Chapter 14: Eating Soft Rice with a Hard Bite

Zhou Yongxin was still in Zhong Xiao’s bedroom, trying to brainwash her, unaware that he had become the one being brainwashed.

Meanwhile, in the room on the third floor, Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe returned to their bedroom, and a strange, oppressive silence filled the air. The thought of those priceless treasures now lost made Du Huacheng’s chest ache with fury, his temples pounding, even his eye sockets throbbed with pain.

Yang Yuehe followed nervously in his wake, lips pressed tight. At length, she spoke hesitantly:

“Old Du, I think there’s still hope for a turnaround.”

Du Huacheng had no interest in engaging with her. He sat by the bed, face grim, unwilling to spare her a glance.

Yang Yuehe slipped into her usual clinging, tearful act, moving to his side and weeping, two large tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Old Du, something about this isn’t right. Think about it—even if Peiyun called people over to steal everything, where could they have possibly put so much stuff? The city’s under such tight scrutiny now. So many boxes—where could they hide them? Even if they cleared out a whole house, it might not be enough space. As long as we investigate quietly, we’re bound to find some trace!”

Du Huacheng’s eyes darted.

Seeing his expression soften a little, Yang Yuehe pressed on:

“And another thing, Old Du, the most important item in our family is still sitting safely in the courtyard. As long as we have that, what is there to fear? Dollars, Hong Kong notes—what are they compared to gold?”

“As long as the gold is in our hands, the rest is nothing—like tossing a few coins to a beggar!”

“Hmph!” Du Huacheng snorted coldly. “Tossing coins to a beggar? Are you really that generous? Handing out millions like that? That was real, hard cash!”

“And those things—right now, they’re priceless and impossible to buy. So what if you have gold? Can gold cure illness?”

“And my Rolexes—do you know how hard I worked to get those few pieces? I was saving them for when we reached Hong Kong. Now, what use are they?”

As he spoke, his anger flared again.

He truly was furious.

Yang Yuehe kept up her teary facade. “Old Du, if I hadn’t insisted you convert the cash into those items, you wouldn’t have bought them. And the idea for the Buddha statue in the courtyard—that was mine, too. Can’t you forgive me, just for the little good I’ve done?”

Du Huacheng shot her a frosty look.

“Yes, all the ideas were yours. But all that hard cash was mine. Now it’s gone, of course you don’t feel the pain.”

Outwardly she apologized and placated, but inside, Yang Yuehe muttered to herself:

“That hard cash wasn’t yours either—it belonged to the Zhong family, didn’t it?”

Of course, these words she dared not say aloud. The thing Du Huacheng hated most in this life was being accused of living off a woman, of all his money coming from the Zhong family.

So, Yang Yuehe could only say, “Yes, yes, it was all my stupidity, trusting the wrong people, and making our family swallow this bitter loss.”

Du Huacheng sneered again.

“A bitter loss? Let me tell you: in my dictionary, there’s no such thing as losing!”

He had always been the one to outwit others. No one had ever taken advantage of him!

Did those people really think they could steal from him and get away? Impossible! Even if he had to turn the whole city of Yue upside down, he would get his things back!

—

That night was, of course, sleepless for Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe. But Zhong Xiao was in excellent spirits. After catching up on sleep in the afternoon, she wasn’t the least bit tired. Standing by the window, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure flitting through the courtyard.

That sly, furtive gait, glancing left and right like a thief—who else could it be but Zhou Yongxin? He’d clearly left earlier, yet here he was returning, probably to find Du Yinger. At this hour, as an outsider, he couldn’t possibly walk in openly. He’d have to climb the wall.

Zhong Xiao quietly opened her bedroom door. Sure enough, from the crack, she saw light spilling out from beneath Du Yinger’s door. Zhong Xiao raised an eyebrow. Zhou Yongxin moved fast. Clearly, for the sake of her fortune and that jade pendant, he was going all out.

But if Zhou Yongxin could enter Du Yinger’s room, that meant Du Yinger must be awake by now.

Zhong Xiao closed her door softly, lay down on her bed, and closed her eyes, entering her space.

Her space was now filled to the brim with treasures looted from the Zhong family warehouse—dozens of large chests piled together. The magical thing about this space was that no matter how heavy the item, it felt light as a feather. With a tap of her finger, a chest would open; a pinch, and the item was in her palm. No effort required at all.

She began to organize the boxes by category—clothes with clothes, jewelry with jewelry, medicines with medicines. Then, as if remembering something, she walked forward to the spring she’d discovered before.

It had only been half a day, but now the spring was full to the brim, its water crystal clear, the bottom visible, and the lingzhi mushrooms within swaying gently with the current.

Zhong Xiao reached out her hand and found there was no longer any barrier. As her hand touched the spring, a healing energy surged through her body, flowing from her fingertips along her veins to every part of her. The pain in her forehead vanished instantly—she pressed down and felt nothing at all.

Her entire being seemed cleansed; since her rebirth, she’d never felt so peaceful, so calm.

She recalled that when the transparent dome had blocked her, the words inscribed above it read “Spirit Spring.” So this clear pool must be the Spirit Spring.

She didn’t yet know all its uses, but at least one thing was clear—it could heal or at least ease physical pain.

Zhong Xiao returned to her bedroom, took an enamel cup, and filled it with Spirit Spring water. Previously, the space had told her her merit points were too low to store more than two hundred pounds of goods at a time. Now, she kept this cup with her. If it really could heal or save someone’s life, it ought to count as a deed of merit.

As she pondered this, she gazed out at the vast expanse of fertile black soil and fell into thought.

In her previous life, before being sent to the countryside, she’d been a pampered young lady whose fingers had never touched spring water. But now, she was a capable worker who could wield a hoe and plough the fields single-handedly.

She decided she’d have to find time to go out tomorrow.

Fortune favored her—early the next morning, Zhong Xiao was awakened by wails. She got up to see what was happening and discovered the cries came from Du Yinger’s room.

She hurried over to join the commotion and found Du Yinger lying in Yang Yuehe’s arms, face ashen, sobbing, “It hurts, it hurts, Mom…it hurts…”

Yang Yuehe was beside herself with worry.

At that moment, Zhong Xiao spoke up: “I’ll go to the hospital and see if I can get some painkillers.”

Yang Yuehe and Du Huacheng turned to her in disbelief. How could she…be so kind?

Yang Yuehe darted frantic glances at Du Huacheng. He, too, looked at Zhong Xiao, sensing something amiss—what if she meant harm to Du Yinger? He said, “Xiaoxiao, you stay home and rest; I’ll go.”

He made to leave, but Zhong Xiao snorted.

“My grandfather’s sworn brother is the head pharmacist at Yuecheng People’s Hospital. If I go, I might actually get the medicine. You—are you sure Second Granduncle would give it to you?”