After a brief treasure hunt lasting less than an hour, Li Long came away with more than forty Legal Tender notes and Gold Yuan Certificates-mostly from a bundle stuffed into a slightly larger crack farther along the wall.
There were also three Yuan Shikai Dollars and seven or eight copper coins.
The copper coins and Yuan Shikai Dollars were all corroded. Li Long did not really know how to clean them, so he wrapped them in paper, planning to take them home and put them in the money bag in his east room.
He would just keep them. He was not short of money anyway, and these things were not worth much now.
After sweeping the yard, Li Long wheeled his bicycle outside, locked the gate, and headed home.
When he passed the Middle School, Li Long made a point of riding inside. He came often enough that the old caretaker recognized him and smiled as he pointed toward a classroom.
"Teacher Gu is teaching in there."
Li Long smiled and told him:
"Uncle, please tell Teacher Gu that the shoes fit perfectly and I like them very much."
"Sure thing," the old caretaker said with a chuckle.
Li Long rode out of the school in a wonderful mood.
But by the time he reached Reed Lake outside the village, his mood was not quite so good.
The ditch through Reed Lake, which had carried running water before, was now nearly full.
The ditch was less than a meter deep and usually held only a little water now and then. Now the water was muddy. Clearly, the flood had arrived.
Li Long immediately changed course and followed Reed Lake upstream. Little Haizi was less than a kilometer away.
Before he reached Little Haizi, he heard the roar of water. Clearly,