Liu Shouren was fundamentally opposed to the idea of taking his pregnant sister out in the middle of the night. Although advocating science and fighting all kinds of feudal superstitions were encouraged, these thoughts and cultures had been passed down for thousands of years. How could they just be completely disregarded because of a mere slogan? Especially when they were heading to places like graveyards, and his sister was with child.
But his sister's eyes were brimming with tears, with such pitiful yet persistent gaze fixed on the two brothers. Whenever anyone tried to persuade her, she would respond with infinite sorrow, "I am also a part of the Liu family, and I want to contribute to the future prosperity and safety of our family. If big brother and second brother keep blocking me like this, are they treating me like water thrown out, completely an outsider now?"
When his own sister became this pitiful, how could someone like him who had a protective attribute towards his sister resist it?
Fine, if she wanted to come along out of worry, let her come! Just treat it as the three siblings accompanying each other. Anyway, the parents wouldn't have any reason to object. Liu Shouren helplessly nodded, "Well, since you insist on coming, just follow along. Once you get there, you'll understand that big brother not letting you come is entirely for your own good."
"Alright, dear little sister, stop crying now. Big brother has agreed to take you. Hurry, put on thicker clothes, it's cold and damp at night!" Long having surrendered to his sister's pitiful demeanor, Liu Shouyi was now endlessly coaxing and persuading. He suddenly smelled the faint scent of ginger on her sleeve. Clearly, this little rascal had cleverly used another trick to manipulate her two brothers!
No matter how touchy Liu Second Brother could be, often erupting into full-blown acts if provoked, he couldn't be nearly as fierce with his only sister. With half indulgence and half helplessness, he pat her head, "You little rascal, don't pull this trick again next time? It's not only clever but also too eye-catching. If there's anything, just talk with me and big brother. As long as it's something we can do, we'll surely not let you down. Don't end up harming yourself anymore!
You're about to become a mother. How can you not take care of yourself..."
Though feeling embarrassed being caught and scolded like a child despite being older, ultimately she managed to persuade her brothers to agree to let her participate. If it meant avoiding the Liu family's tragedies, she'd do anything, even if it involved ginger, or chili pepper without batting an eye!
Changing the family's fate starts tonight!
Let the misfortune of family destruction stay away, this time, the Liu family not only needs to safely weather this storm but also rise powerfully in the era of reform and opening up, leveraging the precious resources preserved.
Filled with ambition, following her brothers, Shuzhen finally understood upon reaching the destination: why big brother was infuriated to death after being betrayed, why second brother would rather die than confess. It was because their father, known for his quick thinking and foresight, actually buried those things in the Liu family's graveyard.
Having married a spendthrift wife, it not only hurt the sister miserably but also disturbed the ancestors' peace in death, how could it not become an insurmountable grievance in big brother's heart? Such filial he was, bound to feel devastated by guilt and regret. If second brother confessed any other thing than ignorance and innocence, not only would his position not improve in the slightest but it would also harm the Liu family's good reputation that had lasted for years. Aside from resolutely keeping ignorant, there wasn't any other way.
Unless he was willing to abandon his conscience and passion, living like a maggot. But evidently, second brother, with his character, would rather die standing than live kneeling.
Before Shuzhen finished pondering, Liu Shouyi voiced a low doubt, "Big brother, weren't we supposed to see something? Why are we rushing here in the middle of the night? Could it be..."
"Yes, just as you thought. Grandfather and Third Uncle both sacrificed themselves, without leaving a complete body behind. Our father built them a marker and grave under the guise of providing incense and comfort. In reality, that empty coffin intended to hold their belongings is laden with the accumulations of our ancestors!"
In those years, hiding it from the younger siblings was considering their young age and loose tongues, worrying not only about undue psychological burden but also an inadvertent chance of leaking the secret. Now that the younger siblings were grown and had families of their own, there was no need to keep this secret from them.
So from the moment he agreed to bring them along, there wasn't any intention to hide anything anymore.
In the astonished silence of Liu Shouyi and Shuzhen, Liu Shouren cleared the robust wormwood growing between the tombstones of deceased elder brother Liu Chengji and younger brother Liu Chengyou, muttering apologies to them for the sake of Liu family's safety. Then he led the siblings respectfully, bowing thrice before asking his brother Liu Shouyi to join him to shovel two feet deep into where he had just cleared away the grass between the tombstones.
Liu Shouyi naturally took the shovel without hesitation, cooperating seamlessly, within a few minutes they removed the surface soil, revealing a concrete slab beneath. The brothers then each grasped a tombstone, twisting them back and forth powerfully. After a rumbling sound, an eerie dark opening wide enough for two to walk side by side appeared between the tombstones.
Only then did the siblings dare to turn on the flashlights they'd been carrying all along, following the concrete steps downwards as they walked. Second brother Liu Shouyi exclaimed, "My goodness, father's brain, courage, and skill are unparalleled! Just this place, this mechanism, even if told directly how much treasure we have at home, in dreams I wouldn't think of searching here. Father's mind is truly genius! Just like Zhuge Kongming of the Three Kingdoms, no less! But..."
But big brother's drunken words revealed something, otherwise, such a place could remain completely secure for hundreds of years!
Realizing his words seemed to pick at his big brother's scars, Liu Shouyi hastily stopped, offering a dry laugh to try to change the subject. Unbeknownst, his words not only made Liu Shouyi increasingly remorseful but also determined to quit drinking. If careless speech was the cause of this trouble, he hoped quitting drinking entirely would prevent repeating it!