Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 98 - 096 Chinese cabbage second round

Chapter 98: 096 Chinese cabbage second round

Li Xianglu’s face was beet red when she crawled out of the sewer again, fuming and embarrassed. Qin Zhen didn’t understand why, and at this moment, he was quite pleased with himself as he helped Li Xianglu up.

Qin Xi climbed up after her with a strange expression on his face, but the carefree Qin Zhen did not detect anything amiss between the two of them. He kept urging his brother to open the box to take a look.

At this moment, Mr. Li got back from the east side. Seeing that they had indeed found something, he excitedly rubbed his hands and said, "Alright, we’ve got the goods, let’s hurry up and leave."

Qin Xi, with a slightly somber expression, said, "That won’t work, this is inside the school. The guard at the gate saw us coming in with bags. If we leave carrying a suitcase, it’ll be too conspicuous, and they might think we’ve stolen something from the school."

Mr. Li was taken aback. That was true. No matter where, if you’re seen leaving someone’s property with items, you’d be questioned.

Having regained her composure, Li Xianglu suggested without any concern for her earlier anger, "Grandpa, the teacher’s family quarters of Jiao Da are on the west side; we should be able to leave through there without being checked."

Mr. Li nodded, "Right, indeed they might just think it’s someone moving their belongings. The only issue is there’s a small gate, and there are people watching it."

At this moment Qin Zhen, grinning, said, "What’s there to be afraid of? I’m an expert at climbing walls."

Mr. Li laughed and patted the jester Qin Zhen, "Alright then, it’s all on you today!"

Qin Zhen climbed over the wall. Qin Xi passed the box up to him and then climbed up himself. While waiting below to catch the items, after Qin Xi had received the goods and called out from the other side of the wall, Li Xianglu walked briskly towards the main gate with Mr. Li.

After the four regrouped, they walked in tense silence until they got into the car and breathed a sigh of relief, having successfully reached the guest house. Qin Zhen was the first to howl, thrilled by the excitement.

Li Xianglu let out a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a smile as she looked at Qin Xi across from her.

When Qin Xi saw that, he extended his big hand intending to ruffle her hair as he had done before, but Li Xianglu suddenly remembered the incident in the sewer. Her face turned red, and she dodged away, eyes wide open, her rosy lips pouting in displeasure.

Seeing her reaction, Qin Xi chuckled and patted her, "Don’t be so petty. It was an emergency back then."

Li Xianglu turned her head away, pretending to be very upset, which amused Qin Xi even more, and he softly suggested, "Alright, how about I accompany you to buy a watch at Huai Country Old this afternoon?"

Li Xianglu’s eyes suddenly lit up with hope as she turned her head back to him. Qin Xi chuckled and shook his head, "How about we go to First Mall and buy a new one instead? Import goods don’t require a ticket, and they hold their value."

Li Xianglu’s entire face lit up at that suggestion, but then she deflated a bit, remembering something, "But we don’t have enough money."

Qin Xi pretended to be magnanimous, patting his chest, "Don’t worry, you’ve got me!"

In an instant, Li Xianglu forgot the morning’s embarrassment and quickly flashed a sycophantic smile.

Meanwhile, Mr. Li had borrowed a wrench from downstairs and, seeing the two in the corridor, glanced at Qin Xi’s smelly boots and said, "Hurry and change your shoes; they stink to high heaven!"

Embarrassed, Qin Xi quickly went to find shoes in his room, while a cheerful Li Xianglu followed Mr. Li into the house.

Qin Zhen, not minding the smell, sprawled himself over the box.

This wasn’t a wooden box but a suitcase made of cowhide, one meter long, fifty centimeters wide, and twenty centimeters thick. It was handmade by craftsmen before the founding of the People’s Republic, not only finely crafted but also waterproof. The high society ladies of that era all favored such suitcases.

Two somewhat ancient-looking copper locks on top were already rusty, spotted with green patina.

After a close inspection of the box, Li Xianglu shook her head at Mr. Li, "Grandpa, this box is too sturdy. I’m afraid the wrench won’t be able to pry it open."

If this had been an earlier time, Mr. Li would have tried without hesitation, but after having managed so many things, his trust in Li Xianglu regarding these small contraptions was complete, so he quickly put down the wrench, hesitating, "Then what should we do?"

Li Xianglu squatted on the ground and meticulously examined the copper locks, then looked at the keyhole and said with regret, "We’ll have to break the lock."

Qin Zhen scoffed from the side, "Isn’t that what the wrench is for?" implying that Li Xianglu was putting on some kind of unnecessary show.

Li Xianglu, seeing this, wasn’t angry but remarked with some regret, "This lock appears ancient and is also an antique. It would be such a shame if it got damaged while trying to open it."

Qin Zhen then scratched his head, looking somewhat nervous, "Is this lock very valuable?"

Mr. Li had only half-baked knowledge about antiques, not understanding much, but he knew that in times of chaos gold is treasured, and in times of prosperity antiques are valued. Although the country is somewhat chaotic now, stability wasn’t far away. It was certainly wise to buy some antiques while the chaos persisted. Therefore, he sought out experts to appraise and secretly purchased some antique furniture, or else he wouldn’t find his bank account strained.

However, he would not doubt Xiang’s words. She had already brought him too many surprises, especially regarding antiques. If opening the camphor wood box was a coincidence, then recognizing the markings on the treasure map definitely wasn’t. It must have been the result of deliberate study. Whatever had happened in between, he wasn’t concerned; he only cared about the girl’s character.

At this time, Qin Xi, who had just changed shoes and freshened up, came out and saw the three people flustered over the box and hurried to take a look.

After inspecting the box, she noticed a small zippered pocket at the front, and her curiosity getting the better of her, she unzipped it and reached inside. Her eyes lit up as she pulled out two small brass keys.

Everyone was stunned. Qin Zhen, standing beside, started slapping his forehead, wondering why he hadn’t thought to check the small pocket.

Li Xianglu was also momentarily stunned; how generous must the owner of the treasure have been to even leave the keys behind.

Mr. Li let out a sigh of relief and nodded, accepting the keys. Even leaving the keys behind was truly her style of doing things.

He took the keys, inserted them into the lock, and with a gentle twist, a soft ’click’ was heard, and the lock opened. Mr. Li removed the lock and set it aside, then proceeded to open another one.

As the box was opened, the first thing that came into view was not the glittering jewels everyone had imagined but a complete and fresh-looking large cabbage, along with another wooden box.

Qin Zhen’s mouth fell open in an exaggerated manner, "Whose treasure includes cabbage?" he said as he reached out to grab it, only to freeze in shock. This wasn’t cabbage.

Li Xianglu chuckled and shook her head, carefully taking it in her hands. It was a jade cabbage, delicately carved from a single piece of jade. In her previous life, Li Xianglu had seen many jade cabbages, but none were as fine as this one. The front was a dazzling green, and the back a translucent white – it was irresistible.

PS: Thank you, Lazy Xiao Mi, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, charming big sister, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, Zhang Zhenyao, for the two monthly tickets

Thank you, Lan Niao Fei, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, Wowa., for the two monthly tickets

Thank you, Sister Chu, for the two monthly tickets

Thank you, Book Friend 081012070446148, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, Feiling Sky, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, kwjj, for the two monthly tickets

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Thank you, Happy Bull Every Day, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, Ai Paigu, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, Hope to Return to the Past Me, for the monthly ticket, and thank you for helping to explain some issues in the comments section, thank you

Thank you, Beach Hermit, for the monthly ticket

Thank you, Heheheli, for the monthly ticket

Still typing away, I won’t miss out on the updates for you all, thank you everyone for the killer love, you’re going to love me to death - did you know I updated 15,000 words yesterday? Fifteen thousand!