Siheyuan: Sap is the last word

He Yudong was worried, but he knew the value of these treasures and couldn't give them up easily. He nodded, put away the antiques, and decided to find other ways.

When He Yudong returned to the courtyard, he was thinking about how to deal with the antiques, but he found a group of people gathered in the courtyard, discussing something. He squeezed over and saw that something had been stolen from Yan Bugui's house, and everyone was discussing countermeasures.

"Uncle Yan, what was lost?" He Yudong asked with concern.

"Alas, some valuable things are passed down from our ancestors." Yan Bugui sighed, his face full of worry.

He Yudong's heart moved. Could it be that someone had discovered the tunnel? He pretended to be calm and listened to everyone's discussion. He secretly made up his mind to find out the origin of the tunnel and the secret of the black cat as soon as possible.

In the dead of night, He Yudong came to the tunnel entrance again, with a dagger in his hand, just in case. He lit a candle, entered the tunnel quietly, and walked to the small basement. The box was still lying quietly in the corner, and the black cat was gone.

He Yudong approached the box and was about to continue searching when he heard light footsteps behind him. He turned around abruptly but saw nothing. Startled, He Yudong became more alert and clenched the dagger in his hand.

"Who is it?" He Yudong shouted in a low voice, his voice echoing in the tunnel.

After a moment of silence, a hoarse voice sounded in the darkness: "Have you discovered the secret here?"

He Yudong's heart trembled, and he looked in the direction of the voice. A figure slowly walked out of the shadows. It was an old lady with an old face, leaning on a cane. He Yudong recognized her as a deaf old lady who lived in the corner of the courtyard and rarely interacted with others.

"Old lady, what's going on with this tunnel?" He Yudong asked vigilantly.

The deaf old lady smiled slightly, with a complicated look in her eyes: "This tunnel was passed down from our ancestors, and there are some old things hidden inside. That black cat is the guardian of our family, you'd better not act rashly."

He Yudong was shocked and suspicious. The deaf old lady's tone was a warning, and it was obvious that she didn't want him to continue to explore further. He Yudong nodded and decided to give up for the time being and go back first.

After leaving the tunnel, He Yudong still couldn't calm down. He knew that there were huge secrets hidden in the tunnel, and perhaps there were more treasures, but he had to be careful and not expose them easily.

In the next few days, He Yudong kept thinking about how to deal with those antiques. He knew that he could not fully uncover the secrets of the tunnel by his own strength, and perhaps he needed to find some reliable allies. But in the complex environment of the Siheyuan, who could be trusted?

One evening, He Yudong ran into Yi Zhonghai in the yard. Yi Zhonghai was an honest and kind person, and he was very popular in the yard. He Yudong had an idea and decided to test his attitude.

"Old Yi, I heard that things in the courtyard are not peaceful recently." He Yudong said casually, looking at Yi Zhonghai's reaction tentatively.

"Yeah, everyone said something strange happened." Yi Zhonghai nodded, with a hint of doubt in his eyes, "Did you find anything?"

He Yudong hesitated for a moment and decided to tell Yi Zhonghai about his discovery.

At dusk in the old city, the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the old tiles of the courtyard. He Yudong sat at the door of his house, holding the antique yellow croaker in his hand, thinking about what to do next. Since that night, the black cat has almost become his shadow, always staring at the treasure in his hand.

"Brother He Yudong, you have been acting mysterious these days. Have you discovered something good again?" Jia Dongxu walked over and asked with a smile.

He Yudong was shocked, but his face remained calm: "Nothing, just some trivial matters."

Jia Dongxu nodded and suddenly lowered his voice: "Brother He Yudong, I heard that you found a tunnel in the yard. Is that true?"

He Yudong glanced at him warily and said calmly, "Who told you that?"

"Everyone is talking about it, saying that you found some treasures." There was a hint of greed in Jia Dongxu's eyes.

He Yudong cursed inwardly, these neighbors are so talkative. He decided not to reveal any information for the time being: "It's nothing good, just some junk."

Jia Dongxu stopped asking questions, smiled and walked away. He Yudong, however, became more cautious, knowing that he had to be more careful to prevent the news from leaking.

In the dead of night, He Yudong patrolled the yard, confirmed that no one was following him, and quietly returned to his room. Sure enough, the black cat appeared again, squatting quietly on the windowsill, its green eyes flashing mysteriously in the dark.

"What are your origins?" He Yudong whispered to the black cat.

The black cat didn't answer, but just looked at him coldly. He Yudong's heart moved, and he remembered the antique yellow croaker. He took out the yellow croaker from his arms and held it in front of the black cat: "Do you want this?"

The black cat's eyes suddenly became sharp, and it arched its body, as if ready to pounce at any time. He Yudong's heart tightened, and he understood the importance of this thing to the black cat. He hesitated for a moment, and decided to test the black cat's reaction, put the small yellow croaker on the table, and then stepped back a few steps.

The black cat stared at the small yellow croaker and slowly approached it, moving lightly and cautiously. It sniffed it, then gently poked the small yellow croaker with its claws, as if confirming something.

"What on earth are you?" He Yudong asked again, full of doubts.

The black cat still didn't answer, but just called out softly, with some ancient rhythm in its voice. He Yudong suddenly had a feeling that this black cat was not just an ordinary cat, perhaps it really had a close connection with those antiques.

At this moment, there was a hurried knock on the door. He Yudong was startled and quickly put away the small yellow croaker. When he opened the door, he saw that it was Liu Haizhong.

"Old Liu, it's so late, is there anything wrong?" He Yudong asked.

Liu Haizhong looked nervous and lowered his voice, "He Yudong, I have something important to tell you. Let's go outside and talk."

He Yudong nodded and followed Liu Haizhong out of the yard. Liu Haizhong stopped in an open space, looked around, and confirmed that no one was following him. Then he said, "He Yudong, those antiques are of unknown origin. I'm afraid someone is targeting them."

He Yudong frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I just received news that someone saw you taking antiques to my shop, and they are now investigating the origins of these things." There was a hint of anxiety in Liu Haizhong's voice.

He Yudong's heart sank, knowing that things were much more complicated than he had imagined. He nodded: "Thank you for your reminder, Lao Liu. I will be careful."

Liu Haizhong patted He Yudong on the shoulder and said, "He Yudong, you have to handle this matter carefully. Those antiques are not ordinary things, and the things involved are very serious."

He Yudong returned to the courtyard with a heavy heart. He knew he had to find a solution as soon as possible, otherwise the trouble would only get bigger and bigger.

The next morning, He Yudong went to find Qin Huairu. Qin Huairu was hanging clothes in the yard. When she saw He Yudong coming, she smiled and said hello: "He Yudong, why are you here so early today?"

"Sister Qin, I have something to discuss with you." He Yudong said in a low voice.

Qin Huairu nodded, hung up the clothes, and took He Yudong into the house. The house was simply furnished, but very tidy.

"He Yudong, what's so mysterious?" Qin Huairu asked with concern.

He Yudong hesitated for a moment and decided to tell her everything. He told her everything about his discovery of the tunnel and the antiques, of course, leaving out the part about the black cat.

Qin Huairu frowned after hearing this and said, "He Yudong, this is a big deal. The origins of those antiques are unknown, and they may be related to something big."

"Yeah, I also think things are complicated. But I don't know what to do now." He Yudong said helplessly.

Qin Huairu pondered for a moment and said, "He Yudong, why don't we go find Yi Zhonghai? He is knowledgeable and may be able to help."

He Yudong nodded, thinking that this suggestion was feasible. The two went to Yi Zhonghai's house together, knocked on the door, and Yi Zhonghai was sitting at the table reading a newspaper.

"He Yudong, Sister Qin, what's the matter?" Yi Zhonghai greeted warmly.

He Yudong recounted the incident in detail. After listening, Yi Zhonghai's face became serious: "He Yudong, this matter is indeed not simple. If those antiques are really handed down from our ancestors, they may involve historical issues."

"Then what should I do?" He Yudong asked anxiously.

Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment and said slowly: "We can try to find the government's cultural relics department to see if we can solve it through formal channels. If these antiques really have historical value, handing them over to the country may be the best option."

He Yudong thought it made sense, but he still felt a little reluctant. He nodded: "Okay, I'll consider it."

A few days later, He Yudong came to the tunnel entrance again and decided to explore it again. He took an oil lamp and slowly entered the tunnel. The black cat was still waiting for him in the basement, with a look of expectation in its eyes.

"Do you want me to find more things?" He Yudong whispered to the black cat.

The black cat didn't answer, but just looked at him quietly. He Yudong's heart moved, and he decided to follow the black cat's guidance and continue searching.

He found a hidden passage in the corner of the basement, and at the end of the passage was a secret room filled with more antiques and some old books. He Yudong carefully flipped through the books and found some records about the history of the courtyard and the tunnel.

"It turns out that this tunnel was built for refuge in ancient times, and these antiques were hidden here by some wealthy businessmen at the time." He Yudong said to himself.

The black cat cried softly, as if responding to his discovery. He Yudong knew in his heart that these antiques were not only treasures, but also witnesses of a period of history.