Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 704 Oh my god! Jia Zhangshi's secret stash of money has been found!
"You little brat, just you wait! When I find you, I'll make you pay!"

Xu Damao was taking a shower, gritting his teeth in hatred.

"You drugged me and made me lose face! This can't be left like this! You think you can hide in the city and I won't catch you? Dream on!"

After saying this, Xu Damao asked where he would find the peach blossoms.

After thinking of more than a dozen places, I immediately lost my nerve.

"Damn it! The city is so big, how am I supposed to find all these places!"

Without any news of Tao Hua'er visiting relatives, finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"It's alright. If I can't find you in the city, I don't believe you really won't come to the commune. Someone without a food ration book can only stay in the city for a few days at most."

"I refuse to believe that I can't catch you in the commune. I'll just wait for you to come back."

"That's right, just like that!"

The thought of waiting for peach blossoms in the commune filled Xu Damao with immense joy.

Unfortunately, the blissful moment lasted only a couple of seconds before my hands, which were washing up, suddenly stopped.

"No, no, I've lost all face at the commune. If I go back now, I'll just be a laughingstock. No way!"

Xu Damao couldn't forget the group of people who were watching the spectacle, especially the little kids!
My face burns just thinking about it.

Not only the children knew, but everyone in the commune knew his disheveled appearance. Now that he had come, everyone knew he was coming. Wasn't he just humiliating himself?

"If I can't get a seat in the commune, I refuse to believe I can't get one halfway through!"

"Yes! That's right! That's it. I refuse to believe I can't catch her on the way. I can't handle a little wench!"

Thinking of this, Xu Damao instantly regained his confidence.

But then something else came to mind.

"I heard Peach Blossom has three older brothers? Damn it! How could I forget that? This little wench has three older brothers, why the hell did she drug me!"

"If I cause trouble for her, won't I be the one who suffers in the end? Damn it!"

As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands, let alone more than four hands. No matter how good your kung fu is, you're still afraid of being outnumbered.

"Damn it!" Xu Damao gritted his teeth in hatred, but there was nothing he could do.

"You lucky bastard, I'm not going to bother with you anymore."

After much deliberation, Xu Damao's anger ultimately succumbed to reality, and he had no choice but to swallow his anger and let the matter fade away.

get off work.

"Xu Damao, is my medicine alright?"

Xu Damao smiled awkwardly when he saw Li Kailang come to his door: "No, nothing."

"Nothing? Then what exactly happened yesterday?" Li Kailang asked curiously. "Is there anything you didn't tell me this morning? Now that it's just the two of us, tell me about it?"

Xu Damao glanced at Li Kailang. How could he possibly talk about such a shameful thing? Didn't he have any pride?

"It's nothing, it's not about the medicine anyway, don't worry about it."

"Hey, wait a minute, I'm just curious. Tell me what happened?"

"It's nothing, really nothing. I just drugged someone, it's nothing serious," Xu Damao replied casually, only thinking about quickly fooling Li Kailang and getting it over with.

"Drugged them?" This made Li Kailang even more curious: "Who would dare to drug a projectionist like you? Are you saying they don't want to watch movies anymore?"

"Watch a movie? Yeah, why didn't I think of that!"

Xu Damao clapped his hands and suddenly realized that he had been thinking all day about how to get revenge, but Li Kailang had given him a solution as soon as he arrived.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Li Kailang was completely unaware of what was going on. "Tell me what exactly happened?"

"It's nothing, really nothing. I'm going to eat now, so I won't keep you."

After saying that, Xu Damao shoved Li Kailang out, as if afraid he would come back in, and slammed the door shut.

"Hey, this kid!"

The next day.

noon.

The afternoon sun shone through the small iron window bars, casting long, thin shadows on the ground.

"Ah~ That feels so good~"

Madam Jia shifted her body, avoiding the sun, and leaned against the cool wall, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Outside, the sun is scorching, and walking through the alleys makes you sweat profusely. Unlike here, it's cool and comfortable.

"Click~" The sound of the door opening rang out, and Jia Zhangshi raised her eyebrows: "Why isn't Qin Huairu here yet? I'm starving."

Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao will arrive.

Qin Huairu carried the food box into the cell and saw Jia Zhangshi's leisurely and carefree appearance, which made her even angrier.

She still managed to suppress her anger: "Mom."

Qin Huairu's sudden voice startled the leisurely Jia Zhangshi, who hurriedly got up and rushed to Qin Huairu, crying out:

"Daughter-in-law, you've finally arrived. Has Old Yi still not found anyone? I don't want to stay here anymore; I want to leave."

Qin Huairu was so tired of hearing this that Jia Zhangshi said it every time she brought her food.

Did they really think she was stupid enough not to know? Looking at how Jia Zhangshi was enjoying herself, did she look like she wanted to go out?
"Mom, just bear with it a little longer, you'll be out in a few days. I'll cook you a nice meal when you get out," Qin Huairu said with deep affection.

The two women looked like a loving mother-in-law and a filial daughter-in-law, which brought tears to people's eyes.

After Jia Zhangshi's 'heavenly' speech, the last thing the people in the prison wanted was to get out; staying in prison was just so good.

Although I don't have freedom, at least I don't have to work, isn't that great?

"Alright then." Madam Jia took the food, only to find that the lunchbox contained a bowl of clear vegetable soup, two cornbread buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

I immediately lost my joy, but at least I had something to eat.

Qin Huairu looked at Jia Zhangshi with a surge of anger; she had been incredibly busy lately.

You, Jia Zhangshi, have to go to work, deliver meals, do housework when you get home, and even spent 10 yuan to renovate the walls that were burned by a stick. You're living a carefree life.

Fortunately, an older woman helped her; otherwise, Qin Huairu wouldn't know how she would have gotten through this period.

"Mom, I'm going back now," Qin Huairu said after Jia Zhangshi finished her meal.

"Sigh, you should go back," Jia Zhangshi said casually, picking her teeth.

After leaving the police station, Qin Huairu became increasingly angry.

"Why should you enjoy yourself in prison and not have to do anything, while I have to keep running around and work myself to death!"

Filled with resentment, Qin Huairu naturally wanted to retaliate.

She had already figured out how to get revenge.

"I refuse to believe I can't find your secret stash of money!"

As soon as I got home.

"Banggeng, take your little sister out to play. Mom needs to do a big clean."

"Alright!" Upon hearing about the big clean-up, Banggeng immediately dragged his sister away from home. He wasn't even motivated to do any work.

Once Banggeng was out of sight, Qin Huairu closed the door and began rummaging through the chests and cabinets, determined to find Jia Zhangshi's hidden money.

Jia Zhangshi was a woman who loved money more than anything, so she must have hidden her money very well.

"I have plenty of time and patience. I refuse to believe I can't find where you're hiding. If I can't find you, I'll keep looking until I do!"

Qin Huairu stood alone in the center of the main room, her gaze as sharp as a hawk's.

"Let's start with the kang!" He lifted the earthen cloth quilt that Jia Zhangshi had laid out and touched it inch by inch, the edges of the mat, the gaps, and even used his fingernails to pick at the places where dirt and grime were hidden.

No.

A pillow? Take it apart! Cotton wadding is scattered all over the floor, and there's nothing there except for the pungent smell of dust.

Old-fashioned three-drawer tables became the main target.

Every drawer was pulled out and placed upside down on the floor, its contents scattered everywhere—blackened thimbles, several rusty needles.
Qin Huairu carefully felt the grooves under the drawers, behind the back panel, and inside the table legs with her hands.

No! I don't believe it!

Qin Huairu was unwilling to give up, and even dragged the heavy table away from the wall.

The floor and walls behind the desk, which are never exposed to sunlight, are covered in mold and have accumulated a thick layer of old grime.

Qin Huairu knelt down, her hands groping inch by inch through the cracks in the wall covered with cobwebs, her fingernails filled with black mud.

No!

"It must be hidden somewhere, it's definitely there."

Qin Huairu was completely unaffected; in fact, a rebellious spirit even arose within her.

He looked at a camphor wood chest in the wardrobe.

Jia Zhangshi's several patched "decent" clothes were roughly shaken open, every pocket of each garment was turned inside out, and every wrinkle and seam on the fabric was examined with fingertips.
The padding at the bottom of the box was also lifted, revealing the bottom panel.

There are no hidden compartments or hidden layers.

They even turned the box upside down and poked at the corners with scissors, but still found nothing.

"They hid it quite well." Qin Huairu wiped the sweat from her forehead.

His gaze swept across every suspicious spot in the house.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the pile of coal next to the stove.

An absurd thought flashed through my mind: "Could it be hidden here? Even if that old hag is senile, she wouldn't hide money here, would she?"

It's just that we haven't been able to find it, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance.

With patience, I moved the coal pile piece by piece to check the bottom, and as expected, there wasn't a single piece. I just got covered in black ash.

"Huff~" After searching for a long time, Qin Huairu was exhausted. She sat on the hot stool, panting, her eyes aimlessly scanning the room that she knew so well, yet now felt so strange.

"Where exactly is it hidden?"

My gaze finally settled on the wall that had been set ablaze by the stick, scanning the entire wall before finally settling on the corner at the base of the wall.

That place is usually hidden by a broken pickling jar, covered in cobwebs and dust, and is not usually given a second glance!
"Could it be hidden right here?"

Qin Huairu rushed over and knelt in the corner, her hands trembling as she reached for the base of the wall where it met the ground.

There was a small, uneven section of old wall with what appeared to be a small dent.
If it weren't for the burning of the wall, Qin Huairu would never have thought of cleaning up this place.

"Scissors! Scissors!"

Qin Huairu used scissors to pry down on that tiny bumpy spot—a small piece of mud peeled off!

"Right here, right here!"

Qin Huairu forcefully pried open the pieces of mud, revealing a small roll tightly wrapped in thick oiled paper!

"Dong Dong~"

Qin Huairu's heart pounded like a drum. She carefully used her hands to pry it out, and finally managed to pull out the small oil paper package that was tightly stuffed deep into the hole in the wall.

The oil paper had some dust and dirt on it, but it was quite clean after a gentle blow, so it was obvious that it had been touched recently.

"Hahaha~"

"Found it! Found it!" Qin Huairu was overjoyed and hurriedly unwrapped the layers of oil paper that wrapped it.

The money was neatly rolled up inside, mostly ten-dollar bills, with a few one-dollar and two-dollar bills mixed in.

Qin Huairu counted quickly and nervously, her fingers clumsy with excitement: 10.5082
After finally counting everything, it was exactly 123.5 yuan!

"boom--"

“It can’t be that little. There was at least 700 yuan back then. She gave me 400 yuan a few days ago. The old woman still has at least 300 yuan.”

"There's only a little over 100 yuan here. The old woman must have at least 200 yuan more, which she's definitely hiding at home!"

In an instant, half of the elation of success was shattered.

Clutching the roll of banknotes, Qin Huairu felt her blood boiling, a surge of impulsive rage rising to her head: "Take it! Take it all! Let that old hag come out and cry!"

But then he calmed down: "What if the old hag comes back and finds the money missing? Should we just say the house was burgled? No, there are too many people in this yard, it doesn't make sense to say the house was burgled."

"Or it could be that Banggeng set the fire, and the money was hidden in the corner and burned along with it! But that won't work either, the fire only burned outside and the house was completely unharmed, that doesn't make sense either."

Upon realizing this, Qin Huairu's instinctive calculations, like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguished that impulse.

That old hag is a shrew! Would she believe that? Absolutely not!
She knew Jia Zhangshi all too well; that old woman was more suspicious than a millstone, and she wouldn't spit out even the smallest bit of something she'd swallowed.

Such a large sum of "retirement money" just vanished like that? She would definitely pounce on him like a mad dog and tear him apart.

Throwing a tantrum is the least of it; they might cause a scene at the factory, on the street, or even call the police claiming their daughter-in-law has stolen their family property—anything is possible.

"Phew~" Thinking of this, Qin Huairu breathed a sigh of relief: "This matter needs to be thought through carefully and considered thoroughly. We can't risk getting ourselves involved just to vent our anger."

Qin Huairu even subconsciously glanced back at the tightly closed door, as if Jia Zhangshi would appear like a ghost and walk through the wall at any moment.

"This money is probably untouchable. At least until a conflict arises, this money absolutely cannot be touched."

"But we can't just put it back like that. I went through all this trouble to find it, not to just put it back like that."

How could we possibly let her continue living in this dilapidated house, constantly fearing for her life, and having to nitpick and take every little thing she does so seriously?

Qin Huairu stared intently at the oil paper package, when suddenly a brilliant idea for revenge arose in her mind.

"How about we put the money back exactly as it was? Pretend nothing happened!"

In an instant, Qin Huairu suddenly understood.

"That's a great idea!"

She put it back; Qin Huairu had grasped this secret, keeping Jia Zhangshi completely in the dark.

Even if all her money is taken by Jia Zhangshi in the future, just because she knows this place, would Jia Zhangshi still dare to nitpick at her or make a fuss about her?
If Jia Zhangshi dares to harbor any more ill intentions and mistreat Qin Huairu, she will simply say, "Mom, you'd better keep your things hidden in the corner well covered."

Or perhaps, a fleeting glance at the corner of the wall.
As long as Jia Zhangshi becomes suspicious, that's enough!

This is more ruthless and lasting than taking the money now!

"Haha, this is a great idea! From now on, we'll really have to rethink who's the mother-in-law and who's the daughter-in-law in the family, and who's easy to manage!"

In an instant, Qin Huairu was overwhelmed with excitement; once again, she had control of the household.

"We have to put it back quickly; we can't let it be obvious that it was searched."

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu no longer hesitated, carefully rolled up the money again, and wrapped it tightly in oil paper.

Walking to the corner, I carefully brushed aside the scattered dirt and forcefully stuffed the oil paper package back into that bottomless little black hole.

Then he picked up the small piece of mud he had just pried off, carefully put it back in, smoothed out the marks as much as possible, and then moved a broken brick covered in cobwebs next to him, pretending to unintentionally block the way.

"These are safe now!"

After doing all this, Qin Huairu leaned against the wall and let out a long, deep sigh of relief.

Looking at the corner again, he had a vague feeling of unease: "What if we get caught? That old hag has sharp eyes."

Once Jia Zhangshi returns, she will undoubtedly check on her treasures immediately.

What if she notices even the slightest sign that the place has been tampered with?
"When you do something, you have to do it completely!"

Immediately, Qin Huairu got up and prepared to get some soil to reseal the hole, ensuring that everything was foolproof.

But is that all there is to it?
(End of this chapter)