"Oh, Xiao Zhuang? You're here too? Perfect, I was just about to look for you..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to persuade the elderly to go and rest, Director Wu walked in from outside. Unlike his bitter face that looked like he had lost his parents that morning, Director Wu was now beaming and full of energy.
"Director Wu, you haven't rested yet?"
Zhuang Rui was reluctant to deal with Director Wu. Anyway, the item had been found, and according to the agreement, it would be kept in his museum for five years after the scientists finished their research. Given Director Wu's status, he couldn't interfere.
Director Wu seemed to have already forgotten the unpleasantness of the morning, and said with a beaming smile, "Hehe, Xiao Zhuang, I have something I'd like to talk to you about. Let's go outside..."
Zhuang Rui nodded and said, "Alright, teachers, you should all get some rest. This kind of learning can't be completed in a day..."
"You brat, who's this teacher, you or me? You're lecturing us now..."
Professor Meng scolded Zhuang Rui irritably and waved him out.
"Huh? Director Wu, what's going on here?"
Zhuang Rui followed Director Wu to a room on the ship. Once inside, he found two people already sitting there. Zhuang Rui recognized both of them; one was Director Wu's secretary, and the other was a staff member from the Maritime Safety Administration.
However, Zhuang Rui was somewhat displeased with the arrangement of the tables and chairs in the room. There was a table in front of him, and a chair directly opposite the table, giving it a somewhat interrogation-like feel.
"Xiao Zhuang, don't misunderstand. This is just a record I was assigned by the organization to make of your discovery of the skull fossil. It's just a formality, nothing more..."
Director Wu gained a huge credit for nothing this time. He knew exactly how he got the credit, and fearing that Zhuang Rui might say something bad about him in the record, he actually used honorifics when speaking to Zhuang Rui.
"Okay, go ahead and ask..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at the chair in the middle of the room, then walked straight to the sofa and sat down. He didn't want to be interrogated like a criminal.
"Okay, Deputy Commander Zhuang, please describe in detail the process of discovering the skull fossil..."
Director Wu changed his usual way of addressing Zhuang and became more official. In fact, he himself was still puzzled by today's matter and was still wondering about it.
The reef area and the shipwreck site are dozens of nautical miles apart. How could it be such a coincidence that Zhuang Rui was able to find this skull fossil?
In the afternoon, Director Wu spoke with the two divers separately. Their accounts were the same: Zhuang Rui discovered the box first and then called them over. This left Director Wu with endless doubts.
Not only that, Director Wu also spoke with Old Li, who had led the way, and learned that Zhuang Rui was indeed entering the reef area for the first time, which puzzled him even more.
If Zhuang Rui's father hadn't been an infant when these skull fossils went missing, Director Wu would have even suspected that Zhuang Rui had hidden the box of fossils.
"When I went down there, I was looking for sea clams..."
"Wait, Mr. Zhuang, there's no need to mention that. That reef area is where we're searching for shipwreck wreckage..."
Zhuang Rui had barely opened his mouth when Director Wu interrupted him. What kind of joke was this? Was he supposed to report to the higher-ups that Zhuang Rui had discovered these skull fossils while searching for Haizhu for his wife? What kind of achievements would Director Wu have then?
"Uh, okay, when I got down to the seabed, I saw an object stuck between two rocks. I went over to take a look... um... that's what happened, Director Wu. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Zhuang Rui recounted in detail everything that happened on the seabed, except for the fact that he had seen the box beforehand. Director Wu couldn't find any discrepancies in what he heard; it perfectly matched what the two divers had said.
"Alright, Mr. Zhuang, you've made outstanding contributions to the country's scientific expedition this time, and rendered a great service to the nation. When you return to Beijing, even the Vice Premier will want to meet with you..."
Director Wu's words were sincere. This was Zhuang Rui's good fortune, something that could only be envied. He was just lucky; he even managed to find a national treasure while searching for pearls for his wife.
"Hehe, these achievements are all thanks to Director Wu's leadership. I'll definitely tell him the truth when the time comes..."
As the saying goes, "a sedan chair is carried by people," Zhuang Rui didn't care at all about being received by any leader, but anyone can say nice things, and he didn't mind doing this favor.
"Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, that's enough, you can leave now..."
Director Wu waved his hand, and after the two recorders left, he immediately stood up, shook Zhuang Rui's hand, and said, "President Zhuang, you...you see...it was my fault this morning, and I apologize to you..."
Director Wu is indeed a man of officialdom; he is incredibly flexible and adaptable. He is almost 20 years older than Zhuang Rui, and by yielding, he has lowered his stance to the lowest possible level.
Chapter 1028 A Sensation (5)
"What a good man! This young man may be young, but he's really sensible. No wonder he comes from a family of officials; he's so mature..."
At this moment, Director Wu had completely forgotten about the slight grudge he had with Zhuang Rui that morning. In his mind, Zhuang Rui was a promising young man, and if Zhuang Rui were selected as one of the top ten outstanding young people in the country, Director Wu would definitely vote for him.
The main reason Director Wu adopted this posture was that Zhuang Rui's words were too damaging. Even if he worked hard for another ten years, it wouldn't be as good as making a good impression on the leaders.
"Hehe, not at all. Alright, Director Wu will be very busy tomorrow, so I won't bother you any longer..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook hands with Director Wu. To be honest, he was a little unaccustomed to the ability of officials to change their expressions so easily. But when you're in the game, if you don't want to get hurt, you have to gradually adapt.
As Zhuang Rui was being seen off by Director Wu, he suddenly stopped at the exit and said, "By the way, Director Wu, according to our previous agreement, what is the ownership of those skulls?"
Zhuang Rui naturally wanted to get something back after giving away a favor for nothing. Besides, he wouldn't be able to ask Director Wu for anything in the future, so the favor would be considered worthless before it expired.
"President Zhuang, rest assured, this agreement has been approved by the State Council and relevant departments. We will definitely implement it diligently. After returning to Beijing, you can discuss with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences about bringing back a few fossils for exhibition. We don't need that many for research..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Director Wu immediately understood and even offered Zhuang Rui a few suggestions.
Zhuang Rui nodded repeatedly in agreement with Director Wu's words. He agreed. If the other party wanted to study it for several years, wouldn't it mean waiting until the "Peking Man skull fossil" had lost its luster before he could put it in the exhibition hall? That would not achieve the maximum effect of utilizing public opinion.
"We'll need Director Wu's help in that..."
"No problem, no problem, it was stipulated in the agreement anyway..."
Zhuang Rui and Director Wu exchanged a smile, each with their own calculations. For Zhuang Rui, giving Director Wu a favor in front of the leader was just doing a favor, and the skull had nothing to do with Director Wu. What difference did it make who he gave it to?
The cruise ship set sail at 3:00 a.m. the next day. After more than ten hours of sailing, it arrived at Tianjin Port at around 2:00 p.m.
Upon arrival at Tianjin Port, Vice Minister Yu personally came to receive the ship, and countless camera flashes focused on the several elderly professors carrying the "Peking Man skull fossil."
Before Zhuang Rui's "Xuanrui" returned to port, domestic news had already provided comprehensive coverage of the Awa Maru salvage operation, including the related secrets from more than half a century ago, which were gradually unveiled.
The world's leading paleoanthropological research results, the perplexing truth behind the disappearance, and the ongoing century-long salvage operation have immediately attracted the attention of the Chinese people, with almost all the media in the country focusing on Tianjin Port.
Peng Fei also drove to Tianjin Port to pick up King Kong. This big guy shouldn't be shown in public, otherwise it would be like a real-life version of the American blockbuster "King Kong".
Peng Fei was accompanied by Huangfu Yun, whom Zhuang Rui conveniently pushed forward to be the main representative of the Dingguang Museum, the unit responsible for the salvage operation, and to be interviewed by reporters on site.
After a brief stop in Tianjin, the salvage team, consisting of dozens of people and a large convoy of reporters numbering several hundred, returned to Beijing. The vice premier, despite his busy schedule, met with the salvage team members and praised Zhuang Rui highly.
Zhuang Rui didn't forget his agreement with Director Wu, and immediately began to speak eloquently about the leader's achievements. Director Wu, who was standing at the back of the group, smiled broadly, his already wrinkled old face blooming like a chrysanthemum.
After the meeting with the leaders, the relevant departments immediately convened a press conference for Chinese and foreign journalists. Zhuang Rui did not attend this time, but instead gave the limelight to Professor Meng and the two divers, while he quietly returned home.
I don't know where those reporters got the information that these precious "skull fossils" were personally retrieved by Zhuang Rui, a nationally renowned young cultural relics appraiser, jade expert, and archaeologist.
With the internet so readily available, finding someone is incredibly easy. Zhuang Rui's Dingguang Museum and Zhuang Rui himself were immediately found through search. Although Zhuang Rui deliberately kept a low profile, his life experiences still left people speechless.
This prompted the public and media to want to know more about Zhuang Rui, and countless calls were made to his mobile phone.
Some people wanted to interview Zhuang Rui, some wanted to write a biography for him, and one clueless director even wanted to cast Zhuang Rui as the lead actor in a movie about jade, which left Zhuang Rui both amused and exasperated.
However, a few months later, the low-budget film "Crazy Stone" was released and became a hit across the country. Not only did the film sell well, but the director and actors also became famous overnight.
Of course, that's a story for later. Right now, Zhuang Rui is in a terrible predicament, his courtyard house has been taken over and he can no longer stay there.
Not only that, but somehow the reporters found out about his manor on the outskirts of Beijing, and there are a dozen or so reporters hanging around it every day. Zhuang Rui is now hiding in Old Master Gu's courtyard. If that doesn't work, he will have to go back to Pengcheng to avoid the storm.
"Dude, you're not a movie star, is it really necessary to be like this?"
Sitting in the old man's courtyard, Zhuang Rui was complaining to Gu Yun that he couldn't go home because of this. Zhuang Rui finally understood the consequences of becoming famous.
"Come on, even movie stars can't become famous if they want to..."
Gu Yun smiled and placed the newspaper on the coffee table, tapping it as he said, "Look, here, the entrepreneurial journey of a young entrepreneur, and this, the ironclad story of the famous art connoisseur Zhuang Rui... This one's good, the story of Zhuang Rui and me that I had to tell, haha..."
Looking at the tabloids in front of him, Gu Yun laughed heartily.
Just as Zhuang Rui had anticipated, the news of the Peking Man skull fossil being unearthed caused a sensation in the world's scientific community. Countless anthropologists from all over the world gathered in Beijing just to see this ancestor of humans from 600,000 years ago.
This is not only an academic event, but also of profound political significance. Relevant departments from dozens of countries and regions have sent congratulatory telegrams to the Chinese government, saying that the rediscovery of the Peking Man skull is a cause for celebration in the history of human evolution.
The success of the salvage operation demonstrates that the current Chinese government has the capability to protect and recover its national treasures, which is also a matter of national pride.
Moreover, in a sense, it also reveals that it was a shameless island nation that smuggled China's national treasures out of the country back then. The mystery of more than half a century has gradually been solved with the discovery of this batch of skull fossils.
The story of the Peking Man skull's disappearance and subsequent discovery is so dramatic and bizarre that it could easily be made into a TV series. It has also sparked a desire among the general public to learn more, leading to countless phone calls to television stations seeking information.
Unable to interview Zhuang Rui, the reporters simply used their imaginations to fabricate stories, praising him as a reincarnation of Sun Wukong, with fiery eyes that could find all the treasures in the world.
"Alright, stop bothering me, Brother Gu. I haven't even dared to turn my phone on lately. How come these reporters are so well-informed? They found out about both of my new phone numbers..."
Zhuang Rui was extremely frustrated. He should just focus on the national treasure instead of dragging himself into it. Did he think that just because he liked the egg, he had to get to know the hen that laid it?
For more than a week, Zhuang Rui didn't dare to use the phone. If he had known this would happen, he would have preferred those treasures to lie at the bottom of the sea rather than be in the limelight.
The only consolation for Zhuang Rui was that, in order to recognize his outstanding contributions to the salvage operation, the relevant departments decided, after discussion, to first display three complete skulls and mandible fossils, as well as twenty teeth and bone fossils, at Zhuang Rui's Dingguang Museum.
However, according to the relevant department's regulations, Zhuang Rui's museum will need to undergo renovations, including strengthening its anti-theft facilities. Huangfu Yun has made a budget, and the renovation will likely cost around ten million yuan.
After approving the payment with a wave of his hand, Zhuang Rui thought to himself, "My museum's security system is world-class. It's much better than the Palace Museum, which is always losing things, right?"
However, Zhuang Rui used this excuse to extort another piece of land from Ouyang Si Shao, which made Ouyang Jun both amused and exasperated. If Zhuang Rui's treasure hunt didn't end soon, he would eventually buy up his entire neighborhood.
"Zhuang Rui, your phone..."
While Zhuang Rui was chatting with Gu Yun, Old Master Gu's voice came from inside the house. Zhuang Rui was a little surprised and quickly went in to ask, "Uncle-Master, who called?"
Zhuang Rui was terrified by the overly enthusiastic reporters and had to ask questions before answering the phone.
"It was Little Hu from Myanmar calling. No wonder he was calling the old man; turns out he's still thinking about that piece of yellow jade."
The old man muttered something under his breath and turned back to his studio. According to the old man, the processing of the jadeite well was nearing completion, and Gu Tianfeng had been living and eating in the studio for the past two days.
However, as people get older, they become more cautious. The old man said he wanted to give Zhuang Rui a surprise, which resulted in Zhuang Rui staying in the courtyard for three days without seeing what his top-quality yellow jadeite had been carved into.
"Hey, Brother Hu, how's the gold mine survey going?"
Zhuang Rui picked up the phone and asked, guessing that Hu Rong had called him about this matter.
Chapter 1029 Gold Reserves
"Hey kid, you always disappear like that. If it weren't for me wanting to keep track of that piece of yellow jade that the old man carved, I probably wouldn't have been able to find you."
Hu Rong paused on the phone, then lowered his voice and said, "I'll come to your place tomorrow. We'll discuss the gold mine in person..."
In Myanmar, mineral resources represent a significant level of power. Although he was confident that his phone was not being tapped, Hu Rong decided to travel to China in person as a precaution.
"Alright, Brother Hu, I'll be staying at Grandpa Gu's house for now. You can just come over here..."
Zhuang Rui could tell from Hu Rong's tone that the gold mine must have a large reserve, and Zhuang Rui was also curious about how much gold the mine actually contained.
Hu Rong was even more puzzled by Zhuang Rui's words and asked, "Why are you living with the old man? Even if Grandpa Gu is in poor health, his sons take care of him. When did it become your turn?"