She had long known that Zhou Mingyuan was not someone who could be easily fooled, but she did not expect him to suddenly mention the Ji family's gold.
Did he sense something?
The thought, like a fine needle, suddenly pierced her nerves.
She originally planned to wait a few more days until the rumors died down, then quietly take the gold and run away.
But Zhou Mingyuan's probing tonight was like a bucket of cold water poured over her, waking her up.
A long night can bring many unforeseen events; delay can lead to unforeseen changes.
She has to go tonight.
She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
As dusk deepened and the last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by dark clouds, her time was running out.
Late at night, at the Ji family's old residence.
The pale moonlight was like a thin layer of frost covering the dilapidated courtyard.
Weeds grew rampant among the broken walls and ruins, rustling softly as the night wind swept through.
Li Xiaorou had already returned to the village by oxcart and had been waiting in the back mountain for three whole hours.
Only after nightfall, and after confirming that the village was quiet and there was no possibility of encountering the Li family, did she sneak down the mountain in the dark and head towards the Ji family's old house.
She easily scaled the broken wall, landing without disturbing a single withered leaf.
In her past life, she secretly followed Ji Yanchen and watched him take the gold with her own eyes.
Later, she became more familiar with every inch of the house than with her own home, even knowing exactly which brick had a mouse hole hidden under it.
No one will come, and Ji Yanchen is even less likely to come at such a sensitive time, so Jinzi must still be here.
She went straight to the Ji family ancestral hall, and by the moonlight, she felt her way to the bottom of the offering table. When her fingertips touched the loose wooden board, her heart almost burst out of her chest.
She skillfully pressed the switch to open the hidden compartment, only to be completely dumbfounded.
How can it be empty?!
She froze, her fingers unconsciously digging into the cracks in the wood, her nails almost breaking off.
impossible! !
She abruptly lifted the entire wooden board, and dust swirled down, making her cough. But the hidden compartment contained nothing but a few pieces of dry cobwebs.
How can it be empty?!
Those who seized the property in the previous life never noticed that a large amount of gold was hidden in this secret compartment!
A sense of foreboding surged up from the soles of her feet. She rushed frantically to the master bedroom of the old house, pried open the floorboards, lunged at the kitchen stove, smashed bricks to check for hidden holes, and even ran to the outhouse, digging through the soil where the treasure was buried with her bare hands, but still found nothing.
Li Xiaorou slumped in the dusty main room, her fingers trembling so much she could barely hold the crowbar.
Where is her gold?
There are still so many silver dollars!
In her previous life, she clearly saw Ji Yanchen take the heavy package from here with her own eyes.
She had so many gold bars and silver dollars that he never noticed she had stolen them several times.
But what happened? Why is everything gone?!
She was so angry that she trembled all over, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Before she came, she had even planned out what to do with the gold: sell it, take a boat to Hong Kong, buy a seaside villa, and then get a new identity to completely escape everything here!
But now, her beautiful dream has shattered like a bubble.
"Impossible... How could it not be there?!"
The night wind howled, and the old house's window frames creaked, as if mocking her futile efforts.
But on such a quiet night, she dared not scream loudly, and could only hold her breath, which was stuck in her chest and could not be released.
Suddenly, Li Xiaorou felt a chill run down her spine as she realized a possibility.
If the items are gone, it means someone was here.
Moreover, they took all the gold even before she did.
Could it be Ji Yanchen?
But why did he come and take these things away beforehand?
Or...did Zhou Mingyuan steal her gold beforehand?!
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