Chapter 348: I’ll Go to City A with You

Chapter 348 I’ll Go to City A with You

Hou Li hefted a shovel and went out with a flashlight. After more than ten minutes, she stopped in front of a dilapidated house—the old courtyard where her father, Hou Sifang, had lived before he died.

Hou Li entered and found the long-derelict outhouse.

She stepped over the parched toilet pit and jumped into the fertilizer pit behind it. Raising the shovel in her hand, she began hacking away downward.

Zuo Jinghuan and Zuo Zuying crouched by the corner of the wall, watching Hou Li hacking away with the shovel vigorously under the beam of her flashlight not far away.

“Zuying, what’s Mom doing?”

Zuo Zuying replied seriously, “Digging a hole.”

“I can see she’s digging, duh! What I mean is, why is she digging?”

Zuo Zuying shot back, “Digging in the outhouse—is she planting vegetables or dropping a deuce?”

Da Meili had gotten suspicious after seeing the ring he handed over, which was why she came to verify the truth.

The two of them got bitten by mosquitoes several times before Hou Li finally hit a stone slab.

Not caring how filthy it was, she squatted down, lifted the slab with her hands, and quickly brushed away the dirt on top. Soon, the mouth of a jar, about the size of a rough clay bowl, was revealed.

Hou Li exhaled hard in relief—the items were still there.

She raised the shovel and shoveled dirt back a few times, then paused.

Jaw clenched, she continued digging. A few minutes later, the entire mouth of a fermentation crock was exposed. Hou Li forcefully lifted the lid on top.

Beneath it was a waxed paper bundle.

She unfolded the waxed paper and reached inside, feeling the crock stuffed to the brim.

Just as she was about to pull her hand back, the object she touched made her freeze. She grabbed something and pulled it out.

“A rock?”

Hou Li clawed through the crock, shining her flashlight inside.

Rocks—rocks—all river-smoothed stones. The entire crock was full of them.

Seeing her tearing through the crock, Zuo Jinghuan and Zuo Zuying could no longer stay hidden. They rushed out.

“Mom, Mom, what’s wrong?” Zuo Jinghuan hopped over the shit pit and ran to Hou Li, grabbing her sleeve.

Under the moonlight, Hou Li’s face was chalk-white. “Gone… gone… all of it’s gone.”

This was the fallback her father had left her. No one knew about it except her and Zuo Shangdang—not even Zuo Zuying had a clue about the exact location beneath the fertilizer pit.

“Mom, what’s gone? Did you hide something here? Did it get stolen?” Zuo Jinghuan asked gingerly, eyeing the crock.

Seeing her mother spaced out, she quickly comforted her, “If it’s gone, write it off. It’s the middle of the night—come on, let’s go home. The mosquitoes are everywhere.”

The two of them brought Hou Li back home, but she still seemed zoned out.

Zuo Jinghuan turned to look at Zuo Zuying, who threw up his hands helplessly as if to say, “I can’t do anything either.”

Before they could say anything else, Hou Li, like a zombie, turned and went back to her room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Zuo Zuying turned and walked away.

Zuo Jinghuan grabbed him, "Hey, where are you going?"

Zuo Zuying pointed outside helplessly, "It's the middle of the night, for heaven's sake. What else would I do? Obviously, I'm going to sleep."

Zuo Jinghuan glared at his back as he walked away, muttering through clenched teeth, "Still heartless, I see. How can you even sleep like this?"

The next day, when Zuo Zuying woke up, he saw Zuo Jinghuan pacing outside Hou Li's door.

Spotting her brother, Zuo Jinghuan hurried over, "Zuying, Mom still hasn’t gotten up. She didn’t even go to teach today. Do you think she’s okay?"

Zuo Zuying yawned, "What could be wrong? She was shoveling dirt half the night—of course she’s tired. She probably just needs to sleep in today."

"By the way, what do you want to eat? I’ll go buy something from the street."

Zuo Jinghuan rolled her eyes, "Food, food, food—is that all you ever think about? You’re so clueless it’s maddening."

*Creak—*

As they bickered, Hou Li’s door opened.

Both siblings turned to look.

Hou Li stepped out, looking worn out, her eyes faintly bloodshot—clearly, she hadn’t slept all night.

She glanced at Zuo Zuying, hesitated, then asked, "Zuying, when are you going back to A City? I’ll go with you."

Zuo Zuying raised an eyebrow—finally! His by-the-book schoolteacher mom had finally come to her senses.

"Zuying, is Zuying home?" A voice called from outside.

"Yeah, who is it?" Zuo Zuying responded.

It was the youngest son from the Zhao family next door, coming to ask after Zhao Gang.

Since Zhao Gang had run off last time, he hadn’t returned home. Once the Zhao brothers cooled down, they grew resentful again.

First, their elderly parents were getting older—if the third son was gone, who would take care of them? Second, they feared Zhao Gang might strike it rich elsewhere and cut ties, leaving them with no benefits.

So when Zhao’s fourth son heard Zuo Zuying was back, he came early to pump him for information.

Zuo Zuying shook his head, "Haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. I’m looking for him too. If you hear anything, let me know."

Zhao’s fourth son probed, "Hey, if you're looking for my third brother, is it about that business deal from last time? I don’t have much going on now—what about me?"

Zuo Zuying sized him up, "Your brother borrowed money from me, said it was for a wedding. Now he’s gone, and the money’s gone too. Maybe you should tell your parents—since he’s family, I can’t just let that slide, can I?"

Zhao’s fourth son stiffened, "Hey, if he borrowed it, you should go after him. That’s not our problem... Well, if you don’t know anything, forget it. I’ve got things to do—talk later."

Zuo Zuying watched Zhao’s fourth son beat a hasty retreat with disdain, silently thinking Zhao Gang deserved better.

True to her word, Hou Li went to school that day to arrange her work, settled things at home, and left for A City with Zuo Zuying.

Zuo Shangdang wasn’t one to come home often, but he was famously devoted to his wife and children.

He sent money home on time every month, doted on Hou Li, and would bend over backward for her. Whenever he did return, he never came empty-handed—gifts for his wife and kids. A grown man, he cooked and did chores, making him the talk of the town as a loving husband.

If Zuo Zuying had waltzed in out of the blue saying his father was cheating with a mistress and had a secret child, most would’ve thought he’d gone off the deep end. After all, Zuo Shangdang was the kind of man who smiled at everyone, was crazy about his wife and kids, and slaved away all by himself to provide for them.

The Zuo family's life in the town could be considered among the best, and the comfortable life Hou Li and her son enjoyed was entirely due to Zuo Shangdang's blood, sweat, and tears.

However, Hou Li had a secret buried deep in her heart for a very long time.

That was the existence of the second daughter of the Lu family, Lu Yazhi—she was aware of her presence.

After years of marriage, she wasn’t stupid. She had faint suspicions but never any concrete evidence.

And apart from being busier in recent years, Zuo Shangdang could be said to be a model husband.

The name Lu Yazhi, along with that thumb ring that should have been buried underground, brought back all the subtle clues from her past memories, coming rushing back once more.