It was already pitch black outside. Besides their few cars, two more were parked outside the yard, a testament to the abundance of means in every era. The nearby village was already dark, but as the car drove closer to the county town, the streets became more crowded, and lights shone from every household.
Zhou Xiaozheng was driving when he saw Zhou Jiao rubbing her forehead and laughing. Zhou Jiao was quiet like him, so he made an excuse to take the child away.
The car stopped at the doorstep, and Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter returned to the main room. They both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.
After Zhou Jiao settled her son, she took out a wicker box from the closet and placed it on the table. Then she saw her father come in with tools in his hands. She clenched her hands nervously, held her breath and watched quietly.
After carefully emptying the box, Zhou Xiaozheng reached into the four corners, then gently wiped the edges with a wet handkerchief. After a moment, a seam emerged. He used a small dagger to separate the lines and lift the inner wall, finally revealing the entire seam. After setting down his tools, he gently wiped the glue with hot water until no trace remained.
After waiting for a while, when the watermark disappeared, Zhou Xiaozheng said softly, "The mystery is finally revealed. Jiaojiao, come here and help Dad hold the box."
Zhou Jiao held the box with both hands, held her breath, and watched him disassemble the box with admiration. When the entire bottom was removed, she saw that the thin wooden board at the bottom was covered with several layers of oilcloth.
Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter were stunned for a moment. It was one thing to imagine it, but to actually see the black oilcloth and to be shocked to find a secret from decades ago when it was uncovered was a real shock.
Zhou Xiaozheng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his slightly red eyes, picked up the dagger, and when his hands stopped shaking, he carefully separated the sticky part of the oilcloth.
Zhou Jiao stood in front of him and could hear the sound of his heart pounding. She watched him worriedly as he took off the thick black oilcloth.
"Don't worry, Dad's fine. Your grandma should have put everything here, just in case. We need to remove the lid next. You hold the lid down first, and I'll restore the bottom."
Zhou Jiao nodded. After more than an hour, she watched her father restore the box and could not find any signs that it had been disassembled. The father and daughter breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhou Jiao returned to the closet and took out the black password box and placed it on the table. Zhou Xiaozheng fiddled with it for a moment, then realized that the box's craftsmanship would leave marks if opened, and shook his head at her.
After cleaning the table and peeling back the double layer of oilcloth, they finally saw the real deal: two briefcases wrapped in newspaper. Zhou Xiaozheng opened the bags and pulled out a letter. He pushed the others to Zhou Jiao and pulled out the letter himself. After reading it, he couldn't help but stand up and head to his study.
Zhou Jiao looked at his back worriedly and picked up the letter paper with densely written small characters on it.
"Zheng'er:
By the time you see this letter, your mother will have reunited with your father and is watching you from afar in heaven, so don't be sad. For you, my only son, your mother feels deeply sorry for not being able to take care of you and watch you have children.
If time could be reversed,...
By the time you finish reading this letter, Mom won't know whether our Zheng'er is still a babbling child or has grown into a refined gentleman. The remaining wealth of the Gu family must not be shared with anyone else. Remember not to flaunt your wealth, and learn to be tolerant. Your father and I only wish you a safe life, with plenty of food and clothing..."
Zhou Jiao burst into tears after reading it. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her tears, and carefully folded it and put it back into the envelope. She emptied the file bag, picked up three photos, and looked at the young grandparents. She could no longer control herself and fell on the table sobbing.
Zhou Xiaozheng controlled his emotions and returned to his room.
He patted his daughter on the back, reached out to take the photo from her hand, looked at the smiling mother in the photo, looked up and took a deep breath, holding back his tears, and smiled to comfort her.
"Look, you really look like your grandma. Don't cry, your grandma told us to face everything with a smile. Jiaojiao, do you think Daddy looks like your grandma? Then look at your grandpa's eyes and eyebrows."
Zhou Jiao looked up at the photo of her grandparents with red eyes. "Auntie didn't lie to us. Grandpa and grandma are really a perfect match as the rumors say. Dad, you combine their best qualities. I look most like grandma. This should have been taken when they were abroad, right?"
"Judging from the background, they were taken abroad. Back then, there wasn't such advanced technology in China. These three photos were probably taken when they were studying abroad. You really look like your grandmother. If you don't look closely, you'd think it was you. No wonder your aunt lost her composure when she saw you."
The father and daughter chatted for a while. Seeing that his daughter was in a better mood, Zhou Xiaozheng put the three photos into an envelope.
He began to look through the remaining documents and deposit slips, then sighed and said, "Your grandparents should have gone abroad at that time. With these things, they would have made a comeback sooner or later. Why fight alone?"
You put everything away. Don't tell anyone except Dad. We can't go abroad right now - the foreign deposit certificates and safe deposits have to stay here. Don't touch anything in China except the things hidden in the Gu family's old house. If the others are gone, they are gone. Safety comes first. When Dad goes back this time, someone will definitely be watching you secretly.
Zhou Jiao looked at his serious face, knowing that the matter was of great importance, and nodded seriously.
After Zhou Xiaozheng gave her repeated instructions, he saw her expression and smiled with satisfaction, "Okay, don't be too nervous. Dad has money to let you live a good life, and if you don't have money, I will really use it. Jiaojiao, my Jiaojiao should be a little princess."
Zhou Jiao felt his full doting and laughed out loud.
Zhou Xiaozheng took out a small box from the password box, opened it and handed it to her. "This jade pendant, seal and small key are related to foreign inheritance. You must wear them close to your body and don't give them to anyone else."
"Dad, just wear it around your neck and keep it for yourself. I'm afraid I'll lose it."
Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head. "I can't keep them here. First, soldiers can't wear them. I usually keep my amulets in my underwear pocket. Second, it would be hard to explain if your mother saw them. It's safest to keep them here with you. Anyway, these will all be yours in the future. If your grandmother were still alive, she would also leave them to you. You look like her the most. When you really have a younger brother in the future, you can give some to him."
Zhou Jiao didn't understand what she was saying, and decided to talk about the future later. She took the jade seal and put it on her body.
She watched him pack up the things he didn't want to take back, wrap them in oil paper, take out a dagger, dig out the bricks in the corner, and put the dagger in, and everything was back to normal. She walked over to take a look and gave her father a thumbs-up.
Zhou Xiaozheng raised his eyebrows proudly. "This won't do. I'll come up with another plan tomorrow. You haven't seen your father's abilities yet. Our gold bars have been stored away for decades, and no one except your mother can find them. As for the other two boxes, take them back the same way you got them. There's no shortage of smart people in this world."
Zhou Jiao nodded proudly. Her father was indeed amazing. He even thought of all this. Looking at the empty wicker box, she patted her head and hurried to the wardrobe to take out the things she had prepared and put them inside.
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled as he watched his daughter chatter away, telling him which items to keep for herself and which to give away. Looking at the two brand new jackets and insoles, he felt both distressed and happy.
Seeing that she had finished her explanation, Zhou Xiaozheng jokingly said, "Dad's sweet little cotton-padded jacket, your dad is going to suffer."
Zhou Jiao laughed out loud when she heard that. She couldn't stand the noisy atmosphere. Poor her father.
Seeing that she was about to send him out, Zhou Xiaozheng quickly stopped her and said, "I'll go out by myself. It's very windy outside. Next time you're home alone, remember to close the study door. Don't come out if there's any noise outside."
After saying that, he saw her respond, left the main room, closed the living room door, looked at the street lights in the yard, thought about it, and went to the kitchen to turn on the lights.
After a while, Zhou Xiaozheng stood in the yard, looking at the bright lights, and walked out with confidence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
