I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Digging Up Treasure

Mrs. Yuan watched from the side, her heart pounding. She secretly thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t opened her mouth earlier, and her awe of her mother-in-law deepened by another layer.

Outside the window, Li Qiaoqiao watched the scene in silence, sighing inwardly. These ancient mothers-in-law really know how to handle their daughters-in-law striking right where it hurts.

…

The sun was still fierce, parching the vegetable patches in the Wu family’s backyard until the leaves curled and wilted.

Li Qiaoqiao stepped out of the main room carrying an empty earthenware jug, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Zhang Jinhua’s earlier hints about “expanding the family tree” for the Fourth Branch had been quite overwhelming. Fortunately, she managed to deflect the topic with a jar of sweetened egg water.

She had even managed to snag the job of “overseer,” giving her a legitimate reason to slip away.

Standing under the eaves, she squinted at the sun, mulling over the situation. Zhang Jinhua had been unusually kind today, even offering the sweetened egg water she usually wouldn’t touch herself. Her words were full of hopes for Qiaoqiao to “nourish her body” so she could carry on the Tieniu’s lineage.

Li Qiaoqiao had played along with a sweet smile, flattering her: “Mother, you worry about the house every day; you’re the one who needs nourishing. I’m young and strong, how could I take this? Your good health is the greatest blessing for us juniors!”

The words had made Zhang Jinhua beam with joy, and she took the opportunity to send Qiaoqiao to the backyard to “keep an eye on whether the Eldest Daughter-in-law is slacking off.”

Li Qiaoqiao carried the jug and walked unhurriedly toward the backyard.

The Wu family’s backyard was large. To the east were the pigpens and chicken coops; to the west, several vegetable plots grew greens and radishes for daily meals.

At that moment, Mrs. Wei was grunting as she carried buckets of manure to fertilize the soil. A foul stench wafted over with the wind. Li Qiaoqiao instinctively wrinkled her nose and fanned the air in front of her face.

Mrs. Wei spotted her, set the buckets down with a heavy thud, and straightened her back while leaning on the carrying pole. Her voice was laced with sarcasm: “Oh, look at the Fourth Sister-in-law. Coming to sell your charms to Mother again? Found some free time to stroll through the garden, have you?”

Sweat poured down her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed from the heat, but her eyes cut through Li Qiaoqiao like knives.

Li Qiaoqiao was no longer the pushover the original owner had been.

She stood a short distance away, placing the empty jug at her feet, her expression neutral. “Sister-in-law jokes. Mother sent me to check if anyone is using the heat as an excuse to hide and laze around. Mother said this fertilizing is crucial for the family’s winter food supply. She told me to watch closely and not rest until the work is done.”

Mrs. Wei’s face darkened instantly. “Bah! Holding a chicken feather like it’s a general’s command! You really think you’re someone special now? Just because you can wag your tongue to get a few kind words from the old woman?”

“When it comes to wagging tongues to please people,” Li Qiaoqiao interjected calmly, her words stinging like needles, “I can’t match a ten-thousandth of your skill, Sister-in-law. I’ve only been learning from Mother for a few days. You’ve served our parents-in-law for over ten years; you’re the seasoned expert. I still have much to learn.”

Mrs. Wei choked on her words, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. She pointed a finger at Li Qiaoqiao, stammering “You…” for a long time without finding a comeback. Finally, she could only settle for a fierce glare.

Li Qiaoqiao stopped while she was ahead. She ignored Mrs. Wei and walked over to a small patch of thriving radishes. She feigned crouching down to pull weeds, but the corner of her eye was tracking Mrs. Wei and her surroundings.

She knew very well that it was buried right around here.

After dawdling and pulling a few weeds, she sensed the timing was right. She intentionally let her foot slip. With a cry of “Ouch!”, she tumbled onto the dirt ridge, grabbing a handful of radish leaves as she fell.

“Oh!” she let out a sharp gasp. “In the dirt… there’s something hard hidden underneath?”

She scratched at the soil with her hands, revealing a bit of dark brown pottery. She immediately looked up, her eyes wide as she looked at Mrs. Wei. “Sister-in-law! Come look! Why is there a ceramic pot buried in the dirt? It looks deep, could it be some treasure hidden by the ancestors?”

The word “treasure” acted like a hook, instantly snagging Mrs. Wei’s attention.

Forgetting her anger, she dropped the carrying pole and strode over in a few steps. Staring at the exposed edge of the pot, her eyes lit up.

Just then, the backyard gate became lively.

The Second Branch’s daughter, Peilan, and the Third Branch’s daughter, Xianghe, were heading out with small baskets to gather pig weed. Following behind them were Mrs. Wei’s two half-grown sons, Qinglin and Zhexun.

The children had clearly heard Li Qiaoqiao’s gasp and the word “treasure.” Drawn by curiosity, they craned their necks to see.

“What treasure? Fourth Aunt, what did you find?” Qinglin, being the oldest, was the first to shout and rush over.

Mrs. Wei saw the children crowding around and realized things were about to blow up. She quickly grabbed Li Qiaoqiao’s arm, her voice hushed: “Qiaoqiao! Be quiet! Don’t shout! Let’s dig it out quietly first to see what it is! If it’s something valuable, we’ll discuss what to do later. Don’t be so quick to make a scene…”

The abacus in her heart was clicking away. She thought that if it was truly something good, she might be able to pocket a little for herself or at least get the first pick.

Li Qiaoqiao sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she acted as if she had been swayed. She nodded obediently and whispered, “Sister-in-law is right. I was being too excitable. Shall we… dig it out and see?”

But her earlier gasps had already ignited the children’s curiosity.

Qinglin and Zhexun were already surrounding the radish patch, asking all at once: “Mother, Fourth Aunt, what’s down there?”

“Is it really a jar?”

“I’ll help you dig!”

Mrs. Wei tried to stop them, but the children’s excitement was already lit; there was no stopping them now.

Li Qiaoqiao seized the moment. “Qinglin, Zhexun, you two are strong. Come help, but be careful not to break the jar.”

The two boys were at an active age. Hearing this, they immediately crouched down, using their hands and pieces of wood to carefully scrape away the mud. Peilan and Xianghe huddled close, watching with nervous excitement.

Mrs. Wei stood by anxiously, not daring to move too much for fear of raising suspicion, forced to watch.

Before long, a ceramic jar with a wide belly and small mouth was fully exposed. It wasn’t particularly large, but it looked heavy. The mouth seemed to have been sealed with something.

“Lift it out and look,” Li Qiaoqiao directed.

Wu Qinglin carefully lifted the jar from the pit. Weighing it, he said in surprise, “Eh, it’s quite heavy!”

At that, everyone’s eyes were fixed deathly on the ceramic jar.

Mrs. Wei’s heart beat even faster. Forgetting her earlier plan to hide it, she couldn’t wait to reach out. “Quick! Open it and see what’s inside!”

The lid wasn’t tightly sealed to begin with. With a pry from Qinglin’s hand, it loosened. Mrs. Wei snatched it away and yanked the lid off.

In an instant, the sound of collective gasps filled the air!

The sunlight shone directly into the mouth of the jar. Inside, it wasn’t the grain or old junk a common family might hide, it was a jar full of silver!

Though most were broken bits of silver, there were also several larger ingots. The jar was packed to the brim, reflecting a dazzling, brilliant white light!

“Great Heaven!” Mrs. Wei’s eyes went glazed. She took a sharp breath, her hand holding the lid shaking uncontrollably.

“Silver! It’s silver!” Qinglin was the first to shout, his face turning red with excitement.