Chapter 353 - 350: Salvaging the Shipwreck 1

Now that the shipwreck was found, the next task was naturally to salvage it.

But it was already very late, and the poor visibility would make the salvage operation even more difficult and dangerous.

Besides, the condition of the shipwreck meant they couldn’t just rush in and start salvaging recklessly.

So they had to wait until tomorrow.

Sun Yaotong said to Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe, "I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you both for a while."

Salvaging a shipwreck definitely wasn’t a one or two-day job, so they would have to stay in the village, or on the sea, for some time.

He had already rented a house in the village for his employees to stay in and had even hired two of the village aunties to cook for them.

For now, they would head back to discuss the details of the salvage plan.

Yun Xiaowu and the other boys were quite reluctant to go back.

They definitely wouldn’t be able to come tomorrow.

Not only could they not come tomorrow, but they also got a beating when they got home today.

From Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei, of course.

"You were just itching for a beating, weren’t you? Tomorrow, you’re going to school and behaving yourselves."

Yun Xiaowu and the boys looked aggrieved, watching Yun Jiao with envy as she sat to the side, stuffing food into her mouth.

"Why can’t we skip school too?"

Their little sister didn’t have to go to school, either.

Yun Jiao gave them a sweet smile. "Because you don’t know things, big brother. That’s why you have to learn."

Yun Xiaowu was reminded of his sister’s brilliant little mind—she could memorize anything after seeing it just once.

He was so envious he could practically drool.

"Sister, is there any way for me to become like you and learn things after seeing them just once?"

Yun Jiao opened her mouth and ate the sweet potato fry he fed her.

"I don’t know. I can’t help you, anyway."

Oh well. Disappointed, Yun Xiaowu tossed a couple of fries into his own mouth.

The next day, Yun Jiao woke up very early because they were going out to sea.

Her brothers were also up and eating breakfast.

Yun Jiao held her small bowl, scooped up a plump dumpling with her spoon, and popped it into her mouth. It was still a bit hot, and she hissed softly as she ate.

After breakfast, Wang Mei fixed her gaze on the school-aged boys of the house.

"Finished eating? Go pack your schoolbags. I’m taking you to school."

With someone watching them, Yun Xiaowu and the others couldn’t run away even if they wanted to.

The four of them instantly felt their world turn a little grayer.

Yun Jiao watched them, her eyes curving into smiling crescents.

Seeing how happy her smile was, Yun Xiaowu promptly pinched her little cheek.

"Oh, so you’re laughing this happily while we’re so miserable, huh?"

Yun Jiao refused to admit it.

"Brother~"

She begged for mercy pitifully.

She was an expert at using her advantages.

Yun Xiaowu’s heart softened, and he changed his pinching motion to a gentle rub on her little face.

’Hmm, her cheek was soft and squishy, like a fluffy white bun. It felt amazing.’

"Hurry up and eat."

Yun Jiao raised a chubby little hand. "Bye-bye, brothers."

After watching her brothers leave for school, Yun Jiao drank the rest of the soup in her bowl, let out a satisfied burp, and patted her little belly.

Full and a little sluggish, Yun Jiao was like a lazy little kitten who didn’t want to move.

The Yun family knew her habits well. Yun Linhai simply picked her up.

"Time for us to go."

Yun Jiao murmured an "oh." Her tiny form rested on her dad’s broad shoulders, and she closed her eyes, content to be carried.

"Well now, is Little Yun Jiao still sleepy?"

Sun Yaotong, who was directing the crew as they loaded things onto the ship, teased her when he saw her.

Yun Jiao obediently called out, "Godfather."

Her eyes, now open, were clear and beautiful.

She curiously watched everyone bustling about.

"That’s a crane. It can lift at least ten tons. And that one is..."

Seeing Yun Jiao’s curiosity, Sun Yaotong patiently explained the equipment to her.

Yun Jiao would let out an occasional "wow."

Many people on the docks were curious. What was this big ship doing here?

Some came over to ask, but Sun Yaotong had everyone sign a non-disclosure agreement, so they couldn’t say anything.

Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe were naturally tight-lipped as well; they would never say anything they weren’t supposed to.

The equipment was quickly loaded onto the ship, and it was time for them to set off.

When they arrived at the coordinates where Yun Jiao had found the shipwreck the day before, everyone was very excited.

After all, it was practically a treasure hunt. And who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt?

After everyone put on their diving gear, they jumped into the sea one after another.

Yun Jiao, however, was in no rush.

After the divers had all jumped in, Yun Linhe asked a question.

"You’re just letting them go look like that? Aren’t you worried they’ll hide things?"

Yun Linhe knew that Sun Yaotong had used his connection with Wang Jianlin to obtain the salvage permit, but a portion of whatever was recovered had to be handed over to the authorities.

Especially antiques and other items of research value.

Sun Yaotong smiled. "Diving suits are skin-tight; it’s not easy to hide anything. Besides, most of the people on this ship are my own men. I wouldn’t dare use them otherwise."

"If they can really manage to hide something and take it away right under my nose, then I’d have to admit they’re pretty skilled."

Sun Yaotong wasn’t being blindly confident. As he said, if someone really had the skill to hide something and get away with it, he wouldn’t mind losing a few trinkets.

After all, it was a huge shipwreck.

He had arranged the diving teams into groups of three. Naturally, he placed one of his own trusted men in each group. This was to prevent anyone from finding a treasure, hiding it somewhere out of sight, and then coming back for it later.

Once they were back on the ship, it would be difficult to hide anything while wearing a diving suit.

Moreover, the wages he paid were not low. If there really was some shortsighted fool, he would fire them on the spot and send them home.

Seeing that he had everything arranged, Yun Linhe and the others naturally had no more questions.

After waiting for about half an hour, someone surfaced.

"HUFF... HUFF... HUFF..."

"Boss, it’s too deep! The water pressure is too high. We can’t stay down there for very long."

That was true. Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe had been there; just swimming to the location was exhausting. To stay for an extended period and bring things up would require incredible lung capacity.

Not to mention, most of the items scattered around the shipwreck had already been taken back by Yun Jiao.

So, just searching the area around the wreck definitely wouldn’t yield any good finds.

Still, some people brought up a few porcelain shards.

One lucky person even brought up two bronze artifacts.

Yun Jiao poked at the two bronze artifacts. ’They want this dusty gray stuff too?’

She had seen them before but had only brought back a single, not-too-large Bronze Tripod.

She had basically left the other bronze artifacts untouched.

She had even planned to take that Bronze Tripod to the village temple as an incense burner for Mazu.

Judging by her godfather’s expression, he clearly liked those two artifacts, which looked like wine cups.

"Everyone’s worked hard. Come back on board to rest for a bit before going again."

During the break, one man was clearly reporting the shipwreck’s condition to Sun Yaotong.

They had to understand the wreck’s condition to create a proper salvage plan.

One of them could also draw. In just ten minutes or so, he sketched out a part of the shipwreck’s structure. It was only a part because that was all he had seen.

When the break was about over, Yun Jiao, Yun Linhai, and Yun Linhe were going to go down on the second dive as well.

"Jiaojiao, could I trouble you to have the killer whale take your Uncle Tang with you?"

This Uncle Tang was the one who could draw.