At this moment, Zhang Xingguo also came down. Because the lifeline was tied to the tree above, and the other end was tied inside the cave, and Zhang Xingguo only had one arm, it was very difficult for him to come down.
After packing up the boxes, Zhang Hongmei felt quite pleased with herself. She put away her flashlight and hurriedly ran towards the cave entrance, where she bumped into Zhang Xingguo.
"Why didn't you reply? You scared me to death!" If this were my own daughter, I would definitely beat her up.
"Uncle Zhang, you've struck it rich! Come on, let me show you." After saying that, Zhang Hongmei pulled Zhang Xingguo inside. They had already walked through once and knew that the ground was flat, so there was no need for any light.
"What good stuff is making you so excited?"
"Why don't you go and see for yourself?" Zhang Hongmei deliberately kept everyone in suspense. She wanted to see Zhang Xingguo's expression soon, so she secretly put a box of matches in her bag.
The two entered the hall, where the light coming from the cave entrance was not very clear, but they could still see it.
Zhang Hongmei had a stone box with the lid off, and she pulled Zhang Xingguo to stand in front of the box. "Uncle Zhang, look!"
"Wow, we've really struck it rich! Are all these boxes full of gold bars?"
"I think so. Shall we open them and take a look?"
"Sure, but not now. The sheep are still outside; aren't you afraid they'll get lost?"
"That's true. Let's go up quickly then. We'll come back tomorrow to take another look."
"Let's go!" Zhang Xingguo appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding. Shouyi had told him that he suspected their funds from their past life were windfall gains. Seeing this today, he finally believed it. But it was this girl who discovered it.
The two arrived at the cave entrance. "Uncle Zhang, you go up first," Zhang Hongmei said. Actually, she just wanted to test Zhang Xingguo's character. This wasn't just a small amount of money; she wondered what Zhang Xingguo would do. Just the fact that he could come down to find her with only one arm made him trustworthy, but she still wanted to try and see.
"You go first, I climb slowly."
"The one who climbs slowly should go up first. Let's stop struggling, or what if we lose the sheep?"
"You silly girl." Zhang Xingguo reached out to climb but was stopped by Zhang Hongmei. She untied the rope that was attached to the stone and tied it around Zhang Xingguo's waist. "It's much safer this way."
Zhang Xingguo gave Zhang Hongmei a deep look without saying a word, and then used one hand to hold the rope tightly, using his feet to climb up little by little.
Going up is harder than coming down, but Zhang Xingguo had spent half his life in the military, and Zhang Hongmei saw him climb a bit and then turn around, twisting the rope around his waist.
This is a good idea. Once Zhang Xingguo finally climbs up, they immediately untangle the rope and throw it down.
"Girl, come up here quickly."
Zhang Hongmei took the rope and tied herself up, but she was quite happy inside, as she didn't want to always live in suspicion and paranoia. This time, Zhang Xingguo had truly gained Zhang Hongmei's approval.
Zhang Hongmei quickly climbed up. She untied the rope from the tree, rolled it up, and put it in her bag, ignoring Zhang Xingguo's questioning gaze.
I really can't explain this. So I'll just pretend I don't know.
The two jogged for more than forty minutes before returning to the sweet potato field. The sheep were still grazing peacefully, and nothing unexpected had happened.
"Hongmei, can you trust me? This is a huge fortune. Aren't you afraid I'll get envious? Aren't you afraid I'll become greedy? Aren't you afraid I'll do something to harm you?"
“Uncle Zhang, I will trust you from now on. Just now, you had many ways to solve my problem, but you didn’t, which shows that you are an upright person. So I trust you.”
"Okay, I won't do anything to disappoint you. Besides, I have more confidence in my own character."
The two cut more grass, but Zhang Hongmei couldn't take out the wild vegetables. This was a secret she would never tell her own flesh and blood. It wasn't selfishness, but rather a belief that given enough temptation, betrayal was inevitable.
"Hongmei, did you forget the machete and basket in the cave?"
"Okay, I'll come back tomorrow to take it back. I was too nervous and forgot."
The two herded the sheep down the mountain.
"Hongmei, I know you and that girl Erya are close, but there are some things we'd better not say."
"Don't worry, Uncle Zhang, I know what's important."
When the two returned home, Zhang Xingguo was in charge of getting water for the sheep, while Zhang Hongmei fed the chickens first. She didn't eat the sugar buns from lunch, as they didn't smell bad. She made tomato dumpling soup for dinner. The two sugar buns she brought back, along with the three left over at home, were enough for them.
During the meal, Wang Xingguo seemed hesitant to speak, and Zhang Hongmei couldn't stand it any longer. "Uncle Zhang, is there something you want to say?"
"Yes, that's right, Hongmei, what are you going to do with all this money?"
"I don't know. We can't get it back, and we can't spend it outside. Maybe we should just leave it. To be honest, these things are of no use to me now. They're not as good as food."
Zhang Xingguo was speechless; this spendthrift girl.
“Hongmei, I’ll have your brother Zhang come over and we can discuss using this money first, and then paying you back later, okay? Of course, we’ll write an IOU, and we’ll pay the interest.”
"Uncle Zhang, what do you need so much money for?"
"Don't ask about these things. The less you know, the better. Let your Brother Zhang talk to you. Is that alright? I'm not trying to bully you or take advantage of you. You don't need these things right now, but we need them urgently."
"Sure, I'll let my Brother Zhang talk to me."
Zhang Xingguo felt extremely embarrassed; he had been bullying a little girl! He decided to ask Shouyi for his opinion.
Zhang Xingguo returned home dejectedly, then suddenly remembered that he had gone to Liu Maocai's house.
"Brother Liu, I need your help with something."
"What's up, Brother Zhang?"
"I'd like to ask you to go to the city tomorrow and bring my son over. It's inconvenient for me to go out. I was wondering if you have time?"
"Okay, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning, but I don't know where you live?"
"You can read, right?"
"Learning to read."
“Then I’ll write down the address for you, and you can tell him to come back tomorrow.”
"No problem, it's a piece of cake."
Zhang Xingguo couldn't sleep at home. He was deeply distressed. How could someone who had lived an upright life have done such a thing? But now there was no turning back. Thinking about what his son had told him about their fate in their past lives, his resolve was strengthened.
The next day, the two herded the sheep up the mountain. "Uncle Zhang, let's not go to the cave. Let's wait for my brother Zhang to come and then we'll go together."
“Okay.” Zhang Xingguo felt he couldn’t face Zhang Hongmei, so he said very little.
"Uncle Zhang, this won't do. You don't need to feel embarrassed. Otherwise, we won't be able to get along. It will be so awkward."
Zhang Xingguo's expression was complicated, but he still nodded. "I've lived an upright life, I never imagined I'd end up doing something like this?"
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