Chapter 226: Going to See the Capital

Three hundred fifty yuan per gram. This was quite a bit higher than the three hundred yuan per gram they had originally estimated.

An extra fifty yuan per gram meant that for a lump this big, the total would be much, much higher!

In the end, it weighed in at 54 jin.

Yun Jiao wanted to keep a little.

"I want to keep one jin."

Elder Wu looked visibly pained. "What use could you have for it? Why not just sell the whole thing to me?"

Yun Jiao explained, "It’s for my master! He’s a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and isn’t ambergris a medicinal ingredient? I want to give him one jin."

"Grandpa Wu, are you going to use this to make fragrant perfume?"

Elder Wu said, "Perfume is just one of its uses. This ambergris has many other applications."

"Then when your perfume is ready, Grandpa Wu, could you sell a little to Jiaojiao?"

Old Wu laughed heartily. "No need to buy it. I’ll give you up to five bottles for free."

Yun Jiao looked a bit shy, seeming extremely embarrassed, but her words said otherwise.

"Then... then I’ll take five bottles, please."

Yun Linhai and the others felt their lips twitch. ’This kid really doesn’t hold back,’ they thought.

After setting aside Yun Jiao’s one jin of ambergris, there were 53 jin remaining. The final total came to 9,275,000 yuan.

Over nine million yuan, just shy of ten million.

In an era where becoming a "ten-thousand-yuan household" was enough to get you lauded in the newspapers, this sum was absolutely astronomical!

While the rest of the Yun family was still in a daze, unable to fully process it, the long string of numbers didn’t mean much to Yun Jiao.

Of course, if it were a massive pile of cash laid out in front of her, that would be a different story.

Naturally, Old Wu hadn’t brought that much cash with him. He would have to return to the Capital to wire the money.

But wiring such a large sum was a bit of a hassle.

A money order would have to be sent by post, and that came with the risk of it getting lost.

Old Wu made a straightforward proposal. "Why don’t some of you accompany Jiaojiao to the Capital? It’ll be much more convenient for me to handle the payment there. Besides, I heard from Old Mu that you’re thinking of buying a house in the Capital. This would be the perfect chance to go take a look."

At his words, the Yun family members all felt a stir of excitement.

’The Capital...’

Mr. Mu suddenly spoke up. "If you decide to go, this old man will accompany you."

"Huh?"

Yun Jiao looked at him, surprised. ’Didn’t Grandpa Mu say the Capital was a place of heartbreak for him?’

Old Wu was also quite surprised. As a close friend, he knew a little about what had happened to him. No matter how much his friends tried to persuade him, he had always refused to go back.

’Looks like this family holds a special place in his heart,’ he mused.

Mr. Mu pretended not to see his old friend’s knowing gaze.

"It’s probably for the best that you leave for a while anyway. Otherwise, you’ll have people coming around asking all sorts of questions, and probably some looking to borrow money."

Grandpa Yun and the others immediately recalled the events of the previous night.

Just this morning, quite a few people had already come by, trying to cozy up to them and asking about Yun Jiao’s godparents’ family.

Grandpa Yun’s expression turned serious. "You’re right. We should go to the Capital for a look."

It would also give the villagers time to cool down.

"I won’t be going," Yun Chen Nan said.

He had school, and it was a critical period—the college entrance exams were just around the corner.

His voice was gentle yet confident. "There will be plenty of opportunities to go after the exams."

Shen Yunlian and the others were also tempted, but...

"What about Xiao Wu and the other kids?"

Yun Xiaowu and his siblings were still in school. Should they really ask for time off for this?

Yun Jiao immediately began to lobby on her brothers’ behalf.

"Let’s all go together! We can see Tiananmen and the Great Wall! We can also see the best universities there to inspire my brothers to study even harder."

Tiananmen, the Great Wall, Qingbei University... these were the places the Yun family inevitably brought up whenever the Capital was mentioned.

That did it. They were even more tempted now.

"Alright, I’ll ask their teachers for a few days’ leave."

They would only be gone for a few days, and it would be a good experience for the children to broaden their horizons.

Yun Jiao flashed a victory sign.

The only remaining issue was the animals at home. That was simple enough. The two dogs could be sent to Granny Liu’s for a few days.

They would ask someone to look after the chickens, ducks, and geese as well. Of course, they wouldn’t ask for help for free; they could bring back some nice gifts from the Capital.

Finally, Turtle Xiao Er would be returned to the sea for Gui Yi to look after.

Speaking of which, Turtle Xiao Er had grown quite a bit and was now almost the size of Yun Jiao’s small washbasin.

There was no need to worry about Cat Boss. A cat with such formidable hunting skills could find food anywhere.

In fact, life would probably be easier for it without having to feed the humans in its family.

No one knew what went through Cat Boss’s mind. It always seemed to feel obligated to bring back part of its hunt to feed the people—mainly to feed Yun Jiao, with everyone else being an afterthought—as if it thought Yun Jiao wasn’t getting enough to eat.

Yun Jiao also thought of her maternal grandmother, uncle, and cousins.

But then she considered how many people were already going, and with an outsider tagging along, she decided against it.

’No big deal,’ she thought. ’Once I’ve bought the house, I can bring Grandma and Grandpa to visit then.’

Elder Wu told them not to worry about the train tickets; he had connections and could get sleeper car tickets for everyone.

They set their departure for the day after tomorrow, which gave them a full day to sort out their affairs at home.

After Elder Wu left, Yun Jiao carried Turtle Xiao Er and headed for the seashore.

Yun Linhe and Yun Linhai eyed the motorcycle at home, eager to give it a try.

Whether they knew how to ride or not, they had to at least sit on it!

After eating its fill out in the ocean, Gui Yi would usually meander back to the nearby waters.

These days, Gui Yi no longer fled far away at the sight of killer whales, but it would still find a place to hide.

Now, summoned by Yun Jiao’s call, it slowly swam over.

"Gui Yi, I’m leaving for a little while. It might be several days before I come back. I’m leaving Turtle Xiao Er in your care."

Turtle Xiao Er wasn’t exactly small anymore, but Yun Jiao still treated it like a baby.

She certainly didn’t dare entrust Turtle Xiao Er to any of the other villagers. She remembered all too well that some of them were eyeing its shell.

’Where are you going?’

Gui Yi rarely spoke, and when it did, its words came slowly, like a stoic and unflappable old official.

The voice came so suddenly that it took Yun Jiao a moment to react.

"I’m going to the Capital to buy a big house!"

"Don’t worry, the big house is for my Grandma and Dad and everyone to live in. I’ll always love the sea the most."

Yun Jiao’s eyes sparkled. "I wonder if you can buy an island. When I’m super rich, I’m going to get a beautiful island for my territory and build a gorgeous big house on it!"

’Yes, I should add that to my plan,’ she thought. ’I’ll find a chance to ask my third brother if islands can be bought.’

Her third brother was the smartest one in the family.

Yun Jiao sat on Gui Yi’s enormous shell and began to sing out to the sea.

"Don’t be scared. If the killer whales come, I’ll protect you. They definitely won’t dare to bully you."

"I should let the killer whales know, too."

Yun Jiao’s song was distant and ethereal, carrying with it a special resonance.

Though it sounded only slightly louder than a normal voice, its unique frequency could travel vast distances, audible only to animals.

That was why, every time she sang, the killer whales could hear her and would rush to her side.