The last stop on He Jin's list was Liu Haizhong's home.
Moving with practiced ease, he quickly located the Liu family's hiding spots and transferred everything into his space, slipping away right under Second Auntie Liu's nose without a trace.
The harvest there surprised him somewhat.
There was very little cash—only around three hundred yuan—and a bankbook with a balance of one thousand. Obviously, the money in the bankbook was untouchable.
But although the cash was scarce, there were several small gold bars, three gold bracelets, two gold rings, a gold necklace, and a pair of gold earrings.
As for the origin of the gold, He Jin quickly figured it out. It must have been secretly pocketed when Liu Haizhong had led search-and-confiscation teams in the past. Liu had the nerve to skim some valuables—but evidently not too much. His courage likely had limits.
What puzzled He Jin was the lack of cash.
Given Liu Haizhong's salary, that didn't seem reasonable.
Then a memory surfaced: years ago, after Liu's eldest son got married, he had practically "cleaned out" the family before running off. Under those circumstances, it made sense that the Liu household had little left. That one thousand in savings was probably what Liu had painstakingly rebuilt over the past few years.
And clearly, having learned a bitter lesson, Liu now deposited most of his money in the bank.
Due to the chaos of the old regime, many people distrusted banks and government institutions. Even though the new government had been established for years and genuinely aimed to benefit ordinary citizens, most people still preferred hiding their money at home rather than depositing it.
In this courtyard, that habit was obvious. The original Sha Zhu had done so. The Third Uncle had done so. Xu Damao had done so. The Jia family had done so.
Though He Jin hadn't checked every household, he guessed the pattern was similar.
Perhaps only Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong possessed bankbooks.
Liu's caution likely stemmed from his "filial eldest son." Afraid his second and third sons might follow their brother's example and run off with bundled cash, Liu had chosen the bank as a safer option.
As for Yi Zhonghai, the reason was probably different—too much of his household wealth couldn't bear scrutiny, so he deposited only his legitimate income.
After leaving the Liu residence, his gains considerable, He Jin intended to head straight to the Red Star Rolling Mill.
But then his eyes fell on the Deaf Old Lady's house.
His steps halted.
At first, he had subconsciously excluded her from his targets.
One reason was memory. According to the original owner's recollections, the old lady had treated Sha Zhu well—occasionally offering care and warmth. That favorable impression lingered.
Second, in the month since his transmigration, He Jin had only seen her twice, exchanging barely a few words. She simply hadn't been on his mind.
Truthfully, had he not noticed her house just now—or had he resisted the sudden curiosity—he likely would have left without ever investigating.
But now that the thought had taken root, he couldn't suppress it.
In his previous life, he had read countless fan theories about the courtyard. Many speculated about the Deaf Old Lady's identity. Some claimed she came from a wealthy family. Others suggested she had once been a rich man's abandoned concubine. A few even theorized she had been a hidden spy.
Despite the different backgrounds imagined for her, one detail remained consistent across these stories:
She had treasures buried beneath her home.
He Jin wanted to see for himself—who exactly was this old woman? And did she truly have anything hidden?
He didn't feel guilty about checking.
Though the old lady had been kind to Sha Zhu, Sha Zhu had also regularly brought her good food. By He Jin's reckoning, there was no debt owed.
They shared no blood relation. He felt no obligation, no emotional attachment.
Yes, in the original storyline, she had left her house to Sha Zhu upon her death. But in this era, property held little value. He didn't consider it a grand favor.
Besides, who else could she have left it to?
Yi Zhonghai, childless as he was, would not have dared claim it—such a move would have caused uproar among the other residents.
The reason no one contested Sha Zhu inheriting it in the original timeline was simple: his unruly temperament and physical strength deterred opposition, and everyone knew he was closely tied to the Yi and Jia families. Few dared offend all three.
Viewed from another angle, perhaps the old lady and Yi Zhonghai had even calculated that outcome.
Whether it was calculation or coincidence, He Jin had no time to dwell on it. In this life, that house would never fall to him anyway.
As for Beijing property, he had already made up his mind. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so ready to leave even his current home behind for He Yushui.
By the time he returned from Hong Kong in the future, wealth would no longer depend on acquiring a few courtyard houses. If he wanted property then, he could purchase it easily—once policies relaxed, transactions and household registration changes would be far simpler.
With that settled, He Jin stepped into the Deaf Old Lady's house.
Before he could act, he froze.
The old woman sat on the edge of her bed, staring straight at the doorway.
For a brief moment, his heart leapt into his throat. If not for his absolute trust in the space's concealment ability, he might have believed she could see him.
He couldn't understand why she sat there so early in the morning, gazing blankly ahead. The atmosphere felt inexplicably eerie.
Unnerved, he quickly extended his awareness.
Soon, he found a small wooden box in the bedside cabinet. Inside were a few dozen yuan and some grain coupons.
His gaze lingered only briefly. He didn't take them.
Then, at the bottom compartment of the cabinet, he discovered a larger jewelry case.
Inside lay a full set of jade jewelry.
And two small gold bars.
At that moment, He Jin's eyes sharpened.
Those online speculations from his previous life…
They might not have been entirely wrong.
The Deaf Old Lady's background was indeed far from simple.