Chapter 64 Lu Chenzhou and He Yuanzheng were holding…

Lu Chenzhou and He Yuanzheng took brand-new towels and carefully wiped the badges and sculptures.

Yu Jiajia picked up the portrait again, unfolded it, and looked at it carefully. In another era, any kind of examination would be possible, but in this era, it really wouldn't work. She couldn't very well apply to her superiors and say that she suspected there was something hidden in the portrait, what if there wasn't?

That would then become a political stain that others could attack.

How dare they question the Chairman's portrait!

What if we do it secretly? We can do it without anyone noticing. If nothing happens, we can pretend we did nothing! And if something does happen, anything hidden here, good or bad, must be extremely valuable.

Yu Jiajia's hand unconsciously rubbed the portrait a few more times. The paper seemed much thicker than usual. She rubbed the edge of the paper with her fingertips and felt that there was something unusual about the portrait.

Just then, a very slight 'rip' sound came from the drawing paper, and a small crack appeared at the corner of the portrait!

Yu Jiajia:......

She recoiled as if burned, then quickly pressed the drawing paper back down, wishing she could glue it back together with her mind.

Her first thought was that it must be an illusion, that there was definitely no crack, and that she absolutely could not let the portrait be ruined in her hands!

Then it dawned on me that the painting truly held a hidden meaning.

The others also heard the slight sound and looked at the painting in Yu Jiajia's hand.

She took a deep breath, her expression a mixture of shock and reverence. Carefully removing her hand from the painting, she revealed the crack to Lu Chenzhou and the other two, exclaiming excitedly, "Long live the Chairman! Thank you, Chairman, for guiding us!"

Regardless of the circumstances, the slogans must be shouted loudly, and the stance must be firmly upheld.

Yu Songchuan exclaimed "Holy crap!" and rushed over in one stride, staring at the crack with wide eyes: "It really cracked? No way, it felt so solid just now!"

This fourth sister's luck is truly bizarre!

He urged, "Quickly, see what's inside!"

Whatever's hidden in here must be extraordinary!

The group surrounded the crack, straining to see inside by the light, but they couldn't make out what was inside at all.

To see it clearly, you have to take it apart.

But this is easier said than done. Several people tried to carefully separate the paper from the tear, but they found that the paper was extremely tough and that forcing it would probably tear the image on the surface.

Lu Chenzhou twirled the drawing paper. It was strange; no matter how much he rubbed it, there was nothing unusual. He couldn't tell that the paper was multi-layered. He carefully tore it apart, almost tearing the portrait to shreds. He said, "Jiajia, try to tear it. If it's damaged, it's on me."

The worst-case scenario is that the portrait is damaged. It was destroyed by the Zhu family when it was confiscated from Zhu Jinsong's house, which is consistent with Zhu Jinsong's identity as an enemy agent.

Yu Jiajia refused without even thinking, "I don't dare, what if I tear it! You tear it yourself."

Yu Songchuan felt that his fourth sister was indestructible, but this matter could not be done lightly. He said, "Let's find experts to study it. We've already made a breakthrough. If the experts still can't figure it out, they'll be useless."

Lu Chenzhou gently traced the cracked edge of the portrait with his fingertips, and said resolutely, "This is Chairman Mao guiding us, leading Jiajia to discover it. Now, let's follow this guidance and see what secrets it holds for the new China." He grasped Yu Jiajia's wrist, guiding her soft, slender fingers precisely into the crack. He whispered, "Don't worry, this is the right decision. I will bear all the consequences."

Lu Chenzhou was unwilling to take the risk of mere speculation, but the painting had already cracked, clearly telling everyone that there was something unusual inside, and that there must be a major secret hidden within.

If you don't seize what Heaven has given you, you will suffer the consequences! This may involve risks, but it is also an incredible opportunity!

Yu Jiajia screamed in horror, "Lu Chenzhou, you did this! It has nothing to do with me!"

She screamed more frantically than anyone else, but her fingertips followed Lu Chenzhou's force with unwavering honesty, tearing with swift and decisive movements, almost impatiently.

Yu Songchuan shouted, "Director Lu, stop! You can't force my fourth sister like this!"

He just shouted, without actually stepping forward to stop them, staring intently at the painting, afraid of missing any detail.

He Yuanzheng's lips twitched. "Yu Songchuan, shut up."

Anyone who didn't know better would think Lu Chenzhou had done something drastic. Listen to this, is this even human language?

Yu Songchuan quickly changed his tune: "Director Lu, this was your doing, it has nothing to do with my fourth sister."

If someone absolutely has to take the blame, it has to be Lu Chenzhou and He Yuanzheng.

The air around them seemed to freeze. Everyone held their breath as the solemn portrait was split in two by the two men, yet remained undamaged, as if it had always been composed of two layers.

When the portrait was unveiled, a yellowed but clearly defined map was revealed underneath, with the Japanese flag drawn in a very glaring way on a mountain range.

Yu Jiajia pulled her hand back, looked at the map, then at her own fingers, and exclaimed, "Holy crap, this is a treasure map for our daily lives!"

Yu Songchuan gasped, "This looks like Daqingshan!" He exclaimed, "Fourth Sister, you're amazing! You've found the Japanese treasure map!!!"

The credit definitely belongs to Fourth Sister; this painting was transformed into two paintings in her hands.

Everyone was looking at the map. Lu Chenzhou's gaze swept rapidly across the patterns of mountains and rivers on the map. This map was not professional and was even a bit messy, but it was still generally accurate. The incredibly clear military terrain map in his mind quickly superimposed on it, and he soon circled the specific location.

He Yuanzheng also estimated the exact location.

Who would have thought that this would lead to such a sequel?

Lu Chenzhou looked at Yu Jiajia with a very complicated expression. Her luck was truly amazing, and he had to admit it.

Yu Songchuan was good at geography, but the maps in the textbook were very rough. He could only tell that the mark was in the northeastern part of Daqingshan, but he didn't know exactly where it was. "Where is it? When are we going to look for it?"

He had to keep up with this good thing.

He Yuanzheng: "You still want to skip class every day?"

Yu Songchuan: "There aren't many classes at school, it's mostly various activities, so it doesn't matter whether you go or not. Besides, I've already learned the knowledge in the textbooks on my own. Most importantly, I suggest you bring me and my fourth sister along, otherwise you might not find anything."

Lu Chenzhou and He Yuanzheng both thought of the cave at the same time. If it weren't for the wild boar that stole the ginseng, who could have found it? Lu Chenzhou nodded: "Okay."

Yu Songchuan was satisfied.

Yu Jiajia was satisfied. "Then it's a deal. You have to take me and Songchuan with you!"

Lu Chenzhou and He Yuanzheng were both quite busy. Yu Jiajia and Yu Songchuan stayed for a while longer. Yu Jiajia completed her three good deeds check-ins for the day and received [10 Great Unity + 1 Roast Chicken + 3 Sunscreen Sprays + 3 Fragments of the Qingnang Book (6/10)] before leaving the county committee compound.

The two went to the scrap yard again, hoping to find an old bed; they couldn't let Old Man Yu and Old Woman Yu always sleep on a door panel.

Yu Jiajia had been wanting to come to the scrap yard again for a long time. She wanted to take this opportunity to see if she had any gold or silver. She already had a lot of gold, but who could complain about having too much gold?

Yu Jiajia selected a camphor wood bed board, which was most likely confiscated from some landlord's house. She said, "This looks sturdy, let's take this one."

Then I chose an old box to put in the house. The box was made of sandalwood and smelled quite fragrant. It was quite large, but the lock on it had been removed.

These wooden furniture pieces are worthless now; you can take them away for a dollar. But in another ten years or so, they'll be valuable—they'll be antiques.

Yu Jiajia also picked out a few old books and a few pottery jars, which cost a total of three cents.

With so much stuff, Yu Songchuan borrowed a handcart from the recycling station and hauled it all home at once, putting the old books and pottery jars directly into the box.

Yu Songchuan quickly brought the cart home and simply left it at the door; no one would steal this junk. After returning the cart, the siblings went to buy creamy ice cream and each ate two!

Yu Songchuan was really happy with the meal; it was a fulfilling and blissful day.

He wished his fourth sister could stay home every day and not have to go to work, so he could stay home with her every day.

Yu Jiajia also felt that she had a free and easy day today, which was more enjoyable than going to work!

The two returned home happily, only to find a woman huddled in the corner of their west room. She had her face buried between her knees, her thin shoulders trembling violently, and she was emitting broken sobs that were clear to anyone that she was heartbroken.

Yu Songchuan: "Huh? Who is it?"

The woman looked up, revealing several red and swollen finger marks on half of her cheek. Tears streamed down her face, soaking her clothes.

She hurriedly wiped away her tears and choked out, "You're back? I'm Xia Qiuyu. Thank you for yesterday."

Yu Jiajia certainly remembered this woman. "Who hit you?"

But I already guessed it; it must have been her family who did it.

Xia Qiuyu hurriedly shook her head, more tears streaming down her face: "No one bullied me, I just accidentally bumped into something."

Yu Jiajia didn't delve into it; it was pointless. She invited them in to sit, handed them tissues to wipe their tears, and made them a cup of brown sugar water. "Songchuan, go and get some clean water."

Yu Jiajia couldn't bear to see the pretty young girl cry, so she advised, "Drink some brown sugar water to soothe your throat."

Xia Qiuyu sobbed, "My older brother was arrested at noon today. My parents said I'm a jinx that brought trouble to him, and now they want me to find a way to get him out."

Xia Qiuyu's elder brother, Xia Yongqiang, was arrested by soldiers of the Military Control Commission at noon today. The fact that he was willing to sell his sister for his future and interests shows that he has already made contact with Zhu Jingsong. As for what he did, the Military Control Commission will have to investigate.

Xia Yongqiang was the apple of the Xia family's eye. When he was arrested, his parents were frantic. They blamed everything on Xia Qiuyu, beat and scolded her, and forced her to rescue Xia Yongqiang.

Yu Jiajia comforted you, "Don't worry, my mom saved you, so she won't abandon you. When she gets off work, she'll go to your house to stand up for you and make sure you don't suffer any more injustices. The neighborhood committee won't ignore you either!"

A family like the Xia's will behave themselves after a few good meals.

Furthermore, the fact that Xia's eldest brother was arrested strongly suggests his involvement in Zhu Jingsong's affair, going beyond simply sending his sister to the Zhu family. The Xia family is finished!

Xia Qiuyu is a victim. As long as she is separated from the Xia family, she can avoid being implicated, find a job, and her future will be secure.

But looking at Xia Qiuyu in front of her, Yu Jiajia felt that she was probably going to be disappointed; Xia Qiuyu probably wouldn't pull herself out of the mire.

Xia Qiuyu cried even harder. The Yu family not only wanted to send her older brother to prison, but also to her house? Were they going to send their whole family to prison? She suddenly grabbed Yu Jiajia's wrist: "Jiajia, I beg you, please ask your mother to release my older brother. He was tricked into sending me to the Zhu family. He regrets it. I don't hate my older brother. I forgive him. Please don't interfere in my family's affairs anymore."

She became agitated and used force in her hands.

Yu Jiajia winced in pain and tried to pull her hand back, saying, "Let go first."

Xia Qiuyu grasped at a straw as if she wouldn't let go unless Yu Jiajia agreed. She pleaded, "Jiajia, I'm begging you."

Yu Songchuan brought in a washbasin, and upon seeing the scene, he immediately put it down, rushed over, and pried Xia Qiuyu's hand off. He looked at the nail marks on his fourth sister's wrist, which had broken the skin, showing how much force had been used. He said coldly, "Did you do this on purpose?"

Xia Qiuyu burst into tears, shaking her head repeatedly and stammering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Yu Jiajia didn't look at the red marks on her wrist. Her gaze was clear and calm: "Qiuyu, do you think your older brother was arrested because my family led people to break into the Zhu family's house?"

Xia Qiuyu sobbed, "You are all good people, you saved me, I know..."

Yu Jiajia interrupted her: "Yes, we saved you. If the Zhu family had been well, you wouldn't have lived long. Girls sent to the Zhu family don't live more than a year. In the end, they are not only abused by Zhu Jingsong, but also given to his subordinates. Qiu Yu, you are extremely lucky. You were saved before you suffered any harm. Among so many girls, you were the only one who was saved."

Xia Qiuyu's sobs subsided. She seemed stunned by the bloody reality, but she was unharmed; she was perfectly fine, while her older brother was in trouble. She shook her head, "Thank you, thank you for saving me. Now that the Zhu family has fallen, my parents have promised they won't give me away again. So, please, please forgive my brother this time! He knows he was wrong, he will definitely change his ways and never do it again!"

Yu Jiajia looked at her with a hint of pity in her eyes: "Qiuyu, you've come to the wrong person. Whoever can arrest people can release them. You should go to the county committee, beg the county leaders, beg the military control officers, and say that your brother is a good person who was just confused for a moment, and ask them to show leniency."

Her tone was even gentle, but her words made Xia Qiuyu feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Xia Qiuyu dared not go to the county committee. Yu Jiajia in front of her was the last straw for the Xia family. She wanted to rush over and grab Yu Jiajia's arm, but Yu Jiajia dodged her first. Yu Songchuan also stood between the two of them. He sneered, "I'm not going to say anything harsh. You can leave. I don't want to fight with a woman."

Xia Qiuyu stared at Yu Jiajia in despair and pleaded, "Yu Jiajia, you have such a good reputation, everyone says you're kind-hearted, can't you just show some kindness and help me this once? Just this once! Are you going to watch my family be ruined and destroyed?"

Yu Jiajia said, “I helped you, we rescued you from the Zhu family. But helping others must be reasonable and have a bottom line. A person’s kindness is never about bowing down to evil. If your brother was innocent, the soldiers of the military control commission would naturally have released him, and there would have been no way he would have been ruined. But if your brother is not innocent, why was he released? What about those poor people he harmed who might have been ruined? If you are ruined, it’s your brother’s own fault.”

Yu Songchuan kicked Xia Qiuyu out directly. She clung to the door, screaming desperately, "If saving me means destroying my family and killing my parents and older brother, then I'd rather be the one who dies."

Yu Songchuan pried her hands off and threw her away, saying, "I told you, don't force me to use force."

Xia Qiuyu collapsed to the ground, crying her heart out. What should she do?

Hearing the commotion, everyone else in the compound came over to see what was going on. Yu Songchuan explained the situation in a few words. Pan Hongying, who was standing next to him, rubbed her hands together, grabbed Xia Qiuyu's arm, and pulled her outside. "Don't cry here. Go cry at the county committee. See if those victims in line will tear you apart."

Xia Qiuyu's cries faded into the distance. Yu Jiajia drank brown sugar water and her emotions were not affected. She was just very sorry that she could not have saved the other injured girls sooner.

Zhu Jinsong deserves to die.

Zhu Jinsong's accomplices also deserve to die.

Yu Songchuan was actually quite afraid that his fourth sister would be sad and upset. Now that he saw that she was still willing to drink brown sugar water, he breathed a sigh of relief. He took some ointment and first disinfected Yu Jiajia's wrist. He felt extremely distressed. "Damn it, has she lost her mind! She even resented our family. If Zhu Jingsong were still alive, she would have been violated yesterday and might be dead at any time. She can be so arrogant now because the harm hasn't been done to her yet."

Yu Jiajia: "That's her business, and it's her choice. Okay, okay, it's alright. If we wait a little longer, the wound will have healed."

After treating Yu Jiajia's wounds, Yu Songchuan went to clean the bed board and trunk. Just as Yu Jiajia was about to help, Yu Songchuan pressed her down onto a stool, saying, "Fourth Sister, this is all the stuff, you can just watch it." While he was cleaning the trunk, he exclaimed in surprise, "Fourth Sister, this wood smells good!"

Yu Jiajia whispered, "It's made of sandalwood! Of course it smells good."

Yu Songchuan asked in a low voice, "Is it very expensive?"

Yu Jiajia: "It used to be very expensive, but now it's only worth a few cents."

Yu Songchuan quickly asked, "What about this bed?"

Yu Jiajia: "It's made of camphor wood, which is also very precious."

Yu Songchuan: "!!! Fourth Sister, you're amazing! How do you know so much?"

Yu Jiajia grinned: "Just a tiny bit."

Yu Songchuan moved much more gently. "Where's this ceramic jar? Is it an antique?"

Yu Jiajia laughed and said, "I don't know either. It just looks nice, and you can grow flowers in it."

She doesn't know anything about antiques.

After washing and drying the bed, he said, "How about we put this bed in the west room? And put the bed in the west room in the main room?"

Yu Jiajia: "Let's put it in the main room, it's all our stuff."

Yu Songchuan did as he was told, placing the camphor wood bed in the main room and the sandalwood box on the table in the west room, filling it with Yu Jiajia's odds and ends.

The clean ceramic jar was placed under the eaves; I'll plant some roses there later.

As for those books, Yu Jiajia placed them on the bookshelf.

After the two finished their work, Yu Jiamin returned home from get off work. She rode her old-fashioned bicycle, locked it at the door, and went inside.

Yu Jiajia ordered Songchuan to brew a pot of orange juice, and the three siblings each had a cup. Yu Jiajia held Yu Jiamin's hand and shared with her about the portrait at the county committee.

Yu Jiamin: !!!

What kind of incredible luck is this?

Before absolute destiny, all strength is utterly insignificant.

"Is there really a treasure?"

Yu Songchuan nodded vigorously: "But we don't know what it is. We'll have to go and see for ourselves. Brother Yuanzheng and Brother Shenzhou said they'd bring me and Fourth Sister along."

Yu Jiamin took a sip of orange juice to calm her nerves, then suddenly noticed the small wound on Yu Jiajia's hand and frowned, asking, "How did this happen? Who pinched you? Songchuan, why were you protecting Jiajia?"

Yu Songchuan then recounted Xia Qiuyu's situation and reflected, "Next time, I'll stay by Fourth Sister's side and not leave her side for even a moment!"

Yu Jiamin felt sorry for Yu Jiajia, "We'll ignore her from now on."

She didn't even want to mention Xia Qiuyu's name. A brainless, mindless idiot, just wait to be sold off by the Xia family again in the future.

Yu Jiajia held Yu Jiamin's hand: "Third sister, I know."

When Cheng Xiuying returned, she naturally noticed the injury on Yu Jiajia's hand and punched Yu Songchuan, saying, "What if Xia Qiuyu had a knife! I thought you were clever, but I didn't expect you to be so stupid." She then scolded Xia Qiuyu, "That brain-dead ingrate deserves to be sold! And she'll be sold again in the future!"

Yu Songchuan: "It's all my fault."

Yu Jiajia shook her wrist: "Mom, I'm really fine, the wound has healed! It doesn't hurt at all. I asked Songchuan to fetch water so she could wash her face."

Cheng Xiuying still thought Yu Songchuan was brainless, wasting his shrewd appearance: "I'm sorry my darling suffered. I'll make you some ham and egg stew later to help you recover."

Yu Jiajia nuzzled Cheng Xiuying's shoulder, "Mom, you're so sweet, let's eat together!"

When Yu Songyan returned, he brought good news: he had found out about the Zhu family's ancestral graves and even took some time to visit the site at noon today.

Cheng Xiuying made the decision: "Eat first, then rest quickly. We'll go dig up the grave in the middle of the night!"

Dinner was a stew of cabbage, cured pork, and glass noodles. The cured pork was fried until the oil was rendered, then scallions, ginger, garlic, and cabbage were stir-fried together. After the water boiled, tofu and glass noodles were added and stewed together.

Place the two-part dough flatbread on the side of the pot. Once the flatbread is cooked, the vegetables will be ready to eat.

Everyone ate first, then Yu Songchuan was sent to the health center to deliver food. Yu Jiajia went with him; she hadn't visited the two elderly people in the morning, so she had to go and show them filial piety in the evening.

Cheng Xiuying was worried about Yu Songchuan taking Yu Jiajia with him, so she went along.

Old Man Yu and Old Woman Yu were faking their illness, and now they have no problems at all. However, they are enjoying good food and drink in the hospital, and because of the compensation from the Zhu family, they are reluctant to leave the hospital.

Zhu Jinsong is indeed finished, but the compensation must be paid.

The two planned to stay at the clinic for a few more days. Firstly, their injuries really needed proper care, and they needed to maintain a proper appearance. Secondly, staying at the hospital was incredibly luxurious!

Needless to say, relatives and friends came to visit, and leaders from the steel mill and textile factory also came, showing great concern and care. By evening, even leaders from the county committee had arrived!

This is truly the pinnacle of the two elderly people's lives! The high-ranking leaders who used to be out of reach even on tiptoe are now standing by their bedside, shaking hands with them, offering words of comfort, and telling them to focus on their recovery.

My ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke; this life has been worthwhile.

When Cheng Xiuying and the other two came to the ward, the two old people's smiles were as warm as a spring breeze. Grandma Yu said, "Jiajia is here? Please sit down." She then took an apple from the bedside and handed it to Yu Jiajia, saying, "It was given to me by Director Zhang from the textile factory. I said I didn't want it, but Director Zhang insisted on giving it to me, saying that it was fruit from the trees in the factory and that it was very sweet. Jiajia, please eat it."

She now looks at Yu Jiajia with absolute fondness.

Yu Jiajia was a little overwhelmed by the favor. She wiped the apple, took a bite, and exclaimed, "It's so sweet! Thank you, Grandma!"

Old Man Yu watched Yu Jiajia eat apples with a smile, "There's still a bag of them left. Jiajia can take them with her and eat them slowly."

Yu Jiajia: "Thank you, Grandpa. You two are injured, so you should eat more apples. It's good for your health if you and Grandma eat an apple every day!"

Old Man Yu: "Your grandma and I are in good health."

Cheng Xiuying opened the lunchbox and handed the still-steaming food to the elderly couple. While eating, Grandma Yu talked about who had come today, what they had brought, and how the elderly couple had almost completely persuaded them to return the gifts. They only accepted the gifts brought by the leaders, because that was a sign of the organization's care and respect!

Cheng Xiuying was very satisfied and praised, "Father and Mother, you handled this matter with great integrity. Our Yu family is different now than before. Accepting those small favors would only make us look foolish and we can't afford to make mistakes because of them."