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

"Sister, do we not have enough money?"

Little Stone looked at the small pile of bills and coins that Su Nianci had spread out in her palm. Although he didn't recognize the numbers on them, he could tell from Su Nianci's instantly serious expression.

Su Nianci didn't say anything, but silently put the eight yuan and seventy-six cents back in.

Eight dollars and seventy-six cents.

The two tickets to Harbin cost fourteen yuan and twenty-five cents.

I'm still short 5.49 yuan.

Five dollars and forty-nine cents! This number, like an insurmountable mountain, weighed heavily on Su Nianci's heart.

In the 21st century, this might just be the price of a cup of milk tea. But in an era when workers' monthly wages were generally only twenty or thirty yuan, this amount was an astronomical sum for two penniless children!

She had planned everything meticulously, outsmarting human traffickers, railway police, and people's hearts, but she never expected that a small train ticket would become the biggest obstacle blocking her journey north.

Inside the carriage, people came and went, the noise unchanged. Newly boarded passengers, covered in dust and filled with anticipation for their destination, chatted and laughed loudly. No one noticed that in this inconspicuous corner, the world of two children had been shrouded in a thick shadow.

"Sister, are we... not able to leave?" Little Stone's voice trembled with a hint of tears.

Having finally escaped the hellish place, finally boarded the train, finally seen a glimmer of hope... is this where it all ends?

Su Nianci's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by a hand, the pain making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that was about to engulf her.

She raised her hand and used her rough sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corner of Little Stone's eyes, then said in an undeniable and firm tone, "You can go! If your sister says you can go, then you definitely can!"

Don't panic!

Especially in situations like this, it's crucial not to panic!

Su Nianci, you are one of the top surgeons of the 21st century! You have performed countless surgeries far more dangerous than this, and you have snatched countless lives from the jaws of death! Are you really going to be stumped by a mere five yuan today?!

She mentally encouraged herself.

The brain began to work at an unprecedented speed.

What should I do?

She began to take stock of everything she had.

Food? There was some. It was given by previous travelers and left behind by Lin Wenjun. But these things could only ensure they wouldn't starve to death temporarily; they couldn't be exchanged for money. In this era where everyone was struggling to get enough to eat, exchanging food for money was as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Herbs? Gone. The ones we brought from the mountain were all used up or exchanged during our escape.

Is he going back to his old ways, staging accidents at pharmacies?

No. This method might be a lucky trick if used once, but using it again would be suicidal. First, not every pharmacy has such obvious loopholes for her to exploit. Second, she's currently on a train, a moving place, where she has neither the conditions nor the environment to commit the crime.

Should we ask the train conductor for help? Or ask Lei Ming for help?

Absolutely not! She just put on a show of "innocence and lingering fear" in front of Lei Ming. Now she's going to go and tell him, "I don't have money for a ticket, can you help me again?" Wouldn't that be tantamount to telling him that everything she did before was an act?

Lei Ming was as shrewd as a fox. Su Nianci would never be foolish enough to willingly hand him leverage over her weaknesses.

So... what should we do?

Su Nianci's gaze swept anxiously back and forth in the cramped carriage.

Her gaze swept over the tired or expectant expressions on the travelers' faces, over the large and small bags of luggage around them, and over the monotonous fields rushing past the window...

Time is passing by, second by second.

The train, clanging and rattling, headed towards a destination she could never reach.

A rare emotion called "despair" began to entwine around her heart like vines.

Since her rebirth, she had never felt so powerless. She could fight back against Wang Guixiang's beatings; she could escape Su Weiqiang's pursuit; she could devise a plan to kill the human traffickers...

Because those are all crises at the "human" level. As long as one is human, one has weaknesses and can be manipulated.

But now, she faces "money." It is the coldest and hardest rule of this era.

Without money and tickets, you can't move an inch.

"Sister..." Little Stone seemed to sense her anxiety. He shifted restlessly and rested his little head on Su Nianci's arm, silently comforting her in a dependent manner.

Feeling the softness and warmth from her arm, Su Nianci's heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head and looked at her younger brother in her arms, who regarded her as his whole world.

She remembered him in the dilapidated temple, running a high fever, yet still stubbornly refusing to show a trace of weakness in his eyes.

She remembered the way he timidly called her "sister" for the first time on the oxcart.

She remembered how, when he faced the human traffickers, he was terrified, yet he still stretched out his small hands to shield her.

She can't lose!

What will happen to Little Stone if she loses?

A powerful, indomitable will surged forth from the depths of her heart, washing away all the despair and helplessness!

There must be a way!

Su Nianci, use your brain! Your brain, which is filled with countless pieces of knowledge and information from the 21st century!

In this age of scarce entertainment and limited information, what is truly rare? What do people need? What can you provide that others cannot?

Knowledge! Information! And... stories!

A thought, like a lightning bolt piercing the night, instantly illuminated her mind!

She remembered!

In her past life, to alleviate the stress of surgery, she read extensively. From astronomy and geography to novels and fiction, she read almost everything. Especially the classic, time-tested masterpieces!

For example... Journey to the West!

In this era, although "Journey to the West" is not a banned book, it is not something that everyone can see. Most people, especially those at the bottom of society, may only know about it from scattered and incomplete folk tales or extremely rare comic books.

But in her mind was a complete and wonderful "Journey to the West" that had been extensively adapted and interpreted by countless films and television series in later generations!

What if... what if she told these stories?

Once the thought appeared, it could no longer be stopped!

It's feasible! Absolutely feasible!

In later generations, street performances and storytelling were ancient professions! In this era of extreme spiritual poverty, a captivating story was just as appealing as a delicious meal!

Su Nianci's eyes lit up instantly! It was the light of someone who had found their prey and whose fighting spirit had been rekindled!

She glanced out the window; the train was passing through a fairly large town. Soon, it would stop at the next major transfer station.

There, the flow of people is enormous, and all sorts of people from different walks of life gather.

That's her stage!

"Little Stone," she looked down at her little brother in her arms, her voice filled with unprecedented confidence, "Don't be afraid, I've got a plan. We...we'll go earn money!"

"Make money?" Little Stone looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Yes," Su Nianci's lips curled into a barely perceptible, confident smile, "we're going to sell something."

What are you selling?

"Selling stories."

However, Su Nianci did not notice that while she and Xiao Shitou were talking in hushed tones, at the other end of the carriage, a man sitting silently in a corner with gloomy eyes was staring intently at them through the gaps in the crowd with a venomous gaze.

His gaze lingered on Su Nianci's cloth bag containing food for a very long time.