The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 250 - 249: Secret Room (1640+)_1

Chapter 250: Chapter 249: Secret Room (1640+)_1

Niu Lili was also very happy to hear that Qi Xiaoyan had been admitted!

Not waiting for Village Chief Qi to come pick them up, Niu Dajun had already found an ox cart to take Qi Xiaoyan and He Tiantian home.

The foodstuff He Tiantian asked Niu Lili to help buy was also loaded on the ox-cart.

"Not bad, not bad." Village Chief Qi, upon hearing his daughter had passed, was also very happy inside, which dispelled the worry from his face.

Seeing that her father was not in good spirits these past few days, Qi Xiaoyan had thought he was worried about her. She smiled and comforted him, "Dad, my exams went very smoothly; I’ve worried you these past few days."

"I’m not worried with my daughter being so amazing," Village Chief Qi said proudly, driving the ox-cart back.

"Then why do you look so exhausted these days?" Qi Xiaoyan asked worriedly, wiping the sweat from her forehead non-stop due to the unbearable heat.

Village Chief Qi didn’t want to dampen the spirits, but seeing his daughter’s concerned gaze, he sighed and said, "Ah, from New Year’s till now, not a single drop of rain has fallen in TY County!"

He Tiantian was stunned. Only then did she remember this matter.

In Huai City, although it was dry, it was much better than in TY County.

TY County was facing a big problem!

He Tiantian thought of that neurotic Little Rotating Turtle inside the barrier and felt a headache coming on! She had been anxious and nervous about Qi Xiaoyan’s exams and had forgotten about the Little Rotating Turtle in the barrier that had been constantly complaining of hunger.

"Is a disaster really upon us?" Qi Xiaoyan frowned and said, looking around, seeing no water in the river and the listless trees barely clinging to life.

"Our village is still alright; there’s melted snow from the mountains that we can use to irrigate. But the snow from the back mountain is only so much, and it’s almost all melted. We will need water for many things later on—what are we going to do then?" That was what Village Chief Qi was worried about!

He Tiantian, without saying a word, thought about how to pacify the Little Rotating Turtle after returning home.

She always felt that the Little Rotating Turtle was just feigning madness and stupidity. Faced with the drought, it might have a way; it just hadn’t spoken up yet!

Tonight, after returning home, she would interrogate that neurotic Little Rotating Turtle along with the Snake King.

The good mood everyone had was a bit dampened by the matter of the drought.

"All right, every hill has a road that leads over it. Xiao Yan, don’t worry about home and focus on joining the army," Village Chief Qi said to comfort her, rare for the daughter to get what she wished for, he could not let her be unhappy.

Qi Xiaoyan also knew she couldn’t be of much help, so she could only comfort her father by saying, "Dad, I will have my own salary when I start working, and I will send it all to you. Maybe our family’s life can get a little better."

"These are not your concerns. As long as you work hard, it will be the greatest comfort to your dad," Village Chief Qi said with a smile, his simple face full of love, which made He Tiantian extremely envious.

It’s so nice to have a mom and dad!

It’s even better to have a mom and dad by your side!

By the time they arrived in Qijia Village, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon!

Compared to other places, crops had sprouted in the fields of Qijia Village but looked dry due to a lack of water.

They first took He Tiantian home to Third Grandma Qi’s place, where He Tiantian unloaded two bags of grain.

Village Chief Qi saw how farsighted He Tiantian was, and thought about going back, organizing the family’s tickets and money, and buying grain.

Third Grandma Qi was very happy to see He Tiantian return, and made her brown sugar eggs.

After He Tiantian ate the eggs, Third Grandma Qi whispered, "Girl Tian, put these bags of grain into the cellar."

"Alright." He Tiantian replied, in the era of famine, grain was life itself!

He Tiantian picked up a bag and was about to deliver it to the usual cellar not far from the kitchen.

"Not that cellar," Third Grandma Qi whispered a reminder, "Come with me."

Third Grandma Qi led He Tiantian to the backyard near the cowshed and said softly, "Push the cow trough to the left, the cellar is underneath the cowshed."

He Tiantian was startled and asked, "Our house has two cellars?"

"Yes, the one we normally use is the front yard cellar. This one at the back is for hiding things," Third Grandma Qi said, "Some of the grain we get from the collective is stored in the front yard cellar, but the ones you bought back can’t be put there. In critical moments, these two bags of grain will be our life-saving food!"

He Tiantian went into the cowshed, tried to push the trough, and discovered it wouldn’t budge!

"What’s the hurry?" Third Grandma Qi laughed, then came in leaning on her walking stick. She kicked a nondescript stone in the corner of the wall with her three-inch golden lotus, and the stone shrank a bit, "Now you can!"

"Oh my, Grandma, your house even has a secret mechanism!" He Tiantian exclaimed in surprise, gaining new knowledge.

"This place was originally my family’s old home. I knew there was a cellar in the house but didn’t know where. All my siblings left for the city to seek their fortunes, I didn’t leave, I stayed to serve my parents. It was only before my dad passed away that he told me about this cellar," Third Grandma Qi explained, "This place, only my husband and I know about it. Now you are my granddaughter, I’m telling you, in case I can no longer manage one day, then nobody will know about this place."

He Tiantian hesitated, such a grand cellar, which used to belong to the biggest landlord in TY County, was surely not empty inside.

"Grandma, this is the secret place of your ancestors. It doesn’t seem right for you to bring me here," He Tiantian hesitated to say, after all Third Grandma Qi still had descendants.

"It’s okay, you are my granddaughter, why wouldn’t it be okay?" Third Grandma Qi said, "Hurry and push that trough again, it’s broad daylight; we need to be quick!"

Seeing that Third Grandma Qi insisted and not wanting to lay claim to what was inside, He Tiantian, with a clear conscience, pushed the trough, and indeed it moved, revealing a three-foot-long, more than one-foot-wide dark opening with stone steps inside.

Third Grandma Qi carefully descended, took a match, and lit the oil lamp on the cellar wall.

This was no longer just a cellar, it should be considered a secret chamber!

He Tiantian moved two bags of grain down, then took the opportunity to closely inspect the secret chamber.

With more than thirty steps at the staircase, it was evident that from the ground to the bottom of the chamber there must be a height of ten meters. If one didn’t know where the mechanism was, they wouldn’t find it even if they dug three feet into the ground.

In the dim light of a few oil lamps, He Tiantian discovered that the secret chamber actually had two rooms.

One contained household items, pots, pans, and the like, as if prepared for daily life, the other was tightly closed, probably holding some valuables.

He Tiantian was very curious, but did not ask.

"Grandma, the grain is all put away, let’s go up," He Tiantian said, the chamber, not having been aired out for a long time, didn’t smell good.

Third Grandma Qi, seeing no greed in He Tiantian’s eyes, felt even more reassured and said, "Girl Tian, I’ll take you to see inside that room."

He Tiantian was taken aback, and quickly shook her head to refuse, "Grandma, although I’m curious, those are still your family’s ancestral possessions, it wouldn’t be right for me to look."