Ethan was at his maternal uncle's house, discussing how, during their escape, the family could have a place to stay. In the mountains, if food ran out, they could hunt or gather roots.
Going to the city wasn't an option—they had no home there and would only be seen as vagrants.
He thought about having the village captains bring documentation to request help from relevant departments, but with so many people, the authorities couldn't handle it. They would have to rely on themselves.
This was why, after coordinating among the families, if disaster struck, they could act together. First, they would ensure their families were safe. They planned to send people into the mountains to scout locations and build houses.
After leaving his maternal uncle's house, Ethan went to town and rented a warehouse from a friend. Thinking of the family's valuables and grain storage, he already had a plan. He sent the most trusted people—Sam and Nate—away so they could work unbothered.
Julian was quietly taken to the study by his father after lunch. Ethan had a mysterious air about him and instructed Serena to lock the doors and keep the daughters in their rooms.
Serena immediately understood. Ethan intended to hide the family's grain and valuables.
Even though it was midday, as the village captain, Ethan had business to attend to and needed to handle things personally.
During the harvest, people were busy, but some precautions still had to be taken.
Julian had been in the study before. This so-called study didn't have old books; there were no classics, just ordinary things.
Ethan closed the door, peered through the crack, and looked toward the window.
Seeing no one and hearing no sounds, he felt safe. The study wasn't far from the daughters' room, so small noises could be heard but not conversations.
Cautiously, he moved the desk, which was designed to be mobile. Opening it revealed a floor panel that looked like the rest of the flooring. He tapped it, and a seam appeared. The panel then automatically opened, revealing a hidden basement door.
Julian thought, So sturdy and so well hidden—this would be tough for a thief to find.
"Come here, son. Let Dad carry you!"
Julian obediently allowed his father to pick him up. Ethan carried him into the hole and closed the floor panel behind them as a precaution.
Ethan triggered some hidden mechanism, and the basement lit up. A staircase led down three to four meters to the basement floor.
Julian looked around. The basement had tables, chairs, and a bed. It was roughly 20 square meters—a small room where one could study, write, or sleep.
Along the walls, bookshelves filled with countless books surrounded the room. Julian wanted to explore them.
Ethan seemed to understand and said, "Son, if you're interested in these books, put them into your so-called Buddha Tower space. These are treasures from our ancestors!"
He then put Julian down.
Julian nodded. If his father was bringing him here just to store the books in the space, it made sense. Many good items had been damaged over the years; the ancestral books were certainly valuable.
Julian reached out, and the bookshelf vanished in place.
He stored all the books in the Buddha Tower space, keeping them arranged as they had been along the walls.
He decided to keep books separate from other items like grain.
Seeing his son store each bookshelf, Ethan, overjoyed, activated another hidden mechanism in the wall, revealing another door.
"Son, let's go in!"
Julian nodded, full of anticipation.
Ethan held his son's hand and entered the secret room. He triggered a light, illuminating the space.
In front of them were wooden crates. Ethan opened them one by one to show what was inside.
Julian's eyes widened. We're rich! He saw crates filled with gold and silver treasures, followed by crates of silver ingots.
There were also crates of classical paintings wrapped in oilcloth, antiques, and jewelry—jade pieces sparkling like crystals.
One crate held gold bars. Julian squatted and counted them. This crate alone had over 100 gold bars!
"Fortune at last!"
Ethan carefully closed the lids of the crates and then said to his son, "Son, all of these are treasures left by our ancestors. You should store them in your Buddha Tower space."
Julian happily began storing the items. He had assumed that growing up in a time of scarcity and disaster would be extremely hard. But with these treasures, he now had some capital for the future.
He thought of what his father had said about the ancestral treasures and also of their family, his eldest uncle's family, and now his grandparents.
Would these treasures need to be shared? If he had to share, he would be reluctant.
"Dad, do Grandpa and Grandma know about this? Won't they want a share too?"
Ethan shook his head. "Our two families are separated. Your grandparents are going with your eldest uncle to the provincial city. Back then, they took some of the treasures to the city to secure work."
He pointed to another side. "These are your mother's dowry. When your mother married, she brought valuable items, but over the years, we didn't dare show them off."
Ethan then opened three more crates: one contained gold and silver jewelry, jade pieces, gold bars, and gemstones; another had silk-like fabrics; and the last held antiques and paintings.
Julian joyfully stored these into the Buddha Tower space, keeping the old and new items separated. He even made a mental note to track them.
At this moment, he noticed that the Buddha Tower space seemed to have expanded. Previously around 30 square meters, it had now doubled in size, forming a separate, self-contained room.
The expanded section contained vegetables he had occasionally stored. This new room and the treasure room were now two separate spaces.
Julian experimented with summoning a crate with his mind and returning it. Items in both rooms could now be accessed and returned without interference.
He even tested retrieving the vegetables he had stored and returning them. This led him to a bold realization: whenever he placed items in the Buddha Tower space, it would automatically expand and categorize them.
Ethan didn't know what Julian was doing. Watching his three-year-old son intently, he thought: He's just a playful child; this is normal. Yet in the past two days, he had started treating his son like a little adult, and now he truly looked like a real child.
"Dad, what else is there?"
Hearing Julian's question, Ethan refocused.
"Let's go to the other room. There's grain there! Also, the gold and silver jewelry left by our ancestors—your sisters will have their shares too. But since you're the son, you get the largest portion—you're the heir to the family business."
Julian understood his father's meaning. This was a father's loving intention. If his sisters knew that their parents had already prepared dowries for them when they were still young, they would surely feel grateful—but these things must remain secret for now.
When the sisters grew up, the dowries would be given, and by then, the gold and silver would be even more valuable.
"Dad, I understand. I'm just helping to keep these safe. We are one family, and I will protect my sisters!"
Hearing his son's promise, Ethan felt a glow of pride. This little boy's eyes shone brightly, as if his body radiated light. The father's heart was filled with comfort and satisfaction.
( End of chapter)