Records of Strange People and Strange Events in the Old Mansion

Chapter 169 Gift

Zhu Huan shouted at Ma Yasha loudly, and not only was Ma Yasha speechless and ashamed, but even Zhu Yunshan, Zhu Yunhe and Dan'er's mother all lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Sister, let's eat quickly. After that, I'll take you to see the lacquerware." Dan'er said.

Zhu Hu smiled again and asked, "Have the experts above finished the inventory?"

"Yes, they said they would ship it to the provincial capital in batches in a few days." After saying that, Dan'er glanced at Zhu Yunshan and his wife, and Zhu Yunhe and his wife, while Zhu Yunshan and his wife, and Zhu Yunhe and his wife were looking at Zhu Huan.

Zhu Hao pretended not to see it and said, "It's better to transport it away, so as to avoid trouble and embarrassment here."

"The experts above said that, not to mention other treasures, the lacquerware alone is priceless. Two of them are priceless treasures, with poems written by Zhu Yuanzhang in his own handwriting on them." After saying this, Dan'er glanced at Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe.

Zhu Hu asked, "Is it the [Red Carved Flower and Bird Round Plate] and the [Red Carved Birthday Celebration Diamond-shaped Plate]?"

"Yes, yes, sister, how do you know?" Dan'er was surprised.

Zhu Huan said: "These two lacquer plates were sent by Zhu Yuanzhang to congratulate Taizu's grandmother on her 100th birthday. The center of the [carved red flower and bird round plate] is a blooming lotus, surrounded by lotus leaves, mandarin ducks, egrets, flower buds, water plants, and small flowers. The bottom of the plate is black lacquer, and there is a poem written by Zhu Yuanzhang himself on it: 'The spring breeze has not yet arrived, and the flower curtains and gardens are like red brocade'. The [carved red birthday celebration diamond-shaped plate] is made of wood, with eight petals in the shape of diamonds on the edge of the plate, and red lacquer patterns carved on the lower back. There is a round light in the center of the plate, with pine, peach, crane, deer, and immortal birthday celebrations. The inner and outer patterns of the plate are the same, and each petal is carved with two Baoxiang flowers on a plain ground. The edge of the foot is decorated with a circular pattern, and the bottom is black lacquer. Zhu Yuanzhang also wrote the poem 'The immortal old man wants to support the sky with a crane, and the wind is magnificent in the thousands of miles' on the bottom of the plate."

"Sister, you have been into the treasure house before? How come you know everything? And you know it so clearly?" Dan'er looked at Zhu Huan with admiration.

Zhu Hu smiled and replied: "How could I have been in there? I read about it in a book, so you should read more books in the future."

"Sister, I read books whenever I have free time. Master said that we can't just read books that we are interested in. In addition to books on architecture, we should also read books on other subjects." Dan'er and Zhu Huan talked about everything from the treasure house to reading, completely ignoring the existence of Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe.

Zhu Hu was the same. He chatted excitedly with Dan'er and said, "If you want to become a true master, you must read a lot of books. Some books can't be read just once. You need to read them at least ten or a hundred times to understand the essence they convey. The reason why I donated all my treasures except the books in the study room of the main house of the old house is that I want to read them again."

"Sister, I want to watch it too. I want to watch it all. I want to go and watch it now." Dan'er put down his bowl and chopsticks and came over to pull Zhu Huan.

Zhu Huan had finished eating. He stood up and walked out of the bamboo shed hand in hand with Dan'er. When they reached the door of the bamboo shed, he turned around and said to Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe, "Donating is just my personal wish. The higher-ups also hope that you will reconsider it. If you choose to keep it for yourself, I won't have any opinion about you, because those treasures originally belonged to the family heirloom of the main house, not excavated cultural relics. You can keep them for yourself."

"We..." Zhu Yunshan hesitated to speak.

Seeing that Zhu Yunshan's eyes were on Ma Yasha, while Zhu Yunhe's eyes were on Dan'er's mother, Zhu Huan smiled and said, "There's no need to hide it, and there's no need to be embarrassed. It originally belonged to you. How about this? Just divide it up among the four children, with Bao Bao and Bei Bei each having one share, and Dan'er and I each having one share."

"No, no, no, I don't want it. I am not my father and mother's biological child. I don't deserve it and I don't want it. If you must give it to me, I will leave now and go to a place where you can't find me." Dan'er said very firmly.

Ma Yasha said: "We regard you as our own child, and love you even more than our own children. We must give you this share of yours." "That's right, I have always regarded you as my own child. Even though I have my own child now, your position in my heart has not diminished at all. We will definitely give you this share of yours." Dan'er's mother said.

Dan'er returned to the bamboo shed, knelt down in front of Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe, kowtowed three times devoutly, then stood up and pulled Zhu Huan into the bamboo shed, choking with sobs, "Dads, moms, and sister, Dan'er thanks you for saving my life, raising me, and caring for me. Dan'er is leaving. Dan'er hopes you won't say anything more and won't try to keep me, or else Dan'er will hit his head against the big camphor tree and die."

"Dan'er..." Ma Yasha and Dan'er's mother burst into tears. When they and Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe chased out of the bamboo shed, Dan'er had disappeared. Only Zhu Huan was standing under the big camphor tree, looking south with a blank expression.

Ma Yasha wanted to go over and ask Zhu Huan, but Zhu Yunshan held her back and pulled her back to the bamboo shed. Zhu Yunhe and his wife followed him back to the bamboo shed and never came out again.

Zhu Huan stood there until the sun was setting, then slowly walked towards the old house and towards the back door of the old house. Zhu Huan never opened the front door of the old house.

There were only two policemen guarding the back door of the old house. They greeted Zhu Hu, who smiled at them and walked into the old house and went to the front yard.

As soon as we turned the corner of the door of Tian Laizi's house, eight greyhounds and eight wild boars came running over, wagging their tails to greet the red badgers.

The red badger squatted down and stroked them one by one, fed them food and water, and then led them back to the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall is the focus of the renovation of the old house, or more precisely, the focus of the repair. As the best-preserved building in the old house, the ancestral hall does not need to be repaired, but only needs to be repaired. After the overall renovation of the old house was completed, the old craftsman led his "Xiangshan Gang" disciples to carefully repair the ancestral hall starting last week.

Seeing that the old craftsman was still busy, Zhu Huan didn't want to disturb him, but the old craftsman had already seen Zhu Huan. When he saw Zhu Huan walk into the ancestral hall, he jumped down from the stage easily, came over and handed Zhu Huan a note.

Zhu Hu unfolded the note, which was given to her by Dan'er through the old craftsman. It said, "Sister, I will come back to see you."

Although there were only less than ten words written on the note, every word touched Zhu Huan's heart and she burst into tears instantly. She did not shed tears when she was looking at Dan'er's back under the big camphor tree just now, but now her tears were like a flood that broke through the dam, rolling down and she could not stop them even if she wanted to.

After Zhu Hu cried silently for a while, the old craftsman spoke: "He is so miserable. It's okay to have no father and no mother, but his biological father and biological mother cruelly abandoned him and threw him into a wolf den. His heart is bleeding every moment."

"I understand, so I won't stop him from leaving. If I were you, I would also find them and ask them for an explanation." Zhu Hu wiped away his tears and looked at the ancestral hall in the twilight. He felt a little calmer.

The old craftsman said, "In the past three years, he has never stopped looking for them. I have also mobilized all my relatives and friends and all the disciples in the gang to help him find them, and provided many effective clues. Of course, the clues you have dug up are the most important."

"I just helped him identify his biological parents. To really find them, he needs your help and his own efforts. Of course, even if he finds them, whether they can recognize each other is still unknown. It all depends on whether he has this blessing? Is there this fate? Alas..." Zhu Hu sighed. The old craftsman advised Zhu Hu: "Don't be too sad. Dan'er is very happy to have a sister like you. As for his fate with them, it has dissipated from the beginning and is destined to be incompatible. He understands this himself. He just wants an explanation."

"What good will it do to ask for an explanation? Wouldn't it just add to the sadness?" Tears rolled down Zhu Hu's eyes again.

The old craftsman said: "At least you have untied a knot in your heart and can say goodbye to the past completely. Isn't it the same for you?"

"Myself? You?" Zhu Hu looked at the old craftsman in surprise.

The old craftsman said to Zhu Hao: "Let's go have dinner first. After dinner, we can sit down and have a good chat."

"I don't want to eat. You should go and eat. You must be tired after a busy day." Zhu Hu took her dog and badger onto the stage.

The old craftsman and other craftsmen left the ancestral hall and went to the bamboo shed under the big camphor tree to have dinner, and closed the door of the ancestral hall.

Since the renovation of the old house began, the old craftsman suggested that Zhu Huan report to the higher authorities, claiming that the old house had been listed as a "national protected area", and request that professional technicians and security personnel be sent to the site to provide technical guidance and ensure security.

The relevant cultural relics protection professionals and security personnel were dispatched in a timely manner, and the county and town also sent corresponding personnel to strengthen the security of the old house. This saved Zhu Hao a lot of trouble, and he only needed to protect the treasures in the main house of the old house.

Walking up to the stage gate, sitting on the door pier, with his back against the doorpost, Zhu Huan stared at the eaves and corners of the ancestral hall, feeling uneasy. The old craftsman said, Dan'er went to find them, regardless of whether there was a fate or not? At least a knot in the heart was untied, and he could say goodbye to the past completely. Zhu Huan agreed. But the old craftsman asked Zhu Huan, isn't it the same for you? This touched the fear deep in Zhu Huan's heart, a fear that she never dared to touch easily.

Dan'er was abandoned by his biological parents, which was already sad, sad and resentful. They even threw him into the wolf's den, which was even more sad and resentful than killing him directly. The same is true for Zhu Hu. The owner of the main house of the old house gave birth to her and threw her into the badger's den. What does this mean? If you don't want me, just kill me directly. Why do you do that? So both Zhu Hu and Dan'er have a knot in their hearts, which is to find them and ask why they are so vicious?

But before Zhu Yunhe and Zhu Yunshan had their own children, Zhu Huan would not do that, and neither would Dan'er, because they were their biological father and mother. Now that they have their own children, Zhu Huan and Dan'er both want to untie this knot.

After much inquiry and confirmation, there is news about Dan'er's biological parents. They now live in a big city in the south, with assets of tens of billions. Zhu Huan is happy for Dan'er, but Dan'er is even more sad. Instead, she can't make up her mind to find them. The attitude of Zhu Yunhe and Zhu Yunshan today gave Dan'er the courage to find them. Zhu Huan was actually more relieved than sad. She thought, which parent doesn't love their son? Even if he was abandoned for various reasons back then, he has grown up now. If he goes to find them, how can he not recognize them?
I hope Dan'er will never come back, and if he comes back, it's just to visit her. He wants to go back to his own home, a home with his real parents. Zhu Huan prays for Dan'er, and at the same time mourns for himself, mourning his true life experience.

All the previous stories about Zhu Huan's life were fabricated by various people for their own interests. The only true thing was that Zhu Huan was the mistress of the main house of the old house.

Zhu Huan confirmed these from Zhu Shanzi's last words and the letters of repentance from Lu Bo and Liu Shu, and also from Zhu Yunshan and Ma Yasha.

But what would it matter if it was confirmed? The people who killed her biological parents were already dead, and the people who threw her into the badger's den were also dead. Would she go to their next generation to settle the score?
The old craftsman was the first to tell Zhu Huan her true life story. He said that Zhu Yunshan and Ma Yacha were not her biological parents, nor were they from the main house of the old house. But it was Ma Yacha who had the courage to carry her from the badger's den back to the main house of the old house and raised her to adulthood.

In that chaotic era, Zhu Hu's father, the head of the village, declared Zhu Huan's biological parents to be enemies. Tian Laizi's father, the militia captain of the village, raised his gun and shot them dead in public. Zhu Hu's father moved into the main house that night, but he couldn't sleep well. At first, he thought it was because Zhu Huan, the baby in the swaddling clothes, kept crying, so he picked her up and threw her into a cave, which was a badger's den.

Zhu Hu's father originally wanted to kill Zhu Hu, that is, to kill her directly. It couldn't be easier for an adult to kill a baby in swaddling clothes. It was Zhu Shanzi who persuaded Zhu Hu, saying that the owner of the main house of the old house had hidden a treasure, and Lan Yu had hidden a treasure in the old house. Everyone had searched for several generations without success, and maybe only the owner of the main house of the old house knew it, so leaving Zhu Hu behind would definitely be useful in the future.

Zhu Hu's father said, what can a baby know? Her parents can't even tell her anything, how can we expect her to know?

Zhu Shanzi said that the old house is not simple, the main house of the old house is not simple, and the owner of the main house of the old house is even more not simple. They must have their own inheritance genes and inheritance codes, which outsiders can never decipher or understand.

Zhu Hu's father said, "You are talking nonsense because you think this girl is extraordinary. Then throw her into the cave. If she survives, it means she is extraordinary. Then we can rely on her to find the treasure hidden by Lan Yu in the old house."

Unexpectedly, Zhu Hu's father died on the night he moved into the main house. He had never slept well, and he still couldn't sleep well after throwing the badger into the cave. The step-out bed in the main house seemed to recognize people. Sleeping on it was like sleeping on pins and needles. Not only did he feel uncomfortable all over, but he had nightmares as soon as he closed his eyes. Finally, he died amid the cries of "Catch the ghost, catch the ghost."

Tian Laizi's father didn't believe it, so he went to try sleeping on it. However, before he could even lie down on the step-out bed, he stepped on the empty pedal in front of the bed and almost fell to his death. He immediately ran out of the main room of the main house. Even though he still wanted to live in the main house, he didn't dare to step into the main room of the main house, especially he didn't dare to even look at the step-out bed.

Ma Yasha's real name is Liu Ruyu. He followed his father to come regularly to maintain the old house. He heard that Zhu Huan was thrown into the cave. He searched for several days before finding Zhu Huan in a badger den. At this time, it had been more than three months since Zhu Huan was thrown away by Zhu Hu's father.

It was already a miracle that a baby in swaddling clothes could survive after being thrown into a cave, and it was even more of a miracle that he could be raised as a little hog badger. Ma Yasha wanted to immediately take the red badger back to the old house and the main house, but the group of hog badgers refused. It was not until the red badger could walk by itself that Ma Yasha lured him back to the old house and the main house with delicious food together with the group of hog badgers.

With Zhu Huan, Ma Yasha moved into the main house and married Zhu Yunshan, who originally lived in the sixth courtyard of the old house. Although Ma Yasha and his wife moved into the main house, they never dared to enter the main room of the main house without permission. After entering, they either fell down inexplicably or bumped into the wall for no reason. They always came out with bruises. Zhu Huan, on the other hand, could only sleep peacefully and sweetly when he entered the main room of the main house and slept on the step-out bed.

Ma Yasha had no choice but to let the group of wild boars accompany the red badger to sleep on the step-out bed in the main room.

Zhu Yunshan’s ancestors were the same as Zhu Shanzi’s ancestors. They were just Jinyiwei sent by Zhu Yuanzhang to guard the old house. However, one was responsible for guarding the entire old house, while the other was responsible for guarding the main house.

Zhu Yunhe and Zhu Yunshan are twin brothers, Liu Ruyu and Liu Ruyi are twin sisters. Liu Ruyi is very competitive, and when she saw her sister moving into the main house, she tried her best to persuade Zhu Yunhe to move in as well. However, Zhu Yunhe had his own ideas. He took the initiative to move out of the old house and took over the old house's property in the provincial capital under the arrangement of Uncle Liu. The couple became enemies.

Three days later, Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe decided that all the treasures in the main house of the old house, including the treasures in the treasury, would not be donated. As for the old house, the owner was Zhu Huan, and it was up to Zhu Huan to decide.

Half a month later, after Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe had divided the treasures, Zhu Huan officially announced to the public: the old house would be donated to the higher authorities free of charge, and the treasures divided among her would also be donated to the higher authorities free of charge.

No one was surprised by Zhu Huan's decision. What was surprising was that something big happened when Zhu Yunshan and Zhu Yunhe were about to transport the treasures out of the old house.