1970s: Hot wife accompanies the army, cold-faced rough man is not easy to tease

Chapter 288 The Feeling of Underground Party Rendezvous
Lu Youyou was prepared to spend more money.

According to that report, a few years later Ms. Fonda sold them to an antique dealer for 1500 each, and even now she could easily pay 4500.

"There are too many, young lady, these are already quite old..."

The old lady felt a connection with Lu Youyou and was impressed by her pursuit of her beloved possessions, which is why she decided to part with them, but the price of 3000 yuan was indeed unexpected.

“Ms. Fonda, this price is a token of my appreciation and also to thank you for buying them many years ago; otherwise, I would never have had the chance to meet you.”

Lu Youyou had already made her point perfectly, as if accepting even a little less would be unfair to her.

The old lady smiled, patted Lu Youyou's hand, and looked at her with admiration.

"Alright, whatever you say, is fine, but I have one request..."

"Please just say it."

"Can I buy this photo?"

"Of course, I'll just give it to you!"

The old lady scolded, "You're willing to spend money to buy what you like, but I, an old lady, can't spend money? I'll buy it for $100, and the young lady can't refuse."

Before Lu Youyou could refuse, she already had a hundred US dollars in her hand.

"Wait a minute, I'm going to Old Sam's across the street to get a few boxes. Oh, by the way, did you drive? You two girls definitely can't carry these heavy boxes, which weigh dozens of kilograms."

The old lady had already gotten busy without even taking the money, leaving the two of them safely in the yard, and went to the fishing tackle shop across the street to get a cardboard box.

Song Yunqing was stunned. That's it? So simple?
She started staring at Lu Youyou again.

A fairy, this must be a fairy!

If she hadn't experienced it herself, she wouldn't have believed that buying something from a stranger's house so suddenly would be such an easy thing!

Soon, Ms. Fonda returned, followed by Mr. Pipe from the fishing tackle shop.

"I'll have Old Sam pack it for you. He's the best at this, and he'll make sure you don't bump into anything on the way."

The old man came along out of curiosity. He knew about the bronze statue in Fonda Garden, but he didn't expect the two young girls to have come for it.

Before leaving, the old lady asked Lu Youyou many times, "Are you sure? Is it really not necessary to use so much?"

Lu Youyou smiled and stuffed the money into her hand: "I'm sure, don't worry, I won't regret it."

"Alright, next time you come to Reading, remember to visit my place. I'll make you some tea again!"

On the way back, Song Yunqing noticeably slowed down. Although she didn't know what those three black lumps were, she was sure they were valuable treasures.

Lu Youyou is not someone who likes to wander around aimlessly, and she rarely does anything meaningless. Why would she travel all that way just to spend $3000?

Song Yunqing was incredibly excited, but she drove steadily, feeling as if she had accomplished an extraordinary task.

Back at school, the two of them worked together to carry the three boxes back to their dormitory.

Song Yunqing didn't ask any more questions. She thought that if she could tell, Sister Lu would definitely tell her.

With her mind at ease, the little girl went to class with a carefree attitude.

Lu Youyou found the note Zhao Xiang had given her and dialed the number that was supposedly staffed 24 hours a day.

"Hello, I am Lu Youyou, and I am looking for Comrade Zhao Xiang."

"Please wait."

A few minutes later, the call was answered again, and Zhao Xiang's voice sounded somewhat anxious.

"Hello, is this Lu? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

It's no wonder Zhao Xiang was anxious. Ever since he gave the phone number to Lu Youyou, she hadn't called even once. The colleague who delivered the living expenses always said everything went smoothly when he returned from Stanford.

For such an easy-going colleague to suddenly contact them, it must mean he's encountered a major problem he can't solve.

"Comrade Zhao, could you come over? It would be best if you drove. I have some important items to hand over to the organization." Zhao Xiang's heart pounded. He suddenly had the feeling of making an underground party rendezvous.

"Important items..."

"Yes, it's very important!"

Lu Youyou didn't say it explicitly, which meant she couldn't say it; the dormitory phone didn't have any security features.

Zhao Xiang's heart started beating even faster.

As a diplomat, one inevitably has to handle confidential matters, and Lu Youyou's mission is also confidential in nature. But doesn't research take time? It's only been a few months, and there are already results?
Zhao Xiang immediately reported to his superiors, and after receiving approval, he drove with the military officer from the Ministry of Personnel straight to Stanford.

The phone call was made in the afternoon, the car arrived in the evening, and I was immediately stunned.

"What the hell is this?!"

"The three animal heads from the Yuanmingyuan: an ox, a tiger, and a horse."

Lu Youyou expressed her understanding of Zhao Xiang's shock.

"However, this is just my personal judgment, and it still needs to be verified by experts."

Although she was 99% certain, she couldn't be too absolute in her statements.

"This...you...where did you get this?"

Zhao Xiang felt like he was dreaming. What happened to academic research? How did he end up doing archaeology?

Before Lu Youyou could explain, Zhao Xiang made a decisive decision: "Here's what we'll do, you come back with us, and you can tell the leader the details directly."

Lu Youyou was indifferent; tomorrow was Sunday, and she had no classes.

The group rushed back to San Francisco overnight and entered the Consulate General in San Francisco under the moonlight.

Lu Youyou was led to the reception room, where the strong Chinese style seemed to take her back to the other side of the ocean.

She sat quietly, with a cup of hot tea and a national treasure worth 300 million yuan in front of her.

Soon, hurried footsteps sounded, and Zhao Xiang entered with two middle-aged men who appeared to be leaders.

"Comrade Lu, I am Yu Yi, the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco. Hello!"

"Hello!"

Upon receiving the news, Yu Yi returned home overnight to work overtime, as the information reported by Zhao Xiang was truly shocking.

It's hard to find a trustworthy expert late at night, but Yu Yi still called his deputy to come over. He couldn't leave without seeing it for himself!
Lu Youyou unpacked the statues, and the three bronze statues appeared in front of them.

The simple and elegant design conveys a profound historical charm, and even those who do not understand cultural relic appraisal can intuitively appreciate the beauty of the Yuanmingyuan animal heads.

Moreover, these are not ordinary cultural relics. The animal heads are linked to that painful history, which is the deepest scar on the hearts of all Chinese people.

The country is weak and in need of rejuvenation, and there is really no extra energy or financial resources to invest in "returning cultural relics to the country". However, this does not mean that the country does not want to or is unwilling to do so.

If the three animal heads are real, if...

Yu Yi couldn't hide his excitement, as could the other two.

After picking up Lu Youyou, Zhao Xiang returned home without opening the box beforehand. Now, facing the actual item, he couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed.

"Comrade Lu, can you tell us how these three animal heads came to be?"

Lu Youyou nodded and began to talk about the photos from the flea market, including the landscape painting and the Declaration of Independence hidden in the frame, all the way to today's trip to Reading.

She didn't hide it, nor was she afraid of people knowing that she had earned more than 200,000 yuan at the auction.

She even planned to use the remaining money to generate more money, and then donate it to the embassy when she returned to China.

That's how capricious a rich heiress can be, with hundreds of millions in cash lying in her account in her past life.