CHAPTER 435: CHAPTER 435: FEAR AFTERWARD

When Gong Ruini thought about how she was once so close to the treasure, so close to taking it all, she felt utterly disheartened.

Last time, when she found out the treasure was gone, she was a bit disappointed, but not too much. She just thought maybe the treasure had long been dug up by someone else.

Now that she knows it might have only been a few months to maybe a year before someone got to it, how could Gong Ruini not feel all sorts of regret?

"If only I had discovered it earlier, I could have dug it up myself."

That wasn’t a small amount but a huge fortune. How could someone like Gong Ruini, constantly dreaming of striking it rich, not feel all sorts of regret and frustration?

"Alas, heaven is being a bit too harsh on me." Gong Ruini felt down and couldn’t even focus on reading, practicing her calligraphy, or painting.

After finishing her chores, Cai Meina noticed something was off with her daughter, "Ni Zi, what’s wrong with you?"

Why was her daughter so unhappy? Could it be because she didn’t take her to Beijing? But she hadn’t shown any dissatisfaction before.

"I’m just thinking about why I lost that money." Gong Ruini had been thinking about it for a long time but just couldn’t figure it out. Ugh, there’s no way around it; it was a big amount, not just small money; otherwise, she would have figured it out much sooner.

After listening to Gong Ruini’s analysis, Cai Meina thought her daughter made some sense but just that, "It’s already been dug up by someone, so it’s useless for us to dwell on it."

Cai Meina was really worried that if her daughter kept fixating on this, it might cause serious problems, "Actually, you should feel lucky. What if those people showed up when we were digging?"

Cai Meina couldn’t help but feel relieved that they didn’t run into that group of people. Who knows what kind of trouble that could have led to?

"We know nothing about those people. What if they were desperate enough to kill for it?"

"After all, when we got that map, we were extremely cautious, making sure no one knew; it was just a few of us. Could we have handled them?"

"And considering the scale of that cave, there must have been a lot stored there, yet they managed to quietly take everything out. Ni Zi, do you think there were only a few of them?" Initially, Cai Meina was trying to comfort Gong Ruini with this analysis.

But as she delved deeper into her reasoning, Cai Meina began to break out in a cold sweat, feeling grateful that they discovered it late. Otherwise, the survival of her family might have been at risk.

Gong Ruini was also spooked by Cai Meina’s analysis. Indeed, she had only been thinking about how they missed out on that money, but if they had actually dug it up, would those people have let them off?

Even if they left, what if they continued to stay in the village? It could have led to a massacre. These days, people would do anything for money.

When Gong Ruini thought of this, her face turned pale, "Mom, we’re lucky, so lucky."

Now Gong Ruini wasn’t thinking about the money. To her, safety was what mattered, "Mom, what are we having for dinner today?"

"Hotpot. There aren’t many people at home, and I’m too tired to cook." Ever since Gong Tao went to Beijing, Cai Meina had been feeling drained, always exhausted.

"Mom, I’ll help you with the chores tomorrow." Seeing the weariness on Cai Meina’s face, Gong Ruini felt all sorts of guilt. Even though everyone did their own laundry, there were plenty of tasks around the house, like packing.

As for Cai Ming? He’s been busy transporting their stored grain to exchange for national grain coupons. Initially, they thought about bringing it to Beijing to eat, but since they’ve already decided with Da Zhuang to source food from his side, there’s no need to compromise by eating old grain. It’s better to exchange it for national grain coupons, which would be more convenient when they move elsewhere.

Gong Ruini remembered that these grain coupons were valuable outside, and converting them to money would be easier. It was better than bringing a bulk of rice to the capital. Their move wouldn’t be subtle with so much furniture, many books, and especially herbal medicine. Just the thought of the scene made Gong Ruini laugh; it would definitely turn some heads.

Gong Ruini didn’t want them to draw too much attention when they first arrived in Beijing, avoiding becoming the focus of all kinds of stares.

She planned to slip into the city quietly, without fanfare. If they got noticed, it might not end well.

Gong Ruini thought it was just a temporary refuge spot, not expecting to deal with so many things. Who knows how much stuff they would have after living in Beijing for three years?

She hoped that after graduation, Gong Tao and his wife would be assigned to stay in Beijing, rather than being posted far away, as moving again would mean even more things.

Considering they were still living in the Northeastern rural, and they already had so many belongings, she really worried about how much more there would be if they moved to Beijing, especially if her mother occasionally went on shopping sprees. Moving then would be terrifying.

"Mom, do you still want this?" Gong Ruini picked out a very tattered piece of clothing, really wanting to say there was no need to keep it, even if they were being frugal, they shouldn’t be this harsh on themselves.

"Keep it, just in case your grandma and the others come over." From Gong Zhuang’s letter, Cai Meina knew the Gong family’s situation wasn’t good. Even with Zhang Lan’s pension, it wasn’t enough to help Gong Qiang’s family.

"Gong Qiang’s family is becoming more and more destitute, and Gong Xiaoyu is out there acting like a hooligan every day." Although Cai Meina no longer held as much resentment toward Gong Qiang, she still took pleasure in how his life was turning out.

Because as Gong Qiang’s life got worse, it was a big blow to Zhang Lan.

The bigger the blow Zhang Lan received, the more unbalanced she would feel, especially seeing how their family was thriving ever more prosperously.

Gong Qiang isn’t doing well, Gong Ruini knew, but her mother was being a bit too cautious. Whether Zhang Lan would come to them was questionable. She was very proud and had fallen out with many over her eldest son. If she came begging, it would acknowledge her failure.

"Which is more important, pride or livelihood?" Cai Meina knew a few things about Zhang Lan’s character.

"And Gong Zheng’s prospects aren’t looking great either." Cai Meina didn’t know what to say. The two sons that Gong Dajiang and his wife had high hopes for had both ended up in such a sorry state.

"Sometimes I think if our whole family hadn’t come to the Northeast, life might not have been this comfortable." Cai Meina’s initial resentment dissipated after knowing how Gong Qiang’s family was doing, leaving her with a faint sense of relief.

"Otherwise, if we had stayed there, we would’ve continued being exploited by them." Moving to the Northeast, away from the elders, she found life much more comfortable.

Gong Ruini pouted. Whether they would have been exploited wasn’t entirely on Gong Dajiang and his family. If Gong Tao and his wife hadn’t been so passive, no matter how Zhang Lan and the others fussed, it wouldn’t have mattered.

For example, wasn’t Miao Cuihua someone who had been through thick and thin? No matter what Zhang Lan said, she firmly insisted she was broke. No matter how upset Zhang Lan got, she simply ignored her.

"I wonder which department Third Uncle will be promoted to this time and if anyone will regret it." Gong Zhuang, who had never surprised anyone, suddenly got a promotion. One could only imagine how many would be displeased, predicting more internal disputes within the Gong family.