Chapter 181
181 Picked Up a Treasure
Under Qin Huai’s request, Chi Jia had no choice but to go into the water.
Fortunately, it was already late spring, and the river was not considered very cold. Chi Jia took off his top and plunged into the water.
“Aiya, it’s such a cold day. Why is this young man going into the water!” The old man who was fishing stood up and said with a disapproving expression.
After Wang Wulang and the others realized that catching fish did not work, they began to look for clams and dig for crabs. When they realized that Chi Jia had jumped into the river, they all ran over.
“Did Mr. Chi catch some fish? Why did he go swimming?” Wang Liulang watched eagerly. In the blink of an eye, Chi Jia had already swam half a foot away.
At this moment, Little Ah Yu was asking Meatball, “Elf, where’s the treasure?”
[Let him swim forward a little longer.]
Little Ah Yu curled her hand around her mouth and shouted, “Mr. Chi, swim forward a little more.”
After Chi Jia entered the water, he quickly adapted to the temperature. According to Little Ah Yu, he swam forward for a while.
About 100 feet away, they heard Little Ah Yu shout, “It’s there, in the water!”
The South River was very clear, and there was no dirt on the surface. Therefore, after diving into the water, he could still open his eyes.
Next, he plunged into the water and did not surface for a long time.
“Elf, Elf, how’s Mr. Chi in the water?” Qin Huai was still expressionless, but Little Ah Yu was already nervous.
Could he have drowned?
[It’s fine. He just found the treasure.]
[He’s coming up.]
As soon as Meatball finished speaking, a person’s head appeared in the distance.
It was Chi Jia.
After he appeared, he did not listen to Little Ah Yu’s instructions and swam towards the shore.
Before long, he walked ashore and wiped the water off his face before picking up the clothes on the ground.
The shy women had already turned their heads away.
However, they were also a little curious and looked at Chi Jia’s exposed upper body from time to time.
Because he had been training all year round, the muscles on his body were especially prominent, which made him look especially manly.
However, the children of Old man Wang’s family did not care if Chi Jia was naked or not.
“Mr. Chi, what are you holding in your hand?” Wang Wulang craned his neck and saw what Chi Jia was holding.
Little Ah Yu had long run over.
She wanted to know too.
The elf had not told her yet.
“There are too many people. We’ll talk when we get back.” Chi Jia did not intend to take out the item.
Therefore, they tidied up their things.
Wang Wulang and the others were shocked to realize that there were actually seven to eight big fishes and three to four small fishes on the bank.
There was so much to gain from just a short while!
“We won’t be able to finish so many fish.” Wang Wulang was a little worried.
The fishes were already dead, so it was impossible to rear them in the pond. If they could not eat them all, they would just become rotten.
The old man who was fishing walked over and said, “You have too many fish to finish. Why don’t you sell some to me and I’ll buy them at market price? How about that?”
“What’s the market price?” Wang Wulang looked at the old man suspiciously. “Don’t cheat us.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not worth it to cheat for such a small amount of money.” The old man looked around. The largest fish was probably worth more than ten catties, and the smaller ones were seven to eight catties. The smallest fish were only worth one or two catties.
“The market price is 5 copper coins a catty now. I’ll buy two big ones. Consider it 20 catties for 100 copper coins. I’ll give you a tael of silver. How about that?”
One tael of silver was worth more than 100 copper coins. Wang Wulang and the others were already clear about this.
Originally, the women who were washing clothes nearby also wanted to buy some fish back for their families to eat.
Fish had to have enough seasoning. Otherwise, there would be a taste of mud. Most people did not like it.
Condiments that could remove the fishy smell were extremely expensive. Ordinary families only had oil and salt. They could not bear to buy other condiments, so the fish they made naturally did not taste good.
They wanted to sell the little fish, but Little Ah Yu did not agree because Qin Huai had worked hard to get it. She wanted to keep it for her family to eat.
When Qin Huai heard this, he was especially happy.
Ah Yu would always care about his feelings in such inadvertent details.
Chi Jia: “…” So the fish I caught was not worth being cherished.
In the end, they managed to sell two more.
The remaining fishes were then brought back.
They directly brought the fish to Old man Wang’s house, so Qin Huai naturally stayed for lunch.
“You guys play first. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.” Madam Ma and Liu Shi brought the fish to the kitchen and casually instructed the children.
Everyone gathered under the swing where a stone table stood.
After Chi Jia finished changing his clothes, he quickly came over.
Wang Wulang was very anxious and stretched his neck like a big white goose. “Mr. Chi, can you show us the thing now?”
Chi Jia had long checked the items in advance. He was not afraid to show them to the children now.
Soon, a jade hairpin, a jade pendant, and other rusty-looking jewelry were placed on the table.
The children’s eyes widened.
“Wow, there are really treasures!”
“We’ll also learn how to swim. If we swim a little better, we’ll be able to hunt for treasures in the river in the future. Wouldn’t we become rich?”
However, Wang Liulang said, “No, these things don’t look-”
Wang Wulang quickly stopped him from finishing his words.
They could not tell others that their family had obtained a batch of treasures.
Qin Huai could not either.
Qin Huai only glanced at them casually. He knew that they had a secret, but he was not interested in finding out.
Since they were unwilling to tell him, there was naturally no need to investigate.
The things that Chi Jia had displayed now were all ordinary-looking things without any special markings. In jade and jewelry shops, they were all considered ordinary goods.
As for the slightly special ones, they had already been put away by Chi Jia. They would discuss them carefully after Qin Huai returned.
“What should we do with these things?” Wang Wulang watched eagerly. He was only a little envious, but he was not greedy.
After all, he did not contribute to finding these things.
Qin Huai pushed the things in front of Little Ah Yu. “For you.”
He did not need these things.
Seeing that the things were left for Little Sister Ah Yu, Wang Liulang and Wang Qilang were envious.
However, Wang Wulang thought to himself: This won’t do. Qin Huai has already taken over the role of an elder brother. If he continues treating Little Sister Ah Yu so well, what if Little Sister Ah Yu likes him even more in the future?
No, he had to be Little Sister Ah Yu’s favorite brother!
It seemed that it was time to think of a way to earn more money to buy better things for Little Sister Ah Yu.
In the future, Little Sister Ah Yu’s standards would be higher.
As for giving away the things one had picked up, he would not do such a shameful thing!
Qin Huai had a fish banquet at Old man Wang’s house and Madam Feng’s culinary skills could not be any better. Recently, the family had more money to buy seasonings, so the food was naturally more fragrant.
“Second Aunt, your food is so delicious!” Little Ah Yu patted her round stomach. “I’m full, but I still want to eat. It’s just that my stomach can’t hold it anymore.”
Everyone was amused by Little Ah Yu’s silly appearance and could not help but smile.
Qin Huai said, “Second Aunt’s food is naturally delicious. It’s more than enough to open a restaurant.”