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nThis box had seriously hindered the growth of the cherry tree’s roots into the earth.

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nQiao Mei quietly wrapped the box with the tree roots and moved its position so that the cherry tree could grow healthily.

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nQiao Mei increased her energy again and the roots of the cherry tree quickly grew all over the courtyard. As the roots spread, she found more boxes.

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nQiao Mei smiled whenever she sensed something that the roots touched. She counted a total of three boxes under the courtyard, two big ones and a small one. In addition to one big box and one small box at the Cao family’s side, there were a total of five boxes.

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nQiao Mei knew that Xia Zhe’s grandmother would not put all the eggs in the same basket and would have packed them separately.

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nHowever, Qiao Mei was really curious about what was contained in these boxes.

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nQiao Mei slowly moved the small box towards the well. The well had not been used for a long time and had long dried up.

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nShe thought about just retrieving the small box to take a look at it before burying it back. That way, no one would discover anything.

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nShe was sure that Xia Zhe would agree to it. If he was the kind of person who strictly abided by the rules, he would have done his best to dig out the things underground and handed them over to the authorities, instead of letting them stay hidden.

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nQiao Mei stared blankly at the well. It had been sealed for a long time and there was a thick stone slab over it which was already covered in moss.

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nXia Zhe had just come out of the kitchen. He only made two dishes tonight, potatoes stewed with kidney beans and scrambled egg.

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nXia Zhe learnt how to make these by asking his aunt. These were the two simplest dishes for beginners to make. Unfortunately, the eggs were a little scorched and he did not know how they would taste.

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nWhen Xia Zhe came out with the dishes, he saw Qiao Mei crouched at the mouth of the well, looking around as if she was plotting something. If it was any other ordinary woman, he would not be worried because no ordinary woman would be able to lift up such a piece of heavy stone. However, Qiao Mei was different.

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n“Mei Mei, what are you doing next to that well?” Xia Zhe asked nervously.

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n“Oh, you’re done cooking! Hurry up and put down the food, then come over,” Qiao Mei said.

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nXia Zhe did not have time to go to the dining room at all. He was so nervous when he saw Qiao Mei in such a dangerous place that he turned around and put the dishes back into the kitchen before running over to her.

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n“What are you doing?” Xia Zhe asked.

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n“My darling brother, can you help me open up this well?” Qiao Mei asked sweetly.

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nWhen Xia Zhe heard this form of address, he was stunned to the spot and said to Qiao Mei with a red face, “How can you call me that now? Do that only at night. Stop fooling around.”

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nQiao Mei pouted and said, “Why can other people call you brother but I can’t?”

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n“Listen to me. Also, no one else calls me that,” Xia Zhe said.

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n“Then what do you want me to call you?” Qiao Mei said.

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n“Call me by my name when there’s someone around. You can call me that only when there’s no one around,” Xia Zhe said seriously.

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nWhen there is no one around?

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n“My darling brother~ Just help me~” Qiao Mei tugged at Xia Zhe’s sleeve and said sweetly.

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nXia Zhe’s gaze instantly darkened. This little vixen was really annoying.

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nXia Zhe did not speak and just stared at her quietly. This made Qiao Mei feel an immense sense of pressure as she felt like she was being targeted by a wolf.

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n“Why… why is this well sealed up?” Qiao Mei quickly changed the topic.

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nXia Zhe still did not speak and continued to stare at her. This young girl was getting more and more lawless. Should he teach her a lesson?

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nWhen Qiao Mei saw Xia Zhe not moving, she thought to herself that it was useless to rely on men. It appeared that if she needed anything done, she had to do it herself.

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nQiao Mei rolled up her sleeves and pushed lightly, causing the stone slab to fall to one side. Then she stood up and dusted off her hands as she looked at Xia Zhe smugly.

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n“Since you’re not going to help, I’ll just do it myself!” Qiao Mei said.

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nXia Zhe sighed resignedly. He really did not know what to say about Qiao Mei.

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n“This well is very deep. Don’t lean in too much. Just look from afar.” Xia Zhe said as he went forward to stop Qiao Mei.

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nQiao Mei stuck her head out to take a look. The well looked to be about five to six meters deep. It had already dried up and there was only mud inside. She was aware that the box was located directly underneath the mud.

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