Chapter 3

Li Fang, Zhou Ziyu’s sister-in-law, tried to cover for him and said, “What? Chi Yiyi didn’t come to our house?”

Zhou Mu (Mother Zhou) still looked at Zhou Ziyu and asked, “Ziyu, what on earth is going on?”

Zhou Mu was not Zhou Ziyu’s biological mother.

Zhou Ziyu replied unhurriedly, “Aunt Xiao, don’t blame me for not doing my job well. The Chi family wasn’t too keen on letting her go today. We finally got Chi Yiyi to agree to come with us, but who would’ve thought she’d pedal away on her bicycle like mad and shake us off? We searched for her all over the street but couldn’t find her, so we just came back first.”

In reality, they didn’t look for her at all—they just strolled leisurely back.

After all, he and Zhou Zixiao weren’t real brothers.

If Zhou Zixiao wasn’t even anxious about getting his own bride, why should he be?

Zhou Mu nearly fainted from anger.

Her son was useless, and now even the marriage was a mess.

She had said all along that a strong-headed woman like Chi Yiyi was no good.

Meanwhile, after Chi Yiyi walked out of the bank, she unexpectedly discovered she could still use her space ability to become invisible.

Her first thought was of Zhou Mu, the incredibly wealthy matron of the Zhou family.

Zhou Mu had once been the daughter of a rich landlord. The reason she married into the Zhou family was because she brought a great deal of wealth with her.

Taking advantage of the Zhou family being busy with the wedding today…

Chi Yiyi pedaled her bicycle along the back roads straight to the Zhou household.

In her past life, after marrying into the Zhou family, she had suffered greatly under Zhou Mu’s condescending attitude. Zhou Mu was extremely snobbish and looked down on her. But after years as a daughter-in-law, Chi Yiyi had learned where the Zhou family stashed their ill-gotten wealth.

The Zhou family’s valuables were hidden in two places.

Behind the wardrobe in Zhou Mu and Zhou Father’s bedroom were several chests of gold and jewelry. In Zhou Father’s study, there were crates of antiques and paintings, along with 10,000 yuan in cash, likely bribes Zhou Father had secretly taken.

Chi Yiyi moved everything of value from those two rooms into her space.

After she was done, the wedding hour had already passed.

Chi Yiyi climbed out through a window and pedaled her bicycle toward the Zhou family’s main entrance.

Someone spotted her and immediately informed Zhou Mu.

Zhou Mu and Zhou Father had just finished appeasing their guests with great effort. Upon hearing that Chi Yiyi had arrived, Zhou Mu rushed out, looking for someone to take her anger out on.

Zhou Mu blocked Chi Yiyi at the gate. “Chi Yiyi, how dare you show up? What are you doing here at this hour?”

“Let me tell you, Chi Yiyi, our Zhou family doesn’t want you anymore. We can’t afford a daughter-in-law like you.”

Zhou Mu acted so fiercely only because she was sure Chi Yiyi wouldn’t dare talk back. She had long looked down on her for supposedly using every trick to marry her son.

Chi Yiyi snorted coldly. “Auntie, I only came to say that it’s not traditional for the bride to show up at the groom’s house herself. That’s why I waited on the street for the wedding procession and ended up being late. Since Zhou Zixiao wouldn’t even show his face today and you clearly don’t approve of this marriage, then fine—I won’t marry him.”

Chi Yiyi had fully expected Zhou Mu to act this way. After saying her piece, she turned and rode off on her bike.

When the Chi and Zhou families tried to blame her later, she would have the moral high ground.

Zhou Mu hadn’t expected Chi Yiyi to be so bold this time. Watching her ride off into the distance, Zhou Mu flew into a rage, yelling, “Chi Yiyi, come back! Come back here!”

No one knew a son better than his mother. On the surface, it looked like Chi Yiyi was chasing after Zhou Zixiao, but Zhou Mu knew very well that her son truly cared for her.

Besides, word of the marriage had already spread. If it didn’t happen now, it would be a huge embarrassment.

Chi Yiyi, now hungry, pedaled to a state-run restaurant and ordered a plate of braised pork, a bowl of white rice, and a portion of soup.

While eating, she suddenly remembered that her space might have a storage function. She decided to try it.

After finishing her meal, she ordered a portion of spicy chicken and three pork-and-cabbage buns to go. She then went to a secluded corner and secretly put the food into her space.

She currently had 13,000 yuan in cash—more than enough to live comfortably in the countryside for a long time. So she went to the local community office to sign up for the rural re-education program.

Signing up as a youth volunteer to go to the countryside came with a one-time subsidy of 100 yuan.

Since she was going to the countryside, she couldn’t keep her current job—it had to be sold.

Chi Yiyi approached a woman working at the community office and asked, “Sister, would you be interested in buying a job? A permanent position at the textile factory.”

What? A permanent job at the textile factory!

The woman immediately dragged Chi Yiyi outside.

“How much, sister?”

“Eight hundred yuan. I’ve worked at the textile factory for two years and earn high production bonuses every month. It’s definitely worth the price.”

“Sister, why are you giving up such a good job to go to the countryside?”

Honestly, it wasn’t that great a job. In a few years, factory workers would be laid off too. But for now, jobs were worth that much.

Chi Yiyi wasn’t about to tell the hard truth. Instead, she said, “My dad remarried, and my stepmother had a daughter and a son. My stepsister is about to start job hunting. When there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. If I don’t sell this job now, it’ll be taken from me soon. Rather than let them force me to give it up, I’d rather sell it.”

The woman was moved. “I’m actually buying this for my niece. Her situation is just like yours. Don’t worry, I’ll take it and pay you every penny.”

Chi Yiyi smiled, “If you can give me the money now, I’ll take your niece to the factory this afternoon to learn the job.”

That was perfect.

The woman said, “Just wait here a bit, I’ll go get the money and bring my niece.”

Chi Yiyi waited for about half an hour before the woman returned with a young girl.

When Chi Yiyi opened the money bag, she saw the woman had not only given her 800 yuan but also added food, meat, and fabric coupons.

The woman said, “Take them all. You and my niece are both children of hardship. The northeast is tough. Buy yourself something good when you get there.”

Chi Yiyi’s heart warmed. “Thank you, sister.”

With a grateful heart, Chi Yiyi took the girl to the textile factory and specifically asked a kind and capable senior worker to mentor her.

After finishing everything, Chi Yiyi went to a state-run store and restaurant to buy food and supplies.

But her ration coupons were limited, so she couldn’t buy much.

She spent all her remaining tickets and headed to a quiet spot on the street to store the items in her space—only to be stunned.

Her previously dull and gray space had suddenly turned lush and green. It had expanded from about 20 square meters to 200, and the sky inside had turned blue.

Had the space leveled up?