Chapter 191: Inquiring

When Jiang Hai pushed open the door of the villa, his entrance immediately caught everyone's attention.

"Boss!" The cowboys and fishermen greeted him warmly with smiles. However, the eight girls were the fastest to approach him.

When they saw Jiang Hai's drenched and disheveled appearance, they paused momentarily, taken aback. Yet, they quickly brushed it off, ignoring his fishy smell, and greeted him with smiles and even hugs. Their actions relieved the other women present, who had initially been wary of the girls. It seemed they had no romantic interest in Jiang Hai after all.

In truth, the women didn't mind what kind of relationship Jiang Hai had with these girls. If he wanted to embrace them all, it would only mean he was enjoying his leisure time—and that would make them happy too.

"Uh… Hehe, hello. I've bought gifts for everyone. I'll hand them out after dinner," Jiang Hai said awkwardly. Though he knew that hugging was commonplace in America, he wasn't fully accustomed to it. His face flushed with embarrassment, especially as he stood holding the box in his hands, unable to let it go.

The box he carried was small but heavy, filled to the brim with gold coins. The doorway was narrow, and he had no choice but to accept the hugs while standing stiffly.

"Welcome back," Aphra Arnold, the leader of the girls, signed to Jiang Hai with a warm smile.

Her gaze, tender and filled with an autumn-like gentleness, made Jiang Hai shudder slightly. He quickly forced himself to dismiss any inappropriate thoughts. Turning toward Robbins, who was standing off to the side enjoying the scene, Jiang Hai called out, "Robbins, come give me a hand!"

"Alright," Robbins replied with a grin, immediately walking over.

"Edward, you too," Jiang Hai added, motioning toward Edward, who had followed him inside.

Robbins seemed a bit puzzled by the request, but Edward understood instantly. He had glimpsed inside the box earlier and knew it wasn't just seafood in there. Still, he didn't voice any objections. The three men carried the box into the cold storage room nearby.

"Boss, it's just two lobsters. You usually clean those yourself. Why the extra fuss this time?" Robbins teased, laughing as Jiang Hai opened the lid.

Cooking lobsters was straightforward, especially in America. Typically, they were either roasted or steamed. Cleaning them involved little more than brushing off the shell, splitting the back to remove any dirt, and then cooking. Steaming required slightly more effort—soaking the lobster in water mixed with sesame oil overnight to purge impurities before cooking—but most Americans avoided steaming altogether.

As for the sea cucumber and abalone in the box, they didn't seem to warrant any special attention. Americans didn't typically eat sea cucumber, and a single abalone wasn't exactly a feast.

"It's not about the seafood—it's this!" Jiang Hai said, rolling his eyes before pulling back the lid to reveal the glittering pile of gold coins beneath.

"Oh my god, is this… gold?" Robbins exclaimed, his legs nearly giving out as he dropped to his knees, overwhelmed by the sight.

"Boss, where did this come from?" Edward asked, his voice trembling as he pointed at the treasure.

"Hush. Both of you are people I trust the most, so I wanted your advice. I don't know much about these coins. Are they valuable?" Jiang Hai picked up a coin, showing it to the two men.

The gold coin was old and worn. On one side, there was a portrait of a balding man with an olive branch on his head, surrounded by the inscription "geiv 私 iide igratia". The other side bore a faded emblem, likely a crest of some sort. Jiang Hai had tried examining it earlier but couldn't make sense of it.

"I have no idea," Robbins admitted, shaking his head after inspecting the coin.

Edward took a closer look. "It… it might be an old British gold coin, but I'm not certain."

"What year is it from?" Jiang Hai asked, frowning in thought.

"We'd need a professional to verify that," Edward said, shrugging as he handed the coin back.

"Well, boss, we'll leave it to you. There's not much gold here, and if it's sold for its weight, it won't be worth much. But if these coins are antiques, they could be valuable. Take good care of them," Robbins advised.

"Got it. I'll keep them safe—and remember, don't mention this to anyone else," Jiang Hai replied with a smile, satisfied with their loyalty. As a gesture of goodwill, he handed each of them a gold coin as a souvenir.

The two men didn't refuse, tucking the coins into their pockets before leaving the room. Jiang Hai then set about cleaning the lobsters and sea cucumber for dinner. Afterward, he moved the box of gold coins to his bedroom closet on the second floor.

Later that evening, the banquet began. Everyone enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere was lively. Before they left, Jiang Hai handed out small gifts—handicrafts and souvenirs he had bought earlier. Though inexpensive, they were well-received, leaving everyone happy.

After the guests departed, only Darlene, Marian, and Jiang Hai remained. The three tidied up the house before retiring to their rooms for the night.

Lying in bed, Jiang Hai found himself unable to sleep. The thought of those gold coins gnawed at him. Eventually, he decided to call Moses Adams, his lawyer.

Fortunately, Moses hadn't gone to bed yet and answered immediately. "Hey, boss! How was your trip to China? Why are you calling so late?"

"I'm back, actually. Listen, I found some gold coins in my fishing ground. Can you help me figure out if they're valuable and when they were made?" Jiang Hai got straight to the point.

"I'm no expert on that, but send me some pictures. I'll ask a friend. Don't worry—I won't tell anyone," Moses assured him.

Jiang Hai quickly took several photos of one coin and sent them over. A short while later, Moses replied, "Boss, it looks like you've got a George III gold coin, minted in Britain around 1804. It's not too rare, but it's not common either. Each coin is worth about $400."

"Four hundred dollars?" Jiang Hai echoed, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Do you have a lot of them?" Moses asked, sensing something unusual.

"Not many—just over 400 pieces," Jiang Hai replied casually.

"That's less than $200,000, boss," Moses said, unimpressed.

"You don't get it," Jiang Hai said with a mysterious smile before hanging up. Four hundred coins might not be much, but what if there were 4,000 or even 40,000?

(To be continued...)