To please others? It's better to please yourself.

Rebirth never increases intelligence. Xu Jing'an's advantages over others are simply experience, knowledge, and opportunities.

When she first arrived in H City, she felt a mix of relief at escaping the Xu family and nervousness about being in an unfamiliar environment. She was overjoyed to discover that her cheat ability also had a search function. Having a house of her own brought her a sense of peace.

But not long after, she thought: Everyone says there are a lot of spies now, and those who are corrupt and have bad character. If we find them all and send them to be punished, it will also be a contribution to eliminating harm to the country.

If the cheat code is this powerful, then I'll buy up some gold, antiques, jade, emeralds, jewelry, and the like that nobody knows about. I have no ties to anyone anyway; if things get tough here, I'll just go abroad, to Hong Kong, anywhere is fine!

But the result was unexpected.

Over the course of a year, as her search scope expanded to cover the entire city and county, her "golden finger" (a powerful ability to enhance one's abilities) grew stronger, yet she still couldn't find the information she wanted.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment! I became extremely agitated, feeling like I had missed out on billions. I kept cursing in my mind, complaining that the cheat was useless.

One night, she dreamt of her ordinary self from her past life, and the cannon fodder life she experienced in three books. Xu Jing'an suddenly realized the truth.

Human desires are insatiable, and greed blinds us.

Without her special abilities, Xu Jing'an wouldn't even be living the life she has now. She's always been an ordinary person, so she'll continue living an ordinary life. Those who are too greedy never have a good ending; wanting everything leads to getting nothing in the end!

……

More than two years passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now 1973.

The family was busy, and apart from the children growing up day by day, life was no different. Xu Jing'an was very satisfied with the status quo.

On May 1st, Labor Day, the factory organized singing, dancing, and choir competitions.

The performers wore neat and uniform outfits, and some even brought cosmetics.

The desire to look beautiful is human nature, but in today's environment, no one dares to dress or wear makeup in a unique way. There's only one exception: performances. Everyone accepts performers on stage wearing beautiful makeup and colorful costumes.

During this period, influenced by classic model operas such as "Azalea Mountain" and "The Harbor," rouge became the mainstream makeup. Large patches of rouge were applied to snow-white faces.

Xu Jing'an looked at the frighteningly pale face, the bright red cheeks, and the thick, dark eyebrows, and waved her hands repeatedly, refusing to join.

During the competition, she insisted on standing at the back, squeezing herself into the crowd. Otherwise, she would stand out more because she wasn't wearing makeup!

……

Just when Xu Jing'an thought everything was back on track, she suddenly heard a loud "bang" of thunder.

Before Xu Jing'an could react, she saw many people shouting "Explosion!" and rushing towards the door. She immediately ran to the window and looked out, only to see a mushroom cloud rising in the southwest sky!

A group of security personnel had already gathered in the square. 90% of them were veterans, and they rushed out reflexively upon hearing the explosion.

Immediately afterwards, the factory's loudspeaker announced: "Seal the gates; do not leave without special circumstances. Everyone must return to their work stations and are not allowed to leave without authorization. Department leaders will be responsible for this."

The security personnel were divided into two groups: one group immediately stepped up patrols, while the other group conducted a comprehensive investigation of the entire factory.

All the factory workers immediately sprang into action, and Xu Jing'an felt the air tense up.

Wu Sufeng pulled Xu Jing'an along to conduct a thorough inspection of the archives, leaving no place unchecked.

"Sister Su-Fen, I didn't even realize it was an explosion. This is the first time I've ever seen anything like it since I was born," Xu Jing-An said to Wu Su-Fen while working diligently.

"Our steel plant is for smelting steel, which requires a lot of coal. Wherever a steel plant is built, there are bound to be many coal mines around it." Wu Sufeng, a local, knew more about this than Xu Jing'an.

She whispered, "Coal mining, quarrying, quarrying—all of these require explosives. There are several coal mines in the Fengfeng mining area, so close to us. It's not impossible for someone with ulterior motives to sneak some explosives."

Xu Jing'an nodded, indicating that she understood. Judging from the sound, it shouldn't be far from the steel mill. In the southwest of the city's suburbs, it's likely that something happened at the water plant.

The curfew was issued just as the cafeteria's purchasing agent returned from buying supplies. Lunch was sorted out.

The security personnel conducted a thorough search of the entire premises. They discovered several instances of aging electrical wiring and a few workers stealing scrap materials from the steel mill.

They were discovered at this critical juncture, and the steel mill leaders were immediately dismissed, ordered to compensate for losses, and fined. They were then sent to the far northwest for 10 years of reform through labor.

For a time, the factory workers were all stunned, and even the very few who liked to cheat and steal became restrained.

The ban was lifted at 4 p.m., and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected, Shen He did not return that night.

The next day, I heard from a rumor that all the windows in the water plant's dormitory and office buildings were shattered, with no one spared. The scene was horrific; paramedics, police officers, and soldiers carried out many people, including a pregnant woman.

Seven days later, the results of the investigation were made public.

Liu Mou, a farmer from Fengfeng, caused a major explosion at his wife's workplace due to a marital dispute. The explosion killed 20 people on the spot, 8 people died from their injuries, and 17 people were seriously injured. Liu Mou was killed on the spot.

It is said that several innocent passersby were hit on the head by bricks that were blown away. A woman who was seven months pregnant in a family living near the water plant was so frightened that she went into premature labor on the spot.

What a bolt from the blue!

As I listened to these words, I could hear gasps of surprise from time to time.

Seven days later, the old man and the children were already asleep.

Shen He, with a scraggly beard, a weary face, and wrinkled clothes reeking of smoke, quietly entered the house.

Hearing the noise, Xu Jing'an quickly got up. Since Shen He hadn't been home recently, she didn't dare to sleep too soundly.

As soon as I opened the door, Shen He had already come in.

I quickly fetched water for him to wash his face and took off his coat. I took the chicken soup simmering on the stove down and cooked a large bowl of chicken soup noodles. I added a few pieces of stewed chicken, cracked two poached eggs, and sprinkled some cilantro on top just before serving. I also grabbed a stack of pancakes that I had just made that evening.

Shen He ate without even looking up. Xu Jing'an felt sorry for him.

After eating three pancakes and a bowl of noodles, Shen He finally felt alive again. He had been so busy these past few days that he hadn't even had time to drink water, let alone eat.

Shen He felt a surge of joy as his wife brought over a large mug full of malted milk powder.