Chapter 84

"Quick, it's only been less than ten days."

"Hehe," Douzi grabbed a handful of peanuts, a mischievous grin on his face, "Brother, you think too highly of them. We've seen those kinds of people before, they're all bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong. Our brothers stayed in your yard for four or five days, and they were so scared they called the police, saying there was murder."

Gu Jinshui chuckled. "So what happened in the end?"

Douzi laughed and said, "What can they say? When the police came and investigated, they found out it was about killing chickens and pigs, and they had nothing to say. Besides, they even signed a proper lease with you and moved in. You didn't say anything, so what could the police say?"

"They didn't cause any trouble?" Gu Jinshui asked, peeling peanuts in a good mood.

Douzi: "How could there not be a commotion? An old man insisted on hanging himself at the gate of the courtyard. We brothers immediately helped him, called the police, and went to his children's workplaces to report to their leaders that their children were unfilial and had driven the old man to the point of wanting to die. The leaders were terrified when they heard this and gave their children a thorough dressing down. The old man immediately backed down."

Gu Jinshui was not surprised at all by this result.

Those old men and women, they say they want to die, but none of them actually dare to.

Gu Jinshui led Douzi over. The third courtyard was packed with people today. As soon as Gu Jinshui entered the courtyard, seven or eight men stood up to greet him, "Brother Jin Shui."

Gu Jinshui nodded to them, then looked at the elderly men and women, "Oh, grandpas and grandmas, it's been a few days, you look so haggard?"

The old man and woman didn't look well.

The previously arrogant old man, leaning on his cane, said, "Alright, stop pretending. You let these people in just to force us to leave."

"Oh dear, you've misunderstood me. I really didn't mean that. It just so happens that my brothers have nowhere to stay, so I invited them over. I also thought the more people, the more lively it would be. Don't get the wrong idea." Gu Jinshui wasn't stupid enough to admit that that was his plan.

"Yes, we're just here to stay."

"Don't talk nonsense. We're staying in our older brother's house. Even if there's a problem, the police haven't said anything."

Several brothers egged him on.

The old man's side was immediately displeased.

"You're staying here, fine, but why are you slaughtering pigs and chickens in the middle of the night? Are you trying to scare people to death?!"

"Cough cough cough."

Gu Jinshui nearly choked to death on his own saliva.

He looked back at the Douzi.

Douzi looked completely unfazed. "Brother, what's wrong with slaughtering pigs and chickens in the middle of the night? Does that mean we can't eat midnight snacks?"

Gu Jinshui almost couldn't help but laugh.

He lowered his head, pursed his lips, and managed to suppress a laugh. Then he looked at them and said, "Sorry, we brothers are young and energetic. You know how it is for young men to be hungry; eating a late-night snack is perfectly normal."

"You're clearly trying to force us to leave!"

A boy with a buzz cut stared at Gu Jinshui, his eyes filled with hostility.

"Xiao Shun!" The old man glared at the boy, who reluctantly turned his head away.

The old man then looked at Gu Jinshui, "Two hundred per family, let's leave now."

"Two hundred, that makes six hundred for these three places." Gu Jinshui pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took a drag, and exhaled the smoke. When he wasn't smiling, his eyebrows and eyes were like unsheathed swords. "With this money, I could buy an apartment."

"Then what do you want?" The old man's face turned ugly, but he didn't dare to act like a rogue as before.

Gu Jinshui flicked his cigarette ash. "I'll give you two hundred. Divide it among yourselves. Now leave."

This was far from what they had anticipated.

The old man's group immediately erupted in anger.

The old man gritted his teeth, "No, that's too little."

"Too little," Gu Jinshui raised an eyebrow, his eyes icy. "Don't you understand? This two hundred isn't because I'm afraid of you, it's just me giving you a break. You've been living in this courtyard for free all these years, haven't you taken enough advantage of me?"

Cold sweat beaded on the old man's forehead.

He swallowed hard. "Are you threatening me?"

Gu Jinshui chuckled, tossed aside his cigarette, and said with a half-smile, "You overestimate yourself. Why would I threaten you? If you're not willing today, then you're not moving at all starting tomorrow."

The old man's men were all bark and no bite; they had never seen Gu Jinshui use both soft and hard tactics like this before. They were too scared to say anything, took two hundred, and hurriedly went back to pack their things. These people had probably already packed up, and they were all gone in less than an hour.

"You've all had a hard time these past few months," Gu Jinshui said to the men. "You can continue to stay in this courtyard. I won't need it for the next two months anyway, and I'll cover your food and drink."

"Thank you, brother!"

The men were immediately delighted.

These people are just unemployed, only able to do odd jobs. Their homes are even worse, with seven or eight people crammed into a space of about ten square meters. Now that Gu Jinshui is letting them stay and providing food and drink, how could they not be happy?

"Brother, do you want to go check behind us?"

Douzi said, "Check if there's anything that needs fixing. Those people are really ruthless; we don't want them doing anything bad later."

These words served as a reminder to Gu Jinshui.

Gu Jinshui had previously seen the second courtyard, but couldn't get to the backyard. Now that everyone had left, he could go and see what the backyard was like.

Douzi's words really came true. The second courtyard was a little better. These people hadn't lived there for long, and although it was a mess, it could be cleaned up and made habitable. But the backyard was a different story. They even used the East Wing Room to store junk and as a kitchen.

The windows in the west wing were all broken and dilapidated, but a traditional Chinese ink landscape painting hung on the wall, and there was an incense burner on the table below. Presumably from the smoke day and night, the landscape painting had a faint yellowish tinge.

Gu Jinshui didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it was just a painting that cost a few cents to buy outside. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt something was wrong, so he quickly walked over and looked up.

The painting depicts beautiful mountains and rivers, and the poem above it reads:

"With two or three companions in the spring mountains, we often seek flowers while carrying wine. The best places are the stones by the spring and the pond, where we can sit quietly on the soft sand."[1]

This is clearly Tang Yin's "Spring Mountains" painting!

Chapter 87 The Eighty-Seventh Day of Being Eavesdropped On

Gu Jinshui was afraid he had misjudged the painting, so he carefully went up and took it down. Although the Spring Mountain Companions," was covered with a yellowish tinge, it was still a delight to behold.

This painting is entirely in ink, with only one old man's robe dipped in light red. It should have been painted by Tang Yin in his later years. You can see from his brushstrokes that in his later years he used a combination of central and side strokes for texturing, with small dots and chiseling. The treatment of light and shadow is also different from his earlier works, with white space within black, giving it a free and unrestrained spirit.

If it were only this, Gu Jinshui couldn't make a conclusion.

He was certain because of a trace: a faint tea stain on the lower left corner of the painting's mounting.

This painting is clearly the lost painting that his master had mentioned to him.

Gu Jinshui was even happier to receive this than if he had gone to Xi'an. He hurriedly put the painting away, planning to go see the Old Master again the next day to have Old Master check if it was really the painting.

When Liang Ying learned that Gu Jinshui had found such an item in that house, she was somewhat surprised and asked, "How did this painting end up in that courtyard?"

Gu Jinshui, "It's hard to say. I only know that this painting was my master's treasured possession, and he never wanted to show it to anyone. If my master hadn't told me before that he had accidentally gotten tea on the mounting, I wouldn't have believed that things could be so coincidental."

Isn't that a coincidence?

This painting had been lost for over twenty years, Xi Han had always thought he would never see it again in his lifetime.

When the painting was unfurled, his hands trembled. "Yes, it's this painting. Where did you get it?"

"Master, please don't get agitated," Gu Jinshui quickly helped the Old Master sit down. The Old Master was getting on in years, and if he were to cause any harm, Gu Jinshui would be devastated. "I saw this in the courtyard I just bought. I guess it belonged to the original owner. If you want to know, I'll go and inquire about it later."

"Well."

Xi Han nodded repeatedly, looking at the painting in front of him with an unprecedentedly serious expression. "Help me find out."

Gu Jinshui had been learning his skills from the Old Master for so many years, but he had never seen the Old Master with such an expression. He guessed that the painting probably had some connection with the Old Master, so he spared no effort to find out from the original owner.

The original homeowner paused for a moment when he heard about the painting, sipping his tea and pondering, "I vaguely remember that painting; my dad bought it from someone back then. Is there something wrong with it?"

Only ten years have passed since the criticism and struggle sessions, and everyone's nerves are still a bit sensitive. This work is provided online by SiTu. com.

Gu Jinshui knew that to get the truth out of someone, he had to tell the truth himself first, so he said, "This painting originally belonged to an elder of mine. My elder was also criticized and struggled against years ago, and when he returned home, all his belongings were gone. My elder didn't want to pursue the matter, he just wanted to find out how it ended up in your family's hands."

He didn't mention that the painting was a genuine antique; Tang Yin's paintings are worth a lot of money, and if he did, it would cause even more trouble.

"Oh," the original homeowner nodded knowingly.

He glanced around and lowered his voice, "This painting was sold to my dad by that Red Guard captain. Actually, my dad didn't want to buy it; it was obviously a fake. But you know how it is back then—you can't fight city hall, so he just paid for it."

Do you know where this person is now?

Gu Jinshui keenly realized that this person might be the key.

The original homeowner shook his head and said with a wry smile, "You wouldn't believe it, but after we were exonerated, we inquired about this person, only to find that he had packed his things and fled abroad. Isn't that ironic?"

It's not really ironic, though.

Most of the troublemakers during that period were driven by selfish desires. Now that things have been set right, those they once harmed have risen up. How could these people not be afraid?

Besides, they copied so much stuff during those ten years; that was enough for them to live a life of luxury abroad. Only a fool wouldn't have fled.

Gu Jinshui knew what was going on. He asked the man's name, thanked the landlord, and then went back to see Xi Han.

When Xi Han heard that the person had run away, he was taken aback. "He ran away. That's really his personality."

Gu Jinshui boiled water and made tea for the Old Master, then subtly inquired, "Master, judging from your tone, you know this person."

"How could I not recognize him?"

Xi Han closed his eyes briefly. "This is the godson I used to take in. He was also the one who criticized me back then. The day I came home after being criticized, I found that all my things were gone, so I guessed that he had taken everything."

"Master," Gu Jinshui was stunned. The kettle on the stove was bubbling loudly, and his face was flushed red in the firelight. "Didn't you say that person was called Xi Chuan? This one is called Lin Dahai."

"It's him," Xi Han opened his eyes. "Lin Dahai is his real name. After he criticized me, he severed ties with me and naturally changed back to his original name. I didn't expect him to run away."

Xi Han gripped the armrest, his face etched with deep resentment through the wrinkles on his cheeks.

Gu Jinshui quickly went over and patted his back to help him catch his breath. "Don't be angry. What good will it do if he runs away? Our country is open now, and we can go abroad too. Just wait, I will definitely avenge you in the future!"

Xi Han grasped Gu Jinshui's hand, shook his head, sighed, and said nothing.

In this vast sea of people, in this enormous world, how easy is it to find someone to exact revenge on?

Because of this, the Old Master was somewhat depressed for several days.

Gu Jinshui was filled with regret. If he had known that this matter would touch upon the Old Master's painful past, he would not have brought it up.

The Old Master is so old; it wouldn't hurt to keep this hatred to myself and avenge him later.

Gu Jinshui later went to Lin Dahai's house to inquire. Lin Dahai had a wife and children, but he ran away alone, taking all his valuables with him.

His wife and son were so thin they were practically skin and bones, and they were making a living by washing clothes for others. Judging from their situation, trying to get information from his wife and children was wishful thinking.

Left with no other choice, Gu Jinshui had to temporarily suppress the matter.

Gu Yinxing's wedding was arguably the biggest event for the Old Gu in recent years. Upon hearing that she was getting married, He Daniu and the others specially delivered two slaughtered pigs. The gutted pigs were pushed into the Compound Courtyard by Ox Cart.

Who among the residents of the Compound Courtyard didn't come over?