Chapter 290: Escape to Hong Kong City and Don’t Be a Stepmother…
A trip to the world of immortals and heroes brought about a qualitative change in Rong Zhen's soul and body, and he officially embarked on the path of spiritual cultivation.
She and the small system were very excited about the great harvest and started the next task without stopping.
Entering the new mission world, Rong Zhen felt her body being restrained before she even opened her eyes, and a stinky mouth was pressing towards her.
Her subconscious reaction prevented her from controlling her strength, and she kicked the man several meters away, accompanied by the sound of broken eggs and the gangster's shrill wail.
Then with a plop, it stopped abruptly.
There was a moment of silence in the dark grove. Before Rongzhen could figure out what was going on, a scream was heard not far away.
“Murder!”
The startled birds followed the man and ran away. The forest suddenly became lively. The lights at the foot of the mountain increased and became brighter at a speed visible to the naked eye, gradually moving towards the foot of the mountain.
"Host, run!" The small system issued an urgent warning.
Rongzhen quickly got up and ran in another direction, taking in information about this world while running, and the word "wow" almost came out of her mouth.
This time she is the heroine of a stepmother novel. The world background is in the late 1950s after the founding of the New China. She is a silly girl abandoned by the landlord's family when the land was divided. She is also a stepmother who travels through time and marries a widower with five children to be his nanny in order to survive.
As a stepmother, she had to endure humiliation and be careful to survive in the early stage, work hard as a nanny in the middle stage, and win the recognition of the whole family to become rich in the later stage. In the end, she worked hard all her life to prepare wedding dresses for her cheap husband and children and the original wife who came back to pick up the ready-made one. She died of illness, and her whole family was happy. It was so happy, bah.
What just happened was that the village scoundrel lured the silly girl to the grove at the foot of the mountain, hoping to take advantage of her and violate her.
Originally, the time-traveling girl was supposed to escape at a critical moment with her wit, and she met the widower male protagonist on the way and was rescued, and they formed an indissoluble bond.
But the time-traveling girl learned the plot in advance and ran away.
The small system accidentally came across this task and grabbed it because it cost less. However, it turned out that cheap things don’t get good things, and it was a trap.
"I'm sorry, host. How about we go? It's okay to give up." The system apologized and made suggestions repeatedly.
Rong Zhen made a new discovery while running, "Since we're here, let's do the same as last time. We won't earn points from the missions, but only accumulate merit!"
The more merits she gains, the better it is for her cultivation. After the system takes its share, the points and energy she gains are greater than those earned from completing tasks, which is beneficial to both of them.
If you give up on following the storyline, you won't have to worry about the story missions anymore.
The original owner's wish was equivalent to nothing, because she was a fool and had no other thoughts except to have enough food and clothes to eat and find a father.
Rongzhen planned to decide based on the situation, and when the time was right, he would do it for her, and would not force it if it didn't work out.
As for the time-traveling girl, she had already run away, so her wish was naturally not within the system's calculation.
Panting, Rongzhen ran to a river, with torches swarming towards him from front and back.
"The landlord's silly girl killed someone, catch her!"
When Rong Zhen heard the shouting coming from afar, he knew that his behavior had been exposed. It was probably the guy who ran down the mountain who leaked the information.
That person was able to stand not far from the scene and watch the original owner being bullied. He might be an accomplice of the second-rate guy, or even the widower male protagonist.
In this era of stepmother fiction that oppresses women in the name of happiness, Rong Zhen does not hesitate to speculate the male protagonist and the villagers with the greatest malice.
Because her current identity is in opposition to theirs, if she doesn't want to stay here and suffer oppression in the next twenty or thirty years, she must leave as soon as possible, otherwise she will not have a good ending.
The general environment is like this, and it cannot be changed by her not being a stepmother. Not being a stepmother may even make things worse.
In that case, I have no choice but to leave.
Before the two waves of people in front and behind rushed over to surround him, Rong Zhen made a quick decision, took a deep breath, dived into the river, and quickly disappeared from this place along the rushing water.
As soon as she left, people holding torches gathered on both sides of the river bank, watching and stirring the water with long sticks.
"Did he really jump into the river? Did he die?"
"I found the shoes. He really jumped. We'll look for the body along the river tomorrow."
"Could he have escaped? Should we look for him tonight?"
"Why are you so anxious? She's just an idiot. She must have been scared to escape here. How could she be so scheming?"
"That's right, it's too dark now. It's a waste of torches. I'll come back tomorrow morning to look for it."
"What a damned second-rate bastard, why did he mess with a silly girl? Now he's getting his comeuppance."
"Keep your voice down. His family is not to be trifled with. Didn't you see that even Wu Wa's father, who came down the mountain to report the news, was angered by them?"
People were talking about it and stayed on the river bank for more than half an hour. When they found that they couldn't find anyone, they quickly returned the same way and agreed to look for him again at dawn.
Of course, nothing was found after daybreak, because Rongzhen had already run far away along the river.
The original owner's house was swept away when the landlord fled, and no treasure was left behind. Otherwise, the time-traveling girl would not have had such a hard time in the plot. After the reform and opening up, she relied on her own foresight, hard work and diligence to make a fortune, without relying on the landlord at all.
Rongzhen didn't need to go back to collect the treasure. The most important thing was to escape quickly.
She drifted in the river all night and entered a larger river, or it would be more accurate to say a river, at dawn.
She didn't know where exactly it was. The original owner's foolish memory couldn't provide much help, and the plot information about the region was very vague and had no reference value.
She could only drift forward along the direction of the water flow, and finally met a boat sailing on the river after dawn.
As a potential escapee, Rong Zhen did not dare to easily get on board. To be cautious, she did not even dare to go ashore, let alone get on board.
Judging from the size of the boat, the person who can take the boat at this time is not an ordinary person.
Rongzhen doesn't want to fall into the trap.
She continued to hide in the water and quietly approached the bottom of the boat. She used the tools she took out from her small world to secure herself to the boat before she breathed a sigh of relief.
After running all night, I can now take a break.
At noon, Rongzhen woke up from her sleep in a daze. She smelled the delicious food on the boat and her stomach was growling with hunger.
Fortunately, there is ready-made food stored in the small world on my body, so I can fill my stomach by taking it out.
But she hid on the side of the ship to avoid being discovered by people on the ship and could not make any big movements.
The people on the boat had no such concerns. After dinner, a conversation was heard in the cabin next to where she was hiding.
"Brother Tian, are you really going to go abroad? Can you stay for me? I can't bear to leave you."
"I'm sorry, Yaya. My family has already made the decision. I can only accompany you to Shanghai. After that, we have to part ways. I will pray for you on the other side of the sea. I wish you happiness forever."
"But without Brother Tian by my side, how can I be happy?"
"Yaya, everyone in my family has left. I have to leave. Maybe you can leave with me."
"No, Brother Tian, my family has just taken over the main branch's business in Shanghai. It's time for development and growth. I can't abandon my family and leave at this time."
"Yaya..."
There was a long silence afterwards.
Just when Rongzhen thought that the two men would not say anything more, one of the men stood up and left, and the footsteps gradually faded away.
A moment later, a delicate hand reached out of the window and decisively threw down a stack of things.
After the slight sound of falling water passed, she quickly withdrew her jade hand and closed the window.
Rongzhen grabbed the stack of things in time and took a look. It was amazing. It was the travel certificate and boat ticket, as well as a lot of foreign currencies such as US dollars and British pounds, tied together tightly with rubber bands. It was most likely from the man who had just spoken.
Without these, he couldn't leave.
Rong Zhen couldn't use it either. The original owner's female figure was too obvious, making it difficult for her to pass as a man. Furthermore, there were other verification procedures after boarding the ship, so even if she tried to impersonate someone else, it would be impossible. Being discovered would be even more dangerous. So she decided to make her plans after arriving in Shanghai.
When night fell, Rong Zhen, who had been soaking in the water for a day and a night, found an opportunity to climb onto the boat, hid in the storage compartment away from people, fed himself medicine, wiped his body, changed his clothes, and cleaned himself up.
Thanks to the good genes left by the original owner's mother, even though the original owner didn't eat well in the past two years, she still looked fair and plump, and she was naturally not easily tanned. This may be the biggest reason why she is remembered by others.
Being remembered by others and even willing to marry them after being labeled a bad element has certain advantages in itself.
In this era, if a person is white, plump and round, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and thick and long braids, that is beauty.
The original owner had all of these qualities. If she hadn't been born mentally retarded, she would have been dragged away by the village gossips to be a daughter-in-law.
People harbored ill will towards her because of her background, but they also had to admit that she was in everyone's heart.
The original owner's father abandoned her when he left, 100% because he left in a hurry and didn't take care of her. It's also possible that there was not enough room, otherwise how could he abandon her, a beautiful daughter who he had worked so hard to raise and could be exchanged for money.
Rongzhen dug this out from her memory and the plot. After she finished cleaning up, she took out her makeup tools, changed her skin color, made her facial features more ordinary, cut her braids into a bowl-shaped student hairstyle that covered half of her face. Her clothes had no patches, but they were not very good either. They were as ordinary as the bag she was carrying. She looked like an ordinary person who would be forgotten once thrown into a crowd.
If it is too good, it will attract attention; if it is too bad, it will not be good either.
There are still people begging these days. Although it is just the beginning of summer, there are still some beggars. If they are caught and mistaken for others, they will be sent back to their hometown.
If Rongzhen disguises herself too well and is misunderstood, her identity will be exposed when she is checked.
The boat continued to sway in the river for two days, and arrived at its destination, Shanghai, at dusk on the third day.
When getting off the boat, something came to light and caused a little trouble.
"Yaya, where did you hide my ID? Give it back to me now!"
"I don't know, Brother Tian, did you forget to take it? Do you want to look for it again?"
The two argued endlessly, one firmly believed that she was the one behind the incident, while the other refused to admit it, which attracted many people on the same boat to watch and judge, and even blocked the way to get off the boat.
Rongzhen took the opportunity to blend into the crowd and watched both parties get off the boat after mediation by the boat owner. She also followed Tian Ge, one of the men, and watched him get rid of the entanglement of the Yaya girl, hailed a rickshaw, and left.
Yaya was then picked up by her family in a car.
Rong Zhen was surprised and did not rush to catch up with them. Instead, he went to the port according to the location on the boat ticket and quietly wandered around there to gather information. He was almost caught by the patrol officers on the street.
It was almost the 1960s, and the Central Plains Revolution was about to come. Rumors were growing here, and the control was quite strict. Fortunately, she had long legs and could run fast.
After two days of hiding in the harbor, sleeping in the open, the day of boarding arrived. A huge cruise ship appeared in sight and finally docked at the predetermined pier, waiting for cargo and passengers to board.
Rongzhen stared at the people boarding the ship with her big eyes. If she didn't see the person she was expecting, she would try to board the ship with the other person's ticket, or sneak up as she did before.
The latter is somewhat difficult, and I don’t want to choose it unless necessary.
Fortunately, Brother Tian did not disappoint her expectations and appeared in her sight shortly after the cruise ship started checking tickets.
He was still wearing the same outfit as two days ago, looking a little disheveled. The suitcase he was carrying was gone, and he hurried over with a small briefcase tucked under his arm.
Before he boarded the ship, Rong Zhen approached him and said straight to the point, "I have your ticket." Then he showed the documents and ticket he had prepared earlier.
Naturally, she confiscated the US dollars and British pounds as payment for keeping the two items.
"Where are you from?" The man's eyes lit up and he wanted to snatch it away.
Rong Zhen put them away and said in a negotiating tone, "Don't worry. I know that this kind of ticket can bring one or two more followers. If you promise to take me up, I will return them to you."
The man hated being forced, and his neck stiffened when he heard this: "I got another ticket. Even if you don't give it back to me, I can still get on the ship!"
"But it's definitely not as good as the one I have, right?" Rong Zhen got a first-class ticket, a large room with free food and drinks, and an excellent experience. She had already made inquiries about it.
Judging from the man's current miserable state, the ticket he got would definitely not be able to meet the service level of a first-class cabin.
Also, when the cruise ship arrives at Hong Kong Island, first-class VIP passengers can enjoy special services such as free hotel check-in and Hong Kong Island identity cards.
This is what Rongzhen is aiming for.
"Look, you won't lose anything if you agree to this, and you can even sell the ticket you saved for cash. A poor family can be rich on the road, and you can't lack money for anything, don't you think?"
There are many people who want to leave at this time, and there are people like her waiting at the port looking for opportunities everywhere. If you just look around, there is no doubt that there will be no one to buy the ticket, and you may even be able to sell it at a high price.
The man thought about his limited wallet, his anger subsided, his mind wavered, and he reluctantly let Rong Zhen pull him to help find a buyer for the boat ticket.
His extra cargo ticket was eventually sold at the price of a coach class ticket, and even then several people were competing to raise the price.
It seems that Brother Tian still has a conscience and doesn't want to cheat others, so he sold it at three times the price and gave them small yellow croaker.
Having tasted the sweetness of his success, Brother Tian turned around and found a thin man. He said to Rong Zhen, "There is one more follower spot available. He's willing to pay two hundred dollars. If you agree, we can split it in half."
Two hundred dollars? They're actually willing to pay that much.
Rongzhen observed the thin man inconspicuously, noticed his unique appearance and bow legs, made a slight guess, and nodded in agreement.
Cruise ships are out to sea and no one is allowed to do anything about it, so it would be easy to deal with a small notebook on the way.
After the thin man left to get his luggage, Tian Ge took the travel certificate and boat ticket that Rong Zhen had returned to him and whispered, "Don't worry, I specially found this thin man to be my companion. We don't have to worry about him turning against us and bullying us on the road."
He can pin the other person to the ground and rub him by himself.
"Even so, be careful." Rong Zhen said this not only to him, but also to herself. On the road, she not only had to pay attention to the thin man who looked like the one with the notebook, but also had to be on guard against the guy in front of her.
Who knows if he will turn against her halfway because he holds a grudge against her coercion?
Although it may not seem like it at the moment, she cannot take it lightly.
If she had no other choice, she would definitely not ride in the same cabin with two people of the opposite sex, and she didn't know how many days she would have to stay in it before reaching Hong Kong Island.
She needed to make some preparations to ensure her safety.
Later, the thin man came back with his luggage. He had quite a lot of stuff, several large boxes. No wonder he was willing to spend so much money to get the ticket.
Time was running out, so the three of them didn't dare to dawdle any longer and quickly checked their tickets and boarded the ship.
The first-class suite was not small and was large enough to accommodate the three of them plus their luggage.
The small bed in the inner room was occupied by Rongzhen, and Tian Ge slept on the sofa in the outer room, staring at the thin man sleeping on the floor.
Rongzhen can lock the door inside and carry a light of righteousness with her. She will shoot anyone who dares to offend her and then throw him into the sea.
Everything went smoothly on the first day. On the second day, the cruise ship sailed out of the coastal waters. The thin man took advantage of Rong Zhen's absence to sneak into the inner room. When Brother Tian found him, he lectured him and even wanted to fight him.
Brother Tian looks like a weak scholar with thin arms and legs, and he is not comparable to a thin man.
In addition, Rongzhen came back in time, and the thin man was completely defeated in a two-on-one fight.
The other party was so angry that he couldn't help but blurt out: "Baga!"
Rong Zhen's guess was immediately confirmed, and Tian Ge's expression changed instantly. The two looked at each other and rushed towards the thin man at the same time.
Damn it, it’s actually a small notebook. I’d really be letting my ancestors down if I don’t clean it up!
If they didn't fight seriously, the other party couldn't beat Rong Zhen and the other two. Now that they were serious, Rong Zhen pounced on them and shot them in the heart. Brother Tian tacitly pressed his head to cover his mouth and suppressed his resistance.
It took less than two seconds and the man was taken care of neatly.
Afterwards, the fear and uneasiness of killing someone came over the two of them.
Rong Zhen, who had a lot of experience, was the first to react and ordered, "Search him quickly and throw him into the sea through the window."
Throw it down quietly, no one will care even if someone sees it.
Brother Tian's hands were shaking badly, and he instinctively followed her orders to search her body, turning out a lot of jewelry and money he carried with him, and his breathing gradually became normal.
He used to regard money as dirt, but after experiencing the lesson of being short of money, he now knows the benefits of having money.
Don’t waste your enemy’s money.
With this idea in mind, he stripped the thin man's body until only his underpants were left. Then, without asking Rong Zhen for help, he dragged the body all the way to the window of the inner room and threw it out with all his strength.
As the sound of splashing into the sea was heard, both of them couldn't help but feel relieved.
Then comes the division of the spoils...pfft, the division of the spoils.
The boxes that the thin man brought up were quite heavy, and there must be good stuff inside.
But neither of them expected it to be so good, and they almost fell asleep after opening it.
There were four wicker boxes, one was filled with US dollars, one was filled with British pounds, one was filled with jewelry and large and small yellow croakers, and the remaining one was filled with bundles of Japanese yen, which was quite unlucky.
Although I dislike the last one for being unlucky, its purchasing power is comparable to that of US dollars at this time, and the amount of a whole box is quite shocking.
In addition to the wicker boxes, there were several bundles of various sizes, which they opened one by one to examine. They were all antique jades wrapped in silk and satin. No one said a word after seeing them.
This damn little notebook, I don’t know when and where it was looted from, it even contains objects that are suspected to be national treasures.
Brother Tian didn’t dare to take this windfall as it felt too hot to handle.
Rong Zhen persuaded them, "If we don't take any, who knows who will benefit. Let's divide up everything we can use. Once we get to Hong Kong, we'll store the antique jade in a safe. We'll take it out and donate it when the time is right!"
If we send them back now, not to mention their identities as fugitives, it is likely that these treasures will be plundered by others or face the difficult years ahead.
Brother Tian wiped his sweat and agreed, "As long as you don't let me take him to Amei, anything is fine."
Only then did Rongzhen realize that the destination shown on his ticket was Hong Kong Island, but that was not where he would eventually arrive.
This is not a bad idea, as it prevents them from being wary of each other and coveting their half of the wealth.
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