Xun Liangfen glanced at Hua Zhiping several times, but he was so focused on taking care of his wife that he didn't give her a second look.

After finally waiting for the tables to close, Li Lijuan, who was pregnant and had worked all day, felt very tired and went back to her room to rest early.

It was a rare occasion for the family to get together, and no one wanted to leave so quickly. Hua Zhian started showing off the local specialties he had brought back.

Looking at the mess on the table, Xun Liangfen looked at Hua Xiangyun, wanting to speak, but under Tian Guihua's gaze, she ultimately lacked the courage and could only sigh and start cooking herself.

Hua Xiangyun really didn't notice Xun Liangfen's little actions this time, because she was already attracted to what Hua Zhian was holding.

Two dried smoked rabbits, and some smoked fish.

“These were all distributed by the brigade this year. I did a good job in the farm work this year, so in addition to the grain, I also received thirty yuan.” Hua Zhian put the items on the table and continued to take things out.

“This is homespun cloth that I asked a local woman to make for my little sister to wear.” He stuffed the brightly colored fabric into Hua Xiangyun’s hands. “The girls over there look so pretty in this cloth.”

Hua Xiangyun blinked. "Second brother, they're wearing ethnic minority clothing, right? Are you sure I should wear something like that out in our county town?"

She estimated that it wouldn't even take half a day for it to become a large ocean view, and she really didn't want to be in the limelight...

Hua Zhian scratched his head. At the time, he only thought the clothes were pretty and wanted to get one for his little sister. He hadn't really thought much about it. "How about I take it back and trade it with someone else for something else?"

Hua Xiangyun immediately hugged it tightly, "No way! This is a gift from my second brother. Even if I don't wear it out, I can make it into a beautiful dress and keep it in the closet as a keepsake."

These words made Hua Zhian's lips curl into a wide smile. "I'll make you an even prettier one later, Second Brother."

Hua Zhian brought a bottle of wine for Hua Guangzong, but before he could take it, it was snatched away by Tian Guihua.

He brought Tian Guihua a pound of honey, which made the old lady so happy that she kept praising her grandson for being filial.

Hua Zhian put aside the clothes he had brought and took out a small cloth bag from his bag, while Hua Baoguo stared at him expectantly.

"Here are some things for you, please keep them safe."

Seeing his mysterious appearance, Hua Baoguo took it and opened it with great curiosity.

"Where did this come from?" Hua Guangzong hadn't expected that Zhi'an had put three large gold bracelets, five jade rings, and two gold hairpins inside.

Tian Guihua's first reaction was to make sure that the courtyard gate and the house door were tightly closed before she said nervously, "You just casually stuffed it in your luggage bag the whole way, did anyone know?"

“It’s alright, I found this while I was in the river. All the other educated youths there also found something, but I don’t know what the others found.” Hua Zhian picked up the largest gold bracelet and put it on Tian Guihua’s wrist.

Tian Guihua was so frightened that she reached out to pull it off. "These things are worth picking up? Doesn't the village care?"

Hua Zhian said, "Nobody in the village knows this because we live in a corner of the village near the mountain, with a river behind us."

A few days ago, there was continuous heavy rain, and many places on the mountain collapsed, washing down a lot of mud.

Because of the mud and water, that area was exceptionally muddy, and the villagers didn't like to go there.

We live nearby, but there's no well, so we have to go there to wash our clothes.

One day, we went to wash our clothes together and saw a golden light shining through. Out of curiosity, we touched it and unexpectedly found a gold hairpin.

At the time, everyone just thought it was interesting and explored the area, but they didn't expect that everyone would have something of their own.

I wanted to tell the village, but the older brother at our educated youth center said that even if we reported it, the village would still think we hadn't handed it over.

Anyway, the village has always been prejudiced against us, so it's better to avoid trouble. Besides, we found these things ourselves, not that we stole or robbed them.

We all guessed that a grave on the mountain had been washed away, and these were the burial objects.

Hua Zhian spoke so casually, but his family members were terrified.

“These are things from someone else’s grave. Aren’t you afraid of taking them?” Tian Guihua felt the gold bracelet on her hand was burning hot. She pulled it off forcefully, put it on the table, and rubbed it vigorously with her hands.

Seeing that her hands were red from rubbing, Hua Xiangyun quickly reached out and grabbed them. "Grandma, it's alright. Even if they are burial items, they are only placed in the tomb and are not carried by the deceased."

Although he might have been tainted by some yin energy, his second brother had plenty of yang energy, so that yin energy had long since dissipated.

"That's right. Back then, during the Great Cultural Revolution, many people went to the countryside to dig up graves and found countless treasures," Hua Zhian said nonchalantly. These were the words of the older generation of educated youth, and they were all still alive and well.

"Aren't you afraid that the village will find out one day?" Hua Guangzong thought these children were a bit naive. "This river is in the village, it can't be moved. What if one day someone from the village gets something from it..."

“That’s impossible. We searched for a long way and found something only in the area behind the mountain. There was nothing further ahead.” Hua Zhian and his team had thought about this a lot.

“You guys are incredibly bold,” Hua Baoguo asked. “You found everyone and then hid them?”

Hua Zhian: "Of course. The thirteen of us educated youth spent many days wading in that river. No one said it outright, but we all knew we had made some discoveries."

The amounts may vary, but naturally, no one would publicize such unexpected windfalls.

“This is a hot potato,” Hua Guangzong said through gritted teeth. “You’d better keep this to yourselves and don’t tell anyone.”

At the same time, looking at everyone in the room, he said, "I think Zhi'an shouldn't go back this time."

The implication is clear to everyone: this is the best option.

Hua Xiangyun was somewhat dazed, which is why, in the original book, Hua Zhian took over Tian Guihua's job because of this incident.

Because Hua Xiangyun was in a daze due to her head injury, her family did not tell her about it and kept it a secret from her.

Hua Zhian did not leave again after this family visit leave.

“No, we won’t,” Hua Zhian said, feeling that everyone was being too tense. “We’ve all agreed not to tell anyone about this, and we’ve all sworn an oath.”

“What two people know isn’t a secret, let alone all thirteen of you educated youth.” Hua Guangzong looked at him with exasperation. “If everyone were like you, and then came back and told their families, would it still be a secret?”

Hua Zhian, “…”

Tian Guihua, "So how many of you went home to visit your families this time?"

Hua Zhian, "Seven people."

"Did you agree not to tell your family?"

"……No……"

This really stumped everyone; they were caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward, and no matter how they handled it, it couldn't be done perfectly.