Chapter 348

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Song Qiushui saw a crowd by the Big Willow Tree, and damn it, no one was managing them, so she went home furious and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

These past couple days she'd felt a bit lighter, and that fatigue had eased. She woke up groggily, and it was already dawn.

Song Qiushui washed up, and her mother, the Meng woman, hurried over and said to Song Qiushui, "Qiushui, that someone... Captain Sun..."

Song Qiushui frowned. "Which damn Captain Sun?"

"Sun Guoyou, that relative of Chai Mi's family... He said he's going to dig up some Ming Dynasty treasure, invest one hundred now, and when the treasures are dug up, split ten thousand," said the Meng woman.

Song Qiushui immediately sobered up, looking at her mother doubtfully. "Mom, did you secretly give him money? I'm telling you, that's a scam."

The Meng woman was visibly stunned for a moment. She had secretly invested two hundred...

But her daughter said it was a scam...

The Meng woman immediately wilted, but she still didn't dare tell Song Qiushui, speaking vaguely: "I didn't invest. Your Second Aunt invested..."

"How much did she invest?"

The Meng woman silently held out one hand: "Five thousand."

Song Qiushui almost jumped up. "Damn it! This spendthrift old woman! Is she crazy? Invested five thousand? Did that money fall from the sky? I'm going to see what's going on... My Second Aunt is crazy, damn it."

Song Qiushui left the house and headed straight for the small shop.

It was still early, the sun just about to rise, and the temperature was still a bit low.

Song Qiushui hadn't even had time to put on her jacket when she rushed out.

Second Aunt was cooking. Seeing Song Qiushui arrive, she spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Oh my... what wind is this? Bringing my big niece here? Weren't you getting along great with Chai Mi? Got money now, don't recognize your Second Uncle anymore..."

Because of Chai You Fu's leg injury, Second Aunt had a strong grudge against Song Qiushui. Plus, Chai Min kept badmouthing Song Qiushui behind her back, so in Second Aunt's eyes, Song Qiushui was definitely not a good person.

"Second Aunt!" Song Qiushui suppressed her anger, hands on her hips at the kitchen door. "I heard you invested money with Sun Guoyou's group? And invested five thousand?"

Second Aunt thrust the fire poker beside the stove pit, stood up, dusted off her hands, and glanced sideways at Song Qiushui. "What? I spend my own money, do I have to report to you, Miss Song? Are you my ancestor?"

"That money is thrown away! Sun Guoyou is a liar! What Ming Dynasty treasure, what Zhu San Taizi, just fooling people!" Song Qiushui stamped her feet in anxiety. "Five thousand! That's my Second Uncle's blood-and-sweat money saved over many years!"

"Pah!" Second Aunt spat. "You don't know shit! Captain Sun has documents! That bronze ware, green and glossy, I saw it with my own eyes! It has characters on it, dragon patterns! How could it be fake? Chai Mi's maternal aunt's Chunyan, and Liu San and his wife, all invested! Chai Mi is just stubborn, not destined to get rich! You little girl, why are you meddling? Just say you're jealous!"

"I'm jealous?" Song Qiushui raised her voice. "I'm jealous, so you let people make fools of us? That broken piece of copper was probably soaked by Sun Guoyou in some stinking ditch! Documents? I can print a stack tomorrow too. I say I'm sent by the Jade Emperor, will you kowtow to me?"

"Song Qiushui!" Second Aunt was hit where it hurt, her face turning red. She picked up the fire poker and pointed at her. "You can't spit ivory from a dog's mouth! Get out of my house! My house doesn't welcome you! Instead of meddling in my affairs, why don't you manage your own father? He doesn't even acknowledge his own blood brother!" She was referring to Song Qingshan not visiting Chai You Fu.

"You spendthrift old woman, you got scammed and still help them collect money!" Song Qiushui threw caution to the wind, stepping forward. "Get the money back now! It's still not too late!"

"Get it back? No way!" Second Aunt stuck her neck out. "That's an investment! When the treasures are dug up, we'll share dividends by shares! When I get rich, you and your good sister Chai Mi can just wait and drool!" Saying this, she made a move to lift the pot lid.

"Second Aunt! You!" Song Qiushui trembled all over with rage, about to lunge and tear at her.

"Qiushui!" Chai Mi's voice rang out at the courtyard gate just in time. She had clearly heard the commotion and rushed over. She walked in a few steps and grabbed Song Qiushui's arm. "Early in the morning, what's all the shouting? Aren't you afraid the neighbors will laugh?" She glanced at the two of them, swords drawn, then looked at Second Aunt. "Second Aunt, is breakfast ready? Smells good."

Chai Mi's interruption made Second Aunt's temper die down a bit, but her mouth was still sharp. "Hmph, whether it smells good or not, it's none of Boss Chai's business! This broken little temple of my family can't hold you two great Buddhas! Get lost!"

Chai Mi didn't take the bait. She just used a bit of force in her hand, pulling the still-panting Song Qiushui outside. "Let's go, Qiushui, go home. Second Aunt wants to invest, that's Second Aunt's fortune. Let's not delay her getting rich."

Her tone was flat, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

Chai Mi dragged Song Qiushui out of the courtyard, and she could still hear Second Aunt cursing inside the house: "... Jinx! Home-wrecker! Deserves to be poor..."

Only after walking far away did Song Qiushui suddenly shake off Chai Mi's hand. "Chai Mi! Why did you pull me? Did you see her attitude? Five thousand! That's what my Second Uncle slaved to save! Just let her trample it like that? That bastard Sun Guoyou..."

"Even if you argue with her until the sky breaks, can you argue the money back?" Chai Mi stopped and looked at Song Qiushui. "She's like she's been drugged now. Whatever you say, she won't listen. She'll only think you're jealous, blocking her fortune. The more you advise, the more she thinks that thing is real, and the deeper she gets."

"Then... then just watch her get scammed with our eyes open?" Song Qiushui said anxiously.

Chai Mi snorted coldly. "What else? Can you tie her up? When someone's hot-headed, nine cows can't pull them back. Besides, your Second Uncle didn't stop her, so why are you worrying?"

"My Second Uncle?" Song Qiushui was stunned, then even angrier. "Right, where's my Second Uncle? I haven't seen him for several days... Did my Second Aunt murder my Second Uncle for his money..."

"Ah... my family property..."

"You're hopeless. Get back to work..." Chai Mi lifted her foot and continued walking home. "One willing to hit, one willing to take it. Your Second Aunt wants to get rich and has gone crazy. Sun Guoyou wants to cheat money. Each gets what they need. We can't manage it, and shouldn't meddle, or we'll get stained."

Song Qiushui followed behind her, still indignant. "I just can't swallow this anger! That worthless wretch Sun Guoyou, dressed up all fancy, talking nonsense! Did you see his act under the Big Willow Tree yesterday? He turned Liu Xiaochun's arrest into 'clearing away bad luck.' He can really make things up! And 'excavator digging for treasure,' I say! Why doesn't he say he's taking a rocket to the moon to dig?"

Chai Mi was amused by her. "Alright, anger harms the body. Didn't Liu San and his wife dress all spiffy to come 'solicit investment' at my house? What you wear doesn't matter. What matters is keeping a clear head."

The two talked as they returned home. Su Wan was just bringing out boiled eggs. Seeing Song Qiushui's angry look, she asked, "What's wrong, Qiushui? Arguing with someone?"

"My Second Aunt, that big idiot!" Song Qiushui plopped onto the wooden stool, picked up an egg to peel, and angrily recounted the whole thing again.

Su Wan sighed as she listened. "Sigh, your Second Aunt... she's a bit stubborn. Five thousand... that's not a small amount. Chai Mi, really... really no way at all? Couldn't you remind your maternal aunt?"

Chai Mi picked up an egg and tapped it on the table edge. "Mom, useless. If my maternal aunt could control Liu San, would Liu San be able to bet the whole family fortune? Liu San and his wife now look at Sun Guoyou like he's the God of Wealth descending to earth. You say Sun Guoyou is a liar? They'll get angry at you, say you're blocking their fortune, cursing them not to get rich. At this critical moment, whoever advises whom becomes an enemy."

Just then, Chai Xiu ran in from outside in a hurry, her little face red with excitement. "Sister! Sister Qiushui! Hurry and look! Sun Guoyou! Sun Guoyou took people to the Baitaizi Ming Dynasty Tomb!"

"To do what?" Song Qiushui didn't even eat the egg, jumping up.

"What else? To 'inspect'!" Chai Xiu gestured. "Several people! Riding a tricycle, Sun Guoyou in front, wearing a broken suit, carrying a small briefcase, like a big official. Liu San's cousin carried a hoe. Sister-in-law Zhang Hailan went too, and... and Sister Chunyan's man, the two strangers Sun Guoyou brought, look like bad people! Saying they're going to learn how to dig..."

Song Qiushui looked at Chai Mi. "See! They really went! They really believe it!"

Chai Mi peeled the egg shell slowly and unhurriedly. "Let them go. Just treat it as mountain climbing exercise. Those stone lumps over there are enough for them to climb all day."

"Chai Mi! How can you not be anxious at all?" Song Qiushui was a bit frustrated.

"What am I anxious about?" Chai Mi bit into the egg, chewing. "They're not digging our ancestral tomb. Besides, if that place really had treasures, would it be their turn? It would have been dug empty eight hundred years ago. Wait and see. When they come back tonight, Sun Guoyou will definitely produce some 'new discovery' 'treasure fragment' to trick them into spending more money on 'professional equipment.'"

"Let me deduce it for you. They find some broken tomb to dig, bury some broken copper and iron beforehand, or some bottles and jars, sigh... just dig like that, and dig it out. Maybe it's even real... If they can dig out treasures without equipment, what if they really get an excavator? Then go dig Zhu San Taizi's tomb—how many treasures would there be? This is just tying up a donkey. After they come back and publicize it, more people will give them money."

Su Wan shook her head as she listened. "What a sin... this money thrown in, not even a sound heard."

Sure enough, in the evening, the team that went into the mountain to "inspect" returned. Sun Guoyou walked in front. Although his suit pants were covered in mud and grass thorns, and his hair was messed up by branches, he was full of energy. In his hand, he carefully held a piece of something like a broken tile, covered in mud, its original appearance unrecognizable.

Liu San and Zhang Hailan followed behind. Although they were tired to the point of being scorching, their faces both carried a near-manic flush.

Zhang Hailan told everyone she met: "……See? See? Impressive, right? This tile was pried off the edge of the big tomb's burial mound! An antique! Captain Sun said this pattern, this texture, is definitely from the early Ming Dynasty! No mistake! The treasure is buried right underneath!"

Sun Guoyou, meanwhile, wore an unfathomable expression, telling the villagers who had gathered to watch the excitement: "Today is only a preliminary survey; we've confirmed several key locations. There is difficulty, mainly because the terrain is treacherous, and bringing in large equipment requires building roads—that's another investment. But, so the national treasure can see the light of day sooner, so our fellow villagers can all share in this blessing, no matter how hard, we must overcome it! Everyone, rest assured: as long as we are united and the funds are in place, digging up the golden child is just around the corner!"

Second Aunt squeezed to the very front, her eyes fixed on the broken tile in Captain Sun's hand as if it were a gold ingot, rubbing her hands excitedly: "Captain Sun is right! United! We must be united! Build the road if it should be built! Money… if we don't have enough money, we'll find another way to raise it!"

Song Qiushui and Chai Mi stood at their own courtyard gate, watching this absurd scene from afar. Song Qiushui rolled her eyes in anger: "Good heavens! A broken house tile, and it's 'early Ming'? Are their eyes growing on their asses?"

Chai Mi crossed her arms, a sneer on her lips: "Believe it or not, tomorrow Captain Sun will take this tile to your house to 'beg for alms' for 'road construction fees' of a thousand or eight hundred?"

"He dares!" Song Qiushui clenched her fists.

"See if he dares." Chai Mi spoke with certainty. "This show has just begun. Wait and see, the good part is still to come." She turned and walked into the courtyard. "Come on, let's go feed the cattle. The calf is more honest than these people; feed it grass and it really puts on meat."

Song Qiushui was furious and asked: "Chai Mi, why are those people so idiotic? They actually believe this?"

"Good advice can't save a doomed ghost; great compassion won't save one who cuts himself off from others. It's just like when I said I was going to set up a stall—you believed I could make money and went with me afterward?" Chai Mi shook her head.

"That's not the same—I didn't put up any money…"

"You just didn't have any…"

Song Qiushui: "Uh… does that count as making things difficult for someone?"

"Rest tomorrow; I need to go see how my maternal aunt is. My aunt was never very bright. If she gives her money to Liu San and them, she's finished. Sigh…" Chai Mi sighed. "I have a bad feeling now. I bet our relatives have all been scammed."

After all, many of Liu San's relatives on that side are also Chai Mi's relatives.

As a result, the next day at dawn, Chai Mi still hadn't gone to her maternal aunt's home.

Her maternal aunt's husband's sister came first instead.

Chai Mi's maternal aunt's husband's sister was named Zhao Caifeng, over fifty years old. As mentioned before, she was a good person; when Chai Mi's mother was observing the postpartum confinement, the hundred eggs were sent by her.

As soon as Chai Mi saw her maternal aunt's husband's sister had arrived, she immediately felt things seemed to be getting out of control.

Sure enough, the first thing her maternal aunt's husband's sister said was: "Chai Mi, San says you've been making money lately. Lend me some money, not much, eight hundred will do. I was thinking of buying a share in Chunyan's son-in-law's venture. Chunyan's son-in-law is really a good person. With such a good thing, he's thinking of us mud-legs. I must get in on it—once this village passes, there's no such shop again. Invest one hundred, get ten thousand. I invest one thousand, isn't that one hundred thousand for me?"

Chai Mi looked at her dusty and travel-worn maternal aunt's husband's sister and couldn't help but sigh: "No, Aunt, why invest in him? Invest in me. You invest one thousand in me, I'll give you one hundred billion."