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With Li Mancang’s question, Wu Zhiqiu began to doubt herself a bit! But she thought it was better to miss out than to let go of something potentially valuable!
“Find a way to check it; I really believe it’s gold!”
Holding the iron rod, Li Mancang hurried to the office, shoveling some coal into the stove, which was now roaring with flames. He carefully placed one end of the iron rod into the fire.
The couple didn’t dare blink, staring intently at the other end of the rod.
Before long, the blackened end began to fade, revealing a glimmer of golden light.
“Oh my!” They both exclaimed simultaneously, quickly covering each other’s mouths!
Tears of excitement sparkled in their eyes; it was gold, it was really gold!
Li Mancang quickly pulled the iron rod out. One end was now the length of a thumb and had turned a golden hue, shining with an intoxicating glow!
The couple was overwhelmed with excitement.
“You don’t need to work this afternoon; go to Fenglan’s house and melt the gold out. Tomorrow we’ll go turn it into cash!” Wu Zhiqiu snapped back to reality, realizing this place wasn’t safe with all the foot traffic. If someone spotted them, it would be over.
Li Mancang suppressed his excitement, understanding the gravity of the situation. He quickly wrapped the iron rod in a rag.
“I understand; you can go straight there after work!”
“Be careful; don’t let anyone see you!”
“Got it! I’ll just say I’m helping our daughter tidy up her house!”
After discussing their plan, Li Mancang rode off quickly.
Wu Zhiqiu clutched her chest, unable to calm her racing heart!
Were they really striking it rich? It felt like a dream! No, it was a dream she wouldn’t dare to have!
The entire afternoon, Wu Zhiqiu was absent-minded, registering Dazhuang’s cart full of scrap metal in the warehouse.
As for the missing iron rod, no one would notice; even Dazhuang wouldn’t know what he had collected!
In her past life, the iron rod had been sold as scrap and caused quite a stir when it was discovered to be gold!
Many people came to their recycling station to gawk and laugh. Back then, she had lamented her bad luck!
Little did she know that this time, fate was truly on her side; this fortune was finally coming to her!
Finally, the workday came to an end.
She rushed to Fenglan’s newly bought courtyard.
Only Li Mancang was in the yard; Fenglan and Manman had gone to their old home, and it would be a few days before they moved in!
The couple exchanged glances, both filled with surprise.
Li Mancang pulled his wife into the kitchen, where the gold had already been cut into neat chunks, each about the size of a palm.
Wu Zhiqiu’s mouth nearly broke into a grin at the sight of the gold.
This color was her favorite in this life!
“How much do you think this is worth?”
“Three and a half jin!” Li Mancang said quietly, trying to suppress his excitement.
“Wow!” Wu Zhiqiu exclaimed, “We’re really rich! Three and a half jin, how much money is that?”
“How much is gold per gram right now?”
“Eighty yuan!”
Wu Zhiqiu remembered that later, gold would reach four hundred yuan per gram, but prices were already several times higher now.
“How much is three and a half jin in grams?”
“One thousand seven hundred fifty grams!”
“And how much is that worth?”
“140,000.” The number echoed in Li Mancang’s mind all afternoon, and now, as he spoke it, his voice trembled with excitement.
Wu Zhiqiu clutched her heart again. 140,000? She had heard such sums during the relocation in her past life, but she had never seen real gold and silver in front of her.
Now, over a hundred thousand worth of gold was right in front of her, especially at a time when she was barely scraping by; it felt surreal, almost like a dream!
“What are we going to do with all this money?” Li Mancang asked, filled with excitement.
Wu Zhiqiu snapped back to reality. “What do you think?” She wanted to see how her husband would react now that he had money.
“We should buy a few more courtyards like this one to rent out!” Li Mancang said eagerly. He had always dreamed of having a private courtyard of his own.
Wu Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow. “What about giving some to your sons?” she probed.
Li Mancang’s expression darkened. “Listen, Wu Zhiqiu, don’t put all your thoughts into the children. None of them can be relied upon! As long as we have money, they’ll have to curry favor with us. If we don’t have money, well, life will be tough!”
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiqiu fell silent. Had her husband been this perceptive in her past life? She couldn’t recall!
All she remembered was urging Li Mancang to work harder to earn money for their eldest son’s overseas expenses, for the youngest son’s bride price, and for their youngest daughter’s university fees.
Li Mancang had worked tirelessly, like an old workhorse, never stopping for a moment! They rarely sat down to chat, always focused on earning money!
In her previous life, Li Mancang had seen through their children’s nature, but she hadn’t. She had kept pushing him to fulfill her so-called great ideals.
In her past life, he had died early, exhausted from work and worry! There was no warmth in their home; he must have felt utterly hopeless!
Seeing her husband’s serious face, she realized he might have interpreted her silence as anger over his refusal to share with the children.
“Then you can decide how to divide it! I’m fine with whatever!”
“What do you mean you’re fine? Can’t you stand your ground?” Wu Zhiqiu suddenly glared at Li Mancang. In her past life, whenever she was unhappy, he immediately compromised. If he had been a bit firmer, would she have pushed him so hard? He had never enjoyed a good day before he passed away!
Tears streamed down Wu Zhiqiu’s face as she mourned the man from her past who had always complied with her wishes. She cried for her past self, who had been so naïve.
Li Mancang hurriedly fumbled to wipe her tears.
“What’s wrong? If you’re upset, just yell at me! Don’t cry! You can divide the gold however you want; just don’t cry!”
After crying for a while, Wu Zhiqiu regained her composure. She felt a mix of emotions—happiness, sadness, regret, and anger. She wanted to lash out at their eldest son, the youngest son, and the youngest daughter.
But she had always suppressed her emotions, feeling heartbroken until now, and today it finally exploded.
Li Mancang didn’t know what had upset her and kept apologizing.
“Old man, you’re right; money should always be in our hands. We won’t give it to anyone! From now on, whoever shows us filial piety, we’ll give them a little something from our hands! If they’re ungrateful, they can stay far away; we’d rather donate our property than give it to ingrates!”
“I’ll do whatever you say!” Wu Zhiqiu finally stopped crying, and Li Mancang dared not speak out of turn anymore!
In the evening, Wu Zhiqiu decided not to cook; she was now a person with over a hundred thousand yuan in assets and needed to celebrate!
They went to a restaurant to eat Peking duck; in their entire lives, the couple had never dined in a restaurant.
Today was their first time; they ordered a whole Peking duck, braised pork, spicy pig intestines, and more!
They even ordered a bottle of Wuliangye!
Li Mancang’s smile deepened as he enjoyed the meal!
He continually served food to his wife, thinking she had worked so hard and had never eaten in a restaurant, enduring only hardships!
Li Mancang felt that this was what life was meant to be—rich and flavorful. They could eat whatever they wanted without worrying about anything else, especially money!
Wu Zhiqiu was very satisfied with her meal. She felt healthy and had a good appetite. With her husband by her side, caring and attentive, she felt extremely grateful! How could she have been so blind in her past life?