Chapter 716
Unearthing a Treasure
I gently scraped some powder off the suspected tsa-tsa with a knife, examined it with a magnifying glass, and found yellow particles in the powder, which I suspected were Indian spices. Now I was about 60-70% sure it was a tsa-tsa.
He knew a little about tsa-tsa. This thing originated in India. For a long time, XZ's tsa-tsa came from India. The patterns on them were mainly in the Indian style in the early days, with many of them being stupas, gate towers, and bodhi towers, as well as the mantras of the Heart Sutra.
Later, XZ began to make his own molds, replacing the earlier Indian style with patterns of gods and Buddhas, as well as the six-syllable mantra.
As for what specific era this "later" refers to, he wasn't quite sure.
There are two possibilities at the moment: the object inside the golden Buddha is just a clod of earth or a rag. If it is the former, it is probably the inner mold used to cast the golden Buddha, and it is possible that nothing was hidden inside. If it is the latter, it is highly likely that it contains the relics of a high-ranking monk.
He least wanted to see relics; he would rather open the box and find only air.
The answer is impossible to find out today. Setting up traps in the ground is much simpler than in gold, so there's no need for him to take any more risks. He'll find someone skilled to take over the work tomorrow.
Paris.
Sun Shucheng leaned over, one hand on the hood of the car, and vomited loudly with his face toward the ground.
Hans and his men spent several hours searching Saint-Urgo Castle inside and out. In the basement, they knocked on a floorboard with a hollow bottom, dug it open, and took out two boxes. At this moment, the lids of the two boxes were opened, and they lay quietly in front of Sun Shucheng's car.
There was indeed Jewish treasure, but it wasn't anything rare; it consisted of gold rings, gold earrings, gold tableware, gold candlesticks, and gold teeth that hadn't been cleaned. They lay quietly in the chest, untouched.
Teeth with pulp will rot. After being trapped in a box for years, the smell is indescribable. Add to that the endless imagination, how could Sun Shucheng possibly stand it?
After vomiting and vomiting until he came up with a puddle of sour water, Sun Shucheng gradually recovered. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his lips clean, and, suppressing his nausea, closed the box. Out of sight, out of mind, he felt much better.
She took out her thermos from the car, took a sip of coffee to rinse her mouth, then took another sip to calm her nerves, before turning her gaze back to Hans and the others.
After thoroughly searching the house, Hans did not overlook the garden and the open spaces around the castle. Two team members, each holding an electromagnetic mine detector, scanned the ground inch by inch.
The two boxes of gold artifacts were already quite substantial, estimated to contain around 50 kilograms of gold. However, Hans knew that anyone who had the opportunity to smuggle the "captured" items would certainly be of a high rank, and there wouldn't be many opportunities to do so. If they did take action, it would be a large-scale operation; otherwise, there would be no need to do it at all.
There are too many opportunities to make money in Paris; there's really no need to break military regulations with 50 kilograms of gold.
Before long, both mine detectors emitted a continuous, sharp beeping sound, detecting a strong metallic signal from underground. A small flag was planted in the ground, and the detector continued to probe forward.
The team members following behind immediately grabbed picks and shovels and rushed towards the flag, digging with great shouts.
Everyone who contributes will receive a share; the more you find, the more each person will receive.
Hans did not participate in the excavation; he stood there on guard, not to guard against external enemies, but to guard against his team members. Money can be a powerful motivator, and he worried that one of his team members might act rashly in a moment of passion.
Camels don't take in wandering ghosts. Every team member has a family. If anyone dares to betray their family, the instructors will send people straight to the person's home, kill the family members, and then hunt down the person.
What good is taking the gold if it can't be converted into power in time? The hunt will begin soon.
He hadn't forgotten that near the end of the training, the instructors brought in several squads to exchange tactics. Some were good at jungle warfare, some at amphibious operations, and some at urban and indoor warfare. Each squad was full of combat experience.
This is what he saw; how much more did he not see?
As time passed, four more boxes were placed in front of Sun Shucheng. With trepidation, she hesitated several times before finally gritting her teeth and opening one of the boxes. Looking inside, she didn't see anything frightening, only the edges of several picture frames and a dozen or so painting tubes.
Her mood brightened, and she quietly pulled out a picture frame, turned the canvas to face her, and saw several apples and a plate of cookies.
Instantly, a smile appeared on her lips. The only French painter she could think of who would use "apple and biscuit" as a subject was Paul Cézanne. This must be a work by Paul Cézanne.
After admiring it for a while, she took out another picture frame. On the canvas, a woman holding a yellow umbrella was sitting on a bench, and a bearded man next to her was talking to her with his hand on the back of the chair.
Her smile deepened, and she recognized the painting without a doubt: Édouard Manet's "In the Greenhouse."
The next painting she recognized was Paul Gauguin's "When Will You Marry?"
She loves Somerset Maugham's "The Moon and Sixpence," and the protagonist Charles Strickland. By extension, she also likes Paul Gauguin, who is said to be the real-life inspiration for the character.
With these three paintings as a box to hold it together, the paintings inside the tube must be pretty good too. She didn't plan to open it now, but would deliver it to her "stepmother" Zhou Yueyu later, as that woman was more professional than her.
Having been pleasantly surprised by the first box, she was no longer apprehensive when she opened the second box. What she saw were neatly stacked pieces of red velvet cloth wrapping things. She picked one up, opened it, and found a watch inside.
"Cartier Tank Louis, released in 1936."
She muttered something to herself, wrapped the watch up, and then picked up another piece of velvet.
"The first creation in Patek Philippe's Calatrava series, the Paris Sky Dial, an exclusive gold engraved version available at the Paris boutique."
"Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso, a collection of reversible designs, is a bespoke creation for Parisian aristocratic clubs."
"Van Cleef & Arpels' Cadenas, a hidden watch."
"Baucheron's question mark ring."
"Longines Lindbergh Hour Angle, Paris Special Edition".
“Omega’s T17, a banker’s watch for brokers at the Paris Stock Exchange.”
"This is a Herlip from the French brand Lip, which should be from 1937."
Sun Shucheng is very knowledgeable about watches. She recognized most of them and roughly knew their prices. She estimated that there were six or seven hundred watches in the box, and the estimated value was no problem $300,000.
There were also many gold and diamond bracelets below. She couldn't estimate their value, but she figured they wouldn't be lower than the estimated value of the watches.
The third box contained gold bars, the "Iris Emblem" issued by the Paris Mint, with serial numbers, 999 purity, in both 1kg and 0.5kg sizes, 31 bars in the former and 57 bars in the latter, totaling 59.5kg.
beautiful!
The fourth box contained nothing new; it was still gold bars, but instead of the fleur-de-lis emblem, they were privately minted by the French Rothschild family. The gold bars bore the family's lion emblem and were marked with weights of 5 ounces and 10 ounces.
There are 120 bars of 5 ounces each and 85 bars of 10 ounces each, totaling 45.1 kg. However, I heard that the Rothschild family's gold bars are 22K gold, which is not as valuable as the fleur-de-lis emblem.
But it doesn't really matter. It only adds up to a little over 3300 ounces, which is just over $11. Two boxes of gold might not even be worth as much as a painting.
Sun Shucheng was quite disappointed with the two boxes behind him.
Looking up again in the direction of Hans and the others, and seeing no new finds, a look of disappointment appeared on her face. Treasure hunting is addictive; was it going to end so soon after getting excited?
……
noon.
Sin Yiu-man was eating in the pavilion. A piece of paper was spread out on the stone table, taken from a rag.
Wu Zecheng's claim that the golden Buddha from the Tubo period is impossible is because the contents of the paper are the results of someone's research on the treasure of the Vijayanagara Empire shipwreck. They were not recorded at the same time, but rather like a diary. Each point of research is marked with a date, the most recent of which is "24 June 1925".
To summarize the findings on paper, there is a treasure shipwreck off the coast of Goa, containing approximately 400 kilograms of gold and several diamond-encrusted Shiva statues; off the coast of North Kerala, there is a shipwreck cemetery with an estimated 20 or more shipwrecks; and in the Gulf of Cambay, there are suspected underwater palace ruins.
Of the three targets, only the treasure shipwreck off the coast of Goa has a slightly smaller marked location range. With an investment of twenty to thirty thousand US dollars and a bit of luck, it can be found in a short period of time.
The other two options are too broad in scope. Even if they actually exist, finding them would require a significant investment and a lot of luck. Although the potential returns could be substantial, there are too many uncontrollable factors, making them unsuitable investment targets.
“400 kilograms of gold, even with the premium for antiques, is only worth a few hundred thousand US dollars right now. Add the statue and it'll be worth a million dollars. It's a one-off deal, not worth it.”
Xian Yaowen tapped the stone tabletop a few times, then said to Qi Longque, "Put this in an envelope and send it to Wu Zecheng. Tell him it was taken from the golden Buddha. I have no interest in treasure hunting, so return it to its rightful owner."
"Yes."
Two hours later.
Zhongshan South Road, Office of the Director of the General Political Operations Department of the Ministry of National Defense.
Chiang Ching-kuo placed a teacup on the coffee table in front of Wu Zecheng and said gently, "Ching-chung, did you come to see me to say goodbye?"
"Son..."
“Hey, call me Jianfeng.” Chiang Ching-kuo waved his hand. “I don’t know why, but lately I often reminisce about my days in Moscow, my classmates, Fu Neng, and you. The past is still vivid in my mind.”
“When people are tired, they tend to dwell on the past. Jianfeng, you may have been working too hard lately.”
"It's not impossible, but I have a lot to worry about lately." Chiang Ching-kuo waved his hand again. "Let's not talk about that. When do you plan to go to Hong Kong?"
"I've already booked my flight for tomorrow."
"Did Sin Yiu-man accomplish that?"
"It was done."
"The money was given to him?"
“Yesterday, Xian Yaowen invited me to dinner at Chaoyun’s place. He told me some news, and I gave him the money.” As he spoke, Wu Zecheng took out the envelope that Qi Longque had given him from his pocket. “Xian Yaowen opened the golden Buddha statue. This is what he sent someone to give me. He said it was taken out of the golden Buddha statue.”
"what?"
"Treasure map."
"Oh? Take a look."
Chiang Ching-kuo took the envelope, read the paper, and chuckled, "Xian Yaowen isn't interested?"
He said he wasn't interested in treasure hunting.
"Indeed." Chiang Ching-kuo nodded slightly. "As a business genius who is also adept at scheming, there is no need for him to waste time on such illusory things. However, it is truly remarkable that he was able to send it back to you."
“Yesterday, Sin Yiu-man proposed to me to cooperate in the high-end food business. He would get 30% and I would get 70%.”
Chiang Ching-kuo chuckled and said, "You're in charge of getting the ingredients into Taipei?"
That's probably what he meant.
"You can pretend I don't know about this. You'd better watch yourself," Chiang Ching-kuo said calmly.
"Yes." Wu Zecheng straightened his back.
"I have a meeting later, so I won't keep you any longer. I'll host a farewell dinner for you at the Star Cafe tonight."
night.
Xian Yaowen hosted Lan Yingying, whom he hadn't seen for some time, at his home as a farewell dinner.
Lan Yingying's preliminary work has come to an end, not only opening a door for Friendship Film Company's films to enter Taiwan, but also securing a co-production with the agricultural education sector, "Eight Hundred Heroes".
Needless to say, he was the one who came up with the script outline.
After dinner, he revised the list of Friendship Film Company members going to Taiwan and the details of the arrangements, so that the popular stars could come and go quickly. The typhoon season was coming soon, and if people were stranded in Taipei, many film crews in Hong Kong would have to stop filming.
Based on last year's experience, during typhoon season, the National Government, citing a "wartime state," required the public to "rely on their own efforts," and delegated disaster relief responsibilities to the local Baojia system.
There probably won't be any changes this year.
Some of the sewers built during the Japanese occupation are still operational, but have been largely neglected in recent years and are prone to clogging. The dikes along the Tamsui River are dilapidated, making low-lying areas such as Dadaocheng and Wanhua susceptible to flooding. Power supply is unstable, with frequent outages after typhoons and slow repairs.
When typhoon season arrives, many things have to come to a standstill, so it's necessary to make arrangements in advance.
Sin Yiu-man suggested to Fei Po-shu that he invite Fei Po-ki and Yuen Wai-seop to stay in Hong Kong for a while.
After passing Fei Baoshu, he gave Tang Yiying instructions on the antique business: "Floods are merciless, but people are compassionate. When the flood sweeps across the land, rice, flour, and meat will become valuable. Prepare to exchange supplies, boats, and rattle drums. When the flood arrives, shake the rattle drums and go through the streets and alleys, shouting, 'Antiques for grain!'"
Key point: Don't show up yourself; give the idea to someone who is destined to receive it, and add 10% to the price of the antique from that person.
Prince Enterprise, Jin Hai, and Hua Guang Garment have all formulated measures to cope with the typhoon season. Before the typhoon, everyone should work a little harder and get things done as soon as possible. Employees who would otherwise have their homes flooded during the typhoon season should book hotels in advance, bringing their families with them.
Pay June and July salaries and "typhoon relief" subsidies in advance, and stockpile necessary supplies early.
As July slowly approached, Qi Longque returned to Hong Kong first, followed by Fei Baoshu and his group. Xian Yaowen took a US military transport plane to Naha Airport, took the US$100 million given by Wu Zecheng, and then boarded a flight to New York.
On the evening of July 3, U.S. time, Sin Yiu-man arrived in New York.
No one greeted him, but when he arrived at his lodging in Greenwich Village, Jane had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him.
Sin Yiu-man gave Jane a hug and kissed her cheek, saying, "Long time no see."
Jian smiled gently, "It's been ages!"
Sin Yiu-man released Jane. "You and Jacob?"
"Everything is fine. We've already discussed getting married. How about you?"
“Not bad.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged.
"How many new wives have you taken?" Jane smiled and pointed to the wall. "Cen has a house here."
“That’s her own property.”
"You don't live with Cen anymore, you find your own place, isn't that so that it's easier to bring women back?"
“Okay, you’re right.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “There will be one, maybe two women spending the night here.”
"Maybe four or five."
Sin Yiu-man spread his hands again, "Let's begin our meal."
“I’m sorry, I can’t have dinner with you.” Jane hugged Sin Yiu-man. “I have plans with Jacob and I’m leaving soon.”
"No need to apologize, don't let me make you miss your date."
“Okay.” Jane said to Xian Yaowen, “Want to go for a run together tomorrow morning? Oh, there’s something I forgot to tell you. I’m negotiating with the AAU (Amateur Athletic Association of the United States) to organize an amateur 10km road race in New York, fully sponsored by Pallas.”
"Let's leave the work for tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 5:30 tomorrow morning."
"No need, I'm used to driving myself. See you at Central Park tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
The two hugged and kissed each other on the cheek again, and then Sin Yiu-man saw Jane out.
Back in the living room, Sin Yiu-man glanced at the dining table and went into the kitchen without hesitation.
He had eaten a meal made by Jian once, and his objective assessment was that it "wouldn't kill anyone." Since Jian wasn't eating there, he decided to make something for himself.
Knead the dough, cut it with a knife, and you have a pot of Jiangnan knife-cut noodles; dice the beef, mix it with the leftover vegetables, and stir-fry it to make a stir-fried beef cube dish.
The pot was brought to the table, and the three of them made do with what they had.
While eating, Sin Yiu-man flipped through the newspaper that Jane had prepared for him.
As I was looking around, I came across an ad for Campbell's tomato soup, and the bugler in my brain cell sounded the reveille.
Although countless American men hope their wives will be full-time housewives and are proud that their wives don't have to work, the employment rate for American women, after a sharp drop immediately after the war, has entered a period of stable growth, with the number of working women steadily increasing year by year.
In many American families, no one has the time to cook elaborate meals. They usually make quick and easy dishes that are just enough to fill their stomachs, without much regard for taste.
If there is a food that tastes decent and doesn't require much cooking time, it will definitely be very popular.
This type of food is pre-cooked. (End of Chapter)