Chapter 52 Chapter 52 The real treasure of the whole family

"Wait, don't be impatient." Gu Qingzhou returned to the car, got gloves, and put them on. He then took off his military jacket and asked his wife to hold it for him. "Stay still."

"Oh." Qingmei held the military jacket and watched him slip into the cave with a flashlight in his mouth. There was no sound for a long time.

Qingmei was now nervous, and she bent over and shouted from outside, "If you're scared, come up."

Gu Qingzhou covered his mouth and nose and replied from inside: "It's okay, it's just a cellar."

"Oh my god, it's a cellar. Cellars are good. If it's not a hole dug by wild animals, there's nothing to worry about."

Zhao Wuhe had never seen Gu Qingzhou perform a mission. Although she knew it was a thousand times more dangerous than here, she still couldn't help but feel worried.

Qingmei also breathed a sigh of relief. She stood at the edge, holding her waist, and felt someone support her waist. She turned around and saw Xiaoyan.

Xiaoyan said with concern, "Shall I give you that little stool? I don't know when my brother-in-law will come up."

Qingmei said, "It's okay. I've sat at home long enough. I'll stand for a while."

Xiaoyan nodded and continued to stretch out her arms to support Qingmei's waist and back, so that she could feel more comfortable standing.

Zhao Wuhe saw it and said to her grandmother with a smile: "It's said that their sisterly love is so deep that it's closer than that of real sisters."

Grandma said, "We have been a family for a long time."

Her old arms and legs couldn't stand, so Zhao Wuhe simply helped her to the guard post and went into the house to wait.

The veteran guarding the gate was called Awei by Gu Qingzhou. His full name was Song Mingwei. He cherished his current job and was diligently sweeping the dock.

When he heard that Captain Gu had crawled into a hole, he hurried over to help.

Qingmei saw him coming and shouted a few times towards the cave entrance. Gu Qingzhou kicked something over inside, and a faint crunching sound came from inside.

After a while, Gu Qingzhou asked Awei to find a snakeskin bag. Awei turned around and ran away quickly, returning in the blink of an eye.

He jumped into the cave without hesitation, holding the snakeskin bag in one arm.

Zhao Xiaoxing stood beside Qingmei, fanned her, and looked around. No one was coming, only the sound of waves in the distance.

She whispered in Qingmei's ear: "Could it be full of gold, silver and treasures?"

Qingmei smiled and said, "That would be great. But there are many things more precious than gold, silver and treasures."

In the past ten years, many precious cultural books have disappeared. As a wealthy woman, she wanted to obtain these precious books more than money.

About half an hour later, a pair of hands suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave.

Qingmei stepped back a few steps, and Gu Qingzhou easily jumped up. Then he bent down and took the heavy bag that Awei handed over.

Everyone gathered around immediately, wanting to know what was inside.

Gu Qingzhou didn't rush to empty his pockets. He threw the things on the ground and said to Awei, "You come up too."

Awei said, "Okay."

He has a strong physique, and even though he only has one arm, it is not difficult for him to climb up. He must have maintained physical exercise after the injury and did not complain about his fate.

Qingmei saw this and felt that he was a hundred times better than Huang Wenbi, who was always depressed in the village.

Awei came up, put the bag on his shoulder without saying a word, and led everyone to the guard room.

"What are all these?" Zhao Wuhe asked in surprise when they arrived at the guard room. "So many?"

Gu Qingzhou asked Awei to empty his pockets, and suddenly the small guard room was filled with the smell of stale paper.

The floor was covered with books, all in good condition, except for a lot of dust and cobwebs.

"There are a few foreign books, and more ancient books." Gu Qingzhou said: "You can tell that some of the books are very old."

Zhao Xiaoxing squatted on the ground, picking up a few scrolls of calligraphy and paintings and said, "It's not just old, look at the words written on them, I don't even recognize them."

Qingmei doesn't know much about calligraphy, painting, and books, but that doesn't matter. The stubborn old man in the village definitely knows.

They were sorting books in the guard room, and Gu Qingzhou took A Wei downstairs twice more, this time taking a few more bags.

Later, they brought up not only books and paintings, but also some porcelain, vases, plates, and bowls. These depicted flowers, plants, fish, and insects in a variety of colors. Qingmei also found some blue and white porcelain and Tang Dynasty sancai (three-colored glazed pottery) among them.

"Everything inside is here." Awei searched carefully inside and found nothing.

Grandma said, "What's the use of these things? The bottles and jars have all been used by others. I hate using them to store food." She had to tell them in advance to prevent them from taking them back and using them.

Qingmei laughed and said, "These calligraphy and paintings and porcelains are not for use, but for viewing. Everyone who sees these discoveries today will have a share."

Ah Wei was a rough man, and thought it was just trash cleaning. He shook his head and said, "I don't want it. The guardhouse is so small, there's no place to put it. If someone sees me, they'll fight me."

"I don't want it either. If you insist on giving it to me, I'd rather give you a dollar off so I can buy some sunflower seeds and eat them at home."

Zhao Xiaoxing didn't think it was a big deal; it was just some worthless items she'd secretly collected. In her eyes, these things weren't as valuable as the enamel basins sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. A few years ago, when the village collectively destroyed some items, she had helped smash quite a few with Mrs. Li.

Xiaoyan flipped through the books and whispered, "These contents are all outdated. It would be better to give me a few question books."

Qingmei looked at Zhao Wuhe again: "What about you?"

Zhao Wuhe said, "Let's return it to you or me? You're going to get beaten."

Zhao Xiaoxing said, "I don't want these junks. It's your place anyway, so it belongs to you."

"It should have been yours." Xiaoyan naturally meant the same thing.

Qingmei looked at Awei. In fact, everyone here was family. If there was any outsider, it was only Awei.

A Wei thought about it and decided that he had no choice but to pick a book from the table. "This is it. I don't want the others."

He also felt that the book he was holding was too hot, so he had to hide it later.

Gu Qingzhou patted Qingmei's shoulder and said, "Okay, since no one wants it, just keep it."

Zhao Wuhe said, "Keep it. Xing'er is right. You should keep the things that belong to you. Besides, you found it yourself."

Hearing this, Awei wanted to return the hot book. Qingmei glared at him and said, "Pick two more jars."

A Wei said with a bitter face: "If anyone finds out, we'll smash it."

Qingmei looked at the fifty or so items spread out at her feet and said with a smile, "Please choose. I'll keep them for later. You can sell them whenever you want."

Ah Wei said: "Will this thing ever be valuable?... Then let's take these two."

He casually pointed at a plate and a bottle and said, "I won't blame you if you break them. Thank you, sister-in-law."

Qingmei knew that deep down he still didn't believe anything could ever be valuable. In fact, in two or three years, a large number of foreigners would come to Beijing to collect neglected cultural relics. Ordinary people hadn't yet realized the importance of cultural relics to the country, so many of them were taken away by foreigners.

Qingmei was determined to preserve these items well. Whether she used them to make money or donated them, they would never be lost abroad.

There were quite a lot of stuff, so Gu Qingzhou first drove back to the Qingzhuan Courtyard and put it in the cellar. Then he took them to a restaurant in the city for dinner.

Ah Wei said he would not go at all. He could see how much his sister-in-law valued these things, so he decided to inspect Qingmei Port inside and out. After the renovations and opening to the public, there would be more people coming and going here. If someone took these things away under his nose, he would hate himself to death.

Gu Qingzhou said: "Just let him be."

Qingmei also noticed the stubbornness in Awei's character and said with a smile, "Let's go. Bring him some food after dinner so he doesn't have to cook it himself."

Ah Wei scratched his stubbled head and said gratefully, "Thank you for your consideration, sister-in-law. I'll wait for the delicious food today."

Qingmei said worriedly, "Don't go to a dangerous place alone. We're not familiar with this place yet, and there are mountains behind us. If you get into danger, I'm afraid you won't be able to call for help."

After saying this, Gu Qingzhou laughed briefly behind her. Awei's skills probably didn't require anyone to save him.

Ah Wei thanked her sincerely and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll take a look first. If I find anything, I'll call you as soon as possible."

Qingmei felt a little embarrassed to see him, who was almost thirty years old, still calling her sister-in-law. But since Gu Qingzhou didn't ask him to change his way of addressing her, she decided to keep calling her that.

Before leaving, Gu Qingzhou talked to Awei for a while, while the others sat in the car and waited.

As they drove, Zhao Wuhe said curiously, "That Awei doesn't look like an ordinary person. It's a pity that his arm is broken. How did he break it?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "He was bombed while trying to save a child on the battlefield in South Vietnam."

Qingmei said uncomfortably, "What about the child?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "It was the kid who blew him up."

Qingmei pursed her lips and fell silent. While waiting for the traffic light, Gu Qingzhou reached out and rubbed her head.

Qingmei murmured, "I feel so lucky to think that our child can be born in a peaceful country."

Gu Qingzhou had experienced battlefields abroad and knew that in war, human life was no different from a flower or a blade of grass.

Afraid that his young wife would worry, he parked the car on the side of the road and ran out to buy some red bean popsicles.

When Zhao Wuhe was around, Qingmei would never dare to ask for popsicles. She couldn't eat all the delicious food at home, and Zhao Wuhe thought popsicles were cold and not good for the fetus or pregnant woman, so she would never allow her to eat them.

Gu Qingzhou got in the car and, despite Zhao Wuhe's fierce look as if she was about to curse, quickly fed his young wife a popsicle. His young wife held the red bean popsicle tightly, fearing that it would be snatched away.

Zhao Wuhe punched Gu Qingzhou a few times with her fists, then took the popsicles and let them share them.

Qingmei felt sorry for Gu Qingzhou being beaten, so she fed him the red bean on the front of the popsicle. Gu Qingzhou took a bite and said vaguely, "Eat it, don't let anyone take it away again."

Zhao Wuhe glared at him from behind, biting her popsicle and snorting angrily. Never mind, she had given birth to a child before, so she could just satisfy her craving once in a while.

After returning home, Xing'er and Xiaoyan had to go to Uncle Guo to recite the article.

Qingmei took out an ancient book from her snakeskin pocket and asked them to take it to Uncle Guo to check whether it was genuine.

She was cleaning old things in the house with her belly bulging, feeling very happy. Gu Qingzhou and Zhao Wuhe were packing their luggage to join the army.

I guess Qingmei will be able to move in next week, on Children's Day.

Qingmei looked at the room full of bottles, jars, paintings, and calligraphy, and chuckled happily. She had also thought about wandering around after giving birth and looking for any old items that hadn't been discovered. However, she didn't understand these things and was afraid of being scammed.

Who would have thought such a large batch of things would appear before her like this? She was so happy that she almost woke up from her dream. If it was all true, she would be one step closer to her plan of lying down.

Around eight o'clock in the evening, Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan, who had just returned from study, ran home together.

After entering the yard, the two of them closed the door together.

"This is incredible! Old Man Guo is so engrossed in it that he even asked me if I could give him another day to appreciate the writings of his predecessors." Zhao Xiaoxing thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what book it was. She turned to Xiaoyan and asked, "Do you remember what he called it?"

Xiaoyan said, "It's called 'Records of the Words and Deeds of Famous Officials of the Song Dynasty,' and it seems to be the 60th volume. He didn't ask where we got it, just told us to keep it secret. If there are other volumes, that would be great, but if not, we must keep that one as a treasure."

Qingmei's face was about to blossom with joy. She knew that Uncle Guo was very secretive and would definitely be able to see through something.

Zhao Wuhe said in surprise, "After all this fuss, it's still a treasure from the past? How many years has it been since the Song Dynasty?"

Qingmei thought for a moment and figured it out: "It depends on whether it's the Southern Song Dynasty or the Northern Song Dynasty. The Northern Song Dynasty, which is earlier, is almost a thousand years old, and the Southern Song Dynasty is more than seven hundred years old."

Zhao Wuhe "tsk tsk" a few times and looked at the things lined up on the Huanghuali dining table, and suddenly felt that it was a mountain of gold.

A family meeting was held, and the decision was made to hide the items under Zhao Xiaoxing's chicken coop. Gu Qingzhou, Zhao Xiaoxing, and Zhao Wuhe were assigned to the late-night excavation. Qingmei and Xiaoyan were assigned to guard the front and back doors, respectively, to prevent anyone from discovering them.

After finishing the work in the evening, the sky brightened.

After washing off the mud, Gu Qingzhou returned to the kang room to find his young wife.

Grandma no longer sleeps on the kang, as she feels it will cause her to get hot when the weather is warm. Qingmei sometimes prefers the warm kang because of her back pain from pregnancy.

Gu Qingzhou and Qingmei moved into the kang room, and cleaned up the guest room on the side for his grandmother to live in.

Gu Qingzhou tiptoed into the house and saw his young wife kicking off the quilt and sleeping with her legs spread out.

She held her bulging belly in her arms like a baby. Gu Qingzhou walked over and wanted to kiss her, but suddenly his wife giggled a few times, which made Gu Qingzhou laugh too.

Qingmei slept very soundly and didn't wake up until ten o'clock.

At this time, Gu Qingzhou was heard talking in the yard. The other person was none other than Uncle Guo.

Seeing Qingmei leaning against the window with disheveled hair staring at him, Uncle Guo walked over with a look of disgust and said, "I've already made a promise to your partner, you can't go back on your word."

Qingmei was full of questions, but Uncle Guo didn't explain, as if he was afraid that she would change her mind. He just tucked a book under his armpit and ran away.

Gu Qingzhou entered the house and said to Qingmei, "Do you want to go down to the ground first or drink some water first?"

Qingmei's belly puffed out: "First, let me ask you what you said to Uncle Guo."

Gu Qingzhou quickly helped him up and said, "He came here to return a book, and then borrowed another one. He also told us not to expose the book to the sun, but to just put it under the windowsill."

There were bookworms on the pages of several books, so Qingmei put them outside in the sun to kill the insects.

Qingmei asked, "What kind of deal did you make?"

Gu Qingzhou sighed and said in the loving tone of an old father, "It's all because of those two disappointing girls. Uncle Guo was reluctant to continue teaching them, thinking he would be pissed off sooner or later. But later, seeing that they could borrow books from us, he was willing to teach them with all his heart and soul."

Qingmei sneered and said, "Could it be that he was trying to take advantage of the situation before?"

"Calm down, calm down. If we don't say this, how can we willingly let him read the book?" Gu Qingzhou comforted his young wife, asking her to stop standing on the kang and get down quickly to wash and eat.

Qingmei thrust her belly forward again, and Gu Qingzhou's legs went weak and he almost knelt down before her. He swiftly found shoes for his young wife and put them on, as swiftly as a palace steward.

In the afternoon, Gu Qingzhou had to return to 014.

This time, he returned with great expectations. His wife would soon be with the army, so they wouldn't have to travel back and forth to different places. Even if they were closer, it would still be quite a hassle.

Captain Jin was not too surprised when she heard the news. She had known this day would come since the day Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou got married.

During the spring plowing season, a tractor driver was trained who could just replace Qingmei. With Qingmei's departure, it would be easier for him to become a regular employee.

Qingmei didn't care. She would go to college after giving birth to her child and was destined to not be able to continue living in Donghe Village. Every stage has its own tasks, and she just wanted to have a clear conscience.

Qingmei's only worry was whether her grandmother could be here, but Zhao Wuhe told her not to worry, as having her around was just the right thing to do.

Grandma was annoyed by Qingmei's nagging, so she took the opportunity when Qingmei was looking for something to go to Grandma Ying's house to play cards.

Qingmei watched them play cards. There were a group of old ladies, the oldest of whom was almost ninety years old, and the youngest was her grandmother, who was sixty-two years old.

The small cards they played were also called flower cards. They were long strips of playing cards, two fingers wide.

There are black and red dots on the cards, and you know the size of the cards by looking at the dots, so even old ladies who can't read can enjoy the game.

They even played for money, but the wins and losses weren't big, just for fun. A round of cards only yielded four or five cents, or at most a dime. Though illiterate, they were incredibly clear about their accounts. No paper or pen needed, and there was no confusion. Wins and losses in each hand, and who owed whom, were all clearly accounted for.

Captain Jin knew about this, but since they were older and had nowhere else to spend their time, she turned a blind eye. She would criticize any young worker who tried this.

Qingmei knew that this was also one of the reasons why her grandmother didn't go to the army. If she went to the army, there would be no old sisters to play with, and she would be unfamiliar with the place and it would be better to stay at home in the countryside.

Gu Qingzhou drove to pick up his wife early that Sunday morning. Zhao Xiaoxing wanted to go along and help with the cleaning, but Uncle Guo kept her at home to memorize vocabulary. As she saw Qingmei off to the car, she was visibly filled with resentment.

Xiaoyan and Zhao Wuhe followed him to the army together. They were quite satisfied with the three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment that Gu Qingzhou had arranged for Qingmei.

The military family housing units are all well-designed. Qingmei's unit, with three bedrooms and a living room, is shaped like a triangle. All three rooms have windows, two of which are bedrooms and one is a study.

The furniture inside was all new, with the smell of paint gone. Gu Qingzhou borrowed industrial coupons to buy them. Naturally, they were all made of high-quality wood from the employee furniture factory.

To make Qingmei's study comfortable, she even went the extra mile and had the chair covered with cotton and a non-stick satin cover. In hot weather, the cover could be removed and replaced with a small mat.

The house was also equipped with small electrical appliances such as a radio, an electric fan, and a desk lamp. There were also two gadgets that surprised Qingmei: a TV and a washing machine.

"A Beijing brand TV? It's got to be fourteen inches, right?" My brother-in-law and his wife came over with the army, and Ruan Siqiao came downstairs to help. Seeing the black-and-white TV, he said curiously, "Now you'll have something to kill time at home."

Qingmei fiddled with the TV and turned it on. It happened to be playing national news, so she just played it in the background.

When they reached the bathroom, Qingmei was even more surprised to see a washing machine. She had no idea washing machines existed in this day and age.

It looks like it's the original twin-tub washing machine, so you have to manually transfer the clothes. It's a bit tedious, but it's better than washing them yourself.

No, it’s better than the one Gu Qingzhou scrubbed.

Qingmei pursed her lips and smiled.

Since she got pregnant, she had basically been provided with everything. In order to let her feel at ease to accompany the army, Gu Qingzhou took on all the housework.

She lived at home, and Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan helped wash her clothes. Sometimes she washed her underwear and socks herself, and sometimes Gu Qingzhou came to help scrub them.

Although she had to be rewarded with a kiss in the evening, Qingmei was very touched by everyone's care for her.

Ruan Siqiao pouted as she looked at the washing machine without saying anything, then turned to the kitchen to warm up the rice.

Qingmei really likes the first floor here. There is a small courtyard with a big camphor tree in the corner. The big camphor tree is not prone to insects and can repel insects. It is wonderful to cool off in the shade of the tree in the summer.

"My second floor is not as good as the first. There's a row of trees behind it that blocks out all the sunlight. I asked Aunt Qin twice if she could find someone to prune it, but she said she didn't have time."

Ruan Siqiao was cooking while Qingmei was picking vegetables at the dining table near the kitchen door. Listening to her chatter, he said cheerfully, "Then come over often. If you don't like the sun, you can come to my yard to dry your food."

Ruan Siqiao took the opportunity to say, "Why don't we just take it to your house and wash it? Don't you have a washing machine here?"

Qingmei's hands continued to pick white beans. She pulled out the tendons, broke them into three pieces and threw them into the basin. Without even looking up, she said, "No, we still have to pay attention to personal hygiene. There will be bacteria in the washing machine, so we can't mix them."

Ruan Siqiao frying the pan fiercely for a few times, muttering, "You look like you've used it before. I'll ask my man to buy me one later."

Qingmei said with a smile: "It's a pity that my washing machine was not bought for me."

Ruan Siqiao paused while cooking and asked, "Who is that for?"

Before Qingmei could open her mouth, Gu Qingzhou came from behind, carrying a book into the house. The muscles on his arms bulged, and he said in a muffled voice, "I wash all the clothes in my house. Of course, I buy them for myself."

Ruan Siqiao grabbed the vinegar bottle and poured it in a few times, deciding not to talk to them again.

Gu Chongshan came over during the meal. Neither he nor Gu Qingzhou drank alcohol, so they finished the meal quickly.

Before leaving, Ruan Siqiao took a look and saw Gu Qingzhou washing dishes in the kitchen, and Qingmei leaning on the sofa watching the crosstalk on TV, holding her belly and laughing from time to time.

My beloved mother-in-law sat on a small stool and cut an apple for Qingmei. I don't know if Qingmei hadn't grown teeth yet, but she had to cut the apple into small pieces for her to eat with toothpicks. Every bite was a prick to Ruan Siqiao's heart.

The girl named Xiaoyan was not watching TV or cutting apples. She was actually mopping the floor silently.

Ruan Siqiao finally understood that their entire family was serving others!

That is a real treasure that the whole family worships!