Brother Huang smiled faintly. "That girl isn't ordinary."
They wanted to warn her to be careful, but she was already gone.
---
When Su Miao Miao returned home, the Su family's house was empty. Her parents were still at work, and Su Ran Ran wasn't home either.
She went straight to her room and slipped into her space. Piles of money now lay neatly arranged inside her wooden chest. She smiled. It was more than she had ever dreamed of earning in such a short time. But she knew this was only the beginning.
In her previous life, she had lived until 1979. She remembered the news—college entrance exams reinstated, private businesses gradually becoming legal, the economy loosening. People who seized those early opportunities became rich overnight.
Now it was 1974. She had four years before that change arrived. Four years to prepare, to build her foundation, and to change her fate.
In her past life, when she was sent to the countryside, her mother had barely packed anything for her. The quilt wasn't even warm enough for the harsh northern winters.
This time, she would rely on no one.
Looking around her space filled with supplies, herbs, and food, Su Miao Miao clenched her fists lightly.
This time, she would plan everything herself. She would go to the countryside, survive, and come back stronger—on her own terms.
She stayed in the space for quite some time.
She had memorized all the medicinal herbs and techniques when she was in her soul form, but she hadn't had the chance to practice any of them.
Although she had practiced acupuncture techniques on a mannequin, she needed to perform them on a real body to truly master the skill.
However, these things took time and required the right place and guidance from someone experienced.
Learning on her own wasn't enough to guarantee she could perform those skills confidently in the future.
Since she didn't have anyone to guide her in medicine at the moment, she decided to stay put and wait for the right opportunity.
But she could still practice martial arts. She needed to learn the techniques written in the books and couldn't allow herself to slack off—if she stopped midway, it would be useless. Developing the habit of procrastination was the last thing she wanted.
She began by practicing the sets of movements and then meditated as described in the book. Soon, she felt a warm current flow through her body.
Her strength was growing.
She had always been strong, but after training, she could clearly feel herself becoming even stronger. She loved it.
After several hours inside the space, she decided to leave. Her parents must have returned by now, and she needed to speak with her father.
When she went downstairs, as expected, her parents had just returned.
Upon seeing her, Father Su began sternly, "Since you want to sever ties with the family, I agree. But you'll have to go to the countryside as an educated youth. Whatever you make of yourself from there on, the Su family won't interfere. And if you run into trouble, don't expect any help from us either."
Su Miao Miao smiled faintly and nodded.
Father Su continued, "Tomorrow, we'll register you for the countryside. Be prepared. After that, I'll write a document officially severing our ties."
Su Miao Miao only nodded. That was exactly what she wanted. Since he had agreed, she had nothing more to say.
She glanced at the others in the house. Su Ran Ran wore a smug expression, while Mother Su unpacked the clothes and food she had bought for her biological daughter, not even sparing Miao Miao a glance.
Su Miao Miao didn't feel sad—this was expected. It was time to stop having any hope for this family.
She had stayed for dinner yesterday only because she didn't have any food in her space. But today, she didn't plan to stay and face them any longer.
She went to her room, locked the door, and entered the space.
The first floor of the cottage house served as a living space, complete with modern appliances. She had examined them before when she was in her soul form but had never actually used them.
Today, she planned to cook a meal for herself.
She had caught a rabbit on the hillside earlier and stored it in her warehouse. Now it was time to cook it. After cleaning the rabbit, she prepared to make braised rabbit.
She patted the meat dry, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and coated it in flour. Then she heated oil in a pot and browned the meat on all sides before setting it aside.
She wanted to add vegetables, but there weren't many. Earlier that day, she had bought some carrots and onions, which she chopped into small pieces and sautéed in the same pot until they softened.
She also added some garlic, careful not to let it burn. Normally, she would have added wine or cider, but she didn't have any, so she poured in plain water instead, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift the browned bits.
Then she added the rabbit pieces back into the pot and poured in enough water to cover the meat. She brought it to a boil, then let it simmer gently for about one and a half to two hours.
Meanwhile, she went to the black soil field and began planting seeds—both grains and vegetables—using her consciousness.
She had learned that the pond water in her space was beneficial to the body but had to be consumed in moderation. She had once made the mistake of drinking too much.
Now, she planned to use it for watering her crops. She fetched normal water from the kitchen and diluted the pond water at a ratio of 1:100 before pouring it into the soil.
Before her eyes, the plants began to grow rapidly—visible even to the naked eye.
After finishing her planting, she returned to the kitchen.