novelraw Chapter 221
Chapter 221
The sun slowly rose higher. The pile of dirt outside the pit grew larger, and the pit itself grew deeper.
Pei Yunzhou's forehead was covered in beads of sweat. The sweat dripped down his chin into the soil, splashing up tiny specks of mud.
His arms ached as if they were filled with lead, making every swing of the shovel a strenuous effort. But the thought of uncovering the tomb soon gave him a renewed surge of energy. He even started chanting to keep the rhythm,
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Put your back into it!"
Zheng Tongwei was also panting heavily. He laughed and said, "Yunzhou, my boy, if you put this much energy into farming, your crops would definitely be the best in the village."
"You bet!"
Pei Yunzhou smiled proudly. He was just about to say something else when suddenly, with a clank, his shovel hit something hard.
His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stopped. "Brother Zheng, I hit something! It's rock solid!"
Zheng Tongwei leaned over and gently tapped it with his hoe. "It's a stone slab! We actually found it!"
The two of them were so excited they almost jumped for joy. They quickly slowed down their movements, carefully clearing away the dirt around the stone slab.
Shen Nanchu also walked over and crouched by the edge of the pit, watching. "Don't rush. Clear the dirt around it first to see how big the slab is."
After digging for another half an hour, a bluestone slab about one square meter in size was finally exposed. The edges of the slab were carved with simple patterns. Although blurred, they were clearly of an ancient style.
Pei Yunzhou and Zheng Tongwei collapsed into the pit, exhausted but beaming as they looked at the stone slab.
"We finally dug it out!"
Pei Yunzhou was so excited that his hands were trembling.
"Sister-in-law, this is the lid of the tomb, right? Are there a lot of treasures inside?"
Shen Nanchu didn't answer directly, merely nodding.
"Let's get the slab out first. Be careful not to break it."
The two quickly stood up, took one side each, and pushed upward with all their might.
The slab was heavier than they had imagined. Their faces turned bright red from the strain before they barely managed to lift it and set it on the edge of the pit.
As soon as the slab was moved, a damp, earthy smell wafted out. A pitch-black opening was revealed in the pit, and a stone coffin could be seen resting inside.
Pei Yunzhou craned his neck to look inside, but it was so dark he couldn't see anything. A sudden chill ran down his spine.
He had been so focused on treasures earlier that he had forgotten tombs were meant for the dead. Now that he was actually looking at a coffin, his legs felt a bit weak.
Shen Nanchu glanced at him, a wicked smirk playing on her lips. "Yunzhou, you go open the coffin in a minute and see what's inside."
"M-Me?"
Pei Yunzhou's voice trembled slightly.
"Sister-in-law, aren't you and Brother Zheng going to do it?"
"Didn't you want to apply to the archaeology department?"
Shen Nanchu raised an eyebrow.
"Archaeologists deal with ancient tombs and skeletons every day. If you don't even dare to open a coffin, why bother studying archaeology? You might as well go home and learn carpentry."
Pei Yunzhou gritted his teeth, a fierce internal struggle raging within him.
On one hand, he was terrified of the skeleton inside; on the other, he didn't want Shen Nanchu to look down on him, nor did he want to give up on his dream of studying archaeology.
He took a deep breath and clenched his fists. "Fine, I'll open it! Who's scared!"
Once the smell inside had mostly dissipated and Shen Nanchu confirmed it was safe, Pei Yunzhou found a long wooden stick and jumped down into the pit.
Taking several deep breaths, he wedged the wooden stick under the edge of the coffin lid and pried it up with all his strength.
The lid was somewhat loose. After a few tries, it creaked open, revealing a crack.
Pei Yunzhou quickly squeezed his eyes shut, too afraid to look inside. Relying purely on feel, he pried the lid open wider, only stopping when the contents were fully visible.
"Alright... it's... it's open..."
Pei Yunzhou kept his eyes shut, his voice shaking.
Shen Nanchu stifled a laugh and teased him on purpose,
"If it's open, take a look. What are you doing with your eyes closed? Do you think there's a monster inside waiting to eat you?"
Steeling himself, Pei Yunzhou suddenly snapped his eyes open and peered into the coffin.
There was no gold, silver, or jewelry inside, nor were there any ancient weapons. There was only a pile of white bones. The clothes had long since weathered away, leaving only a few tattered scraps of cloth. A few jars sat next to the bones, their rims covered in rust, and several oxidized, blackened copper rings adorned the skeleton's fingers.
"That's... that's it?"
Pei Yunzhou was stunned, feeling a wave of disappointment. His fear, however, had subsided a bit; after all, it was just a skeleton, not a living ghost.
"What else did you expect?"
Shen Nanchu walked over, pulled a pair of coarse cloth gloves from her canvas bag, and tossed them to Pei Yunzhou.
"Take out the two jars and the copper rings. Be careful not to scatter the bones."
Pei Yunzhou caught the gloves and put them on sluggishly, still feeling a bit daunted.
He crouched by the opening and reached out his hand. The moment he touched the coin jar, his palm felt cold, and he quickly yanked his hand back.
Zheng Tongwei, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh. "Yunzhou, you're too timid. It's just a jar; it's not going to bite you."
"Who says I'm timid!"
Pei Yunzhou retorted defensively. He reached out again and carefully lifted the coin jar out.
The jar was a bit heavy and rattled inside; he guessed it was filled with copper coins. He quickly placed the jar on a nearby rock and went back for the second and third ones.
Once all three coin jars were out, only the copper rings on the skeleton remained.
Looking at the skeletal fingers, Pei Yunzhou felt the creeps returning. But remembering the look in Shen Nanchu's eyes, he bit the bullet, reached out, and gently slipped the copper rings off, placing them in the palm of his hand.
The copper rings had oxidized long ago. They were pitch black, completely devoid of luster, and felt rough to the touch.
"Alright, put the coffin lid back on and fill the dirt back in," Shen Nanchu continued. "This is an ancient tomb, and we can't just destroy it. We're only conducting a survey, not grave robbing. The items we take back must be handed over to the Cultural Relics Bureau."
Pei Yunzhou nodded. He and Zheng Tongwei replaced the coffin lid and shoveled the dirt back into the pit, restoring it to its original state.
The three of them packed up their tools and headed back, carrying the jars of copper coins.
On the way, Pei Yunzhou asked in a low voice,
"Sister-in-law, whose tomb is this? Why are there only copper coins and rings? There isn't a single valuable thing in there."
"Judging by the scale of the tomb and the items inside, it likely belonged to an ordinary ancient landlord or a minor official."
Shen Nanchu had already formed a rough idea the moment she saw the coffin.
"Not all ancient tombs contain gold, silver, and jewels. Most only hold everyday items. After all, not everyone could afford a lavish burial like an emperor."
She glanced at Pei Yunzhou.
"What's wrong? Disappointed? Do you think it's meaningless if there are no treasures?"
"Not exactly..." Pei Yunzhou scratched his head. "It's just different from what I imagined."
"These copper coins and rings might not be worth much money, but they are crucial artifacts for studying ancient life."
A gleam of passion flashed in Shen Nanchu's eyes.
"Through them, we can learn about the economic conditions and craftsmanship of the time, as well as the personal story of this individual."
Shen Nanchu paused before adding,
"Furthermore, archaeology frequently involves dealing with skeletons. As you saw today, they are the witnesses of history."
"If you can't even handle this much, you definitely won't be able to stand it if you actually get into the archaeology department and have to excavate tombs and look at skeletons in the field every day."
Pei Yunzhou fell silent. Before, he had only thought archaeology was fun, a chance to dig up treasures. He had never considered that he would actually have to deal with skeletal remains and face such tedious research.
But the moment he recalled the thrill of excavating the tomb yesterday and the sheer excitement of seeing the coffin today, he felt that those downsides hardly mattered at all.
"Sister-in-law, I can handle it! They're just bones, right? I'll get used to it once I see enough of them! I still want to apply for the archaeology program!"
Shen Nanchu looked at his determined gaze, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching the corners of her lips.
This kid... bringing him out here wasn't a waste of time after all.
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