Chapter 9: Strip Everything Clean

Shen Family.

“Child’s father, the second son and his wife have been arrested. Quickly, think about what we should do next!” Shen’s mother rushed home in a panic after receiving the news.

“Ah, what about my big house? Mom, let’s move there quickly. That big house can’t just go cheap to that wild girl.”

Shen’s eldest son, upon hearing the news, ran out of the room. All he cared about was the house—nothing else.

“I told you from the start not to listen to the second son. We should have moved in first. If we had, maybe the property deeds would have been found by now. That useless second son, he couldn’t get anything done, wasting so many good things.”

Back then, he should have married into the family, letting the second son get a bargain.

“I’ll pack up the things. We’ll move in tonight,” the eldest son’s wife said, excitedly running inside to start packing.

“Oh oh, I’m going to live in the big house! I’ll eat meat, dumplings, wear new clothes—oh oh oh—” Shen’s eldest son, a mischievous child, jumped and shouted with snot dripping from his nose.

“I’ll pack too,” Shen’s mother said, swept up in the excitement of her eldest son’s family. In her mind, she was already imagining living in a new house, with each person having their own room, no longer crammed together in ten square meters. Her steps grew light.

“Everyone, come back here and use your brains! Think carefully, all of you!”

Shen’s Dad banged his old pipe on the table. Seeing the confused expressions on everyone’s faces, he could only sigh at the stupidity of his family and explain helplessly.

“Go where? It’s not the right time. The situation is hot right now, everyone’s watching. Believe it or not, if you go out now, the police could arrest you immediately. Think carefully—your brains weren’t grown just for show.”

“When would be the right time, Dad?”

The eldest son asked casually, smiling.

“Dad, if we just pack up the things, that should be fine, right? We’ll eventually move in anyway. That wild girl will also be sent down to the countryside.”

“Wait until the second son and his wife’s situation is resolved. Then we can move in under that pretext. We’re the elders—no one can stop us. Moving in will be perfectly justified. How hard can it be to handle a mere girl?”

Shen’s father said confidently. Seeing everyone eager and excited, he waved impatiently.

“Pack the things for now. Go on, but don’t say a word outside.”

“Understood, understood,” they all replied.

The Shen family now regarded everything from the Liu family as theirs for the taking.

Meanwhile, Liu Xinghe had no knowledge of the Shen family’s scheme but had her suspicions and was prepared.

She was now pushing two sacks into Shen Xi’s room.

Liu Xinghe’s eyes widened.

Goodness, there’s so much valuable stuff here.

She noticed a brand-new Phoenix bicycle parked by the door and stored it in her space.

On the dressing table were clam oil, toad oil, “Wanzi Qianhong” skin cream, Phoenix Glycerin No.1, and even those impossible-to-buy lipsticks—all complete.

Any one of these would make women swoon in this era. She had a whole collection.

Nothing was left behind; everything went into sacks for money.

The watches, Phoenix electric fan, and radio on the table were stored in her space.

Thanks to the radio, the original owner had been able to preserve a recorder—it was a lucky charm to be kept safe.

The wardrobe contained beautiful clothes, from blouses and “Dacron” fabric to expensive wool coats, even several pairs of little shoes—all packed into sacks.

Desks and dressing tables were emptied and stored.

Liu Xinghe packed everything useful into her space. Items she didn’t need or found unpleasant went into sacks.

When she got to the bed, she found a small bundle wrapped in a handkerchief hidden in the bed frame.

Inside was a gold necklace and a stack of money—totaling two hundred yuan.

“Shen Xi really has money, and yet she’s ungrateful and envious of the original owner. Living such a good life, and still a thankless traitor,” Liu Xinghe muttered angrily.

Packing up the entire room, Liu Xinghe’s anger at Shen Xi and Li Xiuhua’s ungratefulness grew. The resemblance between her and the original owner made her furious, realizing the original owner was essentially herself from a parallel timeline.

The valuable things in this house weren’t just stolen from the original owner—they were tangible proof of Liu’s mother’s love for Shen Xi over eighteen years.

Everything had been bought by Liu’s mother, in an era when even food was scarce. Even the tablecloths and mosquito nets were carefully chosen and made by her mother.

Her mother hadn’t held anything back; she bought the best for Shen Xi, even doubling up where necessary when the original owner returned.

Damn it! Shen Qiang and Li Xiuhua inherited nothing but bad genes.

Li Xiuhua had even mocked Liu’s mother’s memorial, dragged the original owner away, and praised her for being “unlucky,” all while smiling at her.

Her mother’s love had been squandered on these people. It was worse than feeding it to a dog—at least a dog wags its tail when fed.

The angrier Liu Xinghe got, the faster she packed, eventually moving to Shen Qiang and Li Xiuhua’s room.

Large items in this room were all her mother’s original dowry—thirty-six legs and three turns (furniture pieces).

This was only the basic dowry; a box of gold and silver jewelry had been stolen by Li Xiuhua.

She packed everything; Li Xiuhua and Shen Qiang’s personal belongings were stuffed into sacks and thrown in a corner.

After finishing, Liu Xinghe couldn’t find their hidden money, so she searched carefully again, finally finding a clue behind the bedside table.

She easily moved the bed and table, revealing bricks of a different color from the wall.

Behind two movable bricks was a wooden box containing gold and silver jewelry and paper money.

The jewelry box contained over 2,500 yuan, plus thirty-two vouchers for grain, cloth, sugar, meat, and pastries.

Closing the box, Liu Xinghe stored it safely in her space and replaced the bricks and bed.

She then went to a cupboard where she previously stored cotton. Using memory, she discovered a hidden wooden panel, pulled it out, and revealed a drawer full of gold, two antique paintings, a pair of jade pots, a medical book, and a signed document.

The gold consisted of fifty bars, each weighing 312.5 grams.

Fortunately, Liu’s mother had kept this secret from the scumbag Dad, or he might have gone crazy. Luckily, he never discovered it when searching for property deeds.

This was Liu mother’s true dowry, passed down from Liu Xinghe’s grandfather—a wealthy family that had fallen on hard times but kept treasures hidden for a comeback.

All of this had been given to Liu Xinghe by her mother as part of her dowry, a secret only she knew.

Liu Xinghe cherished the gold, admired the antique jade pots, and carefully flipped through the medical book. She left the paintings untouched.

She stored everything safely in her space, including the cupboard.

She then went to other rooms and packed all valuables, except her own bedroom, locking the others behind her.

After two days at home recovering, her neck wound was healing thanks to spiritual spring water, and her face had regained some color.

These two days were also the time frame Director Zhang had promised for closing the case.

When the police came to see her, she accompanied them to the station to understand the situation.

At the station, Director Zhang received her and explained the outcome of the case.