Chapter 213: Fishing Porcelain From The Sea
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Ding… Ding… Ding!”
“Hey, Young Master Zhou, what’s up with this unexpected call? Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about my treasures?” Ma Weidou’s hearty laughter echoed through the phone.
“Mr. Ma, how could I dare to covet your treasures? I called today because I have something to consult with you,” Zhou Chao replied, wasting no time getting to the point. If they wanted to catch up, they could do it when he returned to Jingdu.
“Oh, go ahead, buddy. What do you need help with?”
“Well, here’s the deal, old man. Today, 1 went diving with some friends, and we found a bowl on the seabed. It looks like an antique, but I’m not entirely sure. So, I decided to give you a call and ask for your opinion.”
“Oh, underwater finds? You can pick up something like this while diving? You should try your luck in the lottery!” Ma Weidou, hearing Zhou Chao’s description, seemed to have an idea.
“Blame it on my feet then! Haha!”
“Alright, let’s see what we have through a video call!” Zhou Chao hung up the phone and initiated a video call. In less than two seconds, Ma Weidou answered.
“Where’s the item? Let me see!” Zhou Chao aimed his phone at the bowl placed on the table.
Ma Weidou examined it carefully and, after less than a minute, spoke, “Buddy, this item is quite something. It’s from the Tongzhi era, likely Jingdezhen porcelain, and should have been part of the export trade back then.”
“Oh, I see.” Zhou Chao nodded thoughtfully.
“But, buddy, let me be frank with you. 1 hope you don’t mind me saying this, but if there’s indeed something significant down there, I’d advise you to inform the higher-ups about it.” Upon hearing these words from Ma Weidou, Zhou Chao quickly grasped his meaning. They say an old fox understands a trap, and it seemed to be the case here.
“Mr. Ma, rest assured, I can handle this aspect with discretion.”
“Alright, buddy, take care! Let’s have a good drink when you return to Jingdu!” Ma Weidou understood what Zhou Chao meant.
“I’ll hang up for now,” Zhou Chao said, ending the call. His companions, including Jiang Li, looked at him with curiosity.
“Brother Chao, what were you two talking about? It sounded like you were beating around the bush,” Jiang Li asked curiously.
“I need to confirm something first. If my hunch is correct, you’ll find out later,” Zhou Chao replied. He then left the cabin.
“George, gather everyone!” George and the other sailors quickly assembled.
“Who was with me just now?” Zhou Chao asked the group.
“Boss, it was me,” a tanned young man stepped forward.
“What’s your name?”
“Buzi An.”
“Buzi, do you remember the last place we visited together?”
“I remember, Boss!”
“Alright, lead the team back to that location. Search for anything similar to what I found earlier. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll reward you all with 100,000!”
“Thank you, Boss!” The crew members cheered in unison.
“Okay, George, make the arrangements. Safety comes first!” Zhou Chao finished speaking and returned to the cabin, while George and the crew began preparations to dive once more.
“Chao, you don’t think there’s a sunken ship down there, do you?” Li Hao exclaimed in surprise.
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Zhou Chao replied, raising the porcelain bowl in his hand.
“This item is a fine piece of foreign trade porcelain produced during the Tongzhi era, mostly from Jingdezhen ceramics. You can imagine the concept of finding a sunken ship with such cargo!”
“How can you be so sure? Could it be a random drop?” Li Hao asked, trying to explore alternative possibilities.
“It’s possible, but highly unlikely. These foreign trade porcelain items were usually packed in crates, and they weren’t used on the ship itself. So, it can only mean that there must be a sunken ship nearby!” Li Hao found Zhou Chao’s reasoning quite convincing.
“Brother Chao, does this mean we’ve hit the jackpot again?” Jiang Li’s large eyes narrowed with excitement.
“What are you daydreaming about?” Zhou Chao’s large hand reappeared, this time patting Jiang Li’s head.
“You’re going to make me bald with that!” Jiang Li put her hands on her hips, looking annoyed.
“Ahem, ahem, Chao, you two can continue your lovey-dovey act later in the evening. I and Xin Xin can’t handle your public display of affection right now.” Li Hao’s words left Jiang Li feeling awkward and wanting to dig a hole to hide in.
“You guys can join in the fun too. It’s okay; I don’t mind!” Upon hearing this, Li Hao couldn’t help but inwardly complain, “You might not mind, but 1 sure do!!!”
Not long after, Zhou Chao heard footsteps outside and guessed that George was bringing him good news.
“Boss, Boss! We’ve really found something! You need to come and see!” George stood at the door, his face filled with excitement.
“Let’s go, we’ll take a look.” Zhou Chao and the others quickly walked out of the cabin and arrived at the diving spot. They saw some fragments on the deck, a few intact ceramic plates, and a wooden crate. The sailors were also gathered, looking joyous as they examined the porcelain.
Zhou Chao rushed over and carefully examined the items. He quickly confirmed that these were identical to the one he found earlier and stood up.
“George, you’re in charge of distributing the rewards. Everyone gets a share!”
“Thank you, Boss!” The sailors on the deck cheered with joy.
“Move all of this to the third floor, I’ll study it further.” A few enthusiastic sailors promptly moved the porcelain to the third-floor bridge.
Zhou Chao looked at these salvaged ceramics and examined them closely for a while before finally setting them down.
“Confirming the sunken ship is basically a given. Chao, how do you plan to proceed? Are you going to secretly excavate it?” Li Hao asked quietly on the side.
“I’ll report it directly! Why would I dig it myself? 1 don’t need the money, and it’s time-consuming and labor-intensive. Who knows when we’ll unearth anything significant? It’s better to report it to the authorities directly!”
After saying this, Zhou Chao turned to look at Jiang Li.
“All Li, give your cousin a call and inform him of the situation here. See what he thinks.”
“Do you want me to call Brother Yang?”
“Yes, please do. If I call him, he’ll scold me. He still remembers that I sold him out in the last drinking incident!”
“Haha, you deserve it!” Jiang Li chuckled and took out her phone to call Xiao Yang.
“Hey, Xiao Li, is there something going on?” Zhou Chao heard Xiao Yang’s voice and grinned. Why was he being so gentle?
“Bro, I’m out here sea fishing with Brother Chao, and it seems like we’ve found a sunken ship from the Tongzhi era. Brother Chao asked me to call you!” “Hmm? Zhou Chao asked you to call me? Where is that guy? He’s afraid to call me himself? Hand the phone over to Zhou Chao!” Zhou Chao, hearing Xiao Yang’s voice, hastily waved his hand, signaling Jiang Li not to hand him the phone!
To his surprise, Jiang Li gave him a mischievous smile and handed him the phone directly. Zhou Chao reluctantly accepted it.
“Hehe, Brother Yang!”
“Don’t give me that. Why didn’t you call me? Are you afraid I’ll scold you? Am 1 that kind of person?”
Zhou Chao couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally as he heard Xiao Yang’s thunderous voice. What happened to the gentleness from earlier?
“No, Brother Yang can’t possibly be a petty person!”
“Consider yourself smart, kid. I’ll inform the Cultural Relics Bureau in Modu. They will contact you when the time comes! When you return to Jingdu, we’ll settle the score properly!” Without waiting for a response from Zhou Chao, Xiaoyang hung up.
“Brother Chao, what should we do now?”
“Let’s rest for a while. If they haven’t called by 4:30, we’ll head back.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li led He Xin and Li Hao to take photos on the boat, while Zhou Chao lay down on the couch, lost in thought..