Chapter 151: The History of Two Families

I found his conclusion utterly absurd, so I repeated his words back to him. “You’re saying that what’s under our boat isn’t a tomb, but a graveyard, right?”

“Exactly!” He Yu slapped the table with conviction.

I gave a disdainful smile and turned back to fiddle with my silk threads. “Listen to yourself and tell me if that makes any sense. Everyone knows that undersea graveyards are formed by the influence of wind, tides, and ocean currents. This isn’t some deep-sea trench. How could ship-burial coffins from totally different eras all gather right here? And spanning hundreds of kilometers? You’re being way too dramatic.”

He Yu pointed at me. “You don’t believe me? Fine. Just wait until Old Lu and your Fourth Brother come up. See if what they say matches what I just told you!”

The moment the words left his mouth, a series of massive ripples broke the surface with a loud splashing sound. Xiao Wu was the first to spring from his stool and rush to the side of the boat to help them up. I instinctively moved my silk threads and the jade casket into the cabin. After covering them with a cloth and tucking them away, I lifted the cabin curtain and stepped back out.

By the time I got there, Xiao Wu was already helping the crew members unload their oxygen tanks. I saw Fourth Brother surfacing in the distance and immediately hurried over with a subservient grin, playing the part of the dutiful younger brother. I handed him a towel and fussed over him with questions, stopping just short of bringing him a chair and a massage.

“You didn’t cause any trouble up here, did you?” Fourth Brother asked the moment he spoke.

I froze, about to answer, but Fourth Brother bypassed me to call out to Xiao Wu. Pointing at me, he asked, “Xiao Wu, this kid didn’t pull any stunts while we were down there?”

Xiao Wu smiled and said no. Only then did Fourth Brother relax and turn around to shed his oxygen tank. I helped him hold his diving mask, my eyes drifting toward He Yu. He was currently dragging Lu Ayao onto the boat. As expected, Lu was the last one up. That guy was always either leading the charge or bringing up the rear.

Seeing my mind wander, Fourth Brother tossed another diving mask toward me. My hand slipped as I tried to catch it, and I nearly dropped it on the deck. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead from the scare. Liu Wan emerged from the cabin in fresh clothes and patted me on the shoulder. “Careful now. That set is worth a fortune.”

While teasing me, she walked over to Fourth Brother to inspect his wetsuit. Her finger brushed lightly against his waist, and I suddenly noticed a tear in the material. The color around the rip was slightly darker, though it was subtle enough that you had to look closely to notice. I quickly called for Xiao Wu to bring the ointment.

“Fourth Brother, are you hurt?” I set the mask down and walked over.

Liu Wan looked at the wound on his waist, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. “It’s fine, just a scrape. But seawater is crawling with bacteria. If I hadn’t insisted we come up just now, you definitely would have kept trying to clear out that back section.”

“Clear out what? Sea-salvaged porcelain? What’s the situation down there?” I asked tentatively as I took the ointment from Xiao Wu.

Fourth Brother glanced at me. That single look almost saw right through my hidden motives, but he didn’t seem to care at the moment. Or perhaps he felt that since I was on this boat, He Yu and Lu Ayao would tell me everything even if he didn’t.

Fourth Brother headed into the cabin to change out of his wetsuit, and I followed him. As he walked, he said, “I originally thought it was an underwater tomb, but that Lu kid said something was wrong the moment he hit the water. Your Sister Yu agreed with him. The area down there is far larger than we imagined.”

He had just peeled the top half of the wetsuit off when he turned and saw Liu Wan following us down. Before I could react, Fourth Brother stepped past me, grabbed Liu Wan by the shoulders, and quickly pushed her back up the stairs.

“I’ve never seen you so shy before. It’s not like I’m getting a show for free, so why can’t I watch you change?” I heard Liu Wan grumble from above.

When Fourth Brother came back down, I suppressed a laugh as I bent over to unscrew the ointment for him. I glanced at him and saw his face was as red as a beet. I started teasing him. “Fourth Brother, you’re at that age. How far have things gone with my future sister-in-law? Once this job is over, is it time to talk about marriage?”

“Watch your mouth,” Fourth Brother scolded. “You’ve been in university for years and haven’t brought a girlfriend home once. Back when I was working with the Tian family, weren’t you getting along pretty well with Tian Yuqing’s youngest sister?”

I rolled my eyes at him without mercy. “Hey, we’re talking about you. Why are you dragging me into this? How old am I compared to you? I’m in my prime, while you’re an old bachelor trying to compare yourself to me. And don’t even mention that Tian girl. Last time in Yunnan, she drugged our water in the tomb and nearly killed us.”

Fourth Brother looked enlightened. “No wonder Tian Yuqing told me before that Xiaoqi had a falling out with him. So it was true. Still, for a girl to go to such lengths, maybe she really was in a tight spot. She used to be very reliable when she was with my team.”

My train of thought stalled for a second. Tian Xiaoqi had told me before that she suspected the real Tian Xiao might be under Tian Yuqing’s control. I quickly weighed whether I should tell Fourth Brother about this.

In the end, I chose to keep it to myself. For one, Tian Xiaoqi had told the three of us that in private. Although that woman often blurred the lines between truth and lies, that particular part had felt genuine to me. It didn’t seem like a fabrication.

Secondly, Tian Yuqing had only told Fourth Brother that Tian Xiaoqi left to work alone because of a disagreement. This differed greatly from Tian Xiaoqi’s account. My gut told me there was a much higher chance that Tian Yuqing was the one hiding the truth.

The Gan Clan and the Tian Family were old family friends. Years ago, when Tian Xiao had his sixtieth birthday, even my grandfather—a man who hated drinking—shared two glasses with him. That occasion left a deep impression on me. They hadn’t seen each other in years and talked until dawn. My grandfather didn’t catch the train back until the next day.

Because of that connection between the older generation, Tian Yuqing and Fourth Brother maintained close contact. They helped each other out in various business ventures. In reality, their relationship wasn’t particularly sincere, but since the family elders were close, they always maintained a proper facade.

I decided not to speak up. Firstly, this was internal Tian family business; even if it were true, we were outsiders and couldn’t intervene. Secondly, Fourth Brother and Tian Yuqing had always been “fair-weather friends” anyway. Whether I told him or not, he would always keep his guard up around Tian Yuqing, so it didn’t matter much.

Fourth Brother seemed to remember something else. He started chuckling as he pulled on his trousers, then turned to me. “I still remember the year Master got hammered. He almost settled a marriage for you right there at the dinner table. Luckily I stepped in and smoothed things over. Otherwise, you’d be the Tian family’s son-in-law right now. You brat, I’ve saved you so many times, and you still give me grief?”

“Huh?” I scratched my head. This was the first I’d heard of it.

“Later, when I met Tian Xiaoqi, I thought she was a decent girl—decisive and had a lot of personality. I actually blamed myself for blocking the engagement at the table, worried I’d ruined a good match for you. But then I saw you didn’t seem interested in her, so I started feeling like I’d made the right call back then.” Fourth Brother sounded increasingly pleased with himself as he spoke.

I rolled my eyes, stood up, and screwed the cap back on the ointment. I turned away to set it on the table. “What era do you think this is, still doing arranged engagements? Marriage requires both parties to be present and in agreement. Besides, even if I were interested in Tian Xiaoqi, a girl like her might not even look twice at me!”

Fourth Brother threw on his jacket, walked over, and hooked an arm around my shoulders, roughly ruffling my hair. “What are you talking about? With your mother’s genes, you have no excuse to lack confidence. With our looks and this clever brain of yours, shouldn’t you be the type that everyone falls for?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. My eyes widened as I stared at him, seriously wondering if this guy had spent too much time doing business with people from Sichuan and Guangdong over the last couple of years. When had he become so open-minded?

Fourth Brother kept bantering with me, getting more worked up as he went. “Forget women—even if a man showed up, I’d have him swooning!”

“Chen Si, get lost! Can’t you be normal for once?” I snapped, unable to take it anymore.

Fourth Brother chuckled and pulled me toward the deck. “Didn’t you want to know what’s going on down there? The Sea-Salvaged Porcelain should be up by now. I’ll take you to have a look.”

The moment I heard that, my energy returned, and I followed him up onto the deck.