The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Li Kaixin didn't wait with everyone in the canteen. Instead, he was pulled by his second great-grandfather and went to the ancestral hall with several clan elders.

The ancestral hall in Lijia Village is located at the very back of the village. It is an old house with blue bricks and gray tiles. There are two old locust trees in front of the door, which are at least a hundred years old.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, I looked up and saw that the inside was very clean and tidy, clearly indicating that someone cleaned it regularly.

The room directly opposite the main entrance was open, and inside were the ancestral tablets of the Li family.

Li Kaixin, who had been holding back her questions all the way, finally asked them after entering the ancestral hall: "Second Grandfather, why did you bring me here so early?"

He knew from the original owner's memories that everyone came together to open the ancestral hall.

"Kaixin, you'll find out soon enough." The second grandfather said, gesturing to an old man beside him, "Hongliang, go open the door to the secret room."

"Okay, Second Uncle." Li Hongliang replied, walked to the offering table, and pressed a button on a hidden compartment.

Suddenly, the stone bricks in front of the offering table slowly moved away, revealing a dark hole.

Li Kaixin stood to the side, looking down in the light from the ancestral hall, and could vaguely see a section of stone steps.

"Second Grandfather, what's down there?" Li Kaixin asked, somewhat puzzled.

The second great-grandfather walked to the entrance with his cane, his tone filled with emotion: "Our ancestral hall in Lijia Village is not just a place to display memorial tablets. Beneath it lies the accumulation of our Li family members over hundreds of years."

As soon as he finished speaking, the second grandfather took the kerosene lamp handed to him by Li Hongliang and started walking downstairs.

Li Kaixin quickly followed, while the elders stayed behind to keep watch.

The stone steps weren't long; you only had to walk a dozen or so steps to reach the bottom.

After the second master went down, he did not stop walking.

He then went to several other places and lit the oil lamps hanging on the wall.

Soon, the entire basement was lit up.

Li Kaixin looked around and finally saw the layout of the basement.

The space was about the size of two rooms, with a dozen large boxes against the wall and bottles and jars on the wooden shelves.

The most eye-catching thing is a portrait hanging directly in front, which looks quite old.

The second great-grandfather held up a kerosene lamp, slowly walked to the portrait, and bowed slightly in greeting.

He turned to Li Kaixin and waved, "Kaixin, come and pay your respects too."

Upon hearing this, Li Kaixin walked to the portrait and bowed respectfully.

"This is our Li family's first ancestor, Li Dingbang."

The Second Grandfather's voice slowly echoed from the basement, "He was a second-rank official during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. Later, he resigned and went into seclusion, moving his family here, which led to the current Li Family Village."

Li Kaixin was startled and got up to examine the portrait closely.

In just a short while, the second master had already walked to the dozen or so boxes with his cane and opened them one by one.

Li Kaixin noticed it too, and when he went over to take a look, he couldn't help but gasp.

This time, he was truly stunned by what he saw.

Of the dozen or so boxes of items, perhaps only the two boxes of copper coins were worthless, while the others, such as silver ingots and silver coins, would have been a considerable fortune in any era.

Especially those three boxes of gold bars, which would be worth millions in today's currency.

What the old man told him before was too conservative.

However, I also felt a little bitter. I had worked myself to the bone for more than two months, and I was afraid I hadn't even earned a fraction of what I was making here.

Seeing his expression, the second great-grandfather smiled and said, "Kaixin, this is still considered small. Back in the war years ago, we donated quite a lot, and what we have left is only half of what we donated back then."

"Oh!" Li Kaixin nodded hesitantly, then immediately urged, "Second Grandfather, we've seen it all, let's go upstairs."

He felt that if he stayed any longer, he would really be tempted to take those three boxes of gold for himself.

"Don't rush, be happy."

The second master quickly intervened, "I didn't bring you here just to show you something so simple. Of these dozen or so boxes, you can take any third of the gold bars, except for two boxes that you can't touch."

"No, no!" Li Kaixin was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly waved his hands. "This is the common wealth of our Li family. What would it mean if I took it?"

"There's nothing wrong with it; this is the ancestral precept of our Li family." The second patriarch's expression turned serious.

Li Kaixin wanted to say something more, but the Second Grandfather, leaning on his cane, walked to the boxes of gold bars and patted them.

"Be happy, don't feel like you're getting a good deal."

The old man's voice rang out again, "Our Li family has been able to take root in this village for hundreds of years because we stick together. Whoever is successful, the clan helps them out, and when they have the ability in the future, they will give back to the clan."

He paused, then softened his tone: "However, don't put too much pressure on yourself. After all, this is just an investment the clan is making in you."

"I understand, Second Grandfather!" Li Kaixin replied solemnly.

The second grandfather nodded, turned and walked towards the stone steps: "Let's go up! Just keep this to yourself."

Not long after the two returned to the ground, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the ancestral hall.

The second patriarch gestured for Li Kaixin to stand aside, while he himself, leaning on his cane, walked to the center of the ancestral hall.

Several clan elders stood in two rows, each with a solemn expression.

A short while later, the ancestral hall door was pushed open, and the third grandfather led two people carrying offerings, followed by a large group of villagers, as they walked in.

Everyone wore a solemn expression, even the children who usually loved to play were behaving themselves.

After directing the offerings to be placed on the table, the third grandfather walked up to the second great-uncle and said, "Second Uncle, everything is ready."

"Alright, Hongzhi, you can go down now."

The second great-grandfather waved his hand, then turned and glanced at everyone. "I've called you all here today, so you all know what's going on. I won't waste any more words."

After saying this, the second grandfather slowly walked to the offering table, picked up three incense sticks, lit them, and bowed deeply three times to the memorial tablet on the offering table, muttering something incessantly.

During this time, no one in the ancestral hall dared to make a sound, their eyes fixed on the figure below the altar.

After the second great-grandfather held the incense sticks in both hands and inserted them into the incense burner.

The third grandfather immediately stepped forward, holding a yellowed family genealogy book in his hands. He flipped directly to the first page and handed it to the second great-grandfather.

The second great-grandfather took the brush with a serious expression and wrote the three characters "Li Kaixin" on the family genealogy.

Then, a small note was added next to his name: "His publication in the newspaper as a young man brings honor to our Li family. This is to be remembered."

After finishing writing, he put down his pen and said to Li Kaixin with a smile, "Kaixin, come over and kowtow to our ancestors."

Without hesitation, Li Kaixin walked to the prayer mat, knelt down, and respectfully kowtowed three times to the ancestral tablet.