Chapter 88: Evaluation

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Evaluation

"The money’s gone, what other valuables could there be?" Gu Lihui grumbled, but his hands moved fast. He pulled out a common, military-green bookbag that was in good shape and started rummaging around, stuffing small items he considered valuable inside.

After a quick glance, Gu Jinhua squatted down and started scooping the food from the floor into a basin, salvaging any pieces that hadn’t been completely crushed under Gu Lihui’s foot. As she packed it away, her heart ached at the waste. At the same time, she silently began to ponder her younger brother’s words. ’Maybe I should find some piecework to take home, too. I could pay off my debts sooner, have a little spending money for myself, and then if my parents’ family needs money again in the future, I won’t end up in such a pathetic state like this...’

After salvaging the food, she carried the basin to the stove. She put a pot of water on to heat, then grabbed a broom and dustpan to clean up the remaining ruined food. Suddenly, realizing she’d overlooked something, she looked up and stared at Gu Lihui. "You... How could you immediately suspect our mom just because the money is missing? Couldn’t that bitch Zhang Minzhen have taken it?"

"It couldn’t have been her." Gu Lihui, frantic with anxiety and with no one to vent to, had no desire to discuss the topic.

"And why not? Compared to Mom, she had far more opportunities to be in this house alone. That makes her a much bigger suspect. Besides, if she didn’t have something to give her confidence, how could she and her entire family suddenly be acting so bold?"

Gu Jinhua’s reasoning was so sound that it made Gu Lihui waver for a moment. But he quickly shook his head, obviously trusting his own judgment more. "Impossible. Her family is acting bold because of her older brother. He used to hold back because Zhang Minzhen was part of our family, but things are different now, of course."

"Are you stupid? You’d rather trust an outsider than your own mother?" Gu Jinhua was momentarily speechless with frustration at her younger brother’s stubbornness.

"What does who I trust have to do with anything? Zhang Minzhen never, ever knew where I kept the money. It’s a secret spot. Besides me, only Dad and Mom knew. You tell me—besides our mom, do you think Dad would come over here to take my money? Or tell Zhang Minzhen where I hid it?"

Gu Lihui scoffed. "Besides, even if I hate to admit it, when it comes to taking the money—and taking it so cleanly and completely—our mom is the only one of the two who would do it. As for Zhang Minzhen... It’s not that I’m underestimating her, but with her personality and guts no bigger than a mosquito’s, do you really think she’s capable of pulling something like this off?"

Gu Jinhua fell silent.

She became pensive. She had to admit, her younger brother had a point. Zhang Minzhen was honest to a fault; it truly wasn’t in her nature to take money behind someone’s back.

The woman was hopelessly stubborn in her principles. One time, someone from the countryside came to buy something and accidentally paid with a large-denomination bill instead of a small one, overpaying significantly. She probably didn’t even notice at the time and just accepted it. Later, the person realized their mistake and came back.

Who else would have even bothered with something like that? Anyone else would have just pocketed the extra money. But not her. She went to the trouble of carefully recounting her cash, and once she confirmed the amount was indeed over, she readily returned the exact difference.

Because of that, many people at the supply and marketing co-op laughed at her for being a fool. There’s a saying: ’You’re an idiot if you pass up a windfall.’ If the money isn’t counted in front of you at the counter, you’re well within your rights to deny any mistake later. That holds true anywhere, and no one could argue. But then there was her... Ha. She just had to get fussy about it. What, was she worried the extra money would burn a hole in her pocket?

Compared to a simple soul like Zhang Minzhen, their own mother...

The corner of Gu Jinhua’s mouth twitched. Just to say something, she asked casually, "So where is this hiding spot? Is it really that secret? And how did Mom and Dad find out about it?"

"There’s a hidden compartment behind the dish cupboard, about a person’s height up. Go find it yourself." In any case, Gu Lihui had no intention of hiding anything valuable there again, so telling her was no big deal.

Gu Jinhua skeptically sized up the clumsy, old cupboard. They’d had it since her childhood, and she knew it like the back of her hand. Who would have thought it had a hidden mechanism?

Following Gu Lihui’s instructions, she felt around for a long time. The water on the stove came to a boil, but she still hadn’t found anything. She rushed to pour the food into the pot, let it boil for a couple of minutes, then scooped it out. Unwilling to give up, Gu Jinhua went back and fumbled around for a while longer before she finally uncovered the cupboard’s secret.

’This really is well hidden.’ Even though it was an object she’d seen her whole life and her brother had told her exactly where to look, it had still taken her ages to find. What were the chances Zhang Minzhen would have found it, even after looking at the cupboard for a dozen years?

Without knowing the secret, it was impossible to find.

With that, Gu Jinhua, like Gu Lihui, completely dismissed any suspicion she had of Zhang Minzhen.

After listlessly eating their fill, Gu Lihui could no longer be bothered with how others on the street might see him. He put on his straw hat and began to hurry Gu Jinhua along, so much so that she didn’t even have time to wash the bowls and chopsticks. Slung with the satchel Gu Lihui had packed and carrying a bundle of his spare clothes, she rushed out the door right behind him, not even managing to grab a hat for herself.

"Jinhua, is that you two? Haven’t seen you in ages! I heard Xiao Gu was in the hospital, is he out now? I don’t think I’ve seen your sister-in-law or your niece around recently, either. Why aren’t you resting at home in the middle of a hot day like this? Where are you off to?"

The brother and sister had run into a neighborhood woman, a familiar acquaintance, not far from their home. Gu Lihui kept his head down and ignored her, walking on ahead, but Gu Jinhua was caught off guard and felt awkward when the woman pulled at her.

She gave a forced laugh. "My younger brother hasn’t been feeling well. He still has to work if he stays here, and there’s no one to look after him, so I’m taking him to our mom’s."

"Oh, is that so..."

The neighborhood woman kept staring at Gu Lihui’s retreating back, an unreadable smile playing on her lips. Her expression was unsettling enough to make Gu Jinhua feel deeply uncomfortable, so she quickly made her excuses. "We’re in a hurry! See you later."

"Okay, okay, you two run along. It sure is hot today. Look at that, even your brother, a grown man, is wearing a straw hat. Aren’t you afraid of getting sunburnt?"

The woman waved, still muttering to herself as Gu Jinhua left. With a helpless glance at the distance that had grown between her and her younger brother due to the delay, Gu Jinhua broke into a jog to catch up, abandoning any thought of going back for a hat.

"People these days... they just don’t appreciate what they have," the woman sighed, shaking her head as she watched the siblings’ retreating backs.