Ruirui and Shushu made several trips back and forth before finally moving all the items Chu Ye had prepared back to the farm.
Fang Jinzhu crouched down to take a rough look.
Whether it was the calligraphy and paintings, flowerpots, or bowls and plates, none were particularly exquisite, yet they all exuded a strong sense of ancient charm.
Unfortunately, Fang Jinzhu knew nothing about antiques and had no idea whether these items from the unheard-of Tangwu Dynasty were valuable or not.
But both she and the General's Mansion were currently in dire straits with no other options. Even if her plan failed, the worst-case scenario would simply be following the original course—she would be saddled with massive debt, and Beiliao City would fall.
Fang Jinzhu had always been someone who refused to accept fate as long as she still had a breath left in her.
"Ruirui, Shushu, do you want to eat your fill every day?"
Fang Jinzhu gathered her thoughts before turning to the two little ones, her eyes filled with a determined, all-or-nothing resolve. "Do you want everyone in the General's Mansion and Bei Liao to have enough to eat?"
Though confusion lingered in Ruirui and Shushu’s eyes, they understood the words "eat your fill" and nodded eagerly. "Yes!"
"Good. Sister has a difficult task for you…"
Fang Jinzhu’s gaze grew solemn. "Ruirui, Shushu, only the two of you can move freely between Sister’s home and the General's Mansion. So, Shushu will stay with Sister for now, and Ruirui, you must return to the General's Mansion first…"
"If your uncle or I have any messages, you’ll need to deliver them for us. Understand?"
Hearing they would have to separate, Ruirui and Shushu exchanged glances, their big eyes filled with reluctance and fear for each other.
But then Ruirui patted Shushu’s head. "Don’t be scared, little sister. Uncle is the Great General, and we… we have to become as strong as Uncle, right!"
"Mhm!"
Shushu nodded vigorously. "Shushu wants to be a general too!"
"Good girl. We… we’ll listen to Sister!!"
"Mhm, listen to Sister!!"
Seeing this, Fang Jinzhu’s heart melted, and the conviction in her mind grew even stronger.
Man proposes, Heaven disposes.
This time, she was going all out!!
After returning to the dormitory, Fang Jinzhu didn’t rush into anything immediately. Instead, she turned on the shower, intending to give Shushu a bath and wash her hair.
The little girl’s clothes were thick and dirty. Though autumn had already begun, some lingering summer heat remained, and she was worried the child might overheat.
Throughout the bath, Shushu’s big eyes stayed wide open, and her little mouth kept letting out gasps of "wow" and "ooh."
Wow, Sister has magic—she can make it rain!!
Wow, the bubbles that appear in Sister’s hands smell so good!!!
Ooh, Shushu is so clean and smells so nice now!!
Without any children’s clothes, Fang Jinzhu dressed Shushu in one of her own short-sleeved shirts.
Surprisingly, it reached just to Shushu’s ankles, giving it the look of a casual dress.
Once cleaned up and neatly dressed, Shushu seemed like a different child.
Though still just as thin, with a slightly sallow complexion from malnutrition, her delicate features were doll-like, making it easy to overlook these minor flaws.
Especially her eyes—clear as if washed with water, radiating a well-behaved liveliness that made anyone who saw them instantly fond of her.
In ancient times, people didn’t cut their hair. At just three years old, Shushu’s hair was already nearly waist-length, fine, soft, and slightly yellowish, cascading down her back and adding an extra touch of gentleness and quietness to her already well-behaved demeanor.
Even Fang Jinzhu, who wasn’t usually one to focus on appearances, couldn’t help but marvel. She took advantage of drying Shushu’s hair to ruffle it affectionately several times.
After getting Shushu tidied up, Fang Jinzhu began racing against the clock.
She brought Shushu to the office, set up an animated show on her phone for Shushu to watch by herself, then plopped down in front of the computer and started searching for channels to sell antiques.
In this era, everyone was practically an internet addict. Plus, Fang Jinzhu had chosen her keywords precisely, so after just a few searches, she found the information she wanted.
There were three channels to sell the items sent from the General's Mansion.
Antique shops, auction houses, or posting photos of the antiques herself on an antique trading platform to wait for buyers.
The latter two had too long of a transaction cycle, and she couldn’t afford to wait right now. She could only choose antique shops, where money and goods could be exchanged on the spot.
It took quite some effort before she found out that there was a Red Star Secondhand Market in the east of Ancheng, which mentioned having antique shops.
Having never dealt with this before and afraid of being scammed, Fang Jinzhu gritted her teeth and spent another hour roughly learning some basic knowledge and professional terminology about antiques.
She also searched on a certain social media platform for tips on avoiding pitfalls and negotiation techniques when selling antiques.
"Shushu, let's go!!"
By the time the preparations were done, it was already 1 p.m. She didn’t even have time for lunch. After selecting what she thought was a valuable calligraphy and painting and wrapping it up, Fang Jinzhu snapped Shushu out of her mesmerized state, completely absorbed in the animated show, and prepared to head into the city.
After all, these were ancient artifacts. Bringing too many might attract unwanted attention, so she decided to go and test the waters first.
Just as she stepped out the door, she thought for a moment, turned back, and picked out a bowl with carved patterns around the base from the pile of antiques, wrapped it up, and stuffed it into her bag.
She didn’t know whether the calligraphy and painting or the carved bowl was more valuable, so she decided to bring a bit more.
Sitting in the only asset left by her parents—a dilapidated, nearly scrapped Wuling Mini Truck—Fang Jinzhu felt incredibly content.
At least it was a four-wheeled vehicle that gave her the freedom to come and go. Otherwise, she’d have to walk several kilometers to catch a bus, then transfer to another bus to get into the city.
If she had to go through all that hassle, the opportunity would have long passed.
The journey into the city was naturally filled with Shushu’s exclamations.
So fast, the Iron Horse!!
Wow, so many Iron Horses!!!
Wow wow wow, such tall, tall buildings!!!
Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!!
Fang Jinzhu drove for an hour and a half, and Shushu exclaimed in amazement the entire time.
As they approached the secondhand market, she repeatedly reminded Shushu that no matter what strange things she saw later, she had to hold back and not speak carelessly.
With such a lively little antique by her side, she was afraid that if Shushu opened her mouth, it might attract trouble!!
It wasn’t that she thought Shushu would cause trouble, but she couldn’t afford to waste even a second on trivial matters or unexpected incidents.
Although her family wasn’t exactly wealthy in the past, Fang Jinzhu had never wanted for food or clothing. Before today, she didn’t even know there was a secondhand market in Ancheng, let alone that there were antique shops inside.
After parking the Wuling Mini Truck in the market’s outdoor parking lot, Fang Jinzhu took Shushu’s hand and entered the market.
Classical furniture, modern collectibles, stone carvings, antique-style restaurants, handmade collectible accessories from street vendors, and all kinds of quaint shops…
The dazzling visual impact made Fang Jinzhu feel as if she had traveled through time.
The streets were relatively spacious, and the flow of people wasn’t too chaotic.
About two hundred meters into the market, Fang Jinzhu spotted the first antique shop.
Treasure Gathering Antique Shop.
The storefront had a classical charm, with traditional Chinese-style antique doors wide open, allowing a clear view of the various antiques inside.
Fang Jinzhu took a deep, silent breath, waiting for the tense urgency around her to ease before stepping into the shop.
Once inside, she didn’t look directly at the counter where transactions were handled but instead clasped her hands behind her back, feigning interest in a row of display cases filled with antique ornaments and curios.
In truth, her peripheral vision had already taken in the person at the counter.
It was an elderly man wearing round spectacles with chain ear pieces, dressed in a blue-gray long gown and a skullcap.
If not for the bustling traffic outside, Fang Jinzhu might have thought she had traveled back to the Qing dynasty.