1950s: After transmigrating into a capitalist, I relied on military industry to achieve a comeback.

"These are all for you. As long as you are safe and sound, our family will never run out of money in this life or the next." Su Wanqing was holding Lin Jiaoyue's hand and speaking softly when suddenly the butler knocked on the door.

"Madam, the master is waiting for you in the study. He said there is an urgent letter from Mr. Chen in Nanyang, and he requests that you come over immediately."

Su Wanqing's expression changed slightly. Mr. Chen was Lin Hongsheng's close friend, so his letter must be important. She looked at Lin Jiaoyue apologetically, "Nannan, you stay here and watch over things, or have Axiang accompany you for a walk in the garden. I'll be right back."

"Mother, you should go now. I just wanted some peace and quiet." Lin Jiaoyue nodded obediently.

As Su Wanqing's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, the smile on Lin Jiaoyue's face slowly faded.

That intuition honed in a large company, that heightened sensitivity to risk, kept reminding her that something was wrong. Mr. Chen, urgent letter, Nanyang…

She suddenly realized that she didn't know what year it was, and looking at everyone's clothes... a bad feeling crept into her heart.

Instead of returning to her room, she inexplicably tiptoed and followed the direction in which Su Wanqing had disappeared.

The mahogany door to the study was ajar, from which came the rustling of papers turning over and the butler's hushed reply: "Master, the Zhang family next door had their assets investigated last night. Master Zhang vomited blood on the spot and is still in the hospital!"

"Okay, I understand. You can go now."

Lin Jiaoyue's heart clenched instantly, she stopped in her tracks and held her breath.

After the butler's footsteps faded into the distance, voices could be heard coming from inside the door.

"Wanqing, Brother Chen said in his letter that he has moved his entire family to Southeast Asia and settled in properly." Lin Hongsheng's voice was heavy as if it were made of lead. "He asked someone to get two boat tickets and asked if we wanted to leave. He said that things... are probably about to change completely."

"Master, what about our family property? Nannan just woke up..." Su Wanqing's voice trembled with a hint of brokenness.

"Actually, at the end of last year, I had already quietly sold a few shops and exchanged them for gold bars. But our family is so big and we have so much business. How can we just give up the remaining real estate and land?" Lin Hongsheng sighed. "If I don't leave and stay in the city, I will never feel at ease."

Lin Jiaoyue, standing outside the door, felt a chill run through her body.

Southeast Asia, ship tickets, selling off family property, and the plight of Mr. Zhang next door… these words strung together gave her a sudden shock. Without thinking twice, she abruptly pushed open the study door.

"Father! Mother!"

The two people inside were startled. Lin Hongsheng quickly shoved the letter under the inkstone, forcing a smile: "Nannan? What are you doing here?"

Lin Jiaoyue had no time for pleasantries. She stared intently at Lin Hongsheng and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Father, tell me, what year is it now? Which year? Which month?"

Lin Hongsheng was stunned, then gently comforted him: "Silly child, why are you asking about this? It's 1950 now, not long after the Dragon Boat Festival."

1950.

These four words weighed heavily on Lin Jiaoyue's heart.

It wasn't the Republic of China era, nor was it a dream of the past; it was 1950, a year of upheaval, scarcity of resources, and where class background was of paramount importance!

Looking at her parents, who treated her like their own life, and thinking of the storm that would sweep everything away in the future, Lin Jiaoyue's eyes instantly reddened. She closed the door tightly behind her and even locked it.

After doing all this, she turned around and glanced at the pile of account books on the desk that she hadn't had time to put away yet.

"Father, Mother, don't be afraid when you hear what I'm about to say." Lin Jiaoyue's voice was very low, but her speech was very fast, revealing a sense of logic unique to science and engineering. "I stayed in that 'other world' for many years. Although the people there don't wear long gowns and mandarin jackets, nor do they ride in sedan chairs, there is something there called 'history books'."

Lin Hongsheng's fingers, which were holding a cigar, trembled, and ash fell in a flurry onto the expensive Persian carpet.

"History books say that 1950 was just the beginning." Lin Jiaoyue didn't give her parents time to process this, and directly threw out the core argument, "In the next few years, for families like ours, our class background will be our original sin. Now we are the 'enlightened gentlemen' that everyone envies, but in two years we will be the 'bloodsuckers' that everyone hates. All this mahogany and antiques in the house, and that garden of several thousand square meters outside, will not be our family property in the future, but a death warrant, a noose around our necks."

Su Wanqing's face turned deathly pale, and the handkerchief in her hand was twisted out of shape: "Darling, it's...it's not that serious, is it? The other day, Director Li from the Military Control Commission praised your father for his high level of awareness, saying he donated cotton-padded clothes to the front lines! Old Master Zhang next door also donated, so why are they being investigated?"

"Mother, our awareness is high now." Lin Jiaoyue sighed, walked to the desk, picked up a Yuan Shikai silver dollar, and flipped it between her fingers. "When the landlords' land is to be distributed to the peasants and the capitalists' factories are to be nationalized, do you think we can get through this by just donating a few cotton-padded clothes? At that time, we will be the meat on the chopping board, and anyone can come and chop us up."

She paused, then looked intently at Lin's father: "Uncle Chen's decision to go to Southeast Asia is the right one, but he's rushing things, and his family fortune will inevitably be severely damaged. Besides, it's a foreign land, he won't speak the language, he won't adapt to the environment, and what if there's anti-Chinese sentiment there? We can't gamble."

"Then what is your plan?" Lin Hongsheng stubbed out his cigar, his gaze no longer fixed on his doting daughter, but on an equal negotiating opponent.

"Go to Northeast China," Lin Jiaoyue uttered three words.

Lin Hongsheng frowned: "The Northeast? It's even more chaotic there than here now, a real mixed bag..."

"It's precisely because it's chaotic that we can take advantage of the situation," Lin Jiaoyue interrupted her father. "That place is vast and rich in resources. As long as we find a place where nobody knows us, we can buy a few dilapidated thatched houses. We can launder our identities, transforming ourselves from 'big capitalists' into 'honest, simple relatives visiting relatives.'"

"As long as the household registration information is changed, we can survive."

The study was quiet, with only the dull tinkling of the grandfather clock.

Lin Jiaoyue was actually quite apprehensive. Her theory, considered the standard answer in later generations, was, for those directly involved, tantamount to a desperate act of self-sacrifice, or even madness. It was like asking Jack Ma to sell Alibaba and go to the countryside to grow sweet potatoes—who wouldn't be confused?

After a long while, Lin Hongsheng suddenly laughed.

The laughter was dry, yet it carried a resolute air. He stood up, walked to the antique shelf, and reached out to touch his most beloved Qianlong blue-and-white vase, his fingertips tracing the cool porcelain surface for a long time.

"The old Taoist priest was right." Lin Hongsheng turned around abruptly, the hesitation in his eyes completely replaced by shrewd calculation. "This fall has brought back a female Zhuge Liang."

"Master?" Su Wanqing looked at her husband with concern.

"Wanqing, listen to Nannan." Lin Hongsheng strode to the desk, opened the drawer, took out a spare Browning pistol and slammed it on the table, startling Su Wanqing.

"Actually, business in the shop has been getting harder and harder lately. They're scrutinizing the accounts so thoroughly they're practically turning the land upside down, and the union is constantly demanding a pay rise. I felt something was wrong, but I just couldn't bear to give up this family business, so I kept hoping for the best."

Lin Hongsheng's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint, a cunning honed over thirty years of navigating the business world. "Since my daughter has broken the ice, let's go big! As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback. As long as our family is together, even if we have to go to the countryside to farm, I, Lin Hongsheng, can make a name for myself!"

As he spoke, he looked at Lin Jiaoyue, his tone becoming more probing: "Since you're leaving, what are you going to do with all this stuff? If you sell it off openly, we'll definitely attract attention."

Lin Jiaoyue's heart skipped a beat, knowing that her father was testing her ability to execute. Her mind raced, and her logical thinking, honed by her computer science background, instantly provided the optimal solution.

"Openly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass."

Lin Jiaoyue held up three fingers: "First, spread the word that Mother is unwell and needs to go to Beijing to see a foreign doctor for treatment, requiring an extended stay. Second, sell or give away half-price pieces of bulky furniture and land that we can't take with us to those rivals who are envious of our family fortune; let them fight over it, and we'll take the cash and leave. Third…"

She lowered her voice and leaned closer: "Use all the money you get to buy small yellow croakers and penicillin. Gold is precious in times of chaos, antiques are precious in times of prosperity, but when it comes to saving your life, medicine is more expensive than gold."

Lin Hongsheng nodded repeatedly, his eyes brimming with undisguised admiration. This was no longer the silly girl who only drooled; she was clearly a celestial being sent by heaven to save the Lin family!

"Alright! That's settled!" Lin Hongsheng slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup lids bounce around. "Wanqing, don't just stand there, go get the storeroom keys. We'll start taking inventory tonight. Take what you can, and what you can't..."

He gritted his teeth, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination: "What I can't take with me, I'd rather smash than leave to those ungrateful wretches!"

Lin Jiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

We've finally gotten through this hurdle.

As long as the parents are willing to cooperate, even in this chaotic world, it's not impossible to make it through.