Chapter 006: Treasure Hunt! Ten Small Gold Bars! Going Home to Ask for Money to Buy Clothes!

Qin Xiaoran thought carefully. Aside from the study, she could think of several other places where treasures might be hidden!

The study was off-limits for now, but the other places—she could search those.

So she did. She immediately went to check the other possible hiding spots.

But searching was easier said than done. She went through several places—some, like the garden, had already been turned upside down who knows how many times; others, like the basement, didn’t contain anything at all.

She didn’t know whether the treasures there had long since been taken away, or if nothing had ever been hidden there to begin with.

Still, she didn’t give up. She kept searching until she reached the last possible place.

It was the spot where she used to hide when playing hide-and-seek with her grandfather as a child—a small dog hole. The outside was sealed, but inside there was a recessed hollow. Back then, she was small enough to fit inside and loved hiding there.

Her grandfather had once teased her: “You always hide here. Do you think there’s treasure inside?”

She had replied firmly that there was. So her grandfather played along: “Alright, alright, there is—there’s a mountain of gold.”

Of all places, this was the least likely to hold anything valuable. Still, she always remembered that moment. Even if there was no treasure, she wanted to check again—and while at it, dig a little.

And with just two shovels of dirt, she really did find something: a small wooden box, only slightly bigger than her palm.

She quickly dug it out, made sure there was nothing else buried below, and opened the box.

Inside were ten little yellow fish.

“Little yellow fish” was a nickname for gold bars. Each small gold bar weighed about 1 tael (about 31.25 grams). Ten bars added up to 312.5 grams.

Around 1972, the government’s gold purchase price was about 2,625 yuan per tael (31.25g).

Which meant these ten bars were worth around 2,625 yuan.

Of course, if she sold them, she wouldn’t get the full amount, but at least 2,000 yuan was guaranteed.

In an era when a high monthly salary was just 30 yuan, and a worker’s yearly income was only about 360 yuan, 2,000 yuan was an absolute fortune!

For someone like her—who, in her past life, had always been oppressed by Cui Hongyan and Wang Xiaoyi and hardly touched money—this was an unimaginable sum.

It couldn’t have come at a better time. With 2,000 yuan, she could buy plenty of supplies and fully make use of the jade bracelet’s space.

After all, this was the escape route she had prepared for herself—her confidence to fight back against her scummy father and stepmother’s family.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

Her eyes reddened as she refilled the dirt at the wall, making sure no traces were left, then returned to the old house.

Perhaps it was because of the day’s exhausting events, but that night, she fell asleep unusually early and deeply, even having a vivid dream.

She dreamt of her mother and grandfather, smiling warmly at her and telling her to live well. Their figures grew farther and farther away. No matter how she chased, she couldn’t catch up. She fell to the ground, crying as she watched them disappear. Then, a beautiful little boy appeared, helped her up, gave her flowers, and walked away holding her hand…

What a strange dream.

When Qin Xiaoran woke, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Before she could reflect on the dream, she noticed her body felt sticky and uncomfortable. She got up decisively, fetched water, and washed herself.

While washing, she realized her body was grimy. How could she be this dirty? Was it because the bedding here hadn’t been cleaned in ages?

After cleaning up, she felt refreshed, full of energy, and even carried all the bedding outside to air under the sun.

The bedding was heavy, yet she didn’t feel tired carrying it. That surprised her.

Was her body this strong when she was young?

She remembered how her health had always been poor, supposedly due to a congenital weakness. When her mother and grandfather were alive, they had given her medicine for years. After their deaths, she had no more medicine, her life worsened, and her body deteriorated further. Later, after being sent to the countryside, her health completely collapsed.

But now she hadn’t gone to the countryside yet—everything could still be changed.

Thinking this, she glanced up at the clear, sunny sky. Today was a brand-new day.

Her stomach growled. Time to head home for food—and to ask for money to buy clothes.

Yesterday, Wang Wenbin had promised to give her money to buy some new outfits. She definitely wouldn’t let that promise go to waste!

With that in mind, she tidied herself up and hurried back to the Wang household.

But the old house was still some distance away. She rushed as fast as she could, breaking into a sweat, but by the time she arrived, breakfast was already over. Wang Wenbin had left for work, and only Cui Hongyan and a dolled-up Wang Xiaoyi—about to go out—remained at home.

Cui Hongyan remarked, “Oh, Xiaoran’s back. Why did you get up so late? You’ve even missed breakfast.”

Wang Xiaoyi, with her usual sarcastic tone, added, “There’s some leftovers in the kitchen. Go eat that before it gets tossed to the dogs.”

Qin Xiaoran couldn’t be bothered with them. She’d endured this kind of mockery in her past life too many times—she was immune now.

The best way to deal with them wasn’t to play along, but to strike straight at their weak spots—quick, precise, and ruthless.

“I’m not hungry. I came to get money. Yesterday, Dad said he’d give me some so I could buy a few good outfits.”

Cui Hongyan and Wang Xiaoyi froze. They both remembered what had happened yesterday—Wang Wenbin had indeed said that.

Forcing a fake smile, Cui Hongyan replied sweetly, “Xiaoran, the family doesn’t have any spare money or cloth coupons right now. Let’s not buy clothes for now—you’re not lacking in anything anyway.”

Qin Xiaoran remained unmoved. “But Dad said so. If you don’t have it, then I’ll go ask Dad.”

Cui Hongyan stiffened again. Of course, the family had money and cloth coupons—but why should they give them to her?

“Xiaoran, your father works so hard. Don’t trouble him. If you really need clothes, why not take a few from your sister instead?”

“Mom! Those are my clothes! Why should I give them to her?!” Wang Xiaoyi protested angrily.

But Qin Xiaoran stayed firm. “No need to bother. I’ll go ask Dad directly.”

She turned to leave.

Both Cui Hongyan and Wang Xiaoyi were stunned. They hadn’t expected her to be so unyielding, so different from the easily fooled girl she used to be.

If Qin Xiaoran really went to ask Wang Wenbin, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered before. But now, she was their bargaining chip to connect with the powerful Huo family in the capital. Wang Wenbin valued her greatly—if she complained, they’d be in serious trouble.

In a panic, they rushed to stop her.

Wang Xiaoyi, irritated and resentful, blurted, “Fine, fine! I’ll let you take two of my dresses, alright?!”

“I don’t want your used dresses.”

“I still have two brand-new ones I haven’t worn!”

“I don’t want those either.”

Qin Xiaoran turned her gaze to Cui Hongyan, her amber eyes serious and unyielding.

“Stepmother, does the family have money and cloth coupons or not?”

“…Yes.”