After eating and drinking her fill, Xiuzhu returned to her room to change clothes.

The journey from Yushi to Jingshi required three days by train, with frequent stops along the way.

Such a long trip would be unbearable with a hard seat, especially for a delicate girl like her.

Fortunately, Father Lin held a deputy division-level rank and managed to secure two adjacent soft sleeper tickets through his connections.

Before leaving for an assignment in another city, he repeatedly reminded Yan Ming to personally deliver Xiuzhu to the Lin family.

These days, human traffickers, thugs, and robbers ran rampant on trains.

As a devoted father, Lin would never normally allow his precious, pampered daughter to travel so far alone.

However, for some reason, his daughter had insisted on attending her cousin’s wedding in Jingshi. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her.

Standing in front of her wardrobe, Xiuzhu hesitated before picking out a light blue, Peter Pan-collared short-sleeved blouse, pairing it with a black pleated suspender skirt and black leather flats.

The skirt’s fitted waistline accentuated her graceful figure.

Unlike most unmarried girls of this time—who typically wore two neatly braided pigtails draped over their chests—Xiuzhu tied her hair into a high ponytail, secured with a matching light blue ribbon bow made from leftover fabric from her blouse.

Her long, glossy black hair cascaded down her back, with a few loose strands framing her fair face.

Xiuzhu had a secret: she had awakened memories of her past life.

These memories surfaced gradually after she turned eighteen this year, revealing fragments of her past self from the 21st century.

She chalked it up to drinking an expired version of the “Meng Po Soup” (the mythical elixir of forgetfulness), which must have been ineffective, causing her memories to return bit by bit.

In her previous life, she was also named Xiuzhu and had been born into a wealthy family in Jingshi. Her parents divorced when she was very young, leaving her to be raised by a nanny in a villa.

At eighteen, she tragically died in an accident.

Now that she had regained these memories, she cherished her current family even more. In her past life, she never experienced parental love, but in this life, fate had given it back to her in double measure.

A few days ago, she had stubbornly insisted on going to Jingshi despite her father’s objections—for a reason.

Because next year… changes would begin.

Her mother’s status was somewhat sensitive, and their family might be affected.

She had tried to subtly warn her father, but he had simply reassured her not to worry, saying he had everything under control.

But how could she not worry? She was spoiled, lazy, and delicate. If something went wrong and she got exiled to some remote region in the northwest, she would cry every day.

Actually, considering the water scarcity in those places, she might not even have enough tears to cry.

That kind of life was absolutely unacceptable. She had to secure everything she had now.

So, using what little intelligence she possessed, she came up with a brilliant plan:

She would use her looks to find a powerful and influential “golden thigh” to cling to in Jingshi.

She just needed to endure for about ten years.

Once the situation stabilized, she would find an opportunity to ditch him, head to Hong Kong, and live a carefree life with her aunt.

“Ah…” She stretched out her slender hands, grabbed the cup on her bedside table, and took a big sip of honey lemon water.

“Still more than ten years to go… my youth…” Xiuzhu lay on the bed, her body limp as she lamented.

In her previous life, she had also been just eighteen—unloved and uncared for—so she had learned to take care of herself.

She had indulged in food, drink, and entertainment, living recklessly and freely.

So aside from developing a good sense of fashion, her aesthetics had been slightly influenced, but she hadn’t changed much in her daily life.

As for the “golden finger” cheats often found in novels? She had none.

Shaking her head, she pushed these thoughts aside.

Excitedly, she ran over to check the luggage Mother Lin had packed for her trip to Jingshi.

Two Bragi dresses, two long skirts, and two tops. Additionally, a pair of white leather sandals.

Tucked away in the corner of the suitcase were brand-new black cloth shoes and black trousers—meant for fishing with her cousin when she arrived in Jingshi.

Xiuzhu usually disliked wearing pants and cloth shoes. She had always loved a life of luxury and refinement, and after awakening her past memories, this inclination became even stronger.

However, she was well aware of her surroundings. In this particular era, she remained very low-key in her speech and attire when outside. She absolutely would not bring unnecessary trouble to herself or her family. But wasn’t she going “fishing”? How could she attract anything if she dressed in dull gray clothes?

(You know what kind of fishing, right? 😏)

“Knock, knock, knock…”

The sound of knocking came from the door. Xiuzhu shifted her gaze away from the suitcase and saw Mother Lin walking in gracefully.

“Here’s 200 yuan, along with some fabric coupons, grain coupons, and sugar coupons.”

“You have a picky mouth. If you don’t like the food at your uncle’s house, just eat less. If you’re craving something, go to a state-owned restaurant and treat yourself.”

“Don’t throw childish tantrums. You’re a grown girl now!” Mother Lin reminded her gently, her voice filled with concern.

Her daughter had suddenly decided to spend the summer in Jingshi, meaning they would be apart for nearly a month. Mother Lin felt deeply reluctant to let her go.

She lifted her well-maintained, slender hand and absentmindedly stroked her daughter’s hair, feeling its silky smoothness.

Her voice remained soft and gentle: “I’ve saved up a lot of fabric coupons for you. Your Aunt Meihong mentioned that the department stores there have a variety of styles, including many new designs from Hong Kong. My precious daughter is so beautiful—of course, she should dress up beautifully!”

Seeing the warmth and reluctance in her mother’s eyes, Xiuzhu’s excitement about going to Jingshi diminished slightly.

“Mom, I don’t want to leave you! How about you come with me instead?” she whined in a spoiled tone.

She wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, pursed her soft, cherry-pink lips, and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.

Then she continued her coquettish act, snuggling into her mother’s embrace and rubbing her head against her like an affectionate little kitten.

Mother Lin looked at her daughter with a mix of love and helplessness, unable to hold back a laugh. “If I go, what about your father? He’s coming home the day after tomorrow. If he returns and finds both of us gone, he won’t even have a warm meal to eat!”

In reality, the military had a cafeteria, and many families simply picked up meals from there.

But Yunrong had always been a gentle and considerate wife. Since her husband’s job was demanding, she had resigned from her post at the hospital after giving birth to Xiuzhu, dedicating herself to taking care of both father and daughter.

Before she got married, she had learned to cook from the family chef. Even in these years of scarce resources, she always managed to make the most out of limited ingredients, ensuring every dish was both delicious and visually appealing.

As a result, she had completely spoiled the taste buds of both father and daughter.

Xiuzhu deliberately gave her mother a resentful look, as if staring at a heartless traitor.

Mother Lin couldn’t help but laugh and playfully tapped her daughter’s small nose. “You little troublemaker.”

Tick-tock… Tick-tock…

At exactly 9:00 AM, the broad-shouldered, burly figure of Yan Ming appeared at the Lin family’s doorstep.

Captain Yan Ming was a trusted subordinate of father Lin. He was honest and straightforward, but his appearance was quite intimidating—standing at 189 cm tall with dark skin and a burly build.  

He looked like a massive black bear, the kind of person you wouldn’t want to mess with. As it happened, Yan Ming was on a mission in Jingshi, and it was only because he was there that father Lin reluctantly agreed to let Xiuzhu go.

If any ill-intentioned scumbag had thoughts about his precious daughter, they would likely take one look at this imposing figure and immediately back off, sparing his daughter the trouble of dealing with them.

After bidding a reluctant farewell to her mother, Xiuzhu stood beside Yan Ming, preparing to depart.

Yan Ming’s deep, resounding voice rang out: “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I won’t take my eyes off little Xiuzhu for even a second. Nothing will go wrong.”

Mother Lin looked at the two standing together. Next to Yan Ming, Xiuzhu seemed as small as a tiny chick. With her worries eased, she reminded, “Make sure to call home once you arrive!”

“Got it, Mom. Don’t worry, Uncle Yan is with me.”

They waved goodbye, and in the quiet air, only the roar of the departing car remained…