Chapter 300: Antiques Can Be Collected

After Xiao Jiu found out the price, the guy named He Yuan changed his attitude completely and squeezed over with a fawning smile to ask.

Do you have any food?

Xiao Jiu shook her head. "I told you, I'm just a student. I have no food."

He Yuan persisted: "So you have connections?"

Xiao Jiu glanced at him, and in that one glance, He Yuan caught something and excitedly grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey... watch your hands! Where are you putting them?!"

He Yuan seemed to have touched a hot potato, so he quickly withdrew his hand and looked at Xiao Jiu with a grin.

"You really have connections, don't you? Please, I have a baby sister who's only a few months old and needs to be raised!"

Xiao Jiu scrutinized him, and he immediately raised his hand to assure her: "My brother Tao is a decent person with a respectable job, honest and trustworthy!"

Is it safe around here after dark?

He Yuan shook his head. "Those bastards probably came with those old women. If you really want to trade with us, I can give you an address."

Xiao Jiu immediately took out a notebook and handed it over. When He Yuan awkwardly scratched his head, she remembered and quickly asked.

"You tell me, and I'll write it down."

Then an address was read out, and it turned out that it wasn't far from Liuxiang, where the Weng family lived, only about ten minutes away.

He then agreed to the deal: "I'll take some time tonight to deliver something over there. I only trust you. You'll have to wait for me there around eight o'clock."

Finally, he added, "It doesn't necessarily have to be money. I also want things like calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver, and jade."

He Yuan's eyes lit up instantly: "You mean you collect these old items too? How do you determine the price?"

"I will assess the price, and you can estimate the amount yourselves. If I agree, the transaction is complete."

"Okay, I'll go find Brother Tao in a bit and explain your requirements."

...

The two waited until it got dark and the soot on their faces became less noticeable before parting ways.

Fortunately, she and Tang Cuiju entered the courtyard one after the other, and Xiaojiu took out ten pumpkin buns that she had steamed in the space earlier.

"Sister, let's boil some water and make a bowl of oil tea tonight."

There's fermented bean curd and watermelon sauce; just put whichever you want inside this hot steamed bun, right?

"Where did you buy these steamed buns? They don't look like they're from a state-run restaurant!"

Her cooking skills were mediocre, so the steamed buns she made still had bits of baking soda that hadn't been kneaded properly, and they weren't smooth enough.

Because of the addition of pumpkin and baking soda, the steamed buns turned yellow, and you could still taste the unique sweetness of pumpkin in the aftertaste. The taste wasn't bad.

Xiao Jiu grinned and said, "I made it myself."

As for when it was done, Tang Cuiju didn't ask, but she praised her younger sister highly.

"It tastes delicious! Did you add sugar?"

"No, this pumpkin is sweeter."

"Then I'll have to eat two more."

These palm-sized steamed buns were much more substantial than the ones you buy in later generations; the two sisters each ate two and were full.

The oil tea is salty, fragrant, and hot; after drinking a bowl, you feel completely comfortable.

After finishing her meal, she checked the time and realized it was almost seven o'clock. She still needed to organize the goods, so she called out to Tang Cuiju.

"I have to go out for a bit, sis. Could you drop me off at the alley entrance and pick me up there at nine o'clock?"

Tang Cuiju opened her mouth, but ultimately chose not to ask anything. She obediently escorted Xiaojiu to the alley entrance and watched her leave. Then, holding the flashlight Xiaojiu had given her, she thoughtfully looked back several times.

What's that child up to again? I'm so curious about her.

Xiao Jiu found a secluded spot and entered her spatial dimension. Looking at her warehouse, she first sorted out ten bags of buckwheat, each weighing one pound.

Next came soybeans, millet, wheat flour, and white rice, all weighing the same weight. After fifty jin of grain were packed, they were placed in a basket on his back.

According to He Yuan's previous quote, buckwheat is three yuan per jin, so ten jin would cost thirty yuan.

Ten pounds of soybeans, at five yuan per pound, that's fifty yuan.

Ten jin of millet, given the quality of her millet, should be worth at least eight yuan, so this is eighty yuan.

Twenty jin of white rice and white flour, at ten yuan per jin, that's two hundred yuan.

She can sell a mere fifty catties of grain for three hundred and sixty yuan? Even after deducting the middleman's costs, it should still be worth three hundred yuan, right?

You don't know until you calculate it, and you're shocked when you do. It even gives you the feeling of profiting from a national disaster.

She frowned, pondering whether or not she should earn this money.

But if she doesn't make a profit, it will benefit the middlemen and not the people who actually buy the grain.

How could those who can afford to buy expensive grain be the ones who truly need help?

When it was almost time, Xiao Jiu carried her basket and went to the address.

This is a detached mud-brick and tile house in the alley behind the primary school.

She knocked on the door, and He Yuan's familiar voice came from inside, "It's me."

Xiao Jiu lowered her voice, and He Yuan immediately opened the door, stepped aside to let her in, and helped her unload the basket.

He Yuan's face lit up with joy as he lifted the basket on his back.

Xiao Jiu looked around the yard. There were three rooms, a shed in the corner for cooking, and neatly stacked firewood next to it.

The yard has been used to grow vegetables in every available space. Although it is empty now, you can see the owner's care.

In the corner behind the house, I also saw an outhouse and rows of sheds where coal briquettes and other miscellaneous items were stored.

Following He Yuan into the main room, a tall, square-faced, middle-aged man of about forty years old came out to greet them.

You can tell from his weathered face that he is a hardworking and resilient person.

"This is Brother Tao. Brother Tao, and this is the little girl I know. Just call her Xiao Jiu."

"Little Nine? Could it be that you're the ninth child in your family?"

Xiao Jiu replied with a smile, "Yes, there are a lot of older brothers and sisters upstairs. This yard is really well-maintained."

"Hey, I don't have time. My mom and wife come over to tidy up whenever they have free time. They brought all the stuff with them."

He Yuan popped up at the opportune moment and nodded vigorously, "Brother, I checked, it's all grain. Is this bag one jin (500 grams)?"

Xiao Jiu nodded, "They weighed it all out: ten catties of buckwheat, ten catties of millet, ten catties of soybeans, ten catties of white rice and white flour, a total of fifty catties. You can weigh it again."

Tao Tao waved for He Yuan to reweigh the items, while he gestured for Xiao Jiu to sit down and poured her a glass of warm water.

Looking at Xiao Jiu from head to toe with the eyes of an elder doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, just a little awkward.

How old are you?

It's already October 1st.

"I heard from A-Yuan that you collect antiques?"

"If you have any, you can collect some as well."

"Brother, the weight is correct."

After weighing the scales again, He Yuan came over to report to Tao Tao.

Tao Tao took out a child's notebook and pencil and wrote down the price for Xiao Jiu to see.

"Buckwheat sells for three yuan a pound, but I buy it for two yuan and fifty cents a pound, making a profit of fifty cents per pound from you."

Your soybeans are of good quality; they can sell for six yuan each, but I'll buy them for five yuan each.

The millet is free of any pebbles, and the color looks just right. It can sell for eight yuan, but I'll buy it for seven.

And the white rice and white flour are also top-quality; I'll give them to you for nine yuan and fifty cents, how about that?