Chapter 5: Wealth – The Ten-Thousand-Yuan Family in the 1960s!
"Shuyi, take this and be careful not to give it to anyone."
Zhao Shuyi, who was helping the couple pack their things, stopped what she was doing and took the iron box that her mother handed her.
"What's this?"
Zhao Shuyi opened the tin box, and what came into view was a passbook and some banknotes.
A quick glance revealed at least several dozen large banknotes.
Given their family's circumstances, this amount of money isn't much.
With their technical expertise, Zhao's parents soon became core members of the Beijing Red Star Military Factory Research Institute after returning to China. Now, the father is an associate researcher with a monthly salary of 280 yuan, and the mother is an assistant researcher with a monthly salary of 180 yuan, making them a high-income group.
Moreover, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, so the couple should have accumulated some savings over the years.
But when Zhao Shuyi opened several bankbooks and saw the numbers on them, her eyes widened. There were three thousand yuan in each of the four bankbooks, totaling a whopping twelve thousand yuan.
Keep in mind this was in the 1960s.
A family with ten thousand yuan in the 1960s!!
In later generations, that would be worth tens of millions.
Zhao Shuyi recalled the original owner's childhood, and it seemed that those days were indeed very extravagant.
Forgive her for being naive and unsophisticated.
"This is all the savings our family has."
Should we give her everything?
Although she felt safe in her space, she still felt it was inappropriate to take so much money.
"No, this is all money your grandparents and parents saved for you. Your parents also saved a lot abroad. It was originally intended to be given to you when you get married. But the current situation is not good, so don't take it out easily unless necessary."
Zhao Shuyi thought of the two elderly people who had protected the original owner of this body since childhood, and looked at her parents packing their things, feeling an indescribable sadness in her heart.
“Okay, when my child grows up, we will give the savings book to the child together and say that it was left to you by your great-grandparents, maternal grandparents, and your parents.”
Zhao Shuyi hopes that her parents will hold onto that hope and actually see that day come.
Zhao's mother, of course, was unaware of her intentions and was both amused and exasperated.
"You silly child, you're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about having children."
Even so, there was a clear hope in her eyes, and she obviously wanted to see that day.
People live frugally these days. Even if they are not short of money, they don't own many things and can tidy up their homes quickly.
While packing, the couple repeatedly gave each other instructions, expressing their concern for Zhao Shuyi's stay in Yunnan Province.
Zhao Shuyi didn't find it annoying at all; in the past, she could only dream of hearing such rambling.
However, during her answers, she also kept conveying her dream and the ten-year timeframe, promising to see them again in ten years.
Zhao Shuyi wasn't sure if the couple would have a smooth time joining the project team, so she could only offer them her sincerest blessings.
It was almost midnight when Zhao Shuyi returned to the house. She went straight into her spatial dimension, taking with her a small stove and firewood, as well as dandelions and brown sugar.
Given the limited resources, her parents will definitely be sleepless tonight, and she'll be discovered as soon as she goes out, so these are the only things they can use.
That's right, she was going to make a batch of sugar pills for her parents using the spiritual spring water.
Fortunately, the flow of time in this space is different from that in the outside world, otherwise she really wouldn't have had time to do it.
With nothing else available, Zhao Shuyi could only use sugar as a binder.
The sugar pills they made had a slightly herbal flavor so that they wouldn't actually mistake them for candy when they were given away.
By the time the two large glass jars of sugar pills were made, it was already four in the morning.
Zhao Shuyi seemed to have discovered another great advantage of the space: she didn't seem to get tired while staying inside.
However, this remains to be verified; it may simply be due to excessive mental stress.
She took her things to her parents' room, and sure enough, they were already up.
"Mom and Dad, these are pills that can be dissolved in water to strengthen your bodies. You can use these to make a drink every day from now on."
As she spoke, she handed each of them a cup.
Of course, this is basically all spiritual spring water.
The couple naturally wouldn't refuse their daughter's kindness and drank every last drop.
They all felt that their daughter had given them strength, and that drinking the water in which the sugar pills were dissolved seemed to instantly revitalize them.
Knowing that they might not take it too seriously, Zhao Shuyi emphasized, "I made this myself. Mom and Dad, you must drink it every day. Don't give it to anyone else. You must think of me every time you drink water."
The couple looked at each other, feeling that their daughter was acting strangely today, but they assumed it was because they were about to part ways and agreed.
I've packed everything and am about to leave.
Before leaving, Zhao's father gave Zhao Shuyi a letter.
"Give this to your Uncle Guo. Gao Zhiyun dared to scheme against us, so we can't let him stay peacefully in the research institute any longer."
Uncle Guo is Guo Tianming, the director of the factory's research institute, and also a good friend of Zhao's father. It was he who strongly recommended Zhao's father to come to the research institute.
Zhao Shuyi accepted the items and nodded.
Although she would also target Gao Zhiyun, there's no such thing as too many methods to teach a scumbag a lesson.
They had arranged to meet Secretary Zheng at 5:30, and a car would pick them up at the factory gate at 5:00. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, the list of those going out for training would be released again in the morning.
Zhao Shuyi always felt uneasy about parting ways, and she insisted on seeing them off. The couple couldn't persuade her otherwise, so they let her go with them.
When they went out, it was still pitch black outside, and the people in the alley were still asleep.
The three men turned on their flashlights and headed towards the factory gate. They were all quiet and did not speak.
When they arrived at the factory and saw the military vehicles at the gate, Zhao Shuyi finally felt relieved.
This indicates that the project was undertaken in cooperation with the military.
Presumably, anyone who wants to cause trouble can only do so within the factory.
Several people were already standing next to the car. Zhao Shuyi recognized one of them as Secretary Zheng, and the others were all from the factory's research institute.
According to the original owner's memories, these people were all quite nice.
Among those who conduct research, those like Gao Zhiyun are still a minority.
Even so, Zhao Shuyi couldn't help but offer another word of advice.
"Mom and Dad, you can never be too careful. Be wary of everyone."
As they were about to part ways, the Zhao couple were quite sentimental. Upon hearing this, Zhao's mother laughed out loud.
"It's good that you understand these principles, my child."
They stole their words.
Just as they were about to reach the car, Zhao's mother grabbed Zhao Shuyi's hand. Zhao Shuyi was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at her father, who nodded slightly to her. Without making a sound, Zhao Shuyi threw the note her mother had secretly slipped to her into her spatial storage.
But she immediately used her mind to look at the contents of the note and breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought something had gone wrong.
"Take good care of yourself in Yunnan Province, don't worry us."
"Mom and Dad, you too, remember our ten-year promise."
Zhao Shuyi knew that she was insignificant and could not change the times, or even her own fate, but she had done her best.
I just hope that I and the people around me can live a little better than in the book.
She hugged the couple and then followed them to Secretary Zheng's side.
"Secretary Zheng, I'm entrusting this child's matter to you."
Secretary Zheng simply saluted the couple, which was the highest level of commitment.
Although neither of them had served in the military, they had grown up in a military family compound and understood the significance of this move, so they were at ease.
Zhao Shuyi was relieved, and she even felt a little guilty for having doubted the other party all along.
But it was only for a moment; Zhao Shuyi didn't think there was anything wrong with being cautious.
In these unusual times, it's always good to be cautious.
As the military vehicle drove away from the street, Zhao Shuyi felt as if a piece of her heart had been emptied.
Although they had only spent one day together, she already considered them her family.
"Have a safe journey," Zhao Shuyi murmured to herself.
"Comrade Zhao Shuyi, don't worry, the organization will take good care of your parents." After watching the family members who came to see them off leave, Secretary Zheng came to Zhao Shuyi's side. "Have you packed your things? I'll have someone pick you up later."
"No need, Secretary Zheng, I'd like to stay in that room for a couple more days."
Secretary Zheng frowned, and just as Zhao Shuyi was pondering an excuse, the other party agreed.
"Okay, just lock the door at home. If anything happens, come to the factory and find me. I'll take you there the day after tomorrow morning."
"Okay, thank you, Secretary Zheng."
He waved his hand, "Go back, be careful on your way back."
"good."
After saying goodbye to the other party, Zhao Shuyi went home.
The house was empty, and so was her heart.
Zhao Shuyi locked the door before taking out the note her mother had given her from her spatial storage.
The note indicated where the Zhao family's belongings were hidden.
The fact that Zhao's parents were able to travel abroad in that era shows that the Zhao family was well-off. However, they were blinded by wealth and hid many valuable items.
The Zhao family's ancestral home is in Shanghai, where the original owner of this body also grew up.
The things the old man left behind are hidden deep underground in the master bedroom of the house.
The house was lent to a close friend in the organization years before my grandparents donated their assets. It was used as a local kindergarten for a term of thirty years.
This action was taken at the time to preserve the ancestral home.
It's important to understand that donated items are difficult to retrieve even in new eras, but borrowed items are different, especially those from a "red capitalist" family like the Zhao family, which donated a large amount of assets.
It's just that things were too chaotic at that time, and the Zhao family was being watched by people like Gao Zhiyun and Xu Wanqing. Maybe things weren't actually that complicated.
Here we must mention the old man's wisdom; he was able to openly rent out the house for decades without a care in the world, and no one would have guessed that the Zhao family had hidden something inside.
In the book, after Zhao Shuyi and Gao Zhiyun got married, the house was transferred to them.
The two of them didn't live there much, but later, after the reform and opening up, the female protagonist had her own old house in Shanghai, and she would occasionally take out some nice things.
When the male protagonist asked her where the items came from, she was always vague in her answers, but now she has explanations for everything.
No, she has to go to Shanghai first.
However, traveling from Beijing to Shanghai requires not only a letter of introduction but also time; the train journey takes 26 hours one way, which is far too late to catch the train departing for Yunnan Province the day after tomorrow morning.
So what should we do?
Should we go to Yunnan Province first and then to Shanghai, or should we discuss it with Secretary Zheng?
"It's really inconvenient to do anything these days."
She couldn't let people think she desperately wanted to go to Shanghai.
If I said that, people would inevitably overthink it.
Forget it, let's wait until Yunnan Province. If we get married smoothly and my status is fine, it shouldn't be too difficult to find an excuse to go to Shanghai.
Zhao Shuyi sighed, realizing that arranging everything was not so simple after all.
According to Zhao's mother, the money should only be obtained when it is absolutely necessary, and there was another layer of meaning in what the other party said.
If any trouble arises, paying out a large sum of money will at least put you in a better situation.
Unfortunately, Zhao's parents in the book probably didn't have time to hand over the things to their daughter before they were hastily sent to the countryside by someone who had harmed them.
In fact, Zhao Shuyi didn't really have that much possessiveness for so many things. She was more interested in being content with a modest life. In this day and age, having so much wealth wasn't a good thing.
But she would never allow those who harmed the original owner to obtain that wealth.
Having decided to go as soon as possible, Zhao Shuyi didn't dwell on the matter any further.
There's still so much to tidy up in this house.
She needs to see which items can be put into her space and taken with her.
The house is uninhabited, so the things inside are definitely not going to be kept, but it's not realistic for her to move everything out.
The best course of action now is to avoid arousing any suspicion in her.
Zhao Shuyi was pondering this and hadn't even had time to tidy up when, unexpectedly, the thing she had been worried about took a turn for the better.
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