Where is the private treasury?
The thought had barely crossed their minds before the couple cast aside the matter of the private treasury, eager to return home.
What if their son and daughter no longer recognized them?
The couple exchanged a glance.
"Tiantian, you haven't changed."
"You haven't either."
Li Zhengguo touched his face, still possessing some collagen, "But, this, Hao Hao must be in his twenties now, right?"
"Hahaha."
Tian Jing burst into laughter, "It's fine, just have him call you 'brother'."
Li Zhengguo playfully chided his wife, "Nonsense. Come, let's ask a passerby."
"Okay."
They passed through a green light, crossed the intersection, and stopped at a bus stop.
The couple glanced up at the bus stop sign and then, with perfect unspoken agreement, moved away.
"Brother Zheng, what do you think?"
"Let's ask for the year, month, and day first."
"No, people in the capital are not like those in small towns. Let's go to the department store and look at a calendar, a clock."
"That's a good idea, but do you have money?"
Tian Jing rummaged through her pockets, which were as empty as her face, and simply sat down by the roadside.
"We went up the mountain to look for the private treasury, how could we bring money with us?"
Li Zhengguo sat down beside his wife. If his wife had no money, he had even less.
A well-dressed couple, with no money, sat by the roadside, looking dazed.
A car stopped in front of them, and a man's head popped out from the back seat, "Tian Jing? What are you doing here?"
Tian Jing blinked her eyes repeatedly, then with a bewildered look and a standard Beijing accent, said, "Who are you?"
The man craned his neck further, looking at the front and back of the car. "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. You look a lot like one of my employees."
Tian Jing stood up, "Sir, our wallets were stolen, and our bus passes and all identification are lost."
"We're struggling to figure out how to get home. Since we've met so serendipitously, would you be so kind as to give us a ride?"
The man glanced at their clothing, indeed making them look like targets for pickpockets.
He shifted to the left, "Get in."
Tian Jing opened the passenger door and got in.
Li Zhengguo opened the back door and sat in, saying in a peculiar Mandarin accent, "Hou Yizi Hutong, thank you."
"Mm," the driver simply acknowledged.
The man answered for the driver, "You're welcome. My driver doesn't talk much."
"It's fine, we, husband and wife, are already grateful to you. Otherwise, we'd either have to walk or shamelessly ask the bus driver for a free ride."
"You're welcome, it's on the way, on the way."
The man's gaze kept flicking towards the passenger seat.
"Cough."
Li Zhengguo coughed lightly.
The man snapped back to attention, "Um, I just felt that your wife looks remarkably like one of my employees, more so than twins."
"Is that so?"
Li Zhengguo steered the conversation, "Where is your company? If you have time, my wife and I will visit, and perhaps meet your employee."
The man chuckled sheepishly, "Hehe, sir, you jest. I just run a restaurant, I don't have a company."
"Oh?" Li Zhengguo was surprised, "There are quite a few people starting companies these days, aren't there?"
"Not really?"
The man said humbly, "It's only been a few years since the reform and opening up; people aren't that bold yet. However, there are many private companies in the South."
Li Zhengguo seized the opportunity, "May I ask how many years it's been since the opening up?"
The man looked at Li Zhengguo with surprise, "You don't know?"
Li Zhengguo replied sheepishly, "We've just returned. We heard the situation domestically is good, but who knew... alas~"
"So you're overseas returnees! China warmly welcomes your investment back home."
The man became even more enthusiastic, busy enlightening Li Zhengguo about the domestic situation, and incidentally, the year, month, and day were revealed.
They arrived at Hou Yizi Hutong, and the man enthusiastically offered to escort the couple into the alley.
Li Zhengguo politely declined, "We've just returned, and our luggage hasn't been sorted out yet."
"How about this, tomorrow or the day after, I'll come to your restaurant to find you, and we can discuss ways to expand the business."
The man smiled broadly, "Yes, yes, I'll be eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"We definitely will."
Watching the black SH-plated sedan drive away, the couple let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the alley wall.
"Brother Zheng, what will you invest in his restaurant with?"
"Silly."
Li Zhengguo took a deep breath, "It's winter of 1984 now. 'Tian Jing's' courtyard house was swindled away two years ago, and the buried items are still there."
"Right, right."
Tian Jing clapped her hands; she had completely forgotten about it, "How much should we take out?"
Li Zhengguo pondered, "Prepare more for her, prepare some for 'Li Zhengguo' as well, and some for me, to invest in that restaurant. Later, 'Li Zhengguo' can take it over."
Tian Jing was somewhat reluctant, "Then, what about Xiao Wei?"
Li Zhengguo shook his head, "We can't manage that much. We still need to go back to Kùshān mountain."
"Alright."
Tian Jing was also anxious. As soon as they entered this first life, seeing the bustling streets, she thought a lot of time had passed, that it was the prosperity of the nineties.
Though they chatted and laughed, the regret of not being able to accompany their children as they grew was a knot in their chests, making them feel suffocated.
She truly didn't want to deal with these people and events of the past anymore.
Night fell as the couple walked at an extremely slow pace.
Inside the courtyard house, Chen Yaoming's family of seven's laughter and joy couldn't stir Tian Jing's emotions.
She leaned against the back wall of the third courtyard, with her husband keeping watch.
After toiling until late at night, they finally moved sixty-three boxes to the Prince's Mansion Museum.
The last box was opened, blinding the couple's eyes.
Li Zhengguo took off his outer jacket and used it to meticulously pack one hundred 500-gram gold bars.
Tian Jing also put a few gold bars into her pocket for backup. She never wanted to be in a situation like today again.
Indeed, a single penny could stump a hero!
The rest were covered tightly and dragged back underground.
They continued to transport them to the basement of the Prince's Mansion Museum.
...
In the early morning, 'Li Zhengguo' was awakened by a knock on the door.
As soon as he opened it, he saw Tian Jing, "Jingjing?"
Li Zhengguo stepped forward, "Can't you see me?"
'Li Zhengguo's' pupils constricted, "Who are you?"
Li Zhengguo used the heavy, block-shaped clothing bundle weighing over a hundred pounds to push him back, "Let's talk inside."
Tian Jing then bolted the courtyard gate.
Before 'Li Zhengguo' could attack, Li Zhengguo kicked him over.
"No wonder you can't catch up to Jingjing. You're too stupid."
As he said this, Li Zhengguo glanced at his wife.
Tian Jing looked at the 'Li Zhengguo' who was getting up and said to her husband, "He is indeed stupid, and not very quick-witted. Alright, you tell him I want to sleep, I'm too tired."
"Wait, wait."
Li Zhengguo pushed the block-shaped bundle towards 'Li Zhengguo', "Hold onto this."
With his hands free, he hurried after his wife, "I'll change your sheets for you, he's too slopp..."
"Clatter."
Before Li Zhengguo could finish his sentence, he heard the sound of metal falling behind him.
He slapped his forehead, "Wife, he's really stupid. I regret letting you see him."
"It's alright, isn't he just you?"
"No, definitely not me. I'm not as stupid as him. Wife, don't look at him."
"Okay, okay, hurry up and change the sheets."
...
Facing a pile of gold bars, 'Li Zhengguo' was speechless.
Should he call the police?
But Jingjing was with that person. Had that person kidnapped Jingjing?
However, would a kidnapper bring gold bars to ask a pauper like him for ransom?
While he was agonizing over the dilemma, his head was slapped.
He jumped up and retaliated.