The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 433: Chapter 433: Selfishness

After finishing his noodles and soup, Ye Feng asked, ”Xiao Rui, can I go take a look?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Let’s go. I’ll show you.”

When they got to the study, Han Xiaorui pointed to a large, foot-and-a-half-tall vase on the desk. Its azure-blue glaze hadn’t lost its luster over time; instead, it had acquired a simple, ancient charm that only the years could bestow.

Ye Feng wanted to reach out and touch it, but remembering it was an antique, he quickly put on a pair of gloves before handling it.

Based on the glaze, shape, pattern, and the mark on the bottom, he determined it was a Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain vase.

”Xiao Rui, you’ve really done something incredible this time,” Ye Feng praised.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”There was also a diary in that cave. It recorded what happened. The people who hid the treasures perished with the Japanese invaders after luring them away.”

”If we just hand these over, they’ll at best be stored away in some museum, or worse, stolen by someone and sold off. For artifacts with such a profound history, I think we should build a dedicated museum to display this entire collection.”

”Not only would that ensure the items are properly preserved, but it would also publicize the deeds of those heroes. More people would learn about the countless sacrifices made to protect our national treasures and defend our country during those war-torn years.”

Ye Feng was astonished. ”Xiao Rui, that’s a fantastic idea! And it’s something I can make happen. Our salvage ships have recovered many precious artifacts from the seabed before. I’m very familiar with the people in the department that oversees cultural relics. With a bit of work, we can get this approved.”

”The only thing is, building a museum doesn’t happen overnight. It would take at least a year. Once these items are recovered, they’ll probably have to be sent somewhere else for safekeeping until the museum is complete.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Have you forgotten about the cultural building we’re constructing in the commercial district? The one we planned to use as a museum for Jinshan Bay’s fishing industry and its fishermen?”

”We originally built it to attract visitors. But now that we have the Jinshan Bay treasure, which has such a rich story and history, we should obviously display it there. As for the fishing exhibit, we can just build a slightly smaller hall for it next door.”

Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. ”Of course! How could I have forgotten such an important place? Good, we’ll just need to add some security equipment and make a few structural modifications. Alright, leave it to me. I’ll handle it.”

”Once the treasures are recovered, they can be sent directly to the Jinshan Bay Treasure Museum. Even though they belong to the country, since they were discovered in Jinshan Bay, it’s more meaningful to keep them in a museum here.”

The couple agreed on the plan and decided to start making arrangements the next day.

If these had been ownerless treasures from the bottom of the sea, Han Xiaorui might have just kept them.

But these were artifacts that revolutionary predecessors had risked their lives to snatch from the hands of the Japanese invaders. She couldn’t claim them for herself.

She had to not only hand them over to the state but also ensure that this magnificent, tumultuous Chapter of history was displayed for all to see.

The treasures that those revolutionary pioneers had shed their blood to protect should be seen by future generations.

Meanwhile, when Director Zhao returned and reported Han Xiaorui’s position to his superior, it put the district leadership in a difficult spot.

Director Wu asked in a low voice, ”Is Ms. Han still not budging?”

Mr. Zhao replied, ”She’s not budging. Ms. Han not only has a contract, but all the villagers also agreed to lease those islands to her. If we forcibly void the contract and give the islands to the foreign investors, it probably won’t go over well.”

”Furthermore, Ms. Han says these people have ulterior motives, that their goal might not be just investment. The reason she’s building a water park and an oceanarium is to drive traffic to Jinshan Bay’s commercial, shopping, and scenic areas.”

”But that might not be the case for those foreigners. After all, there are plenty of places suitable for a water park and an oceanarium, so why did they specifically choose Jinshan Bay? If it were just economic competition, that would be one thing. But they’re Japanese. If they’re really trying to collect hydrological data or have some other shady purpose, we’ll all be implicated.”

Director Wu was taken aback by this. ”Director Zhao, you have a point. I was wondering about that myself, but the moment I thought of the two-hundred-million-yuan investment, I was eager to agree immediately. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. We have to be cautious. Let’s not rush this.”

Director Zhao nodded. ”Indeed, we can’t be hasty. Since Ms. Han says there’s something wrong with those foreigners, let’s wait. The truth might come out soon. We absolutely cannot rush.”

”Also, Ms. Han mentioned that if she doesn’t have enough money for the water park and oceanarium investment, she’s willing to borrow it. Her in-laws are the Ye Family, and while the Ye Family might not have the funds, the Xu family does. Even if it’s not a hundred million, they could come up with eighty million.”

”Besides, there’s really no need for us to be so anxious. Ms. Han’s ornamental fish farm is on track to exceed its foreign exchange targets for the year. She’s currently working with professors and leaders from Fudan University’s architectural design institute, as well as the design unit under the Municipal Planning Bureau, to study and research water parks and oceanariums.”

”If they can learn how to build them, this unit will have the experience for future projects, and we won’t have to rely on foreign countries. It’s difficult at the start, but with someone taking the lead and with the necessary capital, it’s actually not that hard.”

Director Wu nodded. ”Alright. For this matter, we’ll prepare for both possibilities and keep track of both sides. And one more thing—keep an eye on the relevant personnel. Don’t let them be corrupted by sugar-coated bullets.”

”Yes, Director,” Director Zhao acknowledged. He prepared to drag the matter out. It would be a game of one-upmanship to see who would come out on top.

In any case, no matter who ended up building the water park and oceanarium, it was still an investment in construction, which meant economic development for the district.

When the team from Japan came again, they found that the officials were no longer as enthusiastic as before. Instead, it seemed like they were deliberately trying to keep their distance.

They were either avoiding them or would only meet them in groups, claiming they needed to do more research, conduct surveys, or placate the public.

In short, it all came down to one word: stall.

Since a direct approach wasn’t working, these people started bribing others to do their bidding.

After all, they were old hands at this sort of thing. They always assumed that Hua Country had plenty of collaborators who would do their work for a little money.

Their assumption wasn’t entirely wrong, but it wasn’t entirely right either.

Things were different now. Not everyone was willing to be corrupted, though some still couldn’t resist the sugar-coated bullets.

However, corrupting the relevant personnel took time; it couldn’t be done overnight.

This bought Ye Feng and Han Xiaorui a lot of time.

Meanwhile, the national security agents investigating the foreign business team did indeed find some leads, and the evidence was slowly piling up.

Thanks to Ye Feng’s efforts, the Municipal Museum and the Cultural Department gave their approval. After inspecting the museum being built in Jinshan Bay, they agreed that if any treasures were discovered in the area, they could be stored in the Jinshan Bay museum.

This was not only to better protect the artifacts but also to better tell the story of their past and present, allowing more people to learn their history.