zhou Wanwan finally calmed down.

Having cried herself out, she was weak and starving, her stomach growling.

“I’ll check if we have anything to eat.”

The house was a mess, including the kitchen. Qiao Jiuru didn’t even know if there was anything left.

As she loosened her grip and stretched her numb legs, she softly spoke and staggered to the kitchen.

Inside, everything was overturned—pots smashed, the stove knocked over, the water bucket broken. Not a single potato or yam, not even water remained.

Like a locust plague—nothing was left.

“Teacher Qiao! Teacher Qiao!”

Just as she was bitterly thinking that, a hushed voice came from the courtyard. Then something was tossed over the wall.

Qiao Jiuru hurried out and only saw a retreating figure.

She looked down at the package on the ground, slowly picked it up and held it to her chest before going back inside.

Just like in her previous life, the same person delivered the same items at the same time.

“Eat. This is from Sister Lu.”

Qiao Jiuru opened the package and handed her daughter-in-law a coarse flour bun, while she picked up a sweet potato for herself.

Sister Lu had brought six buns and six sweet potatoes.

Though her family was better off, in those days, even money couldn’t always buy food.

Feeding everyone was hard enough.

Besides, Sister Lu wouldn’t dare risk too much—this was already pushing it.

Her family likely didn’t approve of it either.

“Mom, you eat too.”

“Thank goodness Dabao and Xiaobao weren’t home, or they’d be terrified.”

After eating a bun, Zhou Wanwan felt a bit stronger and more clear-headed.

She suddenly thought of her sons and felt relieved they weren’t home.

“Don’t be afraid, Xiaowan. As long as we give them what they want, they shouldn’t make things harder for us.”

Qiao Jiuru gently comforted her, while estimating that their eldest son, Su Ze, would likely be released tonight. Her husband, though, might not return until tomorrow morning or afternoon.

The Zhou family had gone through similar ordeals, so Zhou Wanwan understood.

Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, she didn’t know how to respond.

Still, it was a comfort having her in-laws at home.

With her husband by her side too, she felt far less lost and afraid.