Chapter 357 - 354: Salvage Complete, Going Home

’Right, the net bag I have with me now couldn’t hold them anyway.’

Yun Jiao patted the killer whale’s head. "Thank you, but I don’t have anything to carry them in right now. I’ll come back next time."

In truth, the killer whale just wanted to play with her.

This killer whale group had brought her to find the sea cucumbers because they’d heard from the pod that usually hung out with her that they had given her these things before, and she had been very happy about it.

It was a very thoughtful gesture.

On the swim back, Yun Jiao first went to the island to find a place to store the coral she had collected. The piece of red coral she’d found was probably quite valuable, and bringing it onto the ship now would attract too much attention. ’Better to come back for it later.’

Only after stashing the coral did she head back with this group of killer whales.

Sun Yaotong and the others were already used to this sight.

They happily greeted Yun Jiao and fed the killer whale group.

"Why are there so many killer whales today?"

Yun Linhai said, "It’s not one group. These are two different pods of killer whales."

He swelled with pride as he spoke. "A young killer whale from the other pod ate something bad before, and it was my Jiaojiao who brought her senior apprentice brother to help save it. That’s why those killer whales are on good terms with our Jiaojiao too."

Everyone: ’So jealous! Unbelievably jealous!’

Two days later, the salvage operation for the sunken ship was complete.

Gazing at the items piled on the ship, Sun Yaotong was filled with satisfaction.

’This time, it was truly worth it!’

As a result, he was exceptionally generous when it came time to pay everyone.

For their work during this period, the divers’ wages were as high as five thousand yuan.

In this era, five thousand yuan was a veritable fortune.

But it was precisely because of the high wages Sun Yaotong offered that they had all worked so hard on the salvage.

And that didn’t even include the salaries for his own employees.

However, Sun Yaotong’s family business was large-scale, so this was just pocket change to him.

Yun Jiao’s family, of course, didn’t receive a salary. Instead, they were to get a 15% share of the salvaged goods.

Yun Jiao had found the shipwreck, and her side had also contributed people and killer whales to the subsequent salvage effort.

The original agreement was for a 10% share, which only required Yun Jiao to lead Sun Yaotong to the wreck.

But later, with the immense help from the killer whales—and Yun Jiao herself—Sun Yaotong voluntarily added another 5%.

Of the salvaged artifacts, those with significant research value had to be handed over to the authorities—they had a permit for this—while the rest could be disposed of as they saw fit.

Sun Yaotong’s share was larger, but he had provided the funding, the connections, the ship, and the manpower, so it was what he deserved.

Yun Jiao didn’t really care.

’After all, this isn’t the only shipwreck in the sea.’

’Once I ask my godfather how to get one of those permits, maybe I can even salvage shipwrecks myself in the future.’

It was time to go home.

With their wages in hand, everyone on the ship was beaming with joy.

This one trip had earned them far more than a long-distance fishing expedition.

The divers who had been temporarily hired all flocked to Sun Yaotong, telling him to contact them again if he had similar work in the future.

Sun Yaotong nodded with a wide grin.

Once the ship docked, Sun Yaotong’s men guarded it while he went to find his brother-in-law.

He had to deal with the items that needed to be turned over first.

Yun Jiao, her dad, and her uncle went straight home.

"Mom, Grandma, we’re home!"

"WOOF WOOF WOOF..."

The first to answer Yun Jiao weren’t people, but the family’s two dogs.

The two of them wagged their tails so joyfully that their rear ends were practically a blur.

Yun Jiao patted the two big dogs on the head.

"Jiaojiao!"

Hearing her voice, the people inside the house ran out in pleasant surprise.

"You’re finally back!"

"Ah Lian, hurry and boil some water so they can bathe."

Shen Yunlian glanced at the beard that had grown on her husband’s face. "Sigh, I’ll go right now."

Wang Mei hugged Yun Jiao first, then looked at her own husband. "Did you go off to be a wild man?"

"Hahaha... everyone lives a bit rough on the ship. It’s like that."

"Go shave. I’ll get started on dinner."

"You got it! Big Brother and I have been dreaming of a home-cooked meal."

Having spent more than half a month at sea, they finally understood what homesickness truly felt like.

And that was on a trip that wasn’t even very far.

No wonder they’d once seen a long-distance vessel return, with several sailors crying the moment they stepped off the ship.

’We were just drifting at sea, and we feel like crying now that we’re home, too.’

The three women of the house immediately bustled into action.

Smoke from their wood-burning stove rose from the kitchen, filling the air with the comforting scent of home life.

Yun Jiao, with the two dogs in tow and a pocket full of salt-boiled peanuts, followed at her mother’s heels in the kitchen, snacking as she went.

She had to admit, after being away for these past few days, she had missed her family too.

Shen Yunlian’s eyes were full of amusement as she watched her little "tail" twirling around her.

"This kitchen is so small. If you bring these two in here, none of us will be able to move."

She patted the little one’s head. Yun Jiao’s face was still chubby and round, a clear sign she hadn’t been neglecting her meals.

Yun Jiao gave the two big dogs a gentle nudge with her foot.

"Out. Go wait outside."

’These two are so clingy.’

She completely ignored the fact that she was just as clingy, following her mom and grandma around.

"Woof..."

The two dogs obediently went to lie down by the door.

However, their eyes remained fixed on Yun Jiao. Whenever she glanced their way, the two big fellows would wag their tails.

Her heart softening at the sight, Yun Jiao secretly scooped out some pork cracklings to feed them.

Now the two dogs were overjoyed beyond measure.

After cleaning up and eating dinner, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe went to sleep.

They were simply too exhausted.

Yun Jiao, however, wasn’t very sleepy. She honestly didn’t feel tired at all.

Taking the two dogs and Cat Boss, who had just returned from outside, she ambled over to the docks.

The docks were crowded with people, all of them curious about Sun Yaotong’s ship.

"What’s that ship for, anyway?"

"Isn’t it for fishing? I haven’t seen them unloading any fish."

"No, I heard it’s for salvaging stuff from the sea. Someone ran into them when they were out on the water."

"What? Did they really find something?"

"Seems like it. Who knows how much good stuff they pulled up."

Many of them spoke with envy in their voices.

Yun Jiao quietly slipped past the crowd.

’A lot of people in the village know this ship belongs to my godfather. I can’t let them see me and start bombarding me with questions.’

’There are too many people. I should go somewhere else.’

’I wonder when Godfather will be back, and how much stuff our family will get.’

When she returned from her stroll, her grandpa and Fourth Brother were back.

The village chief was ramping up efforts to tidy up the village temple, and the deity statues were also being carved, so Mr. Mu and Fourth Brother had both been called over.

Her grandpa and some other villagers were responsible for assisting them.

"Grandpa, Fourth Brother, Grandpa Mu!"

Seeing her, smiles bloomed on the faces of her family.

"You’re finally back! If you hadn’t come home soon, Yun Xiaowu and those other kids were going to take a boat to find you tomorrow."

"Jiaojiao, have you eaten?"

"I have!"

Yun Chenbei handed her a small wood carving.

Yun Jiao looked at it and accepted it gleefully. "Thanks, Fourth Brother!"

It was an adorable, chubby little mermaid carving.

Yun Jiao had seen the fairy tale of the Little Mermaid and had asked her fourth brother to use his imagination and her face as a model to carve a little mermaid for her.