Lin Yueru wasn’t sure if she was angry or what, but this time, it was Shen Qingqing who came to deliver the money.
Jiang Si didn’t hold back either, smiling brightly as she accepted the cash. Before Shen Qingqing could even speak, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang, locking it tightly.
She had no time to waste bickering with her—her top priority now was binding her golden finger.
Earlier, she had searched the room but couldn’t find scissors or a sewing kit, so she had to pull a brooch from her jewelry box instead.
As a drop of blood fell, the room suddenly filled with thick, cotton candy-like mist, and the mutton-fat jade emitted a dazzling, multicolored glow.
Jiang Si instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself standing in an entirely unfamiliar place.
So this must be the legendary space!
She glanced around, though she couldn’t quite gauge its exact size. As far as she could see, there was nothing but dark, fertile soil.
Not far away, a small stream flowed beside a two-story wooden cabin.
That was all there was in the space.
Jiang Si, still skeptical, ran inside the cabin to check—well, she had definitely overthought it.
No wonder the female leads in novels rarely mentioned this space.
Because it was seriously empty.
Disappointed? Not really. After all, having a space meant she could store things and even save her life in critical moments.
Jiang Si just felt that giving someone like her—who couldn’t even grow flowers—such high-quality black soil was a complete waste!
And in this era, agricultural mechanization wasn’t advanced enough. Was she really supposed to pick up a hoe and manually till the land?
Forget it. Jiang Si knew her limits—she wasn’t cut out for that kind of hardship.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a translucent light-blue screen appeared mid-air.
Jiang Si focused and saw a long list of optional functions:
[One-click Plowing – Basic Tool: Plow, Estimated Time: 20 minutes]
[One-click Weeding – Basic Tool: Hoe, Estimated Time: 15 minutes]
[One-click Watering – Basic Tool: Bucket, Estimated Time: 10 minutes]
[One-click Fertilizing – Basic Tool: Chemical Fertilizer or Livestock Manure, Estimated Time: 20 minutes]
[One-click Butchering – Basic Tool: Pig-slaughtering Knife, Estimated Time: 25 minutes]
[One-click Cooking – Basic Tools: Pots, Ingredients, Heat Source, Seasonings, Estimated Time: 10–30 minutes]
...
At this point, Jiang Si suddenly grinned. Who knew the space would be so user-friendly?
For someone who couldn’t cook and couldn’t endure the slightest hardship, every option here hit the mark perfectly.
Well then, she couldn’t let it go to waste!
Jiang Si decided that after handling her business tomorrow, she’d buy some seeds and farming tools to stock the space—that way, she could become self-sufficient.
Then, she noticed a friendly reminder at the bottom of the screen:
[Irrigating with Spirit Spring water not only enhances the taste of fruits and meat but also randomly shortens the growth cycle of plants and animals.]
Huh?
Spirit Spring?
Jiang Si immediately turned her gaze toward the small stream nearby.
Perfect—the swelling on her face hadn’t gone down yet, so she might as well test it out.
She went to the stream, cupped some water in her hands, and pressed it against her face. The effects weren’t immediately obvious, but the coolness felt incredibly soothing.
She then took a sip. Wow—!
The water was crisp and sweet, and after drinking it, her body felt noticeably lighter.
As expected of something from the space—she was in love!
Next, Jiang Si tried using her thoughts to see if she could store items inside the space.
Focusing on the brooch on the table, she willed it—
The next second, the brooch dropped from the sky right into her hand.
She tested larger items too and confirmed that anything could be stored as long as she willed it. Satisfied, Jiang Si willed herself out of the space.
The suite she lived in now was over a hundred square meters in size.
The antique furniture had already been replaced with cheaper alternatives, so storing them was pointless.
If she were going to store anything, it’d be the good stuff from her scumbag father’s room—he had plenty of valuables there!
The most valuable thing she had on hand right now was the jewelry box she’d just taken out.
Inside were over a hundred yuan in cash, five pastry coupons, six sugar coupons, twenty catties of local grain coupons, thirty feet of fabric coupons, and a twin-lens reflex camera.
Besides these, the hidden compartment held four watches.
Two were Patek Philippe, one was Rolex, and the last was a fully diamond-studded starry sky design.
Old Master Jiang had specially ordered it from overseas for her tenth birthday.
Shen Qingqing and her mother had long coveted these watches, and keeping them at home wasn’t safe.
Jiang Si directly stored the two bankbooks her scumbag father had given her, the severance letter, the 1,000 yuan from Shen Qingqing, and the jewelry box into the space.
She left the rest untouched—there were still a few days left, so no rush.
After a long day, Jiang Si was exhausted.
She took a hot bath, mentally reviewed the tasks for tomorrow, and then drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Lin Yueru had just managed to lull her youngest son to sleep before hurrying to her eldest son’s room with a boiled egg.
"Mom, be gentle—it hurts!"
Lin Yueru didn’t ease up at all. "You’ll have to bear it. If I don’t press hard, half your face will be swollen tomorrow."
"Bear it, bear it—is that all you ever say?" Shen Qingyue scowled darkly. "Back when those two old fogies were still around, you told me to bear it, and I did!"
"But now they’re long dead—why should I keep tolerating her?"
Shen Qingqing walked in just in time to hear this.
"Keep your voice down. Dad isn’t asleep yet."
"So what if he hears? Good!"
"That bitch slapped me—am I not even allowed to complain?"
"Come on, we’ve endured this long—what’s a few more days?" Shen Qingqing said confidently. "Don’t worry, once the job transfer goes through tomorrow, she’ll have no choice but to go to the countryside."
"With her explosive temper and no brains, life in the countryside will be hell for her."
Shen Qingyue wasn’t as optimistic. Sure, that damned girl had a fiery temper, but was she really brainless?
If she were, how had she managed to squeeze over ten thousand yuan out of their father in just a few sentences?
Their father was a notorious miser—someone who valued money more than his own life!
"Sis, don’t forget she’s got over ten thousand yuan now. With that much money, she’ll still live lavishly even in the countryside."
"Not necessarily." Shen Qingqing hugged Lin Yueru’s arm and smiled. "You really underestimate Mom. Just rest easy—everything’s already been arranged."
"You’ll see soon enough."
"Really?" Shen Qingyue looked at Lin Yueru skeptically.
"Really!" Lin Yueru nodded firmly. "I promise you, this slap will be the last injustice you ever suffer."
"From now on, everything from the Jiang family will belong to you three siblings."
The next day, Jiang Si woke up naturally.
When Jiang Si came downstairs after washing up, breakfast was already laid out on the table.
There were steamed buns, soy milk, fried dough sticks, and boiled eggs—quite a lavish spread.
"Here, Si Si, these are the large yellow croaker wontons you love so much."
Seeing the overly eager expression on Lin Yueru's face, Jiang Si had a gut feeling that this woman was up to no good.
Sure enough, after finishing the meal, when Jiang Si reached out to her scoundrel of a father for the household register, Lin Yueru spoke up.
"I don’t have anything to do this morning. Why don’t I go with them to handle the paperwork?"
Then, as if it were just a casual remark, she added, "Oh, by the way, Si Si, your father and I are heading back to our hometown in Subei this afternoon. We’ll probably be gone for three or four days."
"Will you be withdrawing the money today, or would you rather wait until we return?"
At that time, bank passbooks didn’t require passwords, but withdrawing money—especially large sums—required presenting the household register.
Naturally, transferring jobs or signing up for rural assignments also depended on having the household register.
Something this important was hardly something Lin Yueru would willingly hand over to Jiang Si.
Honestly, had Lin Yueru not brought it up, Jiang Si might not have thought of this angle right away.
After all, withdrawing the money now or a few days later made little difference.
But with Lin Yueru’s remark, a sudden realization struck Jiang Si—her mind flooded with a single thought: Why pass up such a perfectly offered scapegoat?
