Gu Wanxing retrieved the box from the innermost corner of the bottom shelf of the cabinet, finally letting out a slight sigh of relief.
Back when she was about to open her clothing store, she had asked Zhao Chengyan to help scrape together some money, but he didn't have a single cent to his name.
Not to mention the money in this passbook—she figured it must have gone to Gu Yuerou.
At the thought, a mocking curve lifted the corner of her mouth.
Truly, a bitch matched with a dog, together till the end. Let those two pair up and lock themselves together forever.
Looking at the exquisitely patterned box in her hand and breathing in its distinctive fragrance, a trace of nostalgia rippled through Gu Wanxing's almond-shaped eyes. If the contents inside were valuable, the box itself was worth even more.
Huanghuali wood, also known as fragrant rosewood, had a subtle, elegant aroma and grain patterns resembling ghostly faces—it was truly something special.
She boldly guessed that her mother's family must have been quite well-off. As a child, she'd only ever heard that her maternal grandmother's family was from Jingdu. When she pressed for more details, her mother would say there was no one left in the family.
She had no way of knowing the specifics.
Her biological mother had died thirteen years ago. All she knew was that her mother had been an educated youth sent to the countryside. Within her first month there, unable to handle the hard labor, she married Gu Wanxing's father, and then gave birth prematurely to her in the same year of their marriage.
All she had left her was this box and a wristwatch—her father didn't even know these things existed.
Pushing aside her wandering thoughts, Gu Wanxing opened the box. Inside lay the two gold bars she had sold in her previous life, along with the emerald jade bracelet.
She picked up the bracelet and examined it closely against the window. The interior seemed to ripple with liquid, a truly beautiful sight.
These were all she had to her name. Back then, she had sold everything for 11,500 yuan and used that money to open her first clothing store.
But she had sold the contents—the box itself had been given away for free. It wasn't until she was wealthier later on that she learned the box was actually the most valuable part.
Thinking of all that had happened in her previous life, an infinite sorrow welled up in Gu Wanxing's heart.
The truth was, once you've made the wrong choice, endlessly dwelling on "what ifs" was pointless. Not every choice in life could be right. Fortunately, she now had the chance to choose again, so she had to cherish it.
But whenever she thought of those two beasts—father and son—she could barely breathe. That suffocating feeling of near-death was something they deserved to taste as well.
Gu Wanxing was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the person on the bed had already woken up.
The tiny figure lay there, gazing thoughtfully at her mother's back.
"Mommy~"
Hearing the voice, Gu Wanxing paused but didn't respond immediately. Instead, she hastily closed the box. She didn't want Zhao Chao to see these things, even though she was still very young.
Perhaps too anxious, she closed it with too much force, and the box snapped shut with a sharp crack.
The next moment, a piercing pain shot through her index finger, making her inhale sharply:
"Hiss—"
Looking down, she saw the pad of her finger had been pinched and torn open.
A piece of skin had been ripped off the fingertip, and bright red beads of blood were gushing out. She quickly set the box down, looking for a scrap of cloth to wrap it.
What Gu Wanxing didn't see was that the blood smeared on the edge of the box was being absorbed by it.
A faint glow even emanated from it.
"Mommy, thirsty." Zhao Chao's dark, glossy eyes stared at her without blinking.
But Gu Wanxing acted as if she couldn't see her. She furrowed her brows slightly, expression indifferent, and handed over a cup of water, changing the subject:
"Drink it yourself."
She was busy bandaging her finger and didn't spare Zhao Chao a single glance.
In her previous life, her maternal love had blinded her like lard clouding one's heart. Little Zhao Chao had inherited all the best features of both her and Zhao Chengyan—adorably fair and lovely, earning praise from everyone who saw her.
So no matter what Zhao Chao did, she thought it was just a child's curiosity and attachment to her mother.
She finished wrapping her finger, turned around, and looked at the tiny figure on the bed…
Now she was clearly aware that Zhao Chao was a Zhao family member—blood kin, with Zhao family blood running through her veins. Compared to her, this child was closer to the Zhao family.
"Sister-in-law, I heard Chaochao woke up, so I came to check on her."
Just then, the sound of someone pushing at the door came from outside.
But she had locked the door, and Zhao Chengfang outside couldn't get it open.
"Open up—"
Zhao Chengfang pounded restlessly on the door.
Bang bang bang—
Gu Wanxing simply walked over and opened the door for her.
Her calm, placid eyes watched quietly as Zhao Chengfang smiled and walked toward Zhao Chao, a cold sneer forming in her heart.
Birds of a feather flock together.
"Chaochao, how are you feeling?"
"Oh my, sister-in-law, why haven't you changed Chaochao's clothes? They're all wet."
"Heavens, she's so hot!"
Zhao Chengfang kept exclaiming and shrieking, her tone thick with reproach.
"I came back and fainted. I just woke up—I was just looking for her clothes."
Gu Wanxing said casually, her movements slow as she began rummaging through the cabinet.
When she tried to take the opportunity to put the box away, she discovered it was actually hot to the touch?
With a thud, the box fell back onto the cabinet, drawing the attention of the aunt and niece by the bed.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Chengfang looked at her sister-in-law's flustered back, feeling increasingly irritated. This sister-in-law of hers was good-looking and easygoing, but utterly useless at everything else.
No wonder her brother didn't like her—she looked like a seductive fox spirit, yet didn't know how to act coy or charm a man. Served her right that her brother cheated on her.
"This box is a bit heavy. I don't know what your brother packed in it," Gu Wanxing replied casually.
But her hand reached for the box again. In just that short time, it was no longer scalding hot—now it was merely warm.
This startled her, and she felt an intense, gnawing curiosity to know what was going on, but it wasn't convenient to investigate right now.
This time, Gu Wanxing didn't stall any longer. Instead, she took out Zhao Chao's little clothes from another cabinet.
Stumbling over to the bed, she said, "You dress her. I'm feeling very dizzy."
With that, Gu Wanxing sat down on the bed, leaned against the headboard, and closed her eyes to rest.
Zhao Chengfang furrowed her brow slightly. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. In any case, Gu Wanxing was acting strangely today.
"Sister-in-law, this won't do. We need to take Chaochao to the hospital. Look how red her little face is—I'd say she's running a fever of at least 102 degrees."
Her attention was now entirely on her niece, so she didn't dwell on it further. She figured Gu Wanxing was just resentful that her brother wasn't around after the drowning incident.
She'd get over it in a few days.
"Mmm~" Gu Wanxing replied in a very soft voice.
Zhao Chengfang quickly changed her niece's clothes, expecting Gu Wanxing to get up and take the child to the hospital.
But she discovered that Gu Wanxing had actually fallen asleep against the headboard.
"Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law?"
Zhao Chengfang was speechless. She stepped forward and nudged Gu Wanxing, only to discover that she was running a fever too.
She shot Gu Wanxing a vicious glare, thinking, "Serves you right."
Gu Wanxing having a fever was one thing, but the child was a member of the Zhao family. So she first fumbled around on Gu Wanxing's person until she found some money, then picked up the groggy Zhao Chao and headed out.
As she walked out, she muttered curses under her breath about her brother, who was out dining with another woman.
The footsteps of aunt and niece grew increasingly distant, accompanied by Liu Xifeng's scolding voice outside and the sound of the front gate being locked.
Only then did Gu Wanxing open her eyes.
It seemed that without her, Zhao Chao wouldn't die—she still had the Zhao family.
Back then, when she had gone around borrowing money, only the village party secretary's wife had lent her twenty yuan. It was with that money that she had taken Zhao Chao to the hospital.
Remembering how scalding hot that box had been just moments ago, she quickly got up and took the box out again.
It wasn't as hot now. She opened the box and discovered that the thing inside had disappeared.
Gu Wanxing's face was full of shock. She searched inside and out, but had to accept the fact—it was really gone.