110: Chapter 110 Strange Dreams

Hu Tian pressed answer and put the phone to his ear, his voice still a bit raspy. "Mom."

"Hey, Xiao Tian, are you still sleeping?"

His mother, Li Meina's voice carried a familiar energy—the voice of a middle-aged woman who spoke briskly and got straight to the point.

"Just woke up,"

He propped himself up in bed and stretched his wrist. "Mom, what's up?"

"Your cousin Feifei—did you know? She got into Shanghai Media University!"

Hu Tian was startled for a moment before it registered. His cousin Cousin Zhang Fei was his maternal uncle's daughter and five years younger than him. Since she was a child, she had been the quiet, unassuming type. Her grades had always been excellent, and she had been in one of the top classes at the local county high school. Hearing that she had been accepted into Shanghai Media University wasn't exactly surprising, but he hadn't expected the news to come so suddenly.

"She got in? Shanghai Media University? Which department?"

"The Department of Journalism and Communication,"

Li Meina's tone was clearly filled with joy. "Your uncle is thrilled. He called last night to say that Feifei will be heading out at 9:00 this morning. She'll take the high-speed rail to your place first and stay with you for a night. Then tomorrow, you'll take her to report for enrollment at Shanghai Media University."

Hu Tian's brow twitched slightly. He was to take her to report for enrollment at Shanghai Media University the day after tomorrow.

He ran through his schedule in his head. He didn't have any particularly urgent plans. He intended to spend today studying the Copper Box and the silk-wrapped bundles; one day should be enough.

"Alright, I got it,"

He said, "Roughly what time will she arrive?"

"Her high-speed train is at 9:30 AM. I've calculated that she'll get to your place around one or two in the afternoon. Remember to go pick her up. Feifei hasn't traveled far before. You're her older brother, so look after her a bit more."

"Understood,"

Hu Tian responded softly. "I'll remember, and I'll be there to pick her up. Mom, don't worry."

Li Meina paused for a second, then her tone shifted, taking on a bit of a nagging quality. "How have you been lately? You're out there all alone—are you eating well? Don't be like before with your irregular meals. Your stomach—"

"Mom,"

Hu Tian hurriedly interrupted. If he didn't, he'd have to listen to his mother's nagging for a long time. "I'm twenty-five years old. I'm eating quite well, so please don't worry."

"What do you mean 'quite well'? Can food from outside be as good as home-cooked meals?"

"It really is good,"

Hu Tian paused. "I bought a house here. It has a kitchen, so I can cook for myself instead of just making do with whatever's outside."

"You bought a house?!"

Li Meina's voice rose significantly. "Where? How big? How much did it cost? Where did you get the money to buy a house?"

Hu Tian had long expected this string of questions. He hadn't specifically told his family about buying the villa. For one, he didn't want them to worry, and for another, he felt the time wasn't right. But now that his cousin was coming, he had to make things clear sooner or later.

He explained the general situation—that it was in Binhai, a detached house, and said a friend had helped him find it. He didn't give the exact price, reporting it as a bit lower than it actually was. After listening, his mother was quiet for a few seconds before sighing. "What are you doing living in such a big place all by yourself? There's no one to help you tidy up."

Hu Tian gave a slight chuckle. "As long as it's enough to live in."

"I won't ask too much about your business,"

His mother's tone returned to normal. "But regarding Feifei, pay attention. She's been introverted since she was a child. This is her first time traveling so far, so take good care of her and don't let her wander off alone."

"I know, Mom."

"Alright then, I'm hanging up. Go get ready so Feifei has a place to sleep when she arrives."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Hu Tian placed his phone on the nightstand and sat still, organizing the situation in his mind.

His cousin Cousin Zhang Fei was a quiet girl in his memory. He had seen her many times when they were little. During family gatherings for the holidays, she would sit in a corner, holding a book or burying her head in her food. She didn't talk much, but her eyes were bright and she was very independent—not the type who needed to be coddled.

Later, as they grew older, they saw each other less. About a year ago during the Lunar New Year, they met once in their hometown. At that time, she had just started her senior year of high school. She wore her hair in a ponytail and was quiet and polite. She called him 'Brother' and then went to greet the adults.

He hadn't seen her since then.

Getting into the Department of Journalism and Communication at Shanghai Media University fit his impression of her. With that quiet nature of hers, she didn't seem like someone who liked to show off, yet she chose this major. It was quite interesting.

He got out of bed and pulled open the curtains. The sunlight was already out. The Binhai morning carried the salty scent of the sea breeze, which seeped in through the cracks in the window. He estimated the time and glanced at his phone; it was almost nine o'clock.

He washed up, went downstairs, rummaged through the kitchen, and made a simple breakfast: two eggs, a bowl of soaked white fungus with a bit of honey, and two toasted slices of bread. He made do with that, at least putting something in his stomach.

While eating breakfast, he casually dialed Zhou Waner's number.

She picked up after two rings. A faint background noise came from her end, like the sound of wind; she was likely outside.

"You're up?"

Zhou Waner's voice sounded a bit languid but awake. "I thought you'd sleep until noon today."

"I don't have that much sleep in me,"

Hu Tian took a bite of bread. "Where are you?"

"Downstairs, buying breakfast,"

She paused. "Have you eaten?"

"Eating now. Made it myself."

"Oh?"

Her tone carried a hint of teasing. "So diligent today?"

Hu Tian didn't take the bait and sent a spoonful of white fungus into his mouth. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Okay, but I had a strange dream,"

Zhou Waner said, "I dreamed I was in a very deep place, surrounded by water. Then you suddenly popped out of the water, holding a jar, and said to me, 'Waner, look, this is valuable.'"

Hu Tian laughed. "That's actually quite accurate."

"Accurate my foot,"

She laughed too. "It gave me a fright. My heart was racing when I woke up."

The two of them chatted idly like this. Zhou Waner finished buying breakfast and went back upstairs, and the background noise in her voice changed to a quiet indoor setting. She spoke while eating, the occasional sound of chopsticks hitting the bowl audible. Hu Tian wasn't in a rush to hang up either; he finished the rest of his eggs, pushed the bowl aside, and leaned against the back of his chair to listen to her talk.

Eventually, Zhou Waner asked, "What are your plans for today?"

"I've got a few things,"

Hu Tian thought for a moment. "This morning, I'm going to clean up the items I brought back from Donghu Island. That batch of stuff has been piled up without being organized. I need to take a good look at it."

"The batch from Donghu Island?"

Zhou Waner's voice took on a serious note. "Is there anything good in there?"

"Quite a bit,"

He said, "I haven't looked at the specifics in detail yet. The situation was tight at the time, so I just took everything I could and set it aside once I got back. I need to make time today to go through it all, categorize it, and see what needs to be dealt with and what to keep."

"That sounds like a lot,"

Zhou Waner said, "Pity I have classes these few days, otherwise I could come and help you."

"No need,"

Hu Tian said, "You focus on your work. I can do this myself. It's not heavy labor, just a bit tiring for the eyes."

"Alright, do it yourself then,"

She paused. "What about the afternoon?"

"Something came up for the afternoon,"

Hu Tian said, "My cousin is coming to Binhai today. She got into Shanghai Media University, and since it's time for new students to report, my mom called just now and asked me to pick her up. She's leaving at 9:30 this morning, so calculating the time, she should arrive around one or two in the afternoon."

"Oh, your cousin,"

Zhou Waner's tone carried a bit of curiosity. "How old is she?"

"She's just starting her freshman year, so she's quite a bit younger than me,"

He said, "Her name is Cousin Zhang Fei. She's been quiet since she was little—the type who doesn't like to talk much."

"That's nice,"

Zhou Waner said, "Binhai isn't far from Shanghai either—only a few dozen kilometers away. Once you pass Sheshan, you enter the Shanghai city area. Having a relative like you here will give her someone to look after her, which will surely put her family at ease."

"That's the idea."

The two spoke for a few more minutes before Zhou Waner said she had to get ready to head out for class. Hu Tian didn't keep her. "Alright, go do your thing. Let's get in touch tonight if you're free."

"Mm, go pick up your cousin and don't be late,"

She said, "It's her first time here; don't make her wait for you."

"I know,"

He said, "Hanging up."

"Bye."

The call ended. Hu Tian set his phone on the table, gathered the dishes into the sink, gave them a quick rinse, and dried his hands.

He went to the underground collection room and organized his things. He kept the Copper Box and the silk-wrapped bundles in his space in mind, along with those ceramics and fragments. He had to start researching and cleaning them for preservation today.

He first took out the Copper Box from the System Space and placed it on the workbench in the collection room.

The surface of the Copper Box was covered in a dull oxidation layer. There were several small dents on the corners, and after many years, there was a slight warping between the lid and the body, but the overall structure was still relatively intact.

Hu Tian didn't rush to open it. He cleared the workbench, spread out a layer of anti-static soft cloth, adjusted the lighting to its brightest, and set up the magnifying glass stand.

The Preservative Liquid was his own recipe. The base was anhydrous ethanol with a certain proportion of B72 Resin solution, then mixed with a small amount of distilled water. He had adjusted the proportions based on different materials. For fabric-based artifacts made of organic matter, the ethanol concentration had to be controlled below seventy percent; too high a concentration would cause the fibers to dehydrate rapidly, leading to secondary damage.

He poured the prepared solution into a small spray bottle and gave the exterior of the Copper Box an even coating. He used a cotton swab to work it along the seams, slightly moistening the oxidation layer to prevent debris from flaking off during subsequent operations.

Regarding the System Space, Hu Tian took out the six rolls of cloth bundles one by one and arranged them on the soft cloth.

Each roll was wrapped in layers of cloth. The outermost layer was already brittle and hardened, its color a deep black. With a light touch, his fingertips could feel a texture that seemed ready to crumble at any moment.

He didn't move them directly. First, he used the spray bottle to treat the six rolls in sequence. His movements were slow as he pressed the nozzle to ensure the mist was fine and even, preventing excessive liquid penetration.

After spraying, he gathered the six rolls again and placed them one by one into the Constant Temperature Evaporation Box.

He had specifically bought this box for the moisture control of cultural relics. The inner walls had a sensor layer that could precisely control temperature and humidity. Based on the standard parameters for fabric artifacts, he set the temperature to sixteen degrees Celsius and locked the humidity at fifty-five percent. He set the evaporation time for forty minutes, allowing the Preservative Liquid to slowly seep into the fibers in a stable environment, serving the dual purpose of softening and solidifying.

The Copper Box was also placed inside.

He closed the box door and glanced at the countdown. Forty minutes was just enough time for him to prepare the Preservative Liquid mixture for cleaning the ceramics.

Hu Tian walked to the other end of the workbench, which was specifically reserved for preparing reagents. A row of labeled reagent bottles sat on the table, and against the wall was a simple storage rack he had made himself. Various chemicals and auxiliary materials were arranged in layers, organized very methodically, with each bottle bearing his handwritten labels.