Chapter 276: Chapter 276

Sorting them out made it much easier. Later, Li Xianglu found a Late Qing Imperial Kiln blue and white bowl with a diameter of twenty centimeters in a pair of messy pots, and then he started buying all kinds of jars and pots aggressively.

This chap was incredibly lucky, usually able to find one or two good items in a day. Before the end of the summer vacation, he and Anna went out for a day and ended up getting two pairs of elephant ear vases in excellent condition just when they planned to call it a day.

Li Xianglu was shocked, wondering whose family these belonged to, considering them foolish to sell such fine vases.

While chugging water, Qin Zhen bragged, "The family wanted to sell them to pay for their elderly’s medical bills. A pair was priced at one hundred yuan, but I bargained down to fifty. How about that, am I awesome or what?"

However, Li Xianglu felt there was something odd about these vases, wondering why anyone would also give away the boxes used to store the vases.

After arranging the vases, Li Xianglu fiddled with the two boxes, which were beautifully made of wood, the more he looked, the more he felt that something was off.

Sister Xing cooked porridge and dishes that evening. Anna, sweating, went to wash up and changed into a long dress from Li Xianglu. Her face flushed, Li Xianglu quickly took a homemade aloe vera from the fridge and applied it to her, to prevent peeling the next day.

Qin Zhen frowned and complained, "I’ve been collecting junk for a month, why don’t you ever offer to apply some for me?"

Li Xianglu glanced at Qin Zhen and replied indifferently, "You have thick skin and rough flesh, what are you afraid of!"

Anna found it amusing and comforted him, "Go wash up, I’ll apply some for you."

Upon hearing that, Qin Zhen almost flew to the sink to wash up, and Li Xianglu shook her head and went to call grandfather for dinner.

Qin Xi had been really busy lately, but nobody knew exactly what with. Just as Mr. Li came out, they saw Qin Xi returning from outside, puffing into Feng City, his light blue cotton shirt and hair covered in dirt, filthy.

Seeing this, Li Xianglu hurried to fetch him some clean clothes. Qin Xi had already started washing in the water room, and Li Xianglu, not avoiding him, helped him rinse his hair, then asked, "Did you roll around in the dirt?"

After Qin Xi quickly finished washing his hair and dried off, he asked, "Do we still have money at home?"

Li Xianglu blinked and thought about it. The family had left her gold bars weighing more than two kilograms, and there was quite a bit of money around. Su Yan had given Mr. Li thirty thousand yuan on her return, and there was over fifty thousand yuan at home to begin with. Along with her own savings, there was at least a hundred thousand yuan.

Hearing the numbers Li Xianglu mentioned, Qin Xi was startled - that much? And two kilograms worth of gold bars? What had this girl secretly stashed away? He suspected she might have been secretly selling things. After thinking, he suggested, "Let’s sell the gold, the prices are rising nicely, it’s not worth holding on anymore."

For Li Xianglu, a time-traveler, Qin Xi, a reborn individual, knew too well the trends in gold prices. Although the price of gold had risen several times later, peaking at three to four hundred yuan per gram by the year 2000, the high cost of living could not be ignored. Now, gold was selling for eighty yuan per gram on the black market, and eighty yuan was a month’s salary for a grade eight engineer; two kilograms of gold bars could be sold for eighty thousand yuan.

Li Xianglu nodded, "Alright, all of the two kilograms then, and make the leftovers into a set of jewelry for future use."

Li Xianglu thought about if she had a son who would need jewelry for his wife, or even more so for a daughter, not to mention her third brother’s wedding. There would be many occasions in the future to use gold, so selling it all wouldn’t be wise.

After the two left, they saw Qin Zhen holding his chin high while Lu Anna was applying aloe vera to his neck. Li Xianglu rolled her eyes; these two shameless, Lu Anna, where’s your cool aloofness? Why not keep it up!

After dinner, Qin Xi discovered a pair of vases and frowned, asking, "Who gave these?"

Gifted? Li Xianglu smiled and shook her head, stating, "Not gifted, Qin Zhen acquired them today, for fifty yuan. I’ve appraised them; they’re products of the official kiln from the Qianlong Period."

Qin Xi furrowed her brows even deeper, and after a while said, "Come, let’s take them for grandpa to see."

Mr. Li checked his watermelons, counting them, and realized one was missing. Suddenly recalling Qin Zhen sneaking into the backyard earlier, he cursed "damn rabbit" angrily and went to deliver melons to the Lu Family, lamenting that Ah Yin at home hardly had any. He wondered if she had arrived in the United States yet, and how things were going over there.

Just as Mr. Li was feeling sentimental, he saw his granddaughter carrying an elephant ear vase from afar, calling out, "Grandpa, come quick, look at this vase Qin Zhen brought for fifty yuan. It’s from an official kiln."

While Li Xianglu was saying something, Li Huai Ren didn’t catch it clearly, but he clearly saw the vase in her arms; he stumbled, and Qin Xi quickly steadied him.

Mr. Li’s eyes went wide, and in disbelief, he stared at the vase in Li Xianglu’s arms for a long while before asking, "You said, where did this vase come from?"

Seeing that Mr. Li nearly fell made Li Xianglu quite frightened; she quickly came to the other side to support him and softly answered, "Qin Zhen brought it, a pair, for fifty yuan, including the box."

The box? Li Huai Ren murmured a few words and then urgently said, "Bring the box!"

Li Xianglu, not understanding what was going on, nodded and headed to the living room to place down the vase, then went to fetch the two boxes.

When she returned, all the lights in the room were turned on, Mr. Li was sitting in a chair, examining the vases with a magnifying glass, looking very carefully.

Meanwhile, Qin Xi made a phone call to the Lu Family, urging Qin Zhen to come home early, as there was something important. Qin Zhen had just arrived at the Lu Family, planned to stay a while longer, but hurried back upon his brother’s urgent call.

Mr. Li examined both the vases and the box for half an hour before putting down the magnifying glass, leaning back in his chair, exhausted.

Li Xianglu was terrified, holding a fast-acting heart pill in her hand, quickly feeding one to Mr. Li before sitting beside him and asking, "Grandpa, what’s wrong? Is there something wrong with this vase?"

Mr. Li took a deep breath, his eyes looking blankly towards the door for a long time before saying, "He’s back!"

Who is this ’he’? Male or female?

Qin Zhen also entered, panting, as his brother had urged him to hurry, and he rode quickly. Arriving within a half-hour, he entered and immediately grabbed a jar of herbal tea to drink, finally asking, "What’s up? Why did you call me back so urgently?"

ps: The update for the 18th is complete.