Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire

Chapter 74: Chapter 68: Secret Passage

Within three days, Gu Wenfeng had figured out the history of the Sun Family. The courtyard they lived in had been allocated to Sun Xun when the family split more than thirty years ago. Since the male owner lived in the second courtyard, there was no study set up here.

These past few days, Lu Jiaxin had been pondering how Sun Xun discovered the secret passage two years later. Given their economic situation, they couldn’t afford to renovate the house. Moreover, if the entrance to the secret passage was revealed during the renovation, the two households in the back would definitely make a fuss.

The heirlooms passed down from their ancestors belonged to all members of the Sun Family. However, in her previous life, she had not heard any disputes over inheritance from the third household, so before selling those antique paintings and calligraphy, the two households in the back must have been unaware.

Based on the information at hand, Lu Jiaxin speculated that it might have been due to a house collapse or some other reason that the entrance to the tunnel was exposed. After discovering it, Sun Xun must have covered it up, which explains why the two families behind were not aware of it.

Gu Wenfeng also mentioned something else, “The three heated brick beds in this courtyard were bought before the liberation. Strangely, these three brick beds were all made by Sun Xun’s grandfather, and before that, no one knew he had that skill.”

Lu Jiaxin’s eyes lit up, “Could it be that Sun Xun’s grandfather died unexpectedly and didn’t see his family before he passed away?”

Gu Wenfeng nodded and said, “Yes, he was on his way to buy grains when he encountered deserters from the Guo Gang. Those people were no different from bandits, committing arson and looting; he met his end at their hands.”

Lu Jiaxin had been wondering why no one from the Sun Family knew about the secret passage, and now she knew the reason, “I think the most likely location of the secret passage entrance is within the heated brick bed in my room.”

Gu Wenfeng didn’t speculate, as long as there was no entrance to the secret passage in the bed in Lu Jiaxin’s room, he would move on to dismantle the other two.

“When is Zhao Dajun leaving?” Lu Jiaxin inquired. The materials for the house repair had arrived the afternoon before last, and over the past two days Zhao Dajun, along with the master worker they had called in, had fixed the roof. All the doors and windows needed to be replaced, and this morning they had paid a deposit for them. Once they were made and delivered, they would be installed. Painting the walls was something everyone could do, so there was no need to hire workers for that.

If it hadn’t been for their incompatible values, Lu Jiaxin would not have wanted Zhao Dajun to go back. Firstly, he worked efficiently, and secondly, he was strong.

Gu Wenfeng said, “Tell him tomorrow, and he’ll leave the day after.”

“What reason?”

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Gu Wenfeng knew she feared that the far-fetched reason would give Zhao Dajun a hint, “His job has been confirmed, and he needs to rush back to report.”

“Oh, the job is confirmed, with which organization?”

Hearing that it was the transportation company in Zhao Dajun’s hometown county, she thought it was quite good. Zhao Dajun could drive and had a high level of physical strength, so even long-distance trips weren’t a concern. Even if the transportation company failed later, with some money, he could buy his own truck to do haulage, and even without one, it would be easy for him to find a job driving for someone else.

Zhao Dajun was overjoyed to receive the news the next day, feeling settled now that his job was secure. However, when he heard he was to leave the following day, Zhao Dajun resisted, “Brother Feng, there’s so much work to do, you’ll be at it till the cows come home. We have a two-week reporting time; I can leave five days early. In these few days, let’s tidy up the house together.”

Gu Wenfeng had expected this response, “You only have one week to report, and after that, you still need to find a place to live. You should go back earlier.”

With only a week to report, Zhao Dajun dared not delay and accepted the train ticket reluctantly. Yet, in the evening he worked until after nine before going to sleep; had it not been for the elderly lady in the second courtyard complaining at their door, he might have worked all night.

The next day, Lu Jiaxin went with Xue Mao to see him off. Knowing that he was frugal, Lu Jiaxin bought him fruits and biscuits to eat, and had Xue Mao cook thirty pancakes and twenty boiled eggs.

Zhao Dajun, unable to decline, accepted the gifts, but he still had something to say, “Miss Lu, earning money is hard, you should spend more frugally! Otherwise, when it’s time to use money and you don’t have it, it will be too late for regrets.”

Lu Jiaxin knew he meant well and said with a smile, “I’m well aware. Brother Zhao, if you ever run into trouble, you can come to me, and I’ll do my best to help you.”

Zhao Dajun intended to say it wasn’t necessary, but Gu Wenfeng spoke up before him, “Dajun, aren’t you going to thank Miss Lu already?”

From their days together, he saw that the young lady was intelligent, capable, deep-thinking, and dared to act. With her family background, she would surely go far in the future. Her promise might come in handy.

Zhao Dajun was puzzled, but thanked her under Gu Wenfeng’s prompting.

Gu Wenfeng had bought a sleeper ticket, and the fare was paid by Lu Jiaxin. After he sat down, he felt his luggage took up too much space, so he put the fruits and dry food given by Lu Jiaxin into a luggage bag. Unexpectedly, when he opened the bag, he found an envelope on top. Opening the envelope, he saw a stack of money inside.

Although Gu Wenfeng and Zhao Wenfeng were both sent by the Xie Family, in these days they had been toiling together, helping with the house repairs, and Lu Jiaxin naturally wanted to show her gratitude. But she knew that Zhao Dajun was a stubborn man, and that he wouldn’t accept the money directly.

Zhao Dajun, taking the money, shook his head slightly, “Alas, this girl is too generous with her money. With such a wicked stepmother, she doesn’t know to save money.”

The stepmother was calculating and capable, and the girl was no match for her. By the time she came of age, she probably wouldn’t be able to get any money from Mr. Lu, but despite his repeated advice, she wouldn’t listen. He didn’t intend to use this money; he’d find an opportunity to return it.

With Zhao Dajun gone, Lu Jiaxin no longer had any concerns. Upon returning home, the three of them started dismantling the heated brick bed.

Gu Wenfeng caught sight of the opening that was revealed and looked deeply into Lu Jiaxin’s eyes. Before coming here, he thought that Lu Jiaxin, being just a child, was too naive. If there were real treasures hidden in the secret passage, how could the Sun Family not know? He didn’t object and went along with her plans to gather information, hoping she would give up the idea soon and return to the Forty-nine City. But unexpectedly, the Sun Family actually had a secret passage.

If there was a secret passage, then the treasures were likely real as well.

Xue Mao’s mouth was so agape he could have stuffed an egg into it, “Sister, where did you get this information from?”

Lu Jiaxin certainly wasn’t going to say she knew from the future; this was her deepest secret, “Let’s go down and have a look.”

Gu Wenfeng shook his head and said, “This tunnel must be very old, and having been sealed for years, there might be danger due to poor ventilation. Let it air out a bit, and after lunch, I’ll go down and explore. If there are no problems, then you two can follow.”

Lu Jiaxin understood right away; he was concerned about the lack of fresh air in the tunnel if they went down now. She was cautious about her life and didn’t dare take risks and didn’t want them to risk it either, “There’s no rush, let’s wait for the others to finish their work in the afternoon before we go down; that way it’s safer.”

Since Sun Xun hadn’t had any problems back then, probably there wouldn’t be any now. Still, they were not in a hurry, and it was better to let it air out for half a day.

Gu Wenfeng was worried she would want to go down right away but felt relieved to hear her response. The young lady might be hot-tempered, but she was sensible in her actions, “Sounds good, we’ll have a look in the evening.”