Chapter 385 - 379: Unboxing

The metal boat was much faster.

When they reached the island, Yun Jiao went to check on the spot where she had hidden the treasure chests.

Oh? A snake was coiled up there.

A white snake, at that.

Yun Jiao didn’t strike the white snake. She just grabbed it and tossed it into the woods.

The white snake quickly slithered into the woods and disappeared.

"There are so many chests. You haven’t opened any of them?"

Yun Jiao shook her head. "Not yet."

"Then let’s move them quickly. We can open them when we get back."

Yun Jiao pointed to a burlap sack. "The contents of that one were loose, so I gathered them up and put them inside."

With several people carrying them, the work went much faster.

About a dozen chests were loaded onto the boat. They didn’t go to the pier, stopping at the same spot as yesterday.

They waited until dark to bring them home.

It would be hard to explain if they were seen in broad daylight. The two dogs at home were even standing guard out front.

As soon as she got home, Yun Jiao emptied the contents of the burlap sack.

Most of it was jewelry and other similar items.

There was gold, silver, pearls, and jadeite gemstones.

"These pearls are huge! They must be Dongzhu, right?"

The pearls weren’t just large; they were also exceptionally white and perfectly round.

It was originally a pearl necklace, but the string had either snapped during the shipwreck or corroded in the seawater over time. Now, the pearls were all loose.

Yun Jiao had only found nine of them.

Each pearl had been drilled through.

Everyone held them in their hands to admire them. "Those ancient emperors and nobles really knew how to live."

Yun Xiaowu retorted, "Wouldn’t pearls this big weigh down your neck?"

Shen Yunlian shot her son a look. "What the hell do you know?"

"But Jiaojiao said the shipwreck was foreign. The ship probably went down on its way back. This craftsmanship is clearly from our country. I wonder if it was one of the ships that plundered Qing Dynasty artifacts back then."

Yun Chen Nan had no strong feelings about the Qing Dynasty. ’If you fall behind, you’ll get beaten’—that was the lesson history had taught them.

Before the Qing Dynasty, however, all the fighting was ultimately between people from their own land.

The Qing Dynasty was beaten by outsiders, who also plundered so many of their treasures.

Many of their country’s cultural relics were lost.

They didn’t know the full story of that ship, but now, these things were theirs.

Yun Jiao said, "I still need to find time to apply for a shipwreck salvage permit."

’Is this considered boarding the ship before buying a ticket?’

Yun Chen Nan said, "I’ll go with you tomorrow to ask about it."

Then he added, "We’ll go see Vice Commander Lin."

The military department owed Jiaojiao a favor, so it should be easier.

"Okay."

"Let’s hurry and open the chests."

Yun Xiaowu was already dying to see what was inside.

Under everyone’s expectant gazes, the first chest was opened.

It was a metal chest, and it was still in very good condition.

After opening it, they found the contents were wrapped in a layer of waterproof cloth.

"Cut it open with scissors."

Everyone grew even more curious about what was inside, that it had been protected so well.

After cutting through the waterproof cloth, the item inside was so beautiful it took even Yun Jiao’s breath away.

It was a complete outfit, the clothing of a Qing Dynasty woman.

It was a magnificent, pale purple gown.

The craftsmanship of the garment was visibly complex. The embroidered patterns were exquisite, and the accessories on it were made from various pearls and gemstones.

"This gold embroidery isn’t thread, it’s actual gold wire!"

The many golden embroidered patterns on the dress, including auspicious clouds and golden peonies, weren’t stitched with gold-colored thread. Instead, they were made by drawing gold into fine wires as thin as thread and then embroidering with them.

Yun Linhai and the others gasped. "My goodness, what kind of person could afford to wear something like this?"

People’s aesthetic tastes may differ due to regional variations, but more often than not, a truly beautiful object can transcend such boundaries.

This garment was one such object. You couldn’t even call it clothing anymore—it was a complete work of art!

The person who packed it must have cherished this outfit, which is why they protected it with so many layers.

Even after sinking to the bottom of the sea, it wasn’t the least bit damp now that they’d brought it out.

"Let’s put it away for now. Be careful."

With their calloused hands, Yun Linhai and the others didn’t dare touch it.

In the end, it was Yun Chen Nan and Yun Jiao who unfolded the garment and hung it up.

The dress looked even more stunning hanging up.

It didn’t look like a piece of clothing, but rather like a graceful beauty standing there quietly.

After admiring it for a moment, they moved on to the next chest.

There were twelve chests in total.

One of them was the one Yun Jiao had used to trap the electric eel before; it was filled entirely with jade artifacts.

There were men’s headdresses, jade pendants, Jade Tokens, and jade belts, as well as some women’s jade hairpins.

The carving on all of them was superb, but a few of the items inside were broken.

"We should take them to my master and see if he can repair them," Yun Xiao Ba said.

Yun Jiao nodded and picked up a jade hairpin carved with an orchid.

"This one would make a good gift for Teacher."

Xie San Niang had a rather reserved and elegant disposition. The flawless white jade hairpin, with its carved orchid, was a perfect match for her personality.

Among the other chests, two were filled with Silver Ingots, one with golden ingots, and another with all sorts of pearls.

Silver wasn’t worth much these days.

The remaining chests contained porcelain, silks, and some ancient books and paintings.

One of the chests held a Jade Guanyin statue.

"What a pity, what a pity. The waterproof cloth wrapping the old books was damaged, and some water leaked in. The books are all wet."

Yun Jiao felt a pang of regret as she looked at them, because a few were ancient texts on traditional Chinese medicine.

The characters inside weren’t printed; they had been written one by one with a brush.

Among them were two handwritten journals.

Personal journals like these were the rarest find. It was entirely possible they represented the life’s work of some Imperial Physician.

"I don’t know if they can be restored. Master would be heartbroken if he knew."

She carefully turned one of the pages. Some of the characters were already very blurry.

Others were still clear.

"We’ll have to entrust these to Grandpa Gu to handle as well."

You couldn’t just dry them in the sun; they needed to be handled by a professional.

They finished looking through everything.

The items they could display were arranged first, naturally on Yun Jiao’s curio shelf.

Those that needed repair were packed into a clean wooden box to be sent to Elder Gu’s place the next day.

"Brother Nine can deliver this jade hairpin tomorrow."

After looking at everything, the jade hairpin was still the most suitable gift.

Yun Xiaojiu nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with joy.

"My little sister is the best."

Then he hugged Yun Jiao affectionately.

Even though he was the older brother, he felt like Jiaojiao was always the one worrying about them.

Everyone watched them with amusement.

"Alright, alright, everyone go to bed early. We’re heading to the county seat first thing tomorrow."

Yun Jiao washed her face, brushed her teeth, and soaked her feet with her brothers.

After some playful banter, she returned to her room. Looking at the curio shelf, now packed full of items, she felt the room was getting a bit cramped.

’Buying my own island is an absolute must!’

Yun Jiao contentedly stroked the gown one last time, then climbed into bed and went to sleep.