TIPS – Chapter 69

“Why are you holding my hand? I can walk just fine.” Song Jingwei said, shaking his hand, but Shen Junxi still held on.

“Mm…” Shen Junxi gestured with one hand, “You walk too fast. I’m worried about you.”

“Let go.” Song Jingwei’s face turned cold.

Shen Junxi didn’t let go. He usually listened to everything Song Jingwei said, but this was one thing he wouldn’t obey.

“I told you to let go.” Song Jingwei stopped and spoke, his voice colder than ever before.

Shen Junxi opened his mouth but realized something frustrating—if he used one hand to hold onto his wife, he couldn’t communicate with him. With only one free hand, he couldn’t sign what he wanted to say.

Taking advantage of Shen Junxi’s hesitation, Song Jingwei pulled his hand away, gave him a glance, and kept walking forward. He wasn’t truly angry or anything, but he just felt that two grown men holding hands in public was inappropriate.

He also felt that just because he was pregnant didn’t mean he had to be weak and constantly cared for like a patient. He could do everything himself…

Shen Junxi stared at his now empty palm. His wife had walked far ahead, but he was still standing in place. He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt really sad. If he held onto his wife, he couldn’t talk to him, but if he wanted to talk, he had to let go.

For the first time, a deep sense of inferiority crept into Shen Junxi’s heart, leaving him utterly dejected.

Far ahead, Song Jingwei suddenly turned around, curious about why he could no longer hear footsteps behind him.

Sure enough, the young man was still standing back there, not following.

This was the first time Song Jingwei clearly sensed Shen Junxi’s sadness and silent protest. But he didn’t take it to heart. Whether Shen Junxi followed or not made no difference to him.

Since that last time, Chen Xianggui hadn’t seen Song Jingwei for a while. When he suddenly saw him this morning, he was surprised. Even more confusing was that Shen Junxi wasn’t with him.

He asked, “Why didn’t Junxi come?” Usually, it was always Shen Junxi who came here. Was it going to switch back now?

“He’s behind me,” Song Jingwei said casually, then started inspecting the fields. He hadn’t been here for a few days, and even though he had given instructions, there were still some discrepancies in the actual work. Today was a good day to fix them.

After finishing their discussion, Song Jingwei suddenly realized someone had joined them.

Chen Xianggui smiled knowingly. “Junxi’s here?”

Just like Song Jingwei, he had been focused on work and only now noticed that Shen Junxi was quietly standing a little behind Song Jingwei’s left side.

“Mm…” Shen Junxi smiled at him and nodded but quickly turned his attention back to Song Jingwei.

Chen Xianggui was perceptive. “You two go ahead and talk, I’ll go check on the others.” No need to intrude on the couple’s moment.

Song Jingwei nodded. Seeing him leave, he turned to the young man beside him. “I thought you’d gone off somewhere to mend your fragile heart.”

“Hmm?” Shen Junxi blinked, not quite understanding what he meant. But he could tell Song Jingwei was teasing him. He just pressed his lips together and smiled before signing, “I know you don’t hate me.”

It was a simple sign, one Song Jingwei couldn’t pretend not to understand. But even though he understood, he didn’t know how to respond.

Luckily, Shen Junxi wasn’t waiting for an answer. He simply stood there quietly, as he often did. Even when silent, his eyes and heart were always focused on Song Jingwei.

“Young Master Song!”

Chen Xianggui, who had just walked off, suddenly shouted from a distance.

Song Jingwei looked over and saw that the villagers, who had been working in the fields, had suddenly gathered together, as if something had happened. Without hesitation, he said to Shen Junxi, “Let’s go check it out.” Then, he immediately rushed toward the commotion.

“Mm!” Shen Junxi hurried after him, worried that his wife was running too fast.

“Young Master Song, come take a look!” Chen Xianggui called out, holding a large, pitch-black ceramic jar—it looked just like something used to store human bones…

“You dug it up?” Song Jingwei asked, his first thought being that they had unearthed someone’s remains.

Chen Xianggui and the others had the same reaction. Their faces looked grim. “This thing…” It was bad luck to dig up human bones on a construction site. Not a good omen at all.

“Maybe it’s not,” Song Jingwei frowned, carefully inspecting the jar’s exterior. If it were meant for storing bones, it seemed too small. He reached out to take it, but before he could, another hand shot out faster than him.

“Mm…” Shen Junxi nodded at Chen Xianggui, signaling him to hand over the jar.

“This…” Chen Xianggui looked at Song Jingwei hesitantly. Only when Song Jingwei nodded did he hand the ceramic jar to Shen Junxi.

“Open it and take a look,” Song Jingwei said from the side.

Hearing this, the villagers, full of curiosity, gathered around. They were all country folk—none of them had ever seen a jar full of human bones before, so they weren’t particularly afraid.

Shen Junxi opened the jar, but the opening was too small. All he could see inside was pitch blackness. He reached in and felt something flat. Pulling his hand out, he signed, “It won’t come out, it’s too big.”

Song Jingwei thought for a moment and said, “Then break it.”

“Mm.” Shen Junxi didn’t hesitate. Since his wife said to break it, he picked up the jar and smashed it against a hoe.

With a sharp crack, the ceramic jar shattered into several pieces, revealing a pitch-black box.

Another one? Song Jingwei raised an eyebrow. Instead of asking Shen Junxi to open it, he crouched down and flipped the box over, spotting a latch. The metal latch looked old—its upper part was completely corroded. With a light twist, it broke off.

Suddenly, Shen Junxi pressed down on his hand and signed with his free hand, “Let me open it.”

Seeing the worry in his eyes, Song Jingwei felt he was overreacting. “It’s just a box.”

At least for now, he couldn’t understand the feeling of wanting to protect someone at all costs. So, he brushed off Shen Junxi’s hand and opened the box himself.

To his frustration, there was another layer inside. However, this layer had mostly rotted away and changed color as soon as it was exposed to air. Song Jingwei guessed it was some kind of silk or brocade, meaning whatever was inside couldn’t be bones. With a gentle sweep of his hand, the villagers suddenly saw a dazzling green glow.

“This is…?”

The villagers were all dumbfounded. This was no collection of bones—this was a treasure.

Had they just dug up something valuable?

Everyone’s hearts pounded with excitement. It had been years since the village had seen such a thing. They all knew exactly what this could mean.

Song Jingwei was also briefly stunned. Then, he continued sweeping away the remnants of the fabric, revealing a finely crafted Buddha head. He immediately recognized it—it was a jade Buddha statue.

It was about the size of an adult’s palm. Its color had dulled slightly from being buried for so long, but that didn’t take away from its beauty.

“Young Master Song, is this worth a lot of money?” The workers couldn’t hold back their excitement, their eyes burning with anticipation.

“It certainly is.”

Song Jingwei carefully examined the statue. It was a flawless, top-tier jade—the texture, translucency, and carving were all of the highest quality. There was nothing to criticize. In modern terms, its starting price would be at least ten million. The actual selling price could be much higher since jade pieces like this could fetch any price the right buyer was willing to pay.

Hearing Song Jingwei personally confirm its worth, the workers finally let loose.

“Young Master Song, we were the ones who dug this up. Even if we don’t deserve all the credit, we worked hard… What do you think…?”

Their meaning was obvious. Song Jingwei understood immediately, and he had no intention of ignoring their contributions.

“Of course, hard work should be rewarded. Everyone working here today will receive an extra two strings of coins.”

This amount was roughly equivalent to a day’s wages for a laborer. Most of the workers had no complaints.

Some, while thinking the reward was small, were still happy about the unexpected bonus and thanked him.

Others, however, felt that since the item was so valuable, just two strings of coins was far too little. Though they didn’t dare voice their displeasure, their expressions gave them away.

But they didn’t stop to consider—without Song Jingwei offering such high wages, they might not even make two strings a day from regular farm work.

Song Jingwei noticed their dissatisfaction but didn’t bother addressing it. It was fine if they weren’t happy, as long as they didn’t stir up trouble.

He handed the jade Buddha to Shen Junxi. “Take care of it.”

Shen Junxi held the Buddha with both hands, momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Song Jingwei to entrust such a treasure to him. But knowing his wife’s personality, he quickly understood.

“I’ll take it home and keep it safe,” he signed with a smile. A treasure like this would be safer locked up at home.

“Alright, go ahead.” Song Jingwei casually dusted the dirt off his hands. He wasn’t uninterested in the statue, but he had a feeling it wasn’t meant for him. Maybe it was just a matter of fate—some people believed jade carried a certain spiritual connection.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded, glanced at his wife a few more times, then hurried home with the treasure tucked safely in his arms.

Turning to the workers, Song Jingwei said, “Keep digging around here.”

Only then did the laborers snap out of their excitement. With renewed enthusiasm, they dove back into work, continuing to dig in the same spot where they had found the jar.

Song Jingwei watched from the side, but after a long time, they only unearthed some stone foundations and broken tiles—nothing else of value.

He concluded that this must have once been someone’s home, meaning people had lived here a long time ago.