Chapter 94 I Never Gossip About My Elders

The first thing Zhao Youcai set his sights on was the red lacquered wooden box that Su Yufen had locked.

That was the only dowry she brought from Shanghai. She treasured it very much and kept the key close to her body, not even allowing Zhao Youcai to touch it.

In the past, Zhao Youcai didn’t care about it and just thought it was some private belongings of a woman.

Now, in his eyes, this box has become a Pandora's box containing secrets.

While Su Yufen was absent-mindedly picking snails at the beach, Zhao Youcai used his patience and skills in managing the warehouse and dealing with those fishermen who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

He carefully examined the brass lock on the box and looked at the crack in the lid.

Zhao Youcai is not a locksmith, and prying it open would make too much noise, but he has his own way.

He found a very thin and flexible bamboo strip, dipped it in some lamp oil, and carefully inserted it into the extremely narrow gap between the lid and the box body, then extremely slowly moved it bit by bit, testing it.

As time passed, beads of sweat appeared on Zhao Youcai's forehead.

Finally, he felt the tip of the bamboo strip touch a soft, papery corner.

He held his breath, used his wrist to gently pull it out...

He carefully picked out a small piece of yellowed paper with rough edges using a bamboo strip.

Zhao Youcai's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

He pinched the small corner of the paper and held it up to the light coming through the window to examine it carefully.

The paper is very old and the quality is very special, not the rough straw paper commonly seen on the island.

There were blurred, faded patterns printed on it, as well as a few incomplete printed words, and the words "...Sea...Shipping...Company..." could be vaguely made out.

This is a boat ticket! Zhao Youcai's pupils suddenly shrank! A boat ticket from Shanghai?!

Although it was just a small corner, it was enough to confirm his guess.

Su Yufen really has a secret in Shanghai!

Moreover, this secret was sealed and hidden by her so carefully.

She even locked it up and begged him not to tell him even in her dreams.

Zhao Youcai pinched the small piece of paper, his fingertips cold, but his heart was burning with anger and humiliation of being fooled. He carefully hid the paper in his pocket.

He didn't touch the box again and put it back to its original state as if nothing had happened.

But he knew that some things were completely different.

The fragments of the ticket with the words "Haishan Company" printed on them burned Zhao Youcai's heart day and night from that day on.

Suspicion and humiliation intertwined into an impenetrable web that made it hard for him to breathe.

He was no longer satisfied with Su Yufen's frightened appearance and broken dreams.

He wants to find conclusive evidence and find out what is going on!

Zhao Youcai found out that on the day Su Yufen became different, she only met one person.

It’s Su Tang.

Everyone said that they didn’t know what Su Tang said to Su Yufen.

Su Yufen was instantly distraught and seemed like a different person.

It seems that she must know something, Zhao Youcai was sure.

That afternoon, Zhao Youcai deliberately avoided the crowded docks and drying yards, calculated the time when Su Tang would go to the rocky beach to pick seaweed, and went there.

Su Tang was squatting on a huge black reef, deftly tearing off the seaweed attached to the cracks in the rock and putting it into the bamboo basket beside him.

The sea breeze blew her long hair, and the sunlight cast a golden edge on her focused profile.

She looked calm, as if she was not the one who lightly threw out threats at the fishing port that day.

"Su Tang."

Zhao Youcai's voice, with its suppressed dullness, abruptly broke the rhythm of the waves.

Su Tang paused and did not turn back immediately.

She picked the last piece of seaweed, then slowly stood up and patted the water stains and salt grains on her hands.

He turned around and looked at Zhao Youcai who was a few steps away.

His face was gloomy, his eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks were clenched tightly, and he looked like a volcano about to erupt.

"It's my uncle, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Or perhaps the technical station added something for us."

Su Tang's tone was flat, and no emotion could be heard from her. Her eyes were clear, and she met his somewhat fierce gaze calmly.

Zhao Youcai was choked by her calm demeanor, and the questions he had prepared were stuck in his throat.

He took a deep breath, tried to suppress his surging anger, and tried to make his voice sound less aggressive.

"What did you say to your aunt at the dock that day?"

He stared at Su Tang's eyes, not missing any change in her expression, trying to find out whether she was guilty or evasive.

Su Tang tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled. "Which day? We talked a lot. I taught Aunt Zhang how to mend the net, chatted with Granny Li about seaweed soup, and even shared a few pieces of brown sugar. Which sentence did Uncle ask?"

Her answer was flawless, her eyes remained calm, and even held a hint of innocent doubt.

Zhao Youcai's patience was instantly worn out by this act of stupidity, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing faintly.

"Don't play dumb with me! It was the day your aunt suddenly acted like she had seen a ghost! What did you whisper to her last? Was it...was it about what happened in Shanghai?!"

He took a step closer, his voice suddenly rising, filled with the anxiety and anger of being forced into a corner.

"What on earth did you say?!"

"Uncle!"

Su Tang interrupted him suddenly, causing Zhao Youcai to stop talking.

For the first time, her expression changed noticeably. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were no longer calm. Instead, they revealed a serious, almost warning look.

"Some things should not be said casually."

"Besides, if you want to know something, why don't you ask my aunt Su Yufen instead of asking me?"

Su Tang's voice was very soft, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting Zhao Youcai's heart.

"You come to me and say these things, especially these unfounded and unverified rumors. Aren't you harming me?"

She paused and looked straight into Zhao Youcai's eyes, which were almost spitting fire.

"Even if there's a disagreement between us, I've always been a man of honor and respect."

"You are my uncle, and my aunt is my elder. As a junior, I have no right to comment on matters between elders, let alone spread gossip. That day, I just chatted with my aunt about some family matters."

"Baseless rumors? Unconfirmed?"

Zhao Youcai chewed over these two words, but the fire in his heart burned even more fiercely.

The more Su Tang avoided talking about it, and the more she emphasized "can't say" and "shouldn't say", the more it proved that she knew the truth!

Moreover, her words, though seemingly trying to distance herself from the truth, were actually like a blunt knife, repeatedly cutting his sensitive nerves.

She knows, she absolutely knows! She just won’t say it! What is she protecting? Protecting Su Yufen? Or protecting that secret?!

"you……"

Zhao Youcai was so angry that his fingers were shaking. He pointed at Su Tang and wanted to curse at her and force her to speak out.

But Su Tang's frank yet distant look made him unable to find any harsher words for a moment.