Chapter 142 Epitaph Side Story 2
Shen Yujiao was completely unaware of her mother, Ms. Qiao's, heartfelt reflections. She was currently huddled in the passenger seat, clutching her schoolbag, feeling utterly apprehensive.
Zhou Wei was driving, and a whole bunch of his senior classmates were sitting in the back. They gave her the most spacious passenger seat because she was the youngest. But when Shen Yujiao sat there, she could see the cramped space where everyone else was crammed into the equipment, which made her feel really bad.
The car drove along the asphalt road onto the highway, then exited the highway onto the national road, until the asphalt road turned into a rural dirt road. The urban prosperity was gradually replaced by desolation. The fatigue of the journey spread throughout the car. But when they saw the dark mass of scientific research teams ahead, everyone was instantly energized, as if they had been injected with chicken blood. As soon as the car door opened, their spirits were lifted!
This sense of reality was even stronger for Shen Yujiao. This was her first time participating in such a project, and there was so much she didn't know. Fortunately, besides her, there was also a senior colleague, Li Yu, in the team. Seeing that she was nervous, Li Yu took her by her side and quietly introduced her to everyone: "That's such and such a leader, that's such and such an expert, and everyone around you is a big shot in the industry."
After listening to her for a while, Shen Yujiao only understood one thing: this project was indeed important.
Zhou Wei stepped forward and exchanged a few pleasantries, then led his students to begin unloading tools and machinery from the vehicle.
Shen Yujiao followed Li Yu to help. She looked around and saw that the site had been simply fenced off. Because the place was remote and desolate, and it was during the Spring Festival, there was no fear of tourists affecting it. They had arrived late and construction had already begun.
"Xiao Liu and Han Ke, you two go with Zhao'er to the technical side. Then Lao Liu and Li Yu will come with me. Shen Yujiao... you stay in this area and see where you can help out."
After the tasks were assigned, everyone quickly dispersed. Shen Yujiao blinked her big eyes in disbelief. Was she left behind? Old Liu, the oldest among them, saw that she was a little dazed and came over to pat her on the shoulder: "You're new here, so get familiar with things first."
Shen Yujiao didn't understand the meaning behind those words for an hour—archaeology is not just about historical research. When you're at an archaeological site, you have to focus on a lot of physical work without distractions, such as moving things, taking photos, measuring, drawing... Every part is incredibly busy. Sometimes, if someone is missing something, they'll call out. Shen Yujiao played that role of errand runner. But it was precisely because of this that she was able to understand the hardships behind this industry more deeply.
As night fell, Shen Yujiao leaned against the hotel wall, carrying a suitcase in one hand and the boxed lunch she had just received in the other, lost in thought. She was exhausted, truly exhausted.
"Xiao Shen, are you alright?"
Li Yu came up in the elevator one elevator later than her. Seeing her staring blankly against the wall, she smiled and went over to help her lift the backpack hanging on her elbow: "Do you want to eat first or take a shower first? Let's take turns so we can finish getting ready and go to bed early. We have to leave the construction site at six o'clock tomorrow, so we need to get some rest."
Shen Yujiao was a little embarrassed: "It's okay, Sister Li, I'm fine with anything. Would you like to take a shower first or have dinner first?"
"Okay, then you go take a shower first. I'll organize the documents while I eat."
"good."
Living with someone, Shen Yujiao didn't dare to dawdle. She put down her luggage, found her pajamas, and went into the bathroom. She was used to living in ancient times and took her time when taking a bath. Even though she tried to take her bath as quickly as possible, it still took her almost twenty minutes.
"I'm so sorry, sis..." Shen Yujiao came out, her hair still wet, with an apologetic smile on her face.
"Hey, it's nothing," Li Yu waved her hand, closed her laptop, took off her hair tie, and laughed heartily: "You know, you'll get used to it after a while. When you're really tired, you won't even have time to shower when you get back, you'll just want to sleep."
Li Yu was indeed quick at showering. Shen Yujiao had just dried her hair and sat down to eat when Li Yu had already finished and come out. While drying her hair, she chatted with Shen Yujiao: "This is only because we live in the north, where the winter nights are long. In the summer, we have to be at work before four o'clock..."
"Spending the whole day lying in the fields...that's common...working in the fields during the day, and researching at night..."
As Shen Yujiao listened to their fragmented account of their daily work life, she grew to admire them even more. She also suddenly understood why so many people had stopped her from changing her major back then—this major couldn't be pursued long-term just by having a passion for it.
Before falling asleep, Shen Yujiao's last thought in her hazy state was: when she returned to the compound, she wanted to do morning exercises with Uncle Jiang.
Li Yu's words prepared Shen Yujiao mentally, so she got up early the next morning full of energy. Seeing her energetic appearance, all the senior brothers smiled kindly. Zhou Wei even patted her on the shoulder: "I hope you can maintain this level of energy a month from now."
When work began, the sky was still tinged with the faint blue light of dawn. As they worked, time passed slowly and imperceptibly. By the time Shen Yujiao straightened up, the sky was already tinged with firelight.
Standing on the construction site watching the sun rise, she was suddenly filled with many emotions. Some were about how this dawn had shone on this land for millions of years, and some were about the meaning behind this job. Her thoughts wandered for only a moment. Shen Yujiao blinked and then continued to lie on the ground and brush the soil.
Life at the construction site was busy yet mundane. They did archaeological work day after day, and after sunset, they devoted themselves to studying the unearthed artifacts. This routine finally broke down a month later.
"Instructor Zhou! I think I've found something!"
Han Ke's exclamation drew everyone's attention. Zhou Wei frowned and said unhappily, "What? What? What's all the fuss about!"
Despite saying that, Zhou Wei's body language betrayed him as he strode toward Han Ke. Upon seeing the comparative data of the literature compiled on Han Ke's computer, Zhou Wei's eyes widened involuntarily. Seeing this, everyone else put down what they were doing and went over as well.
Beside Han Ke lay a rubbing of a stone tablet unearthed from the archaeological site they had recently reconstructed. It was an epitaph, corresponding to the fragmented historical documents on the computer screen. Through a few clearly legible characters, everyone realized with astonishment: the epitaph had actually found its source—
"This! Isn't this the Great Xia Dynasty that everyone was discussing before?"
It's unclear who shouted it first, but then one exclamation after another filled the room. Only Chen Yu stood there dumbfounded, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The existence of the Great Xia Dynasty has always been an ambiguous topic in academic circles, because the current historical materials are actually clear enough about the historical context of each dynasty. However, the existence of this dynasty has been pieced together from these scattered "unverifiable" and difficult questions.
Initially, some fragmented human history had similarities that led to their overlap. Later, documents that seemed to belong to the Great Xia Dynasty were leaked out, but due to their ambiguity, they were always classified as historical materials from other dynasties. Now, this epitaph has been confirmed to be consistent with historical materials, which is the best evidence that the Great Xia Dynasty truly existed.
It is a truly epic discovery.
If the existence of the Great Xia Dynasty is confirmed, another piece of history will be added, making the history of this land more complete and richer, and allowing them, as descendants, to glimpse a fuller side of history.
Within an hour, the news spread like wildfire throughout the base, and everyone was in a state of ecstasy. No one noticed that Shen Yujiao had returned to the construction site alone.
The moonlight shone brightly, and as Shen Yujiao stepped onto the illuminated land, her state of mind was completely different from when they first met. Jiang Chen was not there, and no one could understand how she felt at this moment.
The historical significance of the Great Xia Dynasty, once proven to exist, is self-evident. However, for her, it was an echo that resonated deep within her soul.
So... whose grave is this?
Looking at this desolate and pitted field, Shen Yujiao slowly squatted down.
She touched the ground with her hand, seemingly trying to connect with the past through this land. For some reason, she felt a coolness on her face. She slowly lowered her head and saw the earth wet with tears. She let out a long sigh, and the white mist blurred her vision.
Her brief disappearance was a trivial matter in the grand scheme of things that night, not even worth mentioning, because no one noticed her return late at night.
However, starting the next day, everyone noticed that she was different.
Despite the significant archaeological discoveries, the team had been working continuously for over a month, and despite the adrenaline rush, they were starting to feel fatigued. The number of artifacts unearthed was also quite substantial, and some teams were already preparing to leave.
It was under these circumstances that they discovered that Shen Yujiao was the opposite of everyone else. She seemed to be bewitched, immersing herself tirelessly in her research studio every day. She would study every single artifact that was excavated in detail, and the analysis reports were like essays to her. In just a few days, Zhou Wei received one report after another.
Several days later.
Looking at the neat and clean bed opposite, Li Yu finally knocked on Zhou Wei's door: "Xiao Shen hasn't come back to sleep for eight or nine days. This can't go on."
Zhou Wei looked at Li Yu for a long time, then sighed, "Do you think I didn't try to persuade her? But this child seems to be possessed, insisting on guarding that workbench. At first, I didn't want to let her have her way, but..."
As he spoke, he returned to the room, turned around, and took out a thick stack of documents bound together, handing them to Li Yu: "If you weren't so worried about her, I wouldn't have shown them to you. Just take a look yourself, and don't tell anyone what you saw."
This stack of papers seemed to be particularly troubling him. Zhou Wei sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose: "If everything in her report can be verified, then... a completely new history will unfold before the world."
Li Yu flipped through the report, her hands trembling as she read page by page: "She—she discovered all of this all by herself?"
"I was also... shocked at first."
Zhou Wei's expression became complicated. Shen Yujiao, a young girl who had just entered the legal profession, had actually discovered such important data. If the contents of these reports could be verified one by one, then this girl who transferred from the law school and became a law student halfway through her studies would become an extraordinary figure.
With her still-fresh memory, Shen Yujiao quickly recorded all the major events she had personally experienced and witnessed in chronological order. She even recalled the chapters of the "Xia Dian" she had read when she was helping Jiang Chen to present his memorial to the emperor. She wrote down as much as she could remember, and submitted anything that was relevant to this archaeological expedition to Zhou Wei. She lived in the studio almost without sleep.
As she submitted more and more materials, Zhou Wei did his best to grant her special privileges. Everyone else withdrew to leave her alone, and he even reserved the best resources for her in this project. He created a "paradise" for Shen Yujiao to study and create.
Shen Yujiao was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice when her phone ran out of battery. At first, Ms. Qiao could still contact her through Zhou Wei, but later, the more Shen Yujiao tried to recall distant memories, the less she could tolerate being disturbed. As a result, Ms. Qiao lost contact with her daughter.
No mother could bear the news of losing her daughter for so long, and Jiang Chen felt the same way.
His situation is special; he is usually unable to go out, and he has few holidays in the first half of the year. When he does have a holiday, it is only for a short day or half a day. After receiving Ms. Qiao's call, he couldn't sit still any longer. So he asked his grandfather to ask for leave on the grounds that there was something going on at home. With his grandfather's help, he got a short three-day holiday.
Although the archaeological team was located in a remote area, it was not far from Beijing. After meeting with Shen's parents, Jiang Chen drove to the construction site without stopping, arriving late at night.
Zhou Wei, along with Li Yu and others, waited at the factory gate. Even though he had picked up Shen Yujiao last time, she had just changed her major, and Zhou Wei didn't have time to learn more about her. So, when he saw the military jeep with its headlights on, it looked like a tiger pouncing on him, and Zhou Wei subconsciously backed away.
Jiang Chen was driving. Even though he was anxious, he stopped the car steadily. Zhou Wei finally breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw the car turn off. Li Yu helped him stand up straight without making a sound, and the two of them quickly went to meet him.
"Mr. Shen, Ms. Qiao, hello. I am Zhou Wei, the teacher leading Shen Yujiao's archaeological work this time."
Although he was speaking to Shen's parents, Zhou Wei's gaze was fixed on Jiang Chen. This boy had an aura that was completely different from his peers. Just by standing there, he was hard to ignore. He was imposing without being angry, calm and resolute. Looking at his overall demeanor and thinking about the military jeep, Zhou Wei guessed that this might be Shen Yujiao's brother, and probably also a soldier.
But... this aura is too strong. Even though he looks so young and handsome, he doesn't fit the image of a raw recruit at all. For some reason, Zhou Wei subconsciously thought of the phrase "young emperor" in historical records. He shook his head, trying to ignore the oppressive feeling and dispel the absurd thoughts in his mind.
"Shen Yujiao is still in the research lab. I'm sorry, but if you want to see her, you can only do so outside the door. She's recently hit a bottleneck and is going through a very stressful period. I hope we can all stay calm."
Faced with Zhou Wei's apologetic expression, the three of them, despite their anxiety, had no choice but to agree to the request. They then followed Zhou Wei to the research lab.
The sight along the way from the gate to the research room was enough to make Ms. Qiao frown. Although Shen Yujiao was not a favored daughter of heaven, she was still someone they cherished and protected from growing up. She had never let her daughter live in such a simple environment.
Before even seeing him, the mother was already feeling sorry for him.
"This is it."
Zhou Wei stepped aside, and a small glass window appeared on the door in front of them. The three of them peeked inside and saw Shen Yujiao typing rapidly on the keyboard. She would occasionally look at the manuscript on her left and occasionally grab her hair haphazardly, looking every bit like a research fanatic.
"Xiao Shen is really hardworking and dedicated; you've all seen her dedication. It's precisely because she's so committed to this project that I couldn't bear to interrupt her..."
Zhou Wei quietly guided the family members away from the doorway, explaining to the two parents, "Although she's engrossed in her research, I guarantee she'll get enough food and rest..."
Even through a door, Zhou Wei's voice was extremely low, so low that Jiang Chen could barely hear what they were talking about. Shen Yujiao was focused on the documents, while he was focused on Shen Yujiao.
Everyone thought Shen Yujiao was passionate and dedicated to archaeology, but Jiang Chen noticed something was wrong—she had clearly gone to extremes.
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