He Zhen was quick-witted and immediately grasped the meaning behind the deity’s words. First, they should capitalize on the competition among the major merchants to make fireworks the talk of the town. Therefore, they should not reveal the fireworks before the Lantern Festival, ensuring that the display on the day itself would leave a lasting impact. If this plan succeeded, there would be no need to worry about sales in the future.

“I understand. Please rest assured, I will take care of everything,” He Zhen responded gratefully.

Trying to sell the fireworks based on a few pictures and getting a major merchant to collaborate was a risky endeavor—not an easy task at all.

Gu Xingzhao placed a jade thumb ring on the table. “You can pawn this for some silver. If there’s any news, use the paper tube on the table to send me a message.”

He Zhen accepted the ring gratefully. “Thank you, deity. I am deeply grateful!”

After finishing her instructions, Gu Xingzhao returned to the modern world. She weighed the gold lock with a supermarket scale—it was a full 100 grams! If she were to sell it based on yesterday’s gold price, it would fetch less than seventy thousand, but since it’s an antique, its value would be much higher.

Moreover, gold, unlike other materials, doesn’t require system restoration even after enduring the passage of time—it just becomes a bit old.

This time, Gu Xingzhao didn’t plan to involve anyone else. Instead, she took a photo of the gold lock with her phone and sent it to Xu Shisan.

Gu Xingzhao: Antique gold lock, interested?

Xu Shisan almost immediately replied: Yes!

Seeing the message, Gu Xingzhao quickly grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe, preparing to head to the city to sell the gold lock and do some shopping.

As she was leaving, she glanced at her phone. In just ten minutes, Xu Shisan had flooded her WeChat with messages.

Xu Shisan: Sis, how much do you want for this gold lock?

Xu Shisan: Are you coming to the shop?

Xu Shisan: I can offer home service. Just give me your address, and I’ll drive over. I have a driver’s license and can even take you for a spin.

Xu Shisan: Would you do me the honor of having a meal together? You can bring your daughter too.

Gu Xingzhao’s eyebrow twitched. What on earth was Xu Shisan up to? What could he possibly want from her?

Driving from the town to the city’s antique street took a while. At the shop, Xu Shisan had gone through a complete makeover, trying to change Gu Xingzhao’s impression of him. Imitating his uncle, he wore a black Chinese tunic suit, styled his hair, and donned black-rimmed glasses.

The shop assistants noticed and couldn’t help but laugh to themselves. “Boss, that lady may be young and pretty, but she already has a daughter. Maybe you should reconsider.”

It just didn’t seem right.

But Xu Shisan, adjusting his hairstyle in an antique bronze mirror, replied, “You don’t understand.”

He had noticed the jade pendant that Gu Xingzhao wore. Somehow, it felt like fate was leading him to it. To get that jade pendant, he had to curry favor with its owner.

When Gu Xingzhao walked into the shop, she almost thought she had entered the wrong place—Xu Shisan looked so different.

As soon as she sat down, she pulled out the heavy gold lock and placed it on the table. “This is a pure gold antique lock, no tricks. Take a look.”

Xu Shisan picked up the gold lock, weighed it in his hand, and held up four fingers. “You’re an old customer, so I’ll give you this amount.”

Gu Xingzhao raised an eyebrow. Forty thousand?

“This is a pure gold antique lock. You can’t find one this good elsewhere, and you’re only offering this much? That’s not fair.”

Xu Shisan was slightly taken aback, surprised that she was haggling. “Then how much do you want?”

Gu Xingzhao smiled and held up six fingers.

Xu Shisan almost spat out his tea. Sixty thousand?!

The gold lock was worth, at most, fifty thousand. She was asking for twenty thousand more than his initial offer—she was practically treating him like an ATM!

But then, noticing the red string around her neck and thinking of the jade pendant he so desired, Xu Shisan clenched his teeth and made up his mind. “Alright, you’ll get sixty thousand.”

Money wasn’t an issue—the Xu family had plenty. If spending it made him happy, it was worth it.

Though suspicious of Xu Shisan’s eagerness, Gu Xingzhao didn’t care as long as she got her money. Once the money was transferred to her bank account, she finally looked at Xu Shisan and couldn’t help but ask, “Did something happen to you?”

Xu Shisan was confused. “What?”

Gu Xingzhao scanned his outfit. It looked mismatched—his cute face didn’t suit the old-fashioned attire and hairstyle. It was like a child pretending to be grown up.

Her hesitation left Xu Shisan feeling disheartened.

Taking off his glasses, he decided to be direct and asked, “What kind of man do you like?”

Gu Xingzhao thought for a moment, sipped her tea, and slowly said, “Someone older, gentle and refined, well-read, and who cares about the people—someone who sees it as their duty to save the world.”

Xu Shisan was silent.

He could understand preferring someone older—they’re more caring. He could also understand liking someone gentle, refined, and well-read. But someone who cares about the people and sees it as their duty to save the world?

The image that came to his mind was of those high-ranking officials in the news, discussing national affairs. How was he supposed to become that?

Xu Shisan was stumped. That’s not something money alone could achieve.

Even after Gu Xingzhao left, he was still mulling it over.

After leaving the antique street, Gu Xingzhao stopped by a wholesale factory to stock up on food and drinks. Remembering that Lu Qing and the others’ shoes were likely worn out, she bought a batch of soft, comfortable shoes and even two lightweight wheelchairs. She tried one out herself—it was quite comfortable.

Since they couldn’t ride in a four-wheeled car just yet, she got Lu Qing a two-wheeled one instead. Besides, Du Hangwu was now somewhat on her side, so even if it drew attention, it didn’t matter. They could use it once they were no longer trekking through rugged mountains—or she could give it to any women who couldn’t walk due to menstrual pain.

After these purchases, she also bought some women’s personal items, including overnight pads for those special days. Considering that they were on the road daily without proper places to clean up, overnight pads were more suitable than regular ones.

Gu Xingzhao suddenly thought that these might sell well in ancient times too, but for now, she would focus on the fireworks business.

The wholesale factory owner remembered that she had recently bought quite a lot of goods. It hadn’t been that long, and she was back for more—and even more this time. Though he wasn’t one to complain about business, he was still curious. “Xiao Gu, can your little supermarket really sell this much?”

In his memory, Gu Xingzhao’s supermarket wasn’t very big.