Yuan Ni frowned in thought, trying several times in succession. Finally, she held the silver dollar in her left hand, and her left hand suddenly grew hot.
So that was it. Yuan Ni’s tightly knit brows relaxed. This meant her right hand could authenticate antiques, while her left hand could authenticate gold and silver.
Once she had confirmed her Special Ability, Yuan Ni finally took a careful look at the silver dollar.
Unexpectedly, this was no ordinary silver dollar—it was a Yuan Datou in the finest condition, worth far more than a regular one.
These days, people could barely fill their stomachs, and no one was buying antiques. A blue-and-white porcelain teapot was useless, but gold, silver, and old coins still had buyers.
Yuan Ni’s plan was to exchange the silver dollar for cash.
From the village to the Gongshe was a half-hour walk. Yuan Ni hurried along as fast as she could, and by the time the sun had just reached the treetops, she finally arrived.
The Gongshe had only one main street, and the Gongxiaoshe sat right at the bustling Da Shizi.
The place was crowded with passersby, mostly government workers. Yuan Ni didn’t dare linger. She only glanced at the Gongxiaoshe before slipping into the alley beside it.
This alley was called Shuncheng Lane, and the legendary black market was said to be here.
Perhaps she had come too early—there were few people in Shuncheng Lane, and the occasional passerby hurried by, clearly just cutting through.
The further Yuan Ni walked, the more anxious she grew. Maybe she had been wrong—perhaps no one collected silver dollars these days at all?
Just as she was about to reach the end of the alley, a short man suddenly caught up to her. “Little miss, are you looking to buy something or sell something?”
Yuan Ni glanced at the short man. He had a shifty look, with a large mole at the corner of his mouth—he didn’t seem like a trustworthy sort.
She clutched her pocket and walked away. Even if she was desperate for money, she wouldn’t dare do business with someone like him. What if he tried to pull a fast one and swindle her silver dollar?
She walked out of the alley entrance and spotted a green post office across the street. Yuan Ni’s eyes lit up.
Why?
Well, you see, collectors in these times loved to hang around post offices.
Many stamp enthusiasts had been collecting stamps since the fifties and sixties. Even the tense atmosphere of recent years couldn’t dampen their passion for collecting. These people weren’t just knowledgeable—they also had money.
There were only a few people in the post office. After strolling around once, Yuan Ni quickly spotted the person she was looking for.
It was an old man wearing a pair of reading glasses, sitting on a bench in the corner of the post office. He wasn’t sending letters or parcels—he just sat there, looking utterly relaxed.
If she guessed correctly, this old man was waiting for someone to come in with parcels.
If you wanted to find high-value stamps these days, you had to look on parcels.
The heavier the parcel, the more stamps it carried, and the greater the chance of finding a rare one.
She quietly walked over, flashed the silver dollar in her palm at the old man, and then left the post office.
Of course, this move was risky, but Yuan Ni had already planned it out—if the old man made a fuss, she’d take off running.
As it turned out, the risk was well worth it. The old man quietly followed her out.
“Comrade, please walk a little slower. Could you let me have another look at that thing?”
Yuan Ni beckoned him to stand under a big tree, and like spies making contact, she discreetly revealed the silver dollar for the old man to examine closely.
“Oh my, 1916… This is a Hongxian Flying Dragon coin.”
The bespectacled old man knew his stuff, identifying the origin of this Yuan Datou in a single sentence.
This Yuan Datou was no ordinary silver dollar. It was specially minted to commemorate Yuan Shikai’s ascension to the throne, hence its other name: the Hongxian Flying Dragon coin. In terms of collectible value alone, it was worth more than a hundred times an ordinary silver dollar.
That was why Yuan Ni preferred coming to the post office to find a collector rather than seeking buyers at the black market. Collectors respected history and wouldn’t arbitrarily lowball prices. Black market dealers, on the other hand, were just the opposite—they would always try to drive the price down.
“Your eyes are sharp, old man. This is indeed a Flying Dragon coin. If you can give me twenty, it’s yours.”
At the time, silver dollars on the market went for about five yuan apiece, but a Flying Dragon coin was no ordinary silver dollar. Never mind twenty—even a hundred would be a fair price. Years later, Flying Dragon coins would fetch millions at auction, making them the most valuable of all silver dollars.
The problem was that ordinary people didn’t have that much money. A regular worker’s monthly wage was only thirty or forty yuan. After food and daily expenses, there was hardly anything left over. Saving up twenty would take several months.
The old man rubbed his hands anxiously. “Twenty is a fair price, but the thing is, I don’t have that much cash on me. Would fifteen do?”
In this small town, anyone willing to pay ten was already a sincere buyer. And with the ability to appraise antiques, he’d never lack for better acquisitions. Yuan Ni simply nodded. “Fine. Cash in hand, goods in hand.”
The old man had been squatting at the post office specifically to buy stamps off people’s parcels, so he carried money on him. He pulled out a handkerchief bundle from his chest—inside were bills of various denominations, totaling exactly fifteen yuan.
Money received, Yuan Ni handed the silver dollar to the old man without hesitation and turned to leave.
She needed to get back to the village as quickly as possible—her mother was waiting for the money to save her life.
Passing by the state-run restaurant, she noticed steaming bamboo steamers set out at the entrance, filled with fragrant meat buns.
Yuan Ni’s stomach growled with hunger, and she couldn’t help stopping to ask the price.
“Five fen each, plus one liang of grain coupons.”
“What if I don’t have grain coupons?”
“Ten fen each then.”
Yuan Ni spent fifty fen to buy five big meat buns. She’d been busy all day—if she didn’t eat soon, her small frame wouldn’t hold up.
The meat buns were absolutely delicious—snow-white fluffy wrappers, fragrant meat filling, and with each bite, sweet savory juices flowed down her throat.
Yuan Ni wolfed down three in a row, then wrapped the remaining two in oil paper and tucked them into her shabby bag, planning to bring them back for her younger sisters.
By the time Yuan Ni returned to the village, her sisters were beside themselves with worry.
“Sis, you’re finally back. Mama’s fever has spiked again.” Zhaodie’s lips were chapped from anxiety.
Like a little adult, she had wet a cloth and was applying it to their mother’s forehead.
Pandi, still young, sat nearby with a worried frown—at least she wasn’t crying.
Yuan Ni took out the buns and gave one to each of her younger sisters. “Eat up. Once you’re full, listen to my arrangements.”
“Meat buns?”
“Meat?”
Zhaodie and Pandie had no idea how long it had been since they’d last seen meat. Without needing Yuan Ni to urge them, they quickly finished the buns.
“Zhaodie, go find Old Captain. Tell him we need to take Mama to see a doctor and need to use the brigade’s tractor.”
The brigade’s tractor was a gas guzzler, mainly used for production. But in urgent situations like a member’s illness or death, it could still be called upon for help.
Old Captain was reliable—before long, Zhaodie had brought him back.
By this time, Yuan Ni’s mother was burning with fever, her face flushed crimson, and she had begun to mutter deliriously.
Seeing her miserable state, the Old Captain no longer felt that Yuan the Second had been wronged. Beating a sister-in-law like this—was there no justice left in the world?
“What a tragedy. Yuan Ni, your mother’s condition really requires hospitalization, but do you have the money?”
“I have money—I borrowed some.”
The Old Captain didn’t press further. The fact that Yuan Ni hadn’t asked him for a loan already showed she was a resourceful child. “Alright then, you go with her to the Gongshe hospital. As for Zhaodie and Pandi, they can stay at my place for now, and your aunt will look after them.”
Zhaodie was twelve, and Pandi was only seven. Taking such young children to the Gongshe would only be a burden, so it was safer to leave them at the Old Captain’s house.
And so they bustled about, working until dark before finally getting Yuan Ni’s Mother to the Gongshe hospital.
“A hairline fracture—she’ll need to be hospitalized for treatment,” the doctor concluded after an examination.
After paying a ten-yuan deposit, they successfully completed the admission procedures.
Yuan Ni’s Mother was taken into the emergency room.
The Old Captain looked around and decided to stay the night before leaving. “Yuan Ni, we don’t know your mother’s condition yet. Let’s wait a bit before heading back.”
Yuan Ni was deeply moved, and at the same time, even more disappointed in the Yuan family. An outsider was willing to lend a helping hand to her and her mother, yet her own father, Yuan the Eldest, was so cold and heartless.
Fortunately, after emergency treatment, Yuan Ni’s Mother finally pulled through the danger.
When she slowly regained consciousness, it was already two in the morning. Upon learning she had been hospitalized, Yuan Ni’s Mother’s eyes went wide and blank. Heavens, how much would this cost?
A nurse wheeled Yuan Ni’s Mother into the ward on a gurney, gave a few instructions, and then left.
It was a six-bed ward—what people commonly called the big ward. Two patients were already there, both seemingly fast asleep.
Yuan Ni’s Mother touched the cast on her body, feeling extremely anxious. “Ni, I don’t want to stay in the hospital. Staying here costs money—where would we get that kind of money?”
“Your injury requires hospitalization. Don’t worry, I have money on hand.”
“What’s all this noise about? Can’t you let people sleep? Country folk are always making a fuss.” A voice suddenly cut in, startling both Yuan Ni and her mother.