**Chapter 433: Rescued from the Flames, Deeply Grateful**
After standing up, she wiped the tear stains from her face, bit her lower lip, and just stared at me.
I forced a smile and said, "Alright, let’s do as you said earlier—a 30-70 split. You take 30, I take 70."
I don’t know why I lied to her, why I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth.
Even as the words left my mouth, I felt a pang of disbelief at my own deception.
When she heard this, her face lit up. "You... you mean it?"
I nodded.
Back in 2000, based on gold prices in the Philippines, one gram of gold was worth about 80 Chinese yuan. After deducting various fees, the net price per gram here was around 60 yuan.
Calculating based on that box of fake gold—roughly nine catties—her 30% share would amount to over two catties. Converted to Chinese yuan, that was about 100,000.
A hundred thousand yuan wasn’t a huge sum to me now. Anyuan Hall’s annual revenue was close to a million, and I had plenty of savings in the bank.
It wasn’t until I did the math that I realized how insignificant that 100,000 truly was.
"Where’s your daughter now?" I asked. "Can I see her?"
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I’ll have someone bring her over."
She placed the gun back in the cabinet and told me to wait.
About ten minutes later, she returned with a little girl.
The child looked to be seven or eight years old, wearing an ill-fitting handmade dress. The stitching was crude, with loose threads hanging from the hem.
Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and her bright, curious eyes studied me intently.
From her appearance alone, she bore a striking resemblance to Ni Li.
"Say hello to Uncle," Ni Li instructed softly.
The little girl obediently called out, "Uncle."
I patted her head and sighed. "She’s so young. Even if she gets out, how will she survive?"
Ni Li replied, "Mr. Xiang, you don’t need to worry about that. Just take her to the address I gave you last time. That person will take care of her."
"How can you be so sure?"
"He was my husband’s closest friend..."
"You really have no one else to entrust her to?"
Ni Li fell silent, then shook her head.
"What about you?" I asked.
She smiled bitterly. "I... I can only stay here forever."
"Don’t you want to leave?"
"What’s the point of wanting? It’s impossible."
"Alright. Get yourself and your daughter ready. I’ll see if I can find a way to get both of you out."
The moment I said it, I regretted it.
A voice in my head scolded me: *What are you doing? Playing the hero again?*
But another voice countered: *If you’re going to be a hero, you might as well go all the way...*
Ni Li froze, staring at me in disbelief.
"Wait for my news," I told her.
---
After leaving the bamboo house, I went to find Zhu Li. He was drinking with the North River mine owner when I arrived.
The mine owner grinned at me as if our previous conflict had never happened.
Clearly, Zhu Li had offered him something substantial—otherwise, his attitude wouldn’t have shifted so drastically.
Since we didn’t speak the same language, I could only smile back.
"Uncle Zhu, I need your help with something," I said.
He stood, exchanged a few words with the mine owner, then led me outside.
"What is it?" he asked.
I explained Ni Li’s situation and my wish to get her and her daughter out.
Zhu Li frowned. "Xiao Xiang, do you have feelings for her?"
I laughed dryly. "No, Uncle Zhu... I just think—"
"You think she’s pitiful?"
I nodded.
"You’re still too young," he sighed. "There are countless women like her in this world. How many can you possibly save?"
I stayed silent.
He continued, "Getting her out isn’t impossible... but you know the North River mine owner is her current man."
"I know. That’s why I was wondering if money could solve the problem."
"Money?" Zhu Li chuckled. "People here don’t care about money. They only care about gold."
After a pause, he patted my shoulder. "Leave it to me. Go back and wait."
"Uncle Zhu, whatever it costs, I’ll pay you back once we’re out—"
He waved me off. "Just go. I’ll handle it. Trust me."
Grateful, I thanked him.
---
I don’t know how Zhu Li negotiated with the mine owner, but the next morning, he escorted us—along with Ni Li and her daughter—out of Hekou.
The moment the car passed the checkpoint, Ni Li burst into tears.
She said she’d never imagined she’d escape that place alive.
Zhu Li took them to a farm he owned, giving them a place to stay and start anew.
Once everything was settled, Zhu Li received a call from the mine—Ah Shui was ready, and it was time to head to Golden Mountain.
Preparing to leave, I was stopped by Ni Li.
"Mr. Xiang... thank you," she said, her voice trembling. "I don’t know how you managed to get us out, but now that we’re free, I don’t want any of that gold."
"I promised you your share, and I won’t go back on my word," I assured her. "Uncle Zhu will give you the money. From now on, no one will stop you from going wherever you want or doing whatever you choose."
Her eyes reddened as she nodded.
She tried to kneel with her daughter, but I quickly pulled them up. "There’s no need for this. Here—my address and contact in China. If you ever want to return, you can find me."
Wiping her tears, she suddenly said, "Mr. Xiang, I heard you’re going to Golden Mountain?"
"Yeah."
"Wait a moment."
From her canvas bag, she pulled out an envelope and handed me a worn piece of parchment.
"What’s this?"
"A treasure map my husband bought from someone years ago... I don’t know if it’s real, but it marks a spot in Golden Mountain. I have nothing else to repay you with, so please take this."
Her grip tightened around mine as she added, "Be careful... Golden Mountain isn’t what it seems."
---
*(Translation notes: Maintained the emotional weight of Ni Li's gratitude while streamlining dialogue for natural flow. Cultural references (e.g., kneeling as a sign of deep thanks) are preserved with contextual clarity. The treasure map reveal is kept deliberate and mysterious, setting up future plot points.)*