Since her rebirth, she had felt that everything was developing according to her plan. Yet, even the craftiest fox could be caught by an experienced hunter. What was she to do now? Should she invent a reason to explain how she had learned to sketch? Wouldn't that just be trying to cover something up and only making it more obvious?
After Sang Yun finished cleaning, she spotted Sang Zhi by the stairs, jumping in place and tugging at her hair as if she were having a seizure. She couldn't have looked happier.
"Sang Zhi, have you lost your mind?"
If she had, that would be for the best; it would mean a peaceful life for her in the future.
Sang Zhi didn't want to be a laughingstock, especially not in front of Sang Yun, so she gracefully smoothed her hair. "I’d have to get in line behind you if I were going crazy. Sister, it’s not that I want to lecture you, but you should spend less time on your appearance and more on self-improvement. Put some variety into the meals and focus on the flavor. It’s not about having a wide selection; the elders are just too polite to mention it out of respect for you, so I’m the one who has to say something."
Most of the food at home was procured and distributed by the military district’s logistics department. Divisional Commander Cai had an allocation, and while the vegetables were seasonal, the quantity was substantial. Even the meat and cooking oil were more abundant than what was available outside. But because Sang Yun had never seen such quality goods growing up, her culinary skills were mediocre at best—everything was either dumped into a single pot or boiled in soy sauce. It was enough to kill anyone's appetite.
Thinking of the braised meat from earlier, Sang Yun didn't retort for once, which was rare. When her peripheral vision caught Jiang Yan heading out, her eyes lit up. Abandoning the argument, she chased after him with a shy expression.
Jiang Yan swept a cold, indifferent gaze over the two sisters, his tone flat. "Something up?"
Sang Yun’s heart hammered against her ribs. "Comrade Jiang, wait a moment. I have something for you."
Without waiting for a refusal, she trotted back into the house. When she returned, she was holding a brown scarf. Her cheeks were flushed as she held it out with both hands. "I received the watch you sent... it’s beautiful. I love it very much."
Jiang Yan looked down at her wrist. So that was why she had thanked him earlier that morning. Feng Xiangdong had mentioned it a couple of days ago, saying it was nearly Comrade Sang Yun’s birthday and asking if he planned to do anything. Jiang Yan had never been one for romantic entanglements, nor did he pay much attention to such things. But once reminded that she was his savior, he couldn't just ignore it, so he had let Feng handle the details. He didn't lack money, and since Feng had the necessary ration coupons, the idea of a watch had been the young man’s suggestion. It was a trivial matter not worth his time.
"As long as you like it. If you run into any difficulties in life, just go to Xiangdong; he will help you resolve them." Jiang Yan nodded politely and moved past her.
"The... the scarf..."
"I’m not used to wearing things like that. Give it to Elder Jiang instead."
Sang Yun’s coquettishness was like batting her eyelashes at a blind man. Jiang Yan walked right past her, his stride long and purposeful.
Though he was gone, Sang Yun was not discouraged. She deliberately exposed her wrist, letting the dainty ladies' watch shimmer in front of Sang Zhi. She recognized the watch—it was a top-tier all-steel Shanghai brand watch, which cost 120 yuan provided you had a watch coupon. While there were other similar brands like the Dongfeng or Tianjin, the Shanghai brand was the most coveted among young people. She hadn't realized that a man as cold as an iceberg could have such a thoughtful side in private.
After showing off the watch, Sang Yun said with a provocative smirk, "Ever since I saved him at the station, our fate was sealed. Later, by a stroke of luck, we ended up under the same roof. This is destiny."
Sang Zhi hadn't intended to take her words to heart, but the words "station" and "saving him" triggered a memory. That was the day she had first arrived in this world; she was the one who had risked being caught by villains to save him. How had it become *her* sister who saved him after just a few days? The System had given her reward points for that act; it couldn't be wrong.
Unless someone had stolen the credit.
Good grief—stealing her identity and her credit for saving a life? Her cousin truly had elevated shamelessness to an art form. However, she couldn't just get angry and run up to Jiang Yan to shake his shoulders and tell him he’d recognized the wrong person.
"Sister, the day you saved him was the same day you tried to frame me for eloping with a drifter, right? What were you doing at the station? Don't tell me you were working with the drifter to sell me off? If that's the case, I should probably go to the public security bureau and have a serious talk about it."
Sang Yun had been too caught up in her triumph to remember that detail. Seeing Sang Zhi staring at her with such malice, she waved her hands in a panic. "How could that be? I was just there to pick up a friend."
Sang Zhi looked sinister. Her brother hadn't even unleashed his full potential before he was caught; with the recent verdict, he was facing jail time and had to pay hefty fines. The family's money had already been taken by that little wretch Sang Zhi—where would they find any more? Her mother had been crying until her eyes were nearly blind these past two days. She couldn't afford to butt heads with Sang Zhi right now.
With that thought, she laughed it off and hurried away.
Sang Zhi withdrew her gaze, feeling unsatisfied. There were some things she couldn't have, but others certainly weren't going to snatch them away. She went back to her room to recall the plot of the book. Since she was the heroine, she naturally had her own opportunities.
Five years after the founding of the People's Republic, municipal overseas Chinese affairs were managed by the municipal office. Although many original institutions had ceased operation after the Revolutionary Committee was formed, many government functions had been separated from the Committee following the Second People's Congress. To earn foreign exchange and attract investment, the Municipal Overseas Chinese Affairs Office had pulled strings to allow famous overseas Chinese to return for visits. If they could host them well and facilitate trade talks, surely they could attract investment for factories. It would provide jobs and revenue—everyone cared about that.
However, the son of one of the overseas Chinese had secretly tagged along. Being a child, he wandered off while his parents were in meetings, but due to his inability to adapt to the northern climate, he fell suddenly and critically ill. Sang Yun happened to be there and was the first to rush to his aid. Though she didn't succeed in saving him, she did get him to the hospital in time. Even though the child didn't survive, she gained the gratitude of the couple. This incident ruined the preparations the Municipal Overseas Chinese Affairs Office had made, but Sang Yun earned the appreciation of that couple for her "benevolent act," which provided an invaluable boost to her future accumulation of wealth.
This made things interesting. In her view, if you steal what's mine, I'll steal what's yours. We'll trade blows; neither side will lose out.
...
The northern winter was dry, and with indoor heating, one’s face would peel in a few days without careful maintenance. The famous classic skincare products of the time were Peh-Cha-Lin, Friendship Cream, Clam Oil, and Ya Cream. She didn't have a cheat code before, but now that she could have something more advanced, she emptied out an iron tin and filled it with mass-market skincare products she could afford.
When she opened the System control panel, Sang Zhi’s pupils dilated. She widened her eyes, closed them, and opened them again—the progress bar read 220.
That was impossible! She had earned a few points from "beating the villain" recently, but she had spent a good amount on supplies and research; by her calculations, she should have had less than 100. Where did the extra 100-plus come from?
The log only showed the dates of acquisition, not the source of the Merit Value. She scrolled through it slowly; there were two new entries, one for yesterday and one for today. Yesterday she had made underwear, and today she had just eaten a meal. She had only seen the usual people—she hadn't saved anyone or fought off any villains. So where had the Merit Value come from?
Wait.
If the last two days had been routine, the only variable was Jiang Yan. Could it really be him?