Free Days in Siheyuan

Chapter 1281 The So-called Treasure

Carried it away!
Yes, you heard it right, it was carried away!

When the boy's parents went out, they happened to see their son being carried by his blind date.

I was stunned at the time, but after I realized what was happening, I immediately chased after him desperately.

But in the end he failed to catch up with her, and finally he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, and accept such a daughter-in-law.

With such a precedent, who would dare to believe what they say?

Zhaodi's husband blushed, then said nonchalantly: "That was a long time ago. It's not like that anymore. Why don't we..."

Zhaodi standing by had a threatening look on her face, as if she would eat you if you didn't agree.

Old Wu's eyes rolled around, and the next second, he covered his stomach and screamed, "Ouch, ouch."

"My stomach hurts so much, I need to go..." Before he could finish his words, Old Wu ran away in a panic.

Seeing Zhaodi's disappointed face, he turned to look at the other people around him.

Everyone's eyes froze. Even in the middle of summer, cold sweat broke out on their backs for no apparent reason.

"Hey, Xiaoyu, what's that in your hand?"

Some people speak faster than they think and speak subconsciously.

Zhang Yu was stunned when he was suddenly mentioned, and raised the "brick" in his hand in a daze.

"I don't know. I just dropped it from the hole in the ground. I don't recognize it. I was just thinking of taking it out to see if anyone recognizes it."

After hearing what he said, everyone became interested.

"Let me see, let me see!"

Before Zhang Yu finished speaking, a group of young people quickly surrounded him with their agility.

They looked at the "brick" in Zhang Yu's hand curiously, with a gleam of exploration in their eyes.

But after a careful examination, they all shook their heads helplessly and said in unison: "I don't know him, I don't know him!"

"Make way, make way!" An elder pushed his son away, his tone full of disdain.

"You little bastards, you still don't have enough experience. You don't know this, and you don't know that." The older man couldn't help but shook his head. Although his voice was low, the people around him could hear it clearly.

He leaned over to take a look and felt that the thing in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He gritted his teeth, and before he had time to lament that he had fallen into the gutter, he was laughed at by the little bastard in their eyes.

The older man narrowed his eyes and glared at his brat, giving him a look that said, "I'll settle the score with you when I get home."

At the critical moment, the old branch secretary stood up.

Looking at the "brick" in Zhang Yu's hand, he slapped his thigh, with a shrewd look in his eyes: "Isn't this a glutinous rice brick?"

This sentence was like a ray of light that cleared the clouds, making everyone present, young and old, suddenly realize.

The younger generation was indeed somewhat confused: "What the hell is this, glutinous rice brick?"

Seeing the confusion on the faces of the younger generation, the old branch secretary smiled and explained, "It's just what it means on the surface. In the early days, some wealthy families would make glutinous rice bricks. They would beat the cooked glutinous rice into the shape of bricks, and then store them after they were completely dried in the sun. They could be kept for many years."

As the old branch secretary explained, everyone present seemed to think of something and couldn't help swallowing.

"How much glutinous rice will be needed?" a young man couldn't help but sigh.

Not to mention glutinous rice, even rice was something he had only eaten a few times in his life.

The old branch secretary smiled and shook his head, ignoring the reaction of the younger generation.

Instead, he turned to look at Zhang Yu and asked, "Xiao Yu, are there many glutinous rice bricks down there?"

Zhang Yu immediately recalled the scene in the cave. He nodded without hesitation and confirmed: "There are indeed a lot of glutinous rice bricks down there, covering the entire wall."

These days, food is in short supply and anything related to food is particularly precious.

When the old branch secretary heard this, his eyes immediately lit up, and he hurriedly urged the villagers to prepare tools and get ready to go down the cave to check.

After a while, a team of young and strong men, led by the old branch secretary, carefully entered the cave.

It was dark inside the cave, but as they went deeper, the sight before them shocked everyone - a whole wall of glutinous rice bricks.

The number is staggering.

Someone was so excited that he almost jumped up. He quickly climbed out of the hole and reported loudly to the people outside: "There are so many! There are so many glutinous rice bricks down there!"

The news spread throughout the village in an instant, and everyone present couldn't help cheering, as if they saw some hope.

The old branch secretary was directing the villagers in an orderly manner to check the storage of glutinous rice bricks.

On the other hand, the news spread quickly throughout the Xie family brigade as if it had wings.

After hearing the news, several elders of the Xie family rushed over, their unsteady steps unable to hide their anxiety.

As soon as they stepped into the crowd and before they could stand firm, a burst of excited shouts pierced through the noise of the crowd: "4600 glutinous rice bricks, a full 4600 glutinous rice bricks!"

This number exploded in the ears of the elderly people like thunder; their eyes instantly became moist and tears flowed down between their wrinkles.

"It's too late!" An old man said in a trembling voice, tears and words intertwined.

Several other elderly people were also muttering to themselves, with endless regret and self-blame in their voices.

"If these sticky rice bricks had been discovered earlier, the villagers wouldn't have had to endure those three years, and they wouldn't have ruined their health..."

They cried as they talked, their grief was evident in their words, as if those difficult times had reappeared before their eyes.

His words touched the hearts of everyone present, and many people couldn't help but burst into tears, with sadness and regret intertwined.

Seeing this, the old branch secretary felt mixed emotions.

The hardships of those three years were still fresh in his mind. He knew the pain in the hearts of the elders and quickly stepped forward to comfort them in a low voice: "Uncles, don't be sad. We were here in those years, and we got through it. We should still look forward to everything."

With the comfort from the old branch secretary, the old people's emotions gradually calmed down.

They wiped away their tears, supported each other, and the fire of hope rekindled in their eyes.

Everyone couldn't help but talk about the origin of this batch of glutinous rice bricks.

Say anything.

Several elders from the Xie family looked at each other and took the initiative to talk about the secrets of the Xie family.

In fact, these glutinous rice bricks can be regarded as a way out left by the ancestors of the Xie family for their descendants.

During good years, several wealthy families in the Xie family would work together to make some glutinous rice bricks and store them in a special cave.

These glutinous rice bricks can be kept for several years.

In addition, when new glutinous rice bricks are put in every year, the original glutinous rice bricks will be checked and those that have not been stored properly will be replaced.

Of course, these replaced glutinous rice bricks will not be wasted.

Glutinous rice is a relatively precious fine grain, so how can we bear to waste it?

These discarded glutinous rice bricks are generally distributed to those in the tribe who are in more difficult circumstances.

In times of disaster, these glutinous rice bricks are life-saving food!
The reason why the Xie family passed down from generation to generation was largely due to these sticky rice bricks. Gradually, even after the Xie family fell, they still maintained this habit.

But I don’t know what happened later, and this habit suddenly broke.

Later, fewer and fewer people knew about it, and even the cave where the glutinous rice bricks were stored was nowhere to be found. Now, only the older generation of the Xie family knows about it.

At this point, several elders from the Xie family fell to their knees on the ground and kowtowed several times.

He shouted: "My descendants are unfilial and have failed to continue the rules of our ancestors..."

These unfilial descendants still have to rely on their ancestors for help.

After struggling for a long time, the old branch secretary was silent for a moment, walked to the elders of the Xie family, and shouted to the oldest one, "Uncle, what should we do with these glutinous rice bricks?"

Several elders from the Xie family glanced at the people around them, and their first reaction was that the real disaster year had passed. Although this year was a bit difficult, with the water pump made by Xiaoyu, it would not be a problem if they gritted their teeth. The glutinous rice bricks would naturally continue to be sealed.

To put it bluntly, if the situation of those three years happened again, with these glutinous rice bricks, people in the Xiejia Brigade would not have starved to death.

But seeing the excitement in many people's eyes, they became stern, knowing that the location of the cave has been exposed now, and if nothing is revealed, people's hearts will be dispersed.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Take out half and share it."

After that, he added: "After two years when the situation eases and the harvest improves, we will make a batch of glutinous rice bricks or sweet potato bricks to make up for the loss."

The old branch secretary nodded vigorously: "Of course, of course."

In the end, each family in the brigade was given a different number of glutinous rice bricks based on the size and population of the family.

Of course, some people also believe that these glutinous rice bricks were left by the ancestors of the Xie family to their descendants and should not be distributed to people with other surnames.

But such words were suppressed by the village elders and the old party secretary and team leader.

They were experienced and knew that in the current situation, if they did not distribute the spoils to people with other surnames in the village, the Xie family would certainly get more, but once people's hearts were in chaos, there would probably be more disasters.

Looking at the glutinous rice bricks being distributed, many people murmured in private.

"I thought the baby was down there..."

Before he could finish his words, I slapped him in the face.

"What? This isn't even a treasure. What other treasure do you want?"

The young man touched his head with a wronged look on his face: "I... I didn't think..."

His father glared at him fiercely. Who dared to say that glutinous rice bricks were not treasures? Isn’t this the greatest treasure?

Soon, the news that the Xie family's treasure had been found spread privately.

Many people in the team thought the news was true.

After all, we had just experienced those three years, and the importance of food could be imagined in everyone's eyes.

Who dares to say that food is not a treasure?

As for how some people with ulterior motives will react after receiving this news, it is unknown.

No, perhaps we can get a glimpse of it from the porcelain that was swept out of some rooms.

Anyway, it’s a good thing for the Xie family.

The older generation of the Xie family also felt that there were fewer eyes staring at the Xie family members, which must be because someone believed the news.

The older generation of the Xie family thought about it and said nothing, but just smiled cunningly, as if they were planning something.

As the discoverer of glutinous rice bricks, even though Zhang Yu kept refusing, he still received some thanks from the team.

After the team leader and the old branch secretary left, Zhang Yu looked at the dozen or so glutinous rice bricks that were forced onto the table, his face at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

And in this way, the fact that he fell into the hole could no longer be concealed.

A second ago, grandma and grandpa Xie were still smiling.

The next second, after seeing off the team leader and the old branch secretary, the two old men's faces changed drastically.

Grandma Xie trotted a few steps, walked up to Zhang Yu, grabbed his arm, and the family members checked him carefully from head to toe.

After confirming that he was not injured, he breathed a sigh of relief.

I couldn't help but blame you in my tone: "Xiao Yu, grandma doesn't ask you to be successful, as long as you are safe and sound..."

Grandpa Xie, who is usually taciturn, also agreed at this moment.

Zhang Yu made assurances repeatedly, his mouth almost dry, and finally he stopped the nagging of the two old men.

In order to avoid worrying the two elderly people, he didn't dare tell them about his injured foot.

Because of this incident, Zhang Yu was detained at home by his worried Grandpa Xie and Grandma Xie.

With only two days left before he was due to go back, Zhang Yu did not go out for a rare occasion, but stayed at home to accompany his two elderly parents.

The other people in the family knew that he was going back soon, so they tried every possible way to bring good things into the house.

Because the weather is hot, we usually don’t keep much food that we bring back, and it’s basically eaten on the same day.

Zhang Yu has eaten a lot these past few days and his belly has become rounder, and he has actually gained a few pounds.

Time is the most unchangeable thing in this world.

No matter how reluctant everyone is, the day of separation is approaching.

Knowing that Zhang Yu was going to catch the bus, Grandma Xie and the two aunts got up early in the morning and started busying themselves in the kitchen.

After finishing breakfast, Grandma Xie quietly wiped away her tears, hiding the reluctance in her eyes.

He handed a small bundle to Zhang Yu: "Xiao Yu! This contains food prepared for you by your grandma and your two aunts. There are boiled eggs and dumplings in it. You can save them for the journey. Also, in the two oil paper bags at the bottom are egg pancakes prepared for you. Don't be reluctant to eat them."

Grandpa Xie also looked reluctant. He took out a stack of money from his pocket and forced it on Zhang Yu.

"Xiao Yu, the weather is hot and food won't stay out for long. Don't be reluctant to eat the food your grandma prepared. Eat it up as soon as possible.

You can buy food on the train, don’t be afraid to spend money, if you get hungry on the way, just buy a hot meal…”

Listening to the two old people's chatter, Zhang Yu did not feel bored at all, but felt warm in his heart.

He nodded continuously: "I know, I know, grandma, grandpa, don't worry, I will take good care of myself."

Touching the stack of money in his pocket, Zhang Yu wanted to take it out and return it to Grandpa Xie.

He really doesn't lack money.

Not to mention the money his parents left him, just the gold beans he earned from signing in every day in recent times were enough for him to live a carefree and happy life.

As if seeing Zhang Yu's thoughts, Grandpa Xie said with a frown: "Just keep it if I give it to you. Grandpa is not short of money. This money is your pocket money."

Grandpa Xie sighed with some regret.

Today is different from the past!

Before, I couldn't even afford this money as pocket money for my children.

Xie Zhiyuan also advised: "Xiaoyu, just take what your grandpa gave you. This is a token of your grandpa's love."

My aunt also had a loving look on her face and urged, "Put it away quickly!"