Pain.

An icy chill pierced her bones, mixed with the faint scent of old wood. Su Cen’s eyes snapped open.

Weathered wooden beams. Paper-covered windows. Gray brick flooring.

“…Where am I?”

She pushed herself upright and touched the painful lump on her head. A wave of dizziness struck, and memories that didn’t belong to her flooded into her mind.

She had transmigrated.

Su Cen finally remembered.

She had been driving her newly acquired limited-edition sports car back to her hometown to pay respects to her ancestors when—

Crash.

After that, everything went black.

A cold laugh escaped her lips.

She didn’t need to think hard to know it had been a carefully planned accident, all for her billions in assets.

Unfortunately for her dear stepbrother, he didn’t know she had already made a will. If she ever died unexpectedly, every cent of her fortune would be donated to charity.

The original owner of this body was also named Su Cen.

Like her, she was a native of Beijing and had just graduated from high school at the age of sixteen.

Her father had been a soldier, her mother a military doctor.

Since childhood, she had lived with her maternal grandparents in this traditional courtyard house.

But six months ago, her grandparents received news that both her parents had died during a mission.

Overwhelmed by grief, the elderly couple’s health rapidly declined, and they passed away one after the other.

Having lost all her remaining family, the original Su Cen fell seriously ill with a high fever—and never recovered.

And now…

The new Su Cen was twenty years old, a recent graduate of Jinghua University’s Department of Chinese Literature.

Her parents had divorced when she was young. Neither of them cared much about her, and her stepbrother was constantly plotting against her.

Fortunately, her grandparents had left her a fortune worth billions, allowing her to live quite comfortably.

One car accident later, she had somehow traveled back to 1973 and become a helpless orphan—the daughter of fallen heroes in Beijing.

As Su Cen struggled to process this absurd reality, warmth suddenly spread across her chest.

The ordinary-looking jade pendant hanging around her neck had begun to heat up against her skin.

According to her memories, it had been left behind by the original owner’s father.

A thought flashed through her mind.

Recalling countless web novels she’d read before, she gritted her teeth, bit her finger, and smeared a drop of blood onto the jade.

Ding

Spirit Spring Space successfully bound.

Her eyes widened.

“Enter.”

The world around her instantly changed.

A small realm appeared before her.

So the novels hadn’t lied after all.

“System?”

“Little System?”

“Hey, System Buddy?”

…

She called out dozens of times, but no one answered.

After inspecting the space, she found about one mu of fertile black farmland, a well, and a small wooden house.

Inside the house sat a booklet on a table.

It explained that the space was a treasured artifact passed down through the Su family and could only be unlocked by someone destined to inherit it.

It also described the space’s abilities.

The black soil could grow anything quickly and abundantly.

The well contained Spirit Spring water. Its effects weren’t heaven-defying, but it could strengthen the body and accelerate crop growth.

The main hall of the house was filled with neatly stacked supplies:

Rice.

Flour.

Cooking oil.

Corn.

Sweet potatoes.

Potatoes.

Pork.

Beef.

Mutton.

Rabbit meat.

As well as various medicinal herbs.

As someone who had read plenty of web novels, Su Cen immediately felt reassured.

This cheat ability might not let her dominate the world, but it would certainly ensure she never lacked food or basic necessities.

Still, she forced herself to calm down.

This was the 1970s.

Standing out too much was simply asking for trouble.

If she used the space, she would have to be extremely careful.

With a thought, she said,

“Exit.”

The small world disappeared, and she returned to her room.

The jade pendant was gone.

In its place, just below her collarbone, was a vivid red mole.

At that moment—

Creak.

The door was shoved open roughly.

Three people dressed in gray cloth clothing stood in the doorway, their faces filled with calculation and greed.

Ah.

Her distant cousin’s family.

Zhou Zhaodi lifted her pockmarked face and sneered.

“Su Cen, my father found a husband for you. Come meet him.”

Su Cen raised her eyes, her gaze icy.

“What are you people? Get out.”

“You—!”

Zhou Zhaodi reached forward to grab her.

Su Cen straightened her back.

“I’m the daughter of martyrs. Touch me if you dare.”

Zhou Zhaodi’s hand froze in midair.

Children of fallen heroes enjoyed state protection wherever they went, especially someone whose parents had only recently been officially recognized as martyrs.

“Cen Cen,” Zhou Guoping said with a fake smile, “your cousin-uncle only wants what’s best for you. You’re all alone now. If you marry into a good family, your grandparents can rest easy.”

Su Cen suddenly laughed.

“What’s best for me? Or what’s best for you? You know the answer yourselves. You’re barely even relatives, yet you dare talk about sincerity?”

The smile vanished from Zhou Guoping’s face.

“You ungrateful little brat! Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. We want this house.”

He pointed around the courtyard.

“Once you marry into the Tang family, they’ve promised to get me a job. If you don’t cooperate, don’t expect any family support after you get married.”

With that, the three of them stormed out and slammed the door.

Su Cen clicked her tongue.

What a carefully planned scheme.

After resting for a while, she checked the time.

5:40 PM.

She changed into clean clothes, found a bag of brown sugar in the kitchen, and headed toward a nearby courtyard.

Knock. Knock.

“Who is it?” a cheerful woman’s voice called from inside.

“It’s me, Cen Cen.”

The wooden door opened.

“Oh my goodness, Cen Cen! It’s only been a few days—how have you gotten so thin?”

Aunt Wang quickly pulled her inside and poured her a cup of sweet sugar water.

“Thank you, Aunt Wang. I actually came because I need your help.”

As she spoke, Su Cen placed the brown sugar on the table.

“You silly girl. Just tell me what’s wrong. Why bring gifts?”

“I wanted to ask if you know anyone looking to rent a courtyard house. I’d like to rent mine out.”

Aunt Wang blinked.

“Rent it out? Then where will you live?”

“I’m planning to join the sent-down youth program and go to the Northeast. Living alone in that big house feels too lonely. I want a change of scenery.”

Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened.

Aunt Wang immediately understood.

The poor girl had lost her entire family and could no longer bear living there alone.

“Cen Cen, think carefully. The Northeast is freezing, and conditions are tough. You’re still young. Besides, when you turn eighteen, the government will prioritize finding you a job.”

“I’ve already decided. The rent will be five yuan a month, paid every three months. The tenant can mail the rent to me. Living alone in such a large house only invites trouble. Life in the countryside may be hard, but with my fifteen-yuan monthly subsidy, I’ll manage.”

Aunt Wang sighed and patted her hand.

“According to policy, children of martyrs receive benefits until age eighteen. You’re an only child with no family support, and you’re answering the nation’s call to help with rural development. I’ll try to apply for an exception and have your benefits extended until you’re twenty.”

“Can that really be done?” Su Cen asked, genuinely touched.

There were still many kind-hearted people in this era.

“It can. We’ve handled a similar case before. As for your courtyard, Director Li from the district office happens to be looking for a place. I’ll ask him.”

“Thank you so much, Aunt Wang.”

Despite Aunt Wang’s protests, Su Cen insisted on leaving the brown sugar behind before returning home.

Back in the courtyard, she stood silently before the family photographs of her grandparents and parents.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered softly.

“I’ll live well.”

She didn’t know where the original Su Cen had gone—or perhaps they were somehow the same person.

After all, they shared the same name and appearance.

Maybe this was simply another version of herself in a parallel world.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied her emotions.

Then she turned, entered her room, opened the cellar door, and climbed down the steps.

Moments later, she emerged carrying an unremarkable clay jar back to her room.