After finishing all this, Yu Zhaozhao didn’t leave right away.
Instead, she entered her space.
She planned to check her spoils first, and once those two fell asleep later, she would go back in for a bigger haul.
The box was stored in the villa’s living room and locked, but that was no challenge for her—her skills just happened to be perfectly suited for it.
She went up to the attic, found a piece of wire, and fiddled with the lock a few times. With a click, it opened.
Placing the wire on the coffee table, Yu Zhaozhao lifted the lid of the box.
The moment she opened it, her jaw nearly dropped.
Although the book had briefly mentioned that Yu Wangshan demanded jewelry and similar items when reselling factory resources, she had assumed the quantities weren’t large—after all, he had avoided getting caught for so long. At most, she expected a few necklaces or earrings.
She hadn’t expected gold bars.
Large gold bars of identical size were neatly stacked along one side of the wooden box—more than forty of them.
Based on the standard weight of such bars, each was about 312 grams. Forty bars meant roughly 12,480 grams in total.
Gold wasn’t allowed to be traded openly at the time, but in the 1980s, the public price would be around 60 to 80 yuan per gram.
Yu Zhaozhao couldn’t help but feel pleased.
Ill-gotten wealth really was irresistible.
Besides the gold bars, there were also various pieces of jewelry and jade. She casually picked up a jade bracelet—it was crystal clear, smooth, and free of impurities. Clearly top-grade.
If these were used as capital after the reform and opening-up, Yu Wangshan might really have built a successful career.
Good thing she intercepted it first.
The sounds inside the house had already quieted down.
Yu Zhaozhao took the report letter, filled in the address, and waited another half hour. Once she was sure the two were asleep, she left the space.
The small courtyard wasn’t large—three standard rooms: one kitchen and two bedrooms.
She entered the kitchen first. Hu Li needed good nutrition to breastfeed, so there was plenty of food—rice, flour, eggs, and meat.
Yu Zhaozhao didn’t hold back. She swept all the ingredients into her space.
As for furniture and dishes, she didn’t take them. Yu Wangshan had used them—she found them distasteful.
On her way out, she noticed two slabs of cured meat hanging from the roof and took those as well.
Not a single grain for the enemy!
Hu Li knowingly became the “other woman” and even wanted someone else’s house—clearly not a good person. Yu Zhaozhao hated mistresses the most; she had to make her suffer a little.
After leaving the kitchen, she went into another empty room.
This one stored the resources Yu Wangshan had siphoned from the factory. For safety, he usually smuggled them out bit by bit and only sold them after accumulating enough.
Seeing the room filled to the brim, it was surely enough evidence for conviction.
Yu Zhaozhao let out a cold laugh.
The evidence had practically presented itself—if he were caught red-handed, she didn’t believe Yu Wangshan could escape this time.
Leaving the storage room, only one bedroom remained.
She quietly pushed the door open. The family of three was sleeping soundly.
She first went to the cabinet and slowly opened a drawer—inside were small items like scissors and needles.
She opened another drawer—this one contained a notebook.
When she flipped it open, she saw records of Hu Li’s daily expenses and the money Yu Wangshan had given her.
Ten yuan, twenty yuan, sometimes fifty—the average was every four or five days.
Yu Zhaozhao clicked her tongue. This old man was far more generous to his mistress than to his own niece—she was only “worth” five yuan even when being sent to the countryside.
She put the notebook back and opened the next drawer. Inside was a tin box that once held biscuits.
Opening it gently, she found some scattered money and coupons—probably Hu Li’s daily spending money.
Not much, but every bit counted. Yu Zhaozhao took the entire tin without hesitation.
After checking the drawers, she opened the wardrobe. There weren’t many clothes. She felt through each one but found nothing hidden.
That didn’t make sense. A woman as calculating as Hu Li, living with Yu Wangshan without status and even bearing his child—there was no way she had no benefits hidden somewhere.
Yu Zhaozhao stood in the middle of the room, scanning it carefully.
Where could the money be?
Suddenly, under the moonlight, she noticed a crack near the leg of the baby’s crib.
She approached slowly and ran her hand along the crack. With a light press—
A small wooden piece fell off with a crisp sound.
She instinctively glanced at Yu Wangshan and Hu Li. They were still deeply asleep, unmoving.
Only then did she reach into the hollow.
Soon, her fingers touched something round.
Pinching it between her fingers, she slowly pulled it out.
It was a roll of “Great Unity” banknotes—bundled together with a rubber band.
Her eyes lit up.
She had found the right place.
Using the same method, she took out all the money—six rolls in total.
She didn’t bother counting them, just stored them in her space, replaced the wooden piece, and quickly left the room.
Aside from the money, she didn’t want anything else in that room.
Same reason—bad luck.
After leaving the courtyard, she headed straight to the neighborhood committee office and dropped the report letter into the mailbox before returning to the Yu residence.
Yu Wangshan’s workday started at 8:00, while the committee opened at 7:00. If all went smoothly, once the leaders saw the letter and rushed over, they could catch him red-handed.
Even if he had already left, the steel materials were still in the house—Hu Li wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility.
She didn’t believe that woman would stay silent to protect Yu Wangshan.
Yu Wangshan was doomed.
As for Mao Cuizhi—she might only seem to have lost her job for now, but she knew about Yu Wangshan’s dealings. If he chose to expose everything, she would end up behind bars as well.
Even if she somehow escaped punishment…
The house belonged to the factory. Given Yu Wangshan’s situation, it would definitely be repossessed.
A woman with no husband, no children by her side, no house, no money, no job—her only option would be to return to her hometown.
But her family was notorious for favoring sons over daughters. What kind of life would she have there?
And if she didn’t go back, where could she go?
Sometimes, having nowhere to turn was the cruelest fate of all.
By the time Yu Zhaozhao returned to the Yu house, it was already past midnight. She quietly entered Mao Cuizhi’s room, opened the wardrobe, and took all her money and coupons.
That night, she didn’t enter her space. Instead, she lay on the original owner’s worn-out little bed, silently saying goodbye to her.