Zhang Guoqing and his wife had discussed the matter that afternoon, but they didn't take it seriously. The incessant rain had left the house cluttered with laundry, and that was the real headache for the couple.

After waiting for a long time for a sunny day, they had just finished hanging up the clothes in the yard when Zhang Laoer came running over and told them to go back to the village to catch fish. I heard that Zhang's father had sent someone to bring a letter asking the three brothers to return quickly.

It was a rare good day and Zhang Guoqing was feeling bored at home. After receiving the letter, he immediately took his wife and son back to the village.

Every household in Zhangjia Village gathered by the river, the men throwing fish into the water, the women catching them on the shore, the children counting them. From a distance, Zhang Guoqing's family could hear the laughter.

Father Zhang saw them at the village entrance and whispered, "It's hot, and the old captain is worried that the fish in the canteen won't last, so he told everyone to catch some for themselves. Catch as much as you can and take it back."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded, handed the child to his father, and pulled Zhou Jiao to squeeze next to Zhang's mother.

After watching for a while, he took off his clothes and shoes, grabbed the bamboo basket next to Zhang's mother and jumped into the river.

Seeing this, Zhang's mother was extremely anxious and whispered to Zhou Jiao, "Look, Xiaowu has picked up the wrong basket. The holes in this basket are very small, and all the fish caught are small."

"Mom, it's okay. We want the big fish and throw away the small ones. Let him play with it for a while, he can't eat so much." Zhou Jiao saw that she was so anxious that sweat was coming out of her nose, so she could only persuade her.

Soon, Zhou Jiao discovered Zhang Guoqing's intentions. Seeing him catch a lot of stone snails and river shrimps, her heart warmed. This guy was thinking about her.

Someone nearby saw this and smiled as they helped. Soon, a large platter was piled up. Seeing his two brothers joining him, Zhang Guoqing quickly grabbed a few fish and brought them up, just enough to eat. He didn't want to compete with the others for fish.

The villagers were very enthusiastic, and some even threw big fish into bamboo baskets.

Zhang Guoqing thanked everyone and saw Ping An was watching with great interest and didn't want to leave. Thinking that with Zhang's father holding the child, there should be no problem, he gave the child a few instructions before taking Zhou Jiao home.

Returning to their own yard, they found it very clean, a testament to the care taken by their parents. The couple then looked around the backyard before heading towards the Daqingshan Taoist Temple.

It rained continuously during this period, and Zhang Guoqing was worried about the road safety, so he carried Zhou Jiao on his back and ran all the way to the destination.

Zhang Guoqing was very familiar with this place. If it hadn't been noted on the map, he would never have thought there was a natural cave here. In the past, there were often wolf howls, and this was the place where the ghosts came from.

He looked around suspiciously. The wolves had come down the mountain and the Taoist temple had collapsed. Wang Baiwan had died in 1952, and the time didn't seem to add up. Could this be a prank by Madam Wang?

"What's the matter? Didn't you say it's safe here? Are there still wolves here?"

"The wolf isn't there. Jiaojiao, wait for me in the tree. I'll go explore the way first."

Zhou Jiao looked at him suspiciously, "Is there something wrong? Let's go back and give it to whoever wants it. I don't even look down on a nouveau riche."

Zhang Guoqing laughed in silence. Such confident words. He told Zhou Jiao his doubts, but she rolled her eyes and happily followed her to the front of the cave.

"See? The moss here is at least a few years old. If there was something inside, it must have been hidden when the Japanese invaded. Then the temple collapsed, and even wolves came. Madam Wang must have been worried. What would she do if she couldn't get in? So I drew it and left it to future generations."

Zhang Guoqing didn't bother to answer her, and groped around with his hands. After finally finding a protruding stone, he pulled Zhou Jiao behind him and gently pressed down.

There was a big mouth in the cave, and he was worried that he would be trapped inside. He was about to move a huge rock to block the mouth of the cave, but unexpectedly Zhou Jiao used space to do it quickly.

Suddenly the initiative was in Zhou Jiao's hands. She used the cloth strips and candles very skillfully to test the air. Then she stood up and took out a big round stone and kept pushing it forward.

Zhang Guoqing understood. They must have tried this before, back at the old house. No wonder they were so skilled now.

The couple entered the innermost room without any danger. Seeing this, Zhou Jiao curled her lips. Compared with the secret room in her grandmother's old house, it was just a piece of cake.

A small, empty cave held six wooden boxes. Unprotected, the wood had rotted away, and they fell apart with a single pull. Four of the six boxes contained books, rice, flour, medicinal herbs, and fur coats, all of which had already weathered.

There were two boxes left. One was filled with long and short wooden magazines and bullets. This one was carefully preserved with oil paper and was still brand new. The last box, in addition to the gold and silver coins, also contained a rosewood box.

The air inside was very turbid, and it was not advisable to stay in for long. Zhou Jiao packed up the two boxes, took out a broom, and imitated her father, cleaning up the traces as she left.

After leaving the cave, the couple restored the situation and cleaned up any traces. They didn't damage the mechanism. As for whether anyone else entered the cave in the future, they didn't care.

Zhang Guoqing carried Zhou Jiao on his back and walked around to the side, where he began to collect pheasant eggs, wild vegetables, and mushrooms. If it weren't for the heavy rain in the mountains, he would have worried about the safety. For Zhou Jiao, these foods were much better than inedible gold and silver, and they made her happy.

The couple didn't waste any time. When they saw that it was almost time, they carried the two unjustly dead pheasants down the mountain to pick up their son.

After staying in the village until three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Guoqing hurried back to the county town with his wife and son, carrying large and small bags on his back, using the excuse of drying clothes in the yard.

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, the couple went to the study and began to put out the two boxes.

Every man loves weapons. Zhang Guoqing couldn't let go of the wooden guns in the box. He figured Wang Baiwan had spent a fortune on these foreign goods. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have such a complete collection.

"Jiaojiao, when you see Dad, show it to him. He's sure to like it."

Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue and said guiltily, "It's better not to let him know, or he'll get scolded. We promised him not to go up the mountain, and he'll definitely scold you."

Zhang Guoqing shook his head nonchalantly, "It's okay, it doesn't hurt when I'm scolded."

Zhou Jiao gave him a look of disdain. "Help me open this small box first. I'll look for clues and see if they have any secrets."

Zhang Guoqing easily pried it open with a dagger. It was too easy to pry open the door without a lock.

Zhou Jiao opened the box and exclaimed in a low voice, "Brother, look..."

Zhang Guoqing turned his head to look at Zhou Jiao. Following her line of sight, he found a pile of women's jewelry and four square oil-paper bags in the box.

Zhou Jiao reached out and took out a necklace. "This one is very similar to the one in my space. Look at the beads, it's just half the size of my original one."

"No, this one looks like a fake. It doesn't look old, it doesn't look like an antique. Don't mess around with it, don't try to pull some blood oath of ownership thing."

Zhou Jiao looked at him hesitantly, "Really not trying it? Why do I feel so familiar when I touch this bead?"

Zhang Guoqing patted her head and said with a smile, "Don't let your imagination run wild. If you like it, just keep it. When the situation improves, I'll find the ingredients to make an identical one for you. Then you can see if there's anything else you like. Open this oil-paper package and see what's inside. Maybe you can solve the mystery."

Seeing this, Zhou Jiao said nothing more and opened the oil-paper package. Inside were several liquidated land deeds, two bank deposit certificates, and a receipt. Seeing that the banks on them were all foreign, she didn't even want to look at the amounts. When would she be able to go abroad?

Out of sight, out of mind. Zhou Jiao quickly checked her social media account. Suddenly, her eyes widened, "Oh... Oh my god..."

Zhang Guoqing was startled.

Zhou Jiao quickly opened the box and found the necklace. She discovered the beads were gone! She sighed deeply and looked at Zhang Guoqing with resentment.

Zhou Guoqing took it and looked at it. "The bead disappeared after it went in? First, check your body to see if there's anything wrong. Do you have a headache? Is there anything else that's not right..."

Zhou Jiao quickly interrupted his muttering: "There's an empty room in the space. Everything is normal. I should have asked you to swear by blood, maybe you would have one. Look, this is a mistake! I'm so heartbroken."

Zhang Guoqing couldn't help laughing when he saw her bitter face. It was true that people are greedy and want to swallow an elephant, and even scared themselves.

As he laughed, Zhou Jiao quickly realized what was happening. She rolled her eyes at him and happily pulled him aside to estimate how much more stuff they could fit. However, the main reason for the increased space—what was the relationship between Madam Wang and the Zhang family in her previous life?—had been forgotten by both of them.