Chapter 9

“A Wooden Barrel?”

Everyone was curious when Lan Xiruo spoke, craning their necks to look at the sea.

As soon as they hesitated, the fishing net slipped down a bit. Uncle Jiang He quickly shouted, “Stay focused! Keep your grip steady and pull it up first!”

A sealed wooden barrel like this could very well contain treasures from a sunken ship. If someone lost their grip and it fell back into the sea, wouldn’t that be maddening?

Startled by Uncle Jiang He’s warning, no one dared to be distracted anymore. Carefully, they hauled the heavy wooden barrel aboard.

It was unclear whether the barrel was so heavy because it had absorbed water or if it was simply that weighty to begin with.

Logically speaking, their fishing net, made of just 18 strands, shouldn’t have been able to catch it amidst the rough waves.

But the barrel was unlucky—it had somehow gotten itself entangled in three or four layers of the net.

Once they freed the barrel from the net, Uncle Jiang He was already waiting nearby with his tools.

Cautiously, he pried open the tightly sealed lid, revealing the contents of the first layer inside.

It was a porcelain vase, carefully cushioned with cotton. The vase had a flared mouth, a slender neck, and sloping shoulders that transitioned into a broad belly.

It stood about 20 centimeters tall, and at the bottom, three characters were inscribed: “Yu Jin Yuan”

The second layer held another bottle, also around 20 centimeters tall, with a mouth diameter of about six or seven centimeters and a base diameter of seven or eight centimeters.

The entire surface was coated in a smooth, translucent celadon glaze. The bottle had a tower-like shape, a straight mouth, a tiered belly, and a ring foot.

What made it interesting was that five small spouts extended from its shoulder, their edges serrated like saw teeth. The bottle’s body was adorned with lotus petal and net patterns.

Its lid was in the shape of an inverted lotus, also engraved with lotus petal patterns, and had a small bird-shaped knob on top.

As Lan Xiruo examined the vase closely, Sun Yuqing had already identified it.

“This is a Southern Song Longquan celadon carved lotus petal five-spouted covered vase,” she announced.

Lan Xiruo glanced at her in surprise before carefully placing the vase back into the barrel. She then swept her gaze over the men who were holding their breath, smiling as she said,

“The name of this porcelain vase is exactly what Comrade Sun just said. The first one is a Southern Song Official Kiln celadon mallet-shaped vase.”

“Huh? Aren’t they just two flower vases? Why do their names keep getting longer?”

“We don’t understand all that. I just want to know—are they worth anything?” A’Dong was completely bewildered by the fancy names Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing had thrown out.

“In the future, they’ll definitely be valuable, but right now…” Lan Xiruo trailed off suddenly.

She was reminded that this was still the Special Decade—owning such treasures could be dangerous.

However…

“Since these were salvaged from the sea, they belong to the state. We have to hand them over. So, whether they’re valuable or not has nothing to do with us.”

A’Dong, Jiang Dazhu, and Heiyu were stunned. Then, in unison, they asked,

“Why? We fished them up ourselves—why do we have to hand them over to the state?”

Sun Yuqing withdrew her gaze from the vase and said softly,

“Our country’s laws state that all cultural relics—whether buried underground, found in inland waters, or within territorial seas—belong to the state.

Anyone who steals national cultural relics or sells them privately will face criminal prosecution according to the law.”

Lan Xiruo nodded. “Exactly what Comrade Sun said. We can’t keep them for ourselves, or we’ll end up in prison.”

“What? It’s that serious? S-So, we just take these two vases back and… turn them in?”

The three men were so shocked that they stammered, staring at the wooden barrel like it was a hot potato.

“Tch! Look at you lot!” Uncle Jiang He scolded, then awkwardly turned to Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing.

“Sorry for making fools of ourselves. We’ve spent our whole lives at sea—we can’t even read, let alone understand laws.

If we ever do anything wrong, you both have to correct us.”

Lan Xiruo smiled and shook her head. “There’s nothing funny about it.”

But Sun Yuqing was much more serious. “We’re all in the same boat now. I won’t let you make any mistakes.”

What had started as a lighthearted remark turned into a serious conversation, leaving Uncle Jiang He chuckling nervously. “Haha… That’s for the best, that’s for the best.”

“Alright, put the items away. Let’s get back to pulling in the net,” Uncle Jiang He clapped his hands, signaling everyone to continue working before returning to the stern to steer the boat.

The excitement from their unexpected find had almost turned into panic. The men were still unsettled, their emotions fluctuating.

As they hauled the ropes again, each of them kept a nervous watch on the sea, worried that another “ticking time bomb” would appear.

Lan Xiruo, however, was praying for another surprise.

They might not be able to sell these treasures, but they could earn a good reputation.

She was sure the authorities would reward them for turning in valuable artifacts, encouraging other fishermen to do the same.

“It’s coming up! Something else is coming up!” Jiang Dazhu’s voice cracked as he shouted excitedly at the sight of another object emerging from the sea.

Lan Xiruo curled her lips into a smile and reassured him, “No need to be so nervous—this is a good thing.

Think about it. When we hand these in, people will call you a patriotic citizen with high awareness.

Maybe some young ladies will admire you and want to marry you.”

Jiang Dazhu’s face immediately turned red.

Unfortunately, he was so tanned that no one could tell. After hesitating for a moment, he asked with anticipation,

“Lan Comrade, do you really think so? Do you think a girl would want to marry me just because of that?”

Meanwhile, the object had almost reached the boat.

Lan Xiruo focused intently on the thing being pulled up, absentmindedly replying, “Of course! It’s truer than gold!”

With a firm tug, she pulled the object onto the deck, finishing the net haul.

Jiang Dazhu let out a disappointed sigh. “Ah, it’s just a pile of reeds and seaweed?”

He had hoped for another treasure!

Lan Xiruo squatted down to inspect the tangled mass before looking up at Sun Yuqing. “Help me pull these apart.”

The moment this clump of seaweed had been fished up, her heart had started racing.

She had a strong hunch that something valuable was hidden inside.

Maybe her poor judgment in people was because all her talent had been allocated elsewhere—like learning, business, or detecting valuable objects.

Like Uncle Jiang He, Sun Yuqing had an unshakable trust in Lan Xiruo.

Upon hearing her request, she immediately squatted down and began untangling the tightly wrapped seaweed with her.

The rest of the crew abandoned their tasks and gathered around to watch.

As they gradually pulled the seaweed apart, a pitch-black object, resembling a stone, was revealed.

Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing exchanged a glance, then looked up at A’Dong. “Can you get me some water?”

A’Dong quickly filled a bucket with seawater and placed it beside her.

Lan Xiruo poured half the bucket over the “stone,” washing away the thick layer of sea mud, exposing its true form.

A’Dong and the others paled in shock, shouting,

“W-What the hell is that? Get rid of it! Get rid of it!”