With mixed emotions, she arrived on the street, bid farewell to the other wives, and went her separate way.  

After mailing her letter at the post office, she bought twenty more envelopes, three sheets of stamps, and a stack of letter paper.  

Once she stepped out of the post office, she asked for directions and headed to the nearest recycling station.  

When Gu Xiaoxiao arrived, the elderly gatekeeper was painstakingly mending a few tattered banknotes with glue.  

Noticing her approach, he glanced up and casually asked, “What are you here for?”  

Gu Xiaoxiao replied immediately, “I’m looking for some old furniture.”  

The old man nodded. “Go on in.”  

Seeing how laboriously he was pasting the torn bills, she offered, “How about I exchange those for some new ones?”  

As she spoke, she pulled out a few crisp, brand-new bills.  

The old man blinked in surprise. “You’re such a neat and tidy young lady—you’d actually take these old, dirty bills?”  

Gu Xiaoxiao answered naturally, “It’s no trouble. I was planning to stop by the bank anyway—I can just exchange them there.”  

Seeing that the girl wasn’t the least bit fussy, the old man agreed to the swap.  

Once the exchange was done, he added helpfully, “If you’re looking for old furniture, head to the northwest corner. The stuff there’s in better shape.”  

“Got it, thank you!” Gu Xiaoxiao acknowledged before obediently making her way to the northwest corner.  

Indeed, the northwest corner held a larger collection of old furniture. Compared to the other sections of the recycling station, the items here were newer and more intact.  

Her eyes immediately landed on two large rosewood chests—perfect for storing clothes or bedding.  

She hurried back to inform the gatekeeper, letting him know she wanted to reserve them while she continued browsing.  

The old man nodded. “Take your time. I’ll move those chests outside for you.”  

“Thank you! Grandpa, if I pay extra, could you arrange to have them delivered to my place?”  

The old man chuckled at her request. “Most folks buy secondhand to save money and haul things home themselves. Why would you pay for delivery?”  

Gu Xiaoxiao scratched her head sheepishly. “To be honest, I’m a newly relocated military wife. My husband’s just left on assignment, and I can’t move these things alone.”  

Hearing she was a military wife, the old man promptly said, “No need to pay for delivery—I’ll have my son bring them over later.”  

Gu Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head. “I can’t accept that for free. Labor and transport costs should be covered, especially since I plan to pick out more things.”  

The old man smiled. “Alright then. We’ll see what you pick, and you can toss in a few extra dimes.”  

Gu Xiaoxiao nodded and immediately went back to selecting more items.  

Before long, she had also picked out a kang cabinet and a wardrobe.  

Then, she quietly slipped a few small items into her Old Good Storage.  

Among them were damaged calligraphy scrolls, books, porcelain, and vases carelessly strewn on the ground, as well as delicate-looking chairs and tables missing legs or arms.  

Watching these broken items restore themselves to perfection in the New goods display hall filled her with a deep sense of accomplishment.  

After making her rounds, she came across a pile of smashed traditional medicine cabinets, with tiny ceramic medicine bottles scattered nearby—all damaged.  

Gu Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly, then, on impulse, stored the medicine cabinets in her Old Goods Storage.  

As for the delicate little bottles, she sifted through them and eventually tossed each one into the Old goods Storage as well.  

Feeling slightly guilty, she picked out a jewelry box and brought it to the gatekeeper.  

Seeing her return, the old man asked, “All done picking?”  

Just as Gu Xiaoxiao was about to nod in agreement, her eyes fell upon a beautiful water vat adorned with a court lady painting in the room behind the old man. Delighted, she asked, “Grandpa, do you have more of these water vats? My home still needs one, as well as some pickling jars.”  

The old man glanced at her and gestured toward the room behind him. “Go on in and pick some out. There are a few good ones in there.”  

“Great!” Without hesitation, Gu Xiaoxiao immediately stepped inside.  

Once inside, she realized the room was much larger than she had imagined, filled to the brim with all sorts of items.  

Aside from five or six exquisite water vats, there were numerous fine porcelain pieces. Half the room was stacked with books—all kinds of them, piled haphazardly.  

Gu Xiaoxiao was astonished. “There are so many books here?”  

The old man nodded. “They’ve been piling up over the years. Books aren’t worth much—most people buy them to use as kindling.”  

Gu Xiaoxiao was stunned. Kindling?  

Of course—during this time, many books were forbidden, especially foreign ones, which were outright banned.  

Seeing her staring blankly at the books, the old man added, “You can buy some too. They make excellent kindling in winter.”  

Gu Xiaoxiao nodded. “Yes, I’ll take some as well.”  

Just then, a truck arrived outside, loaded with more items to be dumped at the recycling station.  

“There are sacks in the corner. Help yourself,” the old man said before heading out.  

Gu Xiaoxiao peeked outside, then crouched down and began sifting through the books on the ground.  

One by one, she tossed any that caught her eye into her Old Goods Storage.  

Among them, she even found some middle and high school textbooks, which she also collected.  

However, there were far too many books on the ground for her to take them all, so she settled for filling three sacks.  

At that moment, the old man returned. Seeing that Gu Xiaoxiao had already picked out her water vats and books, he said, “You’re in luck today, girl. The truck just brought in some nice wooden chests—go take a look and see if you like them.”  

“Right away! Thank you!” Gu Xiaoxiao immediately followed the old man outside.  

The newly arrived batch contained a large number of items. Gu Xiaoxiao took a liking to three delicate wooden chests—two small rosewood dome-topped ones and an intact carved dish cabinet.  

“Grandpa, I’ll take these. Please tally up the bill!”  

The old man nodded and, after some calculations, gave her a discounted price.  

“With delivery included, let’s call it fifteen yuan. I’ll throw in two pickling jars for you later.”  

Gu Xiaoxiao blinked. “Isn’t that too much of a bargain for me?”  

The old man chuckled. “This stuff isn’t worth much anyway.”  

Gu Xiaoxiao promptly paid and arranged a delivery time with the old man. She then placed the two smaller chests inside a slightly larger wooden box and carried them off herself.  

When no one was looking, she quickly stored the chests in her Old Goods Storage and returned to the military housing complex empty-handed.  

Perhaps because she walked slowly or stopped to rest along the way, by the time she arrived home, the old man’s son had just delivered the remaining items to the entrance of the complex.  

After a flurry of activity, Gu Xiaoxiao’s yard was soon filled with old furniture, drawing quite a crowd of onlookers and helpers.  

Li Guifen laughed in amusement. “Xiaoxiao, I never would’ve guessed you’re so thrifty—digging through scrap heaps for secondhand goods!”  

In her eyes, Gu Xiaoxiao was young, beautiful, and clearly someone who valued cleanliness. It was hard to imagine her rummaging through piles of junk for old items.