Chapter 194: Are You Really Not the Sea’s Own Daughter?

"Yun Jiao, what was up with those dolphins? Do you know them? Why did they give you such a big golden bracelet? Did they find it in the sea? If not, how would they even know people like this stuff...?"

The barrage of questions was relentless, but Yun Jiao was already immune.

After all, both killer whales and dolphins were quite talkative creatures. Having dozens of them chattering away in her head was louder than a crowded market, so she was used to it.

She waited patiently for Wang Yi to finish before giving her concise reply.

"Don’t know. Don’t know them. They gave me a golden bracelet to request a song. Don’t know..."

She had answered each of his questions, but now Wang Yi himself couldn’t tell which answer corresponded to which question.

"Hey, let me see that golden bracelet of yours."

Wang Yi was interested in the golden bracelet, but not out of greed. He was just curious and wanted a look.

His family was in government, and his mother came from a good background with gold and other valuables in her dowry.

They weren’t short on money, and thanks to his father’s influence, Wang Yi was a very upright and principled young man.

Yun Jiao simply handed the golden bracelet over.

"Whoa..."

Wang Yi examined it and let out a sound of amazement.

Yun Jiao tilted her head. ’What is it? Does he recognize this bracelet?’

"This thing is pretty nice. You can tell it’s something special at a glance."

Yun Jiao: "..."

That was the very definition of a captain obvious statement.

Wang Yi handed the bracelet back to Yun Jiao.

Yun Jiao put it in her bag.

Following her family’s principle of getting rich quietly and keeping a low profile, it was best not to let the villagers see it.

When they got home, Granny Yun had them wash their hands before enthusiastically pressing a Baozi into each of their hands.

"Here, here, eat them while they’re hot. We’re having Spanish mackerel dumplings later."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yun Jiao stuffed the Baozi into her mouth. Delicious. So fragrant.

It even had a sweet filling.

Wang Yi and Sun Yaoqin followed suit and started eating, praising how delicious they were. Their compliments made the smile on Granny Yun’s face grow even wider.

After finishing her Baozi, Yun Jiao licked the sugar from her fingers before going to wash her hands.

She ran to the kitchen, took Granny Yun’s hand, and then, without any hesitation, pulled out the big golden bracelet and slid it onto her grandma’s wrist.

Granny Yun had slender wrists, so the bracelet fit perfectly.

"Looks good."

Granny Yun’s expression went from blissful ignorance to confusion, and then to shock.

Granny Yun: !!!

Were her old eyes playing tricks on her?

But the solid weight on her wrist confirmed it—she wasn’t seeing things. It was a real golden bracelet!

"Jiaojiao, you... where did you get this?"

The old woman stammered, staring at the huge golden bracelet on her wrist.

When Granny Yun was young, her family had been wealthy, and she’d had golden bracelets of her own.

But she could tell with a single glance that even before her family’s fortunes had declined, they couldn’t have afforded a bracelet like this.

It wasn’t a matter of the gold itself, but the craftsmanship. Only the great nobles of the past could have worn something like it.

Yun Jiao said, "A gift from the dolphins."

It took Granny Yun a few seconds to process. "What? What dolphins?"

’Shouldn’t it be the killer whales?’

Yun Jiao grabbed another Baozi and started eating. This one was filled with pork.

"Met some dolphins. They gave gifts. Wanted me to sing."

"Granny Yun, I know, I know! Ask me!"

Wang Yi immediately launched into a storyteller-like explanation, adding his own artistic flair to the tale of the dolphins’ gift.

Beside them, Wang Yun and her husband clicked their tongues in amazement.

Yun Jiao: →_→

’The singing that stirred the very ocean? The dolphins whose dancing to my voice summoned a great wind—was that supposed to be me? And are you serious about the dolphins being so intelligent they were one step away from talking?’

Wang Yi: Heh heh... A little artistic license! The details aren’t important!

Regardless, the origin of the large golden bracelet was now explained, even if the story sounded a bit absurd and sci-fi.

But Sun Yaoqin, who was also there, testified that the dolphins really had given them the big bracelet.

Sun Yaotong was in the jewelry business, so he was very interested in the large golden bracelet and politely asked if he could take a look.

Granny Yun pulled the bracelet right off and handed it over.

After a careful examination, Sun Yaotong exclaimed, "The dolphins must have found this in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. This craftsmanship... If I’m not mistaken, it uses several techniques like gilding, inlay, and filigree. The gemstone is also beautifully polished. The materials are top-notch."

He returned the bracelet, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"If it really was found in a shipwreck, then there’s bound to be more than just this one piece."

At this time, there were no laws protecting underwater cultural heritage, nor any regulations requiring salvaged artifacts to be handed over to the authorities. Thus, Sun Yaotong was interested in the shipwreck. If they could find it, everything inside would be antiques. Even if he didn’t sell them, they would be perfect for his collection.

He mulled it over but didn’t say anything just yet. He planned to discuss it with Yun Linhai and the others when they returned.

If the shipwreck wasn’t far, perhaps they could cooperate on a salvage operation.

Granny Yun couldn’t bear to wear something so valuable on her wrist; it was far too flashy.

But she truly did love the bracelet.

Back when she was the young lady of a wealthy family, she had preferred Jadeite bangles.

But now, she declared very practically that the brilliant, shimmering color of this big golden bracelet was truly a beautiful sight.

She wiped the bracelet clean and put it away.

Wang Yun, however, was more interested in the dancing dolphins her nephew had described.

Wang Yun herself was the chief editor of a newspaper.

"Jiaojiao, can those dolphins really dance to your singing?"

Yun Jiao thought for a moment and nodded. ’Yeah, you could call it dancing.’

Hearing this, Wang Yun looked regretful. "If I’d known, I would have gone with you. I can’t believe I missed such a magical scene."

Even more regrettable was that she hadn’t brought her equipment.

Sigh... ’My professional instincts need sharpening.’

Yun Jiao patted her hand comfortingly. "Next time, I’ll take Godmother to see them."

Wang Yun replied, "Ah? What do you mean? You can meet them again?"

This was a pleasant surprise.

Yun Jiao wasn’t entirely sure. "I don’t know. I think so."

After all, this was her first time interacting with those dolphins.

Wang Yun grabbed her hand. "Then next time, Godmother will go beachcombing with Jiaojiao. Even if I can’t get a picture of the dolphins, I can photograph other things."

"I’ve never really been to the seaside before."

"Godmother wants photos?"

Wang Yun hummed in affirmation. "I haven’t told you, have I? Your Godmother is an editor at a newspaper. My favorite thing to do is write about new and fascinating stories."

In this era, being a reporter or editor at a newspaper was a highly respected profession.

Most journalists were dedicated to reporting the facts, and there wasn’t as much of the sensationalist muckraking.

Hearing this, Yun Jiao went PITTER-PATTER as she ran off, quickly returning with a photo album in her arms.

"Godmother, here."

"A photo album? And it’s quite large."

She opened it, and her jaw dropped in shock.

She looked from the photos in the album back to Yun Jiao.

Her mouth was wide open.

"Wait, Jiaojiao, you... these..."

After struggling for words for a moment, she finally managed to ask, "Are you sure you aren’t the ocean’s own daughter?"