Chapter 246 Zi Shao's Plan
Not long after sitting by the campfire, Ye Shenge smelled the aroma of roasted meat, which made her mouth water. She could only eat some fruit for now.
Zi Yisheng couldn't help but want to laugh when he saw the little girl sitting aside with her mouth constantly working. Seeing that she was still as thin as when they first met, he wanted to keep feeding her.
"You eat quite a bit every day, where does it all go?"
Hearing this, Ye Shenge looked down at her body. She hadn't gained weight overall, but certain parts had indeed grown, which made her quite satisfied.
"That's why I keep eating, I'll gain some weight in the future."
Zi Yisheng tore off a rabbit leg that had just been roasted, placed it on clean leaves, and handed it to Ye Shenge.
"Eat it quickly while it's hot, the skin is all crispy."
Ye Shenge immediately handed the half-eaten apple in her hand to Zi Yisheng, took the rabbit leg, and started gnawing on it.
"Mmm, it's delicious, your cooking is amazing."
Zi Yisheng, praised by his "little object," his eyes curved into a smile as he bit into the half-eaten apple.
Ye Shenge was full after just two rabbit legs. She watched Zi Yisheng finish the rest of the rabbit in just a few bites and envied his large appetite. Noticing the gold nuggets lying on the side, Ye Shenge looked up at the nearby mountain.
"Why do you think there are gold nuggets here?"
Zi Yisheng also looked into the distance.
"There should be a gold mine here. I'll have someone look into it later."
Ye Shenge's eyes narrowed upon hearing "gold mine."
"Then aren't we rich?"
Zi Yisheng looked at the little treasure hunter in front of him with amusement.
"If it's confirmed to be a gold mine, then you are indeed rich."
Ye Shenge wasn't sure about the ownership of discovered gold mines at this time and worried that the state wouldn't allow private mining.
"Can individuals mine it?"
Zi Yisheng shook his head, saying that everything was public property now.
Ye Shenge looked at the gold nuggets with disappointment. It was like seeing a mountain of treasure that didn't belong to her. Fine, if it didn't belong to her, then she didn't want it.
"Then let's go pick up more gold nuggets later. We don't have to hand over what we pick up, right?"
Zi Yisheng couldn't help but burst into laughter as he watched the dejected little girl.
"Don't worry, as long as it's confirmed, I'll make sure it belongs to you."
The light in Ye Shenge's eyes flickered, then she quickly asked,
"Will this be bad for you?"
Zi Yisheng felt very gratified, she was always thinking of him.
"As long as no one finds out, that's enough."
Zi Yisheng didn't elaborate on how they would keep it a secret, and Ye Shenge wisely didn't ask further.
With matters on their minds, they didn't rest after eating and followed the stream upstream.
Ye Shenge couldn't understand the mountain formations and could only scan the water with her detection eyes, afraid of missing any nuggets.
Zi Yisheng also observed as he helped the little girl search. It wasn't until it was almost dark that he pulled the reluctant Ye Shenge down the mountain.
Mother Ye, worried, had been pacing at the foot of the mountain. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her daughter's figure.
"Why did you come back so late?"
Ye Shenge quickened her pace, went up to hug her mother's arm, and hurried home, looking like she had a big secret to share.
Dinner was already laid out in the yard, and everyone was waiting for them to eat.
Little Tiantian sat by the door, staring intently in the direction of the mountain foot. When she saw Ye Shenge return, she didn't say anything but ran to Ye Shenge and tugged at her hem.
Ye Shenge happily patted Little Tiantian's head.
"Was Little Tiantian good today?"
She knew she wouldn't get an answer, but Ye Shenge wasn't disappointed, letting Little Tiantian pull her hem into the courtyard.
Due to the presence of many people, Ye Shenge suppressed the urge to immediately share her day's findings. However, everyone noticed her constantly upturned lips and glanced at Zi Yisheng.
Father Ye glared at his son, thinking he hadn't asked the right questions, what a waste!
Every mouthful of food Ye Mu'en ate seemed like he was biting Zi Yisheng. Zi Yisheng, with his face disfigured and lacking any aesthetic appeal, didn't care at all. After all, he hadn't gained any advantage this afternoon, so he was at peace.
After dinner, Elder Fan and the others intentionally excused themselves, taking Mo Lin and Little Tiantian for a walk in the village, leaving only Zi Yisheng and the four members of the Ye family in the room.
Ye Shenge took two handfuls of stones from her basket and placed them on the table. They still gleamed with a golden light under the dim lamplight.
"Gold!?"
Ye Mu'en was the first to pick up a gold nugget and place it in his hand. He pinched it with his fingers, raising his eyebrows.
"You picked these up on the mountain?"
Ye Shenge, beaming with joy and pride, her tail already wagging.
"Found in the mountain stream, a windfall, amazing, right!"
Father Ye and Mother Ye also picked up gold nuggets, but Father Ye frowned.
"What were you thinking?"
The question was directed at Zi Yisheng.
"Of course, we had to take it. It's better than letting it fall into the hands of future generations."
"But it's hard to hide from the villagers."
Zi Yisheng, however, was unfazed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
"Then we'll seal off that mountain and prevent anyone from entering until we've finished mining it."
Father Ye pondered for a long time. It was easy to say, but how would the villagers gather wild vegetables or hunt in the mountains if the mountain was sealed off?
Zi Yisheng understood his future father-in-law's concerns and quickly revealed his plan.
"This also presents a perfect prerequisite. Tomorrow, I'll have people spread the word about finding a corpse on the mountain, and then release rumors that the murderer is hiding there."
Father Ye thought for a moment and couldn't help but nod.
"Good, but this can't go on for too long."
"Indeed, it can't be too long. Let's first determine where the gold mine is. If it's deep in the mountains, that would be even better. Not many villagers go into the deep mountains, and we can keep an eye on anyone entering the mountain later."
This was indeed a good idea. With the preliminary plan settled, everyone became excited. Gold mines, who could resist such a temptation right before their eyes.
"I'll also arrange for a group of people to come over. More people mean faster work."
Ye Shenge and Mother Ye smiled contentedly on the side. As long as money was coming in, they were happy.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Wang Zhenli's surgery took three hours. The village head and the team leader had both arrived, and the educated youth point had also sent Zhao Zhenzhen over, as someone would be needed to care for her after the operation.
The village head looked at the bill of several hundred yuan and felt like crying. Their entire brigade had only a little over a thousand yuan, and now over three hundred had been spent.
The team leader's face was also grim. They would need money for the New Year to distribute to everyone, so what would they do now?
"Why don't we go to the educated youth office and explain the situation? We really can't afford this money, otherwise, how many years would it take to pay it back?"
The village head also regretted his moment of leniency, but they couldn't just not save someone.
Zhao Zhenzhen stood aside like a quail, but her expression was equally grim. She only had thirty-two yuan left, and she had just lent ten yuan to Wang Zhenli.
It wasn't as if her relationship with Wang Zhenli was particularly close; she was just like Wang Zhenli, a small sycophant, vying with each other to show their eagerness for a bite to eat.
But now, not only had she paid money, but she also had to take care of Wang Zhenli, which made her uncomfortable. However, no one else in the educated youth point was willing to take on the task, especially Gao Jiaojiao, who was utterly heartless, unrighteous, selfish, and cowardly.
"Alright, you stay here, and I'll take the medical fee receipt and go over. If the educated youth office doesn't help, we'll just abandon her to them."