Feng Qingqing looked at Feng Damei with a firm expression and said, "Aunt, I'll listen to whatever you say, but..."
"What’s the matter? Is there anything you can't tell your aunt? Speak up, and we can figure it out together." As she spoke, she grabbed Qingqing's hand, as if afraid she might run away.
"The people from the factory office said that if I want the house, I have to pay a 600-yuan supplement. That money..."
"What about your parents' pension?" The words slipped out before Feng Damei could stop them, and she immediately sensed her mistake, but she quickly backtracked. "I’m not eyeing that money, it’s just that the factory shouldn't be bullying the child of someone who just made contributions to them."
"I know, Aunt. How could I not trust you? It’s just that the office people said the pension won't be issued for a few days, but the decision on the house has to be finalized by tomorrow evening." Feng Qingqing lowered her head, looking very aggrieved. "Aunt, I just checked the place where my parents hid their money, and I only found a few dozen yuan. What should I do? Should I go back to the factory office and ask them for a few more days, or if that fails, I’ll just have to move into the dormitory..."
After saying this, she stole a glance at Feng Damei. She looked hesitant, as 600 yuan was no small sum.
Seeing this, Feng Qingqing stoked the flames: "The factory office said my parents' pension is 2,500 yuan; it’s just that it won't be released for a few days. Otherwise, I wouldn't dream of making things difficult for you, Aunt."
At these words, Feng Damei's eyes lit up, though she still struggled for a moment before finally speaking.
"No, don't! Such a good house, how can we just give it up? How about... how about..." She gritted her teeth and slapped her thigh. "Your uncle and I will front you the money. But when your parents' pension arrives, you must pay us back. After all, your uncle and I don't have that much cash on hand; we'll have to borrow it from friends and relatives."
Having said that, she stood up impatiently and walked out without looking back, saying as she left, "I’m going to go gather the money. Qingqing, don't go anywhere, just wait here for me." After a moment of thought, she turned back and called Jiang Yun to leave with her.
Once they were gone, Feng Qingqing locked the door from the inside and sat back down on her bed, letting out a long sigh of relief. That hurdle had finally been cleared.
She thought for a moment, then ran to the kitchen, retrieved the key to her parents' room, and took out the necklace she had found earlier. Holding it in her palm again, she still found it hard to believe. Could this inconspicuous necklace really be the legendary Mustard Seed Space?
Feng Qingqing calmed her racing heart and thought for a few seconds. She wondered if this thing required a drop of blood to claim ownership. She found a small knife, decisively pricked her right index finger, and let the blood drip onto the pendant.
Three seconds later, Feng Qingqing suddenly realized she had a space in her mind.
Overjoyed, she clenched her hands and punched the air. *This is wonderful! With this space in this life, I will surely avenge the tragic deaths of my family from my previous life.* Thinking of the miserable fate of her family of four, she bit her lips until they bled.
She steadied her emotions and stopped dwelling on the past. The priority now was to understand the space.
She probed it with her consciousness and found that the area was shrouded in mist, as if surrounded by a barrier. In the center stood a thatched cottage. In front of the cottage were two plots of land: one divided into four small sections, clearly for cultivation, totaling about one mu. The other area, roughly the same size, was a grassy field, likely for livestock. In the middle of the yard was a well, though she could sense it contained very little water.
Feng Qingqing used her consciousness to push open the door and found a living room in the center, with a vertical screen standing right in the middle.According to the screen, this was a Mustard Seed Space from a higher realm; somehow, it had drifted into this dimension.
The space was upgradeable. To the left of the thatched cottage was a warehouse. It didn’t look very large, but in reality, it was the size of two or three football fields—more than enough for daily storage. Furthermore, it had a preservation effect; whatever was placed inside would remain exactly as it was when taken out.
This was perfect.
To the right was a bedroom. Once the space was upgraded to level three, a person would be able to enter it. Currently, the space was at its initial level.
Behind the courtyard was a small kitchen where she could cook in the future.
After reviewing the general introduction to the space, she felt much more confident about her subsequent plans.
Feng Qingqing first went to her parents' room. She took the savings her parents had left behind, which she had found earlier, along with the 2,500 in death benefits sent by the factory administration, and placed them all into the Mustard Seed Space. Only the space was absolutely secure.
Next, she tidied up the room and placed some other valuables into the space as well.
However, she left the large items untouched. After all, Feng Damei and Jiang Yun would still be coming over, and it would be difficult to explain if things were missing.
Once she finished packing, Feng Qingqing circled the room several times. This was where she had grown up, the place that held the most memories of her parents. The thought of having to return the unit to the factory made her reluctant to leave.
But then, she thought of the man from her previous life who had treated her so well and cherished her like his own life. Gritting her teeth and shaking off her hesitation, she headed out.
After leaving, every acquaintance she encountered on the road greeted her warmly and proactively.
"Qingqing, it’s good to get out and walk around. The dead cannot return to life; you must try to look on the bright side!"
"Qingqing, if you run into any difficulties, just tell your auntie. Anything I can do, I won’t hesitate..."
"Qingqing, I’m making potato stew with meat tonight. Make sure you come over for dinner..."
Hearing these sincere words, Feng Qingqing was deeply moved. In her previous life, when she had transferred her job to her eldest cousin, they had also tried to advise her. It was she who had been blinded by greed, unable to see the wolfish ambition of that family.
The purpose of Feng Qingqing's outing this time was to find Director Zhao in the factory's personnel department; she had been friends with Huang Huiyun.
She arrived at the door of the personnel office and knocked. Hearing a voice from inside tell her to enter, she walked in.
Looking over, she saw a middle-aged woman in her forties sitting by the window, wearing a clean Lenin suit with her hair cut in a short bob. The woman looked up, stared at Feng Qingqing for a few seconds, and asked, "Who are you looking for, and what do you need?"
"I'm looking for you. Are you Director Zhao? My mother was Huang Huiyun; she spoke of you." As she said this, her eyes reddened.
Upon hearing that she was Huang Huiyun's daughter, Zhao Xiaojuan stood up immediately, saying warmly and sincerely, "Oh, it's you, child. You poor thing. Whatever you need, just tell your auntie; feel free to speak your mind."
She looked at her with a face full of affection.
Feng Qingqing then concisely explained her intentions.
First, with her parents gone, it was no longer appropriate for her to live alone in that two-bedroom apartment. After all, there were many families in the factory struggling with housing, and she shouldn't be a burden to the factory.
Second, she wanted to go down to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants. Therefore, she wanted to sell the job quota the factory had granted her and hoped Director Zhao could help her ask around and introduce a buyer.
When Director Zhao heard she wanted to go to the countryside, she frowned, but when she heard about selling the job, her eyes lit up.
Yet, remembering something, she hesitated before saying to Feng Qingqing, "Child, you must think carefully about going to the countryside. It’s easy to leave, but returning is not so simple. Even though I would very much like to have this job, I still hope you will consider this more thoroughly." Zhao Xiaojuan persisted in finishing these words.