Chapter 285 Jewelry Box

Xiao Jiu observed the surrounding environment and determined that this place was remote and surrounded by piles of messy junk, so no one would come and say anything.

"I'll be there in half an hour. What illness does the old man have?"

The old lady shook her head. "It's all from being hungry. Go and come back quickly."

Xiao Jiu nodded without saying anything more, then picked up her bamboo basket and left.

After finding a secluded spot, he took out the ring and jade bracelet that the old lady had given him to examine.

The ring was clearly a men's style; it was quite thick and smoothly polished, with no decorative patterns—a simple and rugged style. Surprisingly, it didn't register anything on the electronic scale. So, after weighing a pound of other items, she added the ring to the scale and calculated it to be ten grams.

Compared to the average weight of six or seven grams in later generations, this ring is considered 'heavy'.

Then look at that jade bracelet, and use the identification method her mother taught her in her previous life.

First, it feels heavy in your hand. Under light, the jade has varying shades of color with a very natural transition.

Secondly, under the light, the bracelet's internal texture resembles a fibrous gourd, appearing very natural, clear, and translucent.

In addition, there are almost no counterfeit goods in this era; the only difference is the condition.

However, based on preliminary appraisal, even if this bracelet isn't a top-tier item, it's still quite good.

Unfortunately, in this era, food was the most expensive commodity, making it difficult to value these jewels and gold.

Upon entering the grain and oil section of the space station, she looked at the grains and, after some deliberation, began to weigh the grains wrapped in oil paper.

One packet each of ten kinds of grains: millet, brown rice, sorghum, corn grits, oats, barley, soybeans, mung beans, red beans, and buckwheat, weighing one jin (500 grams) per packet.

Five pounds of sweet potatoes, five pounds of potatoes, five pounds of cabbage, five pounds each of red and white radishes, plus a pound of salt and a pound of sugar.

When she knocked on the old lady's door with all these things on her back, the old lady reached out and pulled her inside.

By the dim light of an oil lamp, she showed the old woman the things she had brought, and the more she looked, the more alarmed she became.

"Are you sure this is something I can get in exchange for those things?"

These things Xiaojiu has collected will definitely fetch a lot of money in the future. The old couple already have a hard life, and she doesn't want to take advantage of them.

The old woman's rising intonation proved that what she had given away in the past could never have been exchanged for so many things, so she was very surprised.

Xiao Jiu didn't hide anything: "If you have any good stuff in the future, you can come to me, uh, or I can come to you."

Actually, even if you include sweet potatoes and potatoes, the grain is only about 20 jin (10 kg). If you eat it quickly, it will be gone in a week.

There seem to be a lot of different kinds of food, but they don't last long.

The old woman looked at the things at her feet and subconsciously glanced in her husband's direction. The elderly couple exchanged a look.

As if he had made up his mind, he suddenly grabbed Xiao Jiu's wrist.

With trembling lips, she asked, "Then you should have money, right? How about I trade you something?"

I want to take my old man to see a doctor. I can't live without him. If he dies, I don't want to live either.

She then began rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for something. Xiao Jiu politely turned around, and after a rustling sound, the old lady brought out a small, square box, opened it with a small key, and placed it directly into Xiao Jiu's hands.

"These are the things my mother left me with when I gave them as part of my dowry. They're all good. Take a look."

By the dim light of the oil lamp, one could make out what was inside the box by touch. First of all, the sandalwood box itself was very exquisite.

Secondly, the items displayed in the box were clearly women's jewelry, including hairpins, rings, earrings, pendant necklaces, brooches, silver bells, turquoise bracelets, and a dozen or so other items. These treasures included pearls and jade, as well as gold and silver artifacts. The box was packed full, showing that the owner had shown great sincerity.

Since they are old items, they must be genuine; the only question is how much they will be valued in the future.

After closing the box, Xiao Jiu nodded to the old man: "How much do you want?"

The old man made a rough estimate in his mind, then boldly met Xiao Jiu's gaze: "One hundred yuan, how about that?"

Xiao Jiu stared intently at her, and she lowered her head guiltily.

"I don't know how much it will cost to cure the old man's illness. If you think this isn't enough, I can..."

"Okay, one hundred yuan," he said, taking out ten ten-yuan bills from the bag he was carrying and handing them over.

"Here you go. The old man's illness really can't be delayed any longer. It's probably a lung problem. He also needs to improve his nutrition. That's all for this week. I'll come back to check on him again next week when I have some free time."

The old lady was surprised that Xiao Jiu actually had money, and that he would spend a hundred yuan right away. She was shocked and couldn't contain her excitement.

"Do you still have money and food? I'll exchange some for something next time, do you still have any?"

"We'll talk about it next time I come over. There's no rush. You should see the old man first. I'll come back next Saturday night."

The old lady seemed about to say something, but Xiao Jiu paused, then turned to look at the two elderly people.

"Have you never thought about leaving here? Take my advice: now that you've recovered your health in the last two years, why don't you leave?"

The old woman gave a bitter smile, "We don't have any letters of introduction, we can't move an inch, where can we go?"

"Go find your daughter-in-law?"

The old lady shook her head. "Forget it. They might have already remarried, taking our family fortune and our grandchildren with them."

If you can't even count on your son, how can you possibly count on your daughter-in-law?

That's something I wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Hearing this, Xiao Jiu said no more, leaving behind the words "Take care, be safe" before leaving the alley.

After returning to her space and changing her clothes, she carefully examined the contents of the box. She was utterly captivated by what she saw.

These ornaments are all exquisitely crafted treasures, showcasing the ingenuity of Chinese artisans.

Western Regions-style copper rings, Ming and Qing dynasty silver-gilt jewelry, silver-blue enamel Buddha's hand and jade earrings, Republic of China era antique silver earrings, Qing dynasty silver-inlaid jade hand mirror, a silver lock depicting a woman teaching her son, a gold-inlaid jade bow pendant necklace, a silver-gilt chain featuring a fishing dragon and carp, and a Qing dynasty rotating silver bell ornament…

Whether she knows the name or not, it's definitely worth every penny.

The sandalwood box alone, along with the small, exquisite jewelry box and copper lock on it, are not items that can be collected for a hundred dollars.

She then put the gold ring and jade bracelet she had previously kept into the jewelry box, found a clean corner, and placed them on the shelf.

This is the biggest achievement she has ever made in her life.

Because I was in a great mood, I even fried some soybean and radish balls on my social media, and then made a meatball soup with eggs and cilantro.

She fried two large basins of soybean sprout balls, a recipe she learned from her grandmother. She thought that adding soybeans to the balls made them especially flavorful and delicious.

Of course, she used short-tailed soybean sprouts prepared in the warehouse to fry them, which saved her the trouble of soaking the soybeans; she only needed to clean them.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they didn't rush back to school. Instead, they found a secluded, shady spot to hide.

Then, at six o'clock the next day, they would enter the school together with the day students.

When I was having breakfast, I brought out a lunchbox of cooled meatballs for my roommate to soak in soup.

Her roommates were no longer surprised by the delicious food she brought back from her trips.

But they were still grateful for her contributions, so a few of them chipped in to treat her to lunch.

Xiao Jiu was also quite passive in this way of returning the gift.

"No need, really no need. If I make you feel pressured every time I treat you to something to eat, then what am I?"

These were fried by my relatives. I can't finish them all myself, so you can eat them without worry.

Don't even think about treating me to dinner. Instead, spend your free time copying a couple more practice tests.

Xiao Jiu didn't want to put any pressure on anyone, especially when food was scarce.

She asked because she had the opportunity; otherwise, she certainly wouldn't have shown her face.

Good manners lead them to find ways to reciprocate, but the more they do so, the more trouble they experience, which is not what they want.

She would also indirectly feel that she had gone to unnecessary lengths.

Therefore, the best approach is to decline all their return gifts.

If you just abandon this pressure and act shamelessly, then nothing will happen.

Another week has passed in the blink of an eye. January 28th was a Saturday, and it was almost the end of the month. Xiao Jiu didn't plan to go home, as she had already told him beforehand.

After school, I first delivered the pomelos that Ye Zhen loved to eat, and then bought seven or eight sets of new stamps from her.

Now she doesn't care whether it's worth it or not; she'll buy any new version as long as it's available. After all, a single edition doesn't cost much, so she can afford it.

"Wait for me to get off work, I have something good to tell you!"

No wonder I was so happy to see her, and even said I was just about to go find her. Luckily, it wasn't long before she got off work.

Xiao Jiu simply found a place to write letters to her older brothers and sisters, and after finishing the letters, she directly affixed stamps and envelopes and mailed them out.

After finally waiting for Ye Zhen to get off work, she dragged her to the state-run restaurant.

When we arrived, we asked a relative for two bowls of shredded pork noodles and then found a corner to sit down.

Don't underestimate this little bit of shredded meat. You have to have connections to buy it. A bowl of noodles costs two ounces of grain coupons, one ounce of meat coupons, and one cent. It's not cheap at all.

Xiao Jiu took the grain coupons and meat coupons, and her older sister gave her money.

"What good news is it? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"Didn't you tell me before that you have many sisters? How are they? Can they all read and write?"

Xiao Jiu immediately realized what was going on and nodded quickly, "She can recognize characters, write them, and do arithmetic. She has already finished her primary school curriculum."

"Oh, that's fine. I have a position for a full-time post office worker here."

They asked for 500 yuan in cash plus 100 jin of grain.

Any kind of grain will do, as long as it's grain, that's the problem right now.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be here asking you to sell to me. So, are you interested?

Xiao Jiu's heart skipped a beat. "Is there an age limit? What kind of work position?"

"There is no age limit for post office sorting staff. All you need to do is have all four limbs intact and have regular facial features."

After the packages arrive, you have to sort and arrange them neatly. It's not tiring, but you absolutely have to be able to read.