Chapter 168

After drinking snow pear chrysanthemum tea and radish corn pork rib soup, the kids didn’t have nosebleeds when they got up from the kang today.

Su Xiaoxiao woke up early this morning and cooked another large pot of soup. They didn’t eat heavy things for breakfast anymore. After having a bowl of light soup noodles, Su Xiaoxiao headed out alone, and Xiao Zhuzi followed along.

After they all left, Zhang Hongtu finally asked his father, “Dad, what exactly happened in the Han Cheng family back then that we don’t know about? Shortly after Grandpa Han and Grandma Han passed away, Han Xiaogu also died unexpectedly. After that, Uncle Han Songbai went abroad, and their family never came back. Later, Han Cheng’s parents also passed away. The Han family members either died or scattered. Such a big family ended up with only Han Cheng left. I’ve never dared to ask, not even in front of Xiaoxiao. Han Cheng’s personality also become silent and reserved since then. Is Uncle Han Songbai going to cause trouble again this time?”

Grandpa Zhang shook his head: “Good fortune may not necessarily lead to calamity, and calamity may not necessarily be avoided. Rest assured, with Xiaoxiao by Han Cheng’s side, there won’t be any trouble. Let’s not ask about things we don’t know, and let’s not mention the past in front of the children. The difficult days have passed, and they paved the way for today’s happiness. Both our families should cherish our blessings.”

Yali nodded. “Dad is right. We are all fine, and the children are behaving better than ever. There couldn’t be a better time than now. Enjoying the present moment is the most important thing.”

Grandpa Zhang nodded and said hopefully: “It’s true. These good children will definitely be more promising than us when they grow up. Let’s wait and see how they contribute to making our country stronger and greater.” He truly cherished these good children.

After another night of snow, the whole alley turned into a white fairytale world. Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Roubao saw snow for the first time and were ecstatic. They played with the snow along the way, making Su Xiaoxiao worried they might get cold. So, for the last stretch of the journey, she let the older brothers carry them on their backs. Han Cheng also carried Xiao Doubao, and with the addition of buying a lot of things along the way, what should have been a ten-minute walk took more than twenty minutes.

When they arrived, Fantuan looked back at the road. “Our house and Zhuzi’s house are so close.”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Yes, Dad and your Uncle Zhang grew up together, just like you and Xiao Zhuzi.”

Fantuan: “Zhuzi, our families are really destined to be close.”

As they spoke, the whole family entered the courtyard. After last night’s heavy snow, the dilapidated courtyard was covered in a fresh layer of snow, giving it a completely new look. The pavilions and bridges, adorned with ice and snow, turned the courtyard into a beautiful fairy-tale paradise.

Xiao Doubao couldn’t help but sigh, “Mom, this courtyard is so big and beautiful.”

Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan clung to their brothers’ shoulders, staring at the beautiful courtyard.

Fantuan never expected that their courtyard would be so big and beautiful. Just as he was about to say something, a slender old man walked out from inside, apparently their great uncle.

“You’re here. Come, come, come, let great uncle take a good look at you.” Han Songbai looked at the children excitedly.

The weather outside was really too cold. Su Xiaoxiao was worried about freezing the children, so she said, “Uncle, it’s cold outside. Let’s take a closer look after we go inside.”

Han Songbai nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes, I was confused. It’s cold outside. Let’s talk inside.”

The group shook off the snow from their shoes and followed Han Songbai into the house.

Inside, it was warm. Han Songbai knew they were coming today, so the kang and the stove were burning. The water in the teapot on the coal stove kept bubbling, and the small table next to it was filled with various snacks and dried fruits, obviously prepared for the children.

The main room was spacious and well-ventilated. Although there was no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning caused by burning charcoal stoves, Su Xiaoxiao still reminded, “Uncle, remember to extinguish the charcoal fire before going to bed tonight, or it will be dangerous if the carbon monoxide concentration is too high.”

Han Songbai was naturally happy to see his nephew’s wife caring about him and nodded. “I know, don’t worry.”

Han Songbai brewed tea for everyone and invited the children to eat something. “Have some tea to warm up first. Children, help yourselves to whatever snacks you like.”

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t say anything, and the children didn’t move either. Han Cheng put down Xiao Doubao and introduced him: “This is my second son, Xiao Doubao.”

was carrying Xiao Roubao on his back, and Zhuzi was carrying his younger sister. They all stood obediently and waited for Han Cheng to introduce them. After Han Cheng pointed at the children and introduced them one by one, the children shouted in unison: “Hello, great uncle!”

Han Songbai looked at each well-behaved child, too excited to speak properly. “Good, good, good, you are all good children. You are all good, you are all good. Are Hongtu’s children also the same age?”

Su Xiaoxiao said: “Zhuzi is one year older than Fantuan. He’s already twelve years old this year.”

Han Songbai looked at him affectionately. “Time flies. When I left, your dad was still a young man, not as tall as me. Now their children are all grown up. Come, sit down, let’s talk.”

Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng put down the younger siblings, and Fantuan and Zhuzi put them on their laps one by one. Everyone sat around the charcoal stove and drank tea to warm themselves.

Seeing that the children didn’t take any snacks from the table, Han Songbai got up and took some to hand to them. “These are what I brought back from outside. Feel free to try them.”

The cubs didn’t pick them up and subconsciously looked towards Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao said softly, “Quickly thank Great Uncle and try them.”

Xiao Roubao, with his chubby little hands, was the fastest. He took one and kept one in his left hand, putting the rest into his second brother’s large rooster backpack. Skilfully unwrapping the candy wrapper, he looked at the dark “candy” that seemed to resemble cow dung and wrinkled his little nose in disdain. “Mommy, this dark thing looks a lot like the cow dung at Grandma’s house. Is this cow dung?”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help laughing and took one, unwrapped it, and put it into her mouth. The chocolate was of good quality, melting smoothly like silk. She casually peeled another one and handed it to Han Cheng to eat. Without looking, Han Cheng opened his mouth and ate it, nodding and saying, “This thing is called chocolate. It’s sweet with a slightly bitter taste, very unique.”

“Ah~” Xiao Roubao looked at Mommy and Daddy eating “cow dung” and, without hesitation, put it into his mouth. After savoring it for a while, his eyes lit up. “Wow, this ‘cow dung’ is so delicious, sweet, and smooth. It’s the best candy I’ve ever had, even better than the White Rabbit milk candy!”

After speaking, he took one from Fantuan, who was holding him, and handed it to his mouth. “Big brother, you should try the ‘cow dung’ quickly. It’s delicious.”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help laughing and touched the cub’s head: “This is chocolate, not cow dung.”

Fantuan also tasted it and nodded. “Indeed, it’s very delicious.”

Zhuzi peeled one for his sister, and she liked it too.

Su Xiaoxiao knew that there were no children who didn’t like chocolate.

Han Songbai didn’t prepare gifts for the children but gave each of them a red envelope. With just one piece of chocolate, he had conquered the children’s hearts, bringing them closer. They happily accepted the red envelopes, thanking their great-uncle loudly.

It had been many years since Han Songbai had been so happy. Fantuan and Xiao Roubao were especially lively and outgoing, socializing effortlessly. They could chat with you endlessly about anything. The children chatted with Han Songbai, and Han Cheng couldn’t get a word in, so he took Su Xiaoxiao to visit the courtyard.

Walking through the third gate, the design style was different from the second gate. From here on, it was the standard courtyard architecture of a quadrangle. Although there were no pavilions or bridges, the courtyard was still spacious. Rockeries and pools were built on the right-hand side, surrounding an entire wall, looking grand.

Su Xiaoxiao looked around and couldn’t help but ask Han Cheng in a low voice, “Han Cheng, where do you think the gold is hidden?”

“Under the bridge,” Han Cheng casually answered.

Su Xiaoxiao blinked. “Are you serious?”

Han Cheng said, “Almost every place where the ground can be dug has been dug by Uncle, including the bottom of this rockery pond.” Han Cheng pointed to the side and said, “Almost everywhere has been excavated.”

Han Cheng looked out through the hanging flower gate and said, “In these years, I occasionally imagine. If I were the ancestor who hid the gold, besides the places Uncle has dug, where else could I hide them? After thinking about it, only the beams and foundations are left, right?”

Han Cheng patted the wooden pillar on the veranda. “All these wooden structures are relatively easy to decay. When the ancestors hid them, they didn’t know when they would be dug out by future generations. If these woods decayed before being dug out, wouldn’t all their efforts be in vain?”

“As for the foundation, digging it means destroying the entire building. The foundation being uneven can easily cause collapse. Look at this exquisitely designed house. No one would be willing to do such a thing. So the only place that can’t be dug and won’t affect the overall building is under the bridge piers of the wind and rain bridge. Otherwise, it can’t explain why the ancestors built a Jiangnan water town-style wind and rain bridge in a courtyard in the north.”

When Han Cheng explained this, Su Xiaoxiao understood:” “No wonder I felt that this wind and rain bridge was different from the one I had seen before. I always felt something was off. Courtyard pools are usually not very big, and the wind and rain bridge serve more as a landscape feature. It’s built beautifully, and there’s no need for bridge piers, which would appear cumbersome and affect the aesthetics. So, to pour cement, sand, and stones into the bridge piers to hide gold, our ancestors were really smart. Even if the pool bottom is dug out or the house collapses and is dug three feet deep, it can’t be found. The seemingly small bridge piers that can’t hide anything will only be discarded as junk. They were really wise.”

Han Cheng kissed Su Xiaoxiao’s forehead. “This is just my guess. If it hasn’t been proven, I don’t know if it’s really hidden there. Let’s go back; it’s too cold outside.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “Should we mention it to Uncle?”

Han Cheng shook his head. “There’s no hurry. Uncle is staying for a long time this time. Let’s wait until later.”

Su Xiaoxiao also bought a lot of vegetables when she came over. There was meat, vegetables, eggs, and tofu, but the family didn’t stay at the old house for lunch.

Han Songbai had just returned, and the kitchen hadn’t been repaired yet. He could handle it by himself, but he really couldn’t cook for a big family. So there was no need to keep them; we only gave them all the snacks on the table to take away.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t refuse, bid farewell to Han Songbai, and took the children home.

When they passed the wind and rain bridge, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but stop for a while. This was indeed a true golden bridge. She didn’t know when these golds could see the light of day again and become something more valuable.