Chapter 72: Opening the Treasure Chest
Zhao Laosan and the others came back quickly as they left.
Before the children had finished washing, they had already returned carrying a big box.
As soon as she entered, Li Xiuxiu closed the curtain at the door.
Candles were lit in the room, and the box was covered with a cloth and placed in the center of the room.
Mrs. Zhao asked, "You didn't meet anyone on the road, right?"
Zhao Laoer put down his burden and moved his arms a few times.
"Don't worry, I didn't meet anyone."
Zhao Laosan also waved his arm beside him.
"It's quite heavy. Open it and see what's inside?"
Zhao Changan and Zhao Changfu could not wait to stand beside the box.
"Grandpa and grandma, let's tear the cloth apart first?"
Mrs. Zhao walked towards the box and said, "Okay, you guys pull the cloth apart first."
After receiving the agreement, Zhao Changan and Zhao Changfu pulled aside the cloth, revealing the large box inside.
There is some rust on the box, but you can still vaguely see the beautiful colors and patterns.
Li Xiuxiu marveled, "The box is quite beautiful."
Mr. Zhao looked around the box a few times, "It looks familiar to me. I seem to have seen it somewhere before."
Mrs. Zhao: "Is it from our family?"
Mr. Zhao frowned and thought for a while, then affirmed: "It belongs to our family. I saw it at home."
Zhao Changan couldn't wait any longer, "Grandpa, grandpa, let's open it first and take a look!"
Zhao Nanzhou stood in front of the box and said, "The box is locked."
"Where's the lock?"
Everyone leaned over to take a look. The lock and the box were the same color and were stained with mud. It was difficult to distinguish them in the dim candlelight.
Zhao Laoer: "It really has a lock."
Zhao Laosan went to pull the lock. Although it was rusty,
Still very solid.
"Dad, do you know the key?"
"This……"
Mr. Zhao is in trouble. He doesn't even know the box. How can he know where the key is?
Mrs. Zhao: "Let me try."
After that, Mrs. Zhao went to get the small box where she kept her important things.
"When my mother-in-law gave me a key before she died, I was still puzzled."
"I tried all the locks in the house and couldn't find the lock that corresponds to this key."
Mrs. Zhao rummaged in the box for a while and took out a simple small key.
"No, this is it, try it."
The key was small and Zhao Miaomiao was afraid that it would be too dark to see clearly, so she took the candlestick over.
"Mom, I'll give you a light and you can unlock it."
The candle was so close that his vision suddenly became brighter.
Mrs. Zhao broke off the dirt on the lock and prepared to unlock it.
Everyone in the Zhao family gathered around. Lu Ming and Chang Rui were held in the arms of their respective fathers, and they all came forward.
Kaka!
There was a crisp sound of unlocking.
"He really opened this box!"
"Open, open!"
"Great!"
Mrs. Zhao took off the lock and said, "Don't make any noise, keep your voice down."
The Zhao family members, immersed in excitement, closed their mouths again.
Mrs. Zhao lifted the lid of the box upwards. Due to the rust, the box made a squeaking sound.
"Miao Miao, bring the candle closer."
Zhao Miaomiao looked at the box without blinking. Only when she heard Mrs. Zhao's voice did she react and quickly put the candlestick close to the box.
The candlelight came closer and the contents of the box were clearly illuminated.
Three big black stones, a dozen handwritten books, two inkstones and three writing brushes.
There is also a small box in the far corner.
Zhao Laoer, "I just said why is this
So heavy. "
"There are three big rocks inside!"
Mr. Zhao touched the stone with his hand.
"Miaomiao, please pass the candlestick to me."
Zhao Miaomiao quickly handed the candlestick over, "Dad, here it is."
Mr. Zhao took the candlestick and looked closer, touching and looking at the three stones one by one.
"Hahahaha, this is ink stone!"
"Three large pieces of ink stone are enough for our family to write for several years."
Inkstones in the county are expensive, and you have to order a small piece of inkstone.
The money spent on paper and ink takes up most of the family's expenses.
Now that we have ink stone, we can save a lot of money!
Zhao Laosan also touched it curiously, "It turns out to be ink stone, no wonder it's so dark."
Zhao Yicha stood on tiptoe and looked into the box.
The small box inside immediately attracted her attention.
A small wooden box with a simple shape and intricate and beautiful carvings. The small box was well preserved with no trace of damage at all.
"Grandpa, I want to see the little box."
"Hehehe, okay, show us the tea."
The wooden box is so small that Mr. Zhao can take it out with one hand.
"Open the tea and take a look."
Zhao Yicha took the small box from Mr. Zhao's hand.
"There's no lock, then I'll open it!"
The box was opened, and there was a lot of jewelry inside. There were some beautiful jewelry!
"Wow!"
Zhao Yicha had never seen so much jewelry before. Usually, the women of the Zhao family wore earrings the most.
Mr. Zhao recognized it, "These are my grandma's dowry jewelry."
"Grandma is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and she came with a lot of jewelry as a dowry."
"Later I gave a portion to each daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law, and I still have some left."
"Before she died, my grandma said she would give the remaining jewelry to my mother.
"
Mr. Zhao looked at Mrs. Zhao with a smile.
"My mother gave the remaining jewelry to the old woman before she died."
Mrs. Zhao gave the five pieces of jewelry she had received to her two daughters and three daughters-in-law, leaving none for herself.
I didn't expect that my mother-in-law left so much for me.
Mrs. Zhao's eyes were a little red. Her mother-in-law was kind to her. Her own mother died early, so her mother-in-law treated her as a daughter and loved her. Marrying Jin Jin into the Zhao family did not make her feel wronged at all.
With such a good mother-in-law in front of her, Mrs. Zhao only knew how to treat her daughter-in-law well after she became a mother-in-law herself.
Zhao Yicha obediently held the box in front of Mrs. Zhao.
"Then this box belongs to grandma."
"Grandma, here you go."
The granddaughter was also well-behaved and sensible. Mrs. Zhao touched Zhao Yicha's little head with emotion.
After taking the box, Mrs. Zhao looked carefully.
There is a box full of jewelry, including complete sets. There are small partitions in the box, and every compartment is filled to the brim.
The box has two layers. If you take out the upper compartment, there will still be some at the bottom.
A rough estimate is that there are almost twenty accessories.
There are gold, silver, pearls and jade.
Earrings, bracelets, hairpins, necklaces, etc. are all available.
Mrs. Zhao held the box and didn't know what to do.
Mr. Zhao took the initiative to cover the box and gently pushed it into Mrs. Zhao's arms.
"Old lady, just keep these for yourself."
"Look at you, you haven't worn a piece of jewelry in these years."
Mrs. Zhao smiled and touched the wooden hairpin on her head, "Why aren't you wearing any jewelry? You made the hairpin on my head yourself."
The Zhao family's life is so tight that they can't even afford meat, let alone jewelry.
Mr. Zhao is very skillful.
Mrs. Zhao made many wooden hairpins and wooden bracelets.
Each piece is different.
Parents are very loving, and their sons know how to love their daughter-in-law.
After marrying his wife, she clumsily learned to make hairpins from Mr. Zhao.
Now He Sutong, Li Xiuxiu and Li Yuebai are wearing handmade hairpins made by their own men.
Zhao Miaomiao often receives jewelry made by her father and brothers.