A man in Dalian, Liaoning Province, has successfully recovered 82,000 yuan after bank staff spent two days salvaging 100,000 yuan in cash that was severely damaged by rain and mould.
According to Peninsula Morning Post, Mr Cui had left 100,000 yuan (about RM60,200) in emergency cash on the balcony of his home before leaving on a business trip about two weeks ago.
He accidentally left the window open, allowing repeated heavy rain to soak the banknotes. Afterward, the cash was exposed to intense sunlight, causing the notes to become mouldy and stick together in solid blocks.
When Mr Cui returned home, he discovered the money had been badly damaged and feared it could no longer be exchanged.
On July 23, he sought help from a local bank, where staff immediately activated an emergency response and assigned a team to restore and verify the damaged notes.
Bank employees said the process was far more difficult than expected because the soaked banknotes had hardened into clumps that could not be separated with tweezers without causing further damage.
After discussing the best approach, the team decided to first humidify and soften the notes, allow them to air-dry naturally, and then examine their security features before determining their value.
In the end, six bank employees worked in shifts for two days, spending more than seven hours each day, and successfully recovered 82,000 yuan (approximately RM49,400) for Mr Cui.
