Wealthy Beauty in the 60s
Chapter 77 - 76: Unexpected Wealth

Chapter 77: Chapter 76: Unexpected Wealth

"I was fighting for my life with real knives and guns against thieves, and you threw caution to the wind by coming to look for me. What if someone else’s blade didn’t spare you?" Gao Jiaxing said, and then added sternly, "I must severely criticize you. If you do this again, I’ll lock you up first so you won’t run around."

Xia Xiao was rendered speechless. Gao Jiaxing had called her over to scold her, and his tone and expression were just like a disciplinarian.

"Brother Gao, you could definitely be a disciplinarian in the future, it’s like the role was made for you."

As soon as Xia Xiao finished speaking, Gao Jiaxing was out of breath with frustration. He was scolding her, hoping she would do some self-reflection and not be so reckless in the future, but Xia Xiao was completely out of it.

Pfft, Zheng Xianghong suddenly burst into laughter, covering her mouth, amused by the dynamic between her son and Xia Xiao.

Gao Jiaxing glared at Zheng Xianghong. She was not helping the situation.

"Okay, I’ll stop laughing. Continue," Zheng Xianghong said.

"Mom, you too. I asked you to keep an eye on Xia Xiao, and yet you let her run wild. You’re so close to Xia Xiao, you wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her, right? Next time, keep a close watch on her. She’s too restless. She seems demure on the surface, but deep down, she has a heart full of rebellion and restlessness."

Xia Xiao was speechless again, but she felt there was some truth in what Gao Jiaxing said. She did have a restless heart now. To them, she was indeed daring. Last night, when all the women and girls were hiding, she was the only one running around outside.

Xia Xiao was only bold because she had her "space". Without it, she would be the first to hide.

Having the chance to live a second life, she valued her life greatly.

"Alright, alright, Xia Xiao is an adult, not a child. You can hold back a little," Zheng Xianghong said, and then turned to Xia Xiao, "Xianghong, this kid has a way with words that can be unpleasant, but don’t take it to heart. He cares about you, so don’t mind him too much."

"Auntie, it’s fine. I won’t take it to heart," Xia Xiao said.

Gao Jiaxing glared again when he heard this, his words falling on deaf ears. Seeing Gao Jiaxing was about to speak out again, Zheng Xianghong quickly said to Xia Xiao, "You better head back to your dorm. Everyone there is worried about you."

Xia Xiao nodded, stood up, and said goodbye to Zheng Xianghong and Gao Jiaxing.

As soon as Xia Xiao left, Zheng Xianghong tugged on Gao Jiaxing’s ear, "Silly boy, girls need to save face, and scolding them like that isn’t nice. It’s lucky Xia Xiao is good-tempered. If it had been some other girl, she would have lost her temper with you."

"Mom, you’re not helping. She just can’t go on like this, she’s too restless. You don’t know that when I was dodging bullets, she suddenly ran over and I was nearly scared to death. If that had been a guy, I would have given him a beating. If it had been any of my sisters, I would have scolded them until their heads stank."

"Look at you, good intentions, wrong approach. Your sisters are different, they’re your own flesh and blood, they won’t hold it against you even if you scold them. But Xia Xiao is what to you? If you scold her like this, it’s going to make her unhappy." Zheng Xianghong sighed, "With your temper, how are you going to find a partner? Any partner would be driven away by your words after just a few days."

"I was showing concern for her. If I didn’t consider her one of our own, I wouldn’t bother with her," Gao Jiaxing argued.

Zheng Xianghong nodded, "Mom knows, but you have the wrong way of showing it. If you’re not interested in Xia Xiao, let it be, but if you do have feelings for her, you’re definitely not going to win her over like this. Not just Xia Xiao, you won’t be able to chase any girl this way."

"Mom, enough is enough. I’m your son, why are you berating me like this?" Gao Jiaxing was at a loss for words.

"Because you are my son, I have to tell you. Otherwise, when the woman you’re interested in runs off, you’ll have nowhere to cry your regrets."

As she spoke, Zheng Xianghong continued, "You haven’t really fallen for Xia Xiao, have you?"

"You’re overthinking it. Didn’t you tell me and Brother Gao not to get involved with educated youth? What are you implying now?" Gao Jiaxing glanced at Zheng Xianghong.

Zheng Xianghong breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, I was really afraid you had taken a liking to Xia Xiao. It took so much effort for me to find a close confidant in the younger generation. It’d be a pity if because of you, we’d end up not getting along."

Brother Gao Jiaxing was utterly speechless. Was this really his mother?

In the dead of night, Xia Xiao went to the jail cell, which was quite a spectacle at the moment. The thieves were all locked up together, and everyone had started fighting—a total free-for-all.

"What’s going on, what’s happening?" The guard on watch banged on the iron bars of the cell with his baton.

"Big Teeth is dead." Someone cried out in alarm.

"Wang Ergou is dead too." Another person exclaimed.

Big Teeth and Wang Ergou had both been killed by the other thieves, and deaths got the guards’ attention.

Eventually, all the thieves were disciplined. By the time He Dato was locked up in a solitary cell, he was already at death’s door.

"Brother, does he have the key on him?" Xia Xiao asked Shitou.

"Yes, it’s hidden in the sole of his left shoe," Shitou said.

Upon hearing that, Xia Xiao immediately took a stone and hit He Dato with it, knocking him unconscious. Only then did Xia Xiao feel safe enough to search the sole of He Dato’s shoe.

Wow, that stinks.

Xia Xiao felt nauseous inside; He Dato’s foot odor was incredibly strong and pungent.

Holding her breath, Xia Xiao took the key from the sole of He Dato’s shoe, helped him put his socks and shoes back on, and quickly retreated into her own space.

Gagging repeatedly, Xia Xiao couldn’t stop heaving.

Shitou said, "Is it really that bad?"

"If you could smell it, you’d see. Let yourself have a whiff." This was the first time Xia Xiao had ever smelled such severe foot odor; it was terrifying. She immediately scooped up some spring water to drink and washed her face with it, finally free of the stench, before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Getting the key is still good, though," Shitou said.

Xia Xiao nodded and added, "I only endured for the key’s sake, otherwise I would’ve run off long ago. Nobody would guess He Dato would hide things in his shoe sole with his foot odor being so strong; the smell would put anyone off from searching further."

With the key in hand, Xia Xiao smoothly unlocked the chest, and upon opening it, her eyes widened.

"Wow, antiques."

"What’s the use; they can’t be used right now," Shitou remarked.

"Now might not be the time to use them, but they have collection value," Xia Xiao said. "Who would have thought He Dato had kept so many fine things?"

The chest was filled with Jewelry, jade, and silver coins from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic era, making Xia Xiao’s eyes gleam.

"These jade bracelets, gold bracelets, rings, Jade Pendants, and silver coins are all valuable. I believe He Dato must have robbed someone, taking their entire fortune."

Upon saying this, Xia Xiao continued, "Since he’s become so wealthy, why continue being a thief? These items are worth money. If he sold them, even if he wouldn’t become a Landlord, he could still be a small landowner."