Chapter 1 – Transmigration

“Chuntao, has Fifth Miss woken up yet?”

“Replying to Madam, not yet.”

“Keep a close eye on her once she wakes up.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Liu Shuning slowly woke from a hazy dream, her head still groggy. When she finally opened her eyes, what greeted her was a completely unfamiliar room.

Where was this? Hadn’t she already died? There had just been a gas explosion downstairs—wasn’t she blown to pieces?

“Hiss… That hurts!”

A flood of foreign memories surged into her mind. Once she had absorbed everything, she realized—she had transmigrated.

The original owner was also called Liu Shuning, the Fifth Miss of the Liu family, a wealthy capitalist household in Shanghai.

The patriarch of the Liu family, Liu Zhixiong—her biological father—was a notorious womanizer. In addition to his official wife, Madam Wu, he had taken eight concubines.

Madam Wu had given birth to a son and a daughter: the eldest young master, Liu Yuchen, and the eldest young lady, Liu Shuyu.

The first and second concubines had already passed away, leaving behind Liu Shuqin and Liu Shuqie, both of whom were already married.

The third concubine was Liu Shuning’s birth mother, who had died from excessive bleeding during childbirth.

The fourth concubine was a favorite; she had given birth to Liu Yuhan, the second young master, and Liu Yuhao, the third young master.

The fifth concubine had two daughters: Liu Shufeng (Third Miss) and Liu Shuyun (Fourth Miss).

The sixth and seventh concubines were once top courtesans of the Yi Hong Courtyard, but years ago, they were drugged and rendered infertile.

The eighth concubine had only just been brought in last year and had no children yet.

The reason Liu Shuning had transmigrated into this body was that the original host had died the night before—from grief. She had been so heartbroken she couldn’t catch her breath and just died.

After finishing the memory transfer, Liu Shuning was honestly speechless. All this over a marriage swap? She really died because of that? How ridiculously not worth it.

But wait—why did her legitimate younger sister’s name sound so familiar? Liu Shuyu… wasn’t she the female lead in that capitalist heiress novel she had just been reading a few days ago?

Liu Shuning, on the other hand, only appeared in the female lead’s memories.

According to those memories, Liu Shuning was an unfortunate soul who died of illness before she even got married.

The novel told the story of how the female lead’s family foresaw the shift in domestic policies, sold off their assets, and fled to Hong Kong to start over.

Because they had to leave in a hurry, there weren’t enough tickets for everyone. After careful consideration, Liu Zhixiong decided to take only his three sons, his legitimate daughter Liu Shuyu, Madam Wu, and his favored eighth concubine.

Madam Wu was his legal wife—he had no choice but to take her. As for the eighth concubine, she was his beloved, and he couldn’t bear to leave her behind just yet. The remaining concubines, he planned to give them each a letter of divorce so they could remarry if they wished.

There were also three unmarried illegitimate daughters who had reached marriageable age. He figured he’d just marry them off before leaving.

The Liu and Lin families had a marriage arrangement, and Liu Zhixiong had originally planned to marry off his most beautiful daughter, Liu Shuning, to Lin Jiacheng, the second legitimate son of the Lin family.

Then he would marry off Third Miss Liu Shufeng to the eldest son of his trusted subordinate, Chen Feng, and Fourth Miss Liu Shuyun to the youngest son of his benefactor, Lu Hongjun.

He actually quite liked Liu Shuyun and had chosen the Lu family as her in-laws very carefully. Though the Lu family were country folk, Lu Hongjun was a retired soldier who received a government stipend each month. Plus, all three of his sons had jobs and were decently handsome.

He was genuinely thinking of what was best for his fourth daughter. After all, given their capitalist background, hiding out in the countryside was the safest option.

Unfortunately, Liu Shuyun didn’t appreciate his good intentions. When she found out she’d be marrying into a rural family, she caused a huge fuss. In the end, an exasperated Liu Zhixiong agreed to let her swap places with Liu Shuning.

Before Liu Shuning could finish sorting out her memories, voices came from outside the door.

“Fourth Miss, you can’t go in. Fifth Miss hasn’t woken yet.”

“You lowly servant, get out of my way. I’m going in—I dare anyone to stop me.”

“Fourth Miss, you really can’t. This is Fifth Miss’s private chamber. No one is allowed in without her permission.” Chuntao blocked Liu Shuyun and her maid from entering.

“Qiangwei, Qiulan—drag her out of the way. I want to see what little sister can do to stop me.” Liu Shuyun was used to throwing her weight around. Aside from the eldest young master and the first miss, she looked down on everyone else.

Chuntao alone couldn’t resist four hands, and she was quickly pulled aside. Liu Shuyun swaggered into Liu Shuning’s room.

“Fourth Sister, are you sure you’re throwing your weight around in the right place? This is Tingxue Pavilion, not your Furong Garden.” Liu Shuning had just managed to throw on a robe, her hair still loose over her shoulders, a few strands hanging messily beside her cheek.

Liu Shuyun crossed her arms, a mocking smile on her lips. She spoke in a syrupy, sarcastic tone, “Oh my, I’m just here out of concern for my dear Fifth Sister.” She emphasized the word “concern” and her eyes gleamed with disdain.

She raised her eyebrows and sized her up. “Heard you fainted yesterday from anger. What now, Fifth Sister? Are you unhappy with Father’s decision?”

The provocation and schadenfreude in her voice were obvious.

“Of course not. Everyone knows how much I respect Father. His benefactor is my benefactor,” Liu Shuning replied, though her fists had clenched involuntarily. She really didn’t want to get married. But she had just transmigrated and didn’t know the place well—there was no way to run.

It was only 1958. For the next ten or twenty years, her identity as a capitalist heiress would be a dangerous burden.

“I heard the Lu family’s hometown is in the northeast. It gets really cold there in the winter. You’d better get yourself some thick clothes soon, or you’ll freeze to death and become a joke.” Liu Shuyun was feeling quite smug. She loved seeing Liu Shuning suffer.

“If Sister’s so concerned, why don’t you give me that new coat you just bought? You know I’ve been motherless since childhood and don’t have much pocket money.” Liu Shuning dabbed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, pretending to be pitiful—since her dear sister liked bullying people, she’d let her taste some green tea tactics.

“In your dreams! I had to pester Father for days just to get money for that coat.” Liu Shuyun was always a big spender; the monthly allowance from home was never enough.

“Father treats you so well. It’s just a pity that after I marry, it’ll be hard for me to see Sister again.”

If Liu Shuning had to choose between the three marriage options, she’d still pick the Lu family.

Yes, they were rural and from the northeast—but that was exactly where her capitalist heiress identity could remain hidden.

She didn’t want to be dragged out for public denunciation. Until the reform and opening up, she’d just lie low.

“Soon our statuses will be worlds apart. Don’t call me ‘sister’—I don’t have some peasant girl for a sibling. And I’m warning you—don’t try any tricks. The second son of the Lin family is mine.”

Liu Shuyun had begged Liu Zhixiong for ages before he finally agreed to the swap. She couldn’t let this low-born girl steal the marriage back.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare eye your precious Second Young Master Lin. I sincerely wish you a long and happy marriage.” Liu Shuning smiled faintly at Liu Shuyun. In the novel The Capitalist Heiress Ventures to Hong Kong, Liu Shuyun did marry into the Lin family—but her life was anything but good.

Originally, the Lin family had been engaged to Liu Shuyu, and Lin Jiacheng’s affections had always belonged to her.

After Liu Shuyun married into the Lin family, they slept in separate rooms and ended up as a resentful couple.

Within two years, the Lin family was reported and exiled to a labor farm in the northwest. Seizing the opportunity, Liu Shuyun filed for divorce via a public notice. But her good days didn’t last long—she too was reported shortly after.

Serves her right. In the end, she was also exiled to the same northwest farm and reunited with the rest of the Lin family.

“Hmph! You’d better remember what you just said. Or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

With that, Liu Shuyun stormed out of Tingxue Pavilion. She had originally come to laugh at Liu Shuning, but ended up angering herself instead.

Once she was gone, Liu Shuning quickly found an excuse to send Chuntao away.

Just now, she thought she had heard a voice in her head. Could it be that she’d stepped into some incredible luck and actually gained a cheat system after transmigrating?

[Hello, Host. I am Sign-In System No. 668. Binding will begin in 1 minute.]

“What do you want in return for binding?” Liu Shuning didn’t believe in free lunch. If the cost was too high, she’d rather not have a golden finger at all.

[You don’t need to give anything. You just need to stay alive. Binding will complete in 30 seconds.]
[Binding in 19 seconds.]
[Binding in 5 seconds.]
[Binding in 3 seconds.]

“Alright, I agree to the binding.” After a brief hesitation, Liu Shuning gave her consent.

[Binding complete. Host has received a beginner gift pack. Would you like to open it?]

“A beginner gift pack? Yes, open it! Hurry, show me what’s inside!”

Liu Shuning clasped her hands together and started praying. A spiritual spring space, please—ideally one where she could plant crops.

The Liu family was about to leave Shanghai with their wealth. If she had her own space, she could loot everything from them before they left.

Without those assets, how would the female lead succeed in Hong Kong?

[You have received:
– 1 farming space
– 10 strength-boosting pills
– 1 all-purpose hoe
– 100 catties of rice seeds
– 100 catties of wheat seeds
– 100 catties of corn seeds
– 100 catties of sweet potatoes
– 100 catties of potatoes
– 2 piglets
– 10 chicks
– 10 ducklings
– 10 goslings
Host, work hard and good luck!]

Ah! Heaven really did hear her prayers—she finally had a spatial dimension!

With a focused thought, Liu Shuning could see her system space. Everything listed in the gift pack was stored neatly inside.

“System, where’s my farm space? How do I enter it? And can the rest of the items be placed directly into it?”

[The farm space has already been soul-bound to you. Just think ‘enter’ in your mind, and you’ll go in. I’ve already transferred all the items—except the strength pills—into the farming space. Note: time inside the farming space runs ten times faster than in reality.]

Liu Shuning silently thought, Enter—and in a flash, she was inside the farming space.

The space held 20 plots of fertile black soil, a small farmhouse, a processing workshop, a warehouse, and a livestock area.

The farmhouse wasn’t very big—around 70 to 80 square meters. It had two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The interior was completely empty, not even the kitchen had utensils.

Stepping outside the farmhouse, she saw the black soil fields. Nearby stood the processing workshop and warehouse.

At the far end of the field was the livestock area. From the entrance, she could hear pigs squealing loudly.

That loud? Were they hungry? Liu Shuning’s expression shifted at the thought of feeding pigs. She had never fed pigs in either of her lifetimes and was suddenly regretting it.

There was nothing in the space right now. She had sweet potato seeds in the warehouse, but couldn’t bear to use them as pig feed. After thinking it over, she decided to exit the space and sneak into the Liu family’s main kitchen to get leftovers.

“Exit.”

Once out, she changed into a clean outfit and headed out.

“Fifth Miss, where are you going?” Chuntao saw her leave and hurried to follow.

“I’m just stepping out for a bit. I’ll be back soon. You stay here and look after Tingxue Pavilion.”

“Alright, Fifth Miss.”

Once Liu Shuning was out of sight, Chuntao also turned and headed in the opposite direction.

To reach the main kitchen from Tingxue Pavilion, she had to circle around half of the Liu estate. She avoided the servants and snuck quietly to the back of the kitchen.

It was almost lunchtime, and the kitchen was bustling with activity. Servants were chopping, stir-frying, simmering soups, and setting the tables.

While everyone was distracted, Liu Shuning slipped around to the back—her target was the slop room.

With so many mouths to feed in the Liu household, the leftovers were always plentiful.

Holding her nose, Liu Shuning used her thoughts to transfer ten buckets of slop into the pigpen inside her farming space.

That should be enough food for the pigs for two days. As for the chickens, ducks, and geese, she’d throw in some corn later.

The kitchen staff were all busy, which gave her the perfect chance to raid the food stores in the cellar.

The cellar was located beneath the storeroom beside the slop room. After opening the storeroom door, a stairway led directly down.

Inside were rows of shelves filled with bags of grain and dried goods. Nearby stood several wooden crates packed with bird’s nests and rare ingredients.

The Liu household had many members—not only the dozens of family members but over thirty servants. The food reserves in the cellar looked substantial, but they were really only enough for about a month.

Without hesitation, Liu Shuning transferred everything into her farming space. Since her scumbag father already planned to abandon her on the mainland, why should she show mercy?

She wasn’t just going to clean out the cellar—she also planned to empty the personal storerooms of her father and that two-faced “legitimate” mother.

The Liu family’s nickname as “Liu Half-the-City” wasn’t just for show. With so much wealth, there was no way she’d let them take it all with them.

After looting the cellar, Liu Shuning patted her bottom and left. The once full cellar was now completely empty—so barren that even rats would cry if they came.