Chapter 21: Feels Like Gold

Everyone in the family knew that the little pouch hanging from Xiao Tangbao’s waist held treasures she’d collected all on her own.

Usually, when Da Pan and Er Pan found pretty feathers, they’d proudly present them to their little sister—after all, she loved anything colorful and shiny.

Suzhou Dahu and Suzhou Erhu would bring home any interesting stones they spotted, just for their baby sister.

And whenever Xiao Tangbao was carried out to play, she’d always come back with something she’d picked up along the way—some pebble, a smooth twig, a bright leaf.

So naturally, everyone assumed the contents of her little cloth bag were just childish trinkets—nothing more than the whimsical keepsakes of a little girl.

But now, as Old Suzhou watched his youngest daughter pull something out of her pouch—a lump of dirt-looking rock—he smiled warmly, barely giving it a second thought.

He chuckled at her, patted her head, then casually set the thing down beside him on the wooden stool.

“Honey?” Old Suzhou’s wife glanced at the object he’d just placed down. Her expression shifted instantly.

“What is it?” Old Suzhou asked, puzzled, following her gaze back to the stone.

“That… could be gold?” she said hesitantly.

Her voice was quiet—but her heart skipped a beat.

The moment she spoke, every head in the room snapped toward the small, yellowish lump no bigger than a fist.

“Mama… you’re saying… this is gold?” Er Hu’s voice cracked with disbelief.

Gold?!

He’d never even *seen* real gold in his life!

Old Suzhou nearly jumped out of his skin.

His wife didn’t panic without reason. If she was saying this, it had to mean something.

But… could it really be?

His little girl pulled out a yellow rock from her pocket—and suddenly it was worth a fortune?

It felt too unreal to believe.

Old Suzhou stood frozen, dazed.

Er Hu couldn’t hold back. He snatched the stone up and shoved it straight into his mouth.

“Ow!” he yelped.

“Hey! Did you break your tooth, Brother?” Liu Hu cried, eyes wide with concern.

He remembered his own first time biting a silver ingot—lost two teeth in one go.

But Er Hu wasn’t listening. He stared at Old Suzhou, stunned.

“Dad… it’s soft,” he whispered. “Look—there’s a bite mark!”

He pointed at the faint dent in the surface where his teeth had pressed in.

He’d never seen real gold before—but he’d heard stories. Gold, like silver, left a mark when bitten.

All eyes turned to the dent.

It wasn’t just a dent—it looked like a brand. A golden seal burned into the earth.

And this wasn’t stone. Stones didn’t dent under a human bite.

“Dad… could this actually be gold?” Da Hu’s voice trembled.

Old Suzhou said nothing.

He couldn’t speak. His whole body was shaking.

Old Mrs. Suzhou rubbed her temples, exasperated.

“Can’t you children behave? You’re grown men—why do you keep putting things in your mouths? Don’t you know how filthy that is?”

She regained her composure, scolding them sharply.

Even if this *was* gold, it wasn’t right to just shove it in your mouth like some street urchin.

Xiao Tangbao knew her mother had a thing about cleanliness.

If it weren’t for the fact that this was her special treasure, her mother wouldn’t have let her even place it on the bed.

Quickly, she protested: “Mama, it’s not dirty! I washed it!”

She meant she’d cleaned it herself.

Mrs. Suzhou looked at her little girl, her face softening. She reached out and gently stroked her hair.

Her daughter was small, yes—but she’d never wet her pants, never been messy. A clean, sweet child. Maybe she was overreacting.

“Alright,” she said, instantly reversing her stance. “Not dirty.”

Er Hu didn’t care about dirt.

This might be *gold*!

Even if it came from a pigsty, he wouldn’t mind.