Chapter 34: None of Them Are Easy to Deal With

The electric light wire on the ceiling had long been removed, yet it left behind the marks of a lightbulb that had scorched it for years.

Ning Weidong held a flashlight in one hand and tapped with a screwdriver in the other, then tucked the screwdriver into his waistband and used his hands to support the wooden board.

He applied a little force, but it didn't budge at all.

Ning Weidong frowned and increased the force in his hands.

At first, it still didn't budge, but as his strength reached a certain level, there was a sudden "click."

Ning Weidong heard it clearly and simultaneously felt the wooden board in his hands shift slightly.

He became even more certain that there was some kind of mechanism here, and his movement just now had likely damaged or snapped the latch of the mechanism.

These wooden boards had been underground for years and were corroded by dampness, so they weren't very sturdy to begin with; plus, Ning Weidong had immense strength after his transmigration, so when he pushed upward again, it immediately gave way.

In an instant, a patch of dust came rustling down.

Ning Weidong looked up, and seeing the dust falling, he quickly dodged backward to avoid getting it in his eyes.

At the same time, he let go of the hand supporting the wooden board above, and that board, along with the things on top of it, fell down all at once.

First came a "bang" as the wooden board hit the ground, followed by a "clatter" as something unknown shattered, emitting the sound of metal colliding with a "clinking and clanking."

Ning Weidong hurriedly shone his flashlight toward the ground.

First was the wooden board, which had fallen right beside his feet; there were obvious fresh, broken edges on both sides, which he had just caused.

Beside the wooden board were several cylinders wrapped in dark brown oil paper.

One of them had shattered open, and "Yuan Datou" silver dollars were scattered all over the floor.

Ning Weidong's eyes lit up, and he immediately squatted down to examine them closely.

There were eight paper packages in total; one had scattered, leaving seven remaining.

Based on the size, each paper package contained about fifty Ocean Coins, totaling four hundred.

At the current price of five yuan each, these Ocean Coins were worth two thousand yuan!

Besides that, there was also a stack of money on the ground, folded in half and tied with a rubber band.

Ning Weidong reached out and picked it up.

They were all semi-new Big Unity notes; he tucked the flashlight into his armpit, slid off the rubber band, and counted them—there were twenty in total.

Adding those to the Ocean Coins, it came to nearly two thousand two hundred yuan in total.

Ning Weidong clutched the money and fell into thought.

Two thousand yuan might seem like a lot, but the things Qi Jiazui had obtained back then were far more than this—all kinds of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver jewelry, foreign brand-name watches... even if it didn't fill a room, it could at least fill a large wardrobe.

Was this all that was left—just these two thousand-plus yuan?

Based on this situation, this place didn't seem like the secret base he had initially imagined, but rather a fallback position Qi Jiazui had left for himself.

The cash went without saying, and those Ocean Coins were also extremely easy to liquidate and didn't attract as much attention as gold.

In that case, it made sense.

But there was also something illogical: if this really was a place like a safe house, a springboard for hiding and running away after something went wrong, logically it shouldn't have been easily exposed. Why did Qi Jiazui keep coming here?

Could it be that besides this place, Qi Jiazui had other hideouts nearby?

Ning Weidong couldn't think of a reason for a moment, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

He bent over and picked up the intact rolls of Ocean Coins from the floor, stuffing the seven of them into his thick cotton-padded jacket and pants pockets, making them bulge.

Afterward, he picked up the scattered Ocean Coins one by one.

Each one was worth five yuan; three and a half of them equaled his current monthly salary.

However, just as he had picked up half of them, Ning Weidong suddenly raised an eyebrow, his movements froze, and he tilted his head to listen.

Arguments and shouting were actually coming from outside.

Ning Weidong frowned; ignoring the remaining twenty-some Ocean Coins on the ground, he stuffed the coins he had picked up into his pockets. He quickly clicked off the flashlight, crouched to the side of the ladder leading down to the cellar, pulled the screwdriver from his waist, held it in a reverse grip, and observed upward.

At this moment, the commotion on the ground grew louder, and Ning Weidong recognized that the one shouting above was indeed Wang Jingsheng.

"Zhang Jinfa, what are you doing... let go of An Ning..."

Ning Weidong felt a jolt in his heart; Wang Jingsheng had actually returned, and judging by the sound of it, he had even brought An Ning with him.

Opposite him was Zhang Jinfa; the two sides had run into each other.

Ning Weidong pricked up his ears to listen.

On the ground, Zhang Jinfa chuckled: "Wang Jingsheng, we've had a friendship for over ten years; you're not being honorable this time. You have a way to get rich, but you don't bring us brothers along."

Wang Jingsheng said angrily: "You call this a way to get rich? Which eye did you see me getting rich with? I've been eating and spending, and I've even lost several dozen on top of that; you call this getting rich..."

Zhang Jinfa was silent for a few seconds and said: "Jingsheng, whether you're getting rich or not, you have to give me an explanation for this matter~ I was the one who helped you find this courtyard. You're leaving me in the dark—what kind of situation is this?"

Wang Jingsheng had only brought An Ning this time, but Zhang Jinfa had five or six people with him.

A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him, so Wang Jingsheng hesitated only slightly before saying: "Do you still remember Qi Jiazui from back then..."

Blah, blah, blah—he recounted the situation from a few days ago when Ning Weidong went to find him.

Finally, he said: "It's not that I intended to hide it from you, but this matter hasn't even begun to take shape. If I really made a big fuss and ended up with nothing, what would you think of me?"

Zhang Jinfa didn't pay attention to Wang Jingsheng's excuses and pondered: "Ning Weidong~ sounds a bit familiar."

Wang Jingsheng said: "He's that short guy who used to be by Qi Jiazui's side, the one who specializes in stabbing people in the back; he's got ruthless hands~"

Zhang Jinfa realized: "It's him?"

Wang Jingsheng said: "He went to the Northeast a few years ago. I don't know what he ate, but he's now half a head taller than me."

In the cellar, because they were no longer shouting and had switched to normal conversation, Ning Weidong could only barely hear bits and pieces.

This was still the result of his hearing having improved significantly after his transmigration; an ordinary person would probably hear nothing at all.

Ning Weidong wasn't surprised that Wang Jingsheng had revealed him.

The two sides were only cooperating because of interests; there was no talk of who betrayed whom.

Wang Jingsheng added: "Zhang Jinfa, that's the situation. You've seen the result yourself; I've already dug up the room and didn't find a single coin. If you don't believe me, you can call your own people to keep digging. If you really dig something up, you can take it all; I won't have a single word to say."

After Wang Jingsheng finished speaking this time, he fell into silence once again.

This explanation from Wang Jingsheng was half-true and half-false, concealing the Cellar that An Ning had just thought of.

Zhang Jinfa, however, was half-skeptical of him; the main point was that the side room had indeed been dug up thoroughly, and there were truly no signs of anything being hidden.

Neither side was a pushover.

Ning Weidong listened for a long while more, but heard no further movement.

He reckoned Zhang Jinfa and Wang Jingsheng had huddled together and lowered their voices.

A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps leaving came through.

He did not know what they had ultimately decided.

Judging by the wording and tone of the two men's conversation, Wang Jingsheng likely could not afford to offend Zhang Jinfa, but he must also have had some trump cards that made Zhang Jinfa wary, preventing him from pushing too hard.

Being brave and fierce still required a sense of proportion; those hotheaded fools who did not care for proportion never lasted long.

Ning Weidong waited another few minutes before climbing out.

He did not go to pick up the remaining Ocean Coins; the haul from this trip was already not small, and there was no need to waste more time.

Ning Weidong cast a glance toward the direction of the courtyard gate.

Zhang Jinfa was not a simple man; to guard against anyone being left outside to lie in wait, Ning Weidong did not intend to use the gate, planning instead to go back the way he came and climb over the wall.

Yet unexpectedly, just as he took a step, a mocking chuckle came from behind him!

(End of this chapter)