Chapter Ninety: Hidden Treasure

She stared at him in astonishment. Was he really speaking to Liu Meijia like that?

“I won’t say this twice. Remember: deliver it on time by nine-thirty tomorrow morning, or bear the consequences yourself.”

With that, Tang Long hung up. That was enough. As for whether they liked it or not, what did he care?

If they did not like it, then let the matter begin.

“Will that work?” Gu Yuniang had not expected Tang Long’s solution to be a threat. Would the man be afraid of him?

Tang Long shrugged and said with a smile, “We’ll know whether it works before nine-thirty tomorrow morning. I’m even hoping he’ll have a bit of backbone.”

Gu Yuniang did not know what to say.

In any case, Tang Long had already made the call. Whether Liu Meijia would take him seriously remained to be seen, but tomorrow would make it clear.

“Does Baofeng Carving Factory have any other treasures?” Tang Long changed the subject. A set of tableware worth hundreds of thousands, and even the cushions beneath them were made of jade—each one had to be worth several thousand at least, right?

Gu Yuniang’s face reddened. Lowering her head, she said softly, “I am Baofeng Carving Factory’s greatest treasure.”

Good heavens, that was some thick skin. Still, thinking it over, with a single gesture she had brought out something worth hundreds of millions. By that measure, saying she was the factory’s greatest treasure was hardly wrong.

“Besides you, are there any other treasures?” Tang Long thought for a moment, then explained, “For example, that set of tableware you mentioned—nothing too fancy, just something that used to be of no value but could now sell for hundreds of thousands, or at least tens of thousands.”

Gu Yuniang hesitated, then said after some thought, “There should be quite a few. After all, many of the things used in the house are made of jade.” After a slight pause, she continued, “When this house was built, a lot of raw jade stone was used too—some good, some poor. But raw jade stone is far more expensive now than it was decades ago, several times over. If we dug it up, it should be worth something, right?”

Seeing Tang Long staring at her wide-eyed, Gu Yuniang smiled and went on, “In the past, jade was judged mostly by its color, not by the wateriness people favor now. Even colorless jade, no matter how fine its water content, would not fetch much.

“All those transparent jade stones, even ice-grade and glass-grade pieces, were very cheap.”

Lowering her voice, she added, “When Baofeng Carving Factory’s buildings were constructed, two truckloads were buried underground to lay the foundation.”

Gulp.

Tang Long stared. “Two full truckloads?”

“Mm. Probably several tens of thousands of jin. It may not all be top-quality material, but if it were dug up now, it could probably buy you a courtyard house in the imperial capital.”

He could only stare in disbelief. Buy a courtyard house in the imperial capital? That would cost a fortune.

Tang Long was dumbstruck. He did not care much about money, but he very much enjoyed the process of earning it.

“No wonder gold has a price, but jade is priceless,” he murmured to himself.

Gu Yuniang looked at him and asked softly, “Do you want to dig it up?”

Dig it up?

Tang Long immediately shook his head and said with a chuckle, “Why dig it up? If it’s valuable now, it’ll only be worth more in the future. Keep it all. Save it all. Later I’ll pass it down to my son—no, to my grandson.”

Gu Yuniang froze. In the depths of her eyes, a trace of relief flickered. If the man before her wanted to dig those things up right now, then for the rest of his life he would amount to little more than being slightly better than the man named Yang, with no real prospects to speak of.

What lay buried underground was only a little temptation. Of course, before she had truly gotten a clear read on him, she would never reveal the rest so easily.

The man surnamed Yang had lived with her for so many years and always thought she was a foolish woman, knowing only how to carve, never leaving the factory from one year’s end to the next. But how could he know that all the Yang family’s true hoard was in her hands?

If he had treated her even a little better over the years, just a little leaking from her fingers would have been enough to sustain him for the rest of his life.

It was not that Gu Yuniang was heartless and unwilling to help him; it was that he had taken the wrong path himself, leaving no way for anyone to help.

Once tainted by those things, even giving him more money would be useless. Better to let him squander it and lose it all, rather than pull it into the light; better to keep it hidden in darkness, waiting for a true master in the future.

In truth, Gu Yuniang was deeply superstitious, and this was also closely tied to the teachings she had received since childhood.

“Five million to buy Baofeng Carving Factory. Was it worth it?” Tang Long asked, looking at her.

Gu Yuniang smiled and said softly, “If you think it’s worth it, then it is. If you think it’s expensive, then it is. Its value has never depended on anyone else, only on you.”

Tang Long did not want to speak in riddles. In any case, he had already spent five million, and that money could not be spent in vain.

It was not that he lacked money, but right now Tang Long truly had no money on hand, and he had never intended to use his own.

Some money was best left motionless, watched by countless eyes; once even a single cent was used, it would set it into circulation.

In the past, Tang Long had been the king of the world, a legend in the military, an undefeated war god. But now, he was just an ordinary man, the village chief of Fish Head Village, a small-time figure who wanted to lead a village full of people to rise through their own hands and feet and make something of themselves.

The grand affairs of multinational organizations, financial tycoons, and world legends no longer had anything to do with him.

If one stepped back, one must have the bearing of one who had gone into seclusion.

Unless absolutely necessary, Tang Long did not want to activate the capital that had once been connected to him.

And this “absolutely necessary” meant only a moment of life and death.

“Do you know who I am?” Tang Long suddenly asked.

Gu Yuniang frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know.” Before Tang Long could speak, she continued, “But I do know that from now on, you’ll be my man.”

When she said this, there was not the slightest hesitation or shyness. It was more like she was simply stating a fact to Tang Long.

“Good. I’m starting to admire you a little too,” Tang Long said with a grin. Whatever she wanted to do was her own business. In any case, Tang Long would never force her into anything.

“My name is Tang Long, the village chief of Fish Head Village. If you haven’t heard of Fish Head Village, then surely you’ve heard of the Ghost King Cave that was struck open by thunder recently,” Tang Long said with a smile.

“Fish Head Village?” Gu Yuniang nodded. “I know it. Last time, the female party secretary from Fish Head Village came to the factory to purchase a batch of small trinkets, saying they were gifts for tourists. We met.”

So Gu Yuniang had met Zhang Xiu’e?

Tang Long touched the bridge of his nose and chuckled. “She’s the woman I just called.”

Without waiting for her to ask, he continued, “The little gifts Zhang Xiu’e bought from you last time received very positive feedback from the tourists. They all seemed to like them quite a lot. Besides, our Fish Head Village will need its own distinctive souvenirs in the future.

“What do you think—could these items be combined with Baofeng Carving Factory? For example, there are still plenty of stones in Ghost King Cave. If we bring them here, have them carved by your people, and then sell them or give them away as souvenirs to the tourists who come to Fish Head Village…”

“That would work. It would be perfect for letting the factory’s carving apprentices practice on stone,” Gu Yuniang said with a nod.