Chapter 31

Given that this room looked the biggest and most luxurious, Xue Miaoyun no longer hesitated like she had before. She decided to venture inside.

Carefully, she opened a cabinet, but it was empty. After cautiously searching through everything, she found only a single gold coin in a small box.

Hmm, was it really this poor?

Xue Miaoyun felt a bit disappointed. She had swum for two whole days and nights to get here. If she found nothing after all that effort, it would be really frustrating.

Thinking about this, Xue Miaoyun stomped her foot in frustration.

Crack.

Hmm?

Looking down, she noticed a hole in the floor. Was that a glint of gold?

Could it be a secret chamber?

A quarter of an hour later, Xue Miaoyun stood before several large chests. One had already broken open, revealing a pile of shining gold coins inside.

Without hesitation, Xue Miaoyun gathered all the chests into her space. She would look through the contents later; for now, she wanted to search other areas.

An hour later, with a splash, a ship appeared out of nowhere on the surface of the sea. Soon after, Xue Miaoyun climbed aboard, washed up, and changed into clean clothes.

Sighing, she leaned back in a chair to rest for a moment before retrieving one of the chests.

It was the broken chest.

A chest full of gold coins. Xue Miaoyun picked one up and examined it closely. The inscription seemed to be in French?

She couldn’t make out the image either. If this had been in her previous life, she could have easily looked it up online. But now? She decided not to trouble herself. She washed all the coins with water and planned to melt them down later, keeping only a few for her collection.

Then she went through chest after chest, cleaning and organizing everything.

There were three chests of gold coins and one of jewelry and treasures. These were clearly not Chinese items. Many of them were damaged, and it was uncertain whether they could be repaired. Thinking of the Chinese national treasures in foreign museums, Xue Miaoyun made up her mind to donate these foreign antiques to museums.

A little gesture of reciprocity.

With this thought in mind, Xue Miaoyun’s interest in the sunken ships grew. It wasn’t just about money anymore, but about the possibility of establishing a foreign branch for Chinese museums in the future.

With this goal in mind, Xue Miaoyun patiently continued her search in the sea for two more days. Her efforts were finally rewarded when she found another sunken ship. Her haul was abundant, and her space was starting to run out of room. It was then that she decided to return home.

Back at home, Xue Miaoyun’s tense nerves began to relax.

The following days were quite peaceful. Perhaps it was because she no longer lacked money, and she no longer had the desire to trade the items in her space. Most of her time was spent reading at home or occasionally visiting the black market.

It wasn’t until she received a letter from Cang Ling that she remembered she was married.

After a long pause, Xue Miaoyun finally opened the letter.

Sure enough, every question from her husband in the letter made her feel guilty. Cang Ling had installed a phone in their village just for her, but she had moved to the county not long after. They had promised to write letters, but she had completely forgotten. In her previous life, she had never written letters.

Seeing the question in the letter—whether she had forgotten about her husband—made Xue Miaoyun feel even more guilty.

After thinking for a while, Xue Miaoyun changed into a new outfit and went to the only photo studio in the county to take a few pictures.

After all, she had to keep her husband happy.

As for the other things, to be honest, even though life was tough for everyone these days, Cang Ling’s position in the army ensured that no one could make him suffer.

She couldn’t just send a few gold coins to him.

So, a few days later, Deputy Commander Cang Ling finally received a letter from his wife.

Upon opening the envelope, a photo fell out first.

Cang Ling was a bit surprised but quickly reached for it. Flipping it over, the familiar face of his wife appeared before him. Her smile was like a blooming flower, captivating and heartwarming. In that moment, all the unease and restlessness of the past few days disappeared.

A smile, one that Cang Ling hadn’t even noticed appearing on his own face, spread across his usually serious and cold expression.

“Old Cang, I need to tell you something…” The door to the office suddenly opened, and as soon as the person entered, they saw Cang Ling’s gentle expression, which almost gave them a heart attack.

“Old Cang, are you okay? Did something happen to you? Did the battalion commander upset you, or did that fool in the second battalion do something to raise your blood pressure again…” Yan Minghu spoke excitedly, rambling on.

Cang Ling’s smile immediately disappeared, and he looked at his partner with an expression of silent exasperation.

“Old Cang, you should know that you’re…”

“Shut up!” Cang Ling rubbed his forehead in frustration. He simply couldn’t understand why the leadership had assigned him such a noisy political commissar. Thinking of the words from the division commander, who had only meant well, Cang Ling sighed deeply. Was it really necessary to pair a taciturn person like him with such a talkative partner?

Yan Minghu wasn’t at all scared of Cang Ling and walked up closer to check if something was wrong with him.

“Old Cang, who’s this girl? She’s so beautiful.” With his sharp eyesight, Yan Minghu clearly saw the photo Cang Ling had placed carefully on the desk.

Cang Ling immediately turned the photo over.

“Hey, why are you so petty?” Yan Minghu leaned in closer. “Is she your sister?”

Cang Ling distastefully pushed his face away. “She’s your sister-in-law. Don’t even think about it.”

“Ah.” Yan Minghu didn’t try to hide his disappointment.

Cang Ling knew his partner was someone who loved to make a show of things, but he didn’t mind. Anyone who could reach the position of political commissar at such a young age was no ordinary person. Although their partnership hadn’t been long, Cang Ling knew enough about the changes in the regiment. The regiment commander was about to retire, and with a partner who, despite seeming unreliable, was actually quite dependable, Cang Ling would find things much easier.

“Old Cang, with a wife like that, how can you be at ease leaving her out there?” Yan Minghu thought of something he’d heard about a battalion commander in the Seventh Regiment and couldn’t help but feel that Cang Ling was being too carefree.

Cang Ling furrowed his brows. “She’s taking the high school graduation exam and will need to attend in a few months.”

“High school graduation? That’s good.” Yan Minghu, who had worked his way up to his current position, naturally understood the importance of education. His evaluation of Cang Ling’s wife went up even higher. Although she was from the countryside, she was clearly talented, beautiful, and most importantly, very clear-headed.

“Will she be accompanying the troops after graduation?” As a political commissar, Yan Minghu had the right to know certain personal details about the members of the regiment.

Cang Ling nodded. “Yes, I’ve already applied for housing. Miaoyun prefers independent residences.”

Back then, people typically preferred to live in apartment buildings.

“This is no problem at all; with your rank, you can definitely apply. Do you have any places in mind?”

“Yes, the building in the northwest corner.”

“So far away?”

“Miaoyun prefers quieter environments.” Since getting married, Cang Ling had been very attentive to his wife’s preferences.

“Alright, that one’s yard is quite spacious, but because it’s a little out of the way, it’s been available for a while. If you like it, that’s perfect.”

The two of them chatted about work matters for a little while longer before Yan Minghu took his leave.