A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"I can give you the money. But I have one condition."

Everyone was stunned.

Including that arrogant, scarred man.

He picked at his ears, thinking he must have misheard.

"Huh? What did you say? You... you're trying to negotiate with me?" He pointed at Su Nianci and laughed so hard he almost fell over, as if he had heard the funniest joke of the century. He then turned to his brothers behind him and laughed.

"Scarface! Has this little chick frozen senseless?"

"I think so! Trying to negotiate? Who does she think she is?"

Zhou Wenqian panicked. He pulled Su Nianci behind him, his voice trembling, "Nianci! What nonsense are you talking about?! Don't provoke them!"

Su Nianci ignored him. She simply watched the scarred man laughing maniacally until he had finished laughing, and then slowly spoke again.

"I have thirty yuan on me."

"brush!"

Scarface's laughter abruptly stopped.

The laughter of the group of boys behind him vanished instantly, like a duck being choked.

Thirty yuan!

For these street thugs who spend their days loitering on the streets and fight tooth and nail over a few cents or a steamed bun, thirty yuan is an astronomical sum!

That's enough for them to eat meat buns in the most expensive state-run restaurants for a whole month!

Everyone's eyes turned red!

Their breathing became heavy!

Greedy, burning gazes were fixed on Su Nianci's small, frail body!

"Where...where is the money?!" Scarface's voice trembled slightly.

"Don't rush." ​​Su Nianci's face still held that frighteningly calm expression that belied her age. "I can give you the money. My conditions are very simple."

"I need a place to live."

"A safe place where you can shelter from the wind, block out the snow, and make a fire without being discovered."

"You take us there. Once we get there and it's safe, this thirty yuan is all yours."

These words were clear, logical, and well-organized, unlike what a five-year-old child could say.

Scarface looked at Su Nianci, and for the first time, a hint of solemnity and... apprehension flashed in his eyes.

He felt that he was not facing a lamb to the slaughter.

Instead, it was a cunning little fox in sheep's clothing.

"Scarface! Don't listen to her! She's definitely playing us! How could a girl who goes to tell stories for a mere 50-cent bus ticket possibly have 30 yuan on her?!" Skinny Monkey said anxiously from the side.

"Yeah, Scarface! Just rob her! Why waste time talking to her!"

Scarface stared intently at Su Nianci.

"How can you prove you have money?" he asked in a deep voice.

Su Nianci knew that this was the most crucial step.

Without the slightest hesitation, she slowly pulled out the three brand-new ten-dollar "Great Unity" bills given to her by Zhao Jianguo, a municipal government official, from her innermost pocket.

When those three banknotes, representing enormous wealth, appeared in the gray-white snow, everyone's breath caught in their throats!

it is true!

It's actually true!

Scarface's pupils instantly contracted to their maximum size!

An uncontrollable, violent greed instantly overwhelmed his last shred of reason!

"Give me!"

He roared and reached out to snatch the money from Su Nianci's hand!

However, Su Nianci was faster than him!

Just a second before he made his move, she swiftly stuffed the three banknotes back into her pocket!

And her little hand had already touched something else.

—That dented aluminum military water bottle I got from an old scavenger!

"If you dare take another step forward," Su Nianci's voice instantly turned icy and ruthless. She unscrewed the lid of the kettle and pointed it at the scarred man's eyes, "I'll spray all of my brother's still-warm urine into your eyes!"

"You won't get a single penny. And I'll drag my professor uncle to the military hospital and tell everyone that your eyes were blinded by a thug called 'Scarface'!"

"Do you think those uncles in military uniforms would believe a 'highly respected' university professor, or you, a street urchin who doesn't even have a household registration?"

These words were like a cold wind blowing from the deepest hell, instantly bringing Scarface's greed-driven mind to its senses!

He looked into Su Nianci's eyes, which were devoid of any warmth and seemed to be looking at a dead person. A chill ran from his tailbone straight up to the top of his head!

He is afraid!

For the first time, he felt fear from a five-year-old child!

He had no doubt that if he dared to make a move, this girl would definitely do what she said she would do!

He froze on the spot, his outstretched hand awkwardly hanging in mid-air.

The atmosphere froze again.

"Scarface..." The skinny guy behind him was also a little afraid of him and tugged at Scarface's clothes.

Scarface's expression was unpredictable, shifting between light and dark.

grab?

He dare not.

This girl is too strange!

Not going to rob us?

That's thirty yuan!

He was unwilling to give up just like that!

In the end, greed triumphed over reason.

"Fine!" he gritted his teeth, squeezing out a single word, "You win! You just want a place? I'll take you there!"

"But I'm warning you! If you dare to try anything funny, I'll turn the three of you into three ice sculptures that will never melt on the Harbin River!"

"Lead the way," she said coldly.

Scarface glared at her fiercely. Reluctantly, he turned around and gave a wink to his brothers behind him.

"Walk!"

A large group of people walked in a grand procession toward a more remote direction.

Zhou Wenqian was completely bewildered throughout the entire process.

He just stood there, stunned, being pulled along by Su Nianci, following behind that group of menacing-looking teenagers, walking unsteadily.

They walked through several abandoned alleyways filled with garbage.

Finally, it stopped in an extremely secluded corner, half-hidden by snow.

Scarface pointed to the ground, to a dark hole with only an iron ring showing, and said, "We're here, this is it."

Su Nianci's pupils contracted slightly.

It turned out to be... the entrance to an abandoned air-raid shelter!

"This used to be an underground fortification left behind by the Japanese, later converted into an air-raid shelter. It's been abandoned for a long time," the scarred man explained impatiently. "It's a maze inside, full of interconnected passages. But as long as you don't go too deep inside, just find a dry corner near this entrance, and you'll be absolutely safe! Not even the police, not even the King of Heaven himself, could find you!"

As he spoke, he and the skinny monkey worked together to pull up the frozen, heavy iron lid.

An air, mixed with the smell of earth and mildew, yet noticeably warmer than outside, surged out from the bottomless darkness.

"I've found the place for you." Scarface turned around, stretched out his hand, and said coldly, "Now it's your turn to keep your promise."

Su Nianci did not hesitate.

She took out the three "10,000-yuan bills" from her pocket and slapped them directly into Scarface's hand.

Scarface's eyes widened when he got the money!

He repeatedly rubbed the brand-new banknote with his fingers, then held it under his nose and smelled it deeply, a look of utter fascination on his face.

"Scarface! The money! It's real!" Skinny Monkey was also excited, his face flushed.

"Get out!" Scarface slapped the skinny monkey's head open, then carefully stuffed the thirty dollars into his innermost pocket.

He looked at Su Nianci deeply, his eyes filled with an extremely complex expression.

There was greed, fear, resentment, and even a trace of... admiration that he himself couldn't quite explain.

"You kept your word," he said through gritted teeth.

Then, he took out a matchbox and a small, blackened kerosene lamp from his pocket and threw them at Su Nianci's feet.

"Here, you can have this. I'm in a good mood today."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and, with his equally excited underlings, quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.

It was as if they were afraid Su Nianci would change her mind.

Only Su Nianci, Zhou Wenqian, and Xiao Shitou remained at the scene.

And, a wide-open entrance to the unknown darkness.

"Nianci...we...we really have to live in here?" Zhou Wen-qian looked at the dark cave entrance, his voice filled with hesitation and unease.

For a university professor like him to live in a place like this is worse than death.

"Uncle Zhou," Su Nianci's voice was unusually calm and firm, "Have you forgotten?"

"In the northern winter, survival is more important than anything else."

"This place, though dark and dirty, can shield us from the wind and snow, and allow us to light a fire."

She paused, then looked up at Zhou Wenqian:

"This is our home today."

Without further hesitation, she picked up the kerosene lamp and matches from the ground, and was the first to bend down and disappear into the bottomless darkness.