Chapter 54 Gold? Cement?

Jiang Qiubai had another dream last night. Yes, it wasn't an ordinary dream, but a precognitive dream like the one last time.

This time, she saw it clearly: gold, it was gold.

Someone found gold inside scrap wood and table legs they bought from a junkyard.

Jiang Qiubai was overjoyed when she woke up. This time, she was really going to make it big!

With this gold, even if Brother Haiyang goes in and doesn't come back, I won't have to worry about being without support.

Moreover, she knew that with the money she handed over, her family might be able to take her in for a night or two, but not for long.

But with this gold, things are different.

So Jiang Qiubai immediately told his parents and brothers about his dream from the previous night.

Fearing they wouldn't believe her, she listed the places where she had dreamt of gems before, to prove the dream's authenticity.

Although they ultimately failed to obtain the item and were even severely beaten, didn't this prove that her dream was not an illusion, and that there really were gems buried there?

Sure enough, the Jiang family, who had previously been indifferent to Jiang Qiubai, immediately became enthusiastic towards her after learning about Jinzi's situation.

Both sides agreed that once the gold was found, Jiang Qiubai and his family would split it 50/50. Whether the Jiang family could keep their promise was another matter entirely.

There are so many scrap metal recycling stations in Beicheng, but Jiang Qiubai just inexplicably felt that the one near the No. 35 compound was the one.

Since the gems underneath had been dug up last time, Jiang Qiubai didn't delay at all and quickly brought his younger brother to the recycling station.

This time, the gold must not fall into the hands of others!

Jiang Qiubai and his second brother rushed to the North District. As soon as they entered the scrap yard, before they could even see who it was, they shouted, "Grandpa, we want to buy some broken wood to use as firewood."

Cheng Jiajia raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw the person who had arrived.

Last night, Zheng Haihua cried when she came back. Judging from Zheng Haiyan's cursing, it seems that Jiang Qiubai went back to his mother's house yesterday.

Given what happened to the Zheng family, it's understandable that she's afraid to go back to her parents' home. But why would she be in the mood to go to the recycling station to buy junk today?

They seem quite eager.

The man next to her had features that resembled hers; he must be her younger brother.

As far as she knew, Jiang Qiubai's family lived in a food factory compound that wasn't in this area, so why would they come to this scrap yard to buy wood for firewood?

Old Wang didn't know Jiang Qiubai or Jiang Qiuhong, nor was he curious about this person's purpose. He merely glanced at them, then waved his hand lazily and said, "Go on, they're over there, a whole bunch of them. Don't mess them up!"

"Okay, sure!" Jiang Qiubai nodded repeatedly, his excitement barely concealed. But when he turned his head, he saw Cheng Jiajia staring at him with a half-smile.

Jiang Qiubai was shocked, and then quickly and bluntly questioned, "What are you doing here?!"

If Yu Junsheng was the man Jiang Qiubai hated most in the compound, then Cheng Jiajia was the woman she hated most! Jiang Qiubai would never forget the humiliation they brought her when they went on a blind date.

What is this woman trying to do by showing up at the junkyard where she's looking to find bargains?

Jiang Qiubai became extremely vigilant.

Cheng Jiajia noticed the wariness in her eyes and her own eyes flickered.

What's there to be wary of if it's just buying some wood for firewood? It seems Jiang Qiubai has another purpose in coming here.

Cheng Jiajia rolled her eyes. "Comrade Jiang, what are you talking about? Why can't I be here? This isn't your home, what's it to you?"

Jiang Qiubai choked. She really couldn't care less. She glanced around and saw that the woman was sitting behind the old man.

She immediately understood and asked in a very unpleasant tone, "You... how come you work here?"

In that instant, many thoughts flashed through Jiang Qiubai's mind. What if this shameless woman found out? Should he come back another day?

Before she could figure it out, Cheng Jiajia deliberately said in a very irritatingly casual tone, "Oh, you mean this? My Yu Junsheng got into the machinery factory, and the job at the scrap yard was transferred to me."

Jiang Qiubai: "!!!"

Jiang Qiubai couldn't care less about anything else at that moment. She was so jealous that she was practically drooling. She had worked so hard for the exam but still couldn't pass, while Cheng Jiajia got a job without having to put in any effort. Why was that?!

Luckily, Cheng Jiajia didn't know what she was thinking, otherwise she would have laughed her head off. Someone like her, trying to study hard for exams?

They just memorized it by rote, and even when the questions changed, they didn't know to change their answers. It's hilarious!

Jiang Qiubai felt increasingly resentful and couldn't help but say sarcastically, "The scrap yard is so dirty, it's amazing you can handle it. Well, you come from the countryside, so you're probably used to all the filth and stench. I, on the other hand, can't. Brother Haiyang said he'd buy me a factory job in the future."

That was so offensive that even before Cheng Jiajia could retort, Old Man Wang couldn't stand it anymore. With a stern face, he scolded, "You woman, if you want to buy junk, go find it yourself. If you don't want to, then get out. What are you babbling about here? Are you trying to impress me?"

Facing Cheng Jiajia, Old Wang changed to a kind expression and soothed her, "Girl, don't listen to her nonsense. So what if she's from the countryside? I'm from the countryside too, and I'm doing just fine. It just goes to show that you can't judge a person solely by their background; you have to look at their character. Some people have bad character; even if they're born in the city, so what? They're still good for nothing!" He couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark about Jiang Qiubai at the end, which amused Cheng Jiajia immensely.

Cheng Jiajia looked unconcerned. "Uncle Wang, don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who gets insecure just because of a few words from some nobody." She glanced at Jiang Qiubai, her expression blatantly sarcastic. "I think some people are just jealous that I have a job. They should have looked at themselves first before saying that, right, Uncle Wang?"

Grandpa Wang burst into laughter, "That's right, you're just like that old man Yu Junsheng, you two are truly a perfect match!"

The two of them went back and forth, making Jiang Qiubai's face turn red with sarcasm.

But now is not the time to argue with Cheng Jiajia; they still need to look for gold here.

What if things escalate and the old man really kicks me out?

She had more important things to do and didn't care to argue with a country bumpkin like Cheng Jiajia who was being unreasonable and making trouble!

So she glared at Cheng Jiajia and said, "You, you unreasonable people... I'm not going to argue with you!" Then she turned around and ran to rummage through the trash.

Jiang Erdi didn't say a word the whole time. When Jiang Qiubai was being ridiculed and ostracized, he acted as if he were a stranger and didn't show any intention of standing up for his eldest sister.

Now, he was very eager to follow Jiang Qiubai and rummage through the broken wood.

Cheng Jiajia watched their retreating figures thoughtfully.

Old Wang ignored them, drinking his tea and chatting with Cheng Jiajia, "Did Junsheng report to the machinery factory today?"

"That's right, I went there with the people in the courtyard this morning."

Old Wang sighed, "Ah, that kid is so stubborn. If only he had..." He started repeating the same old story, talking about Yu Junsheng taking over the business.

Cheng Jiajia didn't know how to respond to this. She only said a few vague words while keeping an eye on Jiang Qiubai out of the corner of her eye.

Cheng Jiajia didn't believe that this person could travel all the way to their area's scrap yard to buy wood.

Moreover, Jiang Qiubai's attitude was a bit strange; she seemed both impatient and wary.

What's there to be wary of if you're just buying firewood?

That's clearly not right.

After observing for a while, Cheng Jiajia saw Jiang Qiubai and her younger brother rummaging through the pile of dark wood that she had just sorted out yesterday.

Cheng Jiajia's mind raced.

There was more than just this much broken wood at the scrap yard; there had been quite a lot piled up before, but Jiang Qiubai hadn't even glanced at it.

They were looking for something with a clear purpose, unlike what she said about just finding some scrap wood to burn as firewood.

Thinking back to where that pile of junk came from yesterday, Cheng Jiajia had a vague guess in her mind.

These two probably heard some news somewhere and came here to try and snag a bargain.

Jiang Qiubai and his second brother rummaged through the pieces of wood, especially picking out the long, narrow ones, looking them over as if they were searching for something.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Jiajia's mind stirred.

Before long, both of them were covered in dust and dirt.

"Damn it, how come they all look the same? Jiang Qiubai, which one is it? You're not just fooling me and Mom and Dad, are you?" Jiang Erdi was already impatient and suspected that Jiang Qiubai was deliberately fooling them in order to stay at her parents' house.

Jiang Qiubai anxiously examined the dark wooden strips, shaking his head. "I really dreamt about it, Second Brother. My dreams are very accurate. It's right here among these wooden strips."

Jiang Erdi sighed and resignedly continued rummaging through the trash, picking and choosing.

Old Wang suddenly sensed something was wrong and looked up.

The pile of broken wood that Cheng Jiajia and Yu Junsheng had neatly arranged yesterday was now a mess, lying haphazardly on the ground.

He instantly flew into a rage, roaring, "What are you two doing?! Look at the mess you've made! Isn't all this firewood enough for you to burn?!"

Jiang Qiubai was so frightened that he trembled and the wooden strip in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

All eyes were on the shiny black wooden strip.

Jiang Qiubai was extremely flustered and clenched his fingers.

"Or do you have some other purpose in coming here?" Old Wang's sharp eyes fell on the two of them, his gaze somewhat scrutinizing.

Jiang Qiubai's pupils contracted as he was stared at. Was this old man starting to doubt him?

No, no, no, we must dispel his doubts!

Her eyes darted around quickly. "No, sir, we... we just wanted to find some sturdy wooden planks to take back and fix the tables and chairs. We're so sorry to trouble you!"

It sounded plausible, but unfortunately, Old Man Wang wouldn't listen; he angrily chased people away.

"Get out! Get out of here! I don't have anything you want here!"

Jiang Qiubai and his second brother exchanged a glance, fearing further complications, and dared not argue with Old Man Wang. They quickly took the heaviest wooden strips, paid, and left.

After they left, Old Man Wang spat and said, "They just packed their bags and left, leaving us all in trouble."

"Uncle Wang, you rest, I'll do it. I did this yesterday, so it'll be easier to clean up this way."

This time, without Old Man Wang saying anything, Cheng Jiajia put on gloves and started tidying up.

...

When Cheng Jiajia returned home at noon, Yu Junsheng ate in the cafeteria, while Cheng Jiajia, preoccupied with something on her mind, simply cooked a simple lunch for herself.

After she finished eating, she closed the doors and windows and went to the storage room to examine the few shiny black wooden strips.

Jiang Qiubai's behavior didn't seem to be baseless; perhaps she really did find out from some source what was inside those wooden strips.

If there is something hidden inside, the weight of this wooden strip will naturally be heavier than that of ordinary wood.

Cheng Jiajia remembered that Yu Junsheng had said that he always picked the heaviest pieces of wood.

Is it possible that there's something hidden inside these few sticks in my house?

Cheng Jiajia's heart was pounding wildly.

On the one hand, I feel like I might have gotten lucky and found a bargain, but on the other hand, I feel like I won't be that lucky.

After hesitating for a long time, Cheng Jiajia finally took an axe, aimed at the middle of one of the wooden strips, closed her eyes, and chopped down.

Cheng Jiajia was strong. After chopping the wooden strip a few times, cracks began to appear on the surface. After a few more chops, the cracks slowly widened, gradually revealing a patch of gold in the middle.

"Wow! There really is something good!" Cheng Jiajia's expression immediately brightened, and her eyes lit up.

She then slowly chopped with the axe, gradually peeling away the outer layer of wood to reveal what was inside.

The wooden strips were hollowed out, and small yellow croakers were hidden inside.

Cheng Jiajia counted them; there were four in total.

There are still seven wooden strips left, so there can be 32 small yellow croakers!

Cheng Jiajia was incredibly excited; she couldn't stop smiling.

This time it's really big! It's big!

Cheng Jiajia then split the remaining few pieces.

There were six wooden strips in total, and Cheng Jiajia split them all.

They found small yellow croakers hidden inside four of the sticks, and cement inside two of them.

Cheng Jiajia: "..."

Who came up with this clever trick?

It has to be said, that was incredibly clever.

Although it wasn't all gold bars, Cheng Jiajia was still quite satisfied, after all, one shouldn't be too greedy.

Getting 16 gold bars for free is like winning the lottery!

Cheng Jiajia happily took the gold bars into the inner room, drew the curtains, and put them deep inside the wardrobe, hiding them together with the wooden box from last time.

Thinking about the money the Ren family lost last time, Cheng Jiajia suddenly felt that this cabinet wasn't so safe after all, and it seemed she would have to find a more secluded place.

Let's discuss it with Yu Junsheng when he gets back.

Moreover, just to be on the safe side, we need to find a few more similar ones to make a shoe rack to display in the open.

After all, so many people saw them bring the wooden planks back today.

There was also Jiang Qiubai, who was suspected of knowing the inside story.

It won't be long before Jiang Qiubai finds out that he and Yu Junsheng also bought these wooden strips.

Cheng Jiajia had a hunch that Jiang Qiubai would come looking for her soon.

If we don't see this thing at their house, wouldn't that arouse suspicion that they took the gold?

She needs to prepare in advance.

Cheng Jiajia remembered that the pile of wooden strips all looked pretty much the same, so they must have been taken from the same object. Tomorrow, she could just look for a few similar ones in that pile, which would save her a lot of trouble.

There's no need to waste time searching for colors or distressed finishes that are similar.

...

At the same time, in the food factory's residential compound.

The Jiang family's doors and windows were tightly shut.

The Jiang family members formed a circle, their eyes fixed on the few wooden strips in front of them, as if they could vanish into thin air in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Qiubai also looked nervously at the things in front of her. Her family hadn't kicked her out because of this gold.

This time, we absolutely cannot make a mistake!

No, this time no one beat them to it, so there's no chance of anything going wrong!

Jiang Qiubai's second brother was overjoyed. He was rich! He was rich! He would soon have money to get married!

He used all his strength to chop the black wooden strips with the axe, again and again.

Unfortunately, the wood was hard, and after several blows, it only left a slight mark.

Jiang Erdi cursed angrily, "Damn it, how come this thing is so hard? I've been chopping at it for so long, how come it hasn't cracked yet?"

"Second brother, if you can't do it, I'll do it! I'm strong!" Jiang San Di was eager to try. If he was the first to drive, could he hide some of his strength when no one was looking?

Jiang Erdi glared at him, "What did you say, kid? Who said I'm no good?"

He felt the weight of the wooden strip was off as soon as he held it in his hand; there must be a lot of gold inside.

No one can take this job away from him!

Jiang Sandi pouted unconvinced, "I'm just a weakling, can't I even say that?"

Jiang's father impatiently scolded, "What's all the noise about? The most important thing now is to find the gold inside!" Jiang's father saw through his two sons' little schemes clearly. They were really short-sighted. They hadn't even done anything yet, and they were already arguing.

Jiang Erdi took a breath, then swung his arm again, putting all his strength into a single axe blow.

With a "crack," the wooden strip was chopped into pieces, revealing what was inside.

The Jiang family members' eyes widened instantly, and they all held their breath.

But then, when they saw what was inside, they were all dumbfounded.

"Cement?! It's actually cement?!"

"How could it be cement?"

Jiang Qiubai's eyes widened, and he screamed in disbelief, "No, impossible!"

"How could it be cement?"

"Where's the gold?!"