TYH-DCI | Chapter 4 — Picking Up Hidden Treasures

After the two of them reached an agreement, Jiang Lai carefully slipped out of the alley.

Most of what she needed to prepare had already been bought.

But she still didn’t feel like going back to that house and facing those expressions.

Thinking of the unopened box, curiosity stirred in her heart.

However, she still didn’t have a safe way to open it.

‘My storage space only allows items to be stored and retrieved… I can’t directly manipulate or open things inside it,’ she thought.

Still, she wasn’t discouraged.

If there was no opportunity now, there would be plenty once she went down to the countryside.

*

Today, she had spent a total of 400 yuan. The system’s cash reward still had 600 yuan left.

But she wasn’t worried about money at all—the system allowed daily check-ins.

Who knew? Maybe she would get more cash tomorrow.

*

With nothing urgent to do, Jiang Lai ended up walking to the recycling station again.

She went under the excuse of buying waste paper and old books.

And unexpectedly, she really struck gold.

She found two sets of misprinted collectible stamps—*“The White-Haired Girl”* and *“The Whole Country Is Red.”*

If not for the fact that she had seen these stamp series mentioned online in her previous life and had specifically researched them afterward, she wouldn’t have recognized their value.

Otherwise, she would have missed this rare find.

Still, she had to admit—the stamps were genuinely beautiful. Keeping them as a collection wouldn’t be a bad idea.

*

By the time she left the recycling station, it was already past lunchtime.

Feeling her empty stomach, she lightly rubbed it and headed straight back to the state-run restaurant.

The staff there already recognized her.

After all, she had come earlier that morning and taken away a large amount of food.

“Hey, didn’t you finish everything you took this morning?” the waitress asked casually.

“Oh, those were packed for some officials,” Jiang Lai replied smoothly, waving her hand. “A work unit had inspection visitors and was too busy to come out and eat, so they asked me to bring it back for them.”

“I see.” The waitress nodded. “It’s not busy right now. You can order—what would you like?”

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Lai ordered pork ribs, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and a bowl of rice.

*

Soon, the dishes were served.

The waitress added casually, “The chef’s braised pork trotter soup is ready too. It’s usually only served at night, but you’re lucky today. Want some?”

Jiang Lai’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Yes! Give me a large portion.”

The waitress chuckled. “A big portion? Can you finish it alone?”

‘I can’t finish it, I’ll pack it to go,’ she thought.

Jiang Lai squinted, smiling. “If I can’t finish it, I’ll take it to go.”

“Alright then.”

The waitress went back to the kitchen.

Because Jiang Lai had already come for three meals in a row—and had taken a huge amount of food in the morning—the staff had gradually gotten used to her.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so friendly.

After all, in this era, workers in state-run restaurants and factories all held iron rice bowls. They carried themselves with confidence wherever they went.

*

Soon, the waitress returned with a large bowl of braised pork trotter soup.

The portion was generous, just as she had said—there was no way one person could finish it all.

Fortunately, Jiang Lai had brought several aluminum lunchboxes.

She packed the remaining soup away and even ordered several extra takeaway portions.

There was no helping it—the chef’s cooking matched her taste perfectly.

A single meal cost her ten yuan, exactly the amount she had “earned” from the Jiang siblings earlier.

She didn’t feel the slightest bit of heartache.

*

After leaving the restaurant, she wandered around for a while.

As the sky gradually darkened, she finally headed back to the Jiang household at a leisurely pace.

She had to admit—the people of this era felt very alive.

Everyone walked with straight backs, purposeful steps, and bright, focused eyes.

*

When she arrived home, Wang Cuihua had already returned from work and was cooking dinner.

The moment she saw Jiang Lai, she immediately launched into a barrage of curses.

“Where the hell do you run off to every day?! Let me warn you—if you go out and disgrace yourself, don’t expect us to clean up your mess! Whether you get shot or thrown in jail, we won’t care!”

Jiang Lai replied indifferently, “Then you should worry more about your precious daughter Jiang Rou instead of me. Otherwise, you’ll drag the whole family down with you in this dorm building.”

*

Just then, Jiang Rou walked in. Her expression instantly shifted into a tearful, aggrieved look.

“Sister… how can you say that about me? I went out today because I was trying to find a way to keep you from going down to the countryside. I just didn’t want you to suffer. Wuwu… how can you misunderstand me like that?”

Jiang Lai sneered.

“So what you’re saying is you used illness as an excuse? Otherwise, why would I be the one going down instead of you?”

Tears immediately welled up in Jiang Rou’s eyes.

“I didn’t… I’ve always had a weak body. I can’t handle hardship…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Lai cut in sharply.

“The Chairman said: labor is the most glorious thing! Going to the countryside is building the nation. But in your words, it becomes ‘hardship’? Are you dissatisfied with the Chairman—or with the Party and the country?”

*

That single sentence made Jiang Rou’s face turn deathly pale. Even her fake tears froze mid-air.

Seeing her daughter lose the argument, Wang Cuihua immediately grabbed a kitchen knife and hurled it at Jiang Lai.

*WHOOSH!*

The blade sliced through the air and missed Jiang Lai by mere inches.

Wang Cuihua showed no remorse—only rage.

“You little bitch! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! Are you trying to get us killed?! Do you have no filter?! Say whatever you want, huh?! If you want to die, go find a toilet and jump in yourself! You’re nothing but a disaster—I should’ve never kept you in the first place!”

Her voice trembled with fury.

If anyone outside had heard those words, their entire family—both factory workers—would be finished.

*

Jiang Lai’s expression turned cold.

“So that’s your reason for trying to kill me?”

“What killing? Don’t twist my words!” Wang Cuihua snapped.

Jiang Lai pointed at the chipped kitchen knife on the floor.

“If I hadn’t dodged, that would’ve been in me right now.”

Only then did Wang Cuihua realize what she had thrown.

But she still showed no guilt.

“If you weren’t spouting nonsense, would I have thrown it? I just lost my temper!”

“So what I said wasn’t the truth? If Jiang Rou didn’t fake illness, why would I be the one sent down? Why should you take her side? Why does she get special treatment?”

Her words struck one point after another.

Wang Cuihua’s anger flared again.

“You think you can compare to Rou Rou? No looks, no charm, no sense—what makes you think you deserve her job? Dream on!”

“Besides, your sister is right—she’s weak. As the younger one, why can’t you just give in a little?”

“From childhood to now, what have we ever owed you? You always compete with your sister. You’re so unlikable—I really raised a thankless wolf!”

Her voice grew louder and sharper, spittle flying as she scolded.

*

Jiang Lai’s face grew colder with every word.

A complicated mix of emotions surged in her chest—grievance, unwillingness, anger.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she clenched her lips tightly and refused to let them fall.

She knew.

This wasn’t just her reaction.

It was the original Jiang Lai—finally rebelling against years of being treated as a workhorse, a mule, a shadow in her own home.

She didn’t understand.

Why were they both children of the same family…

Yet treated so differently?