The following few days, Jiang Si didn’t go anywhere, spending all her time at home receiving items.
Every day, Third Granduncle would secretly bring back small batches of things—sometimes a box of gold, other times a chest of antiques, calligraphy, or paintings.
During this time, the Public Security Bureau and the Educated Youth Office also brought Jiang Si two pieces of news.
Lin Yueru, due to the enormous amount of money involved in her case and the severe social impact, had been sentenced to 15 years of labor reform at a farm in the border regions.
As for the items stolen from the Jiang family, it seemed they wouldn’t be recovered anytime soon.
The police had investigated thoroughly but still couldn’t locate the “other group” mentioned by Lin Baozhu and the others.
However, Deputy Director Li assured Jiang Si that they would keep a close watch and notify her immediately if any leads emerged.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing and her younger brother Shen Qingyue were taken away by the Educated Youth Office after being released from the police station.
Whether they were willing or not, and regardless of who had signed them up, they were already on a special train bound for Xishuang City in Yunnan Province.
Shen Qing'an, being too young to qualify for the rural relocation policy, couldn’t be taken in by Jiang Si either. With no other options, the police station had no choice but to send him temporarily to the Lin family.
However, the Lin family, furious over Lin Baozhu’s seven-year prison sentence, held a deep grudge against Lin Yueru and showed no concern for her son.
Rumor had it that on the very day Shen Qing'an was sent to them, they immediately transferred him to an orphanage in Shanghai.
As for Shen Xiuwen, he remained detained by the Red Committee, and no one knew when—or if—he would be released.
Of course, Jiang Si had a hand in this.
For a heartless, ungrateful man like him, death would be too merciful.
He deserved to suffer for the rest of his life!
So after writing her anonymous report, Jiang Si had Third Granduncle spread the word immediately.
She wanted to see whether those people would still be willing to release Shen Xiuwen once they learned that all the Jiang family’s assets were in his possession.
The outcome, naturally, did not disappoint her.
With the matter settled, the day of Jiang Si’s departure arrived.
She woke up at the crack of dawn.
Her luggage had been packed days earlier—just one suitcase and a small shoulder bag containing toiletries.
If she needed anything else, she could use the bag as an excuse to retrieve items from her space.
She chose a modest set of long-sleeved clothes and trousers, paired with cloth shoes, and styled her hair in the era’s most common braid.
Every time she braided her hair since transmigrating into this world, Jiang Si couldn’t help but marvel.
People in this time had such thick hair!
A single braid here contained more hair than all the strands she had in her past life. No wonder one of the most popular services at barbershops was “thinning”!
After finishing her braid, Jiang Si took out a slightly darker foundation from her space’s vanity.
Her skin was too fair—she needed to tone it down a bit.
After all, this was her first long trip, and it was better to keep a low profile.
She also packed a bedsheet and a blanket.
With so many people coming and going on the train, who knew if the bedding had been changed?
Being prone to allergies, it was safer to bring her own.
Once everything was ready, Jiang Si went downstairs.
She had woken up early, but Third Granduncle and Uncle Zhong were already up, busy in the living room checking the items they planned to give her for the journey.
With so many passengers on the train, hot water might not always be available.
So the day before, Third Granduncle had specially bought her a military canteen, filled to last the entire day without needing a refill.
There were also a few washed apples and pears, along with Jiang Si’s favorite butterfly pastries—a Shanghai specialty unavailable elsewhere—so they packed extra.
To prevent motion sickness, they included a box of anti-nausea pills.
Knowing Jiang Si loved pan-fried pork buns, Uncle Zhong had queued up before dawn at the state-run restaurant to buy a basket.
The train did have a dining car between the hard and soft sleeper sections, where meals were slightly more expensive but didn’t require ration coupons, so they didn’t overpack.
Third Granduncle stuffed everything into a canvas bag.
“There are a few boiled eggs in the lunchbox—eat them if you get hungry.”
“Check if we’ve missed anything.”
Before Jiang Si could respond, Third Granduncle suddenly smacked his forehead.
“I almost forgot! Ah Zhong, go get those cans of luncheon meat and peach preserves from my room.”
“Third Granduncle, no need for those. The jars are too heavy and might break.”
If not for the risk of being mistaken for a spy, Jiang Si would have stashed even her suitcase in her space.
“Then at least take the luncheon meat—it’s in a tin.”
Qiongzhou Island was a good place, but supplies were scarce, and many things were hard to come by.
Luncheon meat, being a special provision, was difficult to obtain even on the black market.
Jiang Si sighed—while the weight wasn’t an issue, opening those cans was a hassle.
“Third Granduncle, I won’t take the luncheon meat.”
“And don’t mail any to me either—keep it for yourselves. As for that…”
It had been a while since she’d mentioned his name, and Jiang Si hesitated before continuing.
“Huo Tingzhou—he’s a flight regiment commander, after all. He won’t let me go hungry.”
She wasn’t just saying this to reassure Third Granduncle.
In this era, pilots were truly elite.
As a full colonel, Huo Tingzhou’s base salary alone was 141 yuan per month.
The Air Force was different from other military branches—pilots enjoyed the highest-tier mess hall privileges, with a daily food allowance of 3 yuan per person.
Milk, soy milk, coffee, eggs, chocolate, premium cigarettes, special liquor, pastries—all were freely available.
In contrast, the Army’s daily allowance was only 0.45 yuan, while ground crew personnel received 0.9 yuan.
The key difference? Air Force personnel didn’t pay a single cent—everything was covered by the state.
Pilots also received top-tier benefits in housing, family relocation, medical care, supplies, and children’s education.
Jiang Si knew all this thanks to Lin Yueru.
In the original novel, Lin Yueru had long harbored ambitions of stealing her son-in-law, and she’d repeated these details endlessly to Shen Qingqing.
Too bad her schemes had failed miserably.
With Jiang Si’s insistence, Third Granduncle finally relented.
“If you need anything, just call us.”
“Got it~”
After breakfast, Third Granduncle and Uncle Zhong hired a pedicab to take Jiang Si to the train station.
At this time, there were no porter services, but since sleeper berths were assigned by ticket, boarding later wasn’t an issue.
“Si, be careful on the road. Let us know when you arrive.”
“I will.”
“Third Granduncle, Uncle Zhong, take care of yourselves too.”
“Of course, don’t worry—we’re still strong as ever.”
"It's you I'm worried about. Qiongzhou Island isn't like Shanghai. You might find it hard to adjust once you're there. If you feel unwell, don’t tough it out—go see a doctor right away, understand?"
"And if that Huo boy dares to give you any attitude—"
Though the possibility was slim, Third Grandpa insisted firmly,
"If he dares to treat you poorly, Uncle Zhong and I will come fetch you immediately!"
Jiang Si smiled and was about to agree when the station announcement suddenly crackled to life.
"Attention, passengers. The T49 train from Shanghai to Yancheng is now boarding."
"Passengers taking the T49 train, please gather your belongings and proceed to Gate 4 for ticket inspection. Boarding will take place at Platform 6..."
At the sound of the announcement, Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong hurriedly picked up the luggage and escorted her to the gate.
"Jiang Si, make sure you have everything. Go on now."
"Take care of yourself out there, alright...?"
Hearing this, Jiang Si’s nose stung, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Silly girl, why the tears...?"
"Go on inside. We’ll head back now."
Not wanting to make Jiang Si feel worse, Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong quickly wiped their own eyes, waved, and walked away—glancing back every few steps.
Jiang Si stood there for a moment, watching until their figures disappeared into the crowd. Then, lifting her luggage, she stepped forward resolutely, embarking on this uncharted journey of her own.
