“But these things actually look pretty nice!” Feng Xia commented.

Gu Xiaoxi smiled and said, “Don’t be fooled by how old and dirty they look. Once I clean and polish them, they’ll be as good as new.”

No one took her words too seriously, but someone curiously asked, “How much did you pay for all this?”

Even at second-hand scrap prices, it probably wasn’t cheap, right?

Gu Xiaoxi had already planned to let these things see the light of day, so she calmly answered, “All this? Just a little over ten yuan. Way cheaper than buying new ones.”

“That’s true. That box looks pretty nice. Maybe I’ll check out the scrap yard too!”

“Xiaoxi, do you need help moving these things inside?” Li Guifen asked.

Gu Xiaoxi shook her head. “No need, no need. There’s a well in the yard. I’ll just clean them up here before bringing them inside.”

“Then let me help you!” Li Guifen offered enthusiastically.

Gu Xiaoxi smiled and declined. “I’m home alone today, and I’m not working at the moment. Cleaning this up will help pass the time. You all go ahead with your own things, no need to trouble yourselves.”

“Alright, but call us if you need anything. Have you eaten yet?” Li Guifen asked with concern.

As Gu Xiaoxi fetched some water, she washed her hands and replied, “I still have some porridge from breakfast. I’ll just heat it up and eat it.”

Hearing that she was about to eat lunch, everyone dispersed.

Once they left, Gu Xiaoxi casually stored the carved wooden cupboard in her Old Goods Storage, then swapped it for a brand-new one and placed it in the kitchen.

After putting the kitchenware into the new cupboard, the whole kitchen looked much tidier.

Although she had said she would eat leftover porridge, she ended up taking the time to make herself an egg pancake instead.

After eating, she went back to the yard, pretending to clean and organize things, while discreetly moving items into her Old Goods Storage and replacing them with new ones.

However, when she started dealing with the three sacks of books, Gu Xiaoxi suddenly discovered that she could no longer throw things into the Old Goods Storage.

Just as she was wondering why, she saw a golden light circling around the words Old Goods Storage, leaving behind a mysterious, intricate pattern.

The next moment, golden text appeared before her eyes:

[Trade-in System Space Owner: Gu Xiaoxi]

[Transaction Level: Novice Level 2]

[Points: 0/2000]

[Merit Value: 0]

[Skill Store: Unlocked]

Gu Xiaoxi carefully read through it twice before she realized that her Trade-in System Space had leveled up. To upgrade again, she would likely need to accumulate 2,000 points.

But what did leveling up actually do?

She experimentally tossed another book into the Old Goods Storage.

Immediately, she saw two projections appear in the New Product Display Hall—one was a brand-new version of the same book, identical to the original.

The other seemed to be a deluxe edition, with noticeably better paper quality.

She reached out and selected the deluxe edition.

Flipping through it, she realized that the quality of this book was significantly superior to the regular old-for-new exchange version.

Considering long-term storage, she decided to upgrade all the books to deluxe editions.

She even retrieved some previously exchanged standard versions from the New Product Display Hall, intending to upgrade them as well.

However, when she tossed those books back into the Old Goods Storage, she was dumbfounded.

The second exchange had completely erased the text from the books—what she got back was a collection of blank books!

After a brief moment of confusion, she threw another book into the Old Goods Storage.

Hmm, two seconds later, she received another wordless book!

Gu Xiaoxi: “……”

So, once something entered the Old Goods Storage, it couldn’t be exchanged again!

Oh well, a wordless book could still be used as scrap paper or letter paper!

After a while, she remembered she had a few old, tattered banknotes in her bag, so she took them out and placed them into the Old Goods Storage.

This time, she noticed that the New Product Display Hall presented her with two options: she could exchange a one-yuan note for a brand-new one-yuan note, or she could get two fifty-cent notes instead.

In other words, after upgrading, the Trade-in System Space could now make change!

She suddenly had the urge to revisit the junkyard and buy everything in sight.

But that was just a thought—if she wanted to live steadily in this era, she still needed to be practical.

As she was pondering where else she could use the exchange system to earn points besides the junkyard, Li Guifen arrived.

Li Guifen had just finished her household chores and originally came over to help. However, seeing that Gu Xiaoxi had already tidied up the yard and moved everything inside, she was a little surprised.

But that surprise quickly turned into shock when she saw the furniture—now so clean it practically gleamed.

“Xiaoxi, you really have an eye for things. Those old pieces of furniture look brand new after a good wash!”

Gu Xiaoxi smiled, then suddenly had an idea and said, “Sister Guifen, do you have anything that needs washing? Bring it over, and I’ll help you clean it. I’m not busy anyway.”

“Really? Now that you mention it, I do! My kitchen cabinet is carved, and it’s a nightmare to clean—it’s all dark and grimy now,” Li Guifen said, feeling tempted.

Gu Xiaoxi thought for a moment. “There’s a well in my yard. If you don’t mind the trouble, bring it over and wash it here. Or, if you’re okay with fetching water, I can go to your place and clean it for you.”

Li Guifen considered it. “Why don’t I just bring it over?”

Cleaning something like that wouldn’t take just a bucket or two of water. Bringing it over was a bit of a hassle, but it would save her from getting her house wet and having to clean up again.

Gu Xiaoxi nodded. “Sounds good. You can start by bringing your pots and basins first. I’ll go mix up some cleaning solution, and then I’ll help you carry the cabinet over.”

Li Guifen laughed heartily. “No need for that—I can carry it myself. I’ll go get it now!”

With that, she strode off energetically.

Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoxi grabbed a basin, dissolved some of her household detergent in water, got a rag, and filled a bucket with water in preparation.

Not long after, Li Guifen returned—not with lightweight pots and basins, but carrying her entire kitchen cabinet on her back!

Without hesitation, Gu Xiaoxi immediately got to work cleaning.

As she scrubbed, she said, “Sister Guifen, go grab some more things. I’ll finish this up quickly.”

“Got it!” Li Guifen hurried off again.

Seeing that the cabinet had quite a few damaged spots, with some broken carvings, Gu Xiaoxi decided not to put it into the Old Goods Storage. Instead, she used her Gardage Decomposition and Cleaning Techniques to restore it.

Even without swapping it, the freshly cleaned cabinet looked spotless and refreshed.

When Li Guifen returned for the second time and saw the sparkling clean cabinet, she was overjoyed. “Wow! This is way too clean!”

Gu Xiaoxi felt a sense of accomplishment too and smiled. “Take your cabinet back first—I’ll clean the rest.”

“Great! Great!” Li Guifen hoisted the cabinet onto her back and dashed off at full speed.

Watching her go, Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t help but feel a little envious. Sister Guifen’s stamina was amazing—her strength was incredible!