Chapter 16

Scrap Yard Treasure Hunt 2

To be safe,

Tie Lanyan first put the copper kettle into her space, then used her consciousness to operate within it.

Soon, the copper kettle opened.

As soon as it opened, the contents almost blinded her.

My goodness! It was filled with gold ingots! There were 200 of them!

No wonder this copper kettle was so heavy.

The small gold bars (gold ingots) from the Republic of China period were all one tael each, weighing 31.25 grams.

200 of them would be 6250 grams.

The price of gold has been rising year after year in modern times, reaching a peak of 800 yuan per gram, with an average price fluctuating around 700 yuan per gram.

If we calculate based on the average price, 6250 grams of gold would be over 4 million yuan!

Haha, I’m rich! I’m rich!

What a pleasant surprise!

The period scrap yard didn’t lie to me!

Tie Lanyan was so excited, she jumped up and down twice.

Tie Lanyan glanced at it.

Hmm, it was some learning materials.

Wait! Look again!

My goodness, it was a set of “Self-Study Series of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry”!

It included “Algebra”, “Physics”, “Chemistry”, “Plane Geometry”, and so on, a total of 17 volumes.

After the resumption of the college entrance examination in 1977, this set of materials became the most popular learning materials.

Many people couldn’t even get a copy even if they rushed to the Xinhua Bookstore at night, it was in high demand.

Unexpectedly, she stumbled upon it now, she had to collect it!

She would be taking the college entrance examination in the future, so she could study in her space from time to time.

Tie Lanyan put the set of books into the gray cloth bag she had earlier and carried it out.

The old man guarding the gate saw it and asked, “What are you carrying?”

Tie Lanyan opened the cloth bag for him to see and replied in a low voice:

“Grandpa, it’s a set of learning materials, my daughter is in high school, I want to take it home for her to study.”

The gatekeeper was puffing away at his pipe.

Hearing this, he nodded:

“Hmm, I didn’t expect you to be as black as coal, but you’re quite enlightened.”

Tie Lanyan, disguised as a black-faced woman: ……

No, was the old man praising her or scolding her?

In the end, Tie Lanyan paid 5 cents symbolically and happily carried the set of books away.

Today’s harvest was quite abundant, I’m happy.

Keep working hard!

……

Tie Lanyan had just arrived home when her neighbor…

Aunt Ma came knocking on the door.

“Lanyan, you’re back. Want to come over for dinner?”

Aunt Ma’s face was full of warmth.

Tie Lanyan: “Aunt Ma, no need. I’ll just cook something simple, don’t bother yourself.”

She was planning on making roast duck for lunch today, she’d been looking forward to it!

Aunt Ma: “Nonsense, you’re being too polite with your aunt. Your brother Jian is here too, I’ve made a whole table of delicious food.”

Tie Lanyan: “Really, no need.”

What delicious food could compare to roast duck? She was already craving it.

Seeing Tie Lanyan decline again, the smile on Aunt Ma’s face faded.

“Alright, you go ahead and get busy then, your aunt won’t bother you anymore.”

With that, she turned and left.

Tie Lanyan didn’t think much of it, closed the door and entered her space.

“Quack quack quack～”

In the space, on the lush green grass.

A fat male duck was waddling forward.

Seeing this astonishing sight, Tie Lanyan raised an eyebrow.

The chicks and ducklings must be treating the male duck as their mother.

Should she still eat roast duck today?

Would it leave a shadow on them if she killed their duck mother in front of them?

She only thought for two seconds.

Tie Lanyan decided to make roast duck anyway.

It would be a good opportunity for the little ones to see the harshness of the world early on.

After all, they would become her food when they grew up.

The duck-killing process was simple.

Slit the throat to drain the blood, scald with hot water, quickly pluck the feathers, and clean the insides.

Then she rubbed the bare duck with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and sugar, giving it a massage.

She didn’t have honey, so she had to use sugar instead.

While waiting for the duck to marinate, Tie Lanyan dug a pit in the yard and built a wooden roasting rack on top.

She skewered the marinated duck onto clean bamboo sticks, lit a big fire underneath and started roasting.

While roasting, Tie Lanyan mashed two apples and smeared the juice on the roast duck.

Soon, a fragrant aroma of apple and roasted meat wafted through the air.

Tie Lanyan’s eyes lit up, she couldn’t help but swallow.

Gulp! It smelled so good!

Roast duck might be a bit greasy.

Tie Lanyan also prepared a large plate of cold bean sprouts.

She gathered the ingredients: scallions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and sugar.

She washed the bean sprouts, trimmed the ends, blanched them in hot water, and then she soaked them in cold water for a while.

After that, she heated oil in a pan, added all the ingredients and stir-fried them until fragrant, then poured them into a bowl and mixed them with the bean sprouts.

Soon, a plate of cold bean sprouts was ready.

Tie Lanyan picked up a bean sprout and took a bite.

Mmm, crisp and refreshing, so delicious!

While roasting the duck, Tie Lanyan nibbled on a big apple to satisfy her hunger.

She had been eating apples every day, and she felt her skin becoming smoother.

She had been in this era for four or five days, and she had been eating well and abundantly.

Although she didn’t have a scale, Tie Lanyan felt she had gained a little weight.

Probably a pound or two?

She still needed to gain twenty-eight pounds to reach her goal of thirty pounds. A long way to go, but she was determined!

After an hour of roasting over high heat, the fragrant roast duck was finally ready.

Tie Lanyan tore off a large duck leg and couldn’t wait to take a bite.

The moment it touched her tongue, she was amazed.

The skin was golden brown and crispy, the inside was tender and juicy, rich but not greasy, the flavor was mellow, every bite was an ultimate tease to her taste buds.

Tie Lanyan devoured the roast duck, her mouth dripping with oil.

“Chirp chirp～”

“Quack quack quack～”

A group of chicks and ducklings were hopping happily on the grass.

Seeing the pieces of duck meat that had fallen from Tie Lanyan’s hand, they immediately rushed over and scrambled for them.

Tie Lanyan: ……

It seemed her worries were unnecessary.

These little guys were completely carefree!

After a hearty meal, it was time for a good sleep.

Tie Lanyan slept until two in the afternoon, feeling refreshed.

She was going to go out.

There were several scrap yards in Jing City.

She had only visited one in the morning, so she had to check out the others.

As she was closing the gate to her yard, a tall, thin figure walked by.

“Lanyan, are you going out?”

The man was wearing a white shirt and black-rimmed glasses, with an honest and simple face.

It was Chen Jian, the son of Aunt Ma next door, who had a normal relationship with the original owner.

Tie Lanyan greeted him.

Chen Jian pushed his glasses up with his hand and smiled, “Where are you going? Do you want me to come with you?”

Tie Lanyan: “No, thank you.”

But she felt a little repulsed.

Their relationship wasn’t close enough for that, right?

Tie Lanyan’s hunch was right.

Chen Jian then said something very awkward.