Yan Ci remembered the small cellar at home and asked Huang Ping to tap on the floor.
Sure enough, it was hidden underground.
They pried open the floorboards, revealing the cellar, inside which were two wooden boxes. Yan Ci carried the boxes out.
Upon opening the boxes, one box contained gold bars, and the other contained jewelry and jade artifacts.
Both of them opened their eyes wide.
Unexpectedly, Yao Dajun had amassed so much gold and jewelry.
Yan Ci told Huang Ping to take whatever she wanted, but Huang Ping only took two large yellow croakers.
She said Yao Dajun had swindled all of her family's property, and this was compensation.
Yan Ci scattered the box of jewels and jade all over the ground, and then took the box containing the gold away.
Before leaving, they stuffed a rag into Yao Dajun's mouth.
Yan Ci and Huang Ping quietly left the courtyard and went their separate ways.
Zeng Daming lived very close by, so he went to Zeng Daming's house.
Zeng Daming heard a noise at the window in the middle of the night, got up and opened the door, and saw a large piece of white paper stuck in the crack of the door.
The sign reads, "Yao Dajun secretly interrogates a big capitalist at No. 13 Xinghua Lane."
Zeng Daming was a scoundrel, audacious and insatiable.
Seeing the words "big capitalist" aroused greed.
He called on Zeng Daqing, a younger brother from the same clan, and the two headed straight for Xinghua Lane.
Zeng Daming and Zeng Daqing secretly climbed over the wall into No. 13 Xinghua Lane.
The two approached the house quietly. The lights were on inside, and there was no sound.
Zeng Daming told Zeng Daqing to go in and check the situation first. Zeng Daqing's eyes widened as soon as he entered the room.
There are many valuable things on the ground.
They have everything: gold, silver, jade, pearls, gemstones, bracelets, necklaces, and more.
Zeng Daqing looked around and found no one in the house, so he went out to call Zeng Daming.
He exclaimed excitedly, "Brother, we've struck it rich!"
Zeng Daming immediately went into the room and stared wide-eyed at the sight of the jewelry scattered on the floor.
The two searched inside and out before finally finding Yao Dajun in a corner of the house.
Yao Dajun was tied up, with bloodstains on his head and his eyes closed.
Most people would leave immediately upon seeing this, but Zeng Daming was a man who valued money more than his life.
He gestured for his underling to go forward and check the situation.
Zeng Daqing felt Yao Dajun's nose with his hand:
"Brother Da Ming, he's still alive."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Dajun opened his eyes.
Yao Dajun looked around but didn't see the dark-faced man.
Then, he let out a muffled sob.
Zeng Daming ripped the gag out of his mouth and asked, "What's wrong, Team Leader Yao? You have something to say!"
Yao Dajun pleaded, "Team Leader Zeng, please help me untie the rope."
Zeng Daming seemed not to hear, and looked at the jewelry and jade artifacts scattered on the ground.
Following his greedy gaze, Yao Dajun also saw the jewelry on the ground.
These are all my treasured items, and I'm very reluctant to part with them, but I'm in a vulnerable position right now, and my life is the most important thing.
He immediately said to Zeng Daming:
"Brother Da Ming, here you go, just let me go first."
Zeng Daming grinned crookedly: "Then thank you for your generosity, Team Leader Yao."
Then he instructed Zeng Daqing:
"Daqing, did you hear what Team Leader Yao said? He gave all these things to me. Hurry up and pack them up."
Zeng Daqing carefully collected the scattered gold and silver jewelry from the ground and packed them into a box.
Seeing the two men carrying their things and about to leave, Yao Dajun hurriedly shouted:
"Let me go before you leave!"
Zeng Daming turned around and smiled: "Oh, and you too! I almost forgot about you."
As he approached with a dagger, Yao Dajun was overjoyed, thinking he was going to help him cut the ropes.
As a result, Zeng Daming sent him to the Western Paradise.
Then, Zeng Daming and Zeng Daqing left with the boxes.
Yan Ci hid in the corner until the two came out and saw them leave with their suitcases before he felt relieved and went home.
Not wanting to wake Li Mingyue and her husband, Yan Ci quietly climbed over the wall into his own yard.
Bai Xiaoyue hadn't slept a wink all night. Hearing a noise outside the door, she immediately got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and opened the door.
Seeing that Yan Ci was alright, she finally smiled with relief and rushed over to hug her man.
Once inside the room, Bai Xiaoyue asked Yan Ci, "A-Ci, did it go smoothly?"
Yan Ci said, "Wife, don't worry."
He asked his wife to sit down first, and opened the box to show her the gold bars inside.
Bai Xiaoyue was so shocked that she stared blankly for a long time before she came to her senses.
"Aci, how come there's so much gold?"
Yan Ci said, "These are all the money that Yao Dajun plundered from others."
"If I left it there, Zeng Daming would take it away anyway, so I took it back."
Bai Xiaoyue asked with some concern, "Is it safe?"
Although she loved money, she valued her life even more.
Yan Ci, holding Bai Xiaoyue, said:
"Honey, don't worry, it's alright. I listened to you, and my hands aren't stained with blood."
Bai Xiaoyue hugged Yan Ci tightly, listening to his heartbeat, and only then did her own heart find peace.
For several days in a row, heavy snow fell, turning the world into one, pure white and spotless.
Ye Changxing secretly came to find Chang Le again:
"Chang Le, you don't need to worry anymore. The person who tried to capture Auntie died in an accident."
Chang Le's eyes widened: "Really? The bad guy is dead?"
Ye Changxing nodded:
"It's true, he was killed by robbers, right in his own yard."
Chang Le jumped up and spun around:
"That's great! This is his just desserts. God has finally taken the bad guy away."
At the dinner table, Wang Weiguo and Li Mingyue heard Chang Le say that Yao Dajun had been murdered.
Wang Weiguo, unusually composed, hurriedly pulled Chang Le aside and asked, "Really? Is he really dead?"
Li Mingyue clasped her hands together and muttered something:
"Heaven has eyes and has punished the bad guys."
Bai Xiaoyue nodded with a smile in agreement: "Good and evil will eventually be rewarded."
Yan Ci remained silent and taciturn as always, focusing on his meal.
Chang Le even went to tell her uncle the good news.
Bai Wen'an has not been to work since he was injured.
Now that things are in chaos and there's no normal work to do, he's been staying at home recovering from his injuries.
Upon hearing the news, a rare smile appeared on his face.
Upon hearing this delightful news, Wen Tong's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with joy.
Everyone was immersed in the joyful atmosphere, and before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve.
This year, Li Mingyue's family joined us, making a total of 14 people celebrating the New Year together.
Bai Xiaoyue felt that no matter how chaotic the world was, the New Year's Eve dinner still needed to be prepared properly.
Pheasant stew with mushrooms, braised rabbit, braised pork with potatoes, braised lion's head meatballs, cabbage and tofu soup.
The staple foods remain rice and dumplings.
During the meal, Bai Xiaoyue felt the atmosphere was a bit heavy, so she asked Yan Ci to pour wine for the adults.
Men drink baijiu (Chinese liquor), women drink hawthorn wine, and children drink honey water.
Bai Xiaoyue raised her wine glass and said to everyone:
"It's Chinese New Year, so let's all be happy, have a drink together, and wish each other a smooth and successful year ahead."
Everyone raised their glasses, even Xiaobai and An'an picked up their small cups.
This year has been really tough.
The son that Bai's parents were so proud of is now unemployed, and the elderly couple has been feeling very down ever since.
Wang Weiguo lost his parents and his job; his feelings were indescribable.
Bai Wen'an was injured and lost his job.
Bai Xiaoyue suffered a head injury.
Although many unpleasant things happened this year, everyone still lived a positive and hardworking life.
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