Chapter 17: Reclaiming the Deed

Facing Qin Dezheng’s somewhat puzzled gaze, Zhong Xiao didn’t offer much explanation. Of course, she wasn’t about to rashly reveal the secret of her hidden space to him, either. She simply said to him:

“I’ve discovered an extremely concealed place. Apart from me, no one else can find it. So, rest assured, Second Granduncle—all those things belonging to the Zhong family are perfectly safe in my keeping. There’s only one exception—”

She continued, “I searched the Zhong family warehouse for a long time but couldn’t find the gold bars Grandfather had accumulated back then.”

“Later, I stumbled upon the truth: Du Huacheng had melted down all of the Zhong family’s gold and cast it into a Buddha statue.”

Qin Dezheng was taken aback. Suddenly, as though something had occurred to him, he asked, “The Buddha statue you mention—is it perhaps…”

Zhong Xiao nodded. “Yes, the very one in the Zhong family courtyard—the three-story-tall statue. Though the exterior is made of concrete, the inside is solid gold.”

“By a rough estimate, no less than two hundred catties!”

That wasn’t just her guess; her space had calculated it for her.

Anything over two hundred catties couldn’t be stowed away at once in her space just yet.

Qin Dezheng’s eyes widened. Only after a long pause did he say bitterly, “No wonder I investigated for so long in secret and never found those gold bars my elder brother stored away. None of the gold shops had them—there were only withdrawal records, never any deposits!”

“So that brat quietly came up with this trick!”

Zhong Xiao said, “It’s thanks to Du Huacheng’s cunning, actually. If all that gold had been left in the banks, it would have been confiscated long ago…”

She did not finish, but Qin Dezheng understood her meaning. With so much gold stored elsewhere, it would have been seized and would no longer belong to the Zhong family.

Qin Dezheng fell silent for a while, then suddenly seemed to recall something. “Xiaoxiao, those medicines in the bathroom today—you didn’t just come across them by chance, did you? Did you bring them?”

Zhong Xiao smiled.

Knowing she couldn’t fool his sharp eyes, she had no intention of lying to him.

She nodded. “Yes, Second Granduncle. Yang Yuehe bought those medicines secretly from the black market on my behalf. I know the hospital is desperately short of supplies, so I brought some over to see if they might help.”

“If they can be of use, that in itself is a good deed.”

Qin Dezheng let out a deep sigh, looking at Zhong Xiao with approving eyes.

“Xiaoxiao, you really are a good child. It’s those damned profiteers, selling medicine for outrageous prices, that have led to such shortages in the hospital. So many times, a child could have been saved if only there were enough medicine, but our hands were tied. That feeling—it’s unbearable.”

Saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda—there is no greater virtue to be gained.

Zhong Xiao admitted she had her selfish reasons, but she truly wished to do her part.

Yang Yuehe and Du Huacheng had used the Zhong family’s money to monopolize medicines, committing such heartless deeds.

Zhong Xiao donated part of the medicine, hoping to avert disaster for the Zhong family.

Qin Dezheng was moved for a moment, then looked at Zhong Xiao.

“Xiaoxiao, now that you’ve seen Du Huacheng’s true nature, what do you plan to do next?”

He had realized that Zhong Xiao, for reasons unknown, seemed to have matured overnight.

She was no longer the willful, naïve heiress who had once trusted Du Huacheng implicitly and let Yang Yuehe lull her into complacency.

Rather than shelter her, it was better to hear what she herself intended.

As he expected.

Zhong Xiao smiled gently and said, “Second Granduncle, I do have a plan.” Her expression grew resolute. “I intend to sever all ties with Du Huacheng.”

“They want to trick me into going to the countryside, don’t they?”

“They want me to bear the blame for the Zhong family’s reckoning—then I’ll use this as my chance to cut them off, not just with a formal letter, but by publishing it for all to see. From now on, everyone will know I, Zhong Xiao, have nothing to do with Du Huacheng.”

“But I realize that once I do this, I won’t be able to stay in the old Zhong residence. Even though the house belongs to Grandfather, I can’t fight them all alone, and they’ll surely drive me out. So I plan to find a state-run guesthouse to stay in for the time being.”

“I also have evidence of Yang Yuehe hoarding contraband. When the time comes, I’ll turn them in… Once Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe are arrested, it won’t be too late to return to the Zhong residence.”

Hearing all this, Qin Dezheng realized she had already thought through every contingency and method. All that remained was to take action. His heart swelled with relief.

He nodded approvingly, then opened the cabinet behind him. Inside was a camphorwood box, beautifully carved and clearly of fine craftsmanship.

Qin Dezheng opened the box, took out its contents, and handed them to Zhong Xiao.

“Xiaoxiao, even if you cut ties, there’s no way those beasts have the right to drive you out!”

“These are the title deeds to the Zhong family residence and land. It’s them who should be leaving!”

Zhong Xiao was stunned.

She’d heard Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe mention before that the title deeds had vanished. When Old Master Zhong was alive, he kept them with him, but after his passing, all his clothes were burned, the deeds included.

Afterward, no matter how they searched, the deeds couldn’t be found.

Some said they’d often seen Old Master Zhong keep them on his person, so likely they were incinerated by mistake.

Du Huacheng had felt a twinge of regret, but also a sense of relief—without the deeds, who could say who really owned the land and house? Whoever lived there could claim it as their own.

Who would have guessed the deeds had been with Qin Dezheng all along?

Qin Dezheng said, “I had to force my brother to give them to me. Back then, he was getting old and soft-hearted—Du Huacheng tricked him far too easily. But I couldn’t rest easy; I just knew Du Huacheng was no good.”

“So I begged my brother to give me the title deeds, so that if anything ever happened, I could use them to protect you and the old house.”

“I never thought they’d come in handy now.”

He moved to place the papers in Zhong Xiao’s hands.

But she drew back, her eyes brightening as a new idea formed.

“Second Granduncle, keep them with you for now. Tomorrow morning, bring the deeds with you to the Zhong house.”

“If all goes according to plan, by then I’ll have signed the letter severing ties with Du Huacheng.”

“As long as you appear with the deeds, we can sweep out that den of wolves in one fell swoop!”

“Just wait and watch the show!”