Chapter 118: Inheriting the Family Legacy

What did Li Lao Er, the younger brother, do? He insisted on dividing the family property and severed all ties with his own elder brother. Although Li Zhirong’s sister-in-law instigated this, Li Zhirong was deeply hurt.

Years passed in this way. As the family’s situation improved, the people from Lao Er’s side gradually tried to come back and rely on them again. Li Zhirong continued to disdain the behavior of Lao Er’s family but still felt somewhat comforted in his heart—after all, they were his own brothers.

If he knew that Lao Er’s family’s attempts at reconciliation were driven by ulterior motives, aiming to covet the interests of the third brother, Gu Lao San, he would surely be pained.

But then his eyes turned to his daughter-in-law, childish and innocent, who had just taken out the teapot again and poured two cups of tea for the two women. This sight brought much relief to Fang Shi’s heart.

Now that she had such a good daughter-in-law, she believed that any difficulty could be overcome and no longer needed to speculate wildly in her mind. Fang Shi beckoned Tang Xin with a slight wave and whispered, “Come with me.”

Seeing her mother-in-law’s cautious demeanor, Tang Xin found it amusing and imitated her. Looking around left and right—well, this was their own home, so surely no one would be watching. Then she quietly followed Fang Shi forward, entering a small mud enclosure built next to the kitchen with broken bricks and cement.

Usually, this place was used for storing grain or other items, serving as a utility room. But because her in-laws were cautious, it was also equipped with a lock.

Fang Shi had brought a flashlight. After opening the door to the mud enclosure, she placed the flashlight on a bag at the edge, then entered and began feeling around and rummaging.

After moving some clutter aside, a small wooden box was revealed. Fang Shi then took out a small key and unlocked it.

Actually, when Fang Shi publicly announced that Tang Xin would manage the household, she had given her all the keys. But Tang Xin, feeling she neither cooked nor handled major tasks and having access to the all-purpose space farm, privately returned the keys to her mother-in-law the next day.

Being housekeeper was a symbol of authority, not necessarily dependent on holding the keys.

Before opening the small wooden box, Fang Shi again carefully scanned the surroundings. When the box opened, a sudden flash of gold light in the dim, cramped space nearly blinded Tang Xin.

My goodness, how many treasures has Mother-in-law secretly kept?

Though Fang Shi was a young woman, her parents had loved her since childhood and knew where the family storeroom was and what it contained.

Before the trouble began, Fang Shi’s parents already had a premonition but knew escape was impossible. Fang Shi’s elder brother and sister-in-law had indeed done wrong, but she was still an innocent girl, so her mother gave her the keys to the storeroom.

They took out a large bundle of valuables and asked Fang Shi to hide them secretly.

These items were precious but too conspicuous. Even if she took them out, she dared not spend or display them. Instead, they became a burden and pressure on her heart. After marriage, Fang Shi confided in her husband.

At first, they tried to dig a hole and bury them, but that was unsafe. Later, the family built the mud enclosure, and the two of them secretly placed the items there under cover of darkness.

They hid them for many years, never letting them see daylight.

Even in the family’s hardest times, they guarded this secret, never daring to exchange or spend them.

Now, for some reason, Fang Shi felt compelled to entrust these treasures to her daughter-in-law.

Wasn’t it traditionally the eldest son and his wife who inherited the family estate?

Handing these over to Li Sheng and Tang Xin made Fang Shi feel at ease.

Tang Xin quickly closed and locked the wooden box again, her face solemn as she said, “Mother, we have never had such things before. Please don’t tell anyone.”

Fang Shi smiled proudly, “Don’t worry, no one knows except your father. Not even Li Sheng knows we have these. But daughter-in-law, these things will belong to you two from now on.”

She trusted this young couple—they loved their younger siblings. Giving these treasures to them put her mind at rest.

Over the years, guarding these items had felt less like wealth and more like a heavy burden to Fang Shi.

But she was still proud to leave such things to her children.

Seeing the old lady’s triumphant smile, Tang Xin felt happy and teased her, “Mother, it seems I really am lucky. Though my dowry was small, my in-laws have given me mountains of gold and silver.”

Tang Xin guessed that her mother-in-law probably did not know the true value of these items.

After all, Fang Shi’s parents had also hidden these treasures in the storeroom and never taken them out. Later, with the rise of paper currency and other forms of money, gold and silver faded from the market.

Especially later, when purchasing required ration coupons, money sometimes lost its usefulness.

Tang Xin had read reports about the three hardest years, when some people exchanged their family’s gold and silver jewelry for grain.

But those items were worth little—one gold bracelet couldn’t even buy a sack of rice.

So, to ordinary folk, these valuables were practically useless, with nowhere to spend them and the risk of being caught and imprisoned if found.

But Tang Xin knew that in twenty years—no, maybe just ten years—the gold and jade market would shift. Some of these items would become treasured antiques, priceless but without a ready market.

She sincerely told her mother-in-law, “Mother, isn’t it too precious to give us these?”

Fang Shi didn’t understand such matters and only felt that her daughter-in-law valued the gold and silver.

In truth, she valued even more the sentiment behind it. With that in mind, how could Fang Shi be unhappy?

Because the sudden mood of Li Er’s wife upon visiting had vanished, Fang Shi cheerfully said to her daughter-in-law:

“Daughter-in-law, you must know these are inanimate things. In the past, wealthy families’ sons and daughters kept such items as dowries and betrothal gifts. But times have changed, and these things now must be hidden, out of sight. Otherwise, our family could eat meat every day, clothe the children in new clothes each year, and your eldest brother could take you out to play.

“Tang Xin, don’t overthink it. These are your parents’ betrothal gifts. Take them back to your room and keep them safe.”

The old lady was clever, only calling these gifts betrothal presents, so Tang Xin could not refuse to accept them.

Moreover, since Li Sheng had given them to her as a dowry, she would not feel guilty or uneasy in front of her brothers and sisters.

Tang Xin had originally intended to decline and let her mother-in-law keep them, since this place was quite concealed.

After all, if her mother-in-law had stored them here for so long without issue, why not leave them there?