A Pheasant Could Only Be a Pheasant

Bai Yao already had a destination in mind for "picking up money."

It was a little far from where he was, though, so he needed to take the bus.

But at that moment, he truly didn't have a single cent in his pocket.

So...

"First, I'll pick up some money from the grain, under the floor tiles, and in the cracks in the wood."

Everyone in this household had their own little stash except him, and each of them thought they had hidden it well.

Though that was indeed true, now that Bai Yao's Mental Power covered the place, all that money was his.

As for being found out?

Not a chance.

This family treated their secret savings like pixiu: money only went in, never out. They only added to their stashes when they got paid at the beginning of each month.

"They'll probably explode with rage when they find out."

With that thought, Bai Yao counted the money in his hands. It came to 415.2 yuan in total, 100 yuan of which was the original owner's subsidy for going to the countryside, withheld by the vicious stepmother who had signed him up.

Honestly, Bai Yao thought there wasn't even as much money in the household's bankbook kept out in the open as he had in his hands. It showed just how selfish this family was at heart.

Grumbling inwardly, Bai Yao slung his schoolbag, patched over with yet more patches, over his shoulder and went out.

The bus fare was one jiao, making him marvel at how cheap it was in this era.

But after a few stops, he understood there was a reason it was so cheap.

People at the front of the bus chatted with people at the back, while those beside him chatted with those up ahead. Nobody could hear a thing without raising their voice, so the bus was a lively place indeed.

A few stops later, Bai Yao got off. By then, his ears were still ringing nonstop from the noise.

After taking a moment to recover, his desire for money spurred him to hurry on his way.

Ahem, ahem! Pay attention!

Question: if you transmigrated and had a space and the ability to collect things with Mental Power, where should you go first to make your fortune?

That's right, the answer was Prince Gong's Mansion.

All you future transmigrators, remember this well!

Prince Gong's Mansion had once been He Shen's residence. One of its treasure vaults had a hidden compartment, with a great deal of undiscovered treasure on the other side.

By a great deal, that meant enough to keep several generations fed and clothed without worry.

As for whether anyone thought it was wrong to do this?

Bai Yao didn't care. It was enough that he thought it was fine.

With such cheat artifacts as Mental Power and the system space, Bai Yao didn't have to search for long before he collected all the treasure from the two rooms in Prince Gong's Mansion.

Looking at the vast pile of gold, silver, and jade in the system space, Bai Yao knew that as long as he didn't go overboard, he wouldn't have to worry about the cost of using the system for the rest of his life.

And now that he had money, he naturally wanted to enjoy spending it.

The urge to make an impulse purchase welled up in Bai Yao's heart, and he happily dashed off to the nearby department store.

Come to think of it, department stores in this era weren't actually all that backward, probably because this was Beijing. After all, the subway, which some people in later generations had never ridden, had existed in Beijing since 1969.

Compared with the vast variety of goods in department stores in later generations, though, the things on sale now were characteristic of this era.

Extra-large ceramic basins, thermoses in woven rattan casings, handwoven brooms, 28-inch roadster bicycles, newly stocked watches, and so on.

After browsing for only a little while, Bai Yao saw that watches required coupons, bicycles required coupons, soap required coupons, pots, bowls, ladles, and basins all required coupons—everything from food and clothing to housing and transportation required coupons.

Only then did he remember that in the seventies, spending money required all kinds of coupons as well as cash.

As for coupons, Bai Yao had only a few grain coupons, enough to buy some steamed buns at most.

There were some defective goods that didn't require coupons, but they never lasted long enough for him to buy them. Employees divided them up among themselves as soon as they arrived.

And so he had come in high spirits, only to leave disappointed.

Just as Bai Yao was thinking this and preparing to leave, a familiar figure caught the corner of his eye: his lazy, gluttonous, gold-digging stepsister.

Li Meimei? Is she... fishing for a rich guy? Bai Yao thought, noticing the slick-haired, powdered-faced young man laughing and talking beside her.

One glance was enough for Bai Yao to think the young man's family must be quite well-off. After all, in this era, an ordinary family couldn't treat a watch, a fountain pen, and a Lenin suit as everyday items.

He had to admit, his stepsister had truly learned her mistress mother's ways: one face in public, another in private, as venomous as a snake and as much of a white lotus as they came.

Come to think of it, the original owner had played a major part as a "teaching aid" in Li Meimei's success.

From childhood, her mistress mother had taught her what to do, how to frame the original owner, and how to pretend to be a white lotus. As a result, people around him pointed fingers at him, and he grew increasingly withdrawn, leaving him dependent on his family and making it easier for them to manipulate him.

Thinking of those years when the original owner had lived as though he were a dog being trained, Bai Yao felt rage surge up from the bottom of his heart until his eyes grew bloodshot.

"I remember Li Meimei boasting to her mistress mother about casting a wide net and focusing on the best fish, so a pheasant could fly onto a branch and become a phoenix."

With that thought, Bai Yao grinned.

A pheasant wanting to become a phoenix? Dream on!

"A pheasant can only be a pheasant!"

Murmuring softly, Bai Yao placed a new custom order with the system.

"A dose of hallucinogen, with extra medicine added."

Afterward, Bai Yao followed the two out of the department store, and the scorching heat provided him with the perfect assist for what came next.

Hearing someone calling out to sell ice cream, Li Meimei licked her lips, glanced at the young man beside her, and said in a slightly coquettish voice:

"Brother, it's so hot today. Walk on this side, in the shade."

"No need. Isn't someone selling ice cream over there? Meimei, wait here in the shade. I'll be right back after I buy some."

As she watched him turn and leave, Li Meimei's expression changed, her face full of delight and smugness.

Watching from a distance, Bai Yao understood what Li Meimei was thinking. Wasn't she just pleased with her own tricks?

"I hope you can still be this happy in a little while."

As Bai Yao thought this, he saw the young man return. He quickly used his Mental Power to sprinkle the medicine he had just bought onto the cream ice pop.

And sure enough, that cream ice pop ended up in Li Meimei's hand.

Seeing Li Meimei eat it, Bai Yao's lips curved upward as he waited for the fun to come.

As for going over for a closer look, he'd pass. He had no interest in watching Li Meimei turn into a "pheasant"; what he wanted was the result.

Bai Yao didn't have to wait long. After perhaps a minute, a commotion broke out in the distance.

"Miss, stop pulling at my clothes! Let go of me!"

"Everyone, bear witness! This girl is harassing me! I don't know her—she shamelessly came up to me on her own!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't take yours off either!"

"Help! A girl's acting like a hooligan!!!"

The urgent, panicked voice of a middle-aged man rang out, letting Bai Yao know he had achieved the result he wanted.

From this moment on, Li Meimei was destined to remain a pheasant. She could forget about flying onto a branch in this lifetime.

Of course, if she wanted to hang from a branch, he wouldn't mind. He would even offer some help.

With that thought, Bai Yao prepared to leave.

As he left, he took another look. Li Meimei was surrounded by a crowd several layers deep, with people pointing and watching the spectacle, but no one dared approach. They even dodged her, afraid she would pounce on them and strip off their clothes.

"Tsk! Just like your mother. You look human on the outside, but inside, you're shameless beyond all bounds."

After all, the main ingredient in his medicine was a hallucinogen; it merely brought out the thoughts buried in one's heart.

And now...

"That was easy. One kill and it's done."

But Bai Yao didn't feel satisfied, so he decided to take back that one kill and keep striking, perfecting it until it was utterly flawless.

With that thought, Bai Yao headed home at a leisurely pace. He had lunch to prepare.

He hadn't forgotten the three meals of pig swill a day.