After that, Jiang Si was as busy as a little bee, running around all day and only returning home after nine in the evening.
She had dinner in her space. Ever since experiencing the [One-Click Cooking] function, Jiang Si had fallen head over heels for this space.
No need to light a fire, no need to wash dishes.
Just prepare the ingredients, wait about ten minutes, and voilà—a delicious meal was ready.
The best part? The stir-fried dishes had that unmistakable wok hei aroma, and the flavor was every bit as good as the chefs at the state-run restaurants of this era.
With her stomach full, Jiang Si sorted through her luggage while pondering if she had missed anything.
The grain and coal rations listed in her supply books had all been purchased today after she replaced the missing certificates.
As for how her scumbag father’s family would manage next month—well, that wasn’t her problem. They had taken money with them when they left, so they wouldn’t starve!
She had also withdrawn the savings under Shen Qingqing and her mother’s names.
Jiang Si wasn’t afraid of them making a fuss over this.
Neither mother nor daughter had jobs or any income—so where did that money come from?
It was all from the Jiang family!
As the sole heir of the Jiang family, was there anything wrong with taking what was rightfully hers?
The letter of introduction for Qiongzhou Island had been issued, valid for 15 days.
The train ticket was also secured.
At this time, each train had only one soft sleeper carriage, and purchasing a ticket required strict identity verification. Unless you were a county or regiment-level official or higher, you simply weren’t eligible.
Hard sleeper tickets were less tightly controlled, and with the right connections, you could still get one.
Jiang Si had reached out to a high school classmate whose parents were both railway workers.
Having connections made things easier—after slipping the ticket seller a few yuan as a "thank-you," the ticket was hers.
The departure time was next Thursday at 8:37 AM, and it would take over 30 hours to reach Yancheng.
From Yancheng, she’d have to switch to a boat, which would take another 30 hours or so.
And once she arrived at Coconut City, there’d still be a long-distance bus ride ahead!
"Ugh—"
Jiang Si sighed. No wonder the original owner had been so reluctant to go.
Traveling long distances in this era was pure torture!
Then there was the dowry her grandfather had prepared for her, which Jiang Si had also stored in her space that evening.
Thinking about it now, it was downright hilarious—Third Grandpa was a genius.
Who would’ve thought he’d hidden those "gold bars" inside a coffin and buried it in the wilderness?
As for how many "gold bars" were inside, Jiang Si hadn’t bothered counting.
Right now, she had more than enough money, and her space could sustain her.
Those gold bars wouldn’t be needed anytime soon, so she’d just leave them be for the time being.
Lastly, there was the matter of what to do with this Western-style house. It was the Jiang family’s ancestral home, and Jiang Si was determined to keep it.
Selling it was out of the question, and renting it to strangers was something she couldn’t bear.
So, during dinner yesterday, she had already discussed it with Third Grandpa. They’d sign a formal ten-year lease agreement.
In a couple of days, Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong would move in.
Of course, before that, Jiang Si would kick her scumbag father’s family out.
The deed was in her hands—she could decide who lived here!
Besides, she had already severed ties with her father. What right did they have to stay in the Jiang family home?
Speaking of cutting ties, when passing by the newspaper office today, Jiang Si had even paid extra to publish a formal disownment notice—just to be safe!
As for whether this house could be protected during future political movements, Jiang Si wasn’t sure.
For now, she could only take things one step at a time.
By the time her thoughts wandered back, her luggage was pretty much packed.
For this trip, Jiang Si didn’t plan to bring too much. She only packed one suitcase with everyday clothes and basic necessities.
She left a spare set in her space.
The rest of her belongings were packed up to be mailed under Third Grandpa’s name.
This way, she could maintain her quality of life while ensuring everything had a plausible origin.
Once her tasks were done, Jiang Si went to check on the seeds she had planted yesterday.
Since sowing them, she had only used the [One-Click Watering] function once.
Most of the seeds were still sprouting, though a few had already begun to flower.
In the fishpond, the fish, shrimp, and crabs were thriving.
Especially the crabs—when she had tossed them in yesterday, they were only about two or three taels in weight, but now they were nearly the size of fists.
They waved their big claws at her, blowing bubbles incessantly.
"What are you staring at? Keep it up, and I’ll eat you!"
The moment she spoke, the crabs scattered as if they understood her.
Jiang Si chuckled, then went to check on the chicks and ducklings. The second she approached the bamboo fence, the little creatures came waddling over eagerly.
They chirped and quacked, mouths wide open.
Looked like they were hungry.
Remembering she still had half a cabbage at home, Jiang Si chopped it up, mixed it with some cornmeal, and fed them.
She didn’t forget the piglet either—same cornmeal mix, but with leftover rice and chopped sweet potatoes added in.
The pig seller had taught her this trick—otherwise, she wouldn’t have known.
Judging by the way the piglet grunted and gobbled it down, it was clearly enjoying its meal!
Right now, the number of animals she’s raising is manageable, but if it were any more, Jiang Si wouldn’t be able to handle it and would have to resort to the "one-click feeding" option.
After wandering around in her space for a while, Jiang Si came out.
When she lay down in bed, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d forgotten something, as if there was an oversight nagging at her. But drowsiness soon took over, and before she could dwell on it, she fell into a light sleep within minutes.
It wasn’t until the next day, when Third Uncle came over, that his very first question left Jiang Si stunned.
"Si girl, have you told Little Huo about your plans to go to Qiongzhou Island?"
Jiang Si: "..."
So that was what she’d forgotten yesterday!
"Not yet—"
But Jiang Si swore she hadn’t done it on purpose. For one, she’d had too many things to handle yesterday, and for another… well, he was always the one who initiated contact.
She didn’t even know his phone number.
At this, Third Uncle gave her a look of exasperation. "No phone number? Then over the years, he must have sent you things or written letters, right?"
"..." Well, yes.
But the original owner of this body had either torn them up or thrown them away.
After racking her brain, Jiang Si finally remembered something.
On her birthday this year, that guy had sent something over. At the time, the original owner had been preoccupied and forgotten about it, and the package had likely been tossed into the storage room.
Half an hour later, Jiang Si retrieved the dust-covered package from the storage room.
Inside was a bolt of fabric—her favorite shade of sky blue.
There was also a rectangular box. Jiang Si had initially thought it might be a bracelet or something similar, but then again, that didn’t seem likely.
That man… was far too serious. The fact that he’d bought fabric in her favorite color was already surprising enough!
Curious, she opened the box.
Huh?
It was a set of technical pens—quite a few of them, in fact.
Jiang Si had been learning to draw since childhood and was skilled in portraiture and line-based illustrations, so she was no stranger to technical pens. They were, without a doubt, her most frequently used drawing tools.
But after the political campaigns, these imported pens had become scarce, available only through special channels, and she hadn’t drawn in a long time.
"Ahem—" Third Uncle cleared his throat. "There’s a letter underneath."
If it could even be called a letter—it was just four short words:
[Happy Birthday]
His handwriting was just like the man himself—structured, restrained, and disciplined.
Yet Jiang Si vaguely remembered that his writing hadn’t always been like this.
She suddenly recalled something she used to say to him often as a child:
"Hey, can’t you put some effort into your handwriting?"
"If you write like this, you’re embarrassing me—the young lady of the Jiang family!"
Had he secretly practiced after that?
For a moment, a flood of emotions overwhelmed her, until Third Uncle’s voice pulled her back to reality.
"How about sending Young Huo a telegram first to let him know you’re coming?"
"Alright."
Jiang Si nodded in agreement. Since she had time today, she planned to accompany Third Uncle to the hospital for a follow-up checkup—otherwise, she wouldn’t feel at ease.
After packing up, she headed to the post office first.
Telegrams were charged by the word—3.5 cents per character, with a minimum charge for seven characters.
Jiang Si wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
