Chapter 11: A Big Haul

Chapter 11: A Big Haul

Su An ran two streets away from home before finding a guesthouse to stay in.

After entering the room and closing the door, she excitedly took out the contents of her pocket and began to examine them.

There were three savings certificates, worth 200, 220, and 360 yuan respectively. At that time, there was no real-name system, so the certificates were handwritten, unregistered, and didn’t require a password. Anyone who had the certificate could withdraw the money.

However, there was a disadvantage: since the internet wasn’t available, the money had to be withdrawn from the same bank where it was deposited.

There were 116 hundred-yuan notes wrapped in red paper, along with six one-yuan bills.

In addition, there was a ladies' watch, a pair of gold earrings, two gold rings, and 47.83 yuan in loose change.

The total amount of money she had was 1993.83 yuan. Su An felt no guilt, only a sense of satisfaction.

This more than 1000 yuan of betrothal gifts was originally hers.

The three savings certificates added up to 780 yuan. Her brother Su Ping had sent more than this amount home over the past three years.

Moreover, she had spent over five years making paper boxes and working as a maid for the family.

Su An figured that with this money, plus the 400 yuan she already had in the bank, she now had about 2400 yuan. That should be enough to buy a courtyard house in City A for her and her brother to settle down.

The next day, while Su Lei's theft had not yet been discovered, Su An disguised herself and went to the bank early in the morning to queue for withdrawing money with the three savings certificates.

Although the certificates hadn’t matured, she could still withdraw the money, but without earning any interest.

Su An withdrew the money from all three certificates and deposited it again in another bank.

After saving the money, she went to a jewelry store, intending to sell the gold earrings and two gold rings.

At that time, gold jewelry was solid, unlike the lightweight jewelry of later times.

The pair of gold earrings weighed 9.3 grams, and the rings weighed 5.8 grams and 6.33 grams respectively.

The store sold gold at 88 yuan per gram but only offered 65 yuan per gram for buybacks.

Coincidentally, there was an event at the store, and considering the future trend in gold prices, Su An decided not to sell.

Instead, she used the old gold to exchange for a 22-gram bracelet at the store, paying an additional 52 yuan.

Leaving the jewelry store, she felt a huge weight off her shoulders.

Her actions had practically drained Su Jianjun's savings.

It was unclear whether Su Jianjun would still dote on his youngest son, whom he had once been willing to sacrifice his eldest son to save, as much as he did in the previous life.

In the previous life, when Su Lei was diagnosed with an illness, the hospital asked family members to go for matching. Su Jianjun did not go, Su Jiao did not go, and even their mother, Ji Qingqing, did not go. Instead, they brought Su Ping, whom they considered an outsider.

And as it happened, there was a match.

Su Ping, being honest, did not understand the underlying issues.

Ji Qingqing and Su Jianjun pressured him, saying, "You have to save your little brother," while Ji Qingqing added, "He's your real brother—you can't just let him die."

Under the premise of moral coercion by family members and various forms of brainwashing led by Lin Zhaodi in the entire Su family, Su Ping believed that donating his kidney would have no impact on him. It was just a minor surgery, but it could save his younger brother's life.

The strong man was naively pushed into the operating room.

However, as soon as the surgery was over, the Su family changed their attitude.

The family members who had cared for Su Ping were now all focused on Su Lei.

Su Ping lay alone in bed for a week before Su Jianjun and his wife used the excuse of not being able to afford the medical bills to check him out of the hospital for home recovery.

Meanwhile, Su Lei remained in the hospital. Su Jianjun's reason was, "You're strong and healthier than your younger brother!"

After being discharged, Su Ping recovered at home for a month before Ji Qingqing started to make snide remarks and sighed constantly in front of him.

Although Su Ping wasn't smart, he wasn't oblivious to people's attitudes. By the second month, he went to the mine and never came back.

At that time, Su An was in a difficult situation herself, confined to the Zhao family as a servant, and had no idea about this incident.

By the time she learned of her brother's death, it was too late to do anything.

Thinking that Zhao Daxing would be back soon, Su An headed to the sports park after leaving the jewelry store.

The old man who was exercising was pleasantly surprised to see Su An, "Xiao Su?"

"I thought you weren't coming since you didn't show up yesterday afternoon or this morning."

Su An smiled and started to jog in place to warm up, "Old Man Luo, I went to Wuzhen yesterday to visit my brother. I just got back."

"Come on, Old Man Luo, take a look at my 'Eagle and Kite Turn.' Should I lower this part a bit more?"

Old Man Luo, holding a peach wood sword, nodded at Su An's posture, "Yes, yes, move your foot forward, hold it, then trap and twist the opponent's arm."

With Old Man Luo's guidance, Su An practiced over and over.

Time was tight, and previously using the pretext of self-defense, she had asked Old Man Luo for guidance. Under his tutelage, Su An only practiced three moves.

The old man said that when it comes to survival, there's no time for moral considerations or fair play.

The first killer move against bad men is a groin kick, the second is an eye gouge, and the third is the Eagle and Kite Turn.

It's impossible to turn a weak woman into an expert who can go toe-to-toe with a strong man in just a few days.

These three moves are simple, effective, and require no special skills, making them useful against anyone. The focus is on speed, accuracy, and delivering a fatal blow.

The afternoon quickly passed.

Old Man Luo quite liked Su An. He had been a rough man in his youth, and because he married late, he didn't have grandchildren yet. His children were busy with their own lives and didn't like spending time with him.

After retirement, he had nothing to do but practice swordsmanship and exercise in the park, where he unexpectedly made a cross-generational friend.

"Old Man Luo, thank you so much for your guidance these past few days. It's getting late now, let me treat you to a meal."

"No need, no need."

"Why be formal? I don't have a grandfather either. We get along well. If you don’t mind, I’d like to think of you as my grandfather from now on."

Su An pulled Old Man Luo to a lamb restaurant where they each ordered a large bowl of lamb soup, along with two plates of lamb skewers and a plate of steamed buns.

Su An, who had already let go of old rules after her near-death experience, no longer felt bound by them.

The old man, with a broad-minded personality from his days wandering as a martial artist, also disliked the confines of gentlemanly conduct, benevolence, and moral righteousness.

As they ate and chatted, they hit it off and felt like they had missed out on meeting each other sooner.