Du Lanyue put down the candle and watched Gu Qingcheng smashing the lock with a stone. She didn't hold out much hope, as Gu Qingcheng had said the chest was light, and such a light chest couldn't possibly hold anything good.
Perhaps it was empty, and the reflection on the water surface was merely the brightness of the chest itself.
The lock was still very sturdy. Even someone as strong as Gu Qingcheng had to smash it a few times before it finally gave way.
"Oh, heavens, we're rich!"
As Gu Qingcheng opened the chest, the moment the lid was ajar, the golden hue inside almost blinded the two of them.
"Gold bars? All gold bars?" Du Lanyue was startled. "How is that possible? You said the chest was light."
How could it be a chest full of gold bars if Gu Qingcheng carried it so easily?
But the facts were laid bare before them.
Gu Qingcheng simply flipped the chest over and poured out the gold bars.
With a "clatter," the gold bars piled onto the ground with great force, leaving Du Lanyue stunned.
"Is it really a chest of gold bars?"
Du Lanyue gasped.
Gu Qingcheng had seen a gold mine before...
So she remained calm, a slight frown on her brow, and said,
"I just remembered, when that fellow was introducing the sights, didn't he say there was a legend about bandits hiding treasure in the caves? It seems these are it. So, the treasure story isn't just a legend after all. Sister Lanyue, we'll split this treasure fifty-fifty."
Gu Qingcheng was no saint. Although she possessed immense wealth, she couldn't do things that were illogical. If she didn't share half the gold bars, Du Lanyue would surely not dare to accept the other half.
As expected, upon hearing this, Du Lanyue became a little restless with excitement and asked,
"Can we take it?"
"Of course, it's a gift from heaven. Think about it, if we hadn't been chased by bad guys into the depths of the cave and gotten lost, would we be able to stay here?
If we hadn't stayed here, would we have gone to wash dishes and discovered the hidden treasure in the underground river?"
When Gu Qingcheng wanted to persuade someone, she always appeared dignified and spoke eloquently, approaching the matter from a moral high ground, making it easier for others to accept.
Analyzing her words, it meant they were victims, so this grand gift was compensation from heaven.
In this way, they could accept it with a clear conscience.
Indeed, Du Lanyue happily accepted and smiled,
"This is truly a gift from heaven, so unexpected. How much do you think it's worth?"
"Well, I don't know the exact weight, but it will definitely be a generous addition to your dowry."
Gu Qingcheng said with a smile.
After arriving here, she noticed that for girls in this region, a generous dowry would lead to them being highly respected and valued by their in-laws after marriage.
However, wealthy people are always loved everywhere.
This truth holds true in any era.
But compared to modern times where Gu Qingcheng came from, some of the unwritten rules of marriage here seemed more reasonable than in her previous era.
For instance, a woman's dowry was her personal property, and after marriage, it belonged to the woman alone. In principle, the husband's family had no right to interfere with its disposal.
Only those families driven to extreme poverty would try to encroach upon their daughter-in-law's dowry.
Of course, most families that encroached upon their daughter-in-law's dowry would do so subtly, through manipulation, rather than openly seizing it. If they were to "snatch" it, neither the bride's family nor the government would allow it.
Furthermore, if a woman died in her husband's home and her dowry was not entirely spent, it would be inherited by her children, and the husband would still have no claim. If the woman died without offspring, the husband's family would have to return the dowry to the bride's family.
When Gu Qingcheng understood the purpose of dowries here, she couldn't help but marvel, thinking that ancient people were much more enlightened than modern people, greatly protecting the rights of vulnerable women.
Gu Qingcheng picked up a gold bar from the ground, weighed it in her hand, it was quite heavy, and then handed it to Du Lanyue, saying,
"Sister Lanyue, each one is a jin."
"What?" Du Lanyue took it and indeed, it was heavy, her wrist bending under its weight. She said, "It's so heavy. I thought it was an empty box when I saw you carrying it so easily just now."
"Ha, that's because I'm strong," Gu Qingcheng chuckled. "Don't believe me? I'll carry you."
Without waiting for Du Lanyue's reaction, she squatted down, embraced her by the waist, lifted her up, and even ran around the cave.
Indeed, it was effortless, without a single gasp.
Du Lanyue was utterly astonished. Caught off guard by Gu Qingcheng lifting her so easily, she was momentarily speechless. She found that being held like this by Gu Qingcheng felt rather comfortable.
There was no one else here, it was a world isolated from the outside. No one would accuse her of being immodest, being carried around by a man...
Du Lanyue suddenly felt that being trapped here wasn't so bad.
She couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"How about that? Am I strong, right?"
Gu Qingcheng was completely unfazed.
Du Lanyue's weight was as light as a feather compared to the chest filled with gold bars that Gu Qingcheng had carried earlier.
When Gu Qingcheng was an athlete, physical contact like this with female classmates was commonplace. After training, they would even help each other with massages to relax. As Gu Qingcheng put Du Lanyue down and saw her smiling happily, she couldn't resist picking her up again and spinning her in the air.
"Giggle!"
Du Lanyue's laughter rang out like silver bells, so pleasant to hear that it made Gu Qingcheng want to tease her even more.
Gu Qingcheng felt that it was indeed good to interact more with people her own age. Du Lanyue's optimistic spirit even when trapped in a desperate situation instantly infected her.
"Girls who smile often will surely have good luck."
Gu Qingcheng put Du Lanyue down. Seeing her lose her balance from spinning and unable to stand steadily, Gu Qingcheng embraced her, allowing her to lean against her for stability.
Du Lanyue nervously pushed Gu Qingcheng away, as the pose was too intimate.
However, as soon as she pushed Gu Qingcheng away, she felt a sense of reluctance, because Gu Qingcheng was unlike the typical effeminate young masters; he didn't have any unpleasant scent about him. Nor was he like a rough fisherman, smelling of sweat.
On the contrary, he exuded a faint, bamboo-like fragrance, as if it were natural. Du Lanyue had smelled it when she got close to him before, but she had always assumed it was incense. However, there was no incense in this cave, so it was clearly Gu Qingcheng's natural body fragrance.
Moreover, although Gu Qingcheng appeared slender, his strength was greater than any man she had ever seen, even surpassing the seemingly robust guards at home.
Not to mention his ingenuity and constant stream of brilliant ideas, which allowed him to defeat the invading bandits single-handedly.
Furthermore, he was meticulous. He could lead everyone to repel the terrifying island-surrounding zombies, and he was thoughtful enough to bring food and drink for their outing.
If not for his thoughtfulness, he might not have discovered the gold hidden in the underground river. Ordinary people might not have even taken her clue seriously, but Gu Qingcheng was willing to risk danger to investigate.